It’s officially November, and that means holiday shopping is just around the corner! Not sure I’m ready for that yet. Regardless, here we are. I wanted to share somethingthat will help put some money back in your pockets this year.
Last December, I signed up for Ebates. A friend started talking about her experience with it. I’d heard of it. However, I never signed up because I expected there to be coupon clipping or hoops to jump through. I wasn’t interested in doing either. She promised me that neither were involved and talked me into signing up.
Since last December, I’ve earned $343 in cash back! See the screenshot below of my Ebates account. I have to say, she was right. I simply didmy normal online shoppingand the cash back slowly started adding up.
I am not a coupon clipper or a deal watcher. I just shop when I want to, where I want to. Here are the things I did to make Ebates work for me. Set it up once, and forget it. Literally! I have never once had to think about going to their site or logging in. I simply did my normal shopping and let them send me a check.
How to earn with Ebates:
Step 1: You need an account. Use my link and they will give you $10 just for signing up! (Full disclosure: I will also earn a referral fee from Ebates. It does not cost you anything, and you will have access to your own referral code for your friends/family to sign up.)
Step 2: Download the Chrome browser extension. This was my “set it and forget it” method. The Ebates logo will show up as a little square icon in the top right of your browser. Anytime you go to a website that has a current Ebates offer, it will alert you to activate the offer. You don’t even have to think about it. It just automatically does everything for you. The cashback shows up in your account as soon as it is verified.
Step 3: Optional– Download the Ebates App on your phone. There are some stores that also offer in-store coupons and cash back. This is a quick check before you check out. If they have an offer you simply have to pay with the credit card you link to your Ebates account. They will verify the purchase automatically and credit your account.
It really is very simple. Ebates pays the cash back on a quarterly basis. There is nothing you have to do (except meet their $5.01 minimum) to have a check cut and mailed to your house.
The way I look at it, if I’m already making the purchase I might as well get the extra cash back offer. The money adds up just a little at a time, but every little bit helps.Periodically they run specials like double cash back. You can even set your favorite stores to get alerts when they have deals.
Examples of How I Use Ebates:
- I like to do a lot of holiday shopping for my nieces at Target. They offer free shipping during the holidays (bonus). Ebates offers 2% cash back on everything I buy. On top of that, they currently have a free gift. Spend $50, get a free $10 gift card on dining and entertaining (expires 11/8/16). Who doesn’t easily spend $50 on a trip to Target?
- Back in May, I took a trip to Las Vegas for my best friend’s birthday. I booked my flight on Expedia.com(10% cash back), my room through Hotels.com (6% cash back), and my car rental through Hertz (2.5% cash back). It was a nice little surprise to have some savings I didn’t expect.
- I print all of my photos at Walgreens. It’s convenient to my drive every day. The photos are ready in 1-hour. The bonus is I now get 7% cash back by activating my Ebates offer.If you are a Snapfish user, the cash back goes up to 11%.
- Mother’s Day, I sent my Mom Shari’s Berries as part of her gift. This is something I’ve done a few years in a row. I was actually surprised when my notice popped up and told me there was a 4% cash back offer.
- Father’s Day, we have sent Omaha steaks to both my Dad and my Father-in-Law. Again, a cash back offer (3.5%).
- School & birthday shopping this year: Target (2%), Payless Shoes (3%), Old Navy (2%), Kohls (3%), JCPenny (normally 3%, currently 12%). It all adds up.
Sign up today to start saving. How do you save with Ebates?
