Black Friday Success: My experience making money and giving back with Kohl’s

A few days ago, I wrote about Kohl’s yearly Black Friday sale, where you can ultimately purchase many Toastmaster appliances, all while making money. This is my fourth year in a row taking advantage of this offer, so I wanted to share my experience. And fortunately, it’s still not too late for you to jump on this deal as well.

Ultimately, I spent $704.04 on 42 appliances. I then earned $504 in Visa gift cards (per the rebate), 3,312 Chase Ultimate Reward points, 704 World of Hyatt points and$210 in Kohl’s cash. Like I do every single year, I’ll be donating these appliances to an organization that helps those who are moving into their own home from a shelter.

Step 1: Go through a shopping portal

Before you go to the Kohl’s website, you are going to want to start at an online shopping portal. If you are looking for cash back, Swagbucks is offering the most with 3% cash back. Although, if you aren’t yet a Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) member, you’ll earn $40 as a new member — and then earn 1% cash back.

I personally went through the Chase Ultimate Reward portal. You’ll see that some Chase cards are offering 3x points, while others are offering 5x points. My Chase Freedom Flex card is offering 5x points, so that’s the route I went with this promotion.

I purchased six different orders that cost $110.44 each, thus earning me 552 points per order. In total, I’ll earn 3,312 Chase Ultimate Reward points.

Since I value these points at 2 cents a piece, that’s worth $66.

Step 2: Use a Kohl’s coupon code

There are two different coupon codes to use to maximize your savings. Use code ENJOY15 to take 15% off your order, plus code HOME10 to take $10 off a $50 home purchase. The caveat is that to receive free shipping, you need to spend $75+ and on every $50 spent you receive Kohl’s cash (more below), so I made sure to spend as close to (but at least) $100 as possible.

Pre-tax, I spent $110.44 on seven items. Post-tax, my cost was $117.34. This means I spent $16.76 per item. And, $704.04 in total. 

Step 3: Use the best credit card

I personally used my World of Hyatt credit card. While this won’t earn me the most in rewards, I am working on earning milestone benefits, which is worth it for me. This means I earned 704 World of Hyatt points. I also value Hyatt points at around 2 cents apiece, which means a $14 return.

However, there are much better off cards out there to maximize your return, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited that’ll earn you 1.5x points per dollar spent. Or, use a 2% cash back card.

Step 4: Earn Kohl’s Cash

Currently, Kohl’s is giving out $15 in Kohl’s cash for every $50 spent. This means for every order I made — since it was just over $100 — I earned $30 in Kohl’s cash. With my six orders in total, this will earn me $180 in Kohl’s cash. Note: This cash can be used at Kohl’s stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 8, 2021 and there are very few exclusions.

Tip: If you have nothing to purchase at that point, make a purchase for in-store pick up. If you don’t pick up the item after a certain amount of days, they’ll cancel the item and put the cash back into your account with a later expiration date.

Then, if you are a Kohl’s Rewards member, you’ll earn 5% in Kohl’s rewards. Balances are converted and issued in $5 increments on the first day of the following month and are valid for 30 days. With the 

Now, if you go all in and purchase multiple items, you can get $15 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend. I personally find Kohl’s Cash incredibly easy to use and it is truly “free money†to use at Kohl’s on your next shopping trip. Kohls’ Cash can be used between Nov. 27 and Dec. 8, 2021.

On top of the $15 in Kohl’s cash, you’ll also earn 5% in Kohl’s Rewards by signing up to be a Kohl’s Rewards member. Balances are converted and issued in $5 increments on the first day of the following month and are valid for 30 days. With this promotion, I earned an extra $30 in Kohl’s cash. 

In total, I earned $210 in Kohl’s cash.

Step 5: Mail-in Rebate

Each item is eligible for a $12 mail in rebate. You’ll have to send in the barcode on the item, the receipt and fill out the form. Purchases must be made by TODAY, Nov. 26. The rebate is in the form of a Visa gift card. I’ve never had a problem receiving the rebate in the past.

Once I send in for the rebate, I’ll end up with $504 in Visa Gift Cards. (I purchased 42 items in total).

My math

In total, I spent $704.04 on the 42 small appliances.

I’ll then earn:

• $504 in Visa Gift Cards
• $210 in Kohl’s Cash
• 704 World of Hyatt points (I value at $14)
• 3,312 Chase Ultimate Reward points (I value at $66)

My ‘earnings” will end up being $794. 

This means I am coming out ahead by about $90, while also having 42 small appliances in my possession. Of course I could keep these, or even sell them. But, I will be giving back and donating them. It makes me feel good to donate to this particular organization I found (there are MANY organizations to donate to) and spread the holiday cheer.

Just remember though, per the rebate terms, all items must be purchased by Nov. 26, 2021.

Will you be taking advantage of this promotion? What’s your strategy?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As always, thank you for supporting the blog and enjoy traveling on a deal.