If you’ve seen my post, “How I Got a Mac for Next to Nothing,” you might have noticed that there are quite a few comments there. It’s a lot to sort through, so I’ve posted the most frequently asked questions here. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, visit the original post and do a Ctrl+F or Command+F on that page to search for keywords before asking a question that might have already been answered.
Note: These answers are based on my own experience and what I’ve heard and read. They might not necessarily be completely correct, so use the information here as a guide, at your own risk.
For reference, here are the links to related posts:
How I Got a Mac for Next to Nothing
The Free* Mac, Part II
Counting the Macs…
The Free Mac: Four-Month Update
How long will ____ take? Is there any way to speed up the process?
The offers vary depending on the offer itself (some always take longer than others), and it’s different for everyone. Just be patient. You have to wait 30 days after you complete an offer before calling NuiTech to manually give them proof if the offer didn’t credit automatically. After that, there are a few verification steps, and then the time period when the shipping request is issued. They say that each of these steps can take several weeks to complete, and there’s nothing you can do to speed up anything.
Multiple gifts: Can I get two Macs, or a Mac and another gift?
You can’t personally do two of the same gift, but you can do one of each gift site NuiTech has, assuming there are enough offers for you to complete (which can be tough). If you signed up at a site that had several gifts to choose from, you can’t go back to that same site and sign up for a different item. You have to find a link to a separate gift site.
If I register for multiple gifts (i.e. a Mac now and a TV later), can I do an offer again for credit?
This one’s tricky. Some of the companies you do offers with won’t let you sign up again with the same email or credit card, but some apparently do. However, if you can sign up there’s no guaranteeing that you’ll get credit, and even if you do NuiTech might disqualify you in the final verification process if your name and an old offer show up.
Let me put it this way: I don’t know anyone who’s done it, and it seems like quite a risk to try.
When to cancel offers
As far as I know, you can cancel anytime after credit is received for the offer. I personally waited a short time after offers had been credited before canceling, but I know others who have canceled almost immediately after credit was received. Do whatever works for you.
If you are signed up for a trial service that’s about to end and you still haven’t received credit, go ahead and cancel the offer before the trial ends and they start charging you insane amounts of money. After 30 days (from the day you signed up) you can call NuiTech and they have a process to fax them proof that you did the offer. Or, you can just sign up and do a different offer completely, in hopes of receiving credit sooner.
Can credit be taken away?
I have no idea. I have heard of instances where people tried to cheat the system and do a gift or an offer more than once, or just do something sketchy, and NuiTech has disqualified them completely in the final verification process even after all their offers had been credited.
Now that you’ve had your Mac for several months, is there a catch?
I received my Mac on October 30, 2006, and nothing has come back to bite me. My identity wasn’t stolen, my credit card info wasn’t compromised, and my excellent credit score hasn’t dropped a bit.
How much did you have to pay on taxes for a $2000 gift?
Check this space after tax-time has come and gone and I’ll tell you. How much you pay will vary depending on which tax bracket you’re in, which depends on your income.
Also note that only gifts valued at over $600 have to be reported. If a tax form didn’t print out with your gift voucher, you don’t have to report it on your taxes.
Will I get an email with a tracking number?
No. 99% of people do not get a tracking number, and the 1% who do always seem to get it the same day their gift shows up on the doorstep.
Do I have to continue past the third page of offers?
Nope. Don’t even bother clicking that link to continue at the bottom of the third page of offers. They’re just trying to get you to sign up for more stuff, and it’s not necessary. It just ends with a credit card application that you can’t get past.
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