At their core, it’s important to understand that tuition reward programs are marketing gimmicks. They’re used by for-profit corporations to try to get parents to choose certain products or services over others. This means that using them will not make you more than you spend; it will only redirect some of what you’re already spending toward a child’s college education. In other words, don’t go spending thousands more than you already do on groceries because it’ll only put a few hundred extra dollars back in your pocket.

But with this in mind, a parent or student who chooses to be strategic in how and where he spends can easily save thousands. The trick is to know these programs inside and out, to have a good handle on what your existing and future living expenses will be, and to get as many relatives participating as possible.

Most of these programs work by having you register your existing credit and debit cards online with the program sponsor. Then, every time you shop at a participating retailer, they automatically send a percentage of what you spend to your tuition rewards account. This amount does not increase the cost of the goods or services you buy, but it is more like a discount that each partner company gives to attract and reward customers. The organization running the program then takes a cut of the money you earn as its compensation, without charging you anything additional.

Some of the more substantial amounts you can earn on things like mortgages or cell phone service require additional steps, such as notifying a salesperson ahead of time that you are participating in one of these programs. Failure to do so can result in you missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars in tuition rewards. Again, that’s why it is important to know the fine print of these programs.

Although you might not pile up tens of thousands of dollars in one of these programs, if your tuition bills are due in just a few months, you can still offset some of what you will inevitably owe. In fact, some programs such as UPromise, which I discuss a little later in the chapter, even let you continue to participate after you graduate, directing your earnings toward repaying any student loans you might have.

Because most of the programs are quick and free to join, you shouldn’t move on to the next chapter without signing yourself up. I can guarantee that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you can earn and thankful that you did it, even if your earnings help pay for only one over-priced textbook.

One of the single best things you can do to supercharge any tuition reward program you’re using is to sign up your friends and family, if allowed. Getting grandparents, godparents, and extended family without children of their own to register can increase your earnings by 200 to 300 percent!

Although most of these programs have an automated feature that allows you to send e-mails to the people you know would be happy to contribute, I strongly recommend making an additional announcement on your own because many people and their Internet providers can think your invite is spam. Just make an announcement at the next family gathering or send an e-mail from your own e-mail account because you know it’ll be read.

Be sure to emphasize the following to the friends and family you invite to participate:

Because I don’t want this to be a solution that ends up costing you more than it is worth, I want to reemphasize that you should not buy something simply to earn tuition. Although a dinner at a participating restaurant can earn you $5 toward college, spending $50 to get the reward makes sense only if you were already planning to eat out.

Likewise, if you choose to buy your groceries, gas, or airline tickets somewhere that offers a reward, the prices you pay should still be competitive with other retailers who do not participate. It wouldn’t make any sense to buy gas at $3 per gallon to earn one penny per gallon when the gas station right across the street is selling gas for $2.90 per gallon, with no tuition reward.