Get free stuff for nearly nothing
Where to find it: MyPoints
– www.mypoints.com
Who runs the site: The MyPoints site is owned by Classmates
Media Corporation. MyPoints started as a way for advertisers to
reach a targeted audience through e-mails. John Fullmer is the
president of MyPoints, and has been the Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer. He has a background in marketing.
Who is likely to use the site: Anyone who wants an easy way to
earn free stuff while looking at e-mails, or people who regularly
shop online.
Get free stuff for nearly nothing
Where to find it: MyPoints – www.mypoints.com
Who runs the site: The MyPoints site is owned by Classmates Media Corporation. MyPoints started as a way for advertisers to reach a targeted audience through e-mails. John Fullmer is the president of MyPoints, and has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He has a background in marketing.
Who is likely to use the site: Anyone who wants an easy way to earn free stuff while looking at e-mails, or people who regularly shop online.
Pros: MyPoints has been around for a long time and I signed up for it years ago as a way to earn free stuff just by clicking on a few e-mails each day. The way the site works is that users sign up for a free account, identify some topics or types of merchandise they are interested in, and then MyPoints generates a few e-mails a day to user inboxes. Each e-mail contains an offer from one of MyPoints merchants, some of which include ProFlowers, Omaha Steaks and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Users get 5 points for just clicking on the offer, and if they purchase something through the site they get 1 or 2 points per dollar spent.
Users can also go straight to the MyPoints site to click through to retailers with whom they want to shop and they will earn points. Users can start redeeming points at 1,250, which can get you a $10 gift card – and it doesn’t take much to get there – or they can save them up for bigger rewards.
The points are redeemable for gift certificates from 60 retailers, including many of the merchants who advertise through the e-mails. I’ve used my bonus points for gift cards to Target, Macy’s, and Rain Forest Cafe, among other merchants. I’ve used the gift cards for everything from birthday or Christmas gifts, to a new pair of shoes and patio furniture.
Cons: If you don’t shop online with the featured merchants, it will take a lot longer to save up the points but since it’s basically free money for looking at e-mails it really isn’t much of a downside.
