Unless you are a die-hard frugal Franny and you make all of your cleaning products from scratch, then you likely look for simple ways to save on your favorite household cleaners.
I spend so much money on Clorox products that I should probably buy stock in the company. However, I rarely pay full price for my favorite cleaners. Rather, I wait until they go on sale, or I use coupons. Another way I save on cleaning products is to shop when stores are offering rebates.
For some, a great rebate can make or break their decision to buy a particular cleaning product. Major discount stores and other big box home retailers will offer rebates on household cleaners at various times throughout the year. Taking advantage of these refunds is a good way to stock up on cleaners without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately, in some cases receiving and using cleaning product rebates may not be as easy as you would like. Lately I have noticed that some companies are issuing plastic rebate debit cards instead of checks. So, basically you are getting a prepaid card instead of cash. This limits your options in regards to purchasing other items. It’s also somewhat annoying, especially if you planned to deposit your rebate check into your bank account. You can’t deposit a prepaid debit card.
According to consumer advocates many people have lost money due to maintenance fees, dormancy fees and expiration dates on rebate cards. Another problem individuals run into is that the rebate cards look like gift cards, but they don’t work the same way. For example, gift cards generally have built-in protections from state or federal laws. Prepaid rebate cards don’t, which means there aren’t any restrictions on expiration dates or fees. That’s not to say that rebate cards are void of certain “terms and conditions,” but since they are typically in very small type some consumers don’t realize they exist.
In order to get every cent from your rebate card spend the value of the card immediately. In addition, you can also find out if you can deposit the value of the card into your bank account—some cards allow you to do so.