Gift Card Wiki is Really Powerful!

Update:  After posting on Twitter, Chasing the Points pointed out that I may have the incorrect filter.  When I changed on Raise from View 25 to View All, the higher denomination gift cards showed up as well. I don't know why they don't show up when you filter based on value.  I would think the highest denominations would be in the top Top 25 when you filter based on value, but for some reason they are not.  Lesson learned, always change to view all when on Raise



Recently, Miles to Memories introduces Gift Card Wiki to the blogosphere.  See here and here.

I tried it and saw that some information was not updated yet and good old Gift Card Granny was more correct.  I concluded that for now I need to check both to be sure because others were still having more success with Gift Card Wiki.

This morning, I saw how powerful Gift Card Wiki is.

I was searching for some Staples discount gift cards.  I went directly to Raise to see their prices.
I like to buy my gift cards off of Raise because they allow me to use American Express Gift Cards.  This adds an extra 1.9% cashback to the transaction (2.25% from Top Cashback with free shipping minus activation fees).


Raise showed me that I could buy Staples Gift Cards for 6.9% off, but the highest denomination was $100

That's a nice discount, but I like high denomination gift cards since Staples only allows 5 gift cards per transaction.

I checked Gift Card Wiki and this is what I saw:

Wow!  All these high denomination gift cards showed up from Raise.

I clicked on one (The second to last one) and it took me directly to that gift card on Raise

I was able to add it to my cart.  Wow!  Even raise couldn't find that card and Gift Card Wiki found it!
I didn't buy it yet so that I could see if Gift Card Granny could do the same.

I then went to Gift Card Granny to see if I could duplicate the success.


Here is what I see:

They also found high denomination gift cards, including the same one I clicked on before.

When I clicked on it from Gift Card Granny, instead of taking me directly to the gift card, it took me to Raise's site with all of their Staples Gift Cards.

Once again, Raise couldn't find anything higher than $100.



Gift Card Wiki was more powerful than Gift Card Granny and even Raise in finding Raise Gift Cards.  It isn't perfect, but it is a great tool to check.

$50 TGI Friday Gift Cards for $40 - Small Reselling Opportunity

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Top Cashback and eBay



Via Doctor of Credit and Frequent Miler



eBay (via SVMGiftCards - very realiable seller) is selling TGI Friday $50 Gift Cards for $40 - Limit of 5. Limit of 5. 



According to Gift Card Granny, you can sell the cards for the same 80% to Gift Card Zen.

So, here goes the math.

Breakeven from reselling

• 1.1% from Top Cashback - $2.20
• 2% in eBay Bucks towards a future deal - $4 in eBay Bucks
• 1-2.2% in credit card rewards - $4 if you use a 2% card
• More savings if you have discounted eBay Gift Cards to use.  This is why you should proactively buy eBay Gift Cards even if you have nothing in particular to buy.

Check to see if you are targeted for increased eBay Bucks (up to 4x).

This is great if you want $10 for about 5-10 minutes of work or manufactured spending for credit card sign up bonus.

Keep in mind that the reselling price can fall, especially if a lot of people resell the same gift card at the same time.

Money Metagame adds a New Tool to Digital Gift Card Reselling

It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while someone adds a tool that makes everyone's manufactured spending life a little easier.

Noah from Money Metagame has put together a list of gift card brands that can be sold digitally through SaveYa.  This will save you the time of trying to dummy sell your card on SaveYa to see how it will be accepted.

Best Way to Buy Mastercard Gift Cards at Sam's club - Hint: Use Gift Cards

Recently, I have been discussing Sam's Club a lot because of their offer with American Express cards for $20 off a $20 purchase.

I became a Sam's Club member with great success so that I could avoid the 10% fee for buying online without a membership.

One of the best ways to maximize this deal is to buy a $50 Mastercard gift card for $12.68 with 2 American Express cards after fees. 

The $20 credits for buying these have already begun posting to accounts 2 days after buying them. 

Doctor of Credit has pointed out that they are now out of stock.  Don't worry yet, as long as the offer is added to your American Express card you have until the end of September to spend the money so you can wait to see if it comes back in stock. 

Lowe's, Cabella and TGIF Gift Card Reselling Opportunity from eBay

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site:  Top Cashback and eBay

Update: Well, unfortunately that died about 2 minutes after I posted. That's pretty annoying.  Though Cabella's Gift Cards can be sold at a slightly higher margin (1.5%) than Lowe's and TGIF Gift Cards can also be sold at the same 1% margin so there is still stuff to buy.  Limit of 5 for each.

