Staples - $20 Visa Card with Purchase of 2 HP Toners

I don't know prices so well for toner but I have an HP C5280 and their price is very good with the rebate.  I can buy two packages of black toner for $30 and get a $20 rebate so $5 each is a pretty good price to me.

You can find the offer right at staples.com

Here is a list of the toners that qualify.

That same toner also works with

HP All-in-One Printers	Officejet J5740, Officejet J5750, Officejet J5780, Officejet J6480, Photosmart C4210, Photosmart C4280, Photosmart C4285, Photosmart C4385, Photosmart C4480, Photosmart C4580, Photosmart C4599, Photosmar, Photosmart C5280, Photosmart C5500 Series
HP Inkjet Printers	Deskjet D4200 Series, Deskjet D4260, Deskjet D4360
HP Photo Printers	Deskjet D4260, Photosmart C4285, Photosmart C4385, Photosmart C4480, Photosmart C4580, Photosmart C5250, Photosmart C5280, Photosmart C5500 Series, Photosmart D5360

You can get two rebates per mailing address so buy it once and then come back and buy it again (usually you have to submit your receipt to get rebates).  Add on to that 5% savings for starting shopping from discover.com (if you are a discover credit card holder) or ultimaterewards.com (if you have a Chase credit card) and it comes out to $4.25 each.

Discover cash back can be worth even more

If you don't have either of those, you can use fatwallet and get back 2.5% or ebates and get back 2% (add on what you normally get for credit card purchases and you could end up getting 4-4.5% back with the Fidelity American Express).

Don't have Ebates?  You can sign up for free and you get a $10 gift card to Target, Barnes and Noble, Home Depot or Magazines.com after your first $25 purchase.

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter how many toners are in the package, you need two items in your shopping cart to qualify for the rebate.

Once you are ready for the rebate, you can go to stapleseasyrebates.com to fill out the forms.  It doesn't take very long

Free Box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares

All you have to do is "like" them on Facebook and then you will get a free box in 6-8 weeks.

Thank you heyitsfree.net

Patriot 16GB Micro SD Flash Card for $10 After Rebate

$10 for 16GB Micro SD Flash Card after $10 rebate - click on "buy" at the bottom of the page.

I actually just got my $20 rebate from a newegg purchase a month ago so these rebates usually do come in the mail if you are willing to do the work for it.

Here is the rebate to be printed.  You can also find it on the page after you click on buy and click on $9.99 after mail in rebate and then click print rebate.

Patriot LX Series Class 10 16GB Micro SDHC Flash Card Speed Class Rating: Class 10 Features: Complies with SDA 3.0 specifications High level of copy protection Compatible with MicroSDHC slot devices Write protection switch to avoid accidental data deletion Voltage: 2.7 - 3.6V Operating Temperature: -25C to 85C Storage Temperature: -40 to 85C Meets and exceeds 10mb/sec. sustained write speed adapter included Parts: 5 years limited Labor: 5 years limited

8 Sheet Paper Shredder for $20 from Staples

I have been having trouble with links from Staples so just go to staples.com and look up Omnitech 8-sheet cross-cut and it should be the first thing that comes up.  There are 487 reviews are 4 stars, but some of the reviews from Amazon were not very favorable so buyer beware.

Here is the link, see if it works for you.

Dunkin' Donuts - Free Medium Beverage

My free Dunkin' Donuts medium coffee came over the weekend.  All I had to do was enroll for free in Dunkin' Perks on Facebook and they sent me the coupon in the mail for free.

I also get a free medium beverage for my birthday every year!

Other Free Stuff for Your Birthday

Black & Decker 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker - $20

Black & Decker 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker - $19.99 (w/ $12 off code "BLDE120") + Free Shipping at Newegg.com, exp. 1/24

I wish I would have known about this when I bought my 12 cup coffee maker for $30 from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Granted, I used a 20% off coupon, which you should always use at Bed Bath and Beyond, but it still came out to $24.  Keep in mind, that even if you bought something without a coupon, if you bring back your receipt and a coupon, they will give you the money back.

Car Radar Detector - $37 with Free Shipping

Ever been caught by the police for speeding?  Here is a radar detector that might help with that.

Cobra Radar Detector

It is $37 with free shipping from buy.com.

If you start your purchase from Ebates you will get 2.5% off which will bring the price down to about $36.

