The Cashback Checkin - Summer 2022

Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!

One of my most fundamental money-saving tips is using cashback shopping websites for online shopping.

Rather than go directly to an e-commerce website, simply:

1. Create an account on a cashback website, such as Mr. Rebates or Rakuten (both of these are legit and user-friendly).

2. Next time you order something online, instead of going to the retailer’s website directly, go to the cashback site first and click on a link to the retailer. Other than Amazon, most larger online retailers offer cashback through these sites.

3. Once you place your order, the retailer pays an affiliate commission to the cashback website, which then shares a portion (often a very large portion) of the commission with you, usually within a few days. The cashback percentage generally ranges from as little as 1% to as much as 15%+ of your order.

4. Cashback is generally paid out monthly or quarterly, and may sometