|
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, provides cashback when shopping in-store at certain restaurants and retailers, through their mobile app, or using the browser extension on your laptop or desktop computer to make online purchases. Rakuten is maybe the most popular cash back app available, and certainly has the widest selection of online stores to choose from. Rakuten bought out Ebates which is also one of the oldest cash back Apps around.
How Do I Earn Cash Back?
​Rakuten Browser Extension - Cash Back Button
The browser extension, called the Cash Back Button, is available on Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Once you have the Cash Back Button installed, a notification will appear whenever you are on a website where Rakuten offers Cash Back. Using the Cash Back Button will certainly save you from missing out on cash back, when you otherwise may not have thought to check the Rakuten App for a discount or cash back, or may alert you to a store you weren't aware was available on Rakuten. You must activate all cash back offers prior to adding items into the cart of the store you are shopping with online. So if you already have items in your cart, remove them before activating the offer through the Cash Back Button. The cash back button provides you with an easy option to ensure you receive additional cash back when shopping online. You can save a list of favorite stores for quick access once you open the Rakuten app. In-Store: You can also search for local in-store and restaurant options via the mobile app, however many of these must be activated before making a purchase. I have seen an increase in the number of in-store restaurants which are automatically recognized, however its always good practice to check first.
Hot Deals:
Check for shorter term Hot Deals for big discounts at your favorite stores. Rakuten seems to have the largest number of online store options of all the apps, and there's no need to try and convert points to money. Everything is Straight Cash! In fact, if you choose, you can have Rakuten send you a "Big Fat Check". This is literally a physical check if this is your preference. And if you shop online a lot, it may very well be a fat check. My first check after using Rakuten just over the course of a month and a half, was $64. These checks are paid out Quarterly via check, or PayPal which is my personal preference. The minimum threshold for a Big Fat Check is $5 worth of cash back earnings. With most stores providing 5% cash back on average, this means you would only need to spend $100 with a Rakuten approved store in order to receive cash back each quarter. Bonus: Do you like Bonuses? I most certainly do! Use my referral link with code AJMOB14 and get $10 after making your first $25 purchase! This means you are automatically on your way to a big fat check next quarter, whether you spend enough to get $5 worth of actual cash back or not. Invest Your Cash Back
Want to do something smart with your cash back? How about use it to pay off student loan or credit card debt. You can also use that cash as essentially free money to invest in the stock market. Webull is currently giving away 2 free shares of stock to any new user who deposits at least $100 in their Webull trading account during the sign up process. These 2 free shares of stock are valued between $12 to $1400. This is a great way to get started investing just by doing your normal online and in-store shopping, receiving cash back, then putting that cash back to work in the stock market. Checkout my Referral Links page for other great free trading platforms you can use to invest the cash back you receive.
What do you think about the Rakuten App? How does it compare to apps like iBotta and Honey? Rakuten makes my Top 7 Cash Back App list, so if you have not seen my rankings, be sure to checkout that blog post and video as well. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
References:
Comments
|