Don't have Ebates?  You can sign up for free and you get a $10 gift card after your first $25 purchase.

Staples - 500 Envelopes for $3 and Free Shipping

Update - Out of Stock :(

Staples - 500 Envelopes for $3 and Free Shipping

This will probably last me a few years :-)

If you are having trouble with the link just search staples.com for

Staples® #10 Standard Business Gummed Envelopes, 500/Box and it should come up.

Visa Credit Card Benefits You Didn't Know You Had

My Chase Freedom Visa Card was replaced last week by a Chase Freedom Signature Visa Card.  At first, I didn't think anything of it, but then I looked into "Your Guide to Benefits Brought to You By Chase" and the card comes with some pretty incredible features that I was unaware were available outside of American Express Credit Cards.
                     Note:  There are exceptions to all of these rules.  Here is a comprehensive list of benefits for Visa Signature Cards

1. Return Protection 
1. Buyer's remorse?  No problem.  Even if the seller won't take back an item you don't want, Visa will withing 60 days, up to $250 per item and $1,000 max a year.
2. Extended Warranty 
1. If your warranty is less than 3 years, Visa will double your warranty, up to 1 year.  This includes computers!
2. You can send your warranties into Visa and they will keep track of them for you so all you have to do is call to start a claim.
3. Price Protection 
1. If you see an advertised price (printed, not online) for lower within 60 days, they will refund you up to $250 per item and $1,000 max per year.
4. Rental Insurance  
1. Up to the value of damage for collision or theft.  You can decline to pay extra for the rental insurance the company offers
1. Only for rentals under 15 days in the US and under 31 days outside the US
2. Does not work in Israel, sorry :( - I think it has something to do with the drivers.
5. Purchase Protection
1. Covers your item in the event of theft, damage or involuntary and accidental parting with your property within 60 days of purchase.  Up to $250 per item and $1,000 maximum per year.
6. Lost Luggage 
1. Up to $3,000 - does not cover nuclear reaction or radioactive contamination - sorry :)
7. Travel Accident Insurance 
1. Up to $250,000 for loss of life, limb, sight, speech or hearing while traveling on licensed carrier.
8. Travel and Emergency Assistance
1.  Assistance and referrals during emergencies.  You still have to pay for everything unless you have travel insurance.

BIC Mechanical Pencils $3 for 24 Pack from Staples - Free Shipping

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.

Update - If you are having trouble with the link, just search staples.com for BIC Mechanical Pencils and it should come up as the 4th or 5th item.

BIC Mechanical Pencils $3 for 24 Pack and Free Shipping! 0.5mm, 0.7mm or 0.9mm

This is 8 cents a pencil!

Update - I wrote 8 cents a pencil because that's what it says on the staples website but when I did the math myself, it actually came out to 12.5 cents a pencil.  Sorry for the mistake.

Start you shopping from ebates and get another 2% off (besides the cashback you'll get from your credit card) or start shipping with the Discover Credit Card website and $150 sign up bonus after spending $1,000 in 3 months) and get 5% off.

If you don't have ebates, you can sign up for free and you get a $10 gift card after your first $25 purchase.

64 GB USB $50 - Lexar JumpDrive

Lexar JumpDrive 64 GB USB Flash-Drive - From Amazon

$8 for 2 pack of Head and Shoulders 23.7oz 2 - Free Shipping

Head & Shoulders Dandruff Shampoo, Refresh, 23.7 fl oz (700 ml) (Pack of 2) from Amazon

You need to click the coupon for $2 and use subscribe and save.

After you buy it you can take away the subscribe and save with no obligation!

Update - subscribe and save is down so it now costs $10 and no free shipping.  :(

TM Lewin Shirts - $27.50 Each + Shipping

TM Lewin Shirts are 60% off right now.  In addition, you get another 20% off with coupon code CWSALE12.

If you start your purchase with EBates you will get another 4.5% off.  Your shirts come out to $27.50 each.

Shipping is $15 to the US no matter how many shirts you buy so try to buy with a friend to divide the shipping costs.  If you can buy 15 shirts between everyone, shipping will only add $1 a shirt.

If you don't have ebates, you can sign up for free and you get a $10 gift card after your first $25 purchase.

They have FREE RETURNS 

Their styles run out quickly when they are having sales so act fast if you want it.

