View From the Wing

June 3, 2007

Free Formalwear

After Six is offering a free slider tie for siging up for information from them.

Posted by gleff at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)

June 1, 2007

What Everyone Needs Most of All

Find out how to get free underwear here.

Posted by gleff at 4:36 PM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2007

Free SAS Luggage Tags

SAS is giving out free luggage tags to all SAS Eurobonus members.

Just email eurobonus@sas.no with the subject BagTag and include your EuroBonus number in the email.

Posted by gleff at 8:11 AM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2007

Beer Cozies from Girlfriend Getaways

Budget Travel is giving away beer cozies for their new sister magazine Girlfriend Getaways. There aren't a whole lot of 'em according to this post, but something about the title of the mag just sounds appealing, yknow?

(I think the magazine is actually about women getting away together, so not applicable to all readers perhaps, but on the other hand . . .)

Posted by gleff at 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2007

Free $10 Gift Certificates from Ted's Montana Grill

So I haven't been a big fan of Ted Turner since the '80s when he was a huge Ayn Rand fan, but I do kinda dig the buffalo meatloaf...

Posted by gleff at 5:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2007

AuctionSniper

I'm hardly an eBay veteran, though I won by first item there at least 6 years ago. For some reason, every so often I'd find something I wanted and I'd bid on it and... usually lose.

What little I know about auctions suggests to me that people ought to bid their highest amount for an item, since eBay will only make you pay the amount that's a single increment higher than the next highest bidder. But that isn't how people bid.

So I finally signed up with a sniping service, AuctionSniper.com, based on some recommendations from Flyertalk. I'm testing it out this evening, but like it quite a bit so far.

If you want to sign up for a free account (with 3 free snipes), you can use my referral link at no cost to you (and I get three free snipes).

Posted by gleff at 6:53 PM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2007

30 Days of Free T-Mobile WiFi

Posted by gleff at 5:31 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2007

Free Copy of Freakonomics

Signing up for an email newsletter nets you a free copy of Freakonomics.

After completing the form I get the following message:

Your copy of Freakonomics will be on its way to you shortly. Plus, you've been entered for a chance to win a Magellan® eXplorist™ 500 LE handheld GPS*.

Posted by gleff at 4:55 PM | Comments (2)

January 17, 2007

How to Open Bad Wine

I won't actually drink Sutter Home wine, but I will take a free corkscrew...

Posted by gleff at 7:02 AM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2006

Free Movie!

This HP sponsored Fandango website will give you a free movie ticket using promo code ticketme. One movie ticket (up to $12.50 in value) per e-mail address.

Posted by gleff at 4:40 AM | Comments (1)

December 9, 2006

Wine.com price error: 12-month wine club is free

Wine.com has ,a Holiday Wine club (in 3, 6 and 12 month periods) available, but the 6 and 12 month ones are shown as $0.00 while the 3 month one is $99.99.

I was able to purchase the 12-month club and have not been charged (but as this is $0 rather than an actual price being charged I'd guess it won't get honored).

Choose the 6 or 12 month club and look for the $0.00 price.

(Hat tip to Flyertalk's UnitedSkies.)

Posted by gleff at 4:42 PM | Comments (1)

September 10, 2006

Free Peachtree Accounting Software

Through September 23, Staples is offering Peachtree Pro Accounting 2007 free after rebate -- $140 minus a $140 rebate. Shipping is free.

(Go to Staples via a cashback or mileage portal, Fatwallet is offering a 4% kickback.)

Posted by gleff at 5:19 PM | Comments (0)

July 2, 2006

Free $5 Starbucks Gift Card

A builder is offering $5 Starbucks gift cards for filling out a survey. As with most promises of Starbucks gift cards, it's an open question whether it'll come to fruition.

Posted by gleff at 4:57 AM | Comments (1)

June 30, 2006

Mmmm... cookie.

Hotel Chatter reports that Doubletree hotel properties are giving away their chocolate chip cookies to anyone who walks in and asks for 24 hours on the Fourth of July.

Posted by gleff at 4:56 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2006

Free email upgrade

Yahoo! Mail is taking requests to beta test its new offerings.

Posted by gleff at 9:20 AM | Comments (1)

March 20, 2006

Free $5 Starbucks Card

HP is offering a $5 Starbucks card for customizing your profile with them. You don't even have to sign up for spam.

