Ebates Review: Is This Cash-Back Site Legit?

Quick Review

Here’s my quick review of Ebates.

Free and easy to join
Legit cashback platform
Available on iOS and Android
You must be 18+ to join

Ebates (now known as Rakuten) has been in existence for at least 20 years. The platform is free to use. It pays users real money to shop online.

Despite all these fancy details about the website, some users still have issues with it. I’ll go over them in this review.

Without wasting your time, let’s see how Ebates works and the various benefits you stand to enjoy from the cash-back website.

Visit Ebates

Detailed Guide

Here’s my comprehensive guide for Ebates.

What is Ebates?

Ebates is a cash-back website that gives you the opportunity to get cashback on things you buy online or in the store.

The idea behind Ebates is simple. All you need to do is to follow a link from the website (or the app) and get cash back on the things you buy.

For instance, let’s assume you bought a shirt for $125 at the store that partners with Ebates with 7% cash-back, $8.75 would be added to your Ebates account when you complete your purchase. Ebates has an updated list of coupons and deals that you can use for your favorite stores.

There are many cash-back websites on the internet. However, Ebates is a name to reckon with in the cash-back industry. It is also the largest website in the cash-back market.

When you scroll through the website, you will discover that you can receive a specific amount of cashback from different retailers such as eBay, Amazon, Macy’s, Walmart, Kohl’s, CVS, Walgreens, and Best Buy amongst others.

You will also enjoy savings offered by different restaurants, vacation or travel sites, and other mouth-watering benefits.

How Ebates Work

Ebates work in different ways. These include:

Get Cashback For Purchasing Online

When you register on Ebates, search for an online retailer using the search bar at the top of the website.

On the next page that loads, click the big ‘Shop Now’ button. This will take you to the retailer’s website. From the retailer’s website, you can go ahead and shop for want you want and place your order. When you place your order, you will receive a specific amount of cashback and this will go directly to your Ebates account.

Examples of retail stores that work with Ebates include:

Walmart
Amazon
Macy’s
Kohl’s
Petco
Expedia
Walgreens
Groupon
eBay
Sephora
BestBuy
JCPenny
Target
And lots more

To make the process convenient, you can install the Ebates browser add-on. Doing this will take some steps out of your shopping experience.

Whenever you visit a website that has the Ebates plugin installed on it, you will receive a notification asking you if you wish to get cashback for buying on that website. You have two options when you receive this notification: you can either dismiss it or activate the cashback.

Ensure you activate cashback before you place an order.

Get Cashback At Physical Stores

Another way through which Ebates works is by getting cash back at physical stores. To do this, simply link your credit or debit card.

You can request an Ebates VISA card, use it anywhere it is accepted, and get cashback whenever you use it. Although the cashback percentage is not huge, however, it is better than nothing.

Half bread, they say, is better than none.

What Ebates Stands To Gain

I know you might be wondering…

“Why is Ebates so generous?”

“Aren’t they losing money through the cash-back process?”

Good questions.

Ebates can do all these because they are making use of a business model known as affiliate marketing.

This simply means getting paid for selling other people’s products. For instance, when you purchase online, for instance from eBay, Ebates will receive a portion of the sale (without you incurring any cost). They then share half of whatever they receive with you.

For instance, let’s assume you bought an item for $1,500 and Ebates gave 5% cashback on the purchase, Ebates would receive $75 and share it with you. So you’d receive $37.50. This implies that you spent $1,462.50, not $1,500.

As you can see, it is a win-win situation. eBay (or the store you buy from) wins simply because Ebates referred a customer to them. Ebates also win because they were rewarded with a commission, while you win. After all, you were able to save some amount of money through the cash-back.

Now that I’ve shed light on what Ebates is and how it works, I will answer some questions in the FAQ section. I will also discuss the complaints some users have about the platform in the pros and cons section.

I will go over these later in this Ebates review. But for now, let’s take a look at how you can shop with Ebates.

How You Can Shop (And Save) With Ebates

Currently, most of the cashback savings occur online, although some stores allow you to enjoy in-store cashback.

A recent study revealed that millennials execute about 60 percent of their shopping on the internet. You reading this Ebates also show that you are online, and I can guess with a high probability that you shop online regularly.

This is why I refer to Ebates as an excellent and fail-proof opportunity for getting cash back for shopping.

If you want to shop with Ebates, the first thing you need to do is to go to the Ebates website and search through the over 2,000 online retailers to see if they partner with Ebates. Just click on the ‘Things Remembered’ icon on the website.

Once you click on the icon, the website will redirect you to a screen that lets you know that your cashback has been activated.

The next thing that happens is that you will be automatically taken back to the ‘Things Remembered’ website where you can shop for your favorite items. This swift process will offer you cashback for shopping online.

How to Get The Best Out of Ebates

The tips highlighted below will help you get the best results from Ebates.

1. Ensure you complete your purchase within the same shopping season

It is important to complete your purchase in the same session you start after you click on the Ebates link. If you don’t do this, you may not earn cashback.