 

Credit and Debit Cards in my Wallet for Quarter 1 2012

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.

Related Links

Best Credit Cards

Credit Card Sign Up Offers

Credit Cards for Groceries 

Credit Cards For Gas 

Extra Credit Cards 

These are the Credit and Debit cards in my wallet until the end of March

American Express Blue Preferred – 6% cash-back at groceries.  There is an annual fee so it is only for those who spend a lot of money on groceries.

   -$150 sign up bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

Discover Card- 6.225% cash-back on gas for the whole quarter and Amazon for the month of January.  You only get the extra cash-back on up $1,500 in that category ($75 maximum per quarter) so keep that in mind.

    -Discover it™

Chase Freedom – 5% cash-back on gas when Discover is not accepted and Amazon and 1% cash-back backup everywhere else when American Express is not accepted.You only get the extra cash-back on up $1,500 in that category ($75 maximum per quarter) so keep that in mind.

     -$100 sign up bonus for spending $500 in 90 days

Fidelity American Express Investment Rewards – 2% cash-back everywhere else.

   - This card is always in my wallet

Charles Schwab Check Card – Free ATMs eat every ATM in the world

   - This card is always in my wallet

 

Chase Freedom and Discover Credit Cards – 5% cash-back at Amazon, Gas and Movies

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.

Related Links

Best Credit Cards

Discover Gift Cards

Credit Card Sign Up Offers

From now until the end of March, you will get 5% cash-back on purchases from Amazon, Gas and Movies with your Chase Freedom Credit Card.

You will get the same 5% cash-back from Gas on your Discover Credit Card, but not from Amazon unless you signed up via your email  

You only get 5% on up to $1,500 for each card so you can only get up to $75 cash-back on each card.

I like to use the Discover for the 5% categories before the Chase Freedom because you can get an extra 22.5% bonus for redeeming your cash-back via gift cards, which will effectively turn your 5% into 6.225% – link needed

Remember to activate your 5% categories every quarter.

Chase Freedom Activation

Discover Activation

Get $100 for signing up for Chase Freedom

    - You need to spend $500 in the first 3 months

Discover it™

Discover Credit Card Cash-Back– Redeem Your Money for Gift Cards

Related Links

Best Credit Cards

Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses

If you redeem your rewards from a Discover Credit Card for gift cards instead of cash, you can get an extra 25% on your rewards.

You can “buy” many gift cards that are worth $25 for $20 of rewards.  If you use your Discover Card for 5% cash-back categories, this means that you are effectively getting 6.25% cash-back instead of 5% for those categories.

Examples of gift cards are Bed Bath and Beyond, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gap, The Children's Place, Brooks Brothers, DSW, Eddie Bauer, Lands End, LL Bean, Motherhood Maternity and many more.

If you are renting a car, you can get gift cards from Enterprise and National Rent a Car or buying from Brookstone they will give you an extra $10 instead of $5, which makes your purchases worth 7.5% instead of 5%!

Free Sample Crystal Light Energy

Update - all the samples are gone
 
Here is the link - you need to like them on facebook

They currently have a little under 15,000 samples left so hurry before it runs out.

I don't know if it is kosher.

Discover Card and Amazon - Get $5 off a $50 Purchase

Discover Card and Amazon - Get $5 off a $50 Purchase until the end of January!

This is from an email that Discover sent to me.  I was unable to find a link for anyone that didn't get the email.  If anyone finds a link please post it in the comments so that everyone benefits.

If you are wondering what to spend $50 on before the end of January, you can always buy an  Amazon.com Gift Card and spend the money later! Just make sure you buy a card that is at least $50 and then you are effectively getting 10% off your next $50 at Amazon.

Staples - 12 pack of Sharpies for $3 Free Delivery

Update 1/8 - deal is gone.  They are now $10.49 a pack.

Fine Point Sharpie - Assorted Colors $3

Ultra Fine Point Sharpie - Assorted Colors $3

Yearend Summary of Credit Card Cashback Rewards

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.

I thought it would interesting to take a look at how well my wife and I were able to use our credit cards this past year.  Hopefully everyone can see how it is easy to at least get 2% from every purchase and, if you are willing to do a little bit of work, ever more than 2%.  Hopefully, it can also give me motivation to beat these statistics for next year.

