How to earn money while shopping | The smarter way to shop online

Are you an online shopper? For several years, I’ve used a website to find online coupons, but now I have found an even better way to shop online. Not only do I find the best coupons and deals, but I also earn money while shopping! There’s got to be a catch, right? I must have to sell my first born child to the website and give up all of my personal information, right? Nope. No catch (and definitely no baby selling).

Cashback Websites — The Smarter Way to Shop Online

So, what’s the trick that smart shoppers are using to save big and earn money while shopping? The answer is cashback websites and apps. Great coupon websites still exist, but they are expanding into referral sites. They get paid for referring you to websites and stores, and in return, they give some of that referral money back to you.

You still pay the same price for your purchases regardless of whether you visited the site on your own or through a referral site. The only difference when you go through a referral site first is that you earn cash back while you shop. It’s kind of a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you want to earn extra money?

Do I Have to Give Up My Personal Information?

You might be afraid that you have to give up too much personal information to join these referral sites. You don’t. For most of the sites, you only need to give them your name, an email address, and an address for them to send the checks. Some sites have the option to hook your payments to PayPal and Venmo, and some sites pay via gift cards. Just choose which type you like the best.

Best Cashback Websites

There are lots of cashback websites out there, and they each have different benefits. I’ve picked my top finds to share with you. It can be confusing to understand their similiarities and differences, so check out this handy comparison chart to pick which site(s) will work best for you.

Get the Most Cash Back with Ebates

My favorite cashback site is Ebates. Why? Simply because they usually offer the highest percentage of cash back when compared to the other sites. I like that they frequently have deals offering double cash back. They also have daily deals featuring their best bargains. For example, today I clicked on their hot deals section. I found that they were offering 20% cash back at Macy’s in addition to Macy’s current sale (which already has many items at 20% off). That’s the kind of deal I like!

Ebates pays once a quarter in the form of a “big fat check.” As long as you have earned $5.00 or more, you will be sent a check. If not, your balance will carry over into the next pay period.

Ebates has a sign-on bonus for new users. When you sign up for Ebates using my referral link, once you spend $25 through Ebates, they’ll pay you $10. No strings.

Get the Guaranteed Highest Cashback Percentage with TopCashback

TopCashBack has some great benefits. If you find any company offering a higher cashback percentage, they’ll match it. Also, you can cash out your benefits at any time. All of the other companies make you wait until you have earned a specific amount of money before you can cash out. Also, since you can cash out at any time, you don’t have to worry about losing the money in your account if you stop using the website.

The one drawback to this company (and the reason it is not my top choice) is that they don’t automatically let you know about all available coupons. You’ll still have to do your research to make sure you are getting the best deal on the products you purchase.

To get started with the guaranteed best rebate percentage, join TopCashBack today with my referral link.

Earn Cash Back Online and at the Grocery Store with Ibotta

In addition to earning money while shopping online, you can earn money while you shop for groceries (or at the Pharmacy, Joanns, and many more stores)! Just use the Ibotta smart phone app. I use Ibotta every time I go to the grocery store. Before I shop, I check Ibotta to find out if any of the items on my list are available for a rebate. I add them to my grocery list, buy them, scan the receipt, and submit my offers to Ibotta. Bam. I get cash back in my account. Once I earn $25, I get a check.

I primarily use Ibotta for grocery shopping, but shopping online through their smart phone app gives many of the same benefits as Ebates and TopCashBack. When you click to participating stores through the app, you get a cashback percentage from your purchase added to your account. In some stores, you may even find rebates on individual items.

If you want to combine your in store and online shopping rewards in one place, this is the app for you.

Get a $10 sign on bonus with Ibotta when you enter my referral code (chripdr) or sign up using my referral link.

Invite Friends to Earn Even More

The other cool thing about these websites and apps is that you can earn even more when you refer your friends. If you love the program, share your referral link with your friends to earn extra bonuses. My links are referral links, so thank you for joining through me. It helps me keep bringing you valuable content!

Stretch Your Holiday Budget to the Max with Cashback Websites

The holidays are right around the corner, so now is the perfect time to try one or two of these programs out. I love to shop online for Christmas gifts. It saves me time and money because I can shop in my pajamas, and great deals are only a mouse click away.

During these next few months leading up to Christmas, shoppers spend more money online than they do all year. It’s the perfect time to quickly rack up the rebates. When you chose which website is best for you, be sure to pay attention to how much you have to earn before you can cash out your earnings. (See my handy chart.) It doesn’t do you any good to earn cash back if you never earn enough to get a check.

More Ways to Earn Money While Shopping

When it comes to getting cash back, Ebates, TopCashBack and Ibotta are definitely my first choices. I like to give you lots of options, though, so here are two more good choices if my top 3 aren’t right for you.

Get the Best Deals on Amazon with Honey

Honey’s best features:

• Automatically finds and apples the best coupon codes at checkout.
• Finds the best price on products on Amazon. (Includes shipping and other fees in its calculations.)
• Droplist feature: Tag products you are interested in. Honey lets you know when the price drops.
• Unlock travel discounts as you use the program more often.

Join Honey using my referral link to get a $5 sign on bonus with your first qualifying purchase.

Automatically Find and Apply the Best Coupon Codes with Piggy

Piggy’s best features:

• Automatically identifies relevant coupons and lets you add them to your cart with one click.
• Offers cashback at participating stores.
• Uses a browser add-on so that you don’t forget to use the app and get your discounts.

Want to try Piggy? Sign up using my referral link, download the app (for your phone or PC) and get a $5 bonus.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, there are a lot of choices out there! Lots of different programs means that one of them is bound to be a good fit for you. The bottom line is, if you’re shopping online anyway, you might as well make some extra cash while you’re doing it! I hope you’ve found a program that will work for you.

Which program do you like best? Did you find one or more that you are going to try? Good luck, and I hope you fill your pockets with lots of extra cash!

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