**Disclaimer- I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. If you use the following link BOTH YOU AND I RECEIVE $40.00 – CLICK HERE
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates is a FREE service where you can receive cash back on online and some in-store purchases. I signed up with Ebates back in 2011 and have been using them since. You get cashback on a quarterly basis. To date, I have received $882.91. This amount obviously changes with how much shopping you do online. I look at it as this is $882.91 I would not have had back without this service so win-win for me.
How to use: It is easy to use this service- you can download the application for your phone and search stores through there, go to the website / sign up here :). If you use Chrome as your primary browser then you can add the extension which notifies you whenever the website you are on is a participant in this service (my personal favorite). Again, the service is totally free so you have nothing to lose. The cash back received is sent to PayPal – the first time you are eligible for cash back the site will notify you so you can link your account.
Stores/other options: They have a wide variety of stores- a lot of major ones which you probably frequently shop at- it is worth taking a gander- some offer only online cashback while others offer both online and in-store. The amount back varies from day to day and there are often specials where stores offer double cash back. Around this time of year, it isn’t uncommon to find up to 15% cash back for Black Friday!!!
Other offers: I know a lot of people aren’t traveling much at the current moment because of COVID but you can also book travel through Rakuten and get cash back!
How you can get extra cash back: Not trying to sound like the cashier at your department store but if you have the Rakuten credit card you get an additional 3% on ALL purchases made with Rakuten- if you shop a lot through the site this can translate into some big bucks…. just sayin =).
Before you go … here’s another secret: Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love to maximize a bargain. For example, I love to combine as many deals as possible to get a steal i.e. I really wanted to try out the Dyson Hair Dryer but I didn’t want to spend $400.00 on one- that’s just absurd (sorry if you spent this much). I saved up my Ulta loyalty points and had $120.00 worth to put toward the hairdryer. I had a 20% off coupon. Rakuten was offering 10% cash back and I used my credit card so that was 13%. Let’s do some math: $400-$120= $280 * 20% (coupon) = $56; 280 * 13% (10% cash back + extra 3% for using credit card= $36.40… so 280-56-36.40 = $187.60. So I got a $400 hairdryer for $187.60!
Overall: I am not a shopaholic (clearly based on how much cash back I have accumulated) but I do appreciate a deal when I can get one. If you are a savvy shopper and combine the cash back offers with some store coupons/discounts, in the long run, you can come out winning (see hair dryer example above).
*Again, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post and I am not an affiliate for Rakuten. If you’re not already using Rakuten and want to get some money back this holiday season and every season thereafter then what are you waiting for?!?!?!? SIGN UP HERE- YOU AND I GET $40