What You’ll Learn in This Post

• eBates really works!
• How to maximize eBates earnings.

I woke up this morning to an email from eBates that they are sending me money. That’s an online shopping service that shares a portion of their affiliate income with you. Nice. As a freelancer and work from home mom, I know that along with the making money, the other way to work with an irregular, never-know-when-money-is-coming income is to save money. Or get honest to goodness cash back, like with this service.

But honestly, I sort of dropped the ball on eBates.

eBates Really Works

The thing is, since I signed up with it a couple months ago, I haven’t used it much. But for the little I did use it, I got paid. Not much, mind you, only $13.88. Barely enough for a lunch and coffee, but those “real” dollars are headed into my PayPal account.

When you add the eBates cash back button to your computer (desktop, laptop or smartphone), a small notice pops up on your screen when you open a link to one of the partner retailers. If you activate it and then shop, you get some money added to your account. The amount varies depending on the product but you’re always told what it is.

For me, my extra money came from a couple of sales on eBay, GoDaddy and the original $10 gift I got for signing up for eBates.

I didn’t even pay much attention… and therein is my big mistake. I LEFT MONEY ON THE TABLE!!!!

Sure I was busy these past couple of months, so often when eBates popped up, I usually said “not now.” That mistake cost me.

How to Maximize eBates Earnings

Well, that’s not going to happen again. This is real money. Not just a discount here and there and a stack of coupons. This is real money that I can use for other things. Bills. Necessities. Gifts. A little fun money!

1. The first way to maximize your found cash from eBates is to sign up for it. And it’s easy.
2. Next, download and add the “Cash Back Button” to your browser. That allows eBates to pop on up on your screen with you visit one of their partner stores. You don’t have do add the button, of course, because you can access all the retailers through the eBates site. It just makes it easier.
3. Also, make sure you have the “cash back button” on all your devices, including your smart phone. (That, BTW, was one o my big mistakes.)
4. Make sure to browse those partner retailers so you know the lay of the land… and who can potentially earn money from. You’ll be amazed at who you’ll find there. For me, I discovered a lot of places I order from regularly, including Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay, Kohl’s, Walgreens, and Office Max.
5. Watch your emails from eBates. They let you know when there are extra coupons and discounts available. Don’t let those pass buy.
6. Do you like the shop online, but pick up your orders at a local store such as at Wal-Mart? If you do, shopping through eBates earns you money.
7. One of the newest ways to earn money back through eBates is with their In-Store Cash Back option. That requires setting up your debit or credit card with the store. Unfortunately, at this time, there just a few partner stores. One is Petco, a place I do shop at often. I’m also sure the list will grow.
8. The best way to earn money from eBates is by referring other people. Friends, family, your blogging audience. It’s a win-win for both parties. The person who signs up through your referral link will earn $10 (that activates as soon as they spend a miniute of $25, but that’s easy enough to spend). You earn $5 per referral once they spend their minimum $25. You also earn bonuses for the more people you can refer. That can really add up. Some bloggers such as Michelle Schroeder-Gardner from Making Sense of Cents earn thousands of dollars each quarter through eBates.

I plan to put all of the above ideas in place and earn as much as I can. How about you? Are you to earn with eBates? Use the link below with my referral code 🙂 and get started now.

Make it a wonderful day,

.