Like any dedicated group of enthusiasts, sweepers have their own language and abbreviations. That's the first one: sweepers. That's what we hobbyists call ourselves. If you have the patience to fill out entry forms and love the thrill of winning prizes, you too may be a sweeper.
Here's a short list of terms that will have you speaking like a sweeps native in no time:
“SA” is short for our fabulous website, “SweepsAdvantage”.
“IW” means “Instant Win”. With an IW sweepstakes, once you enter, your screen will tell you right away whether or not you are a winner.
“ARV” means “Approximate Retail Value”, in other words, what the prize costs.
“18+ US (48)” indicates that in order to enter the sweepstakes, you need to be 18 or over and live in the continental United States. Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii.
“GC” is shorthand for “gift certificate” or “gift card”. Lots of sponsors give away GC's in varying amounts as prizes.
“DL” in the Restrictions section means that the sponsor says you need to have a valid Driver's License to claim the prize.
“Affy” stands for “Affadavit”, a very desirable thing in the sweepstakes world. Most sponsors will only send an affadavit if you have won a prize that costs over $650. An Affy is a form that must be completed and returned to the sponsor by the specified date. Frequently, these documents will need to be notarized too. If you recieve an Affy, hooray!. And FYI, your bank probably has a notary on staff who can process the form for you. Just remember to mail the affy back on time.
Hopefully the next sweepstakes term that will become familiar to you is ‘winner”.
