This Simple Trick Will Save You Even More On All Your Holiday Shopping

With Black Friday looming, you probably have holiday shopping on your mind, at least some of which is likely to take place online. What if I told you there’s an easy way to save even more on nearly all of your online holiday shopping?

You’d want to know about it ASAP, right?

cash back shopping

Well, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what I’m planning to share with you in this post! I’ll teach you everything you need to know about cash back shopping, and I’ve boiled it down into one quick and easy hack that will have you earning money on every purchase with a click of a button.

So don’t click that checkout button until you’ve read this post and followed the simple steps below. I promise, both you and your wallet will be glad you did! :-)

cash back shopping

What Is Cash Back Shopping?

Cashback shopping is a great way to save money every time you shop online. When you follow the simple steps outlined below, you’ll be able to earn a certain percentage of your purchase back after the order is confirmed.

Think of it like a refund or bonus coupon that you get in addition to all your other discounts, but it’s paid back to you in the form of cash (or gift cards).

It might sound too good to be true, but it’s a completely legitimate service and the cashback you can earn is real, as you’ll see below.

How Much Can I Earn With Cash Back?

Using the trick I’m sharing with you here, you can earn 10% or more back on almost every purchase you make online. And with all of the great deals that are already available on Black Friday (and throughout the holiday season), your overall savings can really add up!

Need proof? Here’s a screenshot of the cash back I’ve earned over the years:

A screenshot of the account overview page with a Post Update.

No, you’re not seeing things—I’ve really earned over $2,000 back on things I was already going to buy!

I’ve earned cash back on purchases large and small, from appliances to subscriptions to entire vacations!

No matter where you plan on doing your Black Friday shopping, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to save even more on those purchases. Here’s a preview of 200+ stores offering 10% cash back right now:

An example of the available cashback offers.

How To Earn Cash Back On All Your Online Shopping

Summary:

To make sure this process is crystal clear, here’s a quick summary of the process I outline below:

Remember: You’ll get $40 back when you spend at least $40 on your first cash back purchase!

Step 1 – Get Set Up

There are a lot of different routes you can take to earn cash back while shopping online, but my favorite is Rakuten.com. Rakuten is one of the biggest and most popular cash back sites out there, which means you’ll be able to earn cash back on almost any site you shop, which is why it’s the one I trust and recommend most!

The first thing you’ll need to do is create a Rakuten account.

The Rakuten signup page, perfect for holiday shopping enthusiasts, offers a $40 bonus for new users. It features an email field, CAPTCHA, and sign-in options with Google, Facebook, and Apple against a festive purple background.

(And like I mentioned above, you’ll get an extra $40 after your first $40 purchase when you use this link or the button above to create your account!)

A laptop displaying a shopping cart icon for convenient holiday shopping.

Step 2 – Add The Rakuten Cash Back Button To Your Browser

This next step is the one that really makes getting cash back on every purchase easy. No extra thinking or planning required—just shop and save!

Once you’ve created a Rakuten account, you’ll add the Rakuten extension (AKA the “Rakuten Button”) to your internet browser. With the Rakuten Button, you’ll be able to easily activate cash back offers while you shop!

(What is an extension? An extension is a tool you can add to your browser that offers additional functionality, similar to downloading an app onto your phone.)

The Rakuten Button is available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Add it to your browser here.

With the Rakuten Button installed, you’ll see how much cash back is available on each site you’re visiting.

After you’ve added the button it will appear in your browser bar, and it will automatically let you know when a cash back offer is available. Just click to activate, checkout, and you’re done!

Rakuten Cash Back Button Tips

  • Make sure you’ve created a Rakuten account using this link before you install the button.
  • Extensions like the Rakuten Button only work on desktop and laptop browsers, so you’ll need to do this on a non-mobile device in order for it to work.

Step 3 – Shop & Save!

When you go to a website that offers cash back, a Rakuten notification will alert you how much cash back is available. To activate an offer, just click “Activate” on the Rakuten button, and proceed with your online shopping as usual.

Here’s what it looks like after you’ve activated cash back:

Rakuten makes it really easy to apply coupon codes too, which can save you even more. During the checkout process, Rakuten will automatically find available coupons for that site, and you can apply them with just one click!

Rakuten will even find and apply coupons for you!

Step 4 – Get Cash Back

Once you’ve made a purchase, you’ll receive an email from Rakuten confirming that your purchase has been tracked. You can also check your Rakuten account if you don’t see the email. After that, all you have to do is wait.

