Three Quick Deals
Some of these deals expire quickly, so without further ado…
“Economic Stimulus” Gift Card Bonuses
Many, and i do mean many, grocery stores across the country are offering bonuses if you put your “economic stimulus check” — or an equivalent value in most cases — towards a store gift card; the going rate seems to be a 10% bonus on $300 increments, meaning a free $30 for every $300 purchased in gift cards. Patrick over at Cash Money Life has a goof overview of this on his post Get $206 in Free Groceries.
This deal can be made even more lucrative in two ways:
- Many grocery stores will let you charge the gift cards to your credit card. If you use a credit card that offers high rewards at grocery stores — like the 3%+ offered by the Chase Freedom Card — you can earn even more cash back.
- Some grocery stores will allow you to purchase gift cards with a gift card. In this case, you won’t earn money, but you could move that 10% bonus over to another merchant’s gift card.
Most of these promotions expire July 31, 2008.
American Express Gift Card Promotion: Buy 2, Get 1
While I have previously argued against open-loop gift cards, American Express is currently running a very tantalizing promotion. If you purchase two American Express gift cards at participating retailers, you’ll get one free $25 gift card valid only at Best-Buy, Borders, Fandango, or SpaFinder, after mail-in rebate. You can find more information on the AmEx webpage here — remember, you have to purchase at a participating retailer, which includes Walgreens and most Grocery Stores. Beware: All AmEx gift cards have an activation fee. The cheapest way to execute this deal is to purchase two $25 AmEx gift cards, which will each have a $3.95 activation fee. Then, for $57.90 you’ll have $75 in gift cards, a net profit of $17.10.
Note, of course, that this promotion is really only worthwhile if you are planning on shopping at Best-Buy, Borders, Fandango, or Spa Finder anyway. Promotion expires June 30th, 2008.
Restaurant.com 60% Off Coupon
Restaurant.com, which sells gift certificates to specific restaurants and almost always has decent coupons available, has a particularly good deal going on right now. Use coupon code MEALS to save 60% off your order, plus get a free $10 gift certificate with each order. Pay attention to the details before you buy a gift certificate to a restaurant, as certain restaurants place limitations on when you can use it order minimum purchase orders. Expires July 1, 2008.
In my case, I was able to purchase a $25 gift-certificate to a local Indian restaraunt for $4, plus get my $10 certificate.
Free Museum Admission (Bank of America)
This is a nice deal for those that have Bank of America ATM, debit, or credit card — Bank of America has brought back and significantly altered its “Museums on Us” program that provides free access to selected museums nationwide.
On the first weekend of every month Bank of America cardholders can gain free admission to some 70 museums across the country simply by showing a BoA card. From the Bank of America press release:
“Participants in the program range from some of the nation’s largest institutions — such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago — to a number of regional cultural institutions”
In the past, this was a one-month promotion that provided free admission during the month of May to selected museums in the Northeastern United States. This year, they have a much larger list of museums nationwide, however, the offer is only good on the first weekend of the month. Also note that the free admission is only for the cardholder.
However, free is always good. More information on the promotion can be found at the Museums on Us promotion page.