My goal is that for every purchase I aim to get at least get 2% back.  This is because I use the Fidelity American Express card which gives 2% on every purchase, so if the purchase doesn't fall into a special category, at least I can use the Fidelity card and get the standard 2% back.

Here is the breakdown from my different Cards

Charles Schwab/Bank of America Cash Rewards - 2.06%
Fidelity American Express - 2.00%
Chase Freedom - 2.32%
Discover it™ - 3.58%
Toys R Us - 5%
Target - 5%
Banana Republic - 71.59% - explanation below
Brooks Brothers - 91.76% - explanation below

Overall - 3.04%

My analysis:


This past year 

Charles Schwab -  used to be my 2% card because it was a Visa but that program was discontinued and changed to the Bank of America Cash Rewards Card.
Chase Freedom was my backup card when AMEX wasn't accepted and also had 5% rotating categories.
Discover - same as Chase Freedom, except all the rewards can be multiplied by 1.25 if you take rewards in gift cards instead of cash.
Toys R US/Target - Toys R Us gives 4% back for the credit card and 1% back for the keychain card.  Target gives 5% off every purchase.  So these numbers are self explanatory.
Banana Republic - this looks like a lot, but it is mostly a one time thing.  I only spent about $90 there and I was able to get 15% off my purchase for signing up for a card and I got $50 in various rewards for giving them my email, signing up for paperless statements, etc.  I will be getting a $15 rewards for my birthday every year.
Brooks Brothers - this is not a one time thing, but it is very minor.  They give me a $20 gift certificate for my birthday.  I bought stuff for $21 (there were other small purchases throughout the year as well) that I need anyway so that is why the percentage is so high.

What to Change for Next Year
My wife and I did a very good job this year, but there are a couple of things that will hopefully change for next year.
The majority of my purchases were with the Schwab and Fidelity cards, which will not change.
Schwab changed to the Bank Of America Cash Rewards Card.  At first, I was upset because I lost a 2% Visa, now I have a replacement and the Bank of America fills in a void for me with gas.  It gives 3% on gas and an extra 10% if you redeem into a Bank of America Checking Account (which I have, of course) so I really get 3.3% back on gas.  This will help my percentages.
Chase/Discover - Both have added gas to 2 of their quarterly categories, which means that you can get 5% on gas for 6 months of the year and 3.3% the rest of the year with the BOfA card.  The biggest change will be from Discover.  I originally used Discover as a backup for the AMEX until I found out that Discover only gives 0.25% on non 5% purchases, while Chase gives 1%.

GrubHUB - $10 off $10.01 order for New Customers

$10 off $10.01 order for New Customers at Grubhub.com

Use coupon code HEYNOW

You put in your address and they will tell restaurants that will deliver to you or allow you to pick up food.  There are many kosher restaurants available as well.

$13 for 3 Pack of Oral B Floss Action 3 pack Brush Heads

$13 for Oral B Floss Action 3 pack brush head refill

I am a dental student and I get a discount from buying directly from the company and I just paid this price including shipping but this is available to anyone!

You have to click on the $5 coupon and use subscribe and save to get the best deal.  You can remove the subscribe and save once you buy the item without any problem.

You can search for other types of replacement heads and the coupon works on many of them.

Up to 50% off Endless.com Shoes

Up to 50% off Endless.com shoes on select styles

Endless.com offers free shipping and free return shipping for any orders, just like zappos.

For example, you can get a pair of formal Ecco shoes for $92.90  (I actually saw the same pair in the Ecco outlet at Woodbury Common for $100, which I almost bought)

You can get another 7.5% off when you start your shopping at ebates.

If you don't have ebates, you can sign up for free and you get a $10 gift card after your first $25 purchase.

American Express Savings Account is Down to 0.90%

American Express Online Savings Account has lowered it rate from 1.00% to 0.90%.

You can still get the 1.00% rate from a Discover Online Savings account or a 1.30% rate from UFB Direct.




The rates are pretty measly for all of them, but they are the best out there I could find.

Free $20 Gift Certificate to Wolf and Lamb in NYC

My wife and I went to Wolf and Lamb in NYC this past week and had a great dinner and we also won a $20 gift certificate for the next time we come but it needs to be used by February 20th and we won't be going back before then.  If anyone would like it for free please email me.

First person to ask for it will get it.