I heard a while ago about some grocery stores offering 10% discounts on store gift cards bought with the IRS stimulus check. I’ve also heard, in the past, about casinos that will give you a bonus for, say, cashing your paycheck there.
Are there any other good offers like this I should be aware of? I will actually be in Vegas in about a month. I’m looking for most bang for my buck, either for something I’m going to spend money on anyway, or that is readily fungible.
The “bonus” with the casinos I’ve been to (which are a few) is that you get an opportunity to spin a wheel for free with a chance to win some kind of jackpot. I don’t know if you need to be a local to do that, though. I’m not good enough with my money to be handed my paycheck in a wad of cash while standing in the middle of a casino. I’d never make it out of there.
As far as local stores, Sears and KMart will let you buy a gift card with a 10% bonus. I think that Fry’s has a similar program but you’ll have to go out to Oxnard.
You may want to read this article (or this one) before turning your check into a gift card just to obtain a ten percent bonus. It may not be a good idea if you don’t read the fine print for the particular gift card you have in mind.
Uh… how do you prove you’re using your stimulus check? Are you supposed to sign it over to them?
I always assumed that’s the idea.
Those are good cautions, but I’m not worried. I’m only planning on buying a card for something that I would use regularly and would go through quickly, like groceries, or that I could turn back into cash (like, I thought, Casino bonuses). I have the financial discipline to not overspend, and to make sure that I use the card up rapidly. The bankruptcy risk is a consideration, but is overshadowed by the “inactive account” charges. If I have to use my card in a few months to avoid it getting lost/depleted/whatever, the risk that the issuing company will go bankrupt in that time is slight.