Christmas is a big deal for me and my household. It's one time of year where hubby and I can splurge
a bit on each other, and our daughter too. However, it can be quite expensive, especially when there are also friends and family to buy gifts for as well. So my secret weapon to cut down on these costs is by participating in various rewards programs throughout the year to cash in on in the Fall for gift cards and cash! Here's a rundown of the programs I use and how they work:
MyPoints
How it Works:
This is the very first rewards program I signed up for, way back in 2007. Over the years I've earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards through MyPoints. There are several ways to earn points. You can shop through hundreds of online retailers through the MyPoints website and you'll be rewarded points based on the amount you spend. Often the amount of points awarded varies depending on the retailer, but ranges between 2 and 15 points per dollar spent. Other ways to earn points are by printing and redeeming grocery coupons through the site, taking part in special offers, and even by simply reading e-mails. It's just 5 points per e-mail, but those can add up quickly. When you're ready to cash in on your points, you can redeem them for various retailer/restaurant gift cards, or even cash through PayPal.
How you can sign up: Just Click Here
Program:
Plink
How It Works:
This is the easiest rewards program I've ever taken part in. I've only been participating for about 5 months, but the points have added up quickly and I've already cashed in for $60 in Amazon Gift Cards! All you do is sign up and link your debit card. Before anyone even asks, YES, it's totally safe! They only do this to track your purchases. There is selection of retailers and restaurants that participate, and you choose which ones you shop with most often and add them to your "wallet." Whenever you make a purchase at one of these locations, the Plink points are automatically added to your account. Then, when you're ready you can cash in for your gift cards, or even donate your points to charity!
How you can sign up: Just Click Here
Program:
Swagbucks
How It Works: This is another newer program for me, but it's pretty easy and rather fun to participate in. It's similar to MyPoints as in you can complete special offers to earn points. However, Swagbucks puts out daily codes that you can find and enter to redeem for points. They also have daily surveys, give away points for playing games on their website, and even will randomly give out points if you use their search tool when surfing the web. Again, this is a program where the points add up quickly and you can redeem the for the usual gift cards and cash. It almost becomes addicting because they have a daily goal set for how many points you should earn, and if you hit the goal you get bonus points. It's a little bit of a challenge, but like I said, it's a lot of fun too!
How you can sign up: Just Click Here
Program:
SavingStar
How It Works:
Now this program is a little different than the others. It's great for people who enjoy couponing. SavingStar initially asks you to link your grocery store cards to the site. Right now I have my Rite Aid, CVS, and Giant Eagle cards linked, though other places participate as well. The site lists "offers" and when you purchase the item(s) listed in the offer and use your linked store card, you'll earn the specified amount into your account. For example, lets say one of the current offers is .50 when you purchase a box of Cheerios. The next time I'm at Giant Eagle and buy Cheerios, SavingStar will add .50 cents into my SavingStar account. Often they will offer even higher rewards amounts such as $5 for purchasing $15 in specified products. What's great is that you can still use your regular paper coupons and it won't affect your SavingStar savings. One thing that's different about this program is that your redemption options are limited to donating to charity, Amazon Gift Cards, or you can get cold hard cash through bank deposit or Paypal. I've been using SavingStar for just over a year now and have made close to $100.
How you can sign up: Just Click Here
While I participate in other programs, I find these to be the easiest and most lucrative. They really help to make up a chunk of my Christmas shopping budget, and are fun to take part in. I hope they help you too!
