Making money through cashback is one of the easiest ways to create an extra income source. No matter how good you are at managing your finances, it’s inevitable that you’ll need to buy things from time to time – we all need food, after all – but you can soften the blow by utilizing the best cash back sites.
In a nutshell, you earn cash back when you buy something and receive a small percentage of the money you spent back at a later date.
It might sound too good to be true, but most major retailers offer the chance to earn money back on your purchases. You can even combine multiple cash back opportunities to maximize your savings!
Featured Cashback Sites
Rakuten
Millennial Money Readers receive a $30 signup bonus.
Capital One Shopping
Chrome browser extension to help you save when you shop online.
Upside App
Save on Gas, groceries and restaurants. New users earn an extra $0.25/gallon with coupon code AFF25 on your first receipt.
20 Best Cash Back Sites
Here are the best cashback sites to start using today:
- Capital One Shopping
- Rakuten
- Active Junky
- Swagbucks
- MyPoints
- TopCashback
- Ibotta
- Honey
- BeFrugal
- Drop
- Earny
- Fetch Rewards
- Upromise
- Coupon Cabin
- Tada
- Extrabux
- Mr.Rebates
- iConsumer
- EvoShare
- Simply Best Coupons
1. Capital One Shopping
Best For: Great Browser Extension + Local Offers
Capital One Shopping, known for its browser extension that acts just like your own personal shopping assistant to help you find better deals on items you are shopping for, offers credits from popular retailers.
For example, here are just a few top retailers you can earn credits (redeemable for gift cards) just by using the Capital One Shopping browser extension:
- eBay.com: 0.5%
- Kohls.com: 1.5%
- Walmart: 1%
- Target: 2%
- Macy’s: 5%
They also have a “Local Offers” section, where you can get cash back from local retailers and restaurants according to your zip code, so make sure to check out the local offers before you head out to lunch!
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Works in the background
- 100% free to use
Cons:
- Tracks your online activity
- Mobile app has mixed reviews
2. Rakuten
Best For: Bonuses
Rakuten, formerly eBates, was one of the first online cashback sites and helps you earn up to 40% cashback on your purchases, although 5-10% is a more common percentage. Here are a few of the top partners:
- Walmart: Up to 2%
- Groupon: 2%
- Sephora: 2%
- Kohl’s: 2%
- Macy’s: 10%
You’ll also get paid in cash, which you can receive by PayPal or by check. Rakuten works with 3,500+ stores, so it’s easy to earn cash back wherever you shop.
Additional features include coupons, promo codes, and seasonal promotions. There’s a $30 signup bonus for anyone who spends $30 in their first three months of membership. You can also earn up to $30 in a referral bonus (depending on the offer at the time) if you get your friends and family to start using the site.
Pros:
- Possible to get high cashback percentage
- Receive cash
Cons:
- Can’t scan receipts
- Must wait for quarterly payouts
3. Active Junky
Best For: Highest Cash Back Rates for Active Shoppers
Active Junky provides cash back at more than 2,000 retail partners, offering rates as high as 12%.
This includes outdoor gear, apparel, fashion, automotive, pets, electronics, and anything else an active family may need. Here are some of the app’s top partners:
- Nike: Up to 10.1% cash back
- eBay: Up to 2% cash back
- Backcountry: Up to 8% cash back
- Cabela’s: Up to 6% cash back
- Patagonia: Up to 6% cash back
- Zappos: Up to 5% cash back
Active Junky is also the exclusive cash back portal for many sports and active brands, such as Peloton bikes.
In addition to cash back, Active Junky offers deals and promo codes to help you secure the best possible deals. They even have a browser extension to notify you when cash back is available and a mobile app for earning cash back on the go.
Another added benefit of Active Junky is when you refer friends, you earn an extra $5 once they make their first qualifying purchase.
Pros:
- Excellent Customer Service
- $5 Referral Bonus
Cons:
- Payout only occurs every 90 days
4. Swagbucks
Best For: More Ways to Earn Points + $10 sign-up bonus
Although it’s known for being one of the best survey sites, you can also use Swagbucks to get cashback. Just use its shopping portal to buy items online or add the Swagbucks browser plug-in to get points automatically as you browse the web.
