Tag Archives: discount

How I Saved $5.40 Off the $99 Sale Price for Office 2016 And Got a Roll of Designer Duct Tape Plus $1 Back

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My 2008 laptop is still working fine. I use it for email, with MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel; I edit photos with Photoshop Elements; my kids do homework and play dubious computer games. Still, my husband would never be able to run *his* games on such an antique which resulted in him eventually upgrading his boat anchor. We decided to load it with MS Office 2016 because so much of the homework our children get encumbered with requires them to use it. I shopped around for a reasonable price and found it at Staples on sale for $99. Of course, I immediately tried to get an even better price: this is how I saved $10 more and got $2 back in amazon.ca gift cards although I decided to blow some of that $10 on a roll of designer duct tape adorned with comical cartoon owls.

Always Check Great Canadian Rebates Before You Make an Online Purchase

I wasn’t sure if Staples was one of the stores available through Great Canadian Rebates so I visited the website and checked. Yes. And even better, it offered rebate of up to 4% on purchases. Admittedly the rebate on computer-related stuff like this software is only 1% but still, not bad.

What really caught my eye, though, was the click through coupon to save $10 on an order of $100 or more. That’s significant considering it applies to items that are already on sale!

Of course, the software I wanted was $99.00. I thought about buying something that cost very close to $1, like paperclips at $1.68 a box. But then I thought what we need more of is duct tape. There were many colours and styles to choose from: I went with the sophisticated neon cartoon owls that should add a certain j’n sais quois to patching that hole in the yard waste tub.

(This image leads to my amazon.ca kickback page to buy the tape. It’s cheaper at Staples right now so shop around.)

Buying from Staples Through Great Canadian Rebates Also Gets Free Shipping on Lower Orders

Another perk that is available when buying from Staples through Great Canadian Rebates is the minimum order for free shipping is lower. Shipping is free on most orders of $45 or more. (This offer will change from time to time, so check before making a decision.)

How Did I Get $2 In Amazon.ca Certificates If I Bought from Staples?

The kickback Canadians get from buying stuff through Great Canadian Rebates is paid in amazon.ca gift certificates. They nicely round up to the next $ if your monthly total rebate is even $0.01 above a dollar. Since I didn’t buy anything else last month, and since my eligible rebate is $1.04, I’ll be getting a $2 certificate for Amazon.

UPDATE: As of June or July 2016 it appears they no longer “round up” the Amazon certificates. They seem to be issuing them now right down to the penny you’ve earned.

What Did I Save In Total For Clicking Through from Great Canadian Rebates?

So by
signing in to my GCR account (e.g. typing my email and password), and then
typing Staples in the Merchant text box, then
clicking on the Save Now button beside “Save $10 on Your Next Purchase of $100 or more” and then
shopping at staples.ca as usual, I saved or was rebated

  • $10 – $5.60 the cost of the duct tape that I would have bought elsewhere possibly for less
  • $2 – $1 rebate from GCR in Amazon certificates (It would have been $1 if I had not bought the tape.)
  • Plus the cost of gas driving to staples

On software that was already on at a reasonable sale price of $99.

For a total saving of
$5.40 (or
$12
if you don’t adjust for the duct tape)

Cool.

Blatant Sales Pitch for Great Canadian Rebates

If you don’t belong and you join GCR by clicking on my link, you will get the same rewards as if you just join GCR by searching for it on the internet. I, however, will be very happy you used my link because I will get a small percentage rebate if you ever buy anything using GCR, even though it will not reduce or affect your reward. (I don’t get any info about who joined, what they spent, or what they spent it on, though, so I won’t know how to thank you personally.)

To join Great Canadian Rebates and help me earn a few more dollars in amazon.ca certificates, please join using my

http://www.GreatCanadianRebates.ca/register/171462/

Code, which is automatically entered if you click on this above link.

Either way, consider joining as it could save you a few bucks and get you a free roll of duct tape, too!

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Do you use an online rebate program like GCR or RedFlagDeals to save a few $$ on your online purchases? Please share your experiences with a comment.

How I Unexpectedly Got a Discount on VIA Rail Tickets

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When I travel within Canada with my family we usually drive. We all like travelling by train but it gets expensive quickly if you have to buy fares for an entire family. If I’m travelling solo, though, I sometimes splurge and use VIA Rail so I’m always looking for ways to save money on my tickets; Recently I found a new one that saved me 10%.

