I’ve got about $60 coming my way. I realize that’s not make-it-rich money, but it’s money I won’t mind having in my wallet, once it gets here.
You see, I recently purchased three items that came with rebates. I know people think rebates are scams, because they’re promised money that most people don’t end up getting. But that’s not the companies’ fault. That’s the people’s fault–if they’re too lazy to follow the steps to get the money that’s rightly theirs.
Sure, getting rebates isn’t always easy, and my experience alone shows three different ways you might have to jump through “hoops” to get the money.
- In December I took advantage of Coinstar’s promotion of getting $10 extra when I cashed in at least $40 at one of their machines. Originally, I thought the extra $10 would get added to my total, but instead a receipt printed out with my Lowe’s gift card. Then it was up to me to send in that receipt by January 13th in order to get my money. That receipt is mailed and I have no idea in what form that $10 will arrive, but at least I’m getting my money.
- Last week I bought some new Avery labels that I can use when addressing envelopes. Those labels came with a $5 rebate. When I checked out at Staples, I got this three-foot-long receipt with all the details about how I could claim my $5. Then I noticed a line that said something like “Or you can claim your rebate on line by going to Staples Easy Rebates.” I chose that latter option, and in about five minutes, I’d processed my rebate claim. My $5 rebate, in the form of a gift card, should be here in a few weeks.
- Right around Christmas my daughter’s cell phone died. Because we were eligible for a new phone upgrade, we were able to purchase her a new phone that, in the end would be free. Why? Because it came with a $50 rebate. Now this rebate was a bit more cumbersome to cash in, because it required not only cutting out the barcode from the phone’s box, but also filling it in, along with about 20 lines of information, on the Verizon Wireless rebate form. That took me about 20 minutes to complete (including making a copy of my rebate submission, just in case), and if you think about that in terms of hourly wage, I’m getting $50 for 20 minutes of work or $150/hour. (I just discovered that, like Staples, I could have submitted my Verizon Wireless rebate online. Darn!)
I think it’s worth it to complete rebates to get money. What about you?
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
So often now, you can file rebates online. I’ve found it to be so much easier, and I get the rebate money quicker : )
Yeah, I guess from this point forward, I should always look for the online option first!
I do think they are a bit of a scam, because companies try to persuade people to buy more based on a product having a lower price “after rebate,” but that just motivates me all the more to be sure I get my money back! Do keep copies of everything so you can follow up if your money doesn’t show up in the anticipated time.
Because I buy so little, I don’t have too many opportunities for rebates. But I do on occasion and I know it takes a little discipline to follow through. I think the key is doing it – the filling out of forms, cutting off codes, mailing – straight away. The longer you delay, the less likely you are to get the job done.
I believe even with coupons from Staples, you can buy better quality labels at much lower prices from http://www.worldlabel.com
Rite Aid makes their “single check rebates” very easy to do online. The only draw back is remembering to put receipts next to my computer since items with rebates are valid for only that particular month.
Hi
I did the coinstar rebate also. I’m still waiting.
This offer was running about a year ago and when I received my rebate it was through email. It was a gift card code to use at amazon.com. I don’t think they can do that with Lowe’s credit though.
Thanks for letting me know. Will be interesting to see how the rebate arrives.
I too prefer online submission – much simpler and no paying for postage
BTW, as a side note, don’t forget to snip the BoxTops off the Avery packages to send in to your local school.
I couldn’t resist – I am the BT coordinator for my child’s school!
Good point. I wish there was a place where I could send/donate my BT since my kids’ school doesn’t collect them at this level (middle school/high school). Any suggestions?
[...] Remember Your Rebates! (suddenlyfrugal.com) [...]
[...] What about rebates? Have you bought anything lately that came with a rebate (office equipment, new phone) and you thought, “Oh, it’s just not worth the trouble?” Well, you may not make back your hourly rate but to give up “free” money is insane. The last time I got a new cell phone, I was eligible for a $50 rebate. You can bet I took the 20 minutes I needed to get my money back. Heck, that works out to $150 an hour! Many of these companies let you do rebates online so there’s no fussing with copying receipts and cutting out UPC codes. [...]