With so many free to enter competitions available online, you might wonder why anyone would want to enter a competition if they had to pay to do so. The truth is that some of these raffle competitions can be really appealing. They often offer very large prizes and are promoted in an enticing manner. As with any type of competition, it is important to ensure that it is genuine and that you don’t unwittingly get drawn into giving away personal information. And with paid to enter competitions, you also need to be careful of being drawn into spending too much money.
Here we take a look at what to watch out for and steps you can take to protect yourself.
Paid to Enter Raffle Competitions Vs Free Competitions
Paid to enter competitions will usually offer significantly larger prizes than free competitions which can make them seem very attractive. Often, competition providers rely on attracting a large number of entrants for an attractively low entry fee.
A good example would be the National Lottery. Everyone knows that a portion of the entry fee goes towards prizes, with the rest of the money raised supporting good causes as well as covering operating and administrative costs. In this case, the competition provider is well known and the competition is well managed, within legal and gambling requirements.
So, if you are looking for a big prize, then you may consider it worthwhile paying an entry fee for a competition.
Monitor your Level of Spending
One of the potential risks with paid for competitions is that you can be enticed into spending far more than you originally intended. Entering competitions as a hobby doesn’t need to cost money. To enjoy entering competitions it is not necessary to enter raffle competitions as there are so many amazing free competitions available. However if you have the financial means to pay to enter then there are some good genuine prizes. A good plan is to pre-plan exactly how much you can afford, or want, to spend on entering competitions and stick to it.
For those who have trouble sticking to a budget, we would strongly recommend against entering raffle competitions.
Check if You Can Enter Raffle Competitions for Free
It may sound counter intuitive but you can enter a number of paid-for competitions for free. Sometimes this can involve sending a postal entry, rather than being able to enter online but the payback for a little inconvenience can be worth it.
There is a legal requirement to ensure that any free-entry routes should be explained clearly and prominently. The interpretation this varies, so read the small print. Often less genuine websites will not make this information clear to you.
Check the Competition is Genuine
As with all competitions, it makes sense to check to ensure a competition is genuine. The usual rules that apply to free competitions also apply to paid for raffles. These include:
1. Check the website for the competition. Is it secure? Does the rest of the website look as you would reasonably expect? For example, does the rest of the website relate to their work, their products and how they serve their customers? Also check how long they have been running for and check for a list of recent winners.
2. Check that the information you are providing is reasonable. It should raise warning flags if too much personal information is being requested.
3. Consider using a separate card with a fixed limit or a prepaid card to make any payments. That way any potential loss if the card is hacked in any way is limited.
4. If something doesn’t feel right, there is usually a reason. Don’t allow yourself to be blinded by the size of the potential prize.
There has been a huge rise in raffle and pay to enter competition websites online, which can make it difficult to establish which are genuine. If in doubt, don’t enter.
Find genuine competitions today at Competition Finder.