2. Don’t disable your cookies

Your computer cookies enable Ebates to track your purchases. If you disable your computer cookies, Ebates will not be able to apply the cash-back; this means no cash for you.

3. Don’t use an ad blocker

An ad blocker may affect the way Ebates works on your device. If you don’t want to miss any cash-back, ensure you don’t use an ad blocker while shopping.

4. Refer your friends and loved ones

Ebates operates an excellent referral program. When you register, you will receive a unique referral link. When someone joins Ebates and purchases anything through your link, you will receive $25, while the person you refer will receive $10. For you to qualify for this bonus, the person must spend at least $25.

How Can I Join Ebates

It is free to join Ebates. From the sign-up page, select your sign-up bonus. At the time of this review, you can choose between a $10 Walmart Gift Card and a $10 Ebates cash bonus.

The next process, which is the sign-up process, can be done with either your Facebook or Google account. You can also use your email address and a password. Once you have supplied your details, confirm that you are not a robot and click the ‘Join’ button.

Who Can Join Ebates

Anyone is free to join Ebates, irrespective of where you live; those living outside of the United States or Canada can join Ebates.

The most important thing is to ensure that the store that you’re buying from ships to where you live. You must also be at least 18 years old before you can join Ebates.

How Do I Get Paid By Ebates

Ebates sends you your payment every quarter. You can receive your payment from the website in three ways. When your balance exceeds $5.00, you have different options to receive your money.

You can send a check to the address that you registered with, transfer the money to your PayPal account, or send your cheque to someone or an organization that you choose (such as a charity).

A True-Life Story About Using Ebates

When I was carrying out my research on Ebates, I stumbled upon this feedback. I deemed it fit to share this cash-back success story with you.

By the way, Deacon Hayes; the Well Kept Wallet founder, shared this feedback.

“When my son Finn became a toddler, we knew that we needed something for him to do outside, but we were not sure what to get him. I researched outdoor toys and found a playhouse that looked awesome, but it was a couple of hundred dollars. I decided to search in Google for a better deal and found it at Kmart for a lot less.
I could have just bought it and called it a day, but here is the kicker:
I decided to open up Ebates and see if Kmart was one of their store options and it was. Not only that, but they were paying 6% cashback for these types of purchases! So I got $9 cash back on something that I was already going to purchase, and I got it for a much lower price than what I initially saw on Amazon.”

Pros

1. Ebates allows you to save more of your money, for free.

It is free to join and use Ebates. Apart from this, you will also receive a percentage of what you spend when shopping in stores that are in partnership with Ebates. These cash-back rewards will then be sent dire

2. Decide where your money goes

You can decide where you want Ebates to send your money to. Your money can be sent by cheque. They can also send it directly to your PayPal account.

3. A huge number of stores to shop on and save at

Ebates is in partnership with over 2000 stores all over the world. This allows you to find one that will give you cashback while you’re shopping.

4. It is easy to use

Ebates is an affiliate revenue-sharing website that is simple and easy to use. The website lets you know the exact amount of money that you will earn as cashback when you are shopping in a particular store.

It also gives you easy-to-understand instructions that will help you avoid any technical glitches that you may encounter through the shopping process. It is also safe to use and has excellent customer support.

Cons

1. Ebates has some restrictions

Some brands, like Apple, are not in partnership with Ebates. This means that you cannot get cashback while purchasing their products. Other online retailers have some conditions that you need to meet before you get cashback. One of such conditions is buying from a particular department. Ensure you read the details before shopping.

2. You need to be patient with your payment

Ebates sends out payments four times a year. The waiting period is spaced out in such a way that you will need to wait two months after your purchase deadline to get cashback. Some users have also complained of not getting their payouts.

However, I later discovered that this was because they have not met their payout threshold. As a result, the payout is carried over. Even if you have issues with your payout, their responsive customer service will help you resolve it.

3. You may need to have some technical skills

Some technical issues may affect how Ebates works, such as having an add-on on your web browser that interferes with adverts or shopping directly at the store instead of landing on the store through the Ebates website.

Ensure you start at Ebates and make sure you don’t have ad blockers on your device so that Ebates can work seamlessly.

Alternatives

Here are some Ebates alternatives.

FAQs

Why Does Ebates Give Cashback on Purchases?

Ebates gives cash back on purchases because the stores they partner with give them money for referring customers to shop from them.

Ebates is generous enough to share this money with you; a win-win situation for you, for Ebates, and the stores.

Final Verdict

Is Ebates Safe and Legitimate?

Yes, Ebates is 100 percent legitimate. It is also a safe affiliate revenue-sharing website.

I have covered the few challenges that users have with this website in the cons section. However, the benefits that you stand to gain from this website surpass a few challenges.

As stated earlier in this Ebates review, ensure you shop through Ebates (not directly from the retail store) so that you can get cashback.

I hope this Ebates review has done justice to all you need to know about Ebates; that is what Ebates is and how it works.

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Surveystor provides information on how to earn extra income on GPT sites, PTC sites, survey platforms, and cashback platforms.

Thanks for reading.

Ready to Join?

If you’re ready to start saving money while shopping in your favorite stores, click the button below to join Ebates.