Today, I'm doing a demi pivot. No crypto talk -- but still about money...and how to save it from our favorite frenemy, Amazon.

Say whatcha will about the 'Zon (I have choice words myself, should I ever find myself f2f with Bezos over second breakfast). I utterly detest them, but neither can I quit 'em, so I try and give them the least amount of money I can*, especially when it's something I need, but not right this hot minute. I do this using Snagshout and Vipon (sorry, I think they're US only).

* I try ever so hard to support local and independent places, but COVID, convenience, and sheer selection can make it tough.

There was a heyday of sites where vendors (usually in China) offered Amazon discount codes in exchange for reviews.

In the US, it's now illegal to require anyone to require anything for Amazon-specific codes.  When this happened, many sites went belly up (bc their revenue model charged merchants, who, essentially purchased reviews via coupons).

But two have persisted. And these two can be (operative words can & be) awesome. 

They offer legit codes, and you are under no obligation to review. Or do squat. They are:

• Snagshout
• Vipon

There are others. These are the two I use and have success with.

Snagshout is my fave. The products are usually higher quality, and is easy to filter out things shipped from faraway, clicking "Only Prime." I've rarely had a code fail from Snagshout, either.

They update Monday - Friday, with fewer items over the weekend. 

It's excellent if you need a phone case, any cords, take supplements, or are remotely geeky (a shocking amount of RPG items go up: I've gotten a nice set of metal dice and a DM/GM privacy screen there). 

Deals usually give you 30 - 50% off, but up to 75% is not unheard of. If you cruise often (you can sort for new deals), you'll see a lot of repeat deals. But there's often a gem or an impulse buy in there.

Note:

Snagshout has a new feature where you buy some items full price on PayPal, and then use a code to get money back. I have never done this, so no idea how it works or how quickly. Because it's PayPal, it works around the no-code-for-review law, and it looks like these want you to do something in exchange, in order to get your rebate. 

Vipon is bigger and weirder, and full of junk and Chinese knock-offs. However, it is bigger and weirder! If you need a hot minute item, it very well may be listed. 

Always filter for Prime (you can only do this filter on desktop site atm). Ignore their other crap, points for videos, etc. Codes occasionally do not work from Vipon -- sometimes because the code is only for a certain color or size -- but also, 🤷.

In both cases, you have to register with a valid email. You no longer have to connect your Amazon accounts. In the beginning, you'll be limited to a few codes per day, but honestly, you probably aren't buying that much that this is an issue.

If you see a deal you're interested in, don't wait. Claim it. Codes are sometimes limited by number or by time, and if you wait, it may not be there (unless it's one of the vendors you see, after awhile, who lists often. In that case, you can always catch the next one).

And that's it. I've used Snagshout for more than 3? years, Vipon for 1. Minimal issues. And a decent amount of money saved.

HTH. Always do your homework, eat your vegetables, and caveat emptor. Comments and tips are gleefully received.