Your city for less

By Jennie Bragg, producer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With restaurants, salons and yoga studios from coast to coast using the services of flash-sale websites to offer deep discounts to customers, paying full price seems downright silly.

Hop onboard the web coupon band wagon and you could save a bundle of cash on your next date night or spa package.

GiltCity.com

Deals in: Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

What you get: This site offers weekly sales up to 90% off. Just select your city and browse discounts on everything from restaurants to spas to home services.

Groupon.com

Deals in: Over 150 cities world-wide

What you get: Sign up and a daily deal for your city is emailed directly to you. Purchase and redeem "groupons" for restaurant deals and other services around your city, or buy them as gifts. Most daily deals allow the purchase of up to two.

The catch: This is a group activity. The deal is only activated if a certain number of people purchase the "groupon."

LivingSocialDeals.com

Deals in: Nearly 100 North American cities, and 4 European cities

What you get: Similar to Groupon, LivingSocial emails out a daily deal. If you make a purchase, you are emailed a unique link to share with friends and family. If three other people purchase the deal from the link that you send, your deal is absolutely free.

VillageVines.com

Deals in: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and D.C.

What you get: Log onto the site and for $10, secure your dinner reservation at a local restaurant and ensure a 30% discount on the bill for your entire party.

BlackBoardEats.com

Deals in: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, online

What you get: Sign up for a free e-newsletter and receive a 30% discount on your next restaurant bill. Discount codes are for one-time use and most must be used within a month.

While online deals can be a fantastic way to purchase things that you need for less, remember not to get sucked in by the lure of daily deal e-mails.

And be careful to read the fine print.

Many spas and salons offer $30 off a $60 purchase on flash-sale sites, but if you go to the website for the merchant, you will probably find that they don't offer services for less than $100.

Talkback: Have you used any of the above sites? What has been your experience? To top of page

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