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Gift Cards

Are Free Gift Cards a Scam?

The very words: “free gift cards” seem to fall into the “too good to be true” category, and the common wisdom is that if something seems to good to be true it is.

Free is a powerful word in the English language! But what is free to the company offering the card may not seem so to the customer/consumer.  So a degree of doubt is healthy and can help you avoid being a victim of a free gift cards scam.

Just remember:  you usually will need to invest your time to get the free card.  So ask yourself:  What’s my time worth compared to the value of the card being offered?

But if your current situation leaves you with more time than money, then free gift cards may be worth considering

Also, you want to honestly consider the following questions:

  • Do you have the patience to complete surveys and register for trial offers?
  • Do you have the organization skills to keep track of those trial offers terms and when the free period ends and the paid subscription begins?
  • Do you have the persistence to resolve a possible glitch in canceling a trial subscription?

If you answer “no,” then all those free gift cards online being offered may not be right for you.

But if you still want to take advantage of cash back offers on things you are already doing and purchases you now making, then consider GPT sites that offer you cash for reading emails, making purchases socializing online, or completing surveys and playing games.  In addition to cash, sometimes GPT sites also reward you with those very same free gift cards online.

If you answer these questions “yes,” then, free gift cards may be worth a try.  You can find a range of options including restaurant gift cards, free $500 gift cards for use at major stores and some cards with values as high as $1,000.

Just do your due diligence so you don’t fall for a free gift cards scam and instead get real value for your efforts.

Tip:

You might want to consider not using your primary email address for completing these offers.  You can get a free email account just for use at http://mail.google.com/mail/signup

Categories
Gift Cards

Free Gift Cards – What Are They?

Free gift cards may seem like a complete fraud at first. Why would any legitimate company give away free gift cards worth $250, $500 and sometimes even $1000?

It's a good question. And in fact, there are scams online, but you can also find real value with some legitimate offers.

How do you tell the difference?  A good place to begin is remembering that

  • Legitimate sites will never ask for your personal banking information.
  • You should not need to pay a registration fee.

And don't forget to carefully read the requirements of any offer you are considering.

You can find legitimate free gift cards online for shopping at many of the major stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy.  You can also discover cards good for other products or services such as free airline tickets.

Now, in most cases, it will cost you something to get these freebies -- you will have to spend some time. Now you can begin to understand why companies are willing to give you these cards.

Free gift cards usually require some kind of participation from you:  complete research surveys, test a product, take trial memberships for a magazine or DVD site, etc.  Among the various offers, you can often find a product or service you might have already been thinking of using.  And, if you keep good records, you can cancel before the trial period ends if you are no longer interested in the product/service.

Still completing the surveys and offers does take time, and could cost you some money if you forget to cancel a subscription before the trial period ends.  But even then, a $10 a month subscription you forgot to cancel might be considered an acceptable cost in exchange for a $250 gift card.

There are also other ways to get gift cards. GPT ("get paid to") sites offer cash, shopping cards, rebates for actions such as reading emails, taking surveys, and shopping through their websites.

So, if you are looking for free gift cards online, you can find them, but just remember to be careful and stick with reputable sources if you want freebies that are truly free!