Lisa emailed in the following tip:
I’m really lazy when it comes to couponing, but I’m always looking for ways to save money when I can. One way I’ve learned to easily save money is by purchasing discounted gift cards from Raise.com, using cash back websites for purchases, and using the “store pickup” feature.
The idea is really simple. When I know what store I’d like to shop at, I head over to Raise.com to see what gift cards I can purchase with the highest discount. When I checkout, I then choose to have the gift card e-mailed to me vs having it sent by mail. That way, I receive my gift card in minutes and can use it instantly online or print it off to use at the store.
After I receive the e-mail, I then head over to Rakuten.com (formerly Ebates) to see if the store I’m shopping at offers cashback for purchases made online. After finding my store through Rakuten, I then go about adding the items to my shopping cart and I make sure to choose the “store pickup” option.
When I’m shopping, I also try to find items that are already on sale or already discounted so I save even more money. If the store I’m shopping at also has a rewards program, then it makes this even better because I’m able to accumulate cash back rewards for future purchases.
Thanks, I didn’t know about raise.com! I just got cash back from ebates for an in-store pickup. My first step in online shopping, however (because I’m not yet following Lisa’s gift card tip) is evreward.com to see which cash back site is currently offering the highest percentage of cash back from the place I’ll be shopping at.
I’ve been using Raise for a few years now and love it. Every Friday they will send an email with a coupon code for an addition 5% off select stores. So if you’re shopping for a card you may want to sign up for their newsletter, wait until Friday and then see if your store you are interested in is included in that week’s 5% off sale.
Savvy online shoppers – don’t forget that tomorrow is free shipping day! See freeshippingday.com for a list of the participating stores.
Thanks so much for this great idea. I have bought several raise gift cards but never thought to do my shopping this way. I am so excited! Thanks!
Granted, this was a few years ago, but we used ebates.com to purchase a large, bulky item that was in-store pick-up only. Initially we were denied cash back because we did not have the item shipped. After verifying that the item could not be shipped, Ebates did give us the cash back.
great tip – I did not know about raise.com!
I am nervous about buying gift cards and sites like Raise and Gift card Granny. I have checked reviews on yelp and there are many reviews listing purchasers who have either an ecard or physical card that do not have the funds on them. When they call the company, they get no response. I’d like to know if more of you have purchased gift cards through another site and have been successful. I will check out raise again.
I’ve purchased 4 gift cards through Raise (physical cards). I did have a problem with 1 card, but it was corrected promptly through their customer service.
I have purchased gift cards – both physical and e-gift ones – from both Raise and GiftCardRescue.com and have had fabulous experiences with them both. Gift Card Rescue also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if there are any problems with using the gift cards. I’ve not had any problems with either, but think that guarantee is nice for those who might.
Lisa, thank you for this awesome tip-a gift in itself. You have revolutionized my shopping. …..and I thought I was getting a good deal with shopping at Ebates!