25 Simple Yet Effective Ways To Beat The System Without Breaking The Law

A group of underdogs surviving within a rigid system by finding clever ways to outsmart it might sound like the plot of a dystopian movie. But despite how fictional that storyline seems, in a world of 8 billion people, a few out-of-the-box free-thinkers exist. Those who want the thrill of rebellion without the guilt of breaking the rules have discovered clever loopholes that let them legally bypass certain situations without actually breaking the law. These ingenious workarounds may sound strange, yet the people who’ve cracked the code and use them repeatedly swear by them, despite how sketchy they might seem. Scroll below to read a few dependable methods Redditors have been using to take advantage of the system that feel completely illegal when you use them, and have been sharing online so others can use them too.

#1

Image source: iAMgnarrshy, Lala Azizli

You don’t have to tip. Hit zero, say thank you and leave. Congrats you just saved 15-20 percent on your purchase.

#2

Image source: Qui_te, Firmbee.com

Having an ad blocker on my browser.

connorgrs:

Better yet: having an ad blocker installed in your modem’s DNS so every device connected to your WiFi gets Adblock.

#3

Being in the Senate and pass laws that benefits the companies I’m buying stock from?

javibeme:

When people ask how they became millionaires, this is the exact answer.

Image source: FreezaSama

#4

Image source: Ban-Circumcision-Now, Lia Bekyan

The religious “right” to do things that should be illegal, like circumcision.

#5

Image source: HenryBemisJr, Aibek Skakov

Using the family bathroom when I have no family.

Zavaldski:

Or using the disabled bathroom when you’re not disabled (which is the same thing in most places)
Though now that a lot of places are just rebranding them as gender-neutral bathrooms it feels a lot less naughty.

#6

Image source: thecauseoftheproblem, Intrepid

UK here.

Driving in the bus lane when it’s not bus lane time.

The road near me gives a whole lane over to buses from 16:00-18-00.

I drive home from work at about 1545 in the “bus lane”, past miles of queuing traffic.

#7

Image source: friendly-sam, Getty Images

Incorporating your business in the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes.

#8

Image source: Earl_Vincent, freepik

Regifting an unwanted gift.

#9

Some charities are becoming debt-buyers: people who buy delinquent debts like collection companies

They buy the medical debts or student loans for pennies on the dollar, and then abolish them so people are free of those bills.

Image source: anon

#10

Saying that I will not answer any questions about my medical history unless it is pertinent to the medical information that I *chose* to disclose in order to receive the necessary accommodations.

Under HIPAA laws, non government employers are prohibited from asking you for a your medical history, unless you have been diagnosed with any condition or disorder that will 75% prevent you from doing your job.

In my case, I have epilepsy, and so I disclosed it and what accommodations I needed. My employer told me that they needed a doctor’s note or letter regarding the diagnosis in order to approve it, and I supplied it. However, when one of the big wigs asked me for one year’s worth of health records, I casually said, “That’s not pertinent to the letter that I sent in, or the diagnosis that required the accommodation letter. You can not ask me for a year’s worth of records, and if you ask again, I will be on the phone with a HIPAA lawyer before you can even blink.”.

Image source: KhaosIncarnate5

#11

DoorDash (& other delivery) would mess up my order but if an entire item wasn’t missing, they’d do a tiny partial refund even though I didn’t receive the food I ordered. Forcing me to pay for food I didn’t order.

Example: I could order a cheeseburger with onion rings, bacon, BBQ sauce and just receive a plain cheeseburger, and they’d say since it was just missing a few toppings I’d only get a couple bucks back. Basically forcing me to pay full price for an item I didn’t even ask for.

Another example: ordering a pizza with pepperoni and jalapenos, having it arrive with only jalapenos. I’d get a $2.50 refund for a missing topping and be stuck with a pizza I didn’t order.

Loophole: in the examples above, rather than say my bacon cheeseburger was missing toppings, I’d just say the entire item was missing. I’d tell them I received a burger, but not the burger I ordered, which isn’t lying. My bacon cheeseburger was completely missing and I got someone else’s burger instead. Same with the pizza– it wasn’t just missing a topping, I ordered one pizza and got something completely different.

It’s a different way to frame it, but it isn’t dishonest and it’s important because if you got the wrong item, it’s a full refund. If an item was prepared incorrectly, you get hardly anything except food you didn’t ask for.

Image source: anon

#12

Libraries: It feels like I’m stealing to get a book or movie and take my time with it and give it back when I am done.

Image source: GlassCharacter179

#13

TLDR: You can bill a doctor for YOUR time.

I have narcolepsy and 18 years ago when we were getting it all sorted out I had to go to the neurologist every month to check in and re-up my prescription (a controlled substance, so they would only do 1 month at a time). Literally every single time I showed up on time and waited 1 hour+ in the waiting room, then they’d put me in the private room where you sit on paper and I’d wait usually another half hour to hour before the Dr. would come in and spend 6 minutes with me. Every time I left the office I paid my copay and every time they made me sign a paper that stated the Dr’s time is valuable and if a patient is more than 5 minutes late for an appointment they’d be billed accordingly (this detail matters for later).