Getting a Lower Rate on VIA Rail Tickets with a CAA Discount

UPDATE 2016 07 19: I have noticed that this summer, July-August 2016, only certain VIA Rail tickets are offered at a discount to CAA members. How annoying! Hopefully they will have a discount on all tickets again soon.

I’ve mentioned before that we use our Petro-points to buy a CAA membership. We then use CAA to save money on admission fees to interesting places like the Lunenburg Fisheries Museum.  (If anyone knows whether this summer’s mermaid purses hatched successfully this fall, please let me know!)

This fall, I was pricing VIA tickets for a quick trip to see relatives when I randomly decided to check the Fares and Products tab on the VIA site. Underneath that tab lurks a heading “Special Offers.” And there it was: an offer to save 10% off any fare by entering my CAA number!

Being a suspicious person by nature, I confess I did hunt around the VIA site first to see what was the best possible rate I could get for my trip. Then I went back to the “Special Offers” page and clicked on the CAA box. Next in the Membership text box, I typed in my CAA number. I answered the skill testing question, which is currently 4 + 0 = (great question!!!), then clicked on the Submit button. I then was in the regular VIA site to purchase tickets online.

You can also phone a VIA office and buy tickets by telephone using your CAA number. (I’m not sure if there is an additional cost for using that service or not.)

The offer currently says, on November 21, 2015, that tickets must be purchased by December 31 2015 to qualify but they may be for travel anytime before December 31 2016. I don’t know if they will extend the offer at the end of the year or not.

There is a short-term additional discount on the sleeper trains, the Canadian and the Ocean that you can read about on the VIA site.
When I was properly in using my CAA membership number, the fares were reduced the promised 10% before taxes. So I bought my tickets and enjoyed my trip.
You have to have your CAA membership card with you when you travel to show if the VIA staff requests to see it.

Getting a Lower Rate on VIA Rail Tickets with a Perkopolis Discount

Some large companies offer their employees a membership in Perkopolis either directly or through their Social Clubs. My husband’s company does this. So I read the monthly discount newsletter from Perkopolis, too.

In November’s news, they mentioned a discount on VIA tickets of 15%. Wahoo! Even better than CAA!

The general details are described on the Perkopolis website.

The website doesn’t state how long the offer is valid for or when the travel must be taken. That suggests that it may be a long-term offer, so I’ll give it a try the next time I plan a VIA trip.

You have to have government-issued id (like a Driver’s License etc.) that matches your proof of Perkopolis membership with you to show if the VIA staff requests to see it.

Why On Earth Does VIA Rail Have So Many Different Fares for the Same Train?

When you first look to book your seats, you may see quite a list of fare choices. There is one obvious difference in price: Business Class vs. all other classes. Business Class is what many people call First Class. The seats are more spacious, hot meals and beverages are included in the price on some routes and you receive priority boarding and extra assistance. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the train, though; You don’t have to be in Business Class to get it.

Other fares which are all seats in the regular train carriages include

  • Escape
  • Economy
  • Economy Plus

The differences are usually relating to the cost, if any, to cancel tickets and to re-book tickets. The more flexibility you want to change or cancel your tickets, the more you will have to pay.

According to an article in the Toronto Star VIA is using a pricing model similar to an airline. They raise rates on popular trains and drop them to get people aboard at less popular times. Rates can drop as low as 50-75% off full fare.

What Discounts Can You Get on VIA Rail Tickets Without a Membership?

Not everyone belongs to the CAA or Perkopolis, of course. There are some other ways to save a bit.

VIA Rail’s Tuesday Seat Sales

Starting at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, and continuing till 11.59 p.m. Eastern Time, VIA offers additional fare reductions on some routes for some seats. It’s basically a type of clearance sale on trains that aren’t full in the short-term. It doesn’t usually include good rates for trains that aren’t leaving in the next week or two.

Other VIA Rail Fare Specials

Be sure to keep an eye on the VIA website for other types of discounts.
For example, right now they are offering cheaper fares

  • for seniors
  • for children
  • for people buying a multi-use ticket for several trips between the same starting and ending points
  • for students at post-secondary schools

In the meantime, I enjoyed saving 10% using my CAA membership, especially since I bought that membership with reward points. Next time, I’ll try the Perkopolis rate if it’s still available.

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Have you found another way to get a good rate on VIA Rail? Please share your strategy with a comment.