Free Tropical Smoothie & Save 35¢/gal at Shell Gas Stations

Free Tropical Smoothie & Save 35¢/gal at Shell Gas Stations

Get FREE Stuff on T-Mobile Tuesdays! You will be able to access this promotion using their Android or iOS app. Non-T-Mobile customers may also be able to access this promotion here: amoe.t-mobiletuesdays.com.

Each Tuesday, T-Mobile releases a number of freebies and deals for their customers. This week they are as follows:

  • Tropical SMOOTHIE Cafe: Free 24 oz Smoothie
  • Forever 21: 40% off regular price items
  • PlayKids+: 4 free months of PlayKids+
  • 10 cents off per Gallon at Shell Stations – TIP – combine that with the extra 25 cents off per gallon offer on Wednesday December 20th offered in the Fuel Rewards app. 10-35 cents off per gallon at Shell Gas Stations through Fuel Rewards Program. See below to increase it up to 65 cents a gallon!!

The no-brainer in this week’s gifts for T-Mobile customers is $0.35 off a gallon of gas at Shell, up to 20 gallons. The biggest prize if you ask us is that they are giving away free Gas! This is $0.25 off per gallon at Shell. Make sure to sign-up for the Fuel Rewards program here (to extend this to up to 65 cents a gallon savings) for the Free Shell Gas and the promo code will automatically open in your app after you redeem it in the T-Mobile Tuesdays App.

T-Mobile is known for doing things a little differently to other carriers, and its rewards program is much the same. When T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced that the company will give all customers a weekly gift, one share of stock, and free in-flight Wi-Fi we were grateful.

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Tax-Free Weekend is Here! #Back2School

Back-to-school buying just got cheaper with this tax-free weekend guide where states cut sales tax on certain items just in time. While 16 states are participating in the tax-free days you also have Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon that never charge sales tax. Be aware that most of the tax holidays begin at 12:01 a.m. and end at midnight. Is your state lacking this tax-free day? Then it may be time to take a road trip. Here’s some free gas for all of the driving from store to store.

Maximize Rewards! Another tip for back-to-school shopping is to make sure you have a proper credit card to maximize your savings. From initial bonuses worth $600+ to 2% cashback on all purchases, there are plenty of great credit card deals available to parents this back-to-school season. You can even get 5% back on restaurant purchases while dining and shopping with these cards.

On top of a cashback credit card why not sign up for Drop and iBotta. Two amazing apps that are paying huge and you can double dip all of these programs. iBotta, for instance, will allow you to send in your receipt into the app if you shopped at Target to claim money back. With Drop, you simply add your credit cards and it knows where you shopped and will give you cash back from places such as Starbucks, Old Navy, Nike, Aerie, and other retailers. You then redeem the cashback for gift cards. If you use this link for Drop you’ll get $5 towards your first gift card.

What is a sales tax holiday?

A sales tax holiday is a period of time during which many states remove sales tax on certain types of items. Often, the tax-free benefits are limited to a single weekend, but sometimes there are much longer terms.

Sales tax holidays typically restrict eligible purchases by criteria such as product and price. For example, you might be able to purchase computer models that cost up to $1,000 tax-free, but not ones that cost more.

When is the sales tax holiday or tax-free weekend in my state?

Sales tax holidays vary by location — and not every state has one. In some cases, the state sales tax may be zero during the holiday, but stores might still have to collect a city or local sales tax. Keep in mind that some states already don’t collect a state sales tax. Local governments (the city or county, for example) can still levy tax in those states, though.

Here’s a look at the states with sales tax holidays in 2023 and the items that will be tax-free, according to the Federation of Tax Administrator.

