Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM
forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

Sears
2,360,192 Views
See Deal
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
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.

Community Voting

Deal Score
+99
Good Deal
See Deal

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

9,849 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Nov 30, 2012 10:05 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeNov 30, 2012 10:05 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from Funkorama :
Do you guys enter a daily sweepstakes once or more than once?
Also... any spam calls to your phone numbers or weird advertisements showing up at your adressess?
I've gotten some strange phone calls...not sure if they were from contests. Seemed like CC phishing to me...you won a Wal Mart GC give us your CC for verification, home security, or your card has been compromised. All robo calls. Didn't listen long enough to find out more. I'm on federal and state do not call lists.

I don't get weird ads at all, except during political season...

I would do the following:
1) Only sign up for contests from reputable brands you recognize.
2) Make sure the brands have opt outs and a written privacy policy.
Nov 30, 2012 10:36 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeNov 30, 2012 10:36 PM
118,455 Posts
Anyone else win Holiday Inn priority rewards contest twice, and not get your second reward deposit....
Dec 01, 2012 12:43 AM
318 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
bittripfanDec 01, 2012 12:43 AM
318 Posts
The end of the month. Always a fun time to scramble finish for me Big Grin
Dec 01, 2012 12:46 AM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMADec 01, 2012 12:46 AM
6,323 Posts
I have a question regarding Roboform. Under 'options' it says, "autofill without asking." I checked this as well as the other two boxes on top of it (offer to autofill web [html] forms and offer to autofill windows dialogs in browsers [basic authentification]). Is this option supposed to fill the page when it loads, without prompting for permission? Because it isn't.
Dec 01, 2012 02:41 AM
2,562 Posts
Joined Aug 2008
lemontart68Dec 01, 2012 02:41 AM
2,562 Posts
Quote from BeBe2008 :
Just did my 2nd twitter party today. I don't really understand and didn't win anything. Just curious if anyone here has luck with them as it looks like the odds are a bit better. And also I didn't use the tweet grid? Is that easier?
I don't get the twitter entries either other than just "click here to tweet for entry"....but the grid and all that? Still beyond me and I haven't spent any time trying to figure out. Maybe one of these winter nights when I am snowed in I will figure it all out.
Dec 02, 2012 02:05 AM
1,998 Posts
Joined Jul 2007
fruitdog69Dec 02, 2012 02:05 AM
1,998 Posts
Quote from KMA :
I have a question regarding Roboform. Under 'options' it says, "autofill without asking." I checked this as well as the other two boxes on top of it (offer to autofill web [html] forms and offer to autofill windows dialogs in browsers [basic authentification]). Is this option supposed to fill the page when it loads, without prompting for permission? Because it isn't.
Wow! Thank you. That is awesome. It worked for me. I did what you said and then radio buttoned "From Passcards & Identities", unchecked AutoFill from Passcards only on pages with Passwords, and set Number of fields that trigger AutoFill from Identity to 1.

Edit: But then it autofilled some randomness while replying here and set a subject named "mr.", so maybe it isn't such a good idea...
Edit2: Oh, cause under custom for Title I have mr.
Last edited by fruitdog69 December 1, 2012 at 06:07 PM.
Dec 02, 2012 02:55 PM
32 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
chaunceygirlDec 02, 2012 02:55 PM
32 Posts
I see people writing that they set a list of sweeps they enter everyday? How do you catorgarize these? I have searched throught Q & A and can't find it.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 02, 2012 08:53 PM
3,645 Posts
Joined Jul 2006
vettedrvr55mphDec 02, 2012 08:53 PM
3,645 Posts
any one playing the tomtom gives you more?
http://more.tomtom.com/?WT.mc_id=...letter_SL3
Dec 02, 2012 09:22 PM
2,432 Posts
Joined May 2006
TBotzonDec 02, 2012 09:22 PM
2,432 Posts
Quote from vettedrvr55mph :
any one playing the tomtom gives you more?
http://more.tomtom.com/?WT.mc_id=...letter_SL3
I am but I don't know what in the hell I am doing!LMAO
Dec 03, 2012 05:27 AM
1,268 Posts
Joined Dec 2008
melan26Dec 03, 2012 05:27 AM
1,268 Posts
Quote from chaunceygirl :
I see people writing that they set a list of sweeps they enter everyday? How do you catorgarize these? I have searched throught Q & A and can't find it.
I make folders and sub-folders for mine and categorize them by date so I know when to stop entering; I also tag them with the exact day it ends and from there I would list them from the 1st to the 31st of whatever month. I also have a a separate folder for the IWG in the same format of categorization as well as the weekly and the monthly. In another folder, I have the unlimited entries only. I've also found that for the ones where you have to manually input your information, it's best to put that in a separate folder since you want to maximize your entries while minimizing the time it takes you to enter them - streamline of sort. So I could breeze through the ones where I use auto-fill or roboform and use a bit more time with the manual so if I am pitted against time, I could just ignore the heavier sites where it loads a bit longer and what not. There are also times when a sweep would be listed but the start date did not yet take effect, I bookmark those and check daily if one or a few have gone live. Good luck.
Dec 03, 2012 05:40 AM
3,645 Posts
Joined Jul 2006
vettedrvr55mphDec 03, 2012 05:40 AM
3,645 Posts
Quote from TBotzon :
I am but I don't know what in the hell I am doing!LMAO
check out the tomtom facebook page
go to market, go all the way to the bottom, click to go to it, tips there
Dec 03, 2012 11:20 AM
32 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
chaunceygirlDec 03, 2012 11:20 AM
32 Posts
Quote from melan26 :
I make folders and sub-folders for mine and categorize them by date so I know when to stop entering; I also tag them with the exact day it ends and from there I would list them from the 1st to the 31st of whatever month. I also have a a separate folder for the IWG in the same format of categorization as well as the weekly and the monthly. In another folder, I have the unlimited entries only. I've also found that for the ones where you have to manually input your information, it's best to put that in a separate folder since you want to maximize your entries while minimizing the time it takes you to enter them - streamline of sort. So I could breeze through the ones where I use auto-fill or roboform and use a bit more time with the manual so if I am pitted against time, I could just ignore the heavier sites where it loads a bit longer and what not. There are also times when a sweep would be listed but the start date did not yet take effect, I bookmark those and check daily if one or a few have gone live. Good luck.
Great info! Thank you so much, are you able to create the folders on slickdeals?
Dec 03, 2012 03:06 PM
2,562 Posts
Joined Aug 2008
lemontart68Dec 03, 2012 03:06 PM
2,562 Posts
Quote from vettedrvr55mph :
any one playing the tomtom gives you more?
http://more.tomtom.com/?WT.mc_id=...letter_SL3
I am now thanks to your post! Smilie Thank you!
Dec 03, 2012 04:12 PM
36 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
DamianMomDec 03, 2012 04:12 PM
36 Posts
Quote from vettedrvr55mph :
check out the tomtom facebook page
go to market, go all the way to the bottom, click to go to it, tips there
I found the facebook page, but I don't see market. Can you help? Thnx!

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 03, 2012 04:15 PM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMADec 03, 2012 04:15 PM
6,323 Posts
Quote from DamianMom :
I found the facebook page, but I don't see market. Can you help? Thnx!
https://www.facebook.com/TomTomUS...5448867947

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Related Searches

Popular Deals

Trending Deals