Ebates Review: Is It Legit Or A Scam?

Ebates.com is a cash back app that gives you money back when you shop online or in-store in one of their partner stores. Established in 1998 by Alessandro Isolani and Paul Wasserman, Ebates is now affiliated with over 2,500 stores and has given back $1 billion dollars in cash back to their 10+ million users.

Being an affiliate means that when you use their app and click through to a store and purchase something, Ebates receives a commission or a referral fee. They then take their total commission and split it with you 50/50 depending on your purchase, as you’ll notice that some products will not qualify for cash back.

For example right now, Ebates is receiving an affiliate commission from Amazon of 10% and they are offering us up to 5% cash back on their app. This is great for us the consumer, great for the affiliate store because they are generating orders and great for Ebates because this is their main source of revenue. With over 10 million users and counting this business model will help them sustain a great future.

In this review I will go over everything you need to know about the Ebates app and how you can start saving money on purchases you already make. I wrote this to help educate the market about this amazing cash back app and to help people earn money but more importantly save money!

How To Use Ebates?

Ebates is super easy and their app and online interface are really easy to use. The process is really simple, you will create a 100% free account via your Gmail, Facebook account or you can register by an email address. You will be asked to fill in some basic information such as your email, name, address, birthday, etc but that should be already filled out if you joined with either Facebook or Gmail.

Once your information is correct you will need to go to “My Account” on the app or online interface and add your credit card (Visa, Master card, or American Express only). Make sure you also “Choose How To Get Paid”, there are two ways either your “Big Fat Check”, which is Ebates way of saying a check in the mail or PayPal.

I personally linked my PayPal account so it would be sent to me quicker, but that is up to you and which you prefer.

Once this is filled out you can shop online and receive 1%-40% cash back at select stores. Before you buy anything online make sure you check to see if Ebates is affiliated with them, because you will need to click their link first. This allows your order to be referred and trackable.

If you are shopping on a desktop computer I highly recommend you download the Ebates Chrome extension. This extension really comes in handy, because it will let you know if Ebates is affiliated with that website and you can activate your cash back with the extension.

Here is what the screen will look like when you visit Ebates.com. You will get a $10 bonus via cash back or a Walmart gift card in the mail (allow 2–4 weeks to receive). To be fully transparent just like Ebates business model, I will get a referral commission once someone joins using my link. The best part is you’ll get $10 free once you make a $25 or more purchase and you can also receive a referral fees when you share your affiliate link with friends and family and they join.

Is Ebates Safe & Secure?

Ebates is safe, they really go above and beyond to make sure your data and credit card information are secure. The company was created by two Deputy District Attorneys, so security is one of their top priorities. Ebates only works with stores that are using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to make sure each transaction is secured.

They also comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard to make sure the entire credit card purchase is safe. Ebates doesn’t sell your information and they don’t even sell information about your purchasing habits. They make money by referring you to stores, that’s all.

Is Ebates Free?

Yes, Ebates is free. You can use their service again and again and you will never be charged. The best part is that once you are a member you automatically get a free referral link where you can make $25 per referral. The refer a friend program will cost you nothing and it is also completely option to receive cash back on your purchases you don’t need to refer others, it’s just there if you want to.

Who Can Use Ebates

As long as you are 18 years or older you can use Ebates. Currently Ebates is supported in the United States, Canada, Japan and Korea.

Is Ebates Legitimate

Ebates is a legit website. They have a proven track record, which includes over 20 years in business, $1 billion dollars paid out, and over 10 million users on their platform. The company was even bought out by Rakuten, inc in September 2014 for $1 billion dollars, just to but that in perspective scams do not get acquired for that much money!

Ebates BBB Rating

I did some additional research and found out that Ebates has an A+ rating on their Better Business Bureau page, you can find that here.

They also have 4.25 out of 5 stars, which is great for such a large company. While on that page I noticed their customer service is top notch and have responded and tried to resolve over 200 complaints. You can really tell just how great a company is by the effort they but in their customer service team.

