It is incredibly easy to earn cash back on almost every online order you place! You just have to know how to activate it.
In the last few years I have found myself doing more and more online shopping, and doing less in-store shopping. The convenience of being able to shop at home from my couch is a huge part of that. But also, I can find way better deals and savings when I shop online!
One of the ways I get the most savings when I’m shopping online is through using promo codes. I have written a whole post on how to easily find promo codes for most online stores! Every time I’m about to place an order online, I check for a promo code. I probably find one that works at least 50-75% of the time, either scoring me 15% off or free shipping or something even better!
The second way I save lots of money shopping online from home is through earning cash back. It’s so easy to earn cash back, and it’s totally free. Literally all it takes is one extra click and you could earn anywhere from 1-10% (or more when there are special deals going on) back on what you spent!
I’m about to tell you about the two best tools for earning cash back on almost every online purchase!
1. Ebates
Ebates is a totally free website that offers you cash back whenever you shop at any of over 2,000 online stores! As a bonus for joining, Ebates is offering $10 in cash back on the first order over $25 you place with Ebates activated. If you’re going to be shopping online anyway, why not earn some of your money back?
How it Works
Using Ebates to earn cash back is extremely easy. It’s free and safe with no strings attached. I’ve been using it for years! All you have to do is go to the Ebates website and click “Join Now.” It will have you sign up with Facebook, Google, or your email address.
Ebates Cash Back Button
The best way to use Ebates is to get the Ebates Cash Back button for your internet browser. That way, anytime you are shopping online, if the store offers cash back with Ebates, it will notify you right away, as pictured above! Then all you have to do is click “Activate X% Cash Back!” You need to stay in the same browser window or tab until you make the purchase to earn your cash back. Otherwise, you’ll need to reactivate. I tend to use many tabs when I’m online shopping, so I always need to remember to check that Ebates is still activated in the tab I check out in.
Once Ebates cash back is activated, it will show this popup temporarily. Then as long as cash back is still activated, the yellow E icon will be outlined in green (as pictured). If the green outline goes away, you need to reactivate it for some reason before checking out to get your cash back.
Using Ebates without the Cash Back Button
If you’d rather not add the Ebates button to your browser, you can still earn! You just have to trust yourself to remember to activate it without the notifications the browser button gives you. Start by going to the Ebates website, and search for the online store you want to shop. If there is an offer available, click “Shop Now.” It will open a new tab, automatically activate Ebates cash back, and take you to the online store you chose. Again, just make sure you checkout on in the same tab or browser window you activated Ebates in. Otherwise you’ll need to activate Ebates again before checking out.
When Do I Get Paid?
Good question. Every three months, Ebates sends earnings to members either as a check in the mail, or via Paypal. (You get to choose which one in your account settings.) You have to have at least $5 in earnings to get paid. If you don’t have $5 yet, your earnings will roll over into the next period.
2. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a site that allows you to accumulate points for various activities, including online shopping, that then convert into free gift cards! It’s entirely free and legitimate (with an A rating by Better Business Bureau).
How It Works
To sign up, head over to Swagbucks and join with your email address or Facebook account. If you sign up through my link, you will earn a bonus of 300 Swagbucks, which converts into a $3 gift card right off the bat! You can take surveys, search the web, watch videos, or play games to earn Swagbucks. In my opinion, though, the most worthwhile way to earn Swagbucks is simply by activating cash back when you shop online!
Earn Cash Back when Shopping Online
Similarly to Ebates, you can install a button in your internet browser called the SwagButton that will notify you anytime cash back is available when you’re shopping online (as pictured above). All you have to do to activate it is click “Activate X% Cash Back” when the notification pops up!
If you don’t want to install the browser button, you can go to the Swagbucks site, click “Shop” on the left hand side, and search for the store you want to shop. If there is a cash back offer available, you can click “Shop Now.” You will be redirected to the shopping site and your cash back will be activated.
How Do I Get Paid?
As soon as you have enough Swagbucks to redeem a gift card, visit Swagbucks, then click “Redeem your SB” on the left side. The minimum amount of Swagbucks you need to get a gift card is 300, which would translate into a $3 gift card. There are Amazon gift cards available for as little as 300 SB. You can also redeem your Swagbucks for gift cards to Paypal, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, eBay, iTunes, and many more stores.
CouponCabin, RetailMeNot, and Honey
CouponCabin, RetailMeNot, and Honey are three more sites offering cash back for online shopping. Each of them also has a focus on helping shoppers find promo codes which can bring even more savings! If you’d like to learn more about these three tools, read my post, 3 Best Ways to Find Promo Codes for Online Shopping.
