Filing Out-of-Network Reimbursement with VSP

I remember being very excited after discovering VSP reimburses purchases of prescription glasses from online retailers. But at the time, I wasn't sure how to submit the reimbursement. Follow along and I'll show you how easy it is.

0. "Create an account" at vsp.com. 

1. Login to vsp.com

2. Click on benefits

3. Click on "Submit a Claim". As of September 2020, that takes you to: https://www.vsp.com/claims/submit-oon-claim

4. Click on "Start a New Claim". 

5. Fill in "Other" for Doctor/Office Name and write in EyeBuyDirect.

6. Fill in the price of the lenses and frames after any discounts. VSP does not cover tax and shipping. How do you handle the cost when you use a percentage-off coupon and the receipt doesn't show the updated cost of the frames/lenses? Just calculate the pro-rata amount.

Here is an example. My receipt showed $65 as price of frames and $49 for lenses (I chose the EBDBlue 360 bundle). I used a coupon that took off $28.50. So my total cost (before shipping and taxes) was $85.50. Thus I put 65/(65+49)x85.50 = 48.75 for the frames and 49/(65+49)x85.50 = 36.75 for the lenses. 

7. Next page, add your name and mailing address.

8. Last page, attach your invoice from EyeBuyDirect and submit it.

9. I received the check within two weeks for the amount minus the co-pay. 

You can read about my previous experience with EyeBuyDirect here and here. 2019 update is here.

Requesting an Outgoing Wire Transfer/Cashier's Check Completely Online

With the pandemic going on, I was looking for a way to payoff a loan without having to set foot outside of the house. There are a couple websites that tell you how to get a cashier's check, but most assume you will go into a physical bank branch. The loan company required a wire or a cashier's check.

My Requirements:
1) Completely online or through phone
2) Reasonable $$ limit so I can conduct my transaction
3) Ability to add a memo line for cashier's checks or extra instructions for a wire so the money can be credited to my loan correctly.
4) Reasonable time period

Here is my research:

Institution	Type of transfer	Fees	Notes
Ally	Wire	$20	Online form includes an "Additional Instructions" field which is 140 characters.
Ally	Cashier's Check	Free	"We don’t currently issue certified checks or money orders, but we can issue cashier’s checks. Call us at 1-877-247-2559 to request a cashier’s check – at no charge." Source: https://www.ally.com/help/bank/account-information.html Some online comments mentioned a 7-day lead time.
Bank of America	Wire	$30	Unable to find a place to initiate it online
Bank of America	Cashier's Check	$10	Unable to find a place to initiate it online.
Capital One	Wire	$30	"No limit to external accounts. Up to $500,000 to a title company."
Capital One	Cashier's Check	$20	"There is a $500,000 daily limit and $250,000 limit per check."
Chase	Wire	$25	Allows adding a message to bank and message to recipient, 140 characters each. $100,000 daily limit
Chase	Cashier's Check	N/A	Unable to find a place to initiate it online.
Fidelity	Wire	Free	No place to put loan account number or name of borrower. "Transaction limit $100,000.00"
Fidelity	Cashier's Check	??	Need to fill out a form: http://personal.fidelity.com/misc/ekits/pdf/Cashier_Check_Request.pdf. Reply from virtual assistant: "To receive a cashier's check, please call a Fidelity associate at 800-343-3548 or visit an Investor Center to request your check. We'll mail the check via FedEx overnight and a signature is required for delivery."
Vanguard	Wire	Free	Need to fill out a form https://investor.vanguard.com/contact-us/faqs/how-do-i-send-money-bank-not-on-file
Vanguard	Cashier's Check	N/A	Could not find
Wells Fargo	Wire	$30	"You can send up to $5,000.00 daily or $15,000.00 on a 30-calendar-day rolling basis. To request higher limits for online wires, please visit your local branch or contact your banker or advisor."
Wells Fargo	Cashier's Check	$10 + $8 delivery	"Limit of $6,000 in online cashier check orders per calendar month per customer." Source: https://www.wellsfargo.com/online-banking/service-fees/

Conclusion:

I obviously did not go through the transaction with each account and method. I ended up going with Ally and the transaction was successful. I added the wire information and submitted it to Ally. Ally did NOT call and confirm with me. The money was removed from my account by the end of the day. The amount was successfully credited to my account at the loan company the next day. If I had tried harder, I might have been able to save the $20 fee by calling Vanguard. But that likely would have delayed the payoff and cost me more interest. Since I ended up paying off the loan prior to the payoff date, it looks like they will refund me some interest!

Do you know of a better place to request a wire/cashier's check? Let me know in the comments!

Staples Delivery Signed By: F DOOR COVID-19

COVID-19 really changed the way things are delivered.

