Frugal hacks are my monthly reviews of products, services, and apps that we use to save us money that you might not know about. All of the hacks that I review are things that I have either used for a long time or that I used for a short while and decided it wasn’t worth my time. Basically, I’ll be upfront about if I like and still use it or not.
One of my favorite ways to save money when I shop online is by using Ebates (this is my referral link and I do benefit if you use it).
Since opening my Ebates account in early 2015, I have earned $280. That’s actual, real money that was either mailed to me as a check or directly deposited to my PayPal account. I like apps that are upfront about the conversion to dollars. Some apps have convoluted point systems that aren’t as clear about how what you do translates into a benefit for you.
Once you sign up for Ebates, using it is super easy. The first thing you need to do is install the extension/button to your browser. Then you shop as normal. What you’ll see is a pop-up when the store you’re at offers an ebate (like in the picture below). All you need to do is click on the activate button before you check out.
In a couple of days, you’ll get notification of the amount that will be credited to you.
Ebates mails checks or sends the money to your PayPal account once every three months so long as you have earned at least $5.00. They will also offer you an extra 15 percent if you take your balance as a gift card, but I haven’t done that yet.
Once or twice I’ve needed to contact Ebates for support when a shopping trip had not been credited to me. The support team is a dream. Each time, they have promptly responded and, importantly, corrected the problem.
All-in-all, I 100 percent recommend Ebates.
What would you like to know about Ebates?
Smith Happens 