The best thing about Swagbucks is that there are so many ways to earn points – known as ‘Swagbucks’ or SB. Swagbucks will send you a daily email listing the best ways to earn SB; these could be as simple as signing up for an email newsletter. You can also earn by taking surveys conveniently on the app, watching videos, and playing games on their website.
There’s also a significant amount of points to be made by joining and encouraging others to do the same. You’ll get $10 for signing up with this link (if you spend $25 in your first month of registration), and if you refer a friend, you’ll get a bonus plus a percentage of the Swagbucks your friend earns. Once you make enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards or even a PayPal transfer.
Pros:
- Signup and referral bonuses
- Can redeem points through PayPal
Cons:
- Not designed as a cashback site
5. MyPoints
Best For: Shopping Portal
MyPoints is another site that offers a few different ways to earn points. To get cash back, use their shopping portal and earn points by buying anything from one of their partner stores. You can also get points by taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, and even reading emails. As you can see, it’s quite similar to Swagbucks.
Maximize your points by getting a $5 sign-up bonus (as long as you meet the current spending requirements). Earn another 300 reward points by referring a friend who earns 300 SBs in 30 days.
Although you can only redeem your points for gift cards, these include a Visa gift card, which is almost as good as cash.
Pros:
- Generous signup and referral bonuses
- Lots of activities to earn points
Cons:
- Easier to get points through activities than cashback
6. TopCashback
Best For: Receiving Full Commission
Most cashback sites earn money by receiving a commission from retail partners when members shop. They give a cut of this commission back to the customer as cashback. TopCashback is slightly different as they give the full commission back to customers and make their money elsewhere.
TopCashBack consistently pays high percentages of cash back. There are also coupons you can find and special offers that give higher cashback. Here are some of the top partners that TopCashback works with:
- Aveda
- Bloomingdales
- CafePress
- Levi
- Macy’s
- Verizon
- Walgreens
TopCashback scores well on the customer service front, too. It has a 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot. You can make $35 per referral once your friend earns $10 cash back.
Pros:
- Pays high commissions
- Good customer service
Cons:
- Some cash out methods have high thresholds
7. Ibotta
Best For: Scanning Receipts
If you want many ways to earn cashback, Ibotta is a great site to use. You can either earn by using the shopping portal, which gives you automatic cash back if you follow a link from the Ibotta website to an online store and make a purchase or by uploading your receipts.
When you shop at a grocery store, scanning your receipt is the only way to receive cash back. Ibotta makes this easier by offering an app you can use to upload your receipts, and it also doubles as a place to store receipts and, therefore, track your finances.
Most tasks require you to complete a quick task before claiming the points, such as watching a video or taking a poll. You can also earn extra cash by using a unique Ibotta Referral Code to invite friends to join the cashback site with you. You can receive your points in cash or a free gift card within 48 hours after you redeem them.
Pros:
- Multiple ways to earn cashback
- Receive cashback in cash
Cons:
- Need to complete tasks for cashback
8. PayPal Honey
Best For: Cash back via coupon codes
You can get the free PayPal Honey browser extension to add to your desktop to easily start getting cashback rewards through coupon codes for most of your online purchases.
Currently partnering with over 40,000 retailers, the extension works automatically in the background to find you the best prices for your online purchases. On average, Honey saves users 17.92% a year.
Pros:
- Free and easy to use
- Automatically saves you money
- Easy sign-up process
Cons:
- Limited coupon offers
- Cashback is only redeemable via gift cards
9. BeFrugal
Best For: High Cashback Rate
BeFrugal offers an impressive cashback rate of 40% for over five thousand stores, which is far higher than that of competitors. All you have to do is shop using their portal, and the cashback will be added automatically to your account.
There’s also a $10 bonus for signing up once you receive $10 in cash back, plus the $10 per referral. There are several great options for redeeming your cashback, such as check, direct deposit, gift card, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.
You can also use the site to find exclusive cash back deals and coupons – these won’t give you any extra points, but they’re a great way to save money.
Pros:
- High cashback rate
- Signup bonus
Cons:
- Cashback only for online purchases
10. Drop
Best For: Shoppers who frequent certain stores
Drop is a fun cash back site that allows you to earn “drop points” by shopping from their app. The sign-up process is simple, just link your credit card and activate offers.
Once you start making online purchases through the Drop app, you will earn points based on your spending.
Founded in 2015, Drop now has over 5 million users and is a legit way to start getting rewarded for shopping with your favorite vendors.
