Most of us follow the rules: partly because we don’t want to end up in legal trouble, and partly because, well, we like to think we’re decent citizens. But let’s be honest, sometimes there are clever little loopholes that bend the rules just enough to feel rebellious, yet stay perfectly legal.

And guess what? People online are spilling the tea on these perfectly legal loopholes that feel shady but are 100% allowed. From clever money-saving tricks to workarounds that make you question why they’re legal in the first place, these loopholes prove you don’t always have to break the rules to beat the system!

#1

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.

© Photo: HenryBemisJr

#2

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.

© Photo: Qui_te

#3

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.

© Photo: Traditional-Joke-179

When you live somewhere, you naturally follow the local laws, nobody wants a surprise trip to the police station, right? The same goes double when you’re traveling! But sometimes, in the excitement of packing bags and booking tickets, we overlook tiny details. Did you know that in Germany you can sip beer at 16, but in India you might need to wait until you’re 25 in some states? Little things like this can catch you off guard and land you in awkward situations abroad. Always check the local legal drinking age to avoid accidentally breaking the law. It’s a small step that could save you from a big headache.

#4

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

© Photo: Ban-Circumcision-Now

#5

I work near a target and forgot to wear my all black uniform so I bought a black dress at target, wore it all day at work and returned it after work because I needed the money.

_rrp_:

Returned a wedding suit – same principle.

© Photo: soxyloxy

#6

Regifting an unwanted gift.

© Photo: Earl_Vincent

It’s not just about the drinking age, though, every country has its own quirky rules that can surprise even seasoned travelers. Something that’s totally fine at home could get you a fine or worse somewhere else. That’s why it’s super important to read up on local laws before you hop on that flight. A quick Google search might save you a whole lot of hassle and keep your vacation stress-free. Many travel advisories share these small but important cultural or legal notes. Take ten minutes to check your destination’s dos and don’ts, you’ll thank yourself later.

#7

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

© Photo: iAMgnarrshy

#8

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.

© Photo: youvegotnail

#9

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.

© Photo: themonicastone

Ah, young love! Holding hands, sneaking a kiss, cuddling in public, it’s all cute, right? Well, not everywhere. While PDA is no big deal in Europe or the US, some countries really frown upon it. In certain places, even hugging or kissing in public could get you in trouble. For example, in parts of the Middle East, public displays of affection are strictly prohibited. Always check local customs so your sweet moment doesn’t turn into an embarrassing fine or worse.

#10

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

© Photo: PabloMesbah-Yamamoto

#11

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.

© Photo: 7empestSpiralout

#12

Letting my AI company buy my failing company.

© Photo: sticky_applesauce07

Speaking of awkward, let’s talk about medicine. You’d think packing your usual allergy pills or cold meds is harmless. But surprise, some countries ban common over-the-counter medicines. For example, Japan doesn’t allow anything containing codeine or stimulants, that even includes things like Vicks inhalers. The UAE and Singapore have similarly strict drug import laws. Always carry a doctor’s note and check if your prescription is permitted, you don’t want airport security to confiscate your essentials.

#13

I can buy birthday cake even when it’s not my birthday.

© Photo: Appropriate-Trier

#14

Incorporating your business in the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes.

© Photo: friendly-sam

#15

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.

© Photo: thecauseoftheproblem

Next up: dress codes! Some places love a good beach vibe: bikinis, shorts, even going topless might fly. But walk a block away and you could land a fine for wearing swimwear off the sand. Take Barcelona: stroll through the city in your bikini, and you could get slapped with a hefty fine. Many cities have rules to keep public spaces respectful for all residents. Always carry a cover-up or change of clothes to avoid any awkward run-ins with local authorities.

#16

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.

#17

The whole “Wear a safety vest and carry a clipboard to go anywhere” for the most part is totally legal. It’s not your fault if they don’t tell you you’re not allowed to enter.

#18

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.

Here’s one you might not expect: your fancy shoes could get you in trouble, too. Yep, Greece has banned high heels at historic sites like the Acropolis. Turns out, stilettos can damage ancient stones. The same rule applies to other ancient sites like the Colosseum in Rome. Wearing flat, comfy shoes is not only respectful but will also make your sightseeing way more enjoyable.

#19

Using a mix of merchandise coupons with store-specific coupons, plus rewards points and cash back apps to essentially get pricey stuff for free/ near free. I once got $30 worth of hair products for a $1 because of coupon stacking.

