Could you use a little extra money in your pockets this summer, but don’t want to put in the work to start a new side hustle or pick up more hours at work? Whether you want to take a vacation, do a home remodeling project, or just build up your nest egg, every added dollar counts. What if I told you you could be saving money on the things you’re already buying? Here’s how to get discounts and store credits from your fave companies.
Introducing “Referral Codes”
Referral codes are unique links that a company gives to their customers to share with their friends. All companies have different rules and rewards, but the basic gist is that if you share this link or promo code with someone and they buy or subscribe using that link or code, you’ll get a discount or store credit on your own account.
Referral codes don’t cost you any money, and they don’t cost your friends any extra money either. The company just gives you a little cut of their profit for bringing them a new customer.
Here’s a few companies I personally subscribe to (not as a blog partner, but a personal paid membership) and the perks I get from sharing their referral codes with my fam and buds.
Quick little disclaimer, these are not blog partners. I am only sharing these companies because I personally shop with them regularly but have no business relationship with. I am sharing my referral codes in case you want the discount, but please know that I’m mainly sharing for example purposes only.
HelloFresh referral codes give me a $10 credit towards my weekly groceries, and gives my friends $40 off their first order. (My referral code is here if you want to use it.)
Stitchfix gives me $25 off, which covers my styling fee, and in turn, my friends also get $25 to cover their styling fee, too! (Here’s the code for that if you want to shop for some new clothes together.)
Billie Razor gives up to $20 in subscription credits when your friends sign up to try them out. PS: If you haven’t switched to Billie Razors yet, you are behind! It’s basically Dollar Shave Club for women, and these blades are the only ones that don’t shred up my sensitive skin. (Here’s my referral code for them.)
Barkbox gives you an entire free box when you refer a friend, or you can donate your free box to a shelter dog, which I absolutely love! Winston is obsessed with his box and I’ll shout Barkbox from the rooftops even if I never get any referral credits. A word of caution, the credits don’t apply for one-month subscriptions, so tell your friends to get a longer subscription if they’re wanting to help you get a free box.(Here’s my code for getting extra toys in your box.)
Even some Realtors and service providers (like ME) offer referral credit and sometimes cold hard cash for leads that result in a sale or new client contract. All you have to do is ask, because most service providers don’t advertise this publicly.
Other ways to get discounts:
Sign up for their newsletter. You’ll usually get a discount code in the first email!
Check their Instagram highlights. A lot of companies share an Instagram-specific code there so they can see how much traffic they are getting from social media.
Join their Rewards Program. My grocery store gives me 15 cents off each gallon of gas for one fill-up for every $100 I spend in groceries. And Target’s app applies credit to every future purchase, just for scanning it!
Email them and ask! If they don’t have any discount codes or free shipping offers, here’s a quick email you can copy and paste into the Contact Us page of their website:
Hi!
I’ve been eyeing your site for a while and planning my very first purchase, but I’m still a little on the fence for whether your [insert thing you want] is right for me. I checked around the site for an introductory offer code for new customers but must’ve breezed right past it because I didn’t find it. Do you have some kind of discount code available for me to apply to my first purchase? I’m excited to finally get off this fence and get that [insert thing you want] out of my cart and onto my doorstep.
Thanks so much!
See? When you word it nicely, companies will almost always find some kind of discount code for you, especially if they know you’ve been considering becoming a new customer but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
DON’T Do These Things!
Use third-party “coupon” websites. They’re sketchy and usually don’t work anyway. You end up giving away your email to potential threats.
Buy things just because they’re on clearance. Ask yourself, if this was regular priced, would I still want it?
Trick your friends and followers into using your referral codes. You HAVE to be upfront that you will receive something if they buy. Most friends and followers are happy to buy from your link versus some random influencer because they know you and want you to receive the discount. But you can’t be secretive about sharing the code or links.
Now Go Save Some Money!
Now that you know how to use referral codes to get store credits, along with some other easy ways to get discounts from your favorite online shops, take a rainy afternoon to start getting yourself all set up with the programs you like best. As a reminder, ONLY share referral codes for companies you actually buy from and love, and NEVER be sneaky about sharing the code. You must disclose that you’ll receive a credit, discount, or commission by using that code, at no extra cost to them.
But I promise, you mom, your BFF, and your closest coworker would rather use your link so you get a reward versus giving the full amount straight to the retailer.
Want To Get Discount Offers From My Fave Retailers?
Follow my Facebook page! I love to keep my Facebook friends informed about sales and discounts that are coming up, and a lot of times I don’t receive anything at all from these shares. I just like to help busy mamas like you save some of that moolah so you’ve always got enough money to cover your Venti Mocha Latte.
