Your average cashback deal gets you anywhere from 1% to 5% cash back, although there are online retailers that give you up to 45% cashback.
You can find these kinds of deals on the best cashback sites (list below).
Not using a cashback site is like refusing to accept totally free money!
Table of Contents
Cashback vs (Traditional Store) Rebates
What makes earning cashback from your traditional rebates offered by stores is how easy it is to earn cashback.
With the traditional (for lack of a better term) rebate programs that some companies offer, you have to pay full price for the item, then you have to send in your receipt (or in some cases register your purchase) or some kind of a proof of purchase and the company sends you back $x as your rebate, a few weeks/months later.
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But there are a few downsides with that kind of rebate programs:
- Rebates are offered only on certain items.
- You have to send in your receipt or register your purchase within a certain time frame.
- And you have to wait weeks/months to get the money.
I don’t know many people/take who took advantage of rebates. It’s just too much hassle.
Wouldn’t it be better if you could get rebates on everything you buy?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just shop as normal and get rebates without having to mail things in?
That’s the idea behind cash back sites.
Cashback websites make it so easy to get paid for shopping online:
- All you have to do is log into your cashback site of choice.
- Click on the retailer you want to shop from and do your shopping.
- Their tracking system will record everything and credit your account with the promised percentage of cashback.
- Withdraw your cash back earnings.
That’s all to it!
With it being so easy and painless to use, to me it’s just crazy not to use a cashback site. It’s like rejecting free money with no strings attached.
How Do Cashback Sites Work?
Cashback sites are the middle man on the internet.
They work out deals with online retailers where for every customer they send in, the retailer gives them a commission.
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And in order to entice people to go through them instead of going directly to the retailer’s site, they offer cash back using some of that commission money.
The amount of cashback offered varies based on the item, its price, and the cashback site you use.
That last factor, yes the “cashback site you use” factor, is why you should find and shop through the ones that give you the highest percentage cash back on items you buy.
How Do You Get Paid
Now you know how they work, you’re probably wondering, “how do cashback websites pay me?”
Payment methods on offer can vary from website to website.
But you’ll most commonly find that payment options offered are PayPal, check or gift card.
Of course, some sites might offer additional payment methods, such as direct deposit or Dwolla, for example.
Also, the timeframe for payment varies. Some sites offer instant payouts, so you can get your money quickly, but for others, it could take 30 days, or even up to 90 days, for you to receive your payment.
Make sure that you check the payment options and timeframes on each particular platform that you use.
List of Cashback Sites that Pay (the Most)
Now that we’ve covered how cashback websites work and how they pay, let’s take a look at some of the best platforms around for earning cashback.
To me, the top rebate sites have a few qualities:
- They have a big list of merchants you can shop from.
- They give you more cash back than other sites.
- They make it easy to withdraw your earnings.
- They give you cash back on everything you buy from a store and not just a few big items.
So, I did some research and found the following sites to be the best ones based on the criteria outlined above.
Note: While most of these sites are based in the USA, some do operate thus accept members from a few other countries such as the U.K., Canada, and Australia.
Not only have we included some of the best cashback sites below, but we’ve also included apps and browser extensions that offer rebates.
Here are the best cashback shopping sites to get money.
1. Rakuten (formerly eBates)
Rakuten is a name that epitomizes cashback online shopping!
They have even been featured on The New York Times, CNN, Good Housekeeping and the Wall Street Journal numerous times. They even have ads on TV.
Rakuten has a huge list of stores (about 2000) you can shop and get cashback from.
The offer some of the highest cashback percentages in the industry – as high as 40% for select stores.
According to the site, they have paid more than $100 million cashback to their users so far.
If you use our affiliate link to sign up, you will get a $30 sign up bonus!
2. Capital One Shopping
What sets Capital One Shopping apart is its ingenious integration. Install the free browser extension. Then every time you are shopping, it works in the background finding you the best coupons and automatically applying the best one to your cart.
