Buy an iClever smart USB charger, get your choice of freebies

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.

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Not to repeat myself, but you know those little USB wall plugs you’ve been hoarding over the years? Time to toss ’em out. They don’t supply nearly enough juice for modern phones, tablets and the like.

No, you need an intelligent charging system. One that supplies multiple ports for your many gadgets and, more importantly, has auto-detecting ports that deliver up to 2.4 amps, depending on what’s plugged in.

Like this one: Hisgadget (via Amazon) is selling the iClever 50-watt 6-port “smart” USB desktop charger for $25.99. That’s already a few bucks off the regular $29.99 price, but it comes with your choice of freebies:

• iClever Quick Charge 2.0 USB Turbo Wall Charger, free with code CNET0004
• iClever Dual USB “smart” wall charger, free with code CNET0003
• iClever Intelligent 3-Port Premium Aluminum USB Car Charger, free with code CNET0002
• iClever MFi-certified 6-foot Lightning cable, free with code CNET0001

The Lightning cable and car charger normally sell for $12.99 apiece, while the other two items go for $9.99. Whatever you choose, it’s a nice little extra.

I’ve written about this stuff before (some of it fairly recently), and let me note straight away that there are better deals to be had if you’re just looking for a “smart” desktop charging station. (Here’s a very similar RAVpower model for $17.99, for example.)

So why the rerun? As I mentioned earlier, I’ve learned (often the hard way, when I’m on a trip) that the cheapie USB chargers of yesterday just don’t get the job done anymore. So I’m in the process of replacing all my old chargers with better stuff.

Of course, I’ll probably have to do likewise in a few years once USB-C becomes standard. But, for now, this does the trick. Your thoughts?

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Bonus deal: Mike Wazowski! For a limited time, Disney Movies Anywhere is offering a free digital copy of “Monsters, Inc.” when you link your Disney Movies Anywhere account to your existing Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft or Vudu account. (If you don’t already have a Disney account, it’s free to sign up for one.) If you already connected an account for Disney’s last movie giveaway (“Wreck-It Ralph”), it appears you’ll need to connect another one to take advantage of this one.

Bonus deal 2: Still on the fence about Amazon Prime? If you haven’t yet tried the service, here’s a little added incentive: Amazon is offering a free AmazonBasics 5,600mAH Portable Power Bank when you sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial. You can cancel before the trial is over and keep the mobile charger, or pay $99 to keep Prime going for a full year. (My two cents: It’s arguably the best $99 you’ll ever spend. Free two-day shipping FTW!)

Bonus deal 3: If you’re a frequent iTunes shopper, here’s a deal too good to pass up: While supplies last, PayPal Digital Gifts (via eBay) has a $100 iTunes gift card for $75. It’s delivered by email within minutes of placing your order (according to the seller). Once you redeem the code, it’s good for anything and everything in the iTunes store: movies, books, games, apps and so on.