The easiest way to save money online without changing your purchasing behavior is to sign up for a cash back program. These programs are free to join and offer cash back rewards at hundreds of sites. Once you are a member of the cash back program, you simply log in to the site and search for your favorite online store. For example, if you saw something you wanted to buy on Best Buy's website, you would simply sign in to the cash back program's website, browse/search for Best Buy, click through to Best Buy's website, and complete the purchase. Using this method, you would save anywhere from 1% to 15% or possibly more on the purchase. Each cash back program has different cash back rates for each of the online stores and these rates may vary from time to time. For best results, I recommend joining several cash back programs to maximize your savings. The best cash back programs include Big Crumbs, Bing, Ebates, Fat Wallet, MoreRebates, and Mr. Rebates. I also suggest checking out the eBay Bucks cash back program. Finally, consider using a cash back/rewards credit card to further maximize your savings.
Big Crumbs: A unique cash back program that is more like an online community. They offer cash back rewards, hot deals, coupons, and even exposure for your own business (through Amazon, eBay, and Etsy). They have two types of membership and yes, both are free. The default membership, CrumbSavers, offers cash back rewards on your own shopping as well as on purchases for direct referrals to Big Crumbs. The other membership, CrumbEarner, offers slightly lower cash back rewards, but allows you to build a referral network that generates commissions for purchases from up to 5 generations of referrals.
Bing*:
A unique cash back program that is largely search engine based. Typical rebates range from 1% to 20% and can often be even greater at certain stores. Please be aware that participation and cash back rates seem to change occasionally, if not often. However, a complete list of participating stores and cash back amounts is provided on Bing's cash back site. Some sites have even been set up to monitor the best keywords for cash back The program usually offers a pretty good cash back rate on eBay Buy It Now purchases. Check Cashbackr for eBay keywords or just search Google for the latest Bing cash back keywords. Bing is great for eBay purchases as you may be able to double your cash back by using Bing as well as one of the other cash back programs. This sometimes works because Bing's cash back is embedded into eBay Buy It Now purchases once you click through whereas cash back for the other programs is based on the actual bidding/winning of the auction. To stack Bing's cash back with another program's cash back, click through to eBay from Bing.com first, then sign in to the other cash back program and click through to eBay to make the actual bid/purchase.
*UPDATE: Microsoft no longer supports the Bing Cashback Program. Content remains for reference purposes only.
Ebates: A traditional cash back program where you can expect rebates up to 26% at over 1200 stores. Ebates not only features a cash back program, but also offers coupons, coupon codes, a referral program, and a blog featuring cash back promotions at various sites. Currently, you can even get a $5 bonus for signing up using the link provided. Save even more by spending at least $20 on a purchase after joining.
Fat Wallet: Another traditional cash back program offering cash back rewards as well as coupons, coupon codes, and top deals. They also have a forum for hot deals, deal discussions, and free stuff postings. Fat Wallet provides an easy way to combine savings using coupon codes and cash back rewards. I have seen cash back amounts of 15% with stackable coupon codes offering an additional 15% which would make the overall savings nearly 30%.
MoreRebates: Another traditional cash back program offering rebates up to 30% as well as coupons, discounts, mail in rebates, and a referral program. Currently, you even get $6 just for signing up. They also have a blog featuring the best deals and coupons.
Mr. Rebates: Another traditional cash back program offering rebates up to 30% as well as coupons and a referral program. Currently, you even get $5 just for signing up. Compared to Ebates and Fat Wallet, Mr. Rebates' website is simple and lacks a blog/forum or community feel, but their cash back rebates often seem higher or at least more consistent.
ebay Bucks: A specific program to save money on eBay. The program is currently being beta tested by eBay so not everyone is eligible to participate. For those who are able to join, savings are pretty much automatic and are displayed during checkout. According to eBay, you can earn 2% cash back on qualifying items. The cash back amount is tracked within your eBay account and paid out every 3 months in the form of a certificate to spend on eBay.
Rewards Credit Cards: The easiest and yet most misunderstood method to save money on purchases is to sign up for a cash back or rewards credit card. Many people use debit cards to make online purchases, but credit cards offer more consumer protection and often deliver more rewards. Cash back credit cards typically offer at least 1% cash back on all purchases and may offer preferred cash back rates at certain stores. For example, the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card from Chase essentially offers 3% cash back on Amazon.com purchases, 2% on gas station, restaurant, and drug store purchases, and 1% on everything else. You even get $20 to $30 off your first purchase with the Amazon.com Rewards Card. It is critical for shoppers who make frequent purchases on Amazon as it is the only method that I have found to receive cash back on Amazon purchases. While the Amazon.com Rewards Card is my preferred credit card, some other popular cash back/rewards credit cards include Chase Freedom which offers up to 3% cash back, American Express Blue Cash which offers up to 5% cash back, and Discover Card Rewards which offers 5% cash back bonuses. The key to choosing a cash back or rewards credit card is to make sure the rewards are something you can use. Also, ensure that the card you choose features no annual fee and at least a 20 day grace period. The most important thing to remember when using credit cards is that you must pay the balance in full every month in order to actually save money. Using credit cards can actually have additional benefits. For example, if you were using a debit card to make purchase, then that money was leaving your bank account the moment of purchase. However, with a credit card, you do not have to pay for the purchase until your next credit card statement. As a result, money stays in your bank account longer and can potentially save you even more money if you have an interest bearing checking account.
Using these cash back programs and methods, you can start saving up to 36% on your online purchases or even start generating cash through online referrals. To use the cash back programs successfully, I recommend joining several, if not all, of the programs listed above. At a bare minimum, I suggest joining the Ebates, MoreRebates, and Mr. Rebates cash back programs.
Copyright © 2011 - Sam Rowso - All rights reserved