What’s nice about Capital One Shopping is that it does real-time price comparisons, automatic coupon code searches, and instant access to the best deals, automatically and in the background!
Example cashback percentages you can earn on Capital One Shopping:
- WayFair.com: 3%
- Sam’sClub.com: 10%
- FamilyDollar.com: 2.4%
- Academy.com: 5%
They also have partnered up with many offline businesses which allows you to use their “Local Offers” section to earn 3% or more cashback from local businesses including restaurants and retailers in your area.
3. Lemoney
Lemoney is a rather unknown cashback shopping portal that I think more people should know about.
The portal contains 100s of stores including popular retailers like eBay, JCPenney, Sephora, QVC, Expedia and more.
There is also a deal section where you can find great deals and coupons for Amazon, Target, Walmart and many other online retailers.
Lemoney has a program known as Turbo Cashback through which you can earn as much as 50% cashback. It’s basically a special promotion where you earn higher cashback rates than usual.
Here are a few examples of current cashback you can earn with Turbo Cashback:
- Norton: 50%
- Walmart: 10%
- 1-800 Flowers:38%
- Macy’s: 18%
Once you have $25 in your account you can redeem your earning which is paid to you via PayPal.
One of the best features of Lemoney is its referral program known as C-Bonus where you earn money for every friend you invite to the program. What’s more is that the more your friends spend the more C-Bonus you earn.
This is a win-win situation for both you and your friends. Your friends earn cashback on stuff they were going to buy anyway, you earn commission for essentially helping your friends get paid for shopping.
4. Mr. Rebates
Mr. Rebates is one of the oldest rebate sites around.
They also offer big cashback. For example, at the time of this writing, you can get 7% cashback on Amazon.
What I like about Mr. Rebates is that they have a low cash out threshold of just $10.
Once you reach $10 you can request a payment. And you have three options when it comes to getting paid:
- PayPal
- Check
- Gift cards
And they give you a free $5 sign up bonus just for joining.
5. QuickRewards
QuickRewards is not very well-known but has a very loyal user base who love the site and the way it treats its users.
It’s a site like Swagbucks. Not only you earn cashback, but you can also earn free money and gift cards by taking surveys, watching videos, doing offers, visiting websites and more.
I have been using this site for years and I have always been amazed at how quickly they process payments. There were many occasions where I received my PayPal payments within 15-20 minutes of putting in a withdraw request.
They only accept members from the U.S., UK, and Canada.
6. Upromise
If you’re a college student, a parent or guardian of a college student, or a family member of a student, then you might want to check out Upromise.
Upromise is a loyalty program, except it’s designed to help students and their families to pay for college.
With the program, you get cashback on everything from grocery shopping to traveling.
Once you register with Upromise, you can earn cashback from the company’s partners.
Here’s a quick overview of the different ways you can get cashback from Upromise:
Online Shopping
You can get 5% cashback when you shop online through the Upromise shopping page. Upromise has partnered with more than 850 stores, so there are plenty of cashback options to choose from.
Dining
You can get 2.5% cashback on your total bill at restaurants. This cashback includes tax and the tip.
What’s great about the dining cashback is that there are more than 10,000 participating restaurant locations on offer. Just make sure that you register a credit or debit card with Upromise, and then use the card you registered to pay at a participating restaurant location. You can find local restaurants here.
Travel
Through Upromise, you can also get cashback when you book hotels through the program’s travel partners. You can get 5% cashback.
Just click on the travel partner or offer that you’re interested in on the Upromise website. You’ll then be taken to the travel partner’s website, where you can book your trip as you normally would – then you’ll get the cashback. Learn more about it here.
Grocery Shopping and Drugstore Items
Getting cashback on groceries is great because we all have to buy them!
That’s another reason why Upromise is a great program. With Upromise, you can get cashback at the grocery store, and also on drugstore items as well.
Just make sure you register your grocery and drugstore loyalty cards on your Upromise account.
