Current:Home > InvestFrom discounted trips to free books, these top hacks will help you nab deals -WealthMap Solutions
From discounted trips to free books, these top hacks will help you nab deals
View
Date:2025-04-14 19:51:19
If you ask me, some of the best things in life truly are free. We work so hard for our money − so when we get to save some, it’s the best of feelings.The best price tag truly is $0, so here are three of my favorite hacks to get something free.
Master the art of travel hacking
Travel hacking is one of the latest and greatest trends for getting free, or discounted, travel. This strategy involves the smart use of credit card rewards, frequent flyer miles and loyalty programs − and is my first, and possibly favorite, way to get something for basically nothing.One way to travel hack is to use specific travel rewards credit cards to maximize points, take advantage of sign-up bonuses, and optimize spending categories. Booking travel with credit cards often means you’re also getting things like delayed-baggage insurance and trip cancellation insurance.
Remember to join airline and hotel loyalty programs, too − earning top-tier status will let you have perks like free upgrades and priority services.
Get audiobooks for free with Libby
Bookworms, this one's for you. Never pay for a book again with apps like Libby. All you need is a library card from your local library (it can be an e-card, too) and you have access to thousands of books at your fingertips.Libby allows you access to e-books, audiobooks and magazines and is available on most devices. If you don’t have a local library, many states actually have library systems where any state resident can get a library card online − so check that out.
Learn more: Best credit cards of 2023
Become a rewards member wherever and whenever
From restaurants to retail chains and department stores, there are so many rewards programs you can sign up for. And usually, these programs are free.
Money moves:How can you be smarter with your money? Follow these five tips
But the best part about signing up is you can take advantage of frequent deals and coupons while racking up rewards points. Some places even offer birthday gifts for their loyalty members, and to be eligible, it's usually as simple as just signing up.Some of my favorite examples of where it pays to be a rewards member are:
- Starbucks. Reward members can get free refills of hot or iced brewed coffee or tea on the same visit.
- Ulta Beauty’s Ultamate Rewards program gives members a free birthday gift, a $10 coupon, and double points on purchases made in their birth month.
- Sephora’s free birthday gifts are my personal favorite. Beauty Insider members get to pick from a selection of free birthday sets during their birth month.
- Build-A-Bear offers the “Pay Your Age” promo to their Bonus Club members. The Birthday Bear is normally $14 but when visiting during your child’s birth month, you can get the bear for your child’s age. So yes, if your child is turning 1, you get it for $1!
- JCPenney Rewards gives you a $10 CashPass Reward instantly when you sign up. You also get another $10 CashPash reward for your birthday.
No cost, no catch
Who doesn’t love something free? The truth is, there are tons of ways to get good deals and steep discounts. You just need to be willing to do some research − and perhaps punch your email and phone number in a few times. One final pro tip: Create a dedicated email to give to stores so your primary inbox doesn’t get cluttered.If you don’t feel like researching or reading the fine print, that’s where I come in. Follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with the latest freebie hacks; I share them with you as I find them!
veryGood! (54612)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- 2 people killed in shooting outside an Anchorage Walmart
- Below Deck Mediterranean Shocker: Stew Natalya Scudder Exits Season 8 Early
- 4-year-old girl in Texas shot by grandpa accidentally in stable condition: Authorities
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Florida State confirms Jordan Travis' college career is over after leg injury
- Tanzania confirms intern believed taken by Hamas in Israel is dead
- Taylor Swift postpones Rio de Janeiro show due to extreme weather following fan's death
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Takeaways on fine water, a growing trend for the privileged in a world that’s increasingly thirsty
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Takeaways on fine water, a growing trend for the privileged in a world that’s increasingly thirsty
- Boat crammed with Rohingya refugees, including women and children, sent back to sea in Indonesia
- 'Most sought-after Scotch whisky' sells for record $2.7M at London auction
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Texas attorney accused of smuggling drug-laced papers to inmates in county jail
- Missing Florida mom found dead in estranged husband's storage unit, authorities say
- Joe Flacco signs with Browns, but team sticking with rookie QB Thompson-Robinson for next start
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
49ers lose All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga for season due to torn ACL
New iPhone tips and tricks that allow your phone to make life a little easier
Stocks and your 401(k) may surge now that Fed rate hikes seem to be over, history shows
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Texas attorney accused of smuggling drug-laced papers to inmates in county jail
A Georgia judge will consider revoking a Trump co-defendant’s bond in an election subversion case
Celebrating lives, reflecting on loss: How LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones are marking Trans Day of Remembrance