Freebies!
Free multipurpose paper ream:
Today in store only (Oct 1st 2011): Staples is offering free after easy rebate Staples® Multipurpose Paper Ream, 8 ½" x 11" (item number: 513099). You pay $5.99 and submit your rebate for $5.99 online or by mail.
Extreme Deals:
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 Memory Kit for Apple Macbook Pro and iMac - 1066MHz SODIMM - KTA-MB1066K2/8G at buy.com for $39.95 with FREE SHIPPING after $10 mail-in-rebate. Rebate valids only for purchase made between 09/30/2011 to 10/09/2011 from buy.com.
Tips for online shopping
Reward online shopping mall !
What is reward online shopping mall?
It is similar to "refering" program. Instead of going directly to your website to do your online shopping, you will go to the reward online shopping mall website first and then go through their link to your destination, and the rest is the same.
What are the gains?
Depend on the programs. Most of the programs would give you reward points which you can later convert to cash, free travel or free items. You earn your rewards on top of the discounts that retailers often offer.
Drawbacks?
Everything sounds too good to be true? The biggest cons is probably your time. You will have to spend a couple minutes extra to go to the reward online shopping mall before you can actually do your shopping. Then you will have to wait for the rewards to be posted on your account which could take a month. In the worse case, you will have to spend time calling the program to get your rewards corrected. However, if the rewards do not mean that much to you and you don't want to follow through with it, you only incur the extra 2 minutes to go to the virtual shopping mall website as compared to not going there in the beginning and gaining nothing. The second drawback is that you have to be a member of the program, which often means that you must have the bank account or credit card from the program and you must SIGN UP for the program, and you use the card to pay for your purchase.
Which program is reliable?
There are many options out there. Most banks and credit card companies offer some programs similar to the reward online shopping mall.
American Express:
Bank of America:
Add it up: You receive up to 20 % of your purchase back into your account and at the end of each month, you can choose to have the cash back deposited to your bank of America account. Different merchants offer different cash back % discount, for example bestbuy.com only offers 1% cash back, but thebodyshop.com offers 9% cash back. Cardholders of any Bank of America cards could sign up for the program. (Recommended)
Worldpoints Mall: This is a part of their "Worldpoints" program. You receive points for your purchase.For example, you receive 4 points for every $1 spent at Jcpenny.com through their worldpoint mall link. You have many options to convert your points into rewards. You can convert a minimum of 2500 points for $12.5 check sent to you. The points have EXPIRATION date though. If you hold the Bank of America Worldpoint credit card, you are automatically signed up for the program. (Not recommended)
Chase:
Ultimate Rewards Mall : You earn up to 10 points for every dollar spent at participating retailers on their website. For example, you earn 3 points/ $1 for purchase at QVC.com, 5 points/$1 at Jcpenny.com, and 8 points/$1 at sephora.com. Your points will be posted to your account and a minimum of $2,000 points can be converted to $20 check sent to you. You need a Chase card with Ultimate Rewards program such as Chase Freedom and Chase Sapphire (for consumer) and Ink from Chase (for business). (Recommended)
Deals website!
There are so many websites out there devoted to updated daily deals. However, bear in mind that they are there to make money, too. So many deals are good but not great and they are from companies that you have never heard of before but they have a "deal" with the deals website. Their stuff is cheap at a bargain price but sometimes you get what you pay for. Always check new company and products!