This is a guest post by Laura, who blogs at Brand New Housewife. This post was inspired by Sarah and a list of 10 steps to start sweeping that she sent me some time back. Thank you to both Sarah and Laura! Let’s hear what Laura has to say about online sweepstakes.
Getting Started
Who doesn’t like to win stuff? Online sweepstakes are a no-cost way to win cash prizes, gift cards, vacations, clothing, and maybe even a new vehicle! All you need is a computer and a little bit of your time. If you’re interested in becoming a “sweeper,” here’s what you need to know. First, sign up for a free auto-fill program like Roboform or Texter, if you’re really tech-savvy. This will save you a lot of time spent typing your information into the entry forms.
Second, set your junk mail filter high or use a dedicated email address just for sweepstakes. If you use a reputable sweepstakes site, you probably won’t have a lot of junk mail, but you might receive a lot of newsletters (which you can always opt-out from).
Third, use a website to maintain and find sweepstakes for you. I started with Sweepstakes Today because I found it to be well-organized and user-friendly. You create a free user account and then look for sweepstakes. The site keeps track of online sweepstakes, new sweepstakes, and has a search feature if you’re looking for something specific. When you click on a specific entry, it takes you to more information and a direct link to the entry form and rules page. If the sweep you’re entering can be entered daily, you can save your results to a list that you can access later.
Other good sites to check out are Sweepstakes Advantage and Sweeties Sweeps. You may find some duplicate sweepstakes through these sites, but the setup of each is a little different. Check them all out to find one that’s right for you.
Tips & Tricks
It helps to have a high-speed Internet connection. This will make it possible for you to enter a large amount of sweepstakes in a short amount of time.
Enter as many local sweepstakes as possible, because they have much better odds.
If you’re using Sweepstakes Today, keep an eye on the rating system for each sweep. This rating system ranks sweepstakes according to their total number of prizes, odds of winning, and the length of time the sweep is available. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend entering sweepstakes, stick to the higher-rated choices.
Words of Wisdom
Make sure to take a quick glance at the rules for each sweep. Sometimes your state might be excluded or there could be age limitations. For example, I was getting ready to enter a few sweepstakes today when I realized that I needed to be a Sprint customer to enter. Oops!
Don’t ever give out your credit card number, bank account information, or Social Security number to enter a sweep. A reputable sweepstakes site like Sweepstakes Today screens out the dubious sweepstakes for you.
Think about how much time you want to devote to “sweeping” every day. Expert sweepers are able to complete about 100-150 an hour. I’m not up to that level yet, but I can see how it would be possible to be that fast when you use the above suggestions. Keep in mind that the more time you spend, the more sweeps you’ll be able to enter, and the better chance you’ll have of winning. However, make sure you don’t get to the point where you’re neglecting other things you need to do! There are a lot of sweeps out there, so pick and choose the ones that you really find valuable.
When You Win
Be sure to keep organized records of your wins, because you have to report applicable wins to the IRS. This article on About.com helps you figure out how to report your winnings on your taxes.
Along with keeping track of taxes, be sure to enter only the sweepstakes that you want to win and, as strange as it may sound, can afford to win. If you win a $40,000 vacation prize and have to pay 30% in taxes, make sure that you have the money to pay your taxes!
Most of all, have patience! Many people go months before their first win (although on my first day of sweeping, I won a $5 Home Depot gift card). Remember that the odds of winning increase the more you enter. If nothing else, it’s a fun hobby!
Your turn: Do you do online sweeps? Why or why not? What tips and tricks have you learned?
About Carrie Rocha
Thanks for posting this, Carrie. It looks like it might be kind of fun. I’m looking forward to trying it out this weekend.
Thanks for the tricks mentioned. I think it is going to work for me .
Just wanted to add that it truly IS possible to win stuff. Besides winning the $5 gift card I mentioned above, I also just received a webcam in the mail that I won on Monday. Yay!
Laura – How much time are you investing into playing online sweepstakes?
Carrie – Sorry about not responding earlier – I forgot to subscribe to comments! I’ve been spending about an hour a day on this, usually in the morning. Once I got Roboform set up and got into a rhythm, I was able to start entering 150+ daily sweepstakes in an hour. It’s super easy! Since my previous comment, I’ve also won a 6-month subscription to ESPN Insider. Nothing too big yet, but we’ll see.
Don’t forget to enter local sweeps– I routinely win movie tix from all of the local radio, tv, and newspaper sites. I won a beautiful Lexmark printer (arv $249) from a KARE11 sweep a month ago– has been a huge help in coupon printing! I have had a ton of small wins this month gift cards etc, so sweeping really does pay off!
I did it for awhile last summer and am ready to start again- just one win so far (Soundtrack CD of a new release movie), but it’s something! Thanks for the tips. :)