Starbucks card offers rarely come, but it's about 15 seconds of work...

Posted by gleff at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2006

Change in T&C for free electronics

Freepay, aka Gratis Networks (the free iPod folks), has made a really annoying unilateral change to their terms and conditions.

First, you'll have only 90 days start to finish to complete their requirements. Second, you now have to place your orders by mail instead of electronically and there are deadlines for doing so. Apparently this was announced March 1 and everyone with existing accounts therefore has until the end of May to finish their existing free electronics offers.

Here's the note sent out to all accounts:

Important Change to Terms & Conditions

With a start date of March 1, 2006 – users of FreePay websites have 90 days to complete all offer requirements.
Upon completion of all offer requirements, existing users will need to print a “Redemption Form” that must be filled out in its entirety and mailed with a postmarked date no later than 30 days of completing their offer requirements.

You will find an indication of how many days you have left to complete the requirements on the Status page. When you have completed the requirements you will be able to download the redemption form from the Status page.

Now, these things can be completed in 90 days. And this is still a worthwhile project to undertake. But it's certainly an annoying change, some of the offers I'll leave for months at a time and then remember them and complete them.

This change presumably increases Freepay's profits at the expense of its members by reducing redemptions and leaving more stranded completed referrals.

I'm going to have to quickly return to the (3) offers that I haven't yet finished:

Free laptops
Free PS3
$300 SuperCertificate (from giftcertificates.com)

Disappointing, to say the least, but I'm reasonably close to finishing these and 90 days is plenty of time to do so...

Posted by gleff at 4:22 AM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2006

Free iTunes for Financial Literacy

There are about a dozen free iTunes to be had by watching a series of interactive financial tutorials from Penn State Federal.

Some are longer than others and they're quite rudimentary but if you want to click through learning about debit cards and how to buy a used car you can get some free music.

Posted by gleff at 5:43 AM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2006

Free After Rebate Junk Food

Goodies Blog tells you how to get your soda and chips for the Super Bowl for free.

Posted by gleff at 4:29 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2006

Really Big Post-Its

Get a free sample of Post-It Wall Stick pads. I use these in meetings at work, they're great!

Posted by gleff at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2005

Free Cow

The first 100,000 people who sign up will get a Chick-fil-A® Peach Bowl Plush Cow and a coupon for free chicken.

Posted by gleff at 7:15 PM | Comments (0)

December 3, 2005

An Easy Credit for Completing a Freepay Electronics Offer

Freepay (the freeipods folks) require you to complete one of their marketing offers in addition to referring friends who do the same.

I recently completed an easy one that still showing available on all of the electronics offers I've checked, so I thought I'd pass it along.

The 30 day free trial of RealArcade GamePass works like a charm. The credit posts in a couple of days, you have a month to cancel, and cancellation is a snap and hassle-free. You can even cancel on the weekends (no waiting for weekday business hours, though admittedly I did have to hold for a few minutes).

I've been told -- though haven't tried this personally -- that the RealArcard trial will work more than once. In other words, you can use it on more than one free electronics offer. Presumably you just need to use a different email address and credit card each time.

The four offers that I'm still working on are:

free laptop
free Playstation 3.
Free $300 SuperCertificate (from giftcertificates.com)
free Xbox 360

Posted by gleff at 9:56 AM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2005

New Free Electronics Offers

I've written several times in the past about Gratis Networks, now known as FreePay, which offers free electronics for completing their marketing offers and referring friends. In some very real sense it's a pyramind scheme, but it pays off.

Gratis Internet was listed as Inc. magazine's #18 fastest growing company in the U.S.

I just noticed that there are three new offers I hadn't seen before:

free laptops
free PS3s. I admit I don't even know what this is, and it's not slated to come out until early 2006.
$300 SuperCertificate (from giftcertificates.com)

For the record I've completed all of the offers other than these three news ones and the free Xbox offer. I've received everything, too.

When you signup for the PS3 offer takes, the site takes you through a few screens of 'optional' surveys. Just select no on every question, these don't help you get your item.

All the sites work as follows: you complete an offer from one of their marketing partners, and then you refer friends who have to complete marketing offers as well.

My favorite current offer is a free trial from eFax. It doesn't cost anything and you can even cancel via online chat (which means you can log the chat and have written proof of cancellation).

