Who doesn’t want to save a little more here and there? Let’s face it, every penny does add up. If you’re able to earn some money on purchases you were planning to make anyway, why would you turn that down? Check out the Mr. Rebates review below to better understand the benefit of using this cashback website.
You are likely familiar with other cashback sites like Rakuten. This website is similar and offers an alternative to compare offers and cashback to, so you maximize your savings by going with the one that will give you the biggest benefit.
What is Mr. Rebates?
Mr. Rebates is a website that will give you cash-back for purchases made through their site. You simply visit their site first, access shopping websites through their site, and get cash back on purchases you make. It is similar to Rakuten (formerly Ebates) and is free to use.
Related: How I have earned over $1,000 in cashback with Rakuten
How it works for Mr. Rebates
Mr. Rebates will encourage you, the shopper, to shop at merchants’ websites through their website. When you purchase because of clicking from their website to the store you want to shop at, Mr. Rebates earns an affiliate commission. The commission is then shared with you, the customer, who just made the purchase! So it’s a win-win situation.
How it works for YOU
- If you know you need to do some online shopping, visit Mr. Rebates’ site first.
- Search for the store you want to shop at.
- Shop the merchant’s website as you normally would
- Check out as you normally would
- Cashback will automatically appear in your account
- Cash-out your money when you want ($10 minimum)
How do I activate cashback?
You simply need to create an account with Mr. Rebates. The cashback you qualify for will automatically be added to your account as you earn it. There is nothing special you need to do to “activate” cashback. Simply create an account and shop through their website.
How to earn cashback:
- Head to the Mr. Rebates site
- Create an account
- Shop to your heart’s content and earn cash on the net amount of the purchases
- Rebates are credited to your account (usually within a day or two but can take up to a month or more depending on the store)
- Once you have earned $10, you can request a rebate check
How can you earn money faster?
Mr. Rebates offers “extra cashback” for select merchants all the time. They are constantly changing and you never know when a specific merchant might be double or more the amount of cash back on their site. So if you have a purchase to make and it’s not urgent, wait a day or two. The amount of cashback you are offered may change.
Who should use Mr. Rebates?
If you shop online frequently
You’ll earn money on whatever you were planning to purchase anyway. Think of it as getting paid to shop. It doesn’t pay to shop just for shopping’s sake. But you will benefit by earning money back on purchases you need to make or were going to make even without cashback.
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) users
If you already use Rakuten or another cashback site, put Mr. Rebates into the fold. Compare the cashback amounts at the various online vendors to make sure you are getting the best possible deal. Before you place an order, check out a few of the cashback sites or your credit card perks and see who is offering the most cash back or best deal at the time.
At the time of writing this post, below are the cashback offers from Mr. Rebates and Rakuten, for comparison.
Note, these are standard cashback amounts without taking into consideration any of the “extra cashback” offers.
If you have friends who shop online (who doesn’t?)
Mr. Rebates has a nice referral program. You can earn money for anyone you refer to Mr. Rebates. You’ll save someone money and you’ll get money in return. It’s a win-win.
Who shouldn’t use Mr. Rebates
If you don’t do any online shopping.
Mr. Rebates is probably not for you if you don’t shop online and prefer to shop in a physical store. There are no in-store offers. All of Mr. Rebates offers are online.
If you tend to buy online and return your merchandise.
You won’t get credit for items you return. So if you’re a serial returner, you may not reap the benefits.
Mr. Rebates Pros
Earn cashback with very little effort.
Simply create an account. Shop through the Mr. Rebates site. Earn cashback. Cash-out when you hit $10. It’s incredibly easy to use.
Over 3,000 stores are available on Mr. Rebates
There is a high likelihood you can earn cashback on most of your online purchases. Not all stores are included, and every time I try to search for a store and it’s not there, I’m kinda bummed. But most stores that are on Rakuten are on Mr. Rebates and vice versa.
You can double-up with promo codes, credit card offers or discounted gift cards
Promo Codes
You can use promo codes along with Mr. Rebates. Make sure you only use the codes or offers that are listed on the Mr. Rebates site. Using codes not offered on the Mr. Rebates site may negate your cash.