#20

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

#21

Coming off the motorway junction, going around the roundabout and getting back on. Skipping about 20 minutes of queueing in traffic.

Road trips are fun, but don’t get too carried away with the accelerator. Speed limits can vary wildly from one country to another. In some places, the highways let you zoom at 220 km/h, but in others, you’ll be stuck at a max of 100. Germany’s Autobahn might be famous for its no-speed-limit stretches, but even there, certain sections do have limits. Pay attention to signs and local driving rules, speeding fines abroad can burn a serious hole in your travel budget.

Think you can cut a line to catch that train? Not so fast! In London, jumping the queue at a Tube station is actually a criminal offence. Londoners take their queues very seriously. So, no matter how late you are, keep your place and wait your turn. In Singapore too, queue-jumping can get you some dirty looks and an official warning. A little patience keeps you out of trouble and shows respect for local etiquette.

#22

Zipper merge.

celester:

Amazing the amount of times I go to the end of the lane and merge successfully into traffic, bypassing a bunch of other cars struggling to get on as soon as possible.

#23

Easy mode on video games.

#24

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.

Feeding the birds might feel like a wholesome travel moment, but think twice! In some cities, tossing crumbs to pigeons is a big no-no. For example, in Venice and other European spots, feeding flocks can attract pests and create a mess, so they banned it altogether. The same goes for certain parks in the US, where feeding wildlife can disrupt the ecosystem. Check the local signs and resist the urge , nature and your wallet will thank you.

#25

Using a sick day to extend your vacation.

#26

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.

#27

Before buying pizza i search [name of the pizza place] + pizza voucher.
So eg Domino’s Pizza Voucher
Or Pizza Hut Pizza Voucher
Etc….
Today i got 40% off.

#28

Loading up on free furniture at the dumpsters of student apartments every summer and reselling to the new tenants.

At the end of the day, travel is about soaking up new experiences, but it’s also about being a respectful guest. So, before you take off, spend a little time reading up on the local dos and don’ts. A quick check can save you money, stress, and awkward run-ins with the law. 

Well, these posts prove there are plenty of things that are perfectly legal but might feel suspiciously shady while you’re doing them. Just remember to double-check if they’re actually allowed in your country, too! Have you ever done something that felt totally illegal but turned out to be 100% legal? We’d love to hear your story, spill the tea!

#29

Whenever we go to dinner somewhere new, my wife tells them it’s one of our birthdays or our anniversary. Often they’ll give us complimentary drinks or desert lol. .

#30

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.

#31

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.

#32

Paying with debit on purchases around 25 cents or so just so places like Walmart will lose money on the transaction.

#33

Gettin a free sandwich every time I do the 2 minute fast food receipt review, even on my free sandwich. I know what they pay for ingredients and my finished meal costs less. Am I “working” for my $3 discount? Is my review really worth that? Or are the masses subsidizing my meal and the system would collapse if everyone were as stingy as me? Who knows. Who cares?

#34

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.

#35

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.

#36

Buying someone’s mortgage. You become the bank, can foreclose.

#37

Refusing to let at the door store workers check your receipts and purchases. That is unless you have signed a contract with them.

#38

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.”.

#39

Buying tax lien properties. TLDR you pay the back taxes owed on a property, sometimes just a few thousand dollars, and if the owner never settles up after a certain amount of time you now own the property.

#40

Bringing snacks/ drinks from the outside into a movie theater.

#41

My very cheap family membership to the local natural history museum gets me into a bunch of expensive museums in Chicago.

#42

When in the US, I will give the restaurant waiter a cash gift instead of a large tip. There is no tax on the gift they received.

#43

Filing for bankruptcy.

#44

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.

#45

If you have let’s say 20.50$ on your card but need to take out 20$ but the fees cost too much go and grab one banana for 10 cents and use cash back. I get lots of weird looks but I haven’t seen anybody else do this.

#46

Incorporating your small business in a different state – one you’ve never even visited and never will – to get better tax benefits. It’s feels totally illegal, and yet somehow isn’t.

#47

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.

#48

You can walk into any business completely drenched.

#49

Pay debts you are disputing thru bank automatic check feature. I was arguing with a health insurance company over a charge for iv. I knew they had overcharged me by about $300 but it was going to take a while to sort it out. The whole amount was close to $3000. So what I did was set up a Check to be sent through my bank for a quarter every third day until the amount would be paid off. After receiving about a month worth of checks they called me and said that they had written the debt off and please don’t send any more checks because it costs us more to process them than it does to take the money. As long as you are making a regular payment they cannot report you to the credit bureau and it will not hurt your credit. The automatic check catch feature is free thru my bank so i did not even have to pay the postage. They automaticly genérate the check and send it to the recipient.

