There are many ways to save money online, especially if you know where to look. Some of the easiest ways carried over from saving before the digital world. For example, there are plenty of places to apply coupons or coupon codes to get discounts on products you want to buy. With the advent of digital things seem to have gotten a little more complicated.
However, there's no reason why more complicated ways to save should decrease the amount of opportunities you have to save money. In fact, technology tends to make saving money even easier than it once was: you just have to know where to look. Luckily, the DiscountGuru has got you covered! Below is a list of three websites that'll save you money and even get you some free products!
PS: There are only three because I'm tired of sites that make a list of 93 or 67 or some other absurd number of "helpful links" and make you do more work to figure out which ones work. I've used each of the sites below, and they have actually given me cash back.
1. Rakuten (formerly Ebates)
This one might be familiar to many of you. Rakuten is a site that offers discounts and cash back on almost all of your purchases, sometimes even beating out Amazon! What I love about this site is that it does all of my homework for me.
I use Rakuten when I want to buy something that's a little more expensive, perhaps an appliance like an espresso machine or robot vacuum. Rakuten's search engine pulls up a list of stores and the prices at which they offer the appliance for me to compare. Rakuten also has it's own store (shop Rakuten), which has saved me a TON of money. I recently bought an iRobot Roomba 960 for $399 after cash back (it's usually $449).
I like Rakuten (in addition to the $$$) because it's convenient in three important ways:
Rakuten tracks your shopping and has three payment options: (1) It can pay you via PayPal (which I love!) (2) send a check to your address or (3) credit you AMEX rewards points.
Speaking of credit cards, did it mention that it tracks your shopping if you add your credit card information? That's right, as long as you link your card, you can spend as you normally do, and Rakuten GIVES YOU CASH BACK!
Finally, if you're shopping from your computer, you can also install Rakuten's browser extension, which will update your cash back whenever you purchase something on a site Rakuten is affiliated with!
Overall, I think it's a no-brainer: you simply create an account with Rakuten and start collecting cash back (and you'll get an extra $10 for using my referral link)!
2. Rebatest
I stumbled upon Rebatest.com while looking for Rakuten (which used to be called Ebates). Rebatest is great because it gives 100% Cash Back (mostly, see below). The website looks really basic, and almost scammy, but I've successfully collected a significant amount of cash back from it (in the order of a couple hundred dollars).
How Does It Work?
Technically, Rebatest is "a product trial platform." Their basic business model is that they list products that 3rd parties are selling on Amazon. These vendors want their products reviewed and are willing to pay people for that service. Rebatest acts as a middle man - they compile lists of products that need reviews, get you to buy them (I buy some of these things anyway), and ask you to post your review both on their site and on Amazon. After Rebatest verifies that you've posted legitimate reviews, they'll credit you with a rebate!
So, What's the Catch?
Technically, these products don't come out to be 100% free. They're almost free as long as you write legitimate reviews and follow the website's directions about posting reviews to Amazon. The real catch is that Rebatest pays you via PayPal, and since they're based outside of the U.S., a transaction fee of 4.4% + $0.30 deducted from your PayPal transfer. Still, a 96% discount on what you're buying on Amazon is not bad at all! **And, if you pair that with cash back rewards apps and cards, you might actually be making money with every translation.**
My Tips and Tricks
To be completely frank, many of the products on Rebatest are NOT worth my time or money to review. For example, I see a lot of maternity wear and beauty products on there that I'm skeptical about. However, I've been consistently buying my phone chargers through Rebatest for months. I go through chargers quickly, either because they break or I leave mine somewhere while traveling. Rebatest has been a GREAT way to decrease that expense.
After a few more months, I think I'm also going to try their fitness tracker and/or bluetooth earbuds. I also think the phone cases they're offering would be a great way to save money! The products are generic, so I expect them to be of low quality. Even if they are, I don't think that's so bad when they're 95% off!
Oh! And did I mention that Rebatest gives you $5 just for signing up? That at least covers the transfer fees up to the first $100 you send on their website.
3.
Rebaid's business model is similar to Rebatest in that it gives you cash back for the products you buy from them. As an overall platform, it's a lot cleaner than Rebatest and doesn't look as scammy. In any case, it works just as well or even better.
Pros and Cons
There are significant differences between Rebatest and Rebaid that make signing up for Rebaid IN ADDITION TO Rebatest the best practice.
Payment:
Rebaid does NOT pay via PayPal, so you aren't deducted a transfer fee... phew!
However, payments on Rebaid are slower if you choose the free option: they come via snail mail and can take up to 6 weeks to reach you.
You can choose to have the payment direct deposited into your checking account, which is a lot quicker.
It'll only take 2-3 business days, but Rebaid deducts a $1 fee (it's legit because they've partnered with Citizen's Bank).
More Product Options!
I noticed A LOT more products on Rebaid than Rebatest. Some of these things could be quite useful - like a light up pumpkin bucket for the kids during Halloween!
Like Rebatest, all of the options for buying products are through Amazon. Unlike Rebatest, this site is a lot more streamlined. All you have to do is fill out a form - directly linked to the site - as you purchase the product.
You Don't Even Have to Write a Review!
Rebaid might have its drawback, but when I saw that I didn't even have to review the products, I signed up right away!
Apparently, Rebaid's business model is slightly different than Rebatest in that they just want people to buy and try the product. You don't have to write a review, but you are encouraged to.
If you do decide to write a review, you can rest assured that even if you write a negative review, it won't affect your status on Rebaid.
Not Everything is 100% Off
A significant drawback to Rebaid compared to Rebatest is that not everything is 100% off on Rebaid.
While there are MANY products at 100% off (and truly 100% when there isn't a transfer fee), most of the product rebates range from 25% - 80% off. That's still a great deal for something you were going to buy anyway!
Limited Amount of Product Quantity
It was disappointing that Rebaid limits the amount of products available at discount
Sometimes there are only 5 or fewer products available per day at the discounted rate.
Fortunately, the units available resets each day, so you have to check the website daily to get the product you want.
There ARE products that are 100% off, but they tend to sell out quickly, so act fast!
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