Spotlight: Gift Card Bonuses & Discounts

Weekend on the Cheap:

– It’s worth mentioning again—this is your last weekend to catch the annual Christmas Ships Parade flotilla on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. See web site for schedules and viewing locations.

– Thursday is the first night the historic Queen Anne Victorian Mansion hosts the SW Washington Railroaders Model Railroad Display 6:00pm – 10:00pm. The mansion is all decked out for the holidays with over 2 million lights. Admission is $5 for adults, but go to the web site to get a $1 off coupon.

– Presentation Karaoke, Thursday night 6:00pm – 8:30pm at the Someday Lounge. This sounds like it has some hilarious possibilities…if you are brave enough to participate, go up on the stage and provide a presentation to the audience based on whatever slides are showing behind you. Free.

– People’s Food Coop Annual Holiday Craft Fair this Saturday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm.

– We just heard an ad on the radio for Salvation Army Thrift Stores holding a 50% off sale this Saturday. Get great bargains at an even bigger discount; see web site for the seven metro area locations and hours.

– Saturday is also the 4th Annual Working Class Book Fair, 11:00am – 4:00pm with free entrance and free workshops.

– The yet-to-open Hollywood district Whole Foods Market will be giving away 400 poinsettias this Saturday morning starting at 10:00am. (credit: PDX Pipeline)

– Saturday is also Santacon, beginning at 12:00pm in downtown Portland! Click here for information that will be posted on the day of the event. PDX Pipeline also has additional information that should be helpful for first-timers.

– For more ideas on free fun this weekend, please go to Aroundthesunblog.

Spotlight: Gift Card Bonuses and Discounts

It is the season of giving, and also one of giving and receiving if you are looking at gift cards. Select restaurants and retailers are offering some limited-time incentives for encouraging shoppers to consider gift cards to give to the people on their lists. Here in Portland, choose from these great offers:

– Red Robin, receive $5 in Bonus Bucks for every $25 gift card purchase. Bonus bucks must be used between January 1st, 2010 – February 28th, 2010.

– Bishops Barbershop, pay $75 in gift certificates and get $100 in services. Seven locations around the Portland area, please call for specific details and redemption guidelines.

– For the Seattle Mariners fan, get in on this deal: a $50 gift pack gives you a voucher for 4 reserved tickets, plus a $20 Mariners gift card that you can use towards food or merchandise; or get the $116 gift pack and receive a voucher for 4 field level tickets and $20 gift card. You must order online and the deadline is today, Thursday December 17th.

– Burgerville, for every $25 you spend in gift cards, you’ll get a $5 card for free.

– Godfather’s Pizza, buy $25 worth of gift cards and get a large 2-topping pizza free. A coupon is required at the time of purchase; go to RedPlum to print the coupon online or look for the coupon in your mailbox. Or call the restaurant manager to see if you really need the coupon at all.

– McGrath’s Fish House, for every $25 in holiday gift cards, receive a 20% bonus card (must be redeemed between January 1st, 2010 – February 28th, 2010).

– Chevy’s, buy $50 in gift cards and get a $10 bonus card (must be redeemed between January 1st, 2010 – February 28th, 2010).

– Buffalo Wild Wings, buy a $25 gift card and get a $5 gift card back (offer not available on gift cards purchased online). Gift card must be redeemed between January 1st, 2010 – February 28th, 2010.

– Del Taco, buy $10 in gift cards and receive a coupon good for two free tacos for a future visit.

– If you are a Costco member, you can get two $50 gift certificates for just $79.99. Choose from Baja Fresh, McCormick & Schmick’s and Restaurants Unlimited (parent company of Stanford’s, Newport Bay, Portland City Grill, Manzana and more).

– If you are not a Costco member, you can still take advantage of Restaurants Unlimited restaurant bonuses: the Portland City Grill, Newport Bay, Henry’s Tavern, Stanford’s, Billy Heartbeats and Kincaid’s will give you $10 in gift cards for every $50 you purchase, AND they’re giving 5% of all gift card sales in kind to local children’s hospitals.

– Applebee’s, buy $50 in gift cards and receive a free $10 bonus card. Available only at your neighborhood location (in other words, you can’t buy it online).

– Denny’s, buy a $25 gift card and receive a $5 Denny’s card to use later.

– PF Chang’s holiday gift offer: For every $50 in gift cards purchased online, or at any P.F. Chang’s Restaurant, you will receive a $10 Be Our Guest Card for use in 2010. Offer ends 12/31/09.

– Marie Callender’s, purchase a $25 gift card and receive a bonus $5 gift voucher, which you must redeem from 1/1/10 through 1/31/10 with the purchase of $20 or more.

– Qdoba, purchase a $25 Q-Cash gift card and receive a $5 voucher; the voucher can only be redeemed January 1st, 2010 – February 28th, 2010.

– Sweet Tomatoes, purchase $100 in gift cards and receive a free meal pass (value is about $9).

– Outback Steakhouse, purchase $100 worth of Outback Gift Cards and receive a $20 bonus card and a free music download from Sugarland. The bonus card is valid 1/1/10 through 2/10/10.

– Claim Jumper Restaurant, for every purchase of $50 in gift cards through December 31st, 2009, Claim Jumper will give you a $10 bonus card valid January 2nd – March 31st, 2010.

– International House of Pancakes (IHOP), purchase a $25 gift card and receive a $5 coupon for your next visit (coupon expires January 31st, 2010).

– Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, purchase a gift card of $10 or more and receive a free pretzel (you may need to sign up for their ‘Pretzel Perks’ program to get the bonus offer).

Whew! That’s quite a list, but we know it is still incomplete! We have heard of offers from The Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesdays, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Daphne’s Greek Cafe and Famous Dave’s among others, but we have not been able to verify them. If you know of more gift card deals and bonuses, please share and post them in the comments section of this post. Thanks for reading and for your support (…please forward this post to any friends or colleagues that might enjoy it…)!