I’m pretty patient so I just let it slide for a while. Then one day my insurance changed, I gave them my new insurance info when I paid my copay after my visit. Then a couple months later they sent me a bill for something like $3,000! Turns out they mistakenly tried billing my old insurance for one visit, which obviously didn’t work, so then they tried to get me to pay the absolutely insane amount (for the Dr.’s 6 minutes of time). This was their mistake and I wasn’t going to pay it but they weren’t going to let it go. They told me they would send me to collections.

So, I strung them along for several more months to avoid collections and while I was doing that I very carefully and accurately tracked every minute I waited past my scheduled appointment times (remember I went in every 4 weeks).

Then I wrote them a letter that was very directly modeled after their “the dr’s time is valuable” letter, it stated that my time is valuable and that starting 10 minutes after my appointment time the Dr is considered late for our appointment and that I would be billing for my time. I stated that I was going to graciously forgive the previous year+ of tardiness but itemized all of my time he had wasted for the last 3-4 months. I came up with a personal hourly rate that made my bill to them about $4,500.

They immediately dropped the charges and miraculously I never waited more than about 15 minutes again.

Image source: pillageTHENburn

#14

Image source: 7empestSpiralout, Vitaly Gariev

There’s a Tractor Supply (the store) online hack, where you can search any store in the US on the website, find your item cheaper than your local store. Add it to cart and then right before you pay, change the pickup location to your local store. The price stays the same as the cheaper store. I saved a ton of money on stall mats for my home gym this way.

#15

Ordering no ice at Starbucks and asking for a cup of ice on the side. They fill your cup up all the way with no extra charge. Makes no sense. Doesn’t work good for espresso drinks but for iced coffee, cold brew, and refreshers, you’re just getting double the drink for free.

Image source: sunshine_enjoyer

#16

Image source: Traditional-Joke-179, SHVETS production

Being disabled and getting accommodations that you need.

anon:

It felt so wrong the first time I sat in a disabled seat on a train.

#17

Going to Costco with my kids to eat a bunch samples and then a 1.50 hotdog and soda.

Image source: Hotfartsinyourmouth

#18

My university email still works. Apparently they never deactivate them.

Most student discounts just require a university email as proof.

Hense, never ending student discounts.

Image source: sugar0coated

#19

I buy myself gift cards when they are on sale; is like a 25% discount for minimal effort. Most say “limit 2 per customer” but they don’t seem to track this. You can go back next week and buy two more. I will keep doing this until someone actually stops me.

Image source: SHDrivesOnTrack

#20

Medical bags are allowed almost anywhere, I put an epipen and a bunch of small items for my kids like snacks or other items I don’t want to carry in it and nothing’s been removed from it just a quick glance to make sure it’s a medical bag.

Image source: CAMx264x

#21

Image source: themonicastone, Kovina Đurić

Yesterday I went to the pharmacy at a place known for its mile-long receipts filled with coupons. One coupon was for $2 off any item, so I got a $2 bottle of water and they just let me take it for free. Felt amazing.

#22

I saw a concert at a venue that didn’t let you leave and re-enter once you were inside. I was telling the merch guy I wanted to buy a poster but not have to hold it all night. He said “just say you have asthma and you need your inhaler, if it’s a medical issue they’re not allowed to ask you any questions.”

I was hesitant because I really didn’t want to not get let back in, and he was like “cmon, come with me.”

He goes to the door, tells security “hey, this kid has asthma, he needs to go get his inhaler.”

I took off running, not even thinking about the connection, brought the poster back to my car, walked back to the side entrance, they stopped me and I was like “I was just in there!” and they were like “eh let him go.”

I actually still feel a little guilty about it, but it definitely worked! Gave the merch guy a fist bump.

Image source: wossquee

#23

Image source: youvegotnail, welcomia

I install windows and trim them out. My work throws out scrap boards that are too short to fit on our very limited lumber rack. I pull them from the dumpster and bring them home because free wood is free wood. When we are working in my area I trim the window from what I have in my garage. My company reimburses me in lineal feet. This is how I get free full length boards.

Edit- to clarify as best I can:

-We don’t have the space to store a lot of boards, so if we have a say 4’ cutoff it generally goes in the dumpster unless someone wants it. Someone always takes those for a shelf or something or for a job the next day that we know we can use it for.

-I want it, because I have use for 4’ boards.

-it’s encouraged for us to take home cut offs, but not full 16’ or 8’ boards. We save those.

-it’s unfortunate we can’t store those cuttoffs because they are often all we need. I bring those when we need them.

-my boss says that once it hits the dumpster it’s mine. I supply 4 4’ boards from my own house, I’m owed 16 lf. I take home a full 16 footer because I’m swimming in scraps, but sometimes need full boards.

-my boss is aware this is dysfunctional. We are working on improving our lumber storage.

#24

Image source: PabloMesbah-Yamamoto, Ruthson Zimmerman

Student discount on Apple.com for my, uh, student in kindergarten.

#25

I call in every year to my Internet service provider to get the new customer deals.

My Internet cost has gone down by $30 a month from 3 years ago for the same service.

Image source: dachuggs