Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

Quote from carriec1132 : Thanks everyone for the clarifications. Im a possible winner in diet coke and 7-11 txt to win game. They gave away 30 trips to ny w fray concert tix. This is my first trip win. I wont need the airfare since i live a state away (less than 200 miles). So its just hotel and concert tix. The hotel requires a credit card for incidentals. Can i use a debit/prepaid card or does it have to be a credit card? I dont have a credit card but my parents would either let me use theirs or add me to their acct. The trip is for 2 people. Im hoping my husband can go but my big question is can we bring our kids w us? We would have to see if hotel has babysitting service for them for concert. Just wondering if anyone has done this? Would be nice to all get away but the kids dont necessarially have to go.

I have a debit card myself, and the rules for use highly suggest not using it for anything with hold charges. Gas, Restaurants, and hotels place a hold on the money in excess of the amount of the cost of the charge. I'm told money is held from you for a long period of time, and if a mistake occurs its a lot harder to get it refunded (then that of using a normal credit card). I'm also told certain banks won't let holds exist in the first place since debit card isn't a form of actual credit.

Im having a hard time understanding these magazine giveaway rules. They have daily giveaways but it seems like when I enter for one the other tell me I have already entered. It doesnt make sense to me because a person might want something from one site but not from the next. Does that mean I enter into all the prizes when I enter one, or is there just a problem with the system

Here is a link to the rules: http://win.betterrecipes.com/#sweeps_rules

Quote from implode : I have a debit card myself, and the rules for use highly suggest not using it for anything with hold charges. Gas, Restaurants, and hotels place a hold on the money in excess of the amount of the cost of the charge. I'm told money is held from you for a long period of time, and if a mistake occurs its a lot harder to get it refunded (then that of using a normal credit card). I'm also told certain banks won't let holds exist in the first place since debit card isn't a form of actual credit.

I know youve won trips before and just got back from one. did you use your guests credit card? is that an option or does it have to be a credit card w winners name on it?

Quote from carriec1132 : I know youve won trips before and just got back from one. did you use your guests credit card? is that an option or does it have to be a credit card w winners name on it?

Hotel has no issue who's card it is, as long as its a party who is authorized to use the card.

Quote from carriec1132 : Thanks everyone for the clarifications. Im a possible winner in diet coke and 7-11 txt to win game. They gave away 30 trips to ny w fray concert tix. This is my first trip win. I wont need the airfare since i live a state away (less than 200 miles). So its just hotel and concert tix. The hotel requires a credit card for incidentals. Can i use a debit/prepaid card or does it have to be a credit card? I dont have a credit card but my parents would either let me use theirs or add me to their acct. The trip is for 2 people. Im hoping my husband can go but my big question is can we bring our kids w us? We would have to see if hotel has babysitting service for them for concert. Just wondering if anyone has done this? Would be nice to all get away but the kids dont necessarially have to go.

I don't know about your second question but I use a debit card for incidentals at hotels all the time. I have been lucky that I've never had the money held in those cases and the one time it might have been, the hotel actually told me they weren't going to run my card through strictly because it was debit and I would be charged if they did [it was not a chain hotel so I'm thinking maybe their systems were different than the name brands where it's not an issue for me? Either way, it was very nice of them and they didn't have to do that so you can always ask them about it before handing over the card!] However, it is certainly a possibility depending on the establishment so make sure you have a few hundred bucks in your account that's linked to the debit card to cover it just in case. Debit cards that are branded with Visa or Mastercard logos are safer now than they were in the past and when money of mine *is* held in situations, the holds are lifted and funds automatically released in 3 business days or less. One time at a ski rental shop, I was actually CHARGED for incidentals instead of it simply being held, so I contacted them immediately and they refunded it right away so definitely make sure you check your account after your trip!

If you know the hotel you're staying at, perhaps give them a call or shoot them an email and ask about their policies regarding using debit cards. And then check with your bank to ask how long they keep holds on debit cards. Actually, if you contact the hotel for the card, you might as well ask them about the kids too since that's really on a hotel-by-hotel basis as to how many people are allowed in a room.

Anyone else having Prents Mag sweeps messing up....captcha code won't work.

Sorry for the newb question, but...

I just started entering these contests/sweepstakes about a month ago through slick deals.

I just received a text message which says I won a 500 dollar target gift card, and I should click on a link.

How do I know if it's spam/virus or legit?

Quote from DCFreebies : Sorry for the newb question, but... I just started entering these contests/sweepstakes about a month ago through slick deals. I just received a text message which says I won a 500 dollar target gift card, and I should click on a link. How do I know if it's spam/virus or legit?

Google the phone number and if it does not come up google the link it sends you to , google what message says

Quote from DCFreebies : Sorry for the newb question, but... I just started entering these contests/sweepstakes about a month ago through slick deals. I just received a text message which says I won a 500 dollar target gift card, and I should click on a link. How do I know if it's spam/virus or legit?

Delete it...it is a link that ends up billing your cell phone like $9.99 a month.

Quote from DCFreebies : Sorry for the newb question, but... I just started entering these contests/sweepstakes about a month ago through slick deals. I just received a text message which says I won a 500 dollar target gift card, and I should click on a link. How do I know if it's spam/virus or legit?

This is definitely a scam...oh, another thing--I would avoid giving out your cell phone number.

Quote from implode : This is definitely a scam...oh, another thing--I would avoid giving out your cell phone number.

Thanks. Yeah, I googled the phone number, nothing came up, but the link did come up with some scammy results.

Strangely, I don't give out my cellphone number. I give out a google voice number for all of these things. I'm pretty surprised this was able to get to me.

some contests ask for cell number. Don't you have to give it to enter the contest

Quote from DCFreebies : Thanks. Yeah, I googled the phone number, nothing came up, but the link did come up with some scammy results. Strangely, I don't give out my cellphone number. I give out a google voice number for all of these things. I'm pretty surprised this was able to get to me.

Sorry for the scam, but they use random dialers to send these out, they're just plugging in random numbers & hoping someone bites.

Quote from DCFreebies : Thanks. Yeah, I googled the phone number, nothing came up, but the link did come up with some scammy results. Strangely, I don't give out my cellphone number. I give out a google voice number for all of these things. I'm pretty surprised this was able to get to me.

Yeah this has nothing to do with sweeping as a PP said. It's all random number generators just getting a hit on a valid number. My sister doesn't give her number out to anything and she gets them and so do I and usually at nearly the same time because our numbers are only one digit apart.