Navigating The Tax Rebate Check Retailer Promotions

As most people are aware, IRS is mailing out rebate checks as part of its economic stimulus package. Below is a table that summarizes the details:

Last two digits of SS#	Amount of Rebate Check*	Date**
00-20	Up to $600 for individuals, up to $1200 for joint + $300 for each child	May 2
21-75	-- same --	May 9
76-99	-- same --	May 16

• *Please click link for complete details of the check amount.
• **This is the date by which payments are transmitted to your bank account for the Direct Deposit option. Paper checks will be mailed between May 16th and July 11th in the order of the last two digits of SS#. Please click link for the details.

As paper checks have a delay associated with them, the inclination would be to choose direct deposit as the better alternative – NOT! Most retailer promotions are applicable for paper checks only and the better promotions add up to 10% additional value, hence the prudent preference would be paper checks.

Once the paper check is in place, the next step would be to stretch it while spending it. Below is a list of retailers that have announced rebate check promotions along with details:

Retailer Name	Promotion Details
Kroger, Meijer, SuperValu – Parent of Acme Markets, Albertsons, Bristol Farms, bigg’s, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Save-A-Lot, Shaw’s Supermarkets, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy and Star Markets	$30 for every $300 exchanged for store credit.
Sears, Kmart, Lands End	Additional 10% if the entire amount is entered into a gift card.
RadioShack	10% discount on purchases of $50 or more funded with a rebate check or tax refund.

RadioShack offer is outstanding as it applies to tax refund checks as well. Some retailers are instead keen on conducting a sale of some sort in the coming months to tap into that revenue.

• Home Depot is promoting a green sale during the coming months,
• Staples has a $50 off offer on $500 of purchases and a $150 off $1000 or more furniture purchase that expired May 11th, and
• Walmart will have extra rollbacks on groceries and consumables.