Posted by gleff at 4:06 AM | Comments (1)

August 27, 2005

Free Leather Notepad

Receive a free leather notepad for signing up with the JCPenney Insider newsletter.

Posted by gleff at 4:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2005

Go Guard!

The Army National Guard is giving away iTunes downloads. But if you give them a real phone number they might call you.

Posted by gleff at 5:20 PM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2005

Rewards for Writing Reviews

JudysBook.com is a site with reviews of restaurants and hotels, but also local auto mechanics and real estate agents. It's new and they're offering $5 Starbucks cards for every 5 reviews you write by September 30 (up to $50 total).

It's a little late to take advantage of this, but they're also offering a free iPod Shuffle for writing 50 reviews and referring 10 friends, and up to 50 iTunes if the friends you refer write reviews themselves. Problem is that this needs to be completed by Sunday. I just got around to checking out the site today, already posted 10 reviews, and may just go for the iPod -- but there are lots of terms and conditions to iPod offer (which don't apply to the Starbucks offer), such as

No more than 10 of your reviews can be for restaurants, coffee shops, bars or clubs

Posted by gleff at 6:14 PM | Comments (0)

August 8, 2005

Free iTunes Download

Sign up to receive information about a checking account with Wells Fargo Bank and you'll be sent a code for a free iTunes download.

You can get one download per email address you use to sign up.

(Hat tip to the Flyertalk S.P.A.M. forum.)

Posted by gleff at 4:55 AM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2005

A variety of free samples

Posted by gleff at 7:38 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2005

Several free items

Free Dove deoderant sample
Free $10 OfficeMax gift card for taking a survey from DHL.
Free Bausch & Lomb ReNu contact solution sample. (I signed up for several at the same address, received them all.)

Posted by gleff at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2005

Extra income on the side

Jaqueline Passey explains how to make a few thousand dollars off of online casino signup bonuses by exercising a bit of self-control.

Posted by gleff at 5:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 19, 2005

XBox 360: the Next Free Electronics Offer

Gratis Internet, the people who brought you the free iPod and free digital camera, have a new promotion for a free X-box 360. These folks are seriously quick -- it was only unveiled a week ago. This thing has wireless controllers, HD gaming, iPod compatibility and online features out of the box.

Now, it won't ship for several months, but I'm hoping to be one of the first ones to get it through the Gratis free offer. After all, I've already finished all their other offers.

Posted by gleff at 3:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 7, 2005

Free Magazines

Some free magazine subscriptions available:

A six-month subscription to Better Homes & Gardens. Enter promo code KDIH502BH.
A one-year subscription to Genre Magazine (for gay men)
A free subscription to TechNet Magazine
A free subscription to Driving Sports Magazine
A two-year subscription to Black Enterprise

Posted by gleff at 5:45 AM | Comments (1)

May 6, 2005

Completed all my free electronics offers

I've completed all my requirements for the free digital camera from Gratis Networks (the free iPod folks).

Actually I've completed everything for all of their free electronics offers, and am waiting to receive only the digital camera and the Playstation Portable.

For those of you who need to complete a marketing offer for one of these promotions, I notice that both eFax Plus and consumerinfo are currently on the offers list. Both offer 30 day free trials. Thirty day trials are the best because you have plenty of time to get credit for the offer and cancel without being under a time gun. Nothing is shipped, so you don't even have to pay for shipping. I've used both of these before and had no problems with cancellation. (eFax offers cancellation via online chat, and I was able to just save a copy of the chat transcript.. just in case.)

Another offer that's actually worth something in its own right is from Blockbuster for their unlimited rentals by mail service (a la Netflix).

You're on the hook for $9.95 even if you cancel but is actually something that can be worth having, plus they give some nice coupons.

Still, I like the eFax and consumerinfo offers.

Posted by gleff at 8:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2005

Just completed my Free Digital Camera offer

I just completed my marketing offer for the free digital camera. It was the easiest offer from Gratis Networks yet -- Napster.

You sign up for a 14-day free trial. You do have to download their software (and when you're asked whether you want to restart your computer, it's important to say NO or else you may not get credit). Then a couple days later credit for the offer shows up on the free electronics offer website. The best part is that you can cancel online -- you don't even have to speak to a live person. I printed out the page saying I had cancelled, but I also got an email from them anyway. Then I uninstalled the software. Easy, free, a great way to complete a requirement.