Rakuten will send your cash back earnings to you every 3 months, either deposited into your Paypal account or as a check in the mail. So while you won’t see the savings immediately with cash back shopping, you’ll be pleasantly surprised in just a few months when your earnings arrive.

Summary: How to Earn Cash Back on Your Holiday Shopping

To make sure this process is crystal clear, here’s a quick summary of the process I just explained in depth:

Remember: You’ll get $40 back when you spend at least $40 on your first cash back purchase!

Here’s a quick video overview of how cash back shopping with Rakuten works:

YouTube video

That’s all there is to it. Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll be earning cash back on your holiday shopping in no time. (And if you have any questions, ask away in a comment below!)

The only thing that would make cash back shopping better is if I had learned about it sooner! While I can’t go back and change the past, you better believe I’m going to be using this trick to save even more from now on.

Do you have any tricks for saving or earning on your holiday shopping?

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Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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Leave a Comment

27 Comments

  1. I use my American Express and Discover Cards and get 5% back (but you must not carry a balance). We do Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and Toys for Tots. For OCC, I save free items we get throughout the year from companies and events; pens, notebooks, cups, little toys, shirts, etc., and use them for the boxes.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  2. Rakuten does not work if your order has free shipping. I tried using it few years back on Amazon (which is where I buy most stuff) it didn’t work! Not sure if this has changed recently?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Free shipping has nothing to do with whether you get paid from Rakuten. The store or business just has to be enrolled with Rakuten. Amazon does not participate in the cashback program with Rakuten. Other stores such as Walmart and Target offer free shipping and you can still get cash back from Rakuten.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  3. Why does this work? We all know there’s no free lunch. What do the Cashback companies get or take that makes this work for them? Data mining?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • The stores you shop at pay Rakuten a fee, which allows them to pay the consumer a small percentage of their purchase. I have been using it for years and love it! There is no catch and they do not sell your information.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  4. The Rakuten video is not on todays blog as stated

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  5. Wow, thanks for sharing! I signed up and already made 2 purchases. Do you have to spend $40 in a single purchase or can separate purchases be added to equal $40 to qualify for the $40 cash back? I bought shoes on Tom’s but with the discount they ended up being less than $40. Then I bought something on eBay for $30. Does that qualify me for the $40 cash back reward?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  6. I use safari. I only find the option for chrome. How can I find the safari option? Thanks!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  7. Can you get the cash back from the app on your tablet or do you have to use your computer?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  8. Can you get cash back from both Honey AND Rakuten for the same purchase, or does one cancel out the other one?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Hey Carole! Unfortunately whichever one you activate right before your purchase is the one that you’ll receive cash back from, you can’t combine them :-(.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Chris is correct, but if you use a cash back credit card, you get that back in addition to whatever the cash back app gives you.

    • If I have amazon app, do I have to go through the Rakuten app in order to get the cash back?

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Hi Julie! You’ll always want to make sure you start your shopping in the Rakuten app, click on the store you’d like to shop at and that should open a web page or app for you to complete your purchase.

      • If you have the Rakuten, Honey or another app on youir device, then a window will pop up if there are any cash back offers available for the site you’re shopping on.

  9. Hi Joanne, great question. Rakuten will receive an affiliate commission by referring you, they’re simply giving some if that back to you.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  10. Thanks for the tip, Meagan! Honey is an awesome tool as well, however I prefer Rakuten because their cash back percentages are more transparent and usually the cash back amount is higher.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  11. Will this work when items require international shipping?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Great question, Connie. I can’t think of why it wouldn’t.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  12. I started using Ebates years ago and now have the Rakuten button on my browser. A few caveats I would offer when visiting one of their partner sites (i.e., that offers cash back):

    1) Be sure to activate the button before purchasing as cash back can’t be applied after-the-fact. This may seem like a “duh” but there have been times when I’ve closed the Rakuten pop-up window when first clicking on the retailer’s website because I wasn’t planning to purchase but then did anyway and forgot to activate it.
    2) Beware when clicking the “Apply Coupons” button that any discount codes offered by the retailer aren’t deactivated. I receive emails from several online retailers that offer early access to sales or coupon codes to apply at checkout, and sometimes Rakuten’s attempt to apply other (or the same?) coupons results in their being deactivated. The Rakuten window might read, “The coupons didn’t work, but you still get X% cash back!” Well not only did the coupons not work but it wiped out the other codes I’d entered. It’s easily fixable but something to watch out for before placing the order.
    3) Be sure to read any fine print regarding cash back on a particular website. The last time I bought a major appliance I chose one website over another because it was a Rakuten partner and the other wasn’t. For an appliance the cash back was of course a significant amount, but later I noticed that it hadn’t been applied and found that cash back did not apply to major appliances. Ordering from this company had involved extra expenses over what the other one would have charged with shipping and installation, and the cash back would have more than covered these. I wrote Rakuten to voice my complaint, explaining that the sole reason I had shopped this site was that it was a Rakuten partner. They made an exception and applied the cash back anyway, which was great but shoppers should be aware that cash back may not apply to all purchases.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.

