Filling out Information : If you don’t feel comfortable giving out all your information you can give your first name and last initial. I typically do this only because I don’t feel they need everything, just where to send my freebie to!
This is my all time favorite thing to use to fill out all these free sample forms! RoboForm is an awesome one click program that fills in all your information for you. So when you have tons of forms one after the other or a time sensitive promotion you can fill it out quickly and easily. It is free up to so many identities. (This does not work with all forms, but for most it does. Always double check the info. filled out to make sure it’s in the correct place)
Do not add your phone number, DL #, etc. into Roboform. Always leave these blank so you can fill these out when it’s required. Some forms ask for a phone number as an option but not a requirement.
Virus Protection : This is something i recommend to everyone doing these deals. When you click on different link after different link you’re bound to run across some malware which is typical but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to protect your system. I highly recommend everyone having an anti virus program and running scans often. A great free spyware program to use is Microsoft Security Essentials (this is what I currently use)
Seperate Email : We all know how these deals entail you giving your email. Create a separate email account to sign up with all these offers on so they don’t possibly junk up your good email account. I actually have four emails. I have one for my blog only, one for my sign ups and offers, one for all my surveys and one main one that my hubby and I share. That’s a lot of emails I know but it works for me.
Password Required : It’s a general rule to never use the same password for everything, this is especially important if you ever have to create an account to sign up for an offer. Never use your password that goes to your personal accounts such as email, Twitter, Banks, etc. I recommend coming up with a specific password to use on all freebie requests.
Phone Number Required : Never hand out your regular phone number unless it’s a sweepstakes or a site that you want contacting you. With sweepstakes you DO want them calling you to tell you if you’ve won! I don’t suggest handing out your neighbors number or your ex’s but instead use a fax number or the number to your local weather line.
Credit Card Required : This is for the sites that offer $1 Trial membership for first month or some deal sites that offer something free after promo but a Credit Card number is still required. On these I do not suggest using your personal card but instead to use a prepaid card like the American Express prepaid card with no fees. This frees up all worry that you might forget to cancel in time or they might charge more than promised.
For other promotions that require a credit card, make sure you are wanting to sign up with them for that product. If a survey site is asking you for a credit card number do not use it, do not hand your CC number out to just any site.
Freebie Notice : Please keep in mind that a lot of times companies get overwhelmed by the response for their free products/samples and do not send out to everyone. This is not a common occurrence but it does happen, so you may not receive everything you submit for.
These are such great tips!