Via Doctor of Credit and Dan'sDeals

eBay (via Gift Card Mall) is selling $50 Lowe's gift cards for $40 which is 20% off.  Limit of 3.  These will sell fast!

There are a bunch of others on sale as well, you can check out Doctor of Credit for the full list.  Lowe's was by far the most interesting that is still in stock.

According to Gift Card Granny, you can sell the cards for up to 81%.

So, here goes the math.

1% for reselling
1.5% from Top Cashback
2% in eBay Bucks towards a future deal
Up to 5% in credit card rewards (Chase Ink)

This is great for some extra cash or to hit a credit card minimum.

This is even better if you need to spend money at Lowe's or if your local Lowe's allows you to buy Amazon Gift Cards with them.

Use your existing eBay gift cards to buy them as well.

Doctor of Credit also reports that cash advance fees that have been charged on eBay gift card purchases from Gift Card mall have been solved.

Exxon Mobil $100 Gift Cards on Sale for $90 on eBay - Limit of 3

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Top Cashback and eBay


This deal was actually available last week, but they were sold out before I could post.  If you bought then, you won't be able to buy again.  I recommend buying them right away.  Worst case scenario you will be able to sell them for a profit or just use them to pay for gas

Check out Doctor of Credit's post on the subject who has all the details.

Here is the link for the Exxon Mobil Gift Card.  Limit of 3 per person

The bottom line is that if you buy 3 gift cards, you can make at least $20 reselling them online.  I would check giftcardgranny.com to find the best price.  It seems that they can be sold for $93 each, which is $9 of profit just on the sale.

Start your purchase at Top Cashback and you will get an extra 1.5% cashback as well.

When you purchase non eBay gift cards you will also get eBay Bucks.  In this scenario, you will get $5.40 in eBay Bucks for your next purchase

. 

Use a Chase Ink Business Credit Card and you will get 5x points per dollar spent at Ebay.

This is a great way to use up existing eBay bucks or eBay Gift Cards, make some extra money or get close to hitting a spending threshold or all 3!

My Children's Place Purchase

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Discover it, Be Frugal


My wife and I recently bought a coat for my son and I thought the process might be helpful for others.  If you follow regularly, you won't notice anything much out of the ordinary, but it can be nice to see how it comes together for an everyday purchase.

If you have any tips for me or if you like or dislike this type of post, please comment below!


It usually works like this in my house.  My wife picks out something she wants for herself or one of my son's, sends me a link and then it becomes my job to figure out the best way to buy it.

My wife chose this coat for my son from The Children's Place.

When I bought it, the full price was $52.46.  I could be a sucka and pay $52.46 or I can figure out a way to pay less.

To be fair, I had a $5 Loyalty Coupon, which you can only get from previous purchases so let's assume the price is $5 less or $47.46.

The Discounts

Here is what I look for, in order.

• I want to figure out the final price after shipping and taxes.  I will usually buy a discounted gift card and I don't want any balance left over so I want a gift card that has slightly less than the final price.  In this case, I wasn't able to find one, but I got one for slightly more than the price of the coat and I will keep the balance for a later purchase.

• Promo code: ~$9.50
• I just Google something like "Children's Place promo code" and see what comes up.
• In this scenario, I found a promo code that took 20% off.  So the price dropped from $47.46 to $37.97, a savings of around 9.50.

• Buying a Discounted Gift Card - ~$5.70
• I check Gift Card Granny for the best prices on gift cards.  Gift Cards are currently only available in higher denominations ($85 or above), but they are 15% off, the same as when I bought my gift card.  15% off $37.97 is $5.69

• Using a Shopping Portal - ~$3.00-$3.80
• I check Cashback Monitor to see which shopping portal gives the greatest percentage back.  Right now, the highest cashback is 10% from Shop Discover (requires a Discover Credit Card).  If you don't have a Discover card and aren't planning on getting one, Be Frugal is awarding 8% cashback.  
• This cashback will be 8-10% off the final purchase price ($37.97).  Shop Discover and Be Frugal don't care that you paid less than face value for the gift cards.  

• Using the Correct Credit Card - $1.90
• This actually applies for when you are buying the gift card, but I'll mention it now.  Until the end of the year, Discover It is offering 5% cashback on any online shopping.  5% of $37.97 is $1.90.

• My Place Rewards - 2.5% or $0.95 towards the next purchase
• The Children's Place will give you 5 points for every $1 you spend.  1,000 points can be redeemed for a $5 loyalty card.  This is effectively 2.5% towards your next purchase.

