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Swagbucks
18 ways to earn money – surveys, coupons, cashbacks + $5 sign up bonus
Up to 10% cashback from stores – Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, JCPenney
Most members can earn an extra $50 – $200 a month using Swagbucks
Tada
Get $10 cash back bonus after spending $25 with any of 1000+ brands
Easy to get up to 20% cash back – simply scan your receipt and upload it
Claim your cash back by PayPal or from over 80+ gift card options
What are The Cashback Websites?
Cashback websites make money by forwarding customers to retailers such as Amazon. Once a customer makes a purchase, Cashback websites receive a referral revenue from Amazon. That revenue is instantly transferred to a customer.
Of course, do not expect a “free lunch” in this case. Cashback websites either keep a small percentage of the referral revenue, or place an advert, therefore making some money. But that’s absolutely fair, as without cashback websites, you would not be able to save a penny.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks already paid out $370+ million to its members. Buying via Swagbucks earns you SB rather than US dollars, but SB can be exchanged for Amazon Gift Cards or transferred to your Paypal. The best strategy is to exchange for Amazon gift cards as you get 12% more value compared to withdrawing cold hard cash.
In addition to Cashback, Swagbucks offers grocery coupons. The drawback is that you need to print them out and bring them to the store, but some savings include:
- Save $5 when you spend over $25 on Kellogg’s products.
- Save $4 when you spend over $20 on Keebler cookies.
- Save $3 when you spend over $15 on Danone products.
Shopkick
Whether you shop online or in-store, the Shopkick app lets you earn gift cards from major retailers like Amazon and Uber.
There are 6 easy ways to earn ‘kicks’ from Shopkick:
- Enter select partner stores including Best Buy, American Eagle Outfitters, etc.
- Scan product barcodes (check the app for qualifying products)
- Submit a receipt after purchasing
- Purchase with a linked card
- Make online purchases
- Watch videos in the app and earn for discovering new products
Most Shopkick rewards are worth 250 kicks per dollar. You can then redeem 2,500 kicks for a $10 gift card, 6,250 kicks for $25 and so on. How much you can earn depends on your actual monthly shopping expenses.
Rakuten (Ebates)
Rakuten has been the parent to Ebates since 2014, but recently they changed all logos and names to Rakuten. Rakuten better represents the company and their mission as it means “optimism” in Japanese. Either way, the deals they bring are still worth considering. Simply sign up, browse and shop to get Cashback .
Rakuten now offers a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card as a wellcome sign up bonus.
Interested in more sign-up bonuses? Check 45 other companies we found that pay a sign-up bonus.
My Points
My Points is another legitimate cashback site. My Points was established in 1996, which is quite a long time ago. They specialize in various activities such as surveys, cashbacks and web search.
They have a minimum transfer of $25. Therefore it is mostly used for gift cards and travel miles. However, being one of the oldest cashback sites, it is definitely worth a mention.
BeFrugal
Befrugal offers a sign-up bonus of $10, and works in a similar way to other popular cashback sites. A great advantage is live chat support. If you face any problems, they will try to solve them on the spot.
Unsurprisingly Befrugal has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. They also have a great deal of retailers, but they usually offer lower rates compared to cashback sites such as Rakuten.
Dosh
Dosh is another great cash-back app that allows you to earn on average 1-5% cash-backs automatically.
For example, you could earn $2.64 on your $26.44 Sephora purchase.
Using Dosh is simple: you just need to download the app (on Android and iOS), link your card at sign up and earn cash-backs on your regular purchases automatically.
Apart from most popular brands (Walmart, Asos, Sephora and more), Dosh partners with hotels so you can earn up to 40% cash-back when you travel.
Once your earnings reach $25, you can transfer money to your bank, PayPal or Venmo.
Ibotta
Ibotta has already paid $680+ million to its members. It works the same as other cashback sites, but offer ability to pay directly with Ibotta. The main benefit is that you can get your cashback from the Ibotta App instantly. You can also link loyalty accounts for your favourite retailers in the app to make the process even easier.
