Review: How I Got Federal 223 at 8¢/round

[butlers]

For those of you who've seen terms like "Active Junky" (AJ), "Ebates", and "Lemoney" thrown around in the Deals, Sales, and Coupons forum but didn't want to ask what they were about, I wanted to write out how it has (successfully) worked for me. I did this a few months ago:
https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1528383

Here's the sequel.

This is Federal's "Black Pack" -- 150 rounds of brass-cased, 55 grain FMJ-BT.
https://www.federalpremium.com/black...E223BF150.html

It's regularly priced at $74.95, which comes out to $0.49967/round. I paid $0.08145/round. Here's how.

**********

Step #1: I bought $175.00 worth of Bass Pro electronic giftcards for $143.04 from Raise.com. The giftcards were already 14% off the face value, but then I used a promotional 5% off promo code (CYBER). You can get them here:
https://www.raise.com/buy-gift-cards...rds=bass%20pro

Total Saved: $31.96 ($175.00 - $143.04)

Step #2: I got $4.29 cash back from BankofAmerica.com for using my Cash Rewards credit card to purchase the Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com. The BofA Cash Rewards card gives you 3.0% cash back for the category you pick; I picked "online merchants". This is the credit card:
https://www.bankofamerica.com/credit...k-credit-card/

Total Saved: $4.96 (3.0% x $143.04)

Step #3: I got $18.00 cash back from Lemoney.com for purchasing the Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com. Lemoney is a rewards program that gives you cash back for buying from certain retailers. Normally the cash back rate is only a few percentage points, but I used five (5) "Turbo Credits" (that I had accumulated) to increase the cash back. As a result, I got 14.6% cash back on the first $120.00 spent at Raise.com, and 2.1% cash back on the remaining $23.04 balance. Here is how the program works:
https://www.lemoney.com/how-turbo-cashback-works

Total Saved: $18.00 ([14.6% x $120.00] + [2.1% x $23.04])

Step #4: I went to Bass Pro's website and added four of the Federal 223 "Black Pack"s to my cart. Here is the item:
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/fede...ire-rifle-ammo

It's currently on sale for $42.49. That brought my cart to a sub-total of $169.96.

Step #5: I then signed up for Bass Pro's military discount:
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/legendary-salute

That gave me 5% off my order. Brought my cart down to a sub-total of $161.46.

Total Saved: $8.50 (5% x $166.96)

Step #6: After checking out, I selected "ship to store" which knocked off the $20 hazmat fee (not that I could get ammunition delivered to my house anyways without a C&R 03-FFL + COE).

Bass Pro added $12.51 for sales tax. Brought my cart back up to a sub-total of $173.97.

Step #7: I applied my $175.00 worth of Bass Pro electronic gift cards to my balance. I had $1.03 left over.

Step #8: I then closed the Bass Pro browser tab, returned to Lemoney.com, and clicked through the referral site again. This got me $20.85 cash back from Lemoney.com for the ammmunition purchase itself from Bass Pro (not the Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com). Again, as described above, Lemoney is a rewards program that gives you cash back from buying from certain retailers. I used five (5) Turbo Credits" (that I had accumulated) to increase the cash back. As a result, I got 13.5% cash back on the first $150.00 spent at Bass Pro, and 3.5% cash back on the remaining $17.40 balance (you don't get cash back for tax).

Total Saved: $20.85 ([13.5% x $150.00] + [3.5% x $17.40])

Step #9: Finally, I'm planning on submitting my rebate for $12.50 back for each "Black Pack".

Details here:
https://promotions.vistaoutdoor.com/EN/US/Home/Brand/68

Discussed on CalGuns here:
https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/....php?t=1571633

Total Saved: $50.00 ($12.50/pack x four packs)

**********

So let's add it all up.

