Honestly, I’m not a big fan of shopping. But you know what I am a fan of?
Getting paid!
So when I found out I could get paid to shop, and it’s free, my ears perked up. It’s called cash back rebates. Best of all, you can even get paid when your friends shop online, too!
Thank you, Mr. Rebates!
What are cash back rebates?
At its simplest, a cashback rebate is money you get paid when you make a purchase.
Where does the money come from? Referral fees. You see, whenever you make a purchase through Mr. Rebates, they get paid by the store you bought something from, and Mr. Rebates shares some of that money with you.
How much?
Well, it depends on the store. Typically you get 5%-10% of your purchase price back as a rebate. The larger your purchase, the more money you get back in return. The more you shop, the more you earn.
Then once you’ve earned enough rebates, Mr. Rebates sends you a check (or Paypal or gift card) for your total.
Repeat after me: cha-ching!
Why You Want To Use Mr. Rebates
When I first heard of cash back rebates, I was sure it was a scam. Then I learned about affiliate marketing and referral fees and it all made sense.
So why did I choose Mr. Rebates?
They have the best variety of stores and rebates that best fit my shopping needs. They also have a low payment threshold, so you can get paid your rebates when your balance is as low as $10. Most of all, I like how straightforward and simple their process is.
On occasion, I will also use Ebates if I can’t find what I need on Mr. Rebates.
But this really depends on your shopping and the stores you use the most. Everyone’s different, so you might want to check out my earlier analysis of cashback rebate sites and try a few for yourself so you can decide which is the best for you.
Still, I was skeptical, so I did a purchase, got paid, and have never looked back. So far, I’ve made over $450 from Mr. Rebates just doing what I already do. Imagine. Getting paid to shop.
Best of all, it’s easy.
And did I mention it’s free?
How To Sign Up For Mr. Rebates
Joining Mr. Rebates is quick and easy.
Just visit Mr. Rebates and click the “Join” button on the page. Enter your email and whatever password you want to use to create your account, and then your mailing address so they know where to send your check.
That’s it.
No fees. No bank information. It really is that simple. A few minutes and you’re ready to get paid to shop.
How To Shop With Mr. Rebates
One of the things I like the most about cash back rebates is the simplicity. No time spent surfing the interwebs looking for coupons and deals only to find they’re expired, they’re not quite for what you want, or they just don’t work.
With Mr. Rebates, you just go to Mr. Rebates, find the product you want to buy or the store you want to shop at, click through to their website and make your purchase like normal, and BAM.
Cash back.
For example, say you’re running out of your favorite fish oil supplement. Here’s what you do:
- Visit Mr. Rebates
- Search for what you want to buy, e.g.
- search “vitamins” and choose your favorite store, like Vitamin Shoppe, or
- search “one a day multivitamin” and compare prices to find the best price and rebate for that specific product
- Once you’ve decided, click the store or product you want
- Watch Mr. Rebates tell you what store you’re going to and redirect you to that store
- Make your purchase as usual
- Get paid
It’s that easy.
That said, there’s always something to be careful about.
When using cashback rebates, you can’t use coupons or deals that require you to click through to the site. Depending on the store and their coupon system, you may still be able to use coupon codes that you enter manually during the purchase and double up your savings.
You also have to be careful of ad blockers or other browser-based security plugins that block or mask the referral. Sometimes Mr. Rebates will detect if something is blocking the referral, but it’s best if you disable your adblocker before doing any cashback rebate shopping.
It’s always good to check back with Mr. Rebates a few days later to confirm your rebate was recorded correctly. They have a purchase tracking system you can check to verify that it recorded your purchase correctly. If it didn’t you can contact Mr. Rebates customer service for help getting your transaction credited to your account.
But really, that’s it. The more you shop, the more you earn.
And with over 2,000 stores to choose from, you can almost always find what you’re looking for.
Making Money On Mr. Rebates
Now, did I mention you can make money using Mr. Rebates?
That’s right!
Not only can you earn money for every purchase you make, you can also get paid when your friends and family buy something through Mr. Rebates.
It’s called a referral program, and it’s another type of affiliate marketing. Just like Mr. Rebates gets paid by the store when you shop and they share some of the money with you, they will pay you if someone you refer to Mr. Rebates makes a purchase through Mr. Rebates.
It’s easy! Oh, and it’s all still free, of course.
After you’ve signed up with Mr. Rebates, go to “Refer A Friend” under the “My Account” menu. There you’ll find your unique referral URL along with templates for sharing with your social circle for email, Facebook, Twitter. If you have your own web site, there are even banner ads you can use.
Just share your referral code, and watch even more money roll in.
Why would you want to do this? Mr. Rebates will sweeten the pot and give your friends a free $5 to start! No purchase necessary. That’s half way toward their first payout.
You make money, they make money, everybody wins!
Now, to be clear, the Mr. Rebates referral program is just like any other affiliate program, you only get a small percentage of the revenue you earn for your affiliate. In this case 20%. So if your friend earns a $10 rebate, you’ll only receive 20% of that, or $2. And remember, this is all free – free for you, and free for them.
With enough friends, and enough shopping, it can really start to add up! So sign up now and tell all your friends to give them an extra $5 plus a lifetime of cashback rebates.
Other Ways To Get Paid To Shop
Obviously, you can get paid to shop in many different ways.
There are many different cashback rebate sites, of course, like eBates.
And there’s always your rewards credit card. In my case, I love my AmEx Clear – no fees and 1% cash back on all purchases. It’s simple, like me.
But there are better rewards cards out there. Since AmEx stopped accepting new Clear members a few years ago, it’s time I reviewed the current options again. Stay tuned for my cash back credit card recommendations coming soon.
Until then, give Mr. Rebates a try, and comment below with your experiences with cashback rebates, and your favorite shopping strategies.
Originally appeared as Shop Like A Boss And Get Paid on Enwealthen