Does Ebates Really Work?

I know many people would like to know if Ebates really work.  My answer to this question is YES…but only if you use it.

I was introduced to Ebates approximately one year ago; my shopaholic friend, sent me a request to sign up for a FREE account at Ebates.com.  Of course, I did not sign up until four months later…she knew that I would benefit from it, because I buy everything online.  I had the same question that you did.  Does Ebates really work?  Once I signed up, I use Ebates occasionally…but only if I remember to do it…missed opportunities, especially with large purchases.  Fast forward to today…I use Ebates every time I shop online…probably because I installed the Ebates cash back button on my computer.  This way I never miss a cash back moment again (more on that later).  Think about it, you can get paid to do something that you were going to do anyway…win-win.

What is Ebates

So, what am I going on about? What is this Ebates.com?  Ebates is an online-shopping rewards website, which is located in the United States.  The company offers customers (like you and me) the opportunity to receive up to 40% cash back on online shopping at over 2,000 retail stores.  This is done easily online at the time of the shopping trip.  But guess what? Ebates actually search store deals and coupon.  Ebates offers over 10,000 coupons to increase savings…and you don’t have to go coupon hunting…more money in your pocket.

Ever heard of affiliate marketing?  Ebates is the master of this concept.  Ebates.com will receive a commission when an Ebates member make a purchase at any one of the 2,000 online retailers. The company will give the member a portion of the commission…win-win.

How does Ebates work?

Let’s get this straight right now. You won’t get rich from this, but you can make some money doing something you are going to do anyway…shop.  The steps below will get you started:

  You can sign up here

• Sign up for free…no spending money, no credit card…nadda.
• Browse over 2,000 retail stores…guaranteed to find one of your stores to shop.  The top cash back stores are:
  • Amazon (up to 10% cash back)
  • Ebay (up to 5% cash back)
  • Macy’s (7 % cash back)
  • Kohl’s (3 % cash back)
  • Walmart (up to 7% (this past holiday season)
  • Nordstrom (2 % cash back)
  • Sephora (4% cash back)
• Once you have completed your shopping. An automatic shopping trip number is generated, and your account will be credited the cash back, which is a percentage based on your shopping trip total.  Here is a screen shot of my account currently.

How to get paid from Ebates

Okay, so now you’ve shopped until you dropped.  You are probably wondering how and when you will get your money, right?  I know that was my first question.  Payments are sent every 3 months.  Please see table below for payout dates.

If your cash back payment is $5.01 or more, you will get your cash back on the above dates. However, if your payment is less than $5.01, Ebates will carry over the payment to the next pay cycle. Please note that the “Bonus Rewards” are not included in the $5.01 minimum payout.  There are several ways for you to receive payments, such as a check, paypal (my choice), or get this, you can donate the funds to charity, or even give it to a family member (if you are feeling generous).  You can get your funds in your account in as little as 24-48 hours from payout date (see above table).

Is Ebates Legit?

Is this legal? Can Ebates do this? The answer is YES, affiliate marketing remember?  The art of making money while you sleep.  Essentially, this is what Ebates is doing.  Think about this for a moment, if you want to sell a product, you have to reach as many people as possible, right?  So, a vendor can use an affiliate to sell their product—by reaching more customers.  The vendor will then pay the affiliate for their efforts…win-win.  Affiliate marketing has been around for several years and many large retailers use this method.  To learn more about affiliate marketing and how you can leverage this to increase your income, click here.

More Ways To Earn With Ebates

The buck don’t stop there.  Ebates offer more ways to earn cash back.

Ebates Mobile.  I don’t limit my shopping to my laptop or my PC, and I am happy to say that they offer Ebates for iPhone, Android, and iPad.  As you can see, I really have no excuse not to use Ebates when I shop.

Cash Back Button.  Remember the cash back button I mentioned before?  With this Cash Back Button (available for Google Chrome), you will never miss a cash back moment again.  This button activate cash back directly at the online store website, and automatically apply coupon or promotions at checkout…see how easy that is…no searching.  The Ebates icon is always at the top right of your computer screen, you will then get a pop up message with the cash back % for that online store.  You then have the option to activate cash back at that point.  As a rule, I always activate regardless if I plan on buying something or not…because you never know.

Refer-A-Friend.  I love sharing this one.  If you are feeling generous again, you can tell your family, friends, and coworkers about Ebates.  You will both benefit from this.  You will get $25 cash bonus and your friend will get $10 after their first purchase, plus their cash back…win-win.  To do this, you can either send them your personal link or you can send an email invite.  All you have to do is share your good fortune.

My Two Cents

A couple of things…

• This is not a job, part-time or otherwise.  The idea here is to make money to do something you were going to do anyway and saving in the process.  With that said, please don’t buy something just because you are getting cash back from your purchase…if you really think about it, if you don’t need the item, you are not making any money.  I learned the hard way…trust me when I say.
• Always remember to click to active the Ebates Cash Back Button, or log into your Ebates account before you start shopping…every shopping trip. Please get the Ebates Cash Back Button on all your devices–again I learned the hard way.  I missed many opportunities because of this…don’t be like me…get all your money, every time.

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts on this post, let me know in the comments below.

Warmest Regards,