Author: Justin Vrooman
EBATES CASHBACK EARNED SO FAR: $110.39
I just recently started using Ebates to earn cash back on my online purchases. I have done all of my holiday shopping online and managed to earn $50+ cash back so far using this site (just about a week of Christmas shopping). On top of the cash back bonuses you will find other discounts and coupon codes on Ebates. I have combined using Ebates with using my Discover Cashback Card which earns me 5% cash back on categories that change each quarter (on up to $1500) and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Lucky for me October to December is 5% cash back on Department Stores and Online Shopping.
Without any discounts or coupon codes I am on average getting around 10% cash back with the Ebates / Discover Cashback Card combination. BUT, there are discounts and coupon codes too. Using a discount code, Ebates and my Discover Cashback Card at Timberland’s web site I was able to get a $200 pair of boots for $100 (including shipping and tax). Be careful not to get addicted to the cash back bonuses though as they will often tempt you to make purchases you normally wouldn’t (I have succumbed to this). For every friend/person you get to join Ebates through your referral link and spends $25 you get $5 (the site claims bloggers can make up to $11,000). Referrals must spend $25 to become a “Qualified New Member” which you will in turn get a $5 bonus for. Better yet, if you refer 4 “Qualified New Members” you will receive a $40 bonus.
As an avid online shopper I recommend furthering your possible savings by checking out RetailMeNot for additional coupon codes and savings. Sometimes these deals can be combined to make savings even better. RetailMeNot actually played a role in getting me that great deal on the pair of boots at Timberland’s. Even if you never checkout Ebates or get a Discover Cashback Card I highly recommend checking RetailMeNot before every online purchase or risk losing out on potential savings. You don’t have to sign up, just search for an online retailer and see what there is to offer (usually coupon codes) for things like 15%, 25% sometimes even 40% or more off or free shipping and other deals.
If you want to delve a little deeper into the online deals keep a watchful eye on sites like Slickdeals. The selection can be quite random but you can usually find a good deal on something of interest if you check the site regularly. As with RetailMeNot, Slickdeals does not require you to create an account.
Back to Ebates. Ebates has a section of printable grocery coupons that can be used at stores. At the time of this writing there are only about 80 some printable grocery coupons but they are worth checking out if you are a coupon user. There are all kinds of printable grocery coupons available online. If you want to hear more about online couponing leave a comment on this post and I will get to work.
Additionally, there is an Ebates browser add-on that you can install that will notify you when you are on a web site that has a cash back offering through Ebates and allow you to activate cash back for that site (rather than going in through Ebates web portal). Keep in mind that you always want to make sure that you follow the links to merchants through the Ebates OR better yet, just use the browser add-on and feel confident your purchase was tracked properly.
One of the downsides to Ebates is that they only pay out every couple of months. For me this isn’t really a problem but it may be for some. Another downside is that sometimes your cash back bonus wont show up. No worries though, if you go to Help > Where’s my Cash Back? there is a form you can fill out and your money will show up. I’ve not had any trouble with eventually getting my cash back bonus (I have had to wait a day or two though). To make things really easy pay very close attention to the Tracking Ticket for each session.
I just recently got my Discover Cashback Card and so far I love it. Basically, I use it only for the purchases which will get be 5% cash back and then I use one of my other cards that builds up points or gets a better cash back bonus. The interest rate isn’t great (13.5% – not terrible either) but if you are smart you wont use this card to carry a balance. Just get your cash back and get out. Considering a Discover Cashback Card? Follow my link on this page and you can get a $50 bonus. Comment below with questions and opinions!