The other easy one that I see up at the moment is EFax. You cancel via live chat with them. It's a free offer, so you aren't out any money. And the good part of the cancellation process is that you can copy the entire live chat into Word or use some other method to save the whole conversation, so you have a record of the cancellation just in case.

As a quick refresher, the various free electronics offers require you to complete a marketing offer and refer friends who complete marketing offers as well.

When you sign up you'll be asked whether you want to participate in several 'optional' offers. Answer no to each one of them.

Then complete an offer like Napster or EFax -- which cost you nothing. Naturally you don't want to join Columbia House...

(For additional context, these are the same folks that offer the free iPod which I got myself almost a year ago.)

Posted by gleff at 4:35 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

April 23, 2005

Free iTunes

If you got yourself a free iPod, why not also get 33 free songs from iTunes for test driving an Audi?

Posted by gleff at 2:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 22, 2005

$8 Million in Free Electronics

The ever-controversial Gratis Networks has given away over $8 million in free products. I've gotten everything they offer except the free digital camera -- I'm still working on that one.

It all started with the free iPod, of course, but since then I've gotten the flatscreen TV, photo iPod, iPod shuffle, desktop computer, Mac Mini, and Xbox.

I just did the required marketing offer for the Sony PSP this morning, completing that one as well. I signed up for a free trial with Napster. The free period is 14 days and the offer should post within the next 3 -- so there'll be plenty of time to cancel before I get charged anything. It's nice to have a totally free option back.

I've gotta say that Gratis Networks has no customer service whatsoever. More often than not you don't need it, everything works as it should. But patience can be required.

Posted by gleff at 3:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 14, 2005

Free Samples

Posted by gleff at 1:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2005

A Gratis Networks Offer NOT Worth Doing

The free iPods folks are offering a free I love Free iPods.com t-shirt when you complete one of their marketing offers. No referrals are required for this one, but you do need to do an offer youself.

Frankly not worth it. I'll save doing offers myself for the offers I do want, like the free Playstation Portable or the free digital camera.

Posted by gleff at 12:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 25, 2005

Free $25: ING Direct Online Savings Account

ING Direct is offering 2.8% on their FDIC-insured online savings account.

That's a pretty good rate for a savings account (my local bank is offering a similar rate on 12-month CDs).

What's more, ING Direct offers new customers $25 just for opening the account when referred by an existing customer (the referrer gets $10). There are no account minimums and no fees. You can open the account with $1 and get credited an additional $25. They'll make you wait some time, I think a month, before you can withdraw their $25. Other than that, no restrictions.

There was once a $50 referral offer, I haven't seen that in a couple of years though. I signed up at $25, pulled my money out, but then a couple years later realized I still had the account (with 17 cents in it) and started to use it. It's actually quite useful.

If you're interested in signing up with a $25 credit to your account, email me. Full disclosure, as mentioned above I'll get $10 as well.

Posted by gleff at 4:36 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2005

Another free electronics offer...

The people that brought you the free iPod, free Playstation Portable, free handbag, and free iPod Shuffle are at it again with a new offer. This time it's a free digital camera.

Among the cameras is a Canon Powershot S70 7.1 megapixel which retails for about $500.

Like all of the free electronics offers, you have to sign up and complete a marketing trial (several are free if you cancel within the trial period) and get friends to do the same.

Whereas the iPod shuffle offer requires only three referrals and the Playstation Portable requires five referrals, the digital camera offer takes ten -- but then the iPod Shuffle retails for $100 and the camera is five times pricier.

Once you've entered your email address, you'll be asked whether you want to participate in several offers. Choose not to, as the offers won't get you anything. After several optional offers, you'll be taken to the main free electronics page where you'll have the chance to complete your own marketing offer as well as refer friends.

You could apply for a no-fee credit card, or sign up for a Netmarket trial for $1. I did the Netmarket offer when qualifying for the iPod shuffle, and cancelling with them was easy.

Posted by gleff at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2005

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I've been brushing my teeth with Colgate Total ever since it won Slate's Paste Test. So this trivial rebate worth $2.99 was interesting to me, since it was for a free tube of the stuff.

