Let me warn you. You’re going to want to kick yourself when you read what’s ahead. You’re not alone. I was there, too. If you remind yourself that you can’t change the past, you’re going to be okay. It’s all about what you will do from here forward.

When I tell people about Ebates.com, the first response is disbelief. They don’t believe it is true either because they haven’t heard of it or they’ve been burned in the past. This is not something I just stumbled upon recently. I have been a member of Ebates since August 18th, 2009. At the time of this writing, I’ve received $1,857.45 back from Ebates for normal purchases I’ve made online. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it sooner, but be thankful you’re reading this now. 

Ebates is an online site that pays you Cash Back for buying things online. I mean a lot of things. They were founded in 1999 and have helped 10 million customers earn over $1 billion in Cash Back. They are linked with over 2,500 stores online and most of them you would recognize. Ever heard of Amazon, or eBay, or Macy’s, or Expedia? Those are just a few.

So how does it work? Simply. You can start at Ebates.com and use it as your search engine, but I have a better method I like to use. Here’s my method: I visit my favorite online shopping site and shop like normal. I put things in my shopping cart and when I’m ready to checkout, that’s when I browse to Ebates. I see if my store is listed and click the “Shop Now” button to automatically activate the Cash Back process. It brings me back to the store I’m shopping at and my items are still in the cart! I just checkout as normal and I can even use coupon codes or discounts. After I complete my purchase, Ebates will simply add the Cash Back to my account and then send me a check or deposit money into my PayPal account every couple months.

So are you convinced that this small hack is worth your time yet? I haven’t even mentioned that Ebates will give you $10 extra Cash Back when you join and spend at least $25 within a year of signing up. To be open and transparent, I will also receive a Cash Back bonus for anyone that completes these steps using the links on this page, but even if I didn’t, I would still be promoting Ebates as many friends and family of mine have been so pleased with their service. I would love to hear success stories below in the comments or if anyone has any questions on how to use it, just write them below and I am happy to help.

This first step may seem small, but you will continue to use it over and over again. Enjoy!