Then, visit the eCoupon offers page, select the offers you want, and they’ll be added to your store loyalty cards.
When you pay, at a participating grocery store or drugstore, scan your card, and you’ll earn cashback.
Visit this page to view participating retailers.
Once you’ve earned your cashback, you can have your cashback automatically put into a savings account, use it to pay down an eligible student loan, or you can just request a check.
7. Tada (Former Shop at Home)
Tada is another popular one.
They offer some of the highest cashback I have ever seen.
Here are a few current offers:
- Amazon.com: 14%
- JCPenny: 9%
- Walmart: 6%
One great feature of Tada is that during the holidays they offer extra cash back.
For example, currently they have this:
- Extra $5 when you spend $150
- Extra $10 when you spend $250
- Extra $15 when you spend $350
And this is on top of the normal cashback you get for shopping through them.
And to top it all off, they give you a $15 sign up bonus.
8. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the most popular and well-known rewards websites out there. It’s super easy to use, and it gives you a multitude of ways to make money.
It is one site that I think everyone should have bookmarked.
Tasks available on Swagbucks are super easy, so it’s a great platform if you’re looking for a simple way to make a bit of extra spending money.
You can get paid for tasks like playing games, watching videos, searching the internet and taking surveys.
While Swagbucks is well known for its get paid to tasks, you might not know that it’s actually a great place to earn cashback when you shop online.
You can get up to 10% cashback.
When you shop with Swagbucks, you get rewards. For every dollar you spend, you’ll earn points, called Swag Bucks.
1 Swag Buck is equal to earning 1% cashback.
You can either withdraw your earnings to your PayPal account, or you can redeem ’em for gift cards from top companies like Amazon.com, BestBuy, The Home Depot, Walmart, Target and many more.
And if you join now, they’ll give you a $10 sign up bonus free.
9. TopCashBack
Another one to add to your list of cashback sites is TopCashBack.
It’s not only a cashback website but a website that offers coupons as well, so you can save even more.
What I like about TopCashBack is the fact that it provides a huge list of merchants to shop with.
On there, you can find rebates for more than 4,400 merchant stores!
It’s a popular website, boasting millions of users, which is definitely worth bookmarking. If you’re looking for cashback sites like Ebates, then check out TopCashBack.
There’s also an app available:
10. iBotta
I have written about iBotta recently in our “Rebate Apps Like iBotta” post.
iBotta is not your usual cash back site. It is an awesome money saving app that earns you cash back on the go.
There is one thing iBotta offers that none of the other ones offer…
It lets you earn cash back on even the basic stuff – milk. bread, ice cream, vegetables, etc.
Here is how iBotta works:
They have a list of cash back rebates for hundreds of products. Let’s say you want to buy bread at the store. You unlock/activate the bread rebate, then you go to the store and buy that bread. After that, you simply take a picture of the receipt and iBotta will credit your account.
You can transfer your cash into PayPal, Venmo or redeem for gift cards.
Sign up and install the app now to get a free $10 bonus.
Other Top Rebates Sites for Shopping
The sites above are, in my opinion, some of the best portals to use. But there are many other sites that offer better deals on various categories.
Here’s a list of the best cashback sites for whatever you are trying to buy online.
11. Extrabux
Extrabux is an international cashback website.
Using it, you can get up to 30% cashback!
This is a really great rate.
What makes Extrabux stand out particularly though, is the fact that it features one of the largest selections of stores for any website on this list.
There are more than 6,000 stores available!
Aside from rebates, Extrabux also provides coupons and promo codes, meaning you can increase your savings.
What I like best about Extrabux, however, is its browser extension. It’s a great tool because it makes getting rebates so much easier!
The browser extension automatically tracks your cashback. So, even if you go right to a store’s website to buy something, you’ll still receive your cashback.
This is great because it means that as long as you have the browser extension installed, you can easily browse your favorite stores without having to visit the Extrabux website first.
