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

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

Sears
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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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May 02, 2012 11:21 PM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicMay 02, 2012 11:21 PM
5,152 Posts
Quote from spooerman :
i try and check before work clear them out but i get home bamm 100 emails i do my best to sift thru them gmail does a good job but i was hoping there was some easy way ..thanks for the ideas
I get atleast 5X that amount of emails thanks to sweeping so consider yourself lucky. I check my email multiples times every hour to delete them.
May 03, 2012 01:02 AM
87 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
dustdivaMay 03, 2012 01:02 AM
87 Posts
Quote from implode :
From my understanding of how contests are set up--they really don't pay attention to the when you enter at all. Think its typical, each entry is assigned a # from 1 to total # of entries. (optional) Then a random generator probably creates a starting point where #'s are reassigned. Then a random # generator picks prize #'s one by one. Then in the next step they sort the list of winners, to see if any duplicates winners occured--if they have occured the prizes are award to an alternate winning #. Typically they draw prizes from best to worst, so no chance of grand prize winner will be DQed from a lower prize (and on down in the ordering).

My theory on sweeps with winning times is drastically different the the above theory. You want to enter the same time every day religiously. The theory is if a winning time is inserted into when you enter you will hit it because you are being consistent. Assuming an even distribution of times (or somewhat even with little variance from the standard deviation).
I was just emailed this link from a contest I entered.

https://www.facebook.com/DPSMUSIC...1285462773

They did a video explaining and showing them picking the winner of this contest. Exactly as you stated.
May 03, 2012 02:02 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeMay 03, 2012 02:02 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from dustdiva :
I was just emailed this link from a contest I entered.

https://www.facebook.com/DPSMUSIC...1285462773

They did a video explaining and showing them picking the winner of this contest. Exactly as you stated.
I actually put a lot of thought into how these are run...was thinking start my own fulfillment company or write a book. Gotta be a way to profit from the hobby I love.
May 03, 2012 02:20 AM
87 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
dustdivaMay 03, 2012 02:20 AM
87 Posts
Quote from implode :
I actually put a lot of thought into how these are run...was thinking start my own fulfillment company or write a book. Gotta be a way to profit from the hobby I love.
Go for it!! When I went to the Super Bowl (won GM sweeps) I had the opportunity of meeting the guy that owned the promotions company that ran the sweeps for them. He hung out with all of us the whole time we were there. It is a very small company, just him and one other person. Said his dad started it and he took over. You probably would be good at, it knowing what you know after dealing with all of the different companies.
May 03, 2012 12:11 PM
561 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
maxximilianMay 03, 2012 12:11 PM
561 Posts
Just running my list of dailies and a thought occurred to me (I get them from time to time)....what if these sweeps are like the dials and knobs on a Fisher Price toy? Ya know....like not actually connected to anything.....

Is it common for sponsors to leave games running after the sweep has actually ended. Forget to take it down?
May 03, 2012 01:15 PM
25,256 Posts
Joined Dec 2005
javaFlowerMay 03, 2012 01:15 PM
25,256 Posts
Quote from maxximilian :
Just running my list of dailies and a thought occurred to me (I get them from time to time)....what if these sweeps are like the dials and knobs on a Fisher Price toy? Ya know....like not actually connected to anything.....

Is it common for sponsors to leave games running after the sweep has actually ended. Forget to take it down?
Not all that common, but it does happen from time to time. Ermm
May 03, 2012 02:27 PM
744 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
mike34May 03, 2012 02:27 PM
744 Posts
Quote from spooerman :
i try and check before work clear them out but i get home bamm 100 emails i do my best to sift thru them gmail does a good job but i was hoping there was some easy way ..thanks for the ideas
Learn to use GMail's keyboard shortcuts [google.com] if you aren't already. They have to be enabled in your settings before you can use them. It is much easier to go through a lot of emails with keyboard shortcuts than using the mouse to point and click.

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Global Mod
May 03, 2012 03:02 PM
4,819 Posts
Joined Jul 2007
SpaceCallahan
Global Mod
May 03, 2012 03:02 PM
4,819 Posts
Quote from mike34 :
Learn to use GMail's keyboard shortcuts [google.com] if you aren't already. They have to be enabled in your settings before you can use them. It is much easier to go through a lot of emails with keyboard shortcuts than using the mouse to point and click.

ok i will have a look Thank you
May 04, 2012 02:28 PM
561 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
maxximilianMay 04, 2012 02:28 PM
561 Posts
I was playing the Camel 99th birthday spin game...and finally (apparently) won something. I clicked the redeem link and was sent to some place called up2you Rewards where I filled out the registration form. Then got a message my eCode was confirmed.....

