Earning cash back has become so popular these days because it’s easy. Many people enjoy the thought of earning some extra money back from purchases they already make.
When it comes to maximizing your cash back earnings, you have two options: use a cash back credit card, or try a cash back website. Mind you, you could also try both.
An issue some people have with using cash back credit cards is that they can tempt you to overspend in the hopes of earning more cash back. For cards that have rotating cash back categories, you may feel pressured to spend more money on Amazon or at restaurants during one-quarter just so you can earn more rewards.
This type of mindset can easily backfire and even put you in debt. If you want less risk and more reward, you should consider using a cash back website especially if the rewards rate is better.
Here are 5 of the best cash back websites to try out.
1) Ebates
Ebates rewards you with cash back for everyday online shopping. Currently, they offer cash back at more than 1,200 online stores. The cash back rate can vary but usually averages around 2% – 8%. Sometimes, they have promotions that provide double or triple cash back at certain stores.
To start earning cash back, you just need to sign up for Ebates then search for stores you wish to shop at to see if they have a cash back offer. Once you click on the offer, you’ll be redirected to the site and you can shop as you normally would and earn cash back through Ebates.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember to use Ebates when you’re shopping online, which is why I’d recommend downloading the browser extension on your computer so Ebates can notify you when you’re visiting a website that has a cash back offer. Then, all you have to do it opt in.
Ebates pays out cash quarterly via check, PayPal deposit or gift to a charity or family member as long as you have at least $5 in your account.
When you sign up for Ebates under their current promotion (ending on 3/31/2017), you’ll get a $10.
2) Swagbucks
I’ve been mentioning Swagbucks a lot lately so I won’t dwell too much on it this time, but if you haven’t tried it yet, you’re really missing out. Swagbucks is one of the best sites to use to earn extra money without contributing a ton of time and effort on your end.
When it comes to their cash back offers, you can earn rewards from regular online shopping you do just like with Ebates. I’d even recommend comparing the two to see which one will give you more cash back before you place an online order.
Swagbucks will reward you in either points per dollar spent or a flat cash back rate. You can redeem your points on Swagbucks for gift cards or for cash via PayPal.
Unlike Ebates which pays you quarterly, you can redeem Swagbucks earnings whenever you have enough points to purchase one of their gift cards.
3) Be Frugal
Be Frugal is another cash back site that offers cash back on over 5,000 stores. Be Frugal guarantees to provide the highest rate for cash back and also allows you to stack coupons with their offers to save more.
Be Frugal tends to have a higher cash back rate than other websites for certain stores, but it does vary throughout their offerings. Once you earn at least $25 in cash back with Be Frugal, you can request a payment via PayPal, gift card, or by check (as long as you live in the U.S.).
4) Ibotta
Ibotta is another shopping cash back website that lets you earn money back on in-person purchases you make as opposed to solely online purchases. Ibotta also claims to have better deals than clipping coupons will get you.
To start earning cash back, you need to download the app and search for rebates that are useful to you. To unlock the rebate, you may be asked to complete a simple task. Once you’ve done that, the rebate will be applied to your account.
All you need to do next is go shopping as you normally would, save your receipt, and upload it to Ibotta to verify your purchase. Ibotta pays out quickly and sends you the value of your rebates in cash 24-hours later via PayPal or Venmo or you can choose to receive a gift card.
5) Shop At Home
Shop at Home allows you to earn cash back for shopping online at more than 55,000 different stores. On their site, they claim to offer up to 70% cash back but the average is more around 5-8%. Shop at Home also identifies coupons that stores are currently offering so you can take advantage of the savings when you shop.
Cash back earnings tend to post to your account within a few hours but could take up to 30 days depending on the verification process.
Once you reach an account balance of at least $20, you can request payment via check, Amazon gift card, or PayPal. Payments are submitted at the end of the month so you could receive a payment monthly from this site if you use it consistently.
Summary
Cash back sites are a great way to earn money back on purchases you normally make without having to take too much time out of your day to manually look through coupons or research deals. Whenever you shop online or at a participating store (for Ibotta) you can enjoy the same cash back benefits that many rewards credit card holders receive.
If you already have a cash back credit card, you can certainly use it to make your online purchases through one of these sites and maximize your cash back earnings.
To ensure you’re receiving cash back, be sure to sign into one of the websites mentioned above and make sure you are either redirected to the online store of your choice or opt in online to earn cash back so your purchase will count.
7 Ways to Make Money on Your Lunch Break
How to Make Extra Money in Your Slow Season
How often do you shop online? Have you ever used any of these websites? Do you prefer to use cash back sites, cash back credit cards, or a combination of both?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
I think I would tend to shop more than needed. But I will definitely recommend that to my GF ;)
Yeah that’s the main risk you’d take on when using these sites.
I’d heard of (and used) all of these sites except for Be Frugal. I’ll definitely check it out now; great list!
I’d definitely recommend BeFrugal!