It definitely makes getting rebates for online shopping a whole lot easier!
- Download the Extrabux browser extension here.
12. Shopmium
Shopmium is a legit app that gives you rebate when you upload a photo of your receipt. It’s really simple, and works in a similar way to Ibotta.
You can find a huge range of offers on the app, which, according to Shopmium, are exclusive to the app’s users.
Using the app, you can get rebates for a variety of items, such as groceries, beverages, and cosmetics. Cashback is paid through PayPal, which is always convenient.
13. RetailMeNot
Get cashback at a variety of different stores with RetailMeNot.
Aside from cashback, RetailMeNot also provides coupons, gift card deals, sales and promo codes.
You can save money at thousands of stores and brands.
The rebate offers on RetailMeNot vary from store to store.
For example, at the time of writing, you could get up to $10 cashback, when you shop at Amazon.com. You get $5 back when you spend $50 or more and $10 when you spend $100 plus.
At Best Buy, you could get up to $70 cashback. When you spend $150 or more, you get $10 back. When you spend $500 or more, you get $40 back, and when you spend $1,000 or more, you get $70 back.
Also, as another example at the time of writing, you could get up to $15 cashback at ShopKo, which works out at $5 back when you spend $50 or more and $15 when you spend $105 or more.
You get your rebate to your PayPal account.
What’s great about RetailMeNot is that you can also use it to get cashback in-store. Just link a credit or debit card to your account, and then pay with your linked card in-store. You will then get your cashback delivered to your RetailMeNot Wallet.
14. Groupon
Groupon allows you to save up to 70% on the stuff you buy. What’s great about Groupon is that you can use it to get cashback at a multitude of restaurants.
At participating Groupon+ restaurants, you can get 30% cashback.
What’s great about Groupon is that it allows you to save money across a number of categories, such as shopping, travel, and restaurants.
There’s an app available too, which you can use to get deals, like promo codes, sent right to your phone. Also, with the app, you can set up savings alerts for deals in your area.
You can use the app to get deals, like promo codes and savings alerts for deals nearby.
15. CouponCabin
Earn cashback on online purchases with CouponCabin. There are more than 3,500 stores available. So there are plenty of places where you can get rebates.
Ideally, CouponCabin offers coupons too, hence the name. There are coupon codes and printable coupons available, so this can really maximize your savings.
You can get up to 10% cashback on there, so it’s not the highest rate, but there are tons of stores to choose from.
16. ReceiptPal
ReceiptPal works in a similar way to Ibotta, but with one main difference.
While with Ibotta, you have to select certain offers before you go shopping and purchase items featured in those offers in order to get your rebate, with ReceiptPal, you can upload a photo of any receipt and get a rebate.
This is so handy because it means that you aren’t tied to buying any specific product or shopping at a specific store.
Instead, you can just shop as you normally would and you get paid for your receipts. To get your cashback, just take a photo of your receipt or your e-Receipt, and you will get points.
Points can be redeemed for gift cards.
So you can upload receipts from convenience stores, travel companies, restaurants, grocery stores, electronics stores, gas stations and more.
17. BeFrugal
BeFrugal is a great website because it provides such a huge range of places where you can earn money back when you spend.
There are more than 5,000 stores featured on the site where you can get great deals.
You can get around 7% cashback.
When you register for the site, you also get a $10 cash bonus.
Aside from rebates, you can also get coupons for online stores and restaurants.
There’s also an app available:
- Download BeFrugal for Android devices here.
18. Checkout51
Checkout51 is another app like Ibotta that gives you cashback for buying qualifying items and then uploading a photo of your receipt. With Checkout51, it’s so easy to get rebates.
This is because you can buy from any store.
There are new offers available weekly too. You get your cashback on a check once your account balance reaches $20.
19. Fetch (formerly known as Fetch Rewards)
Get rebates for your grocery receipts with Fetch. What I like about Fetch Rewards is that it allows you to get cashback from any grocery, convenience, or club store.
