The North Face has built a strong reputation over the years for developing high quality products. It has become the go-to brand for millions of people looking to buy reliable winter clothing and outdoor gear. The only downside to The North Face is that it can be rather expensive. By employing the following saving techniques, however, you can get The North Face products for a far more affordable price.
Join the VIPeak Rewards Program
Much like plenty of other brands, The North Face has a rewards program that benefits its most loyal customers. The North Face's rewards program is rather unique, though, in that it emphasizes giving points that can be redeemed for events and experiences, in addition to merchandise.
How It Works
Registering for VIPeak Rewards is free and very easy. All you have to do is enter your full name and email and set a password and you're in. Once you have become a member, there are several ways you can begin accumulating "Peak Points".
Participate in The North Face events: The North Face holds a variety of events throughout the year all over the country. They range from mountain training to endurance challenges to speaker series to snowboarding competitions. Some are free, others cost money, but they all get you Peak Points for participation.
Like The North Face on Facebook: You can get bonus rewards by becoming a fan of the brand's Facebook page.
Buy From TheNorthFace.com: You receive 10 Peak Points for each $1 you spend on the website.
Buy From The North Face Outlet Stores: You receive 5 Peak Points for each $1 you spend at the outlet.
The way you can redeem Peak Points differs depending on how many you have acquired. They expire annually on March 1 and at that point the redemption period begins and the balance for the next year resets to zero.
Here is a breakdown of how redemption works based on point total:
Less Than 2,500: You forfeit your points on March 1 and get nothing for them.
2,500-9,999: You get 0.2% of the points back in the form of an emailed Rewards Certificate, which will contain a unique code and pin, that can be used to purchase items at TheNorthFace.com or at participating The North Face outlet stores. For example, if you had 8,000 points (equivalent to $800 worth of TheNorthFace.com purchases), you would get a $16 Rewards Certificate. You have until December 27 to redeem the Rewards Certificate before it loses all value.
10,000 or more: You get access to the "VIPeak Rewards Catalog" which contains exciting experiences and products. A sampling of past events and products included in the catalog are a Weekend Snow-venture for Two, a National Park Camping Package and an Endurance Challenge Race Kit full of goodies. The Rewards Catalog is open from March 1-April 1. Whatever points you have remaining after that time will be converted into a Rewards Certificate at a 0.2% rate and the certificate expires December 27.
Insider Tip
Rewards Certificates can be used in combination with coupons and other Rewards Certificates (a friend or relative can give you their certificate if they don't plan to use it) and is valid on sale items, so your best bet is to stack the certificate on top of other discounts to get the best deal. The North Face will not replace stolen or lost certificates, but will email you a new one if you mistakenly deleted the original email.
Shop Online at Amazon
There are a slew of online stores that sell The North Face merchandise besides just TheNorthFace.com and the best one we've found is Amazon. They regularly have significant discounts of up to 50% off The North Face products. As an added bonus, most items from The North Face on Amazon are Prime eligible, so if you are a Prime member you can get free 2-day shipping.
Shop In-Store at Department or Sporting Goods Stores
The North Face products are sold at a few department stores across the United States. We advise you to check out the sales flyers for Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom, Sports Authority and Sport Chalet to see if they have any sales running for The North Face gear. Your best bet at finding a great price is in the spring as stores are trying to clear out their winter gear, which is predominantly what The North Face offers.
It also pays to track the store-wide coupons distributed by the stores mentioned above. The North Face is often listed among the exclusions for these coupons, but occasionally you can get lucky and use a coupon on The North Face stuff.
Take Advantage of Free Shipping + Returns
The North Face offers free shipping on all purchases made through TheNorthFace.com (within the U.S.) and also allows free returns. This is a major perk that should not be understated. The return policy in particular is one of the best we've come across at any store.
How the Return Policy Works
The North Face enables returns for up to a year after purchase. That is an astonishingly long time compared to the vast majority of brands. Also surprising is that The North Face will pay the return shipping fee. This has become exceedingly rare as many stores require the customer to pay the return shipping fee. You also have the option to return an item purchased at TheNorthFace.com to a The North Face retail store as long as it wasn't bought using PayPal. Once the item has been returned, you have the option to either get a straight-up refund or receive an e-gift card for The North Face in the amount of the returned item.
Insider Tip
The North Face includes a lifetime warranty with all of its products. The company will repair or replace the item at no cost if it fits within the warranty guidelines (damage caused by poor care, negligence, normal wear and tear or an accident is not covered).
Buy Discounted Gift Cards From Cardpool.com
How It Works
Bet you've never thought that buying a gift card for yourself could be an effective mechanism for saving money, huh? Well, it most certainly can! Especially in the case of The North Face. Cardpool.com is an online marketplace where people can sell unwanted gift cards at a discount and they currently have a killer deal for a The North Face gift card. You can get a $280 The North Face e-gift card for just $238, a 15% discount. That's an easy 15% off that can be combined with any sales to build an even bigger discount.
Insider Tip
If you refer a friend to Cardpool.com and that friend makes a purchase using the site, you can get a $5 credit.