Get Gift Cards at Great Discounts

Thanks to my wise neighbor, I have discovered Plastic Jungle, a clearinghouse for gift cards. You can sell any gift card that you don’t want to Plastic Jungle, or better yet, you can purchase gift cards that others have sold to the site at a discount. You can save up to 35% per gift card and just about any gift card you can think of is offered on the site (except Amazon). Shipping is FREE and there are no fees to purchase the cards.

I have purchased several gift cards from Plastic Jungle with no problems at all. They usually arrive within a few days of your order (depending on where you live).

I think it’s a no-brainer. For example, I do a lot of my general household shopping at Target and buy clothing at Kohl’s. So I purchase the gift cards ahead of time and use them as needed, knowing I’m making my purchases at a discount. You really can’t lose!

The only downside I can see is that when the gift cards arrive, the card itself does not look brand new. That’s no problem for me because I generally purchase them for my own shopping needs, but I may not want to give one as a gift to someone.

Major Savings for Travel Fans: Travelzoo

I love to travel! Part of the draw for me is actually searching for travel bargains. I am always on the lookout for a great travel deal. I discovered Travelzoo a few years ago and so far I’ve been able to take advantage of a few awesome deals. (For example: Roundtrip, nonstop airfare on United from San Francisco to Sydney,  Australia for $600!) Travelzoo is the largest publisher of travel deals on the Internet.

Go to their site (www.travelzoo.com) and sign up for their “Top 20” travel deals. Every Wednesday morning, you’ll receive an email listing their Top 20 deals. You can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter to learn about deals. My coworkers and I look forward to our email every Wednesday a.m. so we can take a little virtual travel escape.

Ebates – Online Rebates and Coupons

I love the Ebates online rebates and coupons website! This site is a must-have for your deal-finding toolbox.  You can receive up to 25% cashback on more than 1200 stores just by clicking the store’s link on Ebates.

Here’s how it works:

1. Register on the Ebates website (www.ebates.com). It’s free.
2. Before you make any online purchases, search for your online store on the Ebates site. All the top online stores are here (with the only major exception being Amazon.com).
3. If your online store is listed on Ebates, click the link on the Ebates site to enter the site and do your shopping (this step is crucial, if you don’t click the link on Ebates and make your purchase during that session, you won’t receive your rebate).
4. Once you make your purchase, Ebates records your rebate in your account. Every 3 months, Ebates sends you a rebate check (if it’s more than $5; if less than $5 it will be rolled into the next check).

You can’t go wrong, it’s free money! I have been a member since 2007 and my total rebates so far are $335.