Rebates: Not that scary.
Why do people have rebate phobia?
Is it filling out the short forms? Saving your receipt? Applying the stamp? Walking to the mailbox?
For those that answered, duh, yes! NEWSFLASH! = many companies, now let you file rebates ONLINE. Haha!
CouponSherpa’s 13 tips to ensure you get your rebate!Find Rebates
EbatesLooking for you rebate status? Try these websites.
Besides the online filing, if you can do what is listed above that, you can use rebates efficiently.
To be successful with rebates, you’ll need the following.
- Pen
- Envelopes
- Stamps
- Small container to store receipts
- Access to an outgoing mailbox
- Actual Product (sometimes for the upc code or other wacky information requested)
- Rebate form
- The hard copy of the receipt (no copies!)
First, lets pose a question: Why are rebates offered? It’s a sales technique to get the consumer to buy at full price with the hope that the rebate gets forgotten about. And a good percent of the time, it does. So basically, when you don’t claim a rebate, you are the sucker that was just born. Unclaimed rebates equal extra revenue for retailers and well, nothing for you.
Did you know that there are over 400 million rebates are offered each year. Their total face value: Over $6 billion…
So what are you waiting for? From the big ticket items offering hundreds of dollars in rebates to the seemingly measly $5 bucks, it’s still money any way you look at it.
The most obvious rebates are usually advertised with big ticket items, such as appliances. But I am going to assume most of my readers file the larger rebates….So I will focus on the little guys, beginning with online rebates.
ONLINE REBATES
From electronics to everyday items (but mostly electronics) rebates are offered everywhere.
Online rebates are pretty simple. Usually, an item will be advertised at a low price and somewhere on the listing it will advertise “eligible for rebate” or “price after rebate” next to the low price that first got your attention. Now, before you get all excited and go to checkout:
FIND THE ACTUAL PRINTABLE REBATE, READ THE REBATE TERMS, and if you are extra cautious MAKE SURE THE REBATE IS VALID. To ensure a rebate is valid, simply go to your favorite search engine and type (with quotes) “itemname rebate” – the results should list the actual company offering the rebate on their site. If in doubt, a simple call to the company will ensure that it’s a valid rebate. Also, make sure the rebate: didn’t expire or expires that day. Ensure you have enough time to receive the item and get the rebate in the mail before the “must be postmarked by” date.
IN-STORE REBATES
The most important thing about doing rebates is KEEPING YOUR RECEIPT. If you only crumple them in a ball and chuck them all in a grocery bag, that’ll work. Just keep the receipts – even if you don’t think the items you bought have a rebate. I’ll tell you why. Many companies *cough* P&G *cough* have what I call last call rebates. P&G will advertise in a newspaper insert that they will to send you something in return for buying say, $50.00 in P&G products, all you have to do in send in your receipts. Sounds simple, right? Well P&G will release this on, lets say, the first of January, and then make it retroactive to all purchases since December first of last year, and it needs to be in the mail in 3 days. And yes, people actually will go out and spend $50.00 on impulse to get in on the rebate because they think they are missing something… But, wait a second, you’ve been saving all your receipts like suggested, crumpled as they may be, a few hand passes to smoothness and you are good to go. That’s why you should keep receipts.
Big deal you say? That’s what I thought too. But then I started thinking – how many things am I buying that I don’t even know have rebates? Turns out, there are a lot. In fact, there are enough available, that if you aren’t using rebates, I strongly suggest you start.
You ask, how do I know if an item has a rebate? Well the telltale sign for an in-store product is usually printed on the label or the rebate offer is attached somehow. You know, those big yellow tags hanging off the product that reads “TRY ME FREE!“. Guess what? They really mean that. The more sneaky rebates and sometimes the better ones, are a little trickier…
Drug stores have unadvertised rebates – most, which now offer online filing – can it get more simple?
The Big 3 are:Walgreens offers an additional 10% back when you choose to receive your rebates in the form of a Walgreens gift card.
CVS if you do not have a CVS Extra Care Card, drop what you are doing and go get one. Now.
You can read about each of the drugstores policies on the websites. It doesn’t hurt to check your local drugstore website to see if they offer rebates too :) If you find of any others for local drugstores, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email (admin@webfloss.com).
HOW TO
Follow the instructions on the rebate to the last detail. If the rebate asks you to circle the date AND item on a receipt – don’t assume, “they will find it”, because they won’t. Nothing is worse, then finding a great deal and not getting your rebate because you can’t follow directions. Yes, it’s happened to me. Make sure you have the correct corresponding item(s), everything circled on the receipt, addressed correctly, and in the mailbox the day before the “postmarked by” date. (Obviously this is for mail in rebates, the online ones are much more simple, but the mail in ones are just as good and greatly overlooked!),
BOTTOM LINE.
Take rebates for a test drive. Next time you see the big yellow “Try me Free!” tag on a product you’d like to try – buy it and send in the rebate, marvel at your new found savings and then, shop with pride, knowing you aren’t the sucker.
A Few Tips
The rebate amount is BEFORE coupons. If the item is $5.00 and you have a coupon for $2.00 off – you will get $5.00 dollars back, those are called money makers. (In the near future, we will be releasing our guide “Living High Class on a Middle Class budget”.) Stay tuned!
I know people that happen to pick up receipts that people have left in shopping carts and claim rebates on items they didn’t even purchase and while I don’t encourage such things, I still thought I’d throw it out there.
While, at the time of this posting, I do not keep track of weekly current rebates, I will post the “big rebates” that might go unnoticed to the general public.
In the meantime, you can try these sites for current rebates:
