I’ll be honest with you; finding opportunities to save money is a real source of joy for me. It is not that I’m cheap or anything. It is simply just a matter of being smart with how you spend your money, because truth be told, making money these days can be quite a challenge. Which is why I am such a fan of Cashback opportunity sites. Companies like Ebates provide you with the opportunity to save big as you shop online, putting some money in your pocket as you go about your normal daily activities. So how does ebates really work ?
Sadly, with the increase in popularity of cashback sites, there has been a surge of companies that make promises they can’t keep. So what makes Ebates different? Is it just another company out to make money off you? How does Ebates work? Well, in this article, I will break down everything you need to know about this company and what exactly it does for you. Let’s begin.
Join Ebates For Free Now And Earn $10 After Your First Purchase!
WHAT IS EBATES?
Ebates is a cash back and shopping rewards company with its headquarters in San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Now rebranded to Rakuten Rewards, they give you cash back whenever you buy products from their affiliate stores.
In brief, here is the history of Ebates: The company was founded in 1998 by Alessandro Isolani and Paul Wasserman in Menlo Park, CA. From relatively humble beginnings, Ebates grew to become a massive company, before being acquired in 2014 by Rakuten Inc. for $1 billion. In early 2019, Ebates officially changed its name to Rakuten Rewards.
HOW DOES EBATES WORK?
If you are a frequent shopper online, you should seriously consider getting more value for your money with Ebates. They give you the chance to get some of your cash back as you enjoy your online shopping adventures. It is a great way to save money through cashback opportunities.
I like to think of Ebates as a kind of credit card that gives you rewards, except you don’t pay interest, and you are guaranteed of getting up to 40% cash back instead of only 1- 2% that most similar sites will offer you.
WHAT STORES ARE ON EBATES?
Ebates is affiliated with thousands of known online stores. You will, therefore, be guaranteed cashback on your online shopping no matter where you choose to do it. The way this works is pretty straightforward: Major stores rely on sites like Ebates to get more customers through the door. This business model is called affiliate marketing. Ebates gets a commission whenever someone clicks on their link to an online store. This commission is then shared with you as cashback. And just like that, everybody wins.
POPULAR STORES YOU WILL FIND ON EBATES
• Amazon
• Target
• Macy’s
• JC Penney
• Nordstrom
• Old Navy
• Priceline
There are literally thousands of participating stores. There is no way I can screenshot them all or list them all in this post. If you are thinking of a fairly known store, it probably is on Ebates!
With this diverse list, no matter what you are thinking of buying, with Ebates, you are assured of great cashback opportunities. From clothing to furniture or even your favorite video games, Ebates will get you cash back opportunities on all your online purchases.
EBATES, LEGIT OR SCAM?
A lot of people are skeptical of cashback sites. And for good reason. It is true that there are many such scam sites out there. But what about Ebates? Is it a legit company or are they just offering empty promises? Will using this site save you money?
Yes, using Ebates will save you money, and yes, Ebates is an absolutely legit company. It has been around for over 2 decades, and in that time it has earned the loyalty of millions of users. Although you will not be able to make a crazy amount of money with this site, it still feels great to get a few dollars back every time you buy something online. Ebates makes that happen.
Therefore, Ebates is a real company that works on delivering their cashback promises. Having launched in the late 90s, they are now one of the oldest cash back and coupon sites in the world. If that doesn’t prove their legitimacy, I don’t know what will.
EBATES BBB: BOASTS POSITIVE CUSTOMER REVIEWS
If you read through user reviews online, you will realize that this company has to be doing something right for them to post an A+ rating on most customer review sites. They also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is as high as it gets. This should go a long way in giving you that extra assurance that Ebates is here to stay and it is not some short-lived scam.
For these BBB ratings to remain high, Ebates has to maintain positive customer reviews. This means that millions of people are happy with the services that they offer to them every day. Plus, the recent 2014 acquisition of the company by Rakuten means that it offers even stronger loyalty programs and better retailer options.
HOW TO USE EBATES
Even if you have never used any cashback sites, you can be sure that you will find Ebates very easy to use. Just follow the following steps and you will be on your way to earning cashback rewards.
– Go to the Ebates website
– Sign up and stay logged on
– Visit a registered participating store while logged on to Ebates
– Do your thing just like you normally would
Ebates pays you quarterly, along with several other rewards. You will then get to choose how to be compensated, whether it is a PayPal deposit, a paper check, or a transfer to your favorite charitable organization.
You must be logged in to Ebates in order to have your purchases tracked at any of their 2000 participating online retailers.
Also, you can either use the Ebates website or the app for your shopping escapades. You will only have to simply click on the store of your choice, and this will take you directly to the company’s site without any redirects.
As you shop, Ebates will only track your purchase activity. Nothing will change about your overall shopping experience. Ebates will then earn a commission from the retailer which it will generously share with you as cashback.
Ebates also works with sites like Expedia, so you get money back for your hotels, rental cars, and even flights to diversify your cashback opportunities.
HOW TO GET YOUR CASHBACK EVERY TIME ON EBATES
Install the Ebates’ browser extension to always get your cash back even if you forget to start your shopping trips on their official site.
This browser extension is available for both Google Chrome and Safari. The extension is free and will take you less than thirty seconds to install.
Join Ebates For Free Now And Earn $10 After Your First Purchase!
EVENTS AND DOUBLE CASH BACK
Get yourself signed up for the free email list and be among the first to be notified about promotional events like double cashback or rewards other than the norm. These events will get you higher than normal percentages. Always be on the hunt for companies giving extra rewards.
MORE BENEFITS!
A new section was recently added to the Ebates site. It is called Hot deals.
The Hot Deals section will allow you to search for stores offering cash back on gift cards, BOGOs, free gifts, free shipping or places that will give you the chance to shop online and physically pick up your goods in the store.
Ebates will also now allow you to use their cashback opportunities during in-store pick-ups. This is quite simple to do: all you have to do is log into your Ebates portal, look for and locate an in-store offer that suits you, and finally click the link that will direct the offer to your credit card. At this point, you will have to give your credit card details to Ebates. You will automatically get your cash back when you pay with this linked credit card.
EBATES REFERRAL PROGRAM
This feature allows you to make even more extra cash. Tell a friend to tell a friend or tell a family member if you like. You will earn a handsome 25$ for spreading the word. Just keep in mind that you will only get this reward if the new user makes his/her first purchase using the site. And they will be guaranteed of great deals!
THE EBATES MOBILE APP
The Ebates mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices. It adds a whole new layer of ever needed shopping conveniences to your life. Plus, you can now get cashback opportunities from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet screen anywhere, anytime. This makes it harder to miss out on opportunities. The app will give you an edge over other users in many ways, for example:
– Daily announcements on sales and stores where the best deals are.
– An account profile that conveniently puts together your information on pending cash, cash back history, and details about your next check.
– You can now bookmark your favorite stores to view their offers at any time.
– Alerts that will give you the latest updates on offers and sweet deals.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SHOPPING ACTIVITY
This fun feature will allow you to keep track of where you have shopped. You are thus able to know where you spend most of your money, your shopping behavior and exactly how much you have spent.
Your records are kept whether you make a purchase or not. You will thus be able to know where you have been for the past month. This is not such a bad thing for the record. Your cashback transactions are also kept in check.
PROS
– Easy to sign up, you will not have to jump through hoops. The requirements list is short enough to guarantee you hassle-free registration.
– Don’t have to give personal information, only your email address is required for the sign-up process. Keep all your important information to yourself. Ebates will not ask you for information it does not need.
– Automatic rewards: get rewards without having to remember promo codes and the like. Ebates will do everything for you. You now do not have to write down codes which you then misplace only to miss out on awesome deals.
– Referral bonuses: earn sweet rewards for bringing in more customers. $25 for spreading the word sounds pretty good. The only caveat here is that the new user will have to make their first purchase through Ebates for you to earn your reward.
CONS
– Rewards take some time to show up in your account.
– Sometimes it takes up to a couple of days to see cash back in your account.
– Payouts are quarterly.
– Playing the waiting game is not fun at all. The returns may be great, but waiting for three months to get your cheque can be stressful especially if you are in need of quick money.
– You will be compensated based on their schedule. They send the cheques on the 15th of May, August, November, and February.
– Rewards are voided when you return or exchange a purchase.
VERDICT: EBATES IS DEFINITELY LEGIT
Ebates is legit, no doubt about that. It will get you fairly good rewards compared to most other similar sites. Just get into it with realistic expectations, because the money you make will not be a life changing amount.
Ebates has few downsides, and its reviews are all pretty great. And this is why I definitely recommend it. If you are already shopping online, why not save a little while at it?
Website: Ebates
Legit or Scam: Legit
Score: 9.8/10
Cost: Free
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Join Ebates For Free Now And Earn $10 After Your First Purchase!
To your success!
Mike Aha