Shop, Earn and Redeem with MyPoints.com

If you do a lot of shopping and make transactions online, then MyPoints.com may be just the thing for you. I have been a member since September 2004, and have earned a total of 14299 points. I have since been able to redeem countless gift cards from Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Foot Locker, Old Navy and Web Certificates. The more you shop and participate, the more you'll earn. It's totally up to you. Here's how it works.

First, access www.MyPoints.com and complete your user profile. That's 60 points right there. MyPoints will send you emails daily to the email address of your choosing, and simply by clicking the email to read the advertisement/offer, that's 5 points. If you choose to complete the offer, the points range from 10 - 25,000!!! For instance, I signed up for my Netflix membership, simply by clicking the Netflix link on MyPoints website and earned 500 points! Some merchants/offers will give you a point per dollar spent; Target will give you 5 - 10 points per dollar spent, Overstock.com will give you 10 points, Barnes & Noble 10 points, etc. Other offers/merchants will give you a flat amount of points; up to 40,250 points from Lending Tree, 500 points from bocajava.com, 2000 points from Lancôme with any purchase over $40, and 50 points for simply creating an E-Bay account etc.

There are several categories to choose from, Music, Movies & Tickets, Apparel, Personal Finance, Subscriptions, Computer & Software, Automotive, Children and Family, and countless more. Some of the great online stores and deals I've personally taken advantage of have been Hotwire.com, Old Navy, Foot Locker, Avon, K-Mart, Netflix, drugstore.com, Vistaprint.com, Gevalia coffee, Sunglass Hut, Target and others.

So, not only can you shop and earn points, read emails and earn points, but also subscribe and register to little weekly newsletters via email like Booking Buddy, Betty Crocker, Pampers.com and others. It's that easy.

Usually during the holidays there are deals too. Right now MyPoints is offering double points for the month of October! If you shop with selected merchants, you'll automatically earn twice the normal amount of points!

MyPoints will also let you earn points by referring friends. You can refer as many friends as you want, and get 100 points for every friend that signs up!

And that last way to earn points to take occasional surveys. I have even received DVD's in the mail to preview upcoming shows, such as the Food Network's 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray (one of my favorite cooking shows! See My Favorite Cooking Shows - Quick, Easy and OH So Good!) and Good Eats with Alton Brown. By taking surveys and participating in viewing panels, you can earn anywhere from 50 - 150 points. And I got to keep the DVD's too! Even if by answering certain questions and not meeting the demographic criteria they're looking for, you'll at least earn 10 points for giving them 3 minutes of your time.

Personally, I tend to rack up my points by doing the double whammie. I will click emails, register for interesting stuff, and shop and earn points on the dollar, say at Target. Then, when I have accrued enough points to get a gift card to a store of my choosing, say Foot Locker, I will use my gift card and again purchase my Foot Locker merchandise through the MyPoints site -and earn 2 points for every dollar I spend at Foot Locker.

You don't have to an internet-a-holic to use and benefit from MyPoints. The occasion clicking of a simple email a few times a week will get you some points and possibly earn you enough for you Holiday shopping or special occasions. I give a lot of the gift cards I receive out as gifts, or use the cards to purchase gifts for my family and friends. It's a nice way to reduce the chunk coming out of your wallet. Anything to save a little money, so why not give MyPoints.com a try?