To help you save money, each week I show the freebies that I received that week along with a list of other freebies that you can sign up for. However, there are some things to watch out for when you sign up for freebies.
- Consider using a separate e-mail address that you use just for signing up for freebies. Sometimes the freebie site may not be legitimate and they may just be getting your e-mail address to sell to spammers. I try my hardest to only post legitimate freebies, but every once in awhile a site may get through and your spam e-mail may increase. If you use a separate e-mail address (like [email protected]), you could just check it every so often to make sure there are no legitimate e-mails coming through.
- Never sign up for a freebie that requires a credit card. A true freebie will not require payment of any kind. If you do need to require a credit card, it is often a free trial of a product, and then you need to remember to cancel the account. I don't post those kinds of "freebies" because I am not very good at remembering to cancel (so I'm assuming others are too) and sometimes companies will continue to charge you even once you've canceled your account.
- If a freebie sounds too good to be true...it likely is. Do you ever get the e-mails that tell you that you can get a $500 gift card for free? What you may not see in tiny letters are the words, "Participation required". Some people are able to make money by doing those offers (Nicole's Nickels has whole posts explaining how to do those deals), but you need to know that you are getting into a process...not just getting a freebie.
- When in doubt...do more research. You can check a site's IP address to make sure that the freebie site is not based in Nigeria, etc. You can also check who has registered the Domain Name to make sure it matches. For example, if you see a P&G freebie being offered by Joe Schmo, it's probably not legitimate. Or, you can search using Swagbucks to see if anyone has blogged or written about a freebie being a scam.
- If you're nervous about spam, etc stick to the tried and true freebie sites. I always receive my freebies from Walmart, Right @ Home (when I qualify for the monthly freebie), All You, Costco, and P&G brandSampler. Also, if you sign up for a freebie directly from a reputable manufacturer, it's also likely to be good. Sometimes if you don't receive a freebie, it's simply because they ran out of samples and never took down the sign up form.
Do you use freebies to save money? Do you have any other criteria that you use when you sign up for a freebie?
Sam
Thanks for great tips on how to be smart when looking for freebies and to avoid falling for scams, spam, and other pitfalls.
This is my first time visiting your blog. Do far, it seems like a well-intended blog full of practical tips, advice, and good suggestions.
Gerri Macmillan
love it