Comments on: Mail-In Rebates: Stay Ahead of the Game

By: Winner Announcement- New Giveaway and Weekly Blog Review

Winner Announcement- New Giveaway and Weekly Blog Review — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:24:29 +0000

[...] Your Money Relationship tells us why companies offer mail-in rebates and gives some tips on how to stay ahead of the game. [...]

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:30:51 +0000

I never look at the mail in rebate as a way to buy an item at a discount price. There is usually fine print and they make it such a hassle to eventually get the savings back.
Craig´s last blog ..You sure refinancing will help you build cash?

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:10:16 +0000

@Paul – I’m with you on that one. If I have choose between a product with rebates at $499 (after rebates) and a product without them for $529. I would definitely go for the one without rebates. I value my time and I think the extra $29 is well spent.

By: Paul @ FiscalGeek

Paul @ FiscalGeek — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:42:32 +0000

I hate rebates, I always feel like it’s some kind of sham with a billion hoops to jump through. It really makes me angry, I’ll often even pay slightly more at a retailer offering the same product but at a slightly higher price with instant savings then the rebate. Again that’s just me.
Paul @ FiscalGeek´s last blog ..Frugal Fix: Revive your Cell Phone or Electronic Devices from Water Damage

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:17:02 +0000

@MeInMillions – You’re right about the fine print because that is one of their tactics. They assume that many will not be eligible for the rebate based on some of the fine print that they have. However, being Americans, they know we will not read it and buy the product anyway. Once we send in that UPC we won’t be able to return it!

By: meinmillions

meinmillions — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:00:44 +0000

Thanks for the tips! I tend to avoid items with rebates because of the hassle associated with them. You also have to carefully read the fine print because sometimes you might think you qualify for something that you really don’t!
meinmillions´s last blog ..Revolutionary Road

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:22:47 +0000

@MapGirl – Actually, the rebate that I was talking about in the post was an electronic one. It is still important to keep all of your information readily available after you submit. Also, if I didn’t have the reminder set, I would have forgot about this particular rebate.

Staples does make it rather easy to submit their rebate online. I would imagine many retailers (like The Home Depot) will go to this format.

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:55:41 +0000

You forgot to mention checking to see if you can file the rebate online. I just bought some Behr paint at Home Depot. If you go to HD’s rebate website, it makes filing for the rebate very easy. (It even said ‘Behr Memorial Day Rebate’ and directed right to the correct form.)

Electronics are a big item that have rebates, even for very small stuff like $5 and $10 cables.
mapgirl´s last blog ..Where Are Interest Rates Headed?