I am always trying to find any way I can to shave a few extra bucks off of just about ANYTHING I purchase. That means if I might find a better deal next week, I’ll wait. Or, if I can take an extra 30 seconds to search for – and print out a coupon – I’ll do that too. I also have really gotten into checking rebate sites to see if I can actually get paid to shop.
Paid to shop? Really? Yes – really! I can personally vouch for these companies as I have received checks from them and they really DO pay off. But, you have to make sure you know how they work and what you need to do in order to really put them to work for you.
The most important rule is to trust your site. The two I have worked with personally are Shop at Home and Ebates. Both of these actually do pay, as they say they will. I have heard of others, but since I’ve not had any personal dealings with them, I can’t promote nor share them with you.
So, how do these sites work? It is really simple. They agree to pay you back a % of your final purchase price (exclusive of shipping / handling charges) at select retailers. The money accumulates in your account until you hit the payment threshold – which is $20 for both of these sites. Once you hit that plateau, they mail you a check. No credits. Not gift cards. An actual check you can cash! It really is THAT simple.
There a a couple of ways you can quickly build up your account balance. The simplest way is to sign up. You will get a $5 bonus credited to your account once you’ve made your first purchase through their site.
Another way to build up your balance is to refer your family and friends. You can find a referral link in your account, which you can email out or even post on your Facebook wall. Then, when they sign up, you will get a bonus in your account of $5. The important thing to note is that their $5 shows as pending, until they make a purchase. At that point, the money is credited to your account and your balance increases — putting you one step closer to getting your check.
Using these sites is simple. Before you make any on-line purchase from shoes to airline tickets, you will want to check your sites to see what (if any) cash back they are offering. I recommend that you check both sites since the rebate amounts they offer can differ. It is also good to check these sites for coupon codes for discounts, including free shipping offers. So, you can not only use the coupon code or discount – but you will ALSO get the cash back being offered.
For example, if Land’s End has a code for 25% off of one item plus free shipping and also has an offer for 5% cash back, you will see the discount & free shipping in your cart when you checkout. Then, you will ALSO have 5% of your final purchase total credited to your account within 5 – 8 days following the completion of your transaction.
That’s it! That really is all you have to do. Take a couple of minutes to check out both Shop at Home and Ebates, sign up and start saving. After all – a penny saved really IS a penny earned!
rachel b. says
I’ve used Mr. Rebates, Ebates and ShopAtHome. ….all very legit companies. Have been using them for about years now and received several hundred dollars in rebates. The only issue is that it has to become habit to go to their website first before ordering…once it’s a habit, it’s an easy form to make a few dollars. There are LOTS of other sites but these three have the highest incentives.
The ShopAtHome is consistently the best return but sometimes the bonus events run by Ebates and Mr. Rebates is worth it. The downside of ShopAtHome is that you have to get to a credit threshold before they issue payment – the other two automatically pay you every quarter (even if it’s just a few dollars). Also, with Mr. Rebates, you can sign up then refer, say, your husband. You’ll get the referral credit but ALSO you can start using your husband’s account and your own account gets a small add’l bonus credit for every placed with his account…an easy way to make a few extra cents.
josie says
I can also vouch for mr rebates. You get the money deposited into your paypal account when you request a payout. I’ve had very few instances where they didn’t post the credit and when the credit didn’t post I sent an email to mr rebates and they credited it manually. So great site to use!