How would you like to earn money while shopping?  That’s the dream, right?!  Well, Ebates is as close as it gets to that dream.

I have earned over $300 this year from Ebates, and today I am showing you exactly how you can, too!

The Ultimate Guide to Earning Money with Ebates

I had seen a few bloggers post about Ebates over the years, but I had always been wary of it.  In fact, I had dozens of excuses for not signing up:  It’s probably a scam.  I don’t spend a lot of money shopping online, anyway.  It will take too long to sign up.  You get the picture.

One day, after reading a review of Ebates by Stephanie at Six Figures Under, I decided to just sign up and see what happened.  And, I’m glad I did!  In a couple of months, I had earned $40 and received my first “Big Fat Check”!  All for buying items that I would have purchased anyway.

Here’s how it works.

The Basic Steps to Earning on Ebates

•  Follow this Ebates link to sign up for an account.  The process is very simple (it will take you less than five minutes) and is user-friendly.  Plus you’ll get $10 just for signing up!

• The next time that you are going to buy something online, go to Ebates first and log in to your account.

•  Then, search for the store that you will be buying from in the Ebates search bar. Ebates will direct you to that site, and you will receive a percentage of cash back from any purchase that you make.

• Ebates will mail you a check once a quarter with the money you have earned from your purchases during that time period.

That’s it!  Super easy!

A few tips for new users:

• The percentage of cash back for a given online store (Amazon, Target, Kohl’s, Hotels.com, etc.) constantly changes based on current sales and deals.  So, you can’t expect that amazing 10% back deal that you got the last time you shopped at Target online to last forever.  It might only be 4% back this time.

• Ebates will send you updates with the best deals of the week; however, you can unsubscribe from the newsletter if you don’t want extra e-mails in your inbox.

• Bigger purchases typically mean more cash back.  We’ve had the best success with airline tickets (from sites like Expedia or Orbitz) and hotels (from sites like Hotels.com and Priceline).  If you do a lot of travelling, then you really should sign up for an Ebates account!

• Small purchases help out.  A dollar here and a dollar there can really add up.  If you frequently make small purchases from Amazon, it can add up to a serious cash back over the course of the quarter.

• Refer your friends.  Ebates has a very generous referral program.  If your friends sign up for Ebates and make their first purchase, you will receive up to $25.  That is crazy high! You will  get the referral bonuses in your cash back checks.  Plus, if you’re like me, you’ll be so amazed that you got free money that you will want to let everyone else know!

Ebates is seriously the easiest way that I know to earn free money.  Try it out and see for yourself!

(This post contains affiliate links.  Click here to see my full disclosure policy.)

Have you ever used Ebates?  Do you have any tips to add to my list?

(Linked to Frugal Fridays, Thrifty Thursdays, The Thrifty Couple.)