So you’re not tied to buying from a specific store.
Scan your grocery receipt and earn points. You can redeem your points for gift cards, like Visa and Amazon gift cards.
20. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog will give you cashback for your grocery receipts. Just upload a photo of a receipt from any store, and you get rewards. You can redeem your rewards for money to your PayPal account or for Amazon gift cards.
21. GetPaidTo
GetPaidTo gives you cashback when you shop online.
When you shop through GetPaidTo, you get cashback, vouchers, discounts, and special offers for a variety of brands.
At the time of writing, a few examples, of the cashback offers available include 6% back at GameStop, 3% back at Lego, and 1% back at Best Buy.
The website also gives you other ways to earn cash, which is useful.
You can earn points for completing a variety of tasks, like taking online surveys, watching videos and playing games.
500 points is equal to $1. You can redeem your points for cash to your PayPal account, or for gift cards.
22. MyPoints
MyPoints is another reward program that also has cashback offerings.
MyPoint has been around for a very long time (since 1996 to be exact) so it has thousands of online stores in its program.
You earn anywhere from a few points to a few hundred points per dollar for every purchase you make through them.
Here are a few current numbers:
- Earn 7 points per dollar spent on Amazon.com
- Earn 12 points per dollar spent on Macy’s.com
- Earn 4 points per dollar spent on BestBuy.com
- Earn 10 points per dollar spent on JCPenny.com
700 Points gets you about $5 in cash or gift cards.
You can withdraw your earnings in a few ways:
- Cash (PayPal)
- Gift cards (from hundreds of stores)
- Redeem for travel miles
They also have paid emails where you earn a few points just for clicking the link in the email.
What Happened to…?
This post was originally written a few years ago. So the list contained many other sites that today no longer exist. Some have merged with other cashback sites and a few went out of business.
I’m adding the cashback sites that no longer exist in this section for archival reasons and for anyone how is wondering, “What happened to FatWallet?” or other similar sites.
23. FatWallet
Update: FatWallet closed down in 2017.
FatWallet was originally launched as a coupon website back in 1999, but incorporated cashback a few years later.
FatWallet has more than 1,600 online retailers you can shop and get cashback from.
Not only that, but it also offers more than 20,000 coupons.
This is one popular website with more than 3 million active users.
According to the site, they have paid more than $45 million in cashback to their users.
24. MainStreetSHARES (formerly BigCrumbs)
Update: No longer in business!
MainStreetSHARES is a new site that was created on the back of an old trusted cashback site, BigCrumbs.
They are changing how this whole “cashback shopping” thing works.
Not only you earn cashback for shopping, but you also earn a share of the company/store you shop from.
I’ll let them explain:
“We are a community of members who earn cash back from our shopping at top online stores. We also receive a share of total company profits each month, earn commissions when our referrals shop, and receive a payout when MainStreetSHARES is acquired.”
The extensive partnerships (they have thousands of online and off-line participating outlets) and the excellent features of the website makes it a must use cash back site.
25. Pennyful
Update: No longer in business!
Pennyful is another oldie but goodie site.
They have around 1300 participating stores.
Here are some of the cashback percentages currently offered:
- Macy’s: 1.5%
- Kmart: 3.5%
- The Body Shop: 6.0%
- Direct TV: $55 cash back
- OverStock.com: 55.0%
They also offer a free $5 sign up bonus to new members.
26. Coupon Cactus
Update: No longer in business!
Coupon Cactus is a massive site with an even bigger list of participating stores. So, virtually any store you can think of, they have it in their program.
They have a very user-friendly navigation system which allows you to drill down by category, store names, etc.
What I love about Coupon Cactus is that not only you earn cash back, you also save money because they give you the latest and best available coupons for any online store you are shopping from.
For example, at the time of this writing, they have a 15% off on Target purchases on top of the normal 2.50% cashback.
