When it comes to saving money, most of us think of the usual suspects—discounts, sales, coupons, and maybe the occasional rewards program. But every now and then, people stumble across even better: a loophole.
The interesting part? These loopholes aren’t shady or illegal; they’re just clever little workarounds that people have figured out and happily shared with the world. From getting your paycheck to clear a little faster, to scoring extra perks at McDonald’s, Reddit is full of stories that prove sometimes the smallest hacks can make the biggest difference.
So if you’ve ever wondered what loopholes every American should know about, you’re in for a treat. Some are smart, some are questionable, and others will make you wonder how you never thought of them yourself.
#1
If you feel like checking out the views at Las Vegas’ Stratosphere, go to the bar at the top. You can pay $35 or $40 for two people to ride the elevator to the observation deck–or you can ride to the bar for free and spend that on overpriced booze instead!
hitandrunjim:
This also applies at the Hancock building in Chicago.
Image source: bolshevik_, Christopher_Boswell / Envato
#2
Sprint gives you a discount on your monthly phone bill if you say you’re a friend/relative of an employee. All you do is enter the CEO’s email address online when you sign up, since it’s listed on their website.
Image source: anon, Raul_Mellado / Envato
#3
If you have student loans and are having trouble paying them back, apply for income based repayments. You’ll wind up paying (most likely, but it could go up to 10%) around 5% of your income to your loans. After 20 years, no matter how much is left on the balance, the loan is forgiven.
Anon:
I have some friends who have found that it will cost them less to stay in school forever instead of paying their loans.
Image source: CriticalThink, anatoliycherkas / Envato
#4
For every family or single person making $30k or less per year, the IRS will file your taxes for you for free. If you go to a local branch during their specified hours, they will have their own agent look through your stuff and find basically everything you’re qualified to receive.
This is great for college students and anyone else who may need to catch up or has never done their taxes before. When I was able to do this, the IRS people were super friendly and worked tirelessly to get me everything they could think of. I also didn’t see many other people there, so I guess they were glad to be doing something.
*edit: didn’t expect this to be at the top, but I wanted to clarify something: You will sit down with an actual IRS agent who will look through your stuff and ask you questions to try to find everything you qualify for. There are free alternatives online and from local sources (my alma mater offered this from the business college), but IMO nothing beats having an actual IRS agent–the same guys who come to audit you–filing your taxes for you.*.
Image source: Actius, AnnaStills
#5
On Sundays you can park in Yellow commercial loading/unloading zones for free. I love parking in them when I am in downtown San Diego and people just look at me like I’m a tool.
Read your drivers manual.
TheBlackUnicorn:
I’m really impressed at how difficult people find it to read the rules and understand when/where/how much they have to pay to park in some areas.
I’ve seen people feeding meters at like midnight because I guess they can’t be bothered to go read the sign that says when you have to pay. Likewise any area that says NO PARKING LOADING ZONE EXCEPT SUNDAY or 8AM-6PM you can basically just expect will be a free and open parking spot all night and all day Sunday that you can just take because people can’t be bothered to read past “NO PARKING”
Edit: And another thing! One thing that sort of puzzled me for a while was about a year ago my city switched to these parking kiosks instead of meters. So where previously you would have to feed the meter, now you just find the nearest kiosk and put in your number plate. It’s an advantage in one sense, now you can pay by credit card or cash. It’s a huge disadvantage in other ways though, they took down all the signs that indicated 1. when you would have to pay and 2. the price, so in order to find out that information you have to park and find a kiosk. For a while I thought the city was taking a hit because the kiosks won’t let you pay them unless you have to, so no more quarters from that pig-headed guy feeding the meter at 2AM, on the flipside it seems they probably make up for that because I’ve never gotten the damn things to charge me less than $1, and sometimes I don’t need a dollar’s worth of parking.
Image source: Jewbelookinggood, pxhere
#6
University in Europe is almost free if you compare it to American education, even for foreigners. You need to prove you have money to live (in Germany it’s something around 700 Euro, so 1000 USD), and you get a permit to stay in the country to pursue a degree…
Image source: thaway314156, mstandret / Envato
#7
If you ever find yourself in Hyannis, Massachusetts, tours of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory are totally free and you get several free mini bags of chips after each tour.
Image source: selkiee, Amy Meredith
#8
This one is for New York residents. If you go to the Waldorf Towers hotel, walk to the end of the reception lobby and you’ll find a bowl of the biggest, most juiciest apples ever. They’re for paying residents only, so walking in from the main entrance just to grab one will reveal you to be a ruffian just out for a free apple.