For offline shopping, choose a retailer, add products you are looking to buy and go straight to the store. You do not need to print any coupons prior to purchase. Once you buy and have received your receipt, take a photo and upload it on the app. You should see a cashback within 24 hours.
Linking a credit or debit card is another way of automating the cashback process. You can even receive a double cashback if you use an offline shopping deal, pay using an Ibotta lined credit/debit card and submit a photo of your receipt .
But that’s not all. If you enable location alerts, the Ibotta app will notify you once you are near a store that offers deals.
ReceiptPal
TopCashback
Topcashback boasts 11 million members worldwide featuring Amazon and Ebay as their flagship partners. It’s easy to use, simply Browse their website, Click-through to the retailer ( such as Amazon) and Earn Cashback on a purchase. But wait, how does TopCashback survive? They have already shared their secret. TopCashback passes the advertising commission they receive from retailers for bringing a new customer, straight to you. Transparency makes this website stand out.
To see more offers check out their Cashback offers page.
Mr. Rebates
Mr. Rebates offers a Google Chrome extension called “Mr. Rebates Quick Cash Back Button”. The extension automatically reminds you to activate cashbacks at thousands of stores online.
Coupons are another speciality Mr. Rebates offers, but I would suggest using the Honey Chrome Extension. It automatically applies coupons as you browse online.
It is a great idea to combine coupons and cashbacks for ultimate savings . Interested in more apps that can save you money on autopilot? Check our article on the best money saving apps.
Drop
Drop allows you to effortlessly earn cash-back points on every purchase you make.
Here’s how to start earning with Drop:
Step 1: Get the App (on Android and iOS) and link your card at sign up.
Step 2: Choose 5 brands that you shop the most. Drop features the most popular ones like Walmart, Uber, Starbucks, Target and more.
Step 3: Shop and earn points automatically.
Step 4: Redeem your Drop points for gift cards from Amazon, Netflix, Starbucks and more.
Here’s how much you can earn on each purchase:
- Walmart (2 points per $1 spent)
- Target (8 points per $1 spent)
- Dunkin Donuts (14 points per $1 spent)
1,000 points = $1
Checkout 51
While you spend most of your cash on groceries and gas, Checkout 51 offers you to earn cash-backs on those purchases.
On average, you can earn 25 cents per gallon on gas purchases from major brands like Mobil and Shell.
Using Checkout 51 is simple:
- Download the app (for Android and iOS) and sign up.
- Save your favorite offers in your wish list
- Upload the receipts of your gas and grocery purchases in the app.
- Cash out once you reach $20 in savings via check.
Groupon
Groupon offers you and a group of your friends or family massive discounts on local goods, restaurants, services and events. Daily deals range from 50% to 90% off. To redeem the promotion, a certain number of customers have to purchase the deal within 24 hours.
For example, Groupon allows you and your friends to get a $100 massage for $25 each.
The deals are renewed daily, so make sure to check the Groupon app (for Android or iOS) before you purchase.
Honey
Honey is another great cashback site partnering with major US retailers to offer you deals on your online purchases.
Using Honey is easy:
- Join Honey for free
- Activate Honey extension on your favorite browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge.
- Shop online. The extension will pop up when it finds a deal on the website you’re shopping on and guides you to claim it.
According to LA Times, you could save on average $32 per month with Honey, totaling $400 annually.
Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog rewards you with coins for your everyday shopping receipts, regardless of where you shop or what you buy.
There are different ways to earn coins:
- Make a purchase at any store, restaurant or cafe and upload your recipe in the app
- Upload receipts after your online purchases
- Take surveys and answer questions about your household
Earning with Receipt Hog is like a game – you level up as you upload more receipts. Depending on what level you are, you can earn 5-25 coins per receipt.
For example, a $10 receipt will earn you 5 coins and a $100 receipt – 20 coins.
1,000 coins = $5
You can redeem your coins for cash with PayPal or a gift card.
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards Summary
- Easy to use – you don’t have to activate any special offers to get increased points
- You can earn points with any grocery store receipt
- You can earn points on over 300 product brands
- Variety of options to use your Fetch Rewards points – gift cards, Visa and Mastercard gift cards, sweepstakes and charity donations
Fetch Rewards is another easy to use cash-back site rewarding you with points when you upload receipts of your purchases.
