Whenever we talk about cash back programs on B&B, it’s usually referencing a new or up-and-coming program to watch out for. That’s because we boldly assume that everyone in the world of online shopping tricks has already heard of Ebates, now called Rakuten.
Established over 20 years ago, Ebates Rakuten has been serving up Big Fat Checks™ for longer than some of you have been alive. For those who haven’t yet crossed paths with the largest cash-back program on the ‘net, Rakuten is just like the rest: through direct partnerships with brands and online stores, they give you a cash back bonus based on how much you spend.
Each store has its own negotiated cash back percentage, and sometime they’re as high as 15%! Usually, though, the range is from 3-8%, which is still a sweet little bonus. I like to think of it as an extra discount on my order, despite the fact that Rakuten only pays out every quarter.
If you’re wondering why I keep struggling with the name, fear not, there is a good reason! Well, sort of.
Way back in 2014, Rakuten bought up the famous and well-known Ebates for a cool billion dollars. Ever since then, they’ve been slowly transitioning into Rakuten, and in February 2019, they made the official name-switch and it’s been… mostly successful, I think! Personally, I would have kept the well-known name “Ebates,” but I’m an adaptable human who respects others choices, so I’ll keep trying to say “Rakuten.”
Using Rakuten Online
Obviously, this is the way that the vast majority of Rakuten users make their extra cash. Shopping online is so ubiquitous at this point that there’s an extremely good chance that something you already buy is available in a cash back format. But the Rakuten merchant dashboard (a phrase I just made up) is good for more than just activating your shopping cash back shopping trip.
Each merchant page will show the cash back rate alongside the activation button, that’s a given. If applicable, Rakuten will also tell you current sales, coupons, and applicable discounts that will help you on your bargain shopping way.
Once you activate your shopping trip, Rakuten will open up a new window for you to shop in so it can track how much you spend and give you appropriate monies in return. It takes about a day for them to log your shopping trip, but you’ll receive update emails after you shop, and again after you receive your rebate. Like I said, though, Rakuten pays out quarterly, so keep that in mind when getting excited about cash back emails.
Getting Cash Back In-Store
Yes, getting cash back from shopping in-store is a real thing! At the end of 2016, two years after Rakuten bought Ebates, they introduced in-store cash back or, as MoneyTalksNews likes to put it, brands began to “pay you to spend money at their brick-and-mortar locations.” What began with 30 retailers now encompasses 80 brand partners that offer between 1-5.5% cash back.
In order to get the cash back from in-store purchases, link a debit or credit card to your Rakuten account. Then, once you activate or “link” the offer to your account, just use the card on file and you’re all set.
Rakuten’s Legendary Referral Bonuses
The last and arguable easiest way to earn some extra cash through Rakuten is through referrals. The thing is.. it’s not exactly difficult to convince people to become instantly eligible for rebates on everyday purchases. The service itself is so un-invasive that the downsides are to few and far between to really acknowledge. The worst thing about Rakuten is that it’s sometimes hard to remember to activate deals. Is that their fault? Not really!
So when you mention Rakuten to your friends and family, they get $10 after their first purchase, and you get $25. It’s honestly such a generous deal, and while there’s obvious benefit to Rakuten using your address book to beef up their user database, the return is substantial enough for me to give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
So, uh, this seems like a good opportunity to give you my referral link give you my referral link in case you haven’t signed up yet! Remember $10 for you after your first purchase, and a potential $25 for each of your friends!
My Overall Rakuten/Ebates Experience
…has been great. Even after all of the other cash back and rebate programs I’ve tried, the one I keep installing into my browser is Rakuten.
Why? Because they do exactly what they say they’re going to do every time. Despite my budget shopping addiction, I don’t do a ton of online shopping. Despite that, I’ve earned almost $200 in rebates over the last couple of years. I can only imagine what someone who actually buys things for themselves could earn.
Have you tried Ebates/Rakuten?
How much have you earned? What’s your favorite part and your least favorite part about the program?