Posted by gleff at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2005

A new Gratis offer: free Playstation Portable

Gratis Networks has a new free electronics offer (yes, another one!). This time it's Free Playstation Portables.

I've gotten the free iPod, the photo iPod, the desktop computer, the game system, the flatscreen TV, and the handbag. The Mac Mini has been shipped. Alas, I still have to wait for my free iPod shuffle -- hasn't shipped yet, and I want it. I'm not the most patient person in the world...

It's worth noting that these free offers probably mean a bunch of spam. If so, it all goes to my junkmail folder, but I assume that Gratis markets their customer lists. Their privacy standards have been roundly criticized. It seems a small price to pay for the great payoff in free electronics. I'd rather "sell" my information that way than give it away for free, which I'm usually asked to do. But some folks will find reason for concern in this.

Posted by gleff at 6:56 PM | Comments (0)

February 6, 2005

Free reading materials. Heh heh. Reading materials.

Get free subscriptions to Maxim, Stuff, and the Sporting News.

Posted by gleff at 5:23 AM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2005

What to do with a Mac Mini?

I still don't know what I'm going to do with a free Mac Mini but this Wired piece suggests it can turned into a livingroom video recorder, a media center for cars, or a toaster.

Though that last one may be a little too MacGyver for me.

Posted by gleff at 2:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2005

Southwest introduces downloadable inflight entertainment, sort of

Southwest Airlines has an offer for a free movie download from Movielink.com as part of their effort to introduce in-flight entertainment.

They won't install movie screens or inflight audio. Instead, they encourage you to download a movie and watch it.

Posted by gleff at 4:23 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2005

Easy Offer to Fulfill Free Electronics Requirement

The eFax 30 Day Free Trial offer is back on the Free Mac Mini site.

I did the eFax trial for my photo iPod. It's a 30 day free trial, which is good because it makes it plenty easy to cancel. Cancellation is done via online chat, so you can even save the chat in case something goes wrong (just copy and paste it into your wordprocessor).

So if you're looking for an easy offer to complete, this is a good one. The past few days had seen only sketchy offers like 7 day trials that required you to stay signed up for the full 7 days, or even a 1-day trial for $1. Too much hassle. Much prefer to have a month...

Posted by gleff at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2005

iPod Shuffle Review

Engadget reviews the iPod Shuffle:

This thing is tiny — and light. You’ll never feel it around your neck or in your pocket. It’s like a stick of gum, not a pack. Just be sure not to leave it in your jeans when you wash them. Gets me excited about the new Free iPod Shuffle offer from Gratis, not to mention the Free Mac Mini.

Posted by gleff at 5:01 PM | Comments (0)

January 21, 2005

Two New Free Electronics Offers

Gratis Networks, the semi-secret company behind the free electronics offers like the free Photo iPod, looks like it is beginning to come out of the closet. Their corporate website now features a blog with updates on their offers and newsclips.

It makes for an interesting read, as they've been covered across the mainstream media. It also signifies a bit of a shift for them, I think. They seem to have tried to fly a bit 'under the radar' in the past, making it difficult to find out who or where they were. Part of their business model has been to keep everything automated and to provide nearly no customer service whatsoever. I wonder whether that's changing.

I have had absolutely outstanding luck with them. I've received an iPod, a Photo iPod, a flatscreen TV, a desktop computer, a Sony Playstation 2 (slim version), and a Prada handbag.

I haven't had too many difficulties. I did have a bit of a customer service problem with the offer I completed with Video Professor. They didn't properly cancel my account. No big deal, I got it straightened out and didn't wind up paying any money. And a couple of my successful referrals turned out to be duplicates, which meant I had to come up with a few more referrals.

But those were minor bumps in the road, and I've gotten a ton of free stuff without going out of pocket any money at all. I really can't complain.

I do know that some folks have had more difficulty than I have. I've written about it before, and there are good tips to avoid frustration.

If an offer doesn't credit, complete a new one. Don't use the same computer as someone else working to complete an offer. Don't make up referrals. Be patient.

Still, I'm interested in hearing stories of success and failure. Drop me an email.

While I'm on the subject, let me note that when I went to the Gratis Networks homepage I discovered two new offers I hadn't seen previously:

The easiest one yet: FreeIpodShuffle requires only three successful referrals.
A pretty cool cutting-edge one: FreeMiniMacs. This one requires ten successful referrals (like the free Photo iPod does).

