Originally Posted by: scrapalette 
Actually, I think the answer is you're not paying anything for rewards merchandise, just the shipping and handling.
Rewards merchandise isn't free, they cost points. If you don't have enough points, you can't get the merchandise.
Quote:Reward points are included "free" in carts. If you are buying carts just for reward points, then your perception might be different. But I think most people buy carts because of the image(s) on the carts and the reward points are a bonus.
Yes, rewards points are free, becaue they aren't the primary reason for the purchase. But, you still have to spend $$$ to get them. Consequently, they have real monetary value, at least to me. They are, in essence, the currency for the rewards site, and I always try to get the most out of my currency, regardless of what type it is or where it came from.
Also, just because something is free doesn't mean it's a good deal. I got a $100 gift card once from a car dealership (one of the biggest in my area), good only at this one website. Just pay the shipping. But the shipping cost of everything on the website was the same as the retail sale price, so nothing was really free.
Quote:As far as how many points are needed to get an item, I think it varies just like the prices of items do. . .if there's lots of stock or the item is high demand or there is a limited quantity, the points needed will vary.
I would think that a company would rather try to unload their overstock inventory thru the sales department where customers are paying cash rather than thru the rewards program where they are essentially giving it away. And if a product is in high demand it probably won't be put on the rewards site anyway.