How to Buy an Ipad 2 and Get Cash Back!

Unless you live on another planet, you probably know that Steve Jobs and his Apple crew unveiled the new Ipad 2 yesterday, to go on sale March 11th.  The price is $500, same as the current price for the original Ipad, but with a lot of upgraded features.


Apple has also announced that the Ipad 2 is going to be distributed in several major outlets in addition to its own stores.  Merchants currently include Best Buy, Sam's Club and Walmart.


I sincerely doubt that any of these merchants will be discounting the price of the Ipad2, so plan on paying $500, both online and in the stores.


So how does one get cash back (in addition to using a cash back credit card)?  It's not as hard as you think. Let me take you through the process using Best Buy as an example.


1.  Sign up at Cardpool, a major gift card reseller, if you are not already a member.  It's free.


2.  Sign up at Mr. Rebates, a major online cashback portal, if you have not already done so. It too is free.  This site gives you 1% cashback on all your purchases at Cardpool.


3.  Go through Mr. Rebates to the Cardpool website and purchase a Best Buy giftcard for a 6% discount.  You are getting an extra 1% from Mr. Rebates for going through their site, so that is 7% so far. If you plan on buying your Ipad online, you can buy an electronic Ecode instead of an actual plastic gift card, and the code will be sent to your email within hours.


4.  If you are purchasing online (and why not, you might save sales tax), wait for your gift card or eCode to arrive.  Then go to Mr. Rebates again, select Best Buy as your merchant, and proceed to the Best Buy website.  Purchase your Ipad 2 with your gift card.  Mr. Rebates will give you another 1% ($5) on your purchase.


5.  Sit back, pat yourself on the back for being a smart shopper, and wait for your new Ipad 2 to arrive at your doorstep. You have just saved 7-8% on the Ipad2 going through Best Buy.