REBATE: A return of a portion or the entire purchase price of a product.
Rebates. I have such a love-hate relationship with rebates. I love that the manufacturer is offering to give me some or all of my money back. I hate that I am responsible for making sure I get my money back. In fact, I am so bad at submitting rebates that I have almost altogether given up on using them. But most of you are probably much more responsible than me (or less distracted?), so using rebates can become a nice little income revenue stream for your family.
There are two types of rebates that couponers in the Northwest encounter: manufacturer’s rebates and Rite Aid rebates.
MANUFACTURER’S REBATES: These are rebates that are advertised and managed by the manufacturer. You purchase a certain product or group of products at a grocery, drug or big box store, then mail proof of your payment into the manufacturer (or the manufacturer’s representative) and you are mailed the promotion amount back in the form of a check or a pre-paid VISA or Mastercard.
Want to know the fun part of rebates? You can usually use a manufacturer’s coupon on the product, lowering your out-of-pocket cost, and still get the full rebate amount back from the manufacturer. Example (from Spring 2010 at Target):
Seventh Generation products on sale $2.99
Buy 3
Use (3) $1/1 manufacturer’s coupons
Use $1/1 Target coupon
Pay $4.97, Submit receipt for $5 Seventh Generation mail-in-rebate
FREE after coupons & rebate
Pretty sweet, right? Of course, it’s only truly “sweet” if you actually send in the main-in-rebate form along with all the required information (enter user error, which the manufacturer’s love — you buy the stuff thinking you’ll send in for the rebate, but forget. Money in the bank for the manufacturer!). Here are some suggestions to increase the chances of a successful rebate submission:
:: Print the rebate form the first time you encounter it. Manufacturer’s are notorious for pulling a rebate form before the rebate deadline comes. I can’t tell you how many times I get emails from readers who can no longer find the link or the site no longer exists. At this point, you’re up a creek, so to speak. Print that thing immediately.
:: Keep rebate forms in the same place in your house, preferably hidden from children looking for drawing paper. I suggest you keep rebate forms in your coupon organizing system or a special file with your other household management stuff.
:: Create a “rebate” envelope or slot in your coupon organizing system and keep all rebating receipts in it. Important receipts have a way of falling out of my wallet while the McDonald’s receipt from my impulsive iced mocha stop remains for weeks…
:: Complete the rebate form and mail it the moment you get home from the store. This is a no-brainer that I have yet to master. Then you’re not worrying about expiration dates, finding paperwork, or locating the product.
:: To be extra safe, don’t use the product until the envelope is in the mail, on the way to the manufacturer. You may discover once you start filling out the rebate form that you purchased the wrong products or sizes. If the products are still unused, you can return them.
RITE AID SINGLE CHECK REBATES: If you’re leery of manufacturer’s rebates but still want to make money buying stuff, then Rite Aid is your best bet! Rite Aid has a rebate program called Single Check Rebates.
Single Check Rebates (SCR) are rebates hosted and paid directly by Rite Aid. You don’t mail anything in and you’re not cutting UPC symbols off any boxes. All information is submitted and managed through Rite Aid’s website.
Every month Rite Aid releases a SCR booklet that is available in the front of your local store next to the weekly ads or you can view the offers online. The SCR site has an easy way for you to search for specific rebates if you’re looking for information:
You can use a manufacturer’s coupon on the product that will lower your out-of-pocket cost. Example:
Blink Tears on sale $7.99
Buy 1, Get $7.99 Single Check Rebate
Use $1/1 coupon
Pay $6.99, Get $7.99 rebate
FREE with $1 overage after coupon & rebate
This is a good example of why you would buy something that your family doesn’t use — so you can make some money! Just donate the item to an organization or a friend.
Here’s how you do a SCR deal at Rite Aid:
1. Buy the rebate item at Rite Aid. Keep your receipt. Remember, FLNW will always tell you how to do a rebate deal. No research needed!
3. Once logged into your SCR account, enter the receipt information. Within a day or two, the rebate will show whether it was accepted or not (as long as you buy the correct stuff, it will be accepted).
4. Submit that month’s rebates at the end of the month. This is the important part: You can only “submit” your rebates one time each month. For example, if you hit the “submit” button on January 15, you cannot do any rebates that may come up for the rest of January. You will want to wait until the end of the month to submit.
5. Rite Aid will mail you one check that can be cashed at your bank or at Rite Aid for cash.
Some of Rite Aid’s rebate offers are a bit more complicated — buy more than one product, extended rebate periods, etc., but we will always explain these deals fully and give you very specific instructions on how to do the deal.
Coming next: Know the coupon strategies {RAINCHECKS}
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing in the Northwest, previous posts:
- Lesson 1: Know how to shop
- Lesson 2: Know where to find coupons
- Lesson 3: Know your coupon
- Lesson 4: Know your coupon lingo
- Lesson 5: Know how to read a deal post
- Lesson 6: Know the coupon strategies {STACKING}
- Lesson 7: Know the coupon strategies {DOUBLE COUPONS}
- Lesson 8: Know the coupon strategies {GROCERY STORE CATALINAS}
- Lesson 9: Know the coupon strategies {WALGREENS CATALINAS}
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I do rebates (and don’t have a problem getting them sent in) so I’ll add a few points.
1) At Staples, you can enter Easy Rebates online and have the money sent to your Paypal account or a debit card. I prefer this to checks for $3.99 that require me to go to the bank.
2) I find rebates where they send me a debit card to be hard to use- complicated, weird PIN numbers, weird amount left on the debit card, etc. I avoided them until I figured out that I could buy an Amazon gift card with the debit card and then spend the money with Amazon. (I buy enough from Amazon that $10 or $20 in gift cards is not a problem.) This uses the whole debit card and doesn’t leave me struggling to figure it out at a cash register.
3) Don’t forget the cost of a stamp and hassle. I don’t do mail-in rebates for less than $5.
4) To keep things organized, in addition to printing the form, I fill it out (as much as I can) and address the rebate envelope. When I buy the product, I add the receipt and UPC (or whatever is required), a stamp and put the envelope in the mail. This is especially helpful for Rite Aid (where I refrain from mailing the rebate until my receipt clears electronically but the rebate is ready-to-go) and for rebates that require lots of receipts, like the P&G rebate where you spent $50 and got a coupon book. I just circled the P&G items on my receipts and put them in a labeled P&G envelope. I ended up having enough receipts by the end of the period to have books sent to casual couponer friends!
That is a REALLY fantastic idea about converting your pre-paid cards into Amazon gift cards, I never would have thought of that! I hate using those things b/c you do have to know exactly how much is on there. I try to use them in one fell swoop if I’m going to use them at all. Thanks so much for sharing!
Also a great idea to send the P&G coupon booklets to friends, I usually end up with far more than I need for the rebate. Definitely a great way to pay it forward with little out of pocket.
How do you know when they are doing the rebates? And where do you find them?
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