This is what you will need to do: enter the Waldorf *Astoria* hotel, get the lift to the 44th floor, get out and walk clockwise until you find the Waldorf Towers lift, get in and head down to reception. Now you will emerge from the lifts looking like a paying resident, and you can grab an apple from the bowl and continue on your merry way. The whole process takes around 7 minutes, but it’s so worth it for that apple.
p.s. I last did this several times when I was in NY back in 2010. The only thing I can’t remember exactly is the number of which floor to get off – I think it’s 44, but I’m not too sure. Regardless, when you’re in the lift, select the floor on which all the ballrooms and banqueting suites are situated on – that’s the floor which spreads over *both* the Waldorf Astoria and the Waldorf Towers, and thus has lifts for both hotels. Good luck, comrades.
Image source: ariiiiigold, Reading Tom
#9
If you don’t like the rental car given to you, tell them the brakes don’t feel right and they will give you a new car. I think it’s a huge liability if they don’t give you a new car.
Image source: selectix, Getty Images / Unsplash
#10
Extra cheese is free on cheeseburgers at Five Guys.
Sonicmantis:
So is extra bacon. Source: I used to be a 5 guys guy.
Image source: waitwutok, rohaneh / Envato
#11
If you don’t have a discount card for a grocery store, and they accept telephone numbers, entering the local area code followed by 867-5309 always works. You can bet that someone out there signed up for a card and didn’t want to give their actual telephone number. We can thank Tommy Tutone for giving us all a go to fake number.
Image source: anon, ASphotostudio / Envato
#12
If you need to iron something while away from home, pull into any decent motel (Best Western Express) or similar, and ask the room cleaning ladies if you can use the irons or steamers for a few minutes. I’ve even showered and shaved for a 10 buck tip. The cleaning girls have never denied me out of the 5 or 6 times I’ve done that. Walk in like you own the joint.
Image source: WurdSmyth, wirestock / Envato
#13
Buy a season pass to Six flags, also buy the all you can lunch/dinner pass go every day. For 250 bucks you have two meals a day for 3 months plus rides. Yeah it would get old after awhile but it beats starving.
Image source: wileybot, oneinchpunchphotos
#14
You can buy alcohol and use the pharmacy at Costco without having a membership.
Image source: camps42, Tony Webster
#15
I can’t say I know anyone who’s done this, but here’s a classic that’s stuck with me since reading “Steal This Book”.
Every year the National Park Service gives away surplus elks in order to keep the herds under its jurisdiction from outgrowing the amount of available land for grazing. Write to: Superintendent, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone, Wyoming 83020. You must be prepared to pay the freight charges for shipping the animal and guarantee that you can provide enough grazing land to keep the big fellow happy.
Image source: anon
#16
If you deposit your checks at an ATM rather than at the teller window, the funds will clear faster – usually a day or two. I’ve tried this with checks up to $32,000 and it always works.
EDIT: I’m getting the impression from the responses that this policy varies bank to bank, so YMMV. But this has been my experience at Wells Fargo. Deposit at teller window, 5-7 days to clear. Deposit at ATM, 2 days.
Image source: ConkeyDong, Nick Pampoukidis
#17
Call up any given subscription service and say you want to cancel because you’re switching to their competitor, chances are they’ll throw in some small discount or upgraded features if you stay with them. If not just say you changed your mind, no harm done.
Image source: benfsullivan
#18
Go to McDonald’s and buy two McDoubles. Ask for one with no ketchup or mustard and a second with with no ketchup or mustard but add mac sauce and shredded lettuce. Remove top bun off first sandwich and place second burger on top of it. CONGRATS, YOU JUST GOT A DOUBLE BIG MAC FOR UNDER THREE DOLLARSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Image source: ipatch, grapeflavouring / reddit
#19
Not technically a loophole but if you add items to your cart on most big (and smart) ecommerce sites then leave, you will get an email soon for a discount. This also works with ads on other sites. This is why I don’t use Adblock.
Especially big in hotel chains. Get a quote, quit your browser and visit major sites like CNN and espn and you’ll see ads for the site you were on w/ a coupon code.
Image source: bendistraw, Marques Thomas
#20
Many private colleges offer family members of employees a tuition free education at the university they work at. I’m an electrician and several of my co-workers have taken up jobs as maintenance electricians just to put their kids thru school.