#50

The extremely murky legal waters of downloading ROMs because you “have the discs” 😉.

#51

Not caring what other people think of you. You’d be shocked how freeing it is to simply not care about other people’s opinions.

#52

Sloppy steaks. They’d say, ‘No sloppy steaks,’ but they can’t stop you from ordering a steak and a glass of water! Before you knew it, we were dumping that water on those steaks. The waiters were coming to try and snatch ‘em up; we had to eat as fast as we could. Oh, I miss those nights.

#53

As I’m reaching middle age the things that feel like they should be illegal that aren’t: back door Roth IRA contributions, selling certain stocks at a loss for tax write off purposes and then buying the stocks back, a lot of financial stuff is sketch as hell but somehow legal.

#54

The ducks at the park are free. You can take them home.

#55

Most states have laws that if a driver with a learner’s permit is driving the vehicle, a licensed driver is required to be in the front passenger seat.

There is no requirement for the licensed driver to be sober.

#56

Becoming president of the United States to stay out of prison.

#57

Travel hacking. Love that the credit card companies are subsidizing my travel hobby. Going to Poland in Business class in barely 5 weeks for a couple hundred out of pocket.
Basically, my wife and I churn credit card bonus offers for the sign up bonuses. We’ve been to Europe and other places I’m not even sure how many times for nearly free, usually in Business or Premium Economy. Even after our upcoming trip, we have something like 2M miles.

#58

It’s a small thing, and I’ve been told I’m too tightly wound because of it, but driving through red lights in a funeral procession really bothers me.

#59

Apparently being one of the wealthy elite allows you to do whatever you want with zero repercussions whatsoever.

#60

If you type “Jiffy lube oil change” into Google the first result will be 50% off a Valvoline full service oil change. 

I did it so many times the option stopped popping up. So I downloaded Brave browser and turned on my VPN and voila, 50% off oil changes again 😎.

#61

In the US, you can take out a short term disability insurance policy just before getting pregnant, and then file a claim for being pregnant. Get paid to be pregnant. It was not illegal in 2015 when we did it.

Edit: looked back and remembered that our policy had to be place for 10 months before you could use it. So it takes some planning and some luck.

#62

In the U.S.

Instead of paying for health insurance you can take a regular bank loan out equivalent to that maximum insurance payout to use to cover your insurance costs during an accident in the future.

doing so, some very interesting things happen:

1: you won’t get the payout denied since you control the money that you now stashed away in a separate savings account to accrue interest

2: pay back the loan every month – that is your “monthly insurance fee” – if you have financial issues and can’t do it – just use the loan itself to pay every month until you get back on your feet – this is assuming you didn’t use up all the money right away or that you have some left.

3: hospital fees for people who have insurance are higher than those without insurance, its some sort of duscount system they have as hospitals up these bills to milk insurance companies. Since you technically don’t have insurance, your hospital bill will be considerably lower each visit.

4: if you manage to pay off the entire loan without having to use any of that money, take another loan, put it in the same savings account – you now are sitting on a larger pile of emergency money half of which you already paid off.

Rinse and repeat.

#63

Driving an EV on work trips and then taking the .70/mile deduction for gas and wear/tear (there isn’t any except tires).

#64

Turning left onto a 1 way street. On a red light.

#65

Not sure if it’s still around, but you could use a .edu email and get Sunday Ticket for like 75% off. I hadn’t been to school in like 15 years but the NFL can take the hit.

#66

My local phone provider charged something ridiculous like 30% interest if you didn’t pay in full. One month I accidentally paid extra, and they gave ME 30% on the overpayment. The next month I put all my extra cash into my phone bill. it worked for a while but they did figure it out.

#67

Riding in the car pool lane with my kid.

#68

Allowing oil sprays that have the 0 calorie label on it, when in reality it’s not, and it’s a loophole by the FDA. Seriously, who allowed this??

growdirt:

Same way tic-tacs contain zero calories, despite being nearly 100% sugar. The serving size is too small to require caloric info on the label.

#69

Eminent Domain.

#70

Go into Costco without a membership card.

#71

Price mistake honoring policies.

#72

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.

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