Full disclosure: using the links for the MiniMac and iPod Shuffle benefit me, as I haven't yet completed my referrals. So use them if you wish, but feel under no obligation to do so.

As always, when you create an account with one of these sites you'll be taken through a number of 'yes/no' offers. Just click no on all of them, as they do nothing to help you get your electronics.

Then once through those few screens you'll have the opportunity to refer friends as well as complete an offer yourself. The best offers are those that have free trials and no shipping charges. But don't forget to cancel before the trial period is up! And get confirmation of the cancellation, just in case.

Posted by gleff at 9:40 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2005

Get Major League Baseball Gear Free Plus Shipping

MLB.com has a $10 off $10 purchase coupon -- just use code 10cart. So search for inexpensive hats and shirts to come up with a $10 shopping card. Shipping should come to $5.

Posted by gleff at 5:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2005

$10 Gift Card

American Express is offering a $10 gift card for viewing their expense management report demo.

It's geared towards corporate cardmembers, but isn't anywhere that they ask for a card number to verify eligibility.

Posted by gleff at 1:29 PM | Comments (0)

January 7, 2005

Free Men's Magazines

Get a free subscription to Maxim and then click the bottom link for a free subscription to Stuff as well.

The Sporting News is also available.

Posted by gleff at 9:59 AM | Comments (0)

January 1, 2005

Free stuff

Get a free subscription to Men's Journal and four Crest Whitening Expressions flavors.

Posted by gleff at 7:39 AM | Comments (0)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly... Or an Update on Correspondence About Free Electronics

Regular readers of this site are familiar with the free electronics offers from Gratis Internet. I've received several items myself, several readers have, and I've seen boxes arriving at my office for colleagues.

But not everyone has had a perfect experience, so I wanted to note that as well as offer advice on dealing with bumps in the road to getting these items.

Reader Gail took great umbrage at my discussing the Gratis Internet offers.

...

To which I offered this response:

I can tell you that I'm not the only one that has
received electronics. I know tons of people who have,
both in my office and from internet bulletin boards.
I'd say that your experience in atypical.

I also never said that 'nobody has had problems.'
I've mentioned elsewhere that problems do occur --
sometimes offers don't credit. There can be lots of
reasons for that. Anti-spyware or firewall software
can prevent proper credit, as well as rejecting
cookies just to offer a few examples. One friend at
work tried an offer that never credited, and I just
suggested she try another offer.

So when you write, "I do think it is unethical for
you to avoid noting that at least one person - me -
has been unsuccessful in receiving credit for
completing the free ipod offer..." I think you're
mistaken. I have noted that folks have had problems
getting offer credits. I've simply advised moving on
to another offer, and not working with customer
service to resolve.

Customer service at Gratis is not something that
exists. I've mentioned that elsewhere, too. That's
part of the business model. There's not alot of
profit in any individual customer for them, since they
give back most of what they receive from their
affiliates in the form of electronics. If they spend
any money on service (including staff time) then
they're losing money on you. That's why it isn't
worth the hassle of going to them to get missing
credits. It's far easier just to complete another
offer.

I continually mention the offer not because of any
personal benefit (remember I've already received lots
of electronics -- I've got referral links for other
folks up who have asked me to put up their link, only
because any new member might as well be referred by
someone) but because this represents, I think, a
really great value for folks who want to see it
through. It can be frustrating on several levels,
including the wait for products, but it shouldn't cost
any money and the payoff is pretty neat.

Again, sorry you've had frustrations.

So what offers to choose? The best one was Infone, but I haven't seen it available in awhile. I also used the AOL 30-day free trial on my first attempt. Ancestry.com is easy, too.

Reader Jay offers this tip for fulfilling the requirement to participate in an offer as part of receiving free electronics:

They told me if the account is never used I'd never be charged (similar to the now non-existent Infone offer - just this one takes a few days to credit). Now I take this with a grain of salt and will be calling them back in a few weeks to be sure this is true, but if so, this is the next best easiest way to free stuff.

I recently signed up for a free trial with eFax as part of getting a free Xbox. The offer credited in a day and cancelling was easy -- it's done online via live chat. I copied and pasted the chat log into Word and saved it just in case I have any problems.

Any questions or thoughts? Drop me a line.