Image source: Ibewye
#21
You can put snacks into your bag before you go to a movie theater (they almost never check a purse or handbag in my experience), in order to save loads of money you’d otherwise spend on theater food. Theaters make a lot of their profit on the food they sell you, so if you want to support the theater you shouldn’t do this, but if you’re looking to save a buck, that’s one way.
Image source: anon
#22
Military on leave can use their leave form in place of a fishing license in their state of residence. Good for going to premium waters without worrying about paperwork.
Image source: nycdk, kazakova0684 / Envato
#23
Do you trust your wife? What I mean is, do you think she’d go behind your back? Try to hamstring you? Because if you do trust her, there’s no reason in the world you can’t keep every cent of that money. If you want to keep that money, all of it, just give it to your wife. See, the IRS allows you a one-time-only gift to your spouse. It’s good up to sixty thousand dollars. Tax free. IRS can’t touch one cent.
Image source: ssalcdlrow
#24
If you ever go to visit France, there’s a back entrance to the louvre.
Image source: viking_
#25
If you reset the date on your phone, you can get a whole new set of lives on candy crush.
Image source: katers1213
#26
I signed up for a gym membership when I was 17. I swear the guy said that if I don’t go for a month, I don’t pay.
Anyhow, 5 months later I owe close to $1000. They called for collections on a Saturday. Mg dad overheard my side of the conversation and asked for the phone.
Pick it up he said, ” are you aware you entered into a contract with a minor?” A few seconds later he hung up. I never heard anything else about it.
Also, my wife did the math. She went back to school after our son. Her school would have been close to free if we just divorced.
Edit: late fees on the membership and the stuff my wife looked up was 4 yrs ago.
Image source: anon, Clay Banks
#27
New York City folk:
You unfortunately need to poop in Times Square? No problem. Walk into the Mariott Marquis, and head to the fifth floor. Don’t look around, don’t stop, dont take the elevators (theyre not like every other elevator). Just head for the escalators and walk it.
You’ll find clean, quiet, and large bathrooms just ready to be defiled by your disgusting filth.
Edit: you can actually get away with quite a bit in NYC hotels *as long as you look like you’re supposed to be there.* If everyone around you is in a suit and you’re wearing a “keep calm and whatever” shirt, you’ll stick out.
Image source: anon
#28
If you live in TX, if you have $1K or less in traffic tickets, and a full time job, you can go sit in a holding cell on weekends after work, (Friday nights 10pm – Sunday evening 5pm) and get time served and reduce the ticket fines all the way to zero. Just get wasted before you go in and take a couple of paperbacks.
Image source: LasherDeviance, weewendy / Envato
#29
Never pay fees.
NOT FINES. fees.
for instance, if you’re late on a credit card payment, you’re going to get fined a late fee, but if you pay your credit card via phone they’re going to charge you a fee. NEVER PAY FEES.
The Consumerist had a huge write up about this but essentially, never pay them, threaten to cancel your service with any provider of anything if they charge you fee’s you don’t agree with, most people don’t realize that calling up said company and spending the 20 minutes of waiting through automated IVR’s and different reps, will generally pay off.
I have not paid a fee in over 2 years on anything. If some new fee pops up on anything im contracted to (phone/cable) I refuse outright and demand it to be waived. 9/10 they will waive to keep you as a customer. If not I’ll bark all the way up a corporate ladder over 10 bucks, I refuse to be taken advantage of.
Image source: ar0nic
#30
Check the back of your fast food receipts for invitations to call surveys. Many places give free food on the assumption that you will also buy sides or something.
Arby’s used to give a free regular or beef and cheddar for a 1 minute survey. I would order through the drive through, go park, take the survey on my cell, write the code down, and go back through the drive thru. Many times the free sandwich would come with a receipt with another invitation on the back, so I’d have basically a free sandwich coupon ready for next time I visit. Oh, and if you tell the employee through the speaker that you have the coupon, NEVER offer it to them at the window. Make them ask for it.
Depending on where you live, Wendy’s might give a free single-patty burger with any purchase or $2 off a burger for taking their survey. I used to order sliced jalapeños (29¢) and put them on my free burger.
I have done this with a few other places as well. Taco Bueno would give a party taco. Burger King a Whopper with drink purchase. These change all the time but they’re out there if you look. Most people never glance at the back of their fast food receipt.