Pros:
- Consistent points values
- Can be used in addition to other cashback sites
- Rewards for stores that usually do not discount
Cons:
- Can lead to overspending
- Rewards only available via gift card
11. Earny
Best For: Refunds
Like Paribus, Earny monitors your purchases using your email and looks for price drops. You can get the money back if the price lowers within 14-90 days of your purchase.
This is possible because most credit cards offer price protection, which means you can get a refund of the difference after a price drop. Earny will take 25% of the refund in return for being the intermediary, and you’ll get the other 75%.
They cover 15 major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target – so most of your purchases should be covered if you buy from mainstream shops.
Pros:
- Helps you access the money you’re owed
Cons:
- Only works for price drops within three months of purchase
- No guarantee of getting money back
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12. Fetch Rewards
Best For: Grocery Shopping
Although Fetch Rewards is best suited for grocery shopping, the definition of grocery shops is quite loose. You can also use it for convenience stores, liquor stores, and drug stores. All retailers are included, and it’s possible to earn cashback.
The main way to earn points is by scanning receipts and uploading them in the cashback app. However, you can also earn them online by browsing for products on special offers.
You can also earn bonus points by referring others.
Pros:
- Claim points at a variety of stores
- Can earn by scanning receipts
Cons:
- Points are always in the form of gift card
13. Upromise
Best For: Anyone Saving for College or Paying Off Student Loans
Upromise is slightly unusual because the site is geared towards giving cashback to either pay off student loans or save towards a 529 plan. Although you can still use Upromise without giving the proceeds towards anything related to college, this is how you’ll get the most benefits. If you don’t use your points towards anything college-related, you can receive a payout via direct deposit.
You can earn cashback from various stores – there are hundreds of partners, plus thousands of restaurants and grocery stores.
As well as using the website, you can order a Upromise Mastercard for an easier way to earn cash back on your purchases – you’ll get 1.25% cash back on purchases from all points.
Pros:
- Especially suited to those who are saving or paying off college
Cons:
- Not all 529 plans and student loan payments are eligible
14. Coupon Cabin
Best For: Special Offers
Instead of offering one generic cashback rate across all retailers, Coupon Cabin has special offers for specific stores at different times. The deals are only for a limited-time, so if you see something you like, act fast.
Coupon Cabin partners with many retailers, and you can choose whether you receive your payment as a check, PayPal, Chase Pay, Venmo, or a gift card.
Pros:
- Good offers
- Variety of payment options
Cons:
- Offers are very specific, so may not be relevant
15. Tada
Best For: Shopping for Groceries
You can earn up to 20% cashback on Tada.com by adding Tada to Chrome or downloading the app for easy on-the-go shopping. When you are ready to shop, just click “Activate Cash Back” wherever you shop to start earning rewards. Once you have shopped, scan your receipt into the app, and tada, you earned points!
There’s a $10 cash back bonus simply for signing up and completing your first order. You can cash out your points via PayPal or gift cards such as Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, Amazon, or a Visa debit card.
Pros:
- Free to Use
- Sign-Up Bonus
- Cash, Check or Gift Card Payouts
Cons:
- Low Earning Potential
16. Extrabux
Best For: Clothes Shopping
Extrabux has both cashback and ‘super cashback’ offers, some of which give you up to 30% back. These are mixed with coupons to help you maximize your savings.
It’s especially well-suited to clothes shops, and it’s easy to browse using the online portal since you can differentiate between stores from different regions and then browse the sites you want or you can use a browser extension.
There’s a generous $20 bonus for signing up, although you’ll only receive this in $5 chunks as you earn more cashback by using the site. You can also get a $5 bonus for referring a friend, plus 5% on the cash back they earn in the future. You can receive the money through PayPal, check, or Amazon e-gift card.
Pros:
- Sign-up bonus
- Can receive cash
Cons:
- Cashback through shopping portal only
17. Mr.Rebates
Best For: Low Threshold to Cash Out
Mr.Rebates have given millions of dollars back to their customers through cashback offers. They also advertise deals and coupons to help people get the most out of shopping in multiple ways.
You’ll receive 20% of their original rebate if you refer a new member. You need to earn $10 to cash out your rebate, which can be done by PayPal, check, Venmo, or Amazon gift card, but if you live outside the U.S., your only option is PayPal.
