Shop Discover 2012 Holiday Increased Cashback Bonus at Over 70 Merchants

Discover Football Badge

Before I dive into the deals of the latest increases to the Shop Discover program, I would like to take a quick moment to remind everyone that we are in the midst of the Discover (Facebook/Twitter) Fan Loyalty Poll program, so take a moment to check out some of the interesting polling results on various topics.

For reference, here are some of the other Discover Card Fan Loyalty Poll results.
Will Discover Card’s College Football Poll Tell the Results of the 2012 Presidential Election?
Discover Card’s College Fan Poll Proves No Loyalty to the Chicken Wing
Being a Couch Potato Could Earn You A $25 Discover Gift Card
Discover Fan Loyalty Evaluates Football Superstitions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who does not love extra cashback when it comes to the holidays? We all are a little extra strapped due to needing that extra powertool, Christmas decorations, or that must have toys for the kids during the holidays. One of my favorite aspects of having a Discover Card during the holidays is a substantial increase in the amount of cashback bonus that they offer.

Anytime before shopping online, you should be checking out the various shopping portals to make sure you end up with the most return on investment. Airline portals often offer extra miles per dollar spent, although we pretty much refuse to use them and do not recommend using them because they are all managed by outside companies Cartera or FreeCause. The problem is the airlines themselves have absolutely nothing to do with the shopping portal, other than by name, and Cartera or FreeCause are synonymous with not giving out miles.

When it comes to what we use for shopping portals, we first check out evrewards to see how most of the competitors stack up against each other. In reality, anytime Discover Card is listed as an option, they are typically offering the highest percentage of cashback for your purchase. You simply login to your Discover Card account, go to Shop Discover, and select the merchant of your choice.

So long as you follow the rules of the vendor (typically not using a coupon, leaving the portal and coming back, etc.) you should receive your cashback. In my countless years of using the Shop Discover portal, we have never had an issue getting our money. What is awesome is the cashback posts to our next statement.

I used to be a big fan of using sites like FatWallet, Ebates, etc., for cashback, and occasionally still will if they offer the best incentive, but it also takes months to receive payment. So I prefer to stick with Discover when possible.

With the holidays swiftly approaching, Discover Card has increased the amount of payout at over 70 merchants.

ShopDiscover 2012 Holiday Bonus

25% Cashback (Previously 20%) 20% Cashback (Previously 15%) 15% Cashback (Previously 10%) 10% Cashback (Previously 5%)
FTD 1800Baskets.com
Bliss.com
Fannie May Candies
Magellan’s
Vision Direct
Art.com
Beauty.com
Blair.com
Brookstone
Drugstore.com
Finish Line
Fossil
Lids
Moosejaw
Nike
The North Face
Paper Source
Petco.com
Pet Smart
Puma
Red Envelope
Shari’s Berries
Sharper Image
Shutterfly
UGG
Ulta
Under Armour
7 For All Mankind
Advance Auto Parts
Athleta
Avon
Banana Republic
Bloomingdales
BlueFly
Bobbi Brown
CB2
Chef’s Catalog
Chico’s
The Children’s Place
Clinique
Cost Plus World Market
Crate&Barrel
Darphin
Dell
DSW
Eddie Bauer
Estee Lauder
Express
Gap
Godiva
Guitar Center
Harry & David
Home Decorator’s
HSN
Kmart
Kohl’s
The Land of Nod
Land’s End
Lenevo
Macy’s
Old Navy
Omaha Steaks
Origins
Piperlime
The Popcorn Factory
Polo Ralph Lauren
Sears
Sephora
Smashbox
Sports Authority
The Body Shop
The Limited
Vera Bradley
Walgreens
White House Black Market

Right off the get-go, I already see a couple of opportunities for our family to increase are amount of cashback we earn this holiday season. That same cashback can then be redeemed for partner gift cards at a discount, is so chosen.

Save Money, Travel More!

Save 50% Off Admission to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town Tickets

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town

I love a good deal as much as the next guy. However, while I refrain from riding death-defying roller coasters any more at my age, nothing makes my heart sink faster than seeing a big discount after I have already made my purchase.

Last month I finished wrapping up our family plans to spend Thanksgiving in the Williamsburg area, a long over-due Christmas present to my wife from last year. Hey, I took her to Hawaii AND Disneyland, so I think that bought me ample time. In addition to spending Thanksgiving day in historic Williamsburg, we decided to also make a stop over at Busch Garden Williamsburg to check out Christmas Town. Nothing like a little Ice Palace: A Penguin Paradise or Polar Pathway of lights to get one in the holiday spirit.

So the plan-ahead kind of guy I am, I pre-purchased our tickets for not only admission to the park, but also for the Santa’s Fireside Feast. At the time of booking, I did not put to much thought into discounts as nothing really came up in a precursory search. However, this week I was surprised to be graced with an email from Busch Gardens stating the price of admission for Christmas Town has been dropped 50% if purchased during the month of November, or while supplies last.

That, my friends, is the significant kind of email that makes my stomach drop. At first I quickly dug out my confirmation email to read the cancellation policy. Unfortunately, there was conflicting information about refunds versus non-refundable tickets. So I decided to call the park to see what my options were.

The customer service agent told me I needed to purchase the discounted tickets online first. Then call back with both the new and old confirmation numbers and they would cancel the “duplicate” original order. They said normally the tickets are non-refundable unless their is a redundant order.

After doing as stated above, I called back in, and the lovely agent quickly reorganized our tickets and processed the refund. The process was extremely simple, customer friendly, and all the agents I worked with today were delightful.

In the end, I only saved about $20 for rebooking our tickets, but every little bit helps with the bottom line. Factoring the whole process took me no longer than a half hour, I think it was well worth it.

Are you headed to Christmas Town this year? Have any great tips?

Christmas Town runs from Nov. 23 and will continue, select days through Dec. 31, 2012. Discounted tickets for Christmas Town cost $17.50 per adult and are valid for three consecutive days once used. Offer valid Nov. 1 – Nov. 22 or while supplies last. Discovery Ticket is valid Nov. 23 – Dec. 31, 2012. Limit six Discovery Tickets per transaction.

Save Money, Travel More!

November-December 2012 Lego Club Magazine Free Child Ticket Offer for Legoland

In our latest issue of Lego Club Magazine was the newest coupon for a free child ticket with paid adult admission. You can sign up for a free subscription to the Lego Club magazine, and they occasionally include coupons with discounts. Please see our master list of Legoland discounts for this and all other current promotions.

A new coupon is included in the November-December 2012 Lego Club magazine, offering a free single day child ticket with the purchase of a full-price, adult single day ticket. Valid until 3/31/13.

November-December 2012 Lego Club Magazine Coupon (For reference only)

The above coupon must be redeemed at the ticket office (i.e. is not available for online redemption), and the original coupon must be redeemed. However, a new online page has opened up for Lego Club Magazine

www.legoland.com/legoclub

Use discount code 120101 for Buy One, Get One tickets.

Coupon is valid for one free single day Child admission with purchase of a full-price, single day Adult admission ticket to LEGOLAND® Florida. If redeemed at ticket window, ticket valid only on the day of purchase, if redeemed online, ticket valid for one (1) year from date of purchase. Offer cannot be applied to pre-purchased, online ticket sales or combined with any other discounts or offers. No photocopies or facsimiles will be accepted. Additional restrictions may apply. Prices and hours subject to change without notice. The right of final interpretation resides with LEGOLAND Florida. Not for resale. Expires: 12/31/12

Save Money, Travel More!