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forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM
forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

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The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

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Oct 04, 2012 10:31 PM
1,133 Posts
Joined Nov 2007
chuckecheezOct 04, 2012 10:31 PM
1,133 Posts
Quote from imacouponer :
Okay my fellow SDers, I have a dumb question.

If I won a pre-paid Visa and it has no ATM/pin capabilities, is there a way to get the money off of it other than spending it down? (I'd actually like to use it to pay my existing Visa card so I can use my Visa card to get the points on the stuff I'd be buying with the prepaid - did that make sense, lol?)
The other thing you can try it using the prepaid for basic living expenses like groceries or utility bills and then using the cash you would have paid on those to pay down your regular Visa. Nearly everyone takes debit cards as a form of payment now so you shouldn't have any issues.
Oct 05, 2012 03:14 PM
3,592 Posts
Joined Sep 2007
shopgurl101Oct 05, 2012 03:14 PM
3,592 Posts
I dont know about Visas, but once I won a huge Amex. I called them to see if I could get a check of it so I can deposit it into my account and they agreed. Maybe you can try the same thing.
Quote from imacouponer :
Okay my fellow SDers, I have a dumb question.

If I won a pre-paid Visa and it has no ATM/pin capabilities, is there a way to get the money off of it other than spending it down? (I'd actually like to use it to pay my existing Visa card so I can use my Visa card to get the points on the stuff I'd be buying with the prepaid - did that make sense, lol?)
Oct 06, 2012 12:57 AM
2,399 Posts
Joined May 2007
Soinlove01Oct 06, 2012 12:57 AM
2,399 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
The other thing you can try it using the prepaid for basic living expenses like groceries or utility bills and then using the cash you would have paid on those to pay down your regular Visa. Nearly everyone takes debit cards as a form of payment now so you shouldn't have any issues.

I don't do the banking but my hubby uses the prepaid Visa cards we get from wins to pay down our debt on our real visa card. He just uses it as a payment online.
Oct 07, 2012 01:08 AM
9,879 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
whocares13Oct 07, 2012 01:08 AM
9,879 Posts
I have a question about facebook sweepstakes.

Can we use a different email to enter FB sweeps other than the one used to log in FB? The reason I am asking this is because sometimes they spam us from their email and I really want to use my a diff email for that.

Did anyone win anything using a different email other than FB email ??
Oct 07, 2012 01:30 AM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicOct 07, 2012 01:30 AM
5,152 Posts
Quote from whocares13 :
I have a question about facebook sweepstakes.

Can we use a different email to enter FB sweeps other than the one used to log in FB? The reason I am asking this is because sometimes they spam us from their email and I really want to use my a diff email for that.

Did anyone win anything using a different email other than FB email ??
I always use a different email and have won 2 ipads a BBQ and a Visa.
Oct 07, 2012 01:35 AM
9,879 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
whocares13Oct 07, 2012 01:35 AM
9,879 Posts
Quote from Sweepaholic :
I always use a different email and have won 2 ipads a BBQ and a Visa.
Wow. You sure are a very lucky person. Now onwards I'm gonna use a different email for FB sweep unless stated otherwise. Thank you for answering the question. Repped you Smilie
Oct 07, 2012 01:37 AM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicOct 07, 2012 01:37 AM
5,152 Posts
Quote from whocares13 :
Wow. You sure are a very lucky person. Now onwards I'm gonna use a different email for FB sweep unless stated otherwise. Thank you for answering the question. Repped you Smilie
Your welcome, good luck! Smilie

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Oct 07, 2012 06:40 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 07, 2012 06:40 PM
118,455 Posts
In a good mood--sold a prize I couldn't use on craigslist for some money and helped someone out. Love it when things fall together in a win/win situation.
Oct 07, 2012 06:43 PM
1,136 Posts
Joined Feb 2008
PezzyPeepOct 07, 2012 06:43 PM
1,136 Posts
Quote from whocares13 :
Wow. You sure are a very lucky person. Now onwards I'm gonna use a different email for FB sweep unless stated otherwise. Thank you for answering the question. Repped you Smilie
I've also used a different email and won a few times. It doesn't seem to matter.
Oct 08, 2012 04:24 AM
634 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
littlehamsterzOct 08, 2012 04:24 AM
634 Posts
Quote from whocares13 :
I have a question about facebook sweepstakes.

Can we use a different email to enter FB sweeps other than the one used to log in FB? The reason I am asking this is because sometimes they spam us from their email and I really want to use my a diff email for that.

Did anyone win anything using a different email other than FB email ??
If you have gmail, you can use the trick where you put a dot in your email somewhere and then set up a filter so that every email received at your email with the dot is sequestered into a different folder. It's what I do to keep track of emails/spam accrued from sweepstakes.

For example: [email protected] and [email protected] are the same email but you can use the dot trick for filtering purposes.
Oct 08, 2012 04:32 AM
9,879 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
whocares13Oct 08, 2012 04:32 AM
9,879 Posts
Quote from littlehamsterz :
If you have gmail, you can use the trick where you put a dot in your email somewhere and then set up a filter so that every email received at your email with the dot is sequestered into a different folder. It's what I do to keep track of emails/spam accrued from sweepstakes.

For example: [email protected] and [email protected] are the same email but you can use the dot trick for filtering purposes.
Huh nice trick but I think I'll use the email I made just for sweepstakes. Thanks anyway Smilie
Oct 08, 2012 04:38 AM
8,186 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
SweepToWinOct 08, 2012 04:38 AM
8,186 Posts
Quote from implode :
In a good mood--sold a prize I couldn't use on craigslist for some money and helped someone out. Love it when things fall together in a win/win situation.
My sister laughs at me because I spend A LOT of my time entering contests and then I give 3/4's of it away to family members! I have literally made someone's day by giving them a contest win or helped someone out who was in a bind by giving them a gift card I had won. I think I get as much joy out of helping someone as I do winning. Smilie (Although I will be selfish when I win the IPAD!)
Oct 08, 2012 04:42 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 08, 2012 04:42 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from whocares13 :
Huh nice trick but I think I'll use the email I made just for sweepstakes. Thanks anyway Smilie
With google, you can filter results to folders...so you choose your sweeps email combination perhaps [email protected], then filter everything from that address to a folder labeled contests.

Then normal mail will come in from your regular version of the email But everything else will fall in the folder. You can even set up further filters to divide mail even more such as if "Winner" of "Congrulations" move to subfolder winning prize.
Global Mod
Oct 08, 2012 08:28 PM
4,819 Posts
Joined Jul 2007
SpaceCallahan
Global Mod
Oct 08, 2012 08:28 PM
4,819 Posts
http://www.facebook.com/PDXLAN/po...7972027811


they are mad a sweeper won LOL

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Oct 08, 2012 08:44 PM
26,018 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
User1144648Oct 08, 2012 08:44 PM
26,018 Posts
Quote from spooerman :
http://www.facebook.com/PDXLAN/po...7972027811


they are mad a sweeper won LOL
LOL! It's their own damn fault.....should limit the entries to 1 per person.

Love this part of the post: That said, we are investigating this person, and are considering amending the rules to disqualify FB profile pages that are not "personal" or "nothing but sweeps".

Wonder HTH they're going to do that? They're going to open themselves up to a lot more crap if they try.

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