Ebates Cash back

As previously mentioned Ebates rewards you with cash back, by making purchases online and in-store when using their affiliate links. The cash back ranges from 1%-40% and can go up and down at any time depending on the stores referral commission they give to Ebates.

Make sure you use their app, link your credit (for in-store offers), or use the chrome extension to make sure your order is being recorded. In 48 hours or less if done correctly you will see your order appear in the history and you will receive your cash back. When you join if you chose to receive $10 in cash back you will get this bonus once you make purchases totaling $25 or more. The bonus usually takes 2–4 weeks so please be patient.

Please keep in mind that the bonus is only for first time users, so if you have used Ebates in the past even 3 years ago, you will not receive a welcome bonus. It is also against their rules to have more than one Ebates account or to refer yourself so make sure to read the guidelines before joining. This is to protect against spam and to ensure the long-term stability of the platform.

Ebates Referral

Being that Ebates themselves are one if not the largest affiliate marketers in the world, they understand it’s nice to get money for helping others, that’s why they give us, the users a chance to make referral money as well. In fact, for each referral you send to Ebates that make a qualified purchase $25 or more, you will receive a $25 bonus.

The best part is that when someone joins under you they get $10 in the form of a gift card or cash back, and they can start referring others if they chose to as well.

Ebates Payment and Schedule

Ebates cash back payments are paid in schedules. Most payment windows are about 45 days, this way if someone makes a return the appropriate payout is made to them. It would be very confusing are hard to manage if Ebates sent little transactions after each purchase. Instead to avoid confusion they have a payment schedule. You can see that below.

Additionally you will need to have a minimum balance of $5.01 to receive a payment, which should be pretty easy to accumulate if you are a frequent shopper. If you don’t reach this threshold, your cash back will just stay in your account until you reach it, you will not lose this money.

Ebates Returns

Let’s face it, you won’t be happy with every purchase you make online. If you have to return something you are free to do so, just be aware that Ebates will reverse your cash back. Ebates waits 45 days to process your “Big Fat Checks” because they know that people return items back to stores.

As an example if you buy something online and return it because it’s not the right size and the store sends you a refund so you can buy another size, you will need to go through Ebates again to receive cash back.

Ebates Big Fat Check & Paypal

In order to receive your cash back make sure you have added your address or linked your PayPal account to Ebates. Every 45 days as long as you meet the $5.01 minimum payout you will be paid. If you haven’t set up your payment method, no worries just go to your accounts tab and select “Choose How To Get Paid”. The process is simple and will take you about a minute.

How Does Ebates Make Money?

Ebates makes money by affiliate marketing. They have partnered with many large brands such as Amazon, Macy’s, Walmart, Target, and many others. This partnership allows them to make a commission for each referral they bring these businesses.

Being an affiliate marketer they get a unique affiliate link that way company’s like Walmart can track how much business Ebates is bringing them and pay the agreed amount of commission. For more about affiliate marketing and how it works, I encourage you to read Neil Patel’s post on it here.

Ebates Stores (Online)

Ebates has partnered with over 2,500 stores with most of them being online. Below are a few of the top stores and the percentage of cash back you can expect to make. Please note that for some stores categories their products and pay less cash back for certain products, Amazon would be a prime example of this where some items are 0% cash back.

Amazon 5% cash back

Macy’s 10%

Walmart 10%

Target 1%

Lyft $.50 cash back

Walgreens 6%

Groupon 3%

Ticketmaster 5%

Petco 4%

Aliexpress 3% (great news for dropshippers!)

Ebates Amazon

Amazon might be the best reason to join Ebates! Over 66% of American’s have claimed they have shopped at Amazon; this is a great way to put money back in your pocket. Amazon currently offers 5% cash back and this number changes constantly especially around the holiday season, where it was around 10%. I highly encourage you to join and take advantage of this generous cash back offer.