+$42.49 Federal 55gr brass-cased 223, 150 round "Black Pack"
+$42.49 Federal 55gr brass-cased 223, 150 round "Black Pack"
+$42.49 Federal 55gr brass-cased 223, 150 round "Black Pack"
+$42.49 Federal 55gr brass-cased 223, 150 round "Black Pack"
-$8.50 military discount
+$12.51 sales tax
-$31.96 discount from buying Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com
-$4.29 cash back from BofA cash rewards card for buying Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com
-$18.00 cash back from Lemoney for buying Bass Pro electronic gift cards from Raise.com
-$20.85 cash back from Lemoney for buying Federal Black Packs from BassPro.com
-$50.00 rebate from Federal
-----
$48.47 for 600 rounds of brass-cased 223 = $0.08145/round

And...I still have $1.03 left over on my Bass Pro gift card.

**********

Was it worth it?

Pros:
- I got factory brass-cased 223 at 8¢ per round.

Cons:
- I obviously have to share my user data with Bank of America, Bass Pro, Lemoney, and Raise, which means more spam mail/email.
- I had to accumulate ten (10) "turbo credits" at Lemoney over several months to take advantage of higher cash back rates.
- I have to stay on top of my various cash back programs: my cash back from Bank of America should show up in the next billing cycle, but I'll have to wait months for Lemoney's cash back to actually deposit into my PayPal account. That being said, I've had a 100% success rate with anything other than eBay purchases.
- I had to wait for the right sales/promotions. Bass Pro only recently dropped the price of Black Packs from $49.99 down to $42.49; Raise has frequent promo codes, but even so, sometimes it seems like months go by without a promo code.
- I have to submit a rebate form, which I know is annoying for many. That being said, I've had a 100$ success rate with rebate submissions via Vista Outdoors.
- I had to deal with Bass Pro (which I know is not a preferred retailer for many CalGunners).
- Finally, want a military discount? Join the armed forces. YMMV.

Thus, as Paul Harrell would put it..."you be the judge." Only you can decide what's best for you.

**********

However, for those of you who were curious as to how these cash back programs work -- no, they're not a scam (I'm living proof), but yes, they can be a lot of work.

P.S. If you'd like to sign up for Lemoney.com, send me a PM. You get a turbo credit for signing up via my link (and of course, I get one for the referral).

[justMike]

Well, I'm glad you're willing and able to play all those 'games', but many of us just don't want to 'play' all that stuff. Good that it worked for you though.

[deckhandmike]

I’d rather do an hour of overtime. But nice job.

[Dano3467]

I tip my hat to you sir

[cgseanp1]

How’d I know this was going to be a long (very very long) read before I even opened the thread...

[aznxtroplx]

Extreme couponing slick

[CAL.BAR]

I should get .223 for .08 per just for attempting to read OP's post!

[The War Wagon]

Originally Posted by butlers

Review: How I Got Federal 223 at 8¢/round

I know what I'm doing in retirement now!

[DevilDawgJJ]

I stopped reading after, Federal 223.

[Darto]

Stopped Reading? Stopped Reading! Tere Dollas !!

[SDnewbieshooter]

Impressive. Hope you don't need to chase down any of the cash back; I find that for every purchase I make by clicking through AJ, I pretty much have to open a ticket to chase those down.

[chudongtu2002]

Very nice job sir

[SandHill]

OK, sometimes I scope out a pretty good deal online. But you are playing on a whole different level. I am not worthy!

[denpython]

Well done Sir !

Better than "ask Jeeves".

[LT1Silverhawk]

Nicely done!

Your method must be super popular right now because the "Basspro.com is currently experiencing very high demand."

[jgarden]

I'll buy it from you for 10 cents a round and you'll come out even farther ahead.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[Skip_Dog]

Well done. I admire the work you put in. But, as someone stated above I rather put in 1 hour ot and wait for a sale. I did buy 8 boxes of the black packs. 4 9mm and 4 45acp. The rebate submission took about 5 min. Worth a $100 bucks.

[terminal2000]

It's unclear on the Lemoney part. On the website it states:
Cashback is not valid on the redemption of gift cards.