One factor that makes Mr. Rebates stand out is the speed of their returns: once you order a product, it will appear in the ‘pending rebates’ section within 1-3 days. However, it may take longer to receive confirmation.
Pros:
- Receive rebates quickly
- A low threshold to cash-out
Cons:
- Can only receive rebates by following the shopping links
18. iConsumer
Best For: High-Risk High Reward
iConsumer has a slightly different business model from other cashback websites. When you use their online shopping portal, you’ll become an investor who is buying shares in the site.
This might sound confusing, but it effectively means that instead of being given cashback in the form of cash you can use immediately, you’ll be given a share that might be worth more in the future.
This isn’t much good for anyone who wants instant gratification, but if you’re prepared to risk earning more than just a $10 PayPal transfer, iConsumer could be a good choice. Even though the focus is on shares, you can also get ‘normal’ cashback once you reach the threshold of $25.
Pros:
- Potential to earn more
- The excitement of being an investor
Cons:
- Not the best site for normal cashback
- Withdrawing shares for cash is complicated
19. EvoShare
Best For: Saving for Retirement
Similar to Upromise, EvoShare helps you save money for your mortgage, retirement, student loans, emergency savings, or other financial goals. If you’re amongst those who struggle to put anything aside for their retirement, then EvoShare can help you with this.
Deposit cashback money directly into a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, as long as your employer participates in the program. Even if you don’t have such an account now, you can direct your funds to your custom financial account.
You can earn up to 30% cash back on over 1,300 online stores, as well as 10% cash back at local stores by linking credit cards. There’s also a browser extension to make the process easier.
Pros:
- Makes cashback money more meaningful
Cons:
- Your employer might not be a partner
- Lack of choice about how to use money
20. Simply Best Coupons
Best For: Using Outside of North America
Simply Best Coupons is available to use in countries all over the world for stores that encompass a wide range of categories, from travel to automotive to clothing. It can be used for coupons and cashback.
You can also add the browser extension to ensure you never miss an opportunity for cashback.
Although there’s no signup bonus available, you can earn a referral bonus equal to 5% of their cashback earnings up to $50.
Pros:
- Range of retailers and regions
- Referral bonus
Cons:
- No signup bonus
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cashback sites work?
Cashback sites have been around for almost two decades – they wouldn’t have survived this long if they didn’t work. Having said that, each cashback site has its own advantages and disadvantages – they don’t all succeed in every aspect, so you must find the best cash back sites for your needs.
What should you consider before signing up for a cash back site?
Which other factors should you consider? Here are a few of the main ones:
- Cashback rate
- Partnered merchants
- Other earning opportunities
- Referral bonuses
If getting the highest cashback rate possible is important to you, use the Cashback Monitor site to compare rates among different sites. Doing this obsessively every time you want to make a purchase might be unnecessary, but it can be helpful as a first step when deciding which site to use.
Most sites will also let you know how many online retailers they’re partnered with, in what categories, other earning opportunities available (like filling in surveys), and referral bonuses. Figure out what works best for you and judge the site based on this.
What places give cash back?
Of course, all the sites mentioned in this article offer cash back. However, they’re not the only options. Another great way to earn cashback is with cash back credit cards.
Once you apply for a credit card, you can access the portal to shop through. The best part is that you can combine a credit card with other cashback websites to maximize your savings – a process called ‘stacking’.
How do cashback sites make money?
Every time you make a purchase using a cashback website, the retailer you buy from will give the cashback site a commission. They then give a percentage of this back to you, the customer. Sounds like a win-win-win situation!
A few of the sites work slightly differently. TopCashback doesn’t take a commission but makes money through advertising revenue and data. Likewise, Paribus and Earny make their money by helping you negotiate a discount when a price drops, then taking a percentage of any discounts obtained as commission.
Do cash back sites have apps you can use on your smartphone?
Yes! The majority of them do have cash back apps that you can download and start earning while on the go!
Are Cash Back Sites For You?
If you’re not taking advantage of the best cashback sites, you’re missing out. With so many sites available, it can be tricky to narrow it down to a few to get started with, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll realize how easy it is to make some extra money this way.
You can always try out a few different sites at once, but be careful not to spread yourself too thinly, or you might not be able to take advantage of the sign-up bonus on all of them.
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