VSP and Out-of-Network 2019 Revisit

Back in 2015 and 2016, I successfully purchased glasses from Eyebuydirect/Coastal and VSP/Eyemed reimbursed me for most of the cost. You can read about my previous experience here and here. 

For 2017 and 2018, I decided to forgo vision insurance as the annual premium was more than $120. It does not make sense to pay $120 for something I can only get ~$50 out of.

In 2019, my vision insurance premium changed back to $0 and I happily signed up for vision insurance. I  purchased glasses from Eyebuydirect and was reimbursed by VSP. I am happy to report VSP still reimburses purchases from Eyebuydirect. As before, please check your plan details to make sure it accepts out-of-network claims.

Here are some details on the purchase/reimbursement:

1) I selected the EBDBlue bundle (+$34). As before, I do not know if VSP will cover the cost of lens enhancements if lens enhancements are listed on their own lines.

2) I used a coupon. If you can't find one, you can use my referral link to get $10 off.

3) Total including shipping was around $80.

4) Submitted out-of-network reimbursement claim online. Attached receipts as PDFs. Everything was done online.

5) Received check in the mail. I believe it was around $60.

6) At the time, my American Express credit card had a $20 off $75 offer after activation. This is not a coupon, but a credit on your Amex account so it stacks with other offers. Right now, my Amex has a $10 off $50 offer that expires 9/16/2020. 

BoA Cash Rewards 5.25%

Bank of America recently changed the Cash Rewards credit card to allow the user to choose their own 3% category every month.  One of the categories is online shopping. Coupled with the platinum honors bonus, this becomes a 5.25% cash back card. What constitutes online shopping?

This is my experience:

YES
Apple.com
Staples.com (bought non-Staples gift cards)
Kidztopros.com
Costco.com
Reservecalifornia.com (for CA state park camping)

eBay (payment through PayPal)

Neiman Marcus

Amazon.com

Uber (ride + tip in app)

Amazon Go store

Turbotax (for state e-file)

Nike

Tea Collection

Baskin Robbins (ordered cake online for in store pickup)

Gilroy Gardens (for parking)

FastTrak (for replenishing credit)

Kiehl's

Groupon

Chipotle (online order)

Lyft

Lady M

CONFERENCE CONCEPTS, IN

Amazon Prime (membership)

AAA (membership renewal)

Graco

Kiwico

Petco.com

Vendini.com

Straw Hat Pizza

skirose.com (Mt. Rose Ski lesson and pass)

subway.com (in-app purchase)

chargepoint

yamimeal (purchase in app)

safeway.com (grocery delivery)

bluebottle coffee

SOMETIMES

PayPal (not sure how it determines eligibility. These were not eBay purchases.)

NO
PGE.com
TMobile.com (post-paid account)

Comcast (internet bill)

AAA insurance (pay online)
Birkenstock Express

recreation.gov

reservecalifornia.com (worked previously, but not Jan 2020)

subway.com (bought gift card in app)

Buying a Mattress From overstock.com

I bought a mattress from overstock.com a couple months ago. Initially I had ordered through the  mattress firm website, but I cancelled my order after finding a better price through overstock.

The tracking number provided by overstock listed homedirectusa as the carrier. I was horrified to see the terrible reviews for this company on Yelp. There seemed to be no way to track the delivery. After some searching, I found the tracking number worked on www.mxdgroup.com/track-delivery . Soon the shipping company followed up with an automated call and I was able to setup a day and delivery window.

On the day of the delivery, they were right on time (I believe I was the second one of the day). The mattress was well packaged and I have no qualms about purchasing a mattress again from overstock.com.

Mattress Firm Pricematching

My wife said it was time to buy another mattress so I started looking online.

My previous experience purchasing from Sleep Train is here. At the time, I thought I got a pretty good deal as they matched the US Mattress price and gave me an additional 10% discount. I wanted to do something similar.

Sleep Train is now Mattress Firm, so I entered the Mattress Firm online chat. Initially, they steered me towards the low end Simmons Beautyrest Greenwood when I told them I got a mattress for ~$600.

They made a couple better offers after I shared some links from online retailers.

Discounted Price | Mattress Firm Original Online Price
$625                      $1053
$825                      $1354
$785                      $1954

Seems like a great deal right? I thought so too, so I ordered the last one and setup for delivery the next day.

I continued searching online and found a website selling a similar mattress for $620. Mattress Firm could not match this so I cancelled my order.

Although they (MF) could not match the best price, I believe they are a decent choice when you need a mattress quickly. My tips:

1) Provide links to online retailers and ask to pricematch
2) Continue to press for a pricematch and ask them to beat a price by 10% after they have made an initial offer.