Credit Card Rewards
If you use a credit card that offers an additional incentive, you can use that as well. For example, with my chase credit card…
Pay using a discounted gift card
You can purchase a discounted gift card through giftcardgranny.com and use that as payment at checkout of the store you are shopping through Mr. Rebates. So not only will you earn cash back, but you will pay less using a discounted payment method.
It’s free to join.
There are no costs associated with using the app or website. So there is only an upside to using the app.
You can cash your rewards out monthly, with a minimum of $10.
Unlike Rakuten (formerly Ebates) which automatically sends you a check quarterly. With Mr. Rebates you can cash out whenever you want. As often as each month. All you need is to have $10 accrued in your account.
There is no limit to the amount of cash you can earn or referral bonuses you can earn.
Shop to your heart’s content. You are limited to how much cashback you can earn. Also, refer away. Share the website with anyone and get a bonus when they use your referral code.
Mr. Rebates Cons
Many stores are missing from the offering.
Mr. Rebates offers over 3,000 stores, and that sounds like a lot. However, quite a few online purchases I attempted to make there was available. Or there are exclusions to the purchases. Examples are Amazon, Etsy, and Menards. while this is a con, other cashback sites you are using likely don’t have these stores either. So it’s not unique to Mr. Rebates.
Cashback is only available online.
You are not able to get cashback by shopping in-store. So if you are someone who doesn’t do a lot of online shopping or prefers to shop in-store, this is likely not for you.
You must purchase from the merchant’s website and not a mobile app.
If you happen to click from Mr. Rebates to a store where you have the mobile app on your phone and the app opens, it is unlikely that your order will qualify. So always make sure the merchants’ website opens and not the app.
If you forget to use Mr. Rebates, you can’t get credit.
Meaning if you checked out and forgot to visit Mr. Rebates’ site first there is nothing you can do. It is a lost opportunity to earn cashback.
Or if you did click the Mr. Rebates link originally but didn’t check out right away and came back. Your credit may not count.
Pro tip: once you click the Mr. Rebates link, check out right away in that session.
Rebates stay in a “pending” status for 90 days.
Meaning, it will take at least 90 days for you to be able to cash out for a purchase you make today. This is to account for the store’s return policies and other nuances in case the items you earned cash on are returned. I understand why they do this, but it can feel like cashback is being held hostage.
If you use promo codes outside of the one recommended by Mr. Rebates, it may affect cashback.
It hasn’t happened to me, but Mr. Rebates encourages you to only use the coupons and promo codes they promote as there is a risk if you use one you found yourself on the internet it may cause issues with your cashback and being able to give it to you.
If the offer is found on the merchant’s site that’s fine. It’s the random promo codes you find when searching which may be an affiliate code for another merchant that may void your cashback. So simply be careful.
If you return or make changes to your order, you may negate all the cashback earned. It depends on how the change to the order was made. If the original order had to be canceled and a new one placed, for example over the phone, your original cashback will not be issued since the original order was returned. So just know if you make changes to your order you risk losing the cashback.
Doesn’t Rakuten do the same thing as Mr. Rebates?
Yes, Rakuten (formerly Ebates) essentially does the same thing. Arguably they do it even better. Rakuten has more stores, and you can apply offers in-store in some cases. The benefit Mr. Rebates offers is an additional source you can look at to find cashback offers. So my recommendation is not to choose, but to use them both!
How do I maximize my money using Mr. Rebates?
- Always visit Mr. Rebates first before you do any shopping.
- Compare Mr. Rebates with any other cash-back options you use including Rakuten or your credit card rewards.
- Use Mr. Rebates chrome extension. This is another way to check and make sure you are getting the best deal on the purchase you are about to make.
- Use any promo codes Mr. Rebates offers on their website that you can use on the merchant’s website.
- Try using a discounted gift card to pay for your merchandise.
- Use a credit card that offers any additional rewards or incentives for the merchants you are shopping at.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the goal of using apps like Mr. Rebates is to save money. Using Mr. Rebates along with sites like Rakuten will allow you to see your options and choose the one that offers the largest incentive for you. So don’t choose between Mr. Rebates and Rakuten, use them both!
Do you use Rakuten? Have you tried Mr. Rebates?
Take one step today to help your finances tomorrow,
Steph
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