affiliate yourself

Over the least year or so, I have managed to create some successful affiliate campaigns that bring in several revenue streams each month that help to pay the bills. One of the things that I noticed is that many of these affiliate programs do not have any restrictions against making purchases through your own affiliate links. There are some real perks to this approach at shopping. For one, you can combine your savings with online coupons and offers for free shipping. Then a month or so later, you'll get your commission, which makes the deal even cheaper.

Although the idea of becoming an "affiliate" sounds pretty involved (and sometimes requires a website), in most cases, it is as easy as clicking on a button and accepting some terms. Check the detailed guidelines if you're worried about getting in trouble for shopping through your own affiliate links. However, don't forget that you can always have your spouse or a relative or friend purchase something for you to get it cheaper, if they don't allow affiliate to buy items through their own links. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to go out and buy something just because you can get a discount for it (unless you want to resell it), but if you were going to make a large purchase anyway it makes sense to try and generate an affiliate account with them that you can use to get an extra 5-20% off.

Update: One caveat - If you follow a coupon link to a merchant site through someone else's website, you're likely passing through their affiliate link, so you won't get the commission. However, if you use a coupon code that you found at the merchant's site, there is a good chance that you can use it and still get your affiliate commission if you arrive at their site through your own affiliate link.