2023 Sales Tax Holidays by State

State

Dates

Eligible merchandise / Maximum cost per Item

Alabama

Feb. 24-26

Hurricane-preparedness generators / $1,000 Weather-preparedness supplies / $60

 

July 21-23

Clothing / $100 Computers / $750 School supplies / $50 Books / $30

Arkansas

Aug. 5-6

Clothing / $100 School supplies / No maximum

Connecticut

Aug. 20-26

Clothing and footwear / $100

Florida

July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024

Energy Star appliances / $1,500-$3,000

 

July 24, 2023-Aug. 6, 2023, Jan. 1, 2024-Jan. 14, 2024

Back to school school supplies – $50 clothing – $100 computers – $1,500

 

Sept. 2-8

Tool time, including: Work gloves / $25 Flashlights and bags / $50 Toolboxes / $75 Test equipment / $100

Iowa

Aug. 4-5

Clothing / $100

Maryland

Feb. 18-20

Energy Star products / No maximum

 

Aug. 13-19

Clothing and footwear / $100

Massachusetts

Aug. 12-13

All tangible personal property / $2,500 (except vehicles, food, alcohol, gas, certain utilities, tobacco, marijuana)

Mississippi

July 28-29

Clothing and footwear / $100

 

Aug. 25-27

Firearms, ammunition, hunting supplies / No maximum

Missouri

April 19-25

Energy Star products / $1,500

 

Aug. 4-6

Clothing / $100 Computers / $1,500 School supplies / $50

Nevada

Oct. 27-29

Purchases by National Guard members / No maximum

New Jersey

Aug. 26-Sept. 4

School and art supplies / No maximum Instruction materials / No maximum Computers / $3,000

New Mexico

Aug. 4-6

Clothing / $100 Computers / $1,000 Computer equipment / $500 School supplies / $30

Ohio

Aug. 4-6

Clothing / $75 School supplies / $20

Oklahoma

Aug. 4-6

Clothing and Shoes  / $100 – Note in Oklahoma the politicians have made it where they do TAX school supplies so basic school supplies aren’t included.

South Carolina

Aug. 4-6

Items include computers, school supplies, clothing / No maximum

Tennessee

July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023

Gun safes and safety devices / No maximum

 

July 28-30

Clothing / $100 School supplies / $100 Computers / $1,500

Texas

April 22-24

Generators / $3,000 Storm devices / $300 Preparedness items / $75

 

May 27-29

Energy Star products / No maximum Air conditioners / $6,000 Other / $2,000

 

Aug. 11-13

Clothing, backpacks, school supplies / $100

West Virginia

Aug. 4-7

Clothing / $125 School supplies / $20 Sports equipment / $150 Computer or tablet / $500

Source: Federation of Tax Administrators

How to save big with a sales tax holiday

Here are some tips for leveraging sales tax holidays to save money:

  • For back-to-school savings, reserve major purchases like laptops for the tax-free periods in late July or August. For weather-preparedness savings, try to time purchases with tax holidays sprinkled throughout the year.

  • Keep an eye on the price tags. Typically, only items priced below the limit qualify for the tax-free treatment. When back-to-school shopping for new outfits, for example, if the limit is $100 on clothing then, as long as each piece of clothing in your cart is priced below $100, you should save on sales tax for those items. But if the limit on shoes is also $100 and you’re buying a pair priced at $125, you might have to pay sales tax on them.

  • Check with the state for exceptions. Before you start shopping, head to your state’s taxation and revenue website and find out if there are unusual exceptions. Previously in New Mexico, for example, clothing was part of its tax-free weekend, but sports uniforms and bathing suits didn’t count, which meant they were still taxable.

  • Shop around. Eliminating sales tax shouldn’t be your only means of saving money. Check out local kids consignment shops for clothes and shoes not covered by the tax-free holiday. You might also try using websites like Google Shopping or apps such as Flipp to search for products by name and compare their prices at multiple merchants. Doing research ahead of time for bigger purchases, like Energy Star appliances or hurricane-preparedness items, is also key.

Remember to Stick to a Budget! It’s hard to avoid overspending if you don’t have both a shopping list and a budget. Before heading to these retail or outlet stores, make a list of what you need and do a quick search to see how much each item costs. This will help you make an overall back-to-school budget and decide how to allocate the funds. It’s too bad Amazon is not able to get in on the B2S offers but you can get Boxed tax free year long.

Amazon Prime Day Deals 2023

Amazon Prime Day Deals 2023

Amazon just announced that their ninth annual Amazon Prime Day will run from July 11 through July 12. Not only should you be able to snag a ton of deals during this 48 hour event, typically, there are many ways to stack your savings. In past years, this included using your Amazon credit card, earning Amazon credits and applying just a single credit card point — I am sure we will see these opportunities start to pop up over the next few weeks.

