by Mark Burch

Created on: February 06, 2009

One of the better ways to save money is receiving free gift cards on the internet. Free gift cards are out there for anyone who wants to spend a few minutes a day clicking with their mouse, no strings attached. I'm not talking about those bogus sites that trick you into buying items from several expensive tiers in order to get a computer, ipod, or camera. If you find any offer that requires your credit card, just move on.

A lot of FREE gift cards are out there if you just have a few moments a day to click with your mouse, and answer emails. One of the biggest sources of free gift cards is www.mypoints.com. I have probably received a thousand dollars worth of Target gift cards in the last 5 years. Most of the airlines have mileage programs that can be used to purchase gift cards with your miles. Credit card companies offer points for dollars spent, which you can redeem for free gift cards. Just make sure you pay your credit card bill in full every month, or those "free" gift cards will be offset by your interest charges. Freeride.com was once a leader in the free gift card promotions, but with the current economic situation, they couldn't survive. AT&T has business rewards that can be traded for gift cards, and American Express has one of the better customer reward programs.

I hate to name too many companies, because they come and go quickly on the internet. Some change their names, get bought out, and just plain go out of business. Like I said before, do a web search for free gift cards and AVOID any sites that want to to pay a joining fee, or earn points by buying items. Those are not good deals, and its not really free, is it?

Pay attention to your credit cards, airline points, and bank cards. Most credit cards earn points now, and so do bank debit and credit cards. Many people don't even check their point balance, and they expire too quickly. Of all the things you can buy with points, gift cards seem to have the best return for value. Other great ways to save money are coupons for food, and merchandise. Entertainment books give half off many local restaurants, golf, video rentals, cruises, pizza delivery, and so on. Bottom line: before you buy anything, look on the internet for coupons, or coupon codes. Type into the search engine what you are buying and add "coupon code" to the search. 9 times out of 10 and coupon code will pop up and save you some much needed dough.

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