There are two payment options as you can opt to receive your cash either by check or direct credit into your PayPal account. You have to have at least $10 in your account before you can withdraw.
And yes, they also offer a signup bonus – $3 to be exact.
27. SavingStar
Update: SavingStar has merged with Shopmium.
With SavingStar, you can get cashback on groceries. You can get rebates at stores like Walmart, Albertson’s, Kroger, Target, Food Lion and Publix.
For select stores, you can take a photo of your receipt to get a rebate. Also, you can link deals to your store loyalty cards – handily enough, there are more than 100 participating chains to choose from.
Cashback is sent to your PayPal account, which is great. You can also choose to have your rebate put onto a gift card. Or you can donate it to charity.
28. Punchcard
Update: No longer in business.
Punchcard gives you rewards when you upload a photo of your receipt. Impressively, Punchcard works at more than 15 million retailers nationwide.
When you upload a photo of your receipt, you’ll get points that you can redeem for gift cards.
- Download Punchcard for Android devices here.
- Download Punchcard for iOS devices here.
29. BerryCart
Update: No longer in business!
BerryCart is like Ibotta except that it’s focused on organic, gluten-free and non-GMO foods. With BerryCart, you can get rebates for your receipts. Also, there are coupons available as well.
You get your rebate sent to your PayPal account.
- Download BerryCart for iOS devices here.
- Download BerryCart for Android devices here.
30. Paribus
Update: Paribus was acquired by Capital One on Oct. 6, 2016. It is now known as Capital One Shopping.
Paribus is an interesting tool that gets you cashback in a different way to the websites and apps that we mentioned above.
Isn’t it annoying when you see an item for 50% off when you just paid the full price for it the day before?
We’ve all been there, and it’s frustrating to lose out on an opportunity to save money.
But, with Paribus, you can get your money back and avoid missing out on savings.
Paribus will scan your inbox for receipts from the stores that it monitors.
If Paribus sees that an item you’ve bought has recently dropped in price, then it will get you a rebate for the difference.
This is really handy, as it means that you always get the best price for the stuff you buy, without having to do anything!
31. CashCrate
Update: CashCrate has changed direction and is now working as a sort of directory for survey and rewards websites.
With CashCrate, you can get cashback when you shop at hundreds of online retailers.
What’s good about CashCrate is that it allows you to earn money in a number of other ways too, aside from rebates.
You can also earn by trying new offers, signing up for free websites and services, taking research surveys, and referring friends. You can also earn points towards prizes when you socialize, play games and win contests.
Tips for Using Cashback Websites
Okay, so now you know how cashback websites work and you also have a list of cashback websites.
If you want to get the most out of cashback websites, follow our tips on using them.
Combine cashback with coupons where possible
Our number one tip for using rebate websites is to combine them with coupons where possible. If you get 10% cashback at Target from a website, look for a coupon too. If you have a 10% off coupon on top of that 10% cashback, you instantly double your savings.
It’s always worth checking for coupons and then stacking them with rebates.
Some of the cashback websites above do also feature coupons, which is handy.
Check out this post for some great grocery coupon sites.
It’s not recommended to use coupon codes that aren’t featured on the cashback website you’re using.
If you use a coupon from another website, then you might not get your rebate.
For many cashback websites, it’s against their policies to use coupons from other websites.
But, this isn’t always the case. It’s always a good idea, however, to check the rules and policies for the website you’re using to see what the rules are for using coupons.
As we mentioned above, many of these cashback websites also offer coupons anyway.
Cashback sites comparison
The cashback offers available vary from site to site. So to get the best deal, you have to compare cashback rebates sites to see which one offers the highest cashback percentage for the item you’re buying.
Of course, checking websites yourself one by one would be very time-consuming, and we’re all busy!
Handily enough, there are cashback comparison websites that do this for you.
What these websites do is they monitor cashback websites and let you know which ones have the highest percentage for the store or brand you want to shop at.