And
CASHBACK EXCLUSIONS - Bass Pro Shops
Ammo FireArms Gift Card

[beanz2]

[RiskyBusiness]

Originally Posted by terminal2000

It's unclear on the Lemoney part. On the website it states:
Cashback is not valid on the redemption of gift cards.

And
CASHBACK EXCLUSIONS - Bass Pro Shops
Ammo FireArms Gift Card

it means they wont payback if you purchase gift cards not if you use them.

[terminal2000]

Originally Posted by RiskyBusiness

it means they wont payback if you purchase gift cards not if you use them.

Even if "redemption" does mean purchasing gift cards.

What about the exclusion part? Doesn't that mean ammo is not eligible for the high cash back rate just like in AJ?

[RiskyBusiness]

Originally Posted by terminal2000

Even if "redemption" does mean purchasing gift cards.

What about the exclusion part? Doesn't that mean ammo is not eligible for the high cash back rate just like in AJ?

good question, hopefully someone with experience using this site could tell us. I always found this one fishy since it was new and we all were already comfortable with AJ. OP says it worked for him though, can anyone else say it did?

[prdubi]

The effort is worth it.

Nice job.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[justMike]

Originally Posted by DevilDawgJJ

I stopped reading after, Federal 223.

Ammo Snob?

[butlers]

Five follow-ups.

1. Lemoney did honor cash back for my ammunition purchase at BassPro.com ("pending" = approved by Lemoney but waiting on confirmation by the store that you didn't return the item; this takes a few months):


2. Ironically, Lemoney has yet to honor cash back for the Bass Pro electronic gift card purchase at Raise.com ("waiting" = still being reviewed by Lemoney):


3. Bass Pro has yet to ship my ammunition, which is annoying because it's showing "in stock" at the store right now. So...I don't understand what I'm waiting for. Can't they just pull it off the shelf and notify me that my order is ready to pick up? Then again, I have 13 days until the rebate submission is due so I'm not worrying just yet.


4. I think we sometimes forget that CalGuns is a public forum and that what we write here does show up in search engines. If you Google "lemoney bass pro", this thread shows up on the first page of search results:


So a reminder to be careful what you post.

5. Finally, I got a PM from someone claiming to be from Lemoney customer service. I thought it was a bit aggressive of Lemoney to create an account on CalGuns and reach out to me (said user joined CalGuns in 2019 December), but the account has since been deactivated so I don't know what's going on. The PM has lots of grammatical errors, however, which makes me think that if it really was from Lemoney, they're either a foreign operation or have outsourced customer service overseas. Take that as you will.

[RiskyBusiness]

i tried to double dip on the rebate by having a separate online order to pick up and even though my name is included to be able to pick it up, because my brothers name is the primary name on the billing address im not allowed to because its ammo. I dont get it though, if its says my name is eligible for pick up, I'm the one going in to do the background check, i paid for it, what is prohibiting me from picking it up? Im assuming its just store policy and not an actual law right? I'll find out tomorrow when i pick up my 45's

[DevilDawgJJ]

Originally Posted by justMike

Ammo Snob?

I am a Glock owner

[L.A. Saiga]

good job butlers

[SandHill]

Originally Posted by butlers

5. Finally, I got a PM from someone claiming to be from Lemoney customer service. I thought it was a bit aggressive of Lemoney to create an account on CalGuns and reach out to me (said user joined CalGuns in 2019 December), but the account has since been deactivated so I don't know what's going on. The PM has lots of grammatical errors, however, which makes me think that if it really was from Lemoney, they're either a foreign operation or have outsourced customer service overseas. Take that as you will.

Wowee! Sounds like Lemoney is run by Chinese speakers who use Google translate for their IM's, then go through by hand and make grammatical "corrections." "However, at the very quite time....." ??? If this is a member pranking you, they've got that style down pat. Next they are going to tell you that someone with your last name died intestate in Nigeria, and they will send you millions if you just give them a percentage upfront for expenses.