What do you think rebates are? Reward or rip off?

Its quite obvious in the last few years years that rebates on a lot of items such as electronics and computers, have became increasingly popular. Rebates of $20, $50 or $100 are not uncommon.



I believe you must have seen lots o f stuffs advertised as "free afrer rebates".Do you see these rebates as something thats "too good to be true"?A few of them do and there are “catches” to look out for but if you are cautious, rebates can help you get some really good bargains.



The way a rebate works is that you pay the listed price for an item then mail in a form and the bar code to the manufacturer and they send you a refund thus reducing the price of what you paid for the item except with a time delay of several weeks.





Rule #1. Rebates from highly regarded corporations are by and large just fine.



You can be pretty certain you will get the promised rebate from Best Buy, Amazon or Dell but you ought to probably not count on getting one from a organisation you’ve never heard of. If you really want the item and are OK with paying the price listed then buy it but don’t put your mind on actually getting the refund.





Rule #2. Check rebate expiration dates.



Many times items will stay on the shelf of a retailer after the date for sending in the rebate offer has expired so check that date carefully.





Rule #3. Be clear in your mind you have all the forms vital to file for the discount before you leave the store.



Rebates will almost always require a form to be filled out, a receipt for the purchase and a bar code.



Rule #4. Back up your discount claim.



Do copies of everything you mail in to get your rebate with the bar code. Stuff gets lost in the mail all the time and if the rebate is for $50 it’s worth the care to back up your claim.