How many points you will earn varies from product to product. For example, a $3 Axe deodorant would earn you 30 points.
1,000 points = $1
You can redeem points for gift cards of the most popular stores and online retailers, including Ulta, Gap, XBox, etc.
Earn 3,000 points ($3) when you apply the code ___ at sign up. Your points will be available after you scan your first receipt.
Wikibuy
Wikibuy is a free Chrome Extension and mobile app (for Android and iOS) helping you find the best prices and coupon codes.
The extension runs when you shop online at Target, Amazon and more, alerting you of any available promotions or better prices.
Wikibuy also compares prices. For example, you could browse a product in the app when you’re shopping in-store. Wikibuy will do its search and show you if any other store offers a better price for the same product.
Paribus
Paribus helps you save big on your purchases by monitoring the prices of more than 25 major retailers for you. It then helps you get your money back when the prices on your purchased items drop.
Imagine you purchased a sweater for $90.98 from Nordstrom. After a few days, the store applies a discount and the price drops to $78.24. This is when Paribus comes into a play and transfers the difference – $12.74 – into your account.
Using Paribus is easy – you just need to:
- Download the Paribus app on iPhone
- Link your card at sign up
- Shop as regular. Paribus does all the job for you and returns money back into your account when prices drop.
Coupons.com
Coupons.com is a great resource to browse printable, digital and cash-back coupons for all kinds of products.
Using Coupons.com is simple:
- Download an app
- Save your favorite local stores in the app
- Link your loyalty cards
- Use coupons in stores
- Coupons.com will deposit your cash-backs straight into your PayPal account.
Trunow
Truenow is an app (for Android and iOS) offering you 2% cash-back on your gas station purchases.
You can use your accumulated Truenow rewards to get free gas, or cash out using PayPal.
The app also helps you locate the gas stations that offer the best prices.
Freebird
Freebird is an app (for Android and iOS) that rewards you with cash-backs when you:
- Take a ride with Uber or Lyft after you link them to the Freebird app. You’ll be charged by Uber and Lyft as you normally would be and earn cash-back and points through Freebird.
- Go out in your favorite restaurants or try new ones. Check the app to browse the variety of bars and restaurants Freebird partners with in your area.
You can redeem your earnings for:
- Freebirds food rewards
- Merch rewards
- Experiences
- Gift cards
Upromise
Upromise’s mission is to help families save money for their kids’ college tuition. To support this goal, Upromise lets you get up to 10% cash back when you shop online with partner stores.
Using Upromise is simple:
- Join Upromise
- Browse featured promotions
- Shop at any of 1,000+ stores Upromise partners with
- Earn cash-backs for every dollar you spend to save it for college
- Request the withdrawal of your earnings to your bank account.
What is Cashback?
A percentage of your purchase returned to you as you complete your purchase online.
Cashback is usually compared to using a coupon. In the case of applying a coupon code right before the purchase, you lower the price and therefore pay less. In the case of Cashback, you pay more upfront, but you receive the money back for spending later .
Cashback Example: 10% cashback buying $10 socks on Amazon would cost you $10, but you would receive $1 back in the form of points or cash. Thus making the total cost $9.
Coupon Example: 10% coupon buying $10 socks on Amazon would cost you $9
As you can see, 10% Cashback is the same saving value as a 10% coupon.
How to Maximize Your Rewards?
Make sure you utilize all of the offers the cash-back sites offer. Most of them offer the following options:
- Sign up bonuses – claim $5-20 when you join cash-back sites.
- Refer friends – claim an additional $5-10 when your friends join through your referral.
- Special promotions – check out the cash-back sites frequently not to miss special offers.
Which Cashback Site is for You?
I suggest downloading TopCashback, Swagbucks, Rakuten and Ibotta. Four apps should be more than enough to compare between and get the best deals out there.
If you can’t find a particular retailer, then it’s worth looking at the other three options provided: Mr. Rebates, Mypoints and Befrugal.