Posted by gleff at 7:21 AM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2004

Free Magazines

Free subscriptions to Stuff magazine and Field & Stream are available.

Posted by gleff at 6:04 AM | Comments (0)

Free Starbucks Card

Oracle is offering a free $15 Starbucks gift card for completing a survey. It looks to have been originally targeted, so no guarantees whether the card will be delivered (but the survey is short).

Posted by gleff at 6:02 AM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2004

Q & A on Free Electronics

In response to several e-mail requests, I'm going to offer up a brief summary of the free electronics offers that are out there.

Gratis Internet has six free offers that I'm aware of:

There are several other 'free stuff' offers out there on the internet. Several of them are scams. They promise you computers or cameras in exchange for 'testing' products. In the end they all require money and I don't personally know of anyone that has received products.

Not so with the Gratis Internet offers. I've personally gotten an iPod, a television, and a computer and I haven't spent any money.

The way it works is that you sign up. Then they make several offers to you -- "yes/no" type questions -- turn them all down, because they don't get you your free product. They're just an extra chance for Gratis Internet to make money.

Then you need to complete one of their marketing offers. There are plenty of free trial offers, like 30 days of AOL or a month of eFax. Gratis Internet makes money on each new customer they send over to these companies. The key for you is to choose an offer that is free and then cancel before the end of the promotion period.

Once you've completed an offer you need to refer other people to complete offers. You can send the email to all your friends and family and convince them to follow the same steps you've gone through. Remember that they can sign up with your link and it costs them nothing -- they give up nothing by using your link (as opposed to finding the website directly) and it won't cost anything for them to do a trial offer.

Each electronics offer requires a different number of completed referrals. The game system requires four, the iPod and handbag five, the TV eight, and the computer and photoiPod ten. Each completed referral earns money for Gratis Internet.

The essence of their offer is that there's alot of money in referral marketing. By kicking back a large percentage of the money to users in the form of free electronics, they're able to get tons of folks to participate.

So which offer to choose?

Ideally you want something that will not cost any money and will credit to your account right away.

Infone is the best and easiest when it's available, because the offer credits instantly and since they only charge you after five uses you don't even ever have to call to cancel service. I've used the offer several times -- just with a different email address and credit card each time.

An AOL Free Trial and an eFax Free Trial are both good, easy choices. The offers credit in a few days and you have a month to cancel. They're both reputable companies, so the process works well. Neither ships a product, so they don't ask for shipping charges. You're still out of pocket nothing, but you get credit towards your free electronics.

You can also apply for a credit card with no annual fee, such as the GM Mastercard. I haven't done this because the last thing I need is another card. But it should work with no problem.

One item to stay away from is the Video Professor offer. I used that one and everything worked out fine in the end. But since they never shipped the product, I couldn't return it for a shipping credit. They promised to reverse the $6.95 shipping charge but never did. And though they gave me a cancellation number, they tried to charge me anyway. I got both charges taken off my card by my Visa company. But Video Professor isn't worth dealing with.

Any more questions? Ask away!

Posted by gleff at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2004

New Free Electronics Offer

Gratis Internet has a new free offer -- a Free Game System. You can get an Xbox, Nintendo GameCube or Handheld, or a Sony Playstation 2.

Click on the link, sign up. Then you'll be asked whether you're interested in several marketing offers. Each one has a yes/no. Choose no, as they don't help you get your Xbox.

Once you're through that screen, you need to choose one trial offer from a long list. I just signed up for a free 30-day trial with eFax (which I'll cancel in a couple of days once the offer credits to my account). Then you need to refer 4 friends who complete offers.

This is the easiest of the free offers yet -- the iPod takes 5 offers, the flatscreen 8, the computer 10... so this one is worth trying.

Another easy one is the free handbag offer which takes only 5 referrals.

And the absolute coolest offer is the free photo iPod.

Posted by gleff at 5:28 PM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2004

Free minutes for Sprint customers

Sprint has a very short survey. Take it by December 27th and they'll give you 100 Anytime minutes.

Posted by gleff at 4:31 AM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2004

Good opportunity to complete offers on free electronics sites

The free photo iPod and free handbag offers both show Ancestry.com at the moment -- a free trial with no expense that in my experience is easy to cancel.

See this post for a summary of the free electronics offers, how they work, and how to complete them. I'm a big fan, having gotten the computer, television, and iPod already.

