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ShopDiscover

Discover Drops Groupon Cashback to 10%

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ShopDiscover

DISCOVER CARD GROUPON – One of the biggest advantages I am always promoting about the Discover card program is the ShopDiscover program. Since our family tends to travel more than the average American, we often purchase Groupons to partially fund our trips. There have even been a couple of trips that have specifically happened because of Groupon deals.

The fact that Discover card offered 15% cashback when linking through ShopDiscover to Groupon was an added reason to always use our Discover card to make the purchase. However, late last week I noticed that Discover had dropped the cashback bonus when linking through to Groupon from 15% down to 10%. Along with the percentage drop, there were a couple of other noticeable differences.

Below is the official response from Discover:

When Groupon was at 15% Cashback Bonus, the Terms and Conditions excluded purchases of Groupon Goods and Groupon Getaways, and we received calls from cardmembers who were confused by this. So, in order for us to better the customer experience with Groupon, we have lowered the overall Cashback Bonus to 10% but are now able to offer it on Groupon Getaways and Groupon Goods.

While I do not like to see a loss of benefits for the customer, ShopDiscover and Groupon still set the standard with a 10% rebate on purchases. Just yesterday I posted about the Greater Cleveland Aquarium Groupon offer, and before making my purchase, I decided just to double check evrewards.com and see how the competition stacked up. Again, no one even come close to what Discover can offer in terms of cashback.

FatWallet is currently offering 8% cashback, with Big Crumbs trailing at 5.6%. The only other company I know of that even comes close is TopCashback.com, offering up to 15%, but only for new customers making select category purchases. Discover is still the leader of the cashback bonus!

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Source: InACents

Cleveland Aquarium logo

Greater Cleveland Aquarium Discount Family Annual Pass

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Cleveland Aquarium logo

I will be the first to admit I have been pretty harsh on the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and I have not even been there yet. The reason holding me, and apparently lots of other people back based on the comments we receive, is the price. Aquariums cost a lot of money to get up and running, as well as maintain and operate. The problem has always been the high cost for a single visit, with the only way to justify and maximize the cost is to get an annual pass. However, my voice has started to soften lately as the cost has been lowered, and select discounts have started to occasionally appear (see the Resource list at the bottom of this article for more information).

So imagine my surprise when I was alerted this morning that the Great Cleveland Aquarium is now offering discounted Family Annual Passes via Groupon [affiliate link].

Greater Cleveland Aquarium Groupon

Current prices for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium are as follows:

Adult – $19.95
Child – $13.95
Under 2 – Free

The normal price of a family annual pass is $130; however, through the limited time Groupon, the membership price is only $79.

To put things in perspective, our family of 5 would spend $67.80 (the newborn is free) on a single visit. Which means we might as well just join for a year, making us in the green on the second visit.

Parking is additional and not included in the cost of the annual pass; however, on every third visit parking is free for pass holders.

The annual pass also comes with the following benefits:

  • Unlimited visits for two adults and two children aged 2–12. Additional children aged 2–12 may be added for $25 each, and children aged 13–17 may be added for $50 each.
  • Express entry through pass-holder entrance
  • Invitation to pass-holder parties, exhibit openings, and special events
  • Free parking on every third visit
  • Discounts on special programs
  • 10% discount on gift-shop purchases, Nautica Cafe purchases Monday–Friday, and cruises aboard the Nautica Queen
  • Discount on Under the Sea birthday-party package
  • Complimentary Discover Scuba experience from Just Add Water

If you are a Discover card holder, do not forget to sign into your account, and visit ShopDiscover to receive an additional 10% cashback bonus on your purchase.

I think I am finally going to pull the plug and buy this pass because I know we will visit at least twice to get our moneys worth. Plus we will finally be able to do an in-depth article and review.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has been doing a respectable job at making the aquarium more affordable for families, while staying competitive with the other aquariums in the region. The only thing I would really like to see from a membership benefit, is to become accredited and join up with the Association for Zoos and Aquariums. Not only would members benefit in that they could get reciprocate admission to other zoos and aquariums across the nation, but the animals would also have access to a larger network of breeding and care. Hopefully this is getting worked on behind the scenes.

Resources:
Greater Cleveland Aquarium Discounts and Coupons
A Day at the Newport Aquarium with Kids
The Cleveland Aquarium Starts Down the Road of Discounts
Greater Cleveland Aquarium (GCA) To Experiment with Price Reduction in November
Greater Cleveland Aquarium Admission Price Restructuring for 2013

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Source: InACents

Groupon Starbucks

Why Starbucks Still Makes Money Off Groupon Deal

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I swear I have not been keeping secrets from you. However, I was sworn to keep my mouth shut on all of you caffeine induced readers. I understand though that you may need that morning cup of coffee to stand reading another one of our articles. Fortunately enough for you, I do not drink coffee, and you still have my full attention.

Groupon Starbucks

This morning Groupon is offering a national deal with Starbucks, to offer a $10 gift card for only $5 (affiliate link). A a typical cost of $3.25-4.25 per coffee, you should be able to get at least two servings out of this offer.

For those that may not know, Groupon offers deals at typically at least 50% of their value. The vendor than keeps 50% of the proceeds, and Groupon keeps the other half. Though I would suspect for a large national deal like this, Groupon takes a lot smaller piece of the pie just by the sheer “buzz” that is caused by offering a Starbucks offer. However, assuming the 50% commission still holds true, it means Starbucks is getting paid $2.50 for your $10 in value.

Coffee bean prices have been falling significantly over the past couple of years, meaning to make that cup of latte costs just pennies. Surely the cup used to serve your hot java probably costs more than the liquid gold inside. Which means regardless of how this offer was served up, Groupon and Starbucks come out ahead, or at least that is my presumption. Feel free to prove otherwise in the comments.

This offer only runs though the end of the day tomorrow, so grab your before they are gone.

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Source: InACents

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