Free After Rebate

Rebates are money-back offers that consumers receive through a form, coupon or a code. After the consumer purchases an item with a rebate, they must fill out a form and submit it either through the mail or online. Usually the rebate comes as a check in the mail in about 4-8 weeks. When the money-back offer equals the price of the product, then the product is Free After Rebate. Some free-after-rebate offers can be found online and others can be found in newspapers, store windows, and other print media. They are fairly common on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving).

Free-after-rebate sales are available for at least 3 reasons: One, they are a great way to introduce new products since consumers can purchase with minimal risk. Two, a free-after-rebate sale for one product gets customers into the store who potentially buy many products. Other products will not be free after rebate, may not be on sale or may even be marked up. Three, free-after-rebate sales still bring in revenue since not everyone requests the rebate.

Free-after-rebate deals require a bit of effort. If you buy something with a rebate because you want it for free, then make sure you follow through with everything you have to do in order to get the rebate. Pay attention to the deadline date and mark it on your calendar if you have to. Or better yet, fill out the form the minute you buy the product and mail it in the same day. Then you don't even have to worry about deadlines. Some companies aren't as dependable as others when it comes to sending the rebate on time or at all (its actually against the law if they don't honor their sale). They're betting that if the rebate takes too long to claim then the customer will give up. With the masses they may be correct, but you can prove them wrong individually.

Some of the more common free-after-rebate offers are for software, computer accessories and office supplies. Through rebates I've obtained a free flash drive, free surge protector, McAfee Anti-Virus software, AVG Anti-Virus software (the paid version, not the free version obviously), Digital TV for PC software, a Samsung bluetooth headset, a laptop cooling fan, a 4-port USB hub, a microphone for my computer, a computer keyboard, a computer tool kit, and other supplies for school. Retailers which have been known to offer free-after-rebate deals include: Amazon.com, Ace Hardware, CompUSA.com, CVS pharmacy, Fry's Electronics, NewEgg.com, Office Depot, Office Max, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Staples, and others listed in the Rebate Directory.

Some important things to know about rebates include:

• They may not be completely free. You may have to spend a small amount for sales tax, printing the rebate form, an envelope and stamp.
• They may not give you a cash rebate. Instead of cash they may give you a pre-paid debit card. The card itself may have restrictions such as where you can spend the money or it may have a fee if you don't use it within the first 6 months and it can't be redeemed at the bank or an ATM.
  
• If they find a reason not to give you the rebate, they may not. That's why it's important to follow the rules. Buy the product within the specified time frame, mail the rebate form with the specified time frame. Be sure to include all proofs of purchase, the receipt and anything else specified on the form.
• Some software may be advertised as free after rebate, but may only be a free upgrade. This means that you must provide a proof of purchase for the older version. If you used a rebate for the older version and sent the proof of purchase with that rebate, then you're out of luck for the new rebate.
• A store may have rebate offers on many different products from the same manufacturer, but the manufacturer specifies only one rebate per customer. This means you can only get one of the advertised products from the same manufacturer.
• The second you remove the UPC bar code or proof of purchase, the product cannot be returned to the store.
  

Lately it seems that with some retailers free-after-rebate deals are less common since they are trying new ways of having sales. Instead of offering an item for free or for discount, they offer store credit which can be applied to the next purchase. Extreme Couponers actually use this promotion to their benefit quite often. It seems to be a hybrid between a rewards program and buy-one-get-one-free sales. CVS Pharmacy, Office Max, Rite Aid, and Walgreens now use this promotion more frequently than rebates. However, free-after-rebate sales still exist. Whenever they are discovered they will be listed in the Rebate Directory or the Actually Free Blog.

Rebate Directory

• Sites which frequently list free-after-rebate deals
• Retailer rebate pages
• Manufacturers rebates
  
• More info on how to get rebates

If you know of websites, stores and manufacturers that can be added to the rebates directory, or if you would like to report outdated information please us the contact us form.

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