OK....so now what? Never used this up2you Rewards thingy before...
May 04, 2012 02:37 PM
8,863 Posts
Joined Aug 2010
crazeeceeMay 04, 2012 02:37 PM
8,863 Posts
Quote from maxximilian :
I was playing the Camel 99th birthday spin game...and finally (apparently) won something. I clicked the redeem link and was sent to some place called up2you Rewards where I filled out the registration form. Then got a message my eCode was confirmed.....

OK....so now what? Never used this up2you Rewards thingy before...
As far as I know, after filling out the registration form on up2u rewards, you should have obtained an up2u rewards mastercard number, cvv number and expiry date (which is generally pretty soon)... You can try logging into up2u rewards again and seeing if you actually got this...
May 04, 2012 02:41 PM
561 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
maxximilianMay 04, 2012 02:41 PM
561 Posts
Quote from crazee_an :
As far as I know, after filling out the registration form on up2u rewards, you should have obtained an up2u rewards mastercard number, cvv number and expiry date (which is generally pretty soon)... You can try logging into up2u rewards again and seeing if you actually got this...
I was afraid to close the page....so it is still up. I scrolled down to the bottom and see there are some numbers as you describe. So I can just enter those numbers at any online reatil place, just like I had an actual card? Nothing else to do?
May 04, 2012 02:50 PM
8,863 Posts
Joined Aug 2010
crazeeceeMay 04, 2012 02:50 PM
8,863 Posts
Quote from maxximilian :
I was afraid to close the page....so it is still up. I scrolled down to the bottom and see there are some numbers as you describe. So I can just enter those numbers at any online reatil place, just like I had an actual card? Nothing else to do?
yup...

two things to note:
- i did try paying AT&T bill with it, and AT&T puts a $15 hold on it... so u ll hv to leave $15 for the hold on it, if u plan to pay phone bill with it...
- if the card gets declined at your first try, email [email protected] letting them know about that... i think they reactivate it, and then the card works flawlessly...
May 04, 2012 02:52 PM
561 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
maxximilianMay 04, 2012 02:52 PM
561 Posts
Quote from crazee_an :
yup...

two things to note:
- i did try paying AT&T bill with it, and AT&T puts a $15 hold on it... so u ll hv to leave $15 for the hold on it, if u plan to pay phone bill with it...
- if the card gets declined at your first try, email [email protected] letting them know about that... i think they reactivate it, and then the card works flawlessly...
Thanks for the help. Smilie
May 04, 2012 05:33 PM
465 Posts
Joined Jun 2004
elloryMay 04, 2012 05:33 PM
465 Posts
Quote from crazee_an :
yup...

two things to note:
- i did try paying AT&T bill with it, and AT&T puts a $15 hold on it... so u ll hv to leave $15 for the hold on it, if u plan to pay phone bill with it...
- if the card gets declined at your first try, email [email protected] letting them know about that... i think they reactivate it, and then the card works flawlessly...
The hold will fall off from ATT after a few days. Then you will be able to use the remaining $15 at ATT

Preauthoirzation holds are usually $1-$2. Really surprised ATT is $15

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May 04, 2012 06:33 PM
8,863 Posts
Joined Aug 2010
crazeeceeMay 04, 2012 06:33 PM
8,863 Posts
Quote from ellory :
The hold will fall off from ATT after a few days. Then you will be able to use the remaining $15 at ATT

Preauthoirzation holds are usually $1-$2. Really surprised ATT is $15
Actually upon contacting up2u rewards card people, they had told me that "You cannot use these cards at Paypal and Telecommunications websites"... But still I was able to pay my AT&T bill, if I was not touching the last $15 on the card... AT&T doesn't really put a hold of $15 on the card; it doesn't appear as hold on card activity... But if you try to touch the last $15 on your card for AT&T bill, AT&T just keeps saying that the transaction was declined...

I know this is very different from other cards... Like one of my Amex rewards card was getting a hold of $1 only from AT&T...

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