So, for years, I would see the Ebates commercials on TV and online. I'd roll my eyes and say "yeah, sure". Somehow, last year I decided to give it a try. Mind you, I have been shopping online since 2006, and buying stuff off of Ebay before it was cool.
I've spent thousands of dollars buying things, from groceries, to clothing, to household products. I wish I had used this sooner! I used it sparingly at first, until it became a way of life.
The way it works is:
1. Once you've signed up, every time you are going to buy something online, check Ebates first to see what the cash back % for that store is. Below, you can see that the current cash back for JCPenney is 10 percent!!! I always factor the cash back amount into the total out-of-pocket purchase price, so I know what the item will really cost.
2. Click on the merchant, then click "Shop Now" on the offer you would like to use. When you are ready to make a purchase, go through the Ebates portal or App, otherwise they will not know about your purchase or give you the cash back. ***I usually add stuff to the cart of whatever store (helps if you are signed in), then I go through the Ebates portal and complete the purchase.*** The reason for this is: I often open a lot of new tabs, so it can happen where the purchase is completed on a tab that was not directly initiated from Ebates.
3. If you made a purchase and it is not showing up. You may claim it by going to Help>Missing Cash Back. There you can choose the shopping trip from the drop down and enter the other information. According to the Ebates website, it can take anywhere between 48 hours to 30 days to show up. If you don't want to rely on that, keep track of your purchase totals and the claimed honored percentage.
4. Ebates will issue a quarterly cash payment through PayPal, so make sure to sign up for an account (You can also choose to get a check mailed). A week or so before that payment is issued, you have the option to choose a gift card instead for select retailers. With this option, you are able to get a few extra bucks. Works great if you had a purchase to make there anyway.
5. Get your cash! You will be notified by both Ebates and PayPal when the money is sent/received. From there, you can transfer it to your bank or use it to shop online.
All in all, it's a small amount of work, for a good amount of cash back :)
Don't forget to sign up with my referral code... click here!
For every person you refer, you get $25 after they spend 25! They usually have sign-on bonuses as well.
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