So, all you need to do is browse one of these sites, and you’ll be able to see which website is offering the best cashback rate for the store or brand that you plan to shop at.
Here are a couple of tools you might want to check out:
Combine cashback credit cards to save even more
Another way to make the most out of rebate sites is to combine them with a cashback credit card.
Visit one of the sites above, like Ebates, for example, and shop at one of its partner stores. When you come to pay at the checkout, use a cashback credit card.
Here are a few examples of credit cards that give you cashback:
- Discover It Card – 5% cashback.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card – 1.5% cashback.
- Citi Double Cash Card – 2% cashback.
- American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card – 6% cashback.
- Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card – 2% cashback.
Of course, you need to make sure that you pay off your purchases in time if you want to avoid interest charges.
What’s great is that it’s easy to stack cashback offers with a cashback credit card, because these merchant sites don’t have rules against credit cards.
Avoid sites that charge you a signup fee
Avoid cashback websites that charge you a fee to join – these types of websites are usually a scam.
Good cashback websites and apps are free to use. And as we mentioned above, they earn money by getting a commission from sending paying customers to the retailers that they partner with. So they should not require you to pay to join.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Cashback Credited to Your Account
One common problem that people have with cashback websites is that they don’t get their rebates.
When people shop on cashback websites, like Ebates and TopCashBack, it’s common to see them saying things like: “my cashback isn’t showing,” “my purchases aren’t appearing,” “where is my cashback Ebates”,” or “my cashback isn’t tracked.”
The websites we’ve listed above pay out, but some people say that their account just isn’t credited.
This can be caused by a number of things.
Most of the time it’s a cookie issue.
And, of course, there are a few other things to keep in mind to ensure you get your rebates.
Here’s a quick step by step guide to making sure your cashback gets tracked so you don’t have to file a missing cashback claim.
Step 1: Check cookies and software aren’t preventing cashback before you start shopping
If you want to make sure that you get your cashback, you need to make sure that nothing is preventing it from tracking properly.
Cookies and certain software can prevent proper tracking of your cashback.
Here are a few things you can do to fix any cookie and software issues before you start shopping:
- Clear cookies in your browser.
- Turn off any blockers, such as ad blockers, info blockers and cookie blockers
- Don’t use private browsing.
- Basically, you want to ensure that you don’t have any other affiliate cookies running in your browser!
- Also, another thing that can prevent your purchase from properly tracking is the use of anti-spyware and anti-virus programs. You could consider temporarily turning off these programs while shopping through a cashback website.
Doing these things won’t take much time but getting them done will ensure you don’t miss a dime of cashback you’ve earned.
Step 2: Login to the Rebate Site
Go to the rebate site you’ll be using and find the store you’re going to shop at. Make sure that you read all of the details on the store to ensure that the items you plan to purchase qualify for cashback.
Next, check to see if there’s a coupon available on the rebate site – as we mentioned before, combining coupons can save you even more money.
Click through to the store you’re going to shop at.
Here are a few things to keep in mind once you’ve clicked through to the store:
- Once you’ve added items to your cart, make sure that you checkout immediately – this will make sure that your rebate is credited.
- Also, if you have a few different browser windows open, then make sure you buy items on the merchant’s site in the browser window that was opened through the rebate site.
- While shopping, don’t browse other sites, as it could affect your cookie.
- And, if you were to click a link from another website after clicking from the rebate website, then you may click some else’s affiliate link and then void your cashback. So it’s really important to avoid browsing on other websites.
- If you do click another link, start the process over.
Step 3: Check your Account
Once you have placed your order, then you’ll need to wait to see if your sale/cashback is pending on the rebate website.
Each site will differ in terms of how long it will take for your cashback credit to appear. So do check the process for the particular site that you’re using.
If after 24 hours you can’t see anything pending, then contact the website.
Repeat this process every time you want to buy something through a cashback website.
So What is the Best Cash-Back Website?