Leave a Comment

27 Comments

  1. I use my American Express and Discover Cards and get 5% back (but you must not carry a balance). We do Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and Toys for Tots. For OCC, I save free items we get throughout the year from companies and events; pens, notebooks, cups, little toys, shirts, etc., and use them for the boxes.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  2. Rakuten does not work if your order has free shipping. I tried using it few years back on Amazon (which is where I buy most stuff) it didn’t work! Not sure if this has changed recently?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Free shipping has nothing to do with whether you get paid from Rakuten. The store or business just has to be enrolled with Rakuten. Amazon does not participate in the cashback program with Rakuten. Other stores such as Walmart and Target offer free shipping and you can still get cash back from Rakuten.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  3. Why does this work? We all know there’s no free lunch. What do the Cashback companies get or take that makes this work for them? Data mining?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • The stores you shop at pay Rakuten a fee, which allows them to pay the consumer a small percentage of their purchase. I have been using it for years and love it! There is no catch and they do not sell your information.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  4. The Rakuten video is not on todays blog as stated

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  5. Wow, thanks for sharing! I signed up and already made 2 purchases. Do you have to spend $40 in a single purchase or can separate purchases be added to equal $40 to qualify for the $40 cash back? I bought shoes on Tom’s but with the discount they ended up being less than $40. Then I bought something on eBay for $30. Does that qualify me for the $40 cash back reward?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  6. I use safari. I only find the option for chrome. How can I find the safari option? Thanks!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  7. Can you get the cash back from the app on your tablet or do you have to use your computer?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  8. Can you get cash back from both Honey AND Rakuten for the same purchase, or does one cancel out the other one?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Hey Carole! Unfortunately whichever one you activate right before your purchase is the one that you’ll receive cash back from, you can’t combine them :-(.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Chris is correct, but if you use a cash back credit card, you get that back in addition to whatever the cash back app gives you.

    • If I have amazon app, do I have to go through the Rakuten app in order to get the cash back?

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Hi Julie! You’ll always want to make sure you start your shopping in the Rakuten app, click on the store you’d like to shop at and that should open a web page or app for you to complete your purchase.

      • If you have the Rakuten, Honey or another app on youir device, then a window will pop up if there are any cash back offers available for the site you’re shopping on.

  9. Hi Joanne, great question. Rakuten will receive an affiliate commission by referring you, they’re simply giving some if that back to you.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  10. Thanks for the tip, Meagan! Honey is an awesome tool as well, however I prefer Rakuten because their cash back percentages are more transparent and usually the cash back amount is higher.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  11. Will this work when items require international shipping?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • Great question, Connie. I can’t think of why it wouldn’t.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  12. I started using Ebates years ago and now have the Rakuten button on my browser. A few caveats I would offer when visiting one of their partner sites (i.e., that offers cash back):

    1) Be sure to activate the button before purchasing as cash back can’t be applied after-the-fact. This may seem like a “duh” but there have been times when I’ve closed the Rakuten pop-up window when first clicking on the retailer’s website because I wasn’t planning to purchase but then did anyway and forgot to activate it.
    2) Beware when clicking the “Apply Coupons” button that any discount codes offered by the retailer aren’t deactivated. I receive emails from several online retailers that offer early access to sales or coupon codes to apply at checkout, and sometimes Rakuten’s attempt to apply other (or the same?) coupons results in their being deactivated. The Rakuten window might read, “The coupons didn’t work, but you still get X% cash back!” Well not only did the coupons not work but it wiped out the other codes I’d entered. It’s easily fixable but something to watch out for before placing the order.
    3) Be sure to read any fine print regarding cash back on a particular website. The last time I bought a major appliance I chose one website over another because it was a Rakuten partner and the other wasn’t. For an appliance the cash back was of course a significant amount, but later I noticed that it hadn’t been applied and found that cash back did not apply to major appliances. Ordering from this company had involved extra expenses over what the other one would have charged with shipping and installation, and the cash back would have more than covered these. I wrote Rakuten to voice my complaint, explaining that the sole reason I had shopped this site was that it was a Rakuten partner. They made an exception and applied the cash back anyway, which was great but shoppers should be aware that cash back may not apply to all purchases.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.