Additionally, Amazon has already announced some pre-saving Prime Deals which you can jump on now and not have to wait until July.

What is Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day is a yearly two-day event where you’ll see different daily or flash discounts on many popular items. Many offers continuously pop up and while some deals will last all day, many will quickly sell out.

To take advantage of many of the discounts you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member. If you don’t have a Prime Membership, you can sign up for a free trial which will give you 30 days of free prime access. After the free trial expires, you’ll be charged $139 for the year or $14.99 per month — you’re choice (or you can cancel before the free trial expires).

Early access Amazon Prime Day
Amazon is starting Prime Day early with early access to many of their own Amazon devices. This is similar to what we’ve seen in the past and typically the pricing stays the same. However, if pricing by chance drops, you can always re-purchase at the lower price and return your previous purchase within the return window (typically 30 days).

You can shop all of the Amazon device deals here, but some of the better ones include:

Get $15 Amazon Credit when you Backup your Photos with Amazon Photos

Amazon Prime Signup Offers

If you’re looking to signup for Prime to get in on Prime Day, here are some options (let us know if anything is missing):

  • Get free Amazon Prime trial for 30 days. Interestingly, readers let us know that Amazon will sometimes let you get the free trial even if you previously had a trial at one point on the same account. You can also try adding a large item to cart and going to checkout, see if they pop up with another free Prime trial offer for you.
  • Students can get six months for free (requires .edu e-mail address); students also get a discounted $7.49 monthly rate after their first 6 months
  • You can get a monthly membership for $14.99
  • EBT or Medicaid users can signup for a cheaper $6.99 monthly plan.
  • A yearly subscription costs $139. Instead of using our links (found in this post), we recommend going through a shopping portal to get a bonus when you signup. Swagbucks is offering a $15 Amazon gift card. Topcashback is offering the same.

Amazon Shop With Points & Card Link Deals

  • (Direct Amazon link) Amazon: Get 40%/$60 Discount When Using 1 American Express Membership Rewards Point 
  • (Direct Amazon link) Amazon: Use 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards Point & Get 50% Off (Max $60 Discount)
  • (Direct Amazon link) Amazon: Get 30% off Amazon when Using 1 Discover Point
  • (Direct Amazon link) Amazon: Add Discover Card And Get $20 with promo code 23DISCOVERPD
  • (Direct Amazon Link) Amazon: Add Citi Card & Get $15 Off (Promo Code CITICARD15)
  • (Direct Amazon LinkAmazon: Get 40% Off Amazon when Using 1 U.S. Bank Point (Max $15 Savings)
RxPass – Pay $5/month & Get Unlimited Generic Drugs Free from Amazon

RxPass – Pay $5/month & Get Unlimited Generic Drugs Free from Amazon

Amazon announced the launch of a drug subscription program called RxPass, a Prime membership add-on which costs $5 per month. RxPass is part of Amazon pharmacy and offers free unlimited medications from a select list. Medications that treat more than 80 common conditions, such as high blood pressure, anxiety, sleep disorders, acid reflux and even erectile dysfunction, are included in the RxPass subscription. Almost half of all U.S. residents take one of the medications available in this program.

You’ll get unlimited medications delivered free to your door; you just have to pay the $5 monthly fee and then unlimited medications are available to you at no cost. You first need to be a Prime member which comes with a cost of $139/year or $14.99/month. Go here for a 30-Day Free Trial for a Family Membership or a Free 6-Month Student membership.

Lots of popular medications are on this list, there are even some supplements there like Vitamin B12 and Biotin. Apparently those can get prescribed by a doctor.

RxPass can be a real moneysaver for many people, especially for someone who already pays for Prime as this will only cost them $5 extra per month. This can be a deal for someone who takes even one medication from the list, and can be major savings for someone who takes multiple of these medications.

