It is not often you can have free money. But, it does happen from time to time. And we at Average Joe make it our goal to help you, the Average Joe reader, find those free money opportunities when they happen and bring your attention to these opportunities. And, if you followed us on Facebook, you just saw me ranting and raving about a free money give away.

In the Average Joe world, we call these arbitrage opportunities. Arbitrage is the art of finding value where others miss it. Hence our name, Average Joe Arbitrage.

And, Staples, that glorious big box store of pens, pencils and other things you need for scribing and employment drudgery, just had an arbitrage opportunity!

So, why is this Staples free money opportunity important to talk about? Because every so often, Staples runs this free money special promotion and you need to learn to pay attention and watch for it AND more importantly learn to watch for other similar opportunities when they happen.

And, as a heads up, arbitrage season is fast approaching people!

I spoke with the Staples manager about this deal and he mentioned to me that Staples offers this deal at least twice a year. But, it seems to me that I have seen it more often. But, with every deal and arbitrage opportunity, there are a few things you need to understand in order to capitalize on the deal.

Here is the lowdown on this free money rundown:

The Staples Deal- Staples ran an ad in their weekly flyer; buy $300.00 in Visa gift cards, and get a $20.00 Visa Gift card for free. That’s $20.00! Real money in your pocket! So, you need to be watching their fliers.

What’s the Catch? – The “catch” is that you have to buy $300.00 in Visa gift cards. Now, Visa gift cards are not free. There is a cost involved in buying these cards. For example, I bought a $200.00 gift card with a $5.95 activation fee and a $100.00 gift card with a $4.95 activation fee to make m y $300.00 minimum. So, in effect, I paid a total of $10.90 out of pocket costs to earn a $9.10 in profit.

Free Money? Is $9.10 a lot of money? No, it is not a lot of money, but, in a game where every dollar counts, $9.10 can buy me lunch at a restaurant or a beer in Hawaii. Ah, Hawaii, how I miss thee. And, Average Joe chases those free dollars like a dog chases a cat.

What’s the Process? – You have to complete the rebate form, attach your receipt, and mail it in. So, figure you are out a first class stamp and an envelope. It takes 4-6 weeks for the rebate to be turned around and mailed out. And, you are limited to one per household… Get, that last part? One per household…

One Per Household – Well, you cannot stock up on these deals. In the fine print, it says “a limit of one per household.” So, put on your creative thinking caps and think about this. Well, how many households do you know? I know quite a few. If you get my Average Joe drift…

So, there you go, another free money alert courtesy of the Average Joe team! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you can catch all the deals we are chasing. And, if you find a deal, let us know so we can share with our readers!

Happy arbitraging!

 

Are you looking to save more money or earn more money for an amazing trip?

Here are some of the apps that I use to do just that. I have tried and tested each one of these services and will vouch for them any day:

Ibotta – Cutting and clipping coupons is now a thing of the past. Ibotta make rebates as simple as buy, snap a picture, and submit the rebate. I have earned hundreds of dollars in rebates from Ibotta and all rebates are paid through Paypal. If you use my referral code, qffkbsh we will both get a referral bonus. Think of it as a free $10.00 from me to you!! If you want to read my review of Ibotta, follow this link.

Mobee – My secret shopping go to App. With over 500 secret shops for Mobee, I can say without hesitation, I love this App! Use my referral code, RGTB and we will both get a bonus! You can also read more about Mobee thoughts and successes through this link.