Yes, seriously... there are sites that will pay you cash back to shop online! My website of choice is ebates.com.
So how this works is you go to Ebates when you're ready to
make a purchase online. Find the store that you want to shop with and click over to their page on Ebates... not only will it list the cashback amount that you could earn by making a purchase there, but they will give you a list of coupon codes... (sometimes these differ from coupons found on retailmenot... it's always best to check both). Many popular sites will only offer 4-5% cashback, but I've seen cashback amounts go up to 26% everyday, and up to 40% during limited time specials!
So, even if you only shop at 4-5%, the amount still adds up... especially during a concentrated shopping time like Christmas, or if you have a big purchase to make like college textbooks or furniture. I've only used my Ebates account for recreational use, thus far... no major purchases... and I've already received over $20 cash back and I have over $25 pending (cashback pends for a certain amount of time to verify that there are no returns). Checks are only written once per quarter, so your cashback is allowed to accumulate over time... and you can also choose to have the money deposited in your Paypal account rather than coming to you in a check.
Ok... so $25 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but getting paid for something you're going to do anyway is pretty cool, and if you make bigger or more frequent purchases, you can make much more... and also, with all the cheap Groupons out there, $25 could easily buy you a nice dinner out! PLUS... Ebates has an awesome referral program... you get $5 for each person you refer... and that person gets a $5 credit in their account! If you're popular, that money might accumulate faster than you realize :)
So here's how I incorporate Ebates into my online shopping habit...
I tend to find deals first using dealnews.com or other sites... I then follow the link to the website itself. I shop through the website, adding things to my shopping cart and exploring my options. Once I've decided to make the purchase, I then open two new tabs, retailmenot.com and ebates.com. If I find the site listed on ebates.com, I click the link through Ebates and close my original window. I check the coupons through Ebates and Retailmenot and compare what I find... then use the best code, or stack them if possible. So I get a good deal, add an additional coupon if possible, and get cashback in a few months... which is how you can weave some awesome deals.
So how this works is you go to Ebates when you're ready to
make a purchase online. Find the store that you want to shop with and click over to their page on Ebates... not only will it list the cashback amount that you could earn by making a purchase there, but they will give you a list of coupon codes... (sometimes these differ from coupons found on retailmenot... it's always best to check both). Many popular sites will only offer 4-5% cashback, but I've seen cashback amounts go up to 26% everyday, and up to 40% during limited time specials! So, even if you only shop at 4-5%, the amount still adds up... especially during a concentrated shopping time like Christmas, or if you have a big purchase to make like college textbooks or furniture. I've only used my Ebates account for recreational use, thus far... no major purchases... and I've already received over $20 cash back and I have over $25 pending (cashback pends for a certain amount of time to verify that there are no returns). Checks are only written once per quarter, so your cashback is allowed to accumulate over time... and you can also choose to have the money deposited in your Paypal account rather than coming to you in a check.
Ok... so $25 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but getting paid for something you're going to do anyway is pretty cool, and if you make bigger or more frequent purchases, you can make much more... and also, with all the cheap Groupons out there, $25 could easily buy you a nice dinner out! PLUS... Ebates has an awesome referral program... you get $5 for each person you refer... and that person gets a $5 credit in their account! If you're popular, that money might accumulate faster than you realize :)
So here's how I incorporate Ebates into my online shopping habit...
I tend to find deals first using dealnews.com or other sites... I then follow the link to the website itself. I shop through the website, adding things to my shopping cart and exploring my options. Once I've decided to make the purchase, I then open two new tabs, retailmenot.com and ebates.com. If I find the site listed on ebates.com, I click the link through Ebates and close my original window. I check the coupons through Ebates and Retailmenot and compare what I find... then use the best code, or stack them if possible. So I get a good deal, add an additional coupon if possible, and get cashback in a few months... which is how you can weave some awesome deals.
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