The Final Tally

• Original price = $47.46

• Discounts - $9.49 + $5.69 + 3.80 + $1.90 = $20.88 + $0.95 towards the next purchase
• $9.49 coupon code
• $5.69 discounted gift card
• $3.80 Shopping Portal
• $1.90 Credit Card
• $0.95 towards your next purchase

• Final Price - $26.58 or 56% off + $0.95 towards my next purchase at The Children's Place.  Not too Shabby!

5 Simple Methods I use Frequently to Save/Earn Money

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Top Cashback, Ebates, Raise, Cardpool, Discover it®


Here is a list of the methods I use on a regular basis that are not too complicated and don't require as much time as most things I talk about.  There are lots more, but these are the easiest and the most frequent.  Almost none of these actually require me to get off my lazy tuchus.


1) Online Shopping Portals - I like to keep it simple so I don't use too many.  Usually the ones I use are Top Cashback, Ebates, Shop Discover (needs a Discover it® card)and Ultimate Rewards (needs a Chase card that gets Ultimate Rewards - like Freedom and Sapphire).  Before any purchase online, I will check Cash Back Monitor to see which one is the best for that purchase.

2) Discount Gift Cards - Instead of buying items directly, I usually buy a gift card at a discount to pay for it.  Raise and Cardpool (after starting at Top Cashback) are some of my go to's, but I usually check out giftcardgranny.com to see what's the best deal out there.

After I buy the gift card I still usually go back to Top Cashback before the purchase of the actual merchandise as a "double dip" is usually successful.

3) Target Gift Cards -  Specifically with Target, I always use a gift card.  As long as I am logged into my account online that is connected to my Red Card I will get all the benefits of the Red Card and stack my savings.  See this post for more info.

4) Using the Right Credit Cards - questionable if this is easy.  This is where the most savings comes for me, but also the most mental energy.  I am constantly thinking about which is the best credit card.  My mantra is, "Maybe I can be doing better."  Check out this post to figure out which cards are the best for you.


5) Bank of America Better Balance Rewards - This card is a no brainer.  I get $120 for me and $120 for my wife's card without doing anything.  All you do is have one recurring bill automatically paid by the card and the credit card bill automatically paid from your checking account and you will get $25 a quarter.  Another $5 each quarter if you have a Bank of America checking account as well for $30 per quarter.  
A word of caution - make sure your rewards go into a separate account and not as a credit into the credit card.  I got a credit and one month my bill was negative and I wasn't eligible for the $30 at the end of the quarter.  Bummer!
Check out this post for more info.


Anyone else have super easy ways to save real money?  Am I missing anything?  Comment below

Finding and Using Discounted Gift Cards Online

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Discover it®


I think that buying discounted merchant gift cards online is one of the easiest and best ways to save money online.


Here is my preferred method for finding the most appropriate gift cards for your purchase and how to maximize your savings.  If anyone has any other method that is easier or saves more money please leave a comment.


The most important website to go to is giftcardgranny.com.  Gift Card Granny aggregates available gift cards from many different sites so that you don't have to check every site every time.  Here are my tips:


Let's taken an example, let's say you are planning on buying this chair at Staples which costs $99.

• First, find out exactly how much it will cost including tax.  Add it to your shopping card to find the final price.  As you see, with tax it costs $108.74

• Now, go to giftcardgranny.com and type in Staples and then click on "Buy"

• One of the main sellers of gift cards will be from Ebay.  They will usually also have the highest discount.  Go to the filters on the side and uncheck them.  This is from an auction so you have no idea what they will end up selling for.   The discount isn't real yet and will just confuse you.

• I usually will uncheck the filter for "physical gift cards".  I usually want to buy it as soon as possible so I don't want to wait for the gift card to come in the mail.  eGift cards usually arrive in your inbox the same day.  You can do whatever you want.

• Look for a gift card that is as close to, but slightly less than, the final price of your item.  Do this by clicking on "Card Value" to filter based on card value.

• In our case, the best deal is for a gift card for $106.22 that costs $100.59 for a discount of 5.3% from Gift Card Zen

• You have now saved 5.3% but you aren't done yet.  Go to cashbackholic.com and type in "staples" to find the best online shopping portal.  In this case, it is Shop Discover if you pay with a Discover it® card will get you another 5% cashback.  
• Since you bought a card that is slightly less than the item you will have to put a smal sum on your credit card.  You will still get the 5% cashback on your entire purchase for a total of 10.3%.  In addition, you will get your regular cashback for buying the gift card so add another 1-2% for that.