It’s holiday shopping time, and that means a lot of people are buying things online. I don’t do much shopping online, for holidays, or otherwise, but when I do need to buy something from a website instead of a store, I prefer to get the best deal I can.

For me, that means getting cash back through Ebates.

Last year, around Christmas, I started an Ebates account because I had to order a couple of Hubs’ Christmas gifts online and I’d heard good things about it. I’m VERY cautious about things like this, and I certainly wanted to make sure it was a legitimate deal before signing up so I did my research. Or rather, I tried.

There wasn’t a lot of negative information out there. Other than people complaining about not getting their checks on time or that certain purchases weren’t showing up. So I went for it and signed up and made a few small purchases. Then, after the start of the year, I got a check for something like $7. It wasn’t much, but I’ll take it!

Then, this fall, we wanted to buy a certain lighting fixture but it was out of stock at our local Lowe’s store. The clerk told us to go online, so we did. First, since Hubs knew about my success with Ebates, he signed up using the referral I’d sent him (in case he wanted to do any online shopping for me!) and we both got a bonus!

I got a cash back bonus of $5 for referring him. He got a $10 gift card to Home Depot! Plus, we got a few dollars back on the actual purchase of the light. Score!

This is the photo I took to show that yes, they really did send us on bonus:

Here’s how it works:

Go to Ebates.com and sign up for an account using this link. It’s free to sign up and there are no obligations. Once you make a $25 purchase from a store through Ebates, we’ll both get a $5 bonus for signing up!

Here’s some more background:

Ebates works as a sort of digital front door for thousands of online stores. They pay Ebates a small commission for sending customers to their site and Ebates shares some of that commission with you, the buyer. Purchases are tracked by the buyer going to Ebates.com first, creating an account, logging in, then clicking on the link to the retail site on the Ebates page. Ebates starts a tracking ticket and when you purchase an item, credit goes on your account.

More information can be found here and here.

It probably won’t make you rich, but it could give you a few bucks back on a purchase you would have made anyway, right?

I’m sharing this story for several reasons.

1. People shop online all the time and don’t get cash back. Why not?

2. I wanted to join the conversation and tell my success story. We’ve had no problems getting the cash back we deserve and the checks always come on time. All bonuses have been paid as promised as well. That isn’t to say there couldn’t be a problem in the future, but so far, it’s working great!

3. We can both earn bonuses through the link I’ve given here (That’s my affiliate link). If you refer a friend after signed up, you can earn more bonuses, too!

So, go ahead and sign up using the link here or in my sidebar. (There’s an ad for Ebates over there) and earn some cash back this shopping season, er, I mean, holiday season.

(Just kidding, I realize shopping is NOT the reason for the season, guys. It was just a pretty unfunny pun. Please forgive me, okay? And try to laugh at my jokes? Thanks in advance!)

Happy shopping!

Please keep in mind that I have no control over how Ebates pays rewards. I’m simply sharing my story with you in hopes we can both earn some extra cash!