I switched to using Amazon Pharmacy a while back and have been happy with them. I’ll save some money with an RxPass subscription plan for my one monthly subscription which I found on the list. I’ve found it worthwhile to pay their prices without using insurance since, ironically, it’s about half the cost without insurance versus with insurance. The Amazon system lets me choose whether to go through insurance or buy it directly without involving insurance.

Note: RxPass does restrict eligibility based on insurance and the state where medications will be shipped. People with government-funded insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid are not eligible sign up for RxPass right now. Additionally, RxPass is not currently available to send medications to California, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. Amazon Pharmacy is still available in all of those states.

RxPass is a money-loser for Amazon, but will bring over new customers to Amazon Pharmacy.

You can find the full list of around 60 medications on the homepage. Go here to see the best credit cards to use at Drugstoes and Pharmacies or to use at Amazon here.

Make sure to compare to other programs such as Cost Plus Drugs that Mark Cuban launched as one reader observed. We tried Amazon pharmacy and have no complaints. The prices are usually better than places like CVS and somewhat comparable to Costco. That said, I did switch my medications to Mark Cuban’s innovation, even with the $5 shipping it ended up being cheaper than Amazon with my two generics clocking in at ~$6 and ~$8 for 90 day supplies: This can be found at Cost Plus Drugs.

A con to this program is that It looks like each adult would have to have their own Prime Membership in order to take advantage of this. Prescriptions for multiple people can’t be combined on one Pharmacy profile except for children under 18.

MaxRebates Cash Back Review with $50 Bonus + $5 Free Starbucks

MaxRebates Cash Back Review with $50 Bonus + $5 Free Starbucks

MaxRebates is one of the handful of legit cash back apps and online powerhouses that sometimes are too generous to be believable. Some of the biggest cash back apps right now are Ibotta, Dosh, Drop, Ebates (Rakuten), Swagbucks, and TopCashBack. Some of these you can stack for more savings for when you shop online or in a retail store. If you shop through the Adidas or Target or Walmart app or in a browser you can get say 8% back using MaxRebates then stack that with Drop for an additional 1 or 2%. MaxRebates has the biggest sign-up bonus out of any of most we have tried for only spending $25 by clicking a link through their website or app before you buy they even give you a coupon to use on the site if it has one available in addition to the discount.

This may be the easiest $50 you have ever made plus they have an offer right now to get $5 back at a coffee shop such as Starbucks.

MaxRebates promotion $50 sign up Bonus

MaxRebates new account promotion offer gives a $50 MaxRebates sign up bonus. Open an account to get the best money-saving deals on your shopping.

Sign up for Max Rebates

Get $50 Bonus + $5 Free Starbucks

  • Click on the MaxRebates “Get $50 bonus” button, and you will get the Sign-up page
  • Create a free MaxRebates account and enter your details.
  • After successful sign up you will see a pop message showing Claim your $50 signup bonus.
  • Your bonus between $5-$50 will be applied to your account.
  • Make a purchase of $25 at least within 30 days of opening an account.
  • Withdraw your funds from PayPal or ACH bank.

MaxRebates Cash Back

MaxRebates have top featured cashback stores on their portal and app. With top brands on the list, MaxRebated offers the highest cash back without any charge.

MaxRebates offer various Gift Cards and Promo codes, coupons for brands like Adidas, Puma, Subway many more.

How Do you earn Cash Back?

Earning cash back is as simple as 3 steps:

  • Visit the MaxRebates site and choose the retailer you want to shop at
  • Follow the link to your favorite retailer through MaxRebates and make your purchase in the same session.
  • MaxRebates receive commission from the retailer for your purchase, and Max Rebate would return all commission to you.

Is MaxRebates legit?

 MaxRebates are the real deal. It’s a legitimate company that provides cash back for online purchases. The FAQ section on their website is filled with useful info about how rebates work and why you should join.

You also receive a guide on everything related to online purchase, as well as all the info needed to run a MaxRebates successfully.

Why miss out on cash back?

To spend or save your cash back, you need to choose from a number of options. You can redeem your cash-back for an Amazon gift card or load it onto your prepaid card. You can also donate your cash back to a charity. You can also request a check for your cash-back, by mailing your check request form along with your self-addressed stamped envelope to the address provided on the form.