Posted by gleff at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2004

Infone offer up on Free Handbag site

The Infone offer is currently available with the free handbag offer.

The free handbag requires you to create an account, complete a marketing offer, and get five referrals to complete a marketing offer.

The great thing about Infone is that they don't ever charge you anything unless you use the service more than five times. So a quick signup is all you need, no need even to cancel later and no cost. Plus the offer credits instantly. So sign up now while Infone is up.

If you've already used Infone to complete another giveaway offer, no worries. It seems that as long as you use a different email address and perhaps name and phone number on the Infone site, you can site up again and still get credit.

When you click on the Infone offer, scroll down to the bottom of the screen. There's a place right by the 'submit' button where you should see a graphic with a word you'll have to enter. If the graphic doesn't appear, hit reload. If it still doesn't appear, hit reload until it does.

Posted by gleff at 8:17 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2004

Competition Enters the Market for Free Giveaways

Gratis Networks, which offers free stuff like the photoiPod, has competition from a new site which lets you choose from several rewards like a portable DVD player or cash.

The website looks alot like a Gratis Networks free site, but their FAQ tries to differentiate them -- they don't make you fill out surveys that have nothing to do with the free offers, and they promise to ship rewards quickly.

Posted by gleff at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2004

Summary of Free Stuff Offers

A summary of all the Gratis Networks free offers I'm aware of:

Please email me if you come across another Gratis Network offer that I haven't found yet.

The offers are pretty simple. Sign up for the sites. Just click on the links and create your account. It's quick. With most of the sites you'll be given a bunch of offers and asked to say "yes" or "no" to them. Just say no, because replying in the affirmative doesn't get you anything - those offers don't help you get free electronics. (They're just an extra moneymaker for Gratis Internet.)

Check out the offers that you're able to complete. My favorite by far is Infone, but it seems to be only sporadically available. If it's available, jump on it right away and complete it because it (a) credits your account instantly - most offers take a couple of days or a week and (b) is free and doesn't even require cancellation - while you have to provide a credit card, you are never charged until you've used the service five times so just don't use the service, and they're a reputable company, and (c) even if you've signed up for Infone before, it'll still work as long as you provide a new email address (you might also use your middle name instead of first name).

If Infone isn't available, consider signing up for a 45 day free AOL trial. I like this one because it doesn't cost anything, and because there's such a long time to cancel. Just be sure to cancel within a month and a half. Odds on you'll be offered an extension of the free offer - some folks have reported getting AOL for free for a year or more. Personally I didn't need or want the service, so I didn't take the extension, but some folks might actually want to use this.

Video Professor, on the other hand, was a bit of a pain. The credit for the free TV posted instantly, which was nice. They charge $6.95 shipping, which is supposed to be credited back if you return the first tape within 10 days. The tape never came. They cancelled my membership and said they were crediting back my $6.95. The future charges showed up on my credit card and I had to call up the bank to dispute them. In the end it worked fine and I won't wind up paying any money, but Video Professor was just a pain. So don't choose Video Professor.

Other potential offers to use are the GM Mastercard and the eBay credit card as neither one costs anything.

Then you need to refer friends to do exactly the same as you did, either by sending them an email from the site or by giving them a special URL you copy from the website that identifies them as having been referred by you. The iPod and handbag require 5 referrals. The television requires 8. The computer and photo iPod require 10.

Yes, this is a pyramid scheme, no matter what Gratis Internet says. But it doesn't cost anything to participate and there's pretty great stuff for doing so. So there's really no downside.

Posted by gleff at 3:55 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2004

One for the ladies...

The free photoiPod people also have an offer for a free handbag -- a Prada mini-hobo, Kate Spade Pia Pochette, Burburry Novacheck Minisling, or Coach Signature Demi-pouch.

For the record, I don't know what any of those things are. But they're authentic, and they're supposed to be good.

As with all of these offers, the key is to sign up for a free trial that doesn't require you to spend any money. The best offer is infone, as it doesn't even need to be cancelled. AOL is another good offer, you don't get charged anything and have 45 days to cancel.

Then you need to refer folks to the site who need to complete an offer. Unlike the free computer, which takes 10 referrals, the free handbag takes only five.

Posted by gleff at 4:08 AM | Comments (0)