Image source: dunaja
#31
Not really a loophole, but American citizens can visit a large amount of countries without needing visas. Those that do require visas are not as difficult to get if you’re an American citizen compared to other countries. Go out and see the world!
Image source: PrinceTrollestia
#32
All John deer lawn tractors use the same key.
Image source: anon
#33
If you have a job that requires you to drive during work, (delivery driver, driving up to a specific location on the clock, etc) you can keep a record of the miles you drove during that time period. Notate the the mileage at the beginning of your driving shift, and at the end, and include dates. Going to and from work does not count. At the end of the fiscal year, you can give that list to the IRS and you will receive compensation. Maybe not a loophole, but not everyone knows this!
Image source: kriskringle19
#34
If you are like me and only go to BJs Wholesale Club once every few months to stock up on non-perishables, you don’t need to buy a membership. Instead, just Google “free BJs trial membership.” You can get a free 60-day membership any time you need to stock up.
Image source: kodiak1120
#35
You can ask for Big Mac sauce on anything at McDonald’s.
Anything.
Image source: anon
#36
If you want free breakfast, you can go to almost any major Hotel chain between 7-10am, they’ll most likely have a breakfast buffet and as long as you look like you belong there, nobody will question you. It helps if the place is busy.
Edit: Hotels, restaurants, etc. usually make too much food and end up throwing away a lot, especially if it is a buffet. One person taking food that was probably going to end up in the trash anyway isn’t so bad.
Image source: SwoccerFields
#37
If you want to contribute to a Roth IRA but your income is too high, you can contribute to a Traditional IRA and convert it to a Roth.
There have been endless discussions about whether this is legal, usually citing a few cases of people who have gotten in trouble with the IRS for doing it. But the income limit for conversions was explicitly removed a few years ago, so it’s hard to argue that no one thought this would happen.
Image source: CassiusCray
#38
You don’t have to stop and show your receipt to a store employee on your way out. They can’t legally keep you from leaving with things you’ve already paid for.
Image source: anon
#39
You can shop at Costco with a gift-card if you don’t have a membership.
Image source: hurrikkaine
#40
I once heard that admission fees to some New York museums are in reality optional, and that by law they’re required to allow admittance for a dollar or so. I’m not from NY so is this true at all?
EDIT: Wow I’m glad so many liked this! I guess it’s not a loophole if the museum advertises their policy. Either way, ya’ll have some great fun and interesting trips, and hopefully not just in NY either!
Image source: Arashmickey
#41
In an age where most financial institutions are tightening up their fees and free checking accounts are going the way of the dodo bird, nearly every credit union and bank offers free checking accounts to students, active military and senior citizens.
And at almost every bank, there’s usually a way around having to pay monthly service fees through some sort of account package or program. For example, at our bank you can have service charges waived by sending out a certain number of bill payments each month. Some customers will set up multiple $1 bill payments (which itself is a free service) and have the checks mailed to themselves. Redeposit the checks back into the same account, no fees. I personally have another account at another bank where the fees are waived with direct deposit, so I have my paycheck direct deposit split so $1 goes into that account, the rest into my main account at my primary bank.
The point being, if you are paying fees on your account at your credit union or bank, ask them for ways to avoid those fees. Most of the time, you can get around them.
Image source: mlhradio
#42
It is pretty easy to get food stamps these days, even as a student. Also if you’re poor and wanna go to college, FAFSA also works out great if you go to a state school.
EDIT: In my state is is easy to get a PELL grant after filling out fafsa info that will pay for your full tuition, unless you are under 23, unmarried, and have rich parents. I know people who have gotten full ride scholarships, and have still gotten 10k in PELL grants that they just pocket as cash, which in my opinion is terrible management of government funds, but it is reality.
Also In my state you can still get food stamps as a student if you’re working 20 hours a week, which is common. Not really a loophole, just things many people don’t take advantage but are eligible for.
Image source: duhhobo
#43
If you have Geico insurance call up and say you have Berkshire Hathaway stock. They will give you about ~8% discount for the Associate discount. Takes less than 5 minutes on the phone.
Image source: anon
#44
Free video games for a week. Go to Gamestop buy a used game, return within a week and get your money back.
Image source: Commode
#45
At Chipotle, when they ask what would you like, say a bowl but then ask for a tortilla on the side. Thus, when you go to sit down, you can make your own burrito and still have some left over in the bowl.
