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By now, you probably know that I’m a big fan of cash back sites. And who could blame me? I’d a be a fool to not take advantage of the of chance to get paid for the errands and shopping I was gonna do anyway. And the best part is anyone can use it. I’ve earned hundreds of dollars each year from cash back sites like Ebates, Mypoints, and Swagbucks since I’ve started using them.
While the basis of most cash back sites is shopping online, I actually don’t shop online that much. Actually, I rarely shop online. It might actually be a stretch to say I even shop online once a month. The truth is I’m just not a fan of online shopping for several reasons. I can’t stand paying shipping and handling fees. I have no patience so I’m not fan of the wait time for my package to arrive. And I’m not very trusting that my items will appear the same way they did on the internet. If I don’t like what I bought, it’s always too much of a hassle to box it up and drive to the post office to return.
So I really just avoid online shopping most of the time unless the pay off really is great. Yet, I’m able to pocket lots of money from the use of cash back sites without unloading tons of money filling my carts on the internet. I know some of you are probably scratching your head. But the answer is simple. Gift Cards.
It’s simple and totally legitimate. Here’s how to do it:
Let’s say you know you’ll be doing your weekly grocery shopping at Target in the next few days. Rather than skipping the Internet completely and heading straight to the grocery store, visit you’re cash back site of choice, navigate to Target.com and then purchase a gift card for the denomination you anticipate spending on your groceries. You’ll then get an email with your gift card info that you can either use to continue shopping online or print out to use for your groceries in-store. Easy!
Who said you must shop online to use cash back sites? Click To TweetNot only does it allow you to earn cash back on shopping you wouldn’t normally do online, but it helps you stay in budget as well. If you already purchased a gift card online for $50 to spend during grocery shopping at Target in-store, you’ll be more likely to stick to a budget to avoid dipping into your wallet for extra cash. Plus, this method forces you to avoid impulse purchases by thinking ahead, making a list and only shopping when necessary.
And there you have it. The simple way anyone can earn big by using cash back sites, without actually shopping online.
Have you even tried this method before? Do you use cash back sites for your shopping?
This is a great idea. I have never used cash back sites, but realize I need to look into it. Thanks for the tip. I am going to share it with my followers on my “Homeschooling on a Budget” Pinterest board.
Thanks this was very helpful.I rarely shop online maybe once in awhile I will. My husband will usually just at Christmas.
Good idea! Do all cash back sites allow you to do this? Sometimes gift cards are restricted from certain things.
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Sorry for the delay in my response. Turns out I only responded mentally. In my experience, most of the cash back sites I use allow you to use them to purchase gift cards. It’s usually the store itself that may have an issue with rewarding points for gift cards bought on cash back sites. Just to be safe, always check the fine print and rules when going this route. However, I’ve never had a problem with doing so purchasing gift cards for Target, JcPenney, Walmart and other grocery stores. But always check the fine print to make sure you will get points for your gift card purchase. If they don’t allow earnings on one cash back sites, chances are they will allow it on another cash back site.