By Lynette Mueller
With Black Friday happening this month, it’s a good time to think about what is on your wish list. Some deals have already begun!
This article from PCMag, one of my favorites tech resources, has some extremely useful tips for your holiday shopping game.
The ones that stand out to me from this article:
- Make a plan and a budget.
- Set deal alerts on Slickdeals and Amazon.
- Sign up for email newsletters from stores you are interested in.
- Try to find free shipping.
Speaking of free shipping, PCMag advises: “Don’t expect that this year, given the increase in online shipping as everyone remains stuck at home. Instead, anticipate a mix of free shipping incentives plus curbside pick-up for purchases made at major retailers (as applicable). We recommend signing up for newsletters now, so that you’ll get notified of any free shipping promotions between now and the end of December. You can unsubscribe after you’re done with your shopping.”
ShopRunner is an option for free two-day shipping that I’ve been using for several years. Shop at more than 100 stores in the ShopRunner network and look for their logo. Be sure to log into your ShopRunner account to take advantage of the free two-day shipping! Once you are signed in, you can choose ShopRunner as the shipping method of your order. Check this list for participating stores. Their membership price is typically $79/year; however, they do run free promotions with some of their partners. Here is a list of their membership options.
Membership Types
Eligible American Express account holders are entitled to a free lifetime membership courtesy of American Express! By enrolling with this benefit, you will not be charged at any time.
Eligible MasterCard account holders are entitled to a free one-year membership. At the end of the free one-year term, the account will simply expire, and you will not be charged or auto-enrolled.
PayPal account holders are eligible for free one-year memberships. At the end of the free one-year term, the account will simply expire, and you will not be charged or auto-enrolled.
Yahoo account holders are eligible for free one-year memberships. At the end of the free one-year term, the account will simply expire, and you will not be charged or auto-enrolled.
Eligible Chase account holders are entitled to a free one-year membership. At the end of the free one-year term, the account will simply expire, and you will not be charged or auto-enrolled.
It is free to enroll in a promotional account on shoprunner.com. You will not be charged or auto-enrolled once your free promotional period has ended.
Spend-And-Get
Many retailers offer the option to enroll in a free membership at checkout, based on your spending amount. With Spend-and-Get accounts, you can meet the listed spending threshold simply by shopping at any of your favorite stores across the ShopRunner network. If the spending threshold is met within the first month, you will automatically receive a free one-year membership. Otherwise, the account will simply expire, and you won’t be charged or auto-enrolled.
*Trial memberships
A number of retailers in our network also offer free one-month trial memberships to ShopRunner. It is free to enroll; however at the end of the free one-month term, your account will automatically convert to a paid membership, and the credit card on file will be charged $79 annually.
Lynette L. Mueller, FAPR, RDR, CRR, is a freelance court reporter based in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of NCRA’s Technology Committee. She can be reached at lynette@omegareporting.com.
If you have a question for the Technology Committee, please send it to jcrfeedback@ncra.org.