Ebates In Store

Besides partnering with thousands of online stores, Ebates has also partner with companies to drive in-store sales for them. To receive in-store cash back, you will need to log into your Ebates account and link your credit card. Below is a screenshot on how to do this. Some of the top stores and cash back can also be found below.

Macy’s 4%

JCPenney 10%

Sephora 4%

Bed Beth & Beyond 4%

Office Depot 6%

Under Armor 6%

Express 5%

Ebates Chrome Extension

If you prefer to shop on your desktop or even if you do occasional, I recommend you download the Ebtaes Chrome extension. It’s a free plugin you can download and it will allow you to active cash back whenever you are shopping at an Ebates affiliated store.

Some people refer to it as the “Ebates button”, but it means the same thing. With over 2.6million downloads this app is saving people millions of dollars in cash back and coupons. If you are interested in downloading this to your web browser you can go here. Below is a screenshot on how the app will appear on your computer.

Ebates App

The Ebates app is available for iPhone, Andriod, and iPad. To download the app you can visit the official website here.

Ebates Scam

Now with any website that people are not familiar with, they might think it is a scam. With over 20 years in business, 10 million users, verified payments, and recently being bought for $1 billion dollars I can assure you Ebates is not a scam.

Ebates is able to over you $25 per feral because that cost per acquisition is much cheaper than them doing other marketing. And word of mouth is the best marketing, because people can show their friends and family exactly how it works and provide them with a truthful, first person experience review.

Ebates can offer you a $10 bonus for joining up because again that is a low cost per acquisition and more often than not their users will become lifetime users. Putting money back in your pocket is a gift that keeps on giving.

Although Ebates is not a scam, some of the people who are on Ebates may try to promote their referral link in a scammy way. They will post their link in a million different places constantly on social media which looks really bad.

People also claim Ebates to be a scam because they didn’t receive their cash back fast enough. There are a few reasons why they may not have received their cash back. One could be they didn’t click through Ebates prior to buying online, they didn’t link their card correctly, or they haven’t waited 48 hours for the purchase to show up.

Ebates Customer Service

Ebates has taken a great initiative in putting the customer first. Just from reading complaints on their Better Business Bureau section, they have a responsive team that answers everyone’s complaint. They have a phone number, email, address, and have written many online blogs to address potential questions.

I had sent an email in regards to my $10 Walmart gift card, and received a follow up email within 24 hours from their customer service team explaining that the gift cards can take up to 2–4 weeks. The rep was responded promptly and was polite, for privacy issues I can not share the screenshot.

Ebates Complaints

Some of the most common complaints about Ebates are that people haven’t received their cash back, above under “Ebates scam”, I mentioned why they may not see their transaction or cash back instantly. Other complaints consist of not receiving their $25 referral bonus, you get this bonus when you refer someone and they meet the necessary requirements making a purchase or purchases totaling $25 on more using the Ebates app.

Another complaint or potential complaint that may arise is when your account is inactive; Ebates will charge you $2 a month. Now this is only if you have a positive balance and they will stop charging you once the balance reaches $0. Now this only happens after your account has been inactive for 12 months, and this often never happens.

To avoid this all you have to do is completely one of this things mentioned log into your account, update your information, add a credit card, make a purchase, or link your credit card to an in-store offer. Again, this almost never happens and usually only happens if you uninstall the app, but why would you, it’s practically free money!

My personal complaint is that Ebates only lets you use Visa, Master Card, and American Express. I love using my Discover card because of the benefits they offer. But because the credit card fees are too high I assume that’s why Ebates doesn’t allow you to link that type of card.

Conclusion

I hope you found my Ebates review informational and educational. This is a great app to use daily to save money while you shop and to even make a few extra dollars by sharing it with friends and family. If you have any questions about the app or if you have had a positive or negative experience with them please let us know in the comments. Below is my referral link to Ebates, I would really appreciate it if you used my link before downloading the app as a “thank you” for writing this review.

Ebates referral link: https://www.ebates.com/r/JONATH17696?eeid=28187

Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, we will earn a commission if you click through and download the app.