Ebates Makes Coupon Hunting Just a Click Away

I “<3” online rebates websites. Who doesn’t love free money?

You may have heard me talk before about my favorite, Ebates. “Where it Pays to Shop Online.” Sounds gimmicky, but it’s true.

I registered for an account with Ebates about three years ago, and since then I’ve racked up more than $300 in cash back. That may not sound like much, but that $300 was for spending money I was already going to spend, to buy things I was already planning to buy.

Here’s how it works:

Next time you’re ready to make a purchase, or do some online shopping, go first to Ebates. Type in the merchant you’re looking for (you can also search by category, such as “flowers,” or for a specific item, like “iPod”). If your merchant is an Ebates participant, click on the Coupons & Cash Back link to check for special coupons, deals or hot buys exclusively for Ebates members, then click Shop Now.

This will open a tracking ticket take you to the merchant’s website.

And voíla! Now you’re earning cash back on your purchase!

It’s so simple and easy; I don’t know why everybody doesn’t do it.

If you think you can’t earn cash back with your online transactions, you’re probably wrong:

• Do you read magazines? You can purchase subscriptions at Magazines.com and earn up to 26 percent cash back.

• Have you ever booked a flight, hotel, rental car or vacation package online? Marriott, CheapCaribbean, Hotels.com, Hotwire – all Ebates participants. When start at Ebates, and you book and pay for your travel through a participating merchant, you’ll earn yourself some spending money.

• Do you need to send flowers for your mother-in-law’s birthday next month? Several popular florists, including ProFlowers, FTD and 1800Flowers offer not only cash back, but also often discounts and freebies to Ebates customers.

• Have pets? Ebates has several participating merchants that sell pet products like food, toys, prescriptions and more. My favorite is PetCareRX.

• Are you invited to a baby shower or bridal shower? Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and Babies R Us are all Ebates merchants.

• Other Ebates categories include Food & Wine, Music & Movies, Clothing, Computers, Electronics & Photo, Home & Garden and Baby & Kids. You can earn Ebates at more than 1,200 stores!

Every quarter that you earn rebates, Ebates will either send you a payment, either by depositing funds right into your PayPal account, or by sending you a “Big Fat Check.”

Best of all, it’s free. No strings attached. No clipping UPCs or mailing receipts.

There are some caveats:

Many merchants won’t offer rebates on the purchase of gift cards, and some will void your rebate if you use a non-Ebates coupon or promo code. Although they’re few and far between, there are a few exclusions, items that don’t qualify for cash back.

And, although this should go without saying, in order to receive cash back for your purchase, you must start at Ebates, and click on the store’s link.