Why is it worth it? Because a burrito typically as less than a bowl when they make it; however, a burrito is more filling. So after you make and eat your burrito you will still have some food left in your bowl and you will be fuller. The tortilla on the side is FREE!
Image source: _emptypond
#46
It’s often cheaper (and bigger) to order multiple kid’s meals at restaurants (say, a Mexican restaurant, for example) than regular meals. For take out orders, it’s less suspicious.
Also, this isn’t really a “loophole” but it’s easy to forget that many fast food chains like McDonald’s will accept competitor’s coupons for similar items. So all that junk mail you receive for restaurants you don’t like suddenly becomes worth something.
Enjoy the extra pounds.
Image source: vargonian
#47
You can take more than one free sample.
Image source: cam_malkavian
#48
HSAs (Health Saving Accounts) have a nice loophole. If you sign up for one (ask your HR department if they are available) but don’t contribute any money to it, you can still get the tax break.
Normally you contribute money on a regular basis to your HSA and it’s pre-tax. Meaning the money comes off the top of your income before the tax is calculated. You then use this money to pay for any medical expense. Copays, deductibles, etc. [Here is a full list of what qualifies.] (http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/index.html)
So here is how the loophole works. You open an HSA and contribute zero dollars to it. You have some sort of medical expense that you pay out of pocket. Let’s say it’s $100 dollars. You go to your HR and say you want to increase your HSA contribute. $100 in contributions will cost less than that, how much less depends on your tax bracket. Call it $60 bucks off your paycheck. You then take the money from the HSA to pay yourself back for the money you already spent out of pocket.
The only rule is the HSA must have already been established.
tl;dr free money.
Image source: graeleight
#49
If you employer offers a 401k plan, use it!
If your tax rate is 25%, then every dollar you put into the 401k is like getting an instantaneous 33% return.
Just make sure you have enough cash flow to live the life you normally like to live, save up a 6 month cash buffer, and then save the excess cash flow in your 401k.
Image source: gadela08
#50
If you’re going to buy something online, stop by www.retailmenot.com first. They have a list of promo codes for just about every online store. You might be able to get an extra 10% off or free breadsticks or any number of things.
Image source: TheCivilJerk
#51
If you’re in the military and about to do a DITY move:
Buy yourself a used boat/trailer combo. When you move, your boat/trailer will be paid for by the pound. If you move a heavy enough boat far enough, you will get more for your move than the boat costs.
I discovered this when I bought a boat, and had no intention of cashing in. But sure enough, my $2700 boat/trailer ended up getting me paid just over $4,000 in DITY money.
So there you go. I’m pretty sure this trick isn’t supposed to be known by your average enlisted person
Image source: Ilikefrogs
#52
There was a loop hole in OKC’s traffic code where if the cop issuing the ticket failed to appear at the trial, your ticket would be dismissed.
Any ticket I received, I would post bond and request a court date. Then I would show up and if the cop didn’t, the ticket was dismissed and my bond was returned. I literally got off scott free from about 8/10 tickets. 1 of the other 2 was minor so I paid and moved on, the other I requested driving school and got it – so after I completed that, the ticket was dropped.
I heard they changed this recently and now the DA prosecutes the traffic tickets but I’m not 100% sure about that. Your city may be different but you should check. It can save you lots of money in fines and insurance increases.
**sorry – didn’t realize this wasn’t a loophole but a “known issue”. Was trying to help others
Image source: JTfromOKC
#53
Look into going to private school for college. Sometimes they have tons more financial aid, and threshold incomes for a full ride – making them way more affordable than state school (especially if you are going out of state).
Image source: anon
#54
Here is my contribution….When I worked at a theme park searching bags there was a no food rule, except for people who had medical conditions. For people who have food allergies or have to eat special diets. They told us never, ever to question it if someone said the food was for someone with a medical condition. And sure enough a couple times I let people in no questions asked who had food because they said it was for medical reasons.
Image source: omegamom
#55
Is there a Restaurant Depot near where you live? Normally they are only for people who are actually in the restaurant industry, but if you go in and tell them you want to compare them to Sysco, they will happily give you a free one day pass, no questions asked.
Image source: CapnGrundlestamp
#56
When you want to buy a new car, and it’s a really popular model, like the Mustang Boss 302 or Shelby Mustang GT500 that the dealers like to rake you over the coals and jack up the price, get a Costco membership and buy it through them. You get it at a really great price and the dealer can’t jack up the price.
Image source: n0th1ng_r3al
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