I have been wanting to write about Ebates for a while but have waited until I actually received $$ from them.  Well, it has finally happened!  Today I received $19 and I have $11 waiting for the next pay period.

Living in a fairly small town means that sometimes ordering items online is very helpful to me.  It is nice to shop around online and find a good deal, and in my case, it is just nice to find something you are looking for (that can’t be found in my town).

Ebates is a cash back program for online shopping. You go through their website to other websites and receive cash back on purchases - sometimes up to 25%. 

Cash back comes in the form of a paypal payment or a check sent to your address.  I received $19 in my paypal account today.  This happens every 3 months as long as you have over $5.01 in your ebates account.

I was skeptical at first, but it works.

The first step is to create and account - it’s free

Ebates also credits your account with a $5 bonus after your first purchase.
(They currently have a special running until Dec. 27 and will credit your account with $10 instead of $5 - click here for details)

Next, you need to start at ebates every time you shop online.  Go to ebates.com, sign in, find the merchant you wish to shop with, click on the link,  then shop as you normally would. 

Ebates has over 800 merchants on their site.  Many are major companies: JCPenny, Old Navy, Overstock.com, Target, Wal-Mart.....

The percentage of cash back is always shown next the merchant’s listing and other coupons are also listed. 

The best part is when you combine an online coupon with the cash back from ebates.  That’s when the deals really start to happen.  For example, I recently purchased an item from Leaps and Bounds.  It was a little more expensive than I would have liked, but I could not find it anywhere else!  By starting at ebates I guaranteed myself 6% cash back. I also searched the internet for a coupon I could use on their website and found one for 15% off.  The ebates cash back is calculated by a tracking ticket and the other coupon was entered at checkout.  By combining these I was able to receive 21% off, making my purchase a lot more reasonable!

Ebates also has a referral program in which you can earn $5 for each person who signs up through your link.  The person who signs up also receives $5 in their account.

A decent deal can be found on ebates - especially if it is something you are going to purchase anyway.

Click here to check on the details and sign up (if you are interested).

UPDATE:  Click here to receive $10 (instead of $5) when you sign up.  This deal is available until Dec. 27

Visit Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday tips.