This is my third year in a row to devote a whole blog post to Ebates (see the series here), because as much as I keep shouting about how amazing this program is, I still have friends and family who don’t use it.
Big mistake, especially as we head into the holiday season.
I am currently working on a different post that discusses saying NO to the idol of consumerism, so please don’t read this and think I am telling you to shop more. I am not. I’m actually a big fan of shopping less over the holidays. But if you are going to be shopping at all, it’s foolish not to use Ebates.
Even if you prefer a simple Christmas celebration, you are likely to spend a little bit of money over the next month on a few gifts, decorations, or greeting cards. Do you want to get money back for these purchases? The answer is yes.
Ebates is a program that gives you cash back on purchases you make online (and in stores too), and it’s so ridiculously easy to use.
Step 1: Sign up for ebates and install the cash back button to your browser.
Step 2: Click the cash back button anytime you are shopping online. The button will literally pop up and tell you how much cash back the site you are browsing is offering. ALL you have to do – literally the ONLY thing you do – is click “Activate cash back” when it pops up in your face. The extension does the rest of work – tracking your purchase and putting cash back into your Ebates account.
Step 3: Every time you make a purchase, you will get an email notification telling you which store gave you cash back and how much your rebate was.
Step 4: Every quarter, Ebates will send you a lump sum for all your rebates – via a check in the mail OR directly into your PayPal account.
Step 5: Delight in the fact that you got money back for purchases you were planning to make regardless.
I always post about this in November, because the cash back amounts get crazy during the holiday shopping season. While a store might generally offer 1-5% cash back during the year, it is not uncommon to see rebates of 10-20% (and sometimes more) between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I figure most people are about to spend extra money on gifts and may as well get some (or a lot!) of it back.
I just used Ebates today when ordering my Christmas cards. Etsy offers 1% cash back year-round, so before I clicked on my order — just a $13 dollar purchase — I clicked the “Activate Cash Back” button. Within minutes, I received an email saying I had a 13 cent rebate from Etsy. I know it’s only 13 cents, but I was going to order the cards no matter what, so I might as well add 13 cents to the big holiday rebate check I’ll get after Christmas.
The above photo is a screenshot of my “Big Fat Check” from Ebates way back in August. Even during other times of year, when I’m not shopping as much as I do at Christmas, I am still able to rack up a nice rebate check every quarter.
So what are you waiting for? I currently have ten names pending on my referral list in Ebates. These are people who have registered for an account, but have still never clicked the button to receive cash back!!! Some of the names have been on my list since 2016! I find it hard to believe these friends have not made an online purchase in over a year. The truth is… they’ve been shopping online but have NOT been getting cash back for those purchases. It’s so sad.
Don’t make the same mistake. Stop what you are doing right now. Open an Ebates account, install the cash back extension, and click the “Activate cash back” button every single time you shop.
Let me know when you receive your first Big Fat Check.