The best cashback site is…
The one you actually use!
Here’s the thing…
No matter which one of these sites you use, you win. But choosing one as the best one is not a good idea. You cut yourself off from potential money saving opportunities.
You know why?
Because the rebates and cashback offers by participating stores differ from site to site.
Let me explain…
While Swagbucks may give you 10% cash back on X and 5% on Y retailer, Coupon Cactus may give you 5% cashback on X, but they give you 10% on Y retailer.
So, to make sure you get the highest amount of cash back for any given store, join a few of these top sites and when you want to shop, check with all of them to find the highest and best cash back percentage.
Takeaway
There are so many ways to get cashback nowadays!
This means that saving money is so much easier.
Even if it’s only a 2% cashback rate, that 2% is still better in your pocket!
Give a few our best cashback sites and apps a try, and start putting more money into your bank account!
Let us know below if you’ve tried any of the websites or apps above, and if you haven’t yet started with rebate platforms, tell us which ones you’re going to try.
John Freeland
Try CashBackCat.com. although only 18 months old, we have 1,500 stores and many with the highest cash back, when compared to others. We have 10 new double cash back stores each week and payout to customers on the 1st and 15th of each month, providing funds have closed. We offer a $5 Welcome Bonus as well as a $5 referral fee.
Thank you for your consideration,
John Freeland
CashBackCat.com
Satrap
Thanks for the addition John. Will check it out.
James
While eBates have been around the longer, there is no way those guys are the best, I would rank FatWallet and Mrrebates higher, MyPoints is not a cash back site, so i would say they don’t belong to the list either
Satrap
Thanks for the comment, James. What do MrRebates and FatWallet have or do differently that makes them better for you?
As for MyPoints, the site is not entirely focused on Cashback, it rewards users for other stuff as well, but they have one of the largest selections of companies in their shopping portal that you can shop from. So, I’d say they are a cash back site, but not an exclusive one.
Gene
My favorite cashback site is rebatecodes.com They have a great site, the best cashback rates, and their referral program is the best because they pay 10% of every referrals’ earnings for the life of the account. They also have a browser extension that totally automates the process plus ads icons to google search that tell you what stores give cashback.
Satrap
Thanks for the heads up, Gene.
How long have you been using that site, and have you ever gotten paid?
Shell
This is currently down to 3% payback (11.19.24)
Kimberly McBride
In one year I made over $800 using Swagbucks, but there it can be frustrating. I would love to share the tips I have learned with your readers. They really work! Do you accept guest articles? I have samples of my articles that I couldsend to you. I love your articles! Thank you for helping us to save money!
Satrap
That’s awesome, Kimberly.
And yes, we do accept guest posts. Please see our Contribute page (link in the footer section of this page) for guidelines and how to get started.
Red
Always good to get a rebate back! Thanks for the sites. How about someone listing a place to print rebates on groceries or other stuff, the only site I know to do this is refundsweepers but there must be other sites….
Cynthia Stewart
I found this article to be very informative. Do you know off hand who offers the largest discount for shopping on AliExpress as many don’t offer a discount at all. EBates discount is very small between 1-3%. I did find a company that offered a nice 6-9% but I have lost track of them.
Satrap
I am glad you find this post helpful, Cynthia. That makes my day every time I hear it from an awesome reader like you.
Yeah, with bigger sites like AliExpress or Amazon, the rebates are usually low. Mainly because those sites already have a huge customer base, so they don’t have to spend too much on advertising and offering incentive to shoppers.
S A Ross
Fat Wallet has been out of business for years, you may want to update your site
Paul
Thanks for the post for a complete list of cash back sites broken down by category. I think Paribus is really interesting. Might want to check this one out.
Diane
My current cashback program requires a copy of the receipt listing all the items purchased. Why do they need to see everything I buy at, say, the grocery store? As long as they can see where, when, and how much I paid, that should be enough. Is there information being “analyzed” regarding my choices?