If you read my posts regularly, you will know that I am a huge fan of Saving Money. One of the best ways to do so is to use Rebate Apps or Shopping Portals like Ebates. The holidays are fast approaching and if you haven’t signed up yet my friends, the time is NOW! Don’t miss money saving opportunities or leave rebates on the table!
If you have been thinking about it but afraid it would be too time consuming or hard to use, just sign up Already! Ebates is super easy and very user friendly. Plus, in my experience, they are very accurate.
Ebates 101
- Sign up for Ebates
- If you have a bonus offer, it will be credited once you make your first purchase that meets the assigned spend requirements (See my Referrals & recommendations Tab if you need a code)
- Download the App on your phone +/or Add the Toolbar to your Computer (if you order from your computer and have the toolbar, you will never forget and miss a deal.) I like to order through the app from my phone.
- Learn your way around the App (see next section for tips)
- See what Rebate is available from the merchant(s) you are considering
- Make purchases starting from the Ebates App by clicking on the store you desire
- Ebates pays out Quarterly See schedule for Purchase & Payment Dates:
Navigating the App
From the Home Page
Featured Deals. Shows the best deals and promotions at a glance. You can sort them Alphabetically or by Cash Back. If you sort by Cash Back, the highest Rebate percentages will float to the top for you to review.
Favorites List. It is the heart in the top right corner of the Home Screen. You can add merchants that you frequently shop from to your Favorites List in order to be able see them all in one quick glance.
Notifications Bell. This is located next to the Favorites List in the top right corner of the Home Screen. It shows you deals divided by categories.
Search. The Magnifying Glass icon is in the bottom toolbar. You can type the name of a merchant into the search block to find out if they have any deals.
Refer a Friend. This is located in the center of the bottom toolbar (or you can access it in my accounts.) You can send referral invites to friends in order to give them a bonus opportunity and get one for yourself. The bonus adds to your Cash Back Balance after they have met their qualifying spend requirements. I like that it shows you who you have already invited (because honestly I forget) and who has signed up.
My Account. This takes you to a Dashboard of all your payment information.
- what deals you have qualified for this quarter
- when your last check was sent
- when the next check will go out
- how much your current Cash Back Balance is
- Refer a Friend from here or from the toolbar at the bottom
- you can add a card here, but I choose to pay from the merchant site as I make purchases and I don’t use the app in stores (I know-missed opportunities but I am all about keeping it simple and secure.)
Best Ways to Shop
I have my top 10 Merchants loaded into the Favorites. This allows me to hit the Favorites Icon and see at a glance if any of them are offering substantial rebates at the time. This is handy if you have an item you don’t need right away and are watching for a spike in the rebate percentage.
Example: My husband has some items he wants from Dollar Shave Club, but is not in a rush for them. Dollar Shave Club is currently at a 5% Rebate, but I have seen them at 15% before. I have my list at the ready and do a quick check of my Favorites List each day until I see the Rebate percent that I want.
I follow the Travel Deals Category from the Notifications Bell Icon on the Home Screen. Travel deals are generally best on Thursdays at Ebates. If I am in the market for a Hotel, vacation or airfare I am sure to check here every Thursday for the best deals.
I am an IHG member and they often run 10% rebates on Hotels on Thursdays. If I start from Ebates to book my IHG hotel, I get the Ebates Rebate and still get my points from IHG.
A 10% Rebate on a $100 room gives you a $10 Rebate!
Don’t forget Groupon. If you are booking a trip from Groupon, you can start from Ebates to get that Rebate and still add Discounts once you are at Groupon. You can get some pretty awesome savings on travel this way.
Here are some additional tips from an earlier post on deal stacking, Rebate Apps and Shopping portals:
Maximize Rebates on your Holiday Shopping by using a Shopping Portal
The World According to Dev 