eBates Review

There are many good mom blogs on the web that thoroughly cover current deals, freebies, and online promotions, which for me, means that I get to sit back and let those talented ladies do all the hard work of matching coupons and scouring the web. But occasionally, as a public service, I will mention and link to some especially good deals, or share about an excellent deal I've personally done.

Since I am one of those crazy people who enjoys making detailed lists and packing (and repacking, and re-repacking!) weeks in advance of a big trip, I've been working on finishing up my Christmas shopping this month. I had heard about eBates before, but I never remembered to sign up, and it seemed like a lot of trouble to use. But I saw it mentioned again last month, and since I knew I'd be doing a fair bit of shopping online in August, I took the plunge.

eBates is one of the best-known cash-back sites on the web, and sign up is free. All you have to do is use their search function to find the store you'd like to shop at, and follow their link to earn a percentage of your purchase back (usually about 3%), which is credited to your account. Most of the large online retailers participate, and a surprising number of smaller ones, too. Every three months, if you've earned $5.01, they will either mail you a check or add the money to your PayPal account. If you've earned less than $5.01, the money carries over until the next quarter.

As an added bonus, they offer a choice of several $10 gift card as a thank-you for signing on. The catch is that you have to earn $10 in cash back within 30 days of opening your account, which is hard to do unless you're planning to make a large online purchase since the percentage of cash back is usually small. All the same, I've been very happy using the site so far. It's very simple and straightforward to navigate and only adds a few seconds on to my shopping routine.

If you'd like to sign up through Arlecchina's Doves, you can use the link here and I'll receive a small $5 bonus. If not, head over here to sign up. The small percentages of cash back hardly seem worth it at first, but if you're like me and like to scout for deals online, they'll add up. Even if you only get back $0.50, you've only spent a few seconds of extra time. I hope this review helps you save a little extra next time you're shopping online!