Get a $50 Zinio digital magazine credit for free

Just last week I told you about Zinio's new Z-Pass, a $5 subscription option that gives you a choice of three digitally delivered magazines per month.

You can try that free for a month, but here's an even better deal: a $50 Zinio credit absolutely free.

That credit is good for 18 single "subscriptions" (i.e. individual issues) or six mini-subscriptions (of three issues each). And you don't have to redeem it all right away; you've got until mid-August to use up your credit.

Let me mention right now that this offer comes courtesy of a Nokia Lumia promotion, and although the offer page makes no mention of it being exclusive to Nokia customers or the like, there's a chance either Nokia or Zinio will balk at it being shared publicly. I've seen that happen before, but hopefully both companies will see the value in this added exposure.

Zinio, for those unfamiliar with it, offers a vast library of digital magazines you can read on your phone, tablet, or PC. This promo lets you choose from a generous sampling of its catalog (which, note to parents, includes some adult-oriented titles). The process is a little convoluted, though, so let me walk you through it:

1. Click through to the offer page, then click Claim Coupon.
2. On the subsequent page, enter your name and e-mail address, then click Submit.
3. You should see a "Congratulations" page with a voucher code. Select it, copy it to the clipboard, and then click Redeem Coupon.
4. On the next page, enter your name once again and that same e-mail address, then paste in your code. Now click Go.
5. Finally, you've reached the redemption page, where you can choose the magazines you want from a very long list. (It's divided into sections: Men, Women, and Children. Oddly, though, there's a lot of duplication, and some decidedly miscategorized titles.) As you make your selections, you'll have to keep a mental tally -- there's no counter indicating when you've hit the $50/18-issue mark.

In case you're wondering, and I know you are, my picks included Family Handyman, Men's Fitness, and PC Magazine. A few titles I wanted, including Geek and Runner's World, weren't part of the promo roster.

I like Zinio. It offers an unparalleled selection (even if this giveaway doesn't fully reflect that) and supports Retina on devices that have it. However, the mobile apps desperately need a smart-view option (see PressReader's SmartFlow) to help reduce the need for so much zooming and scrolling.

That said, I can hardly complain when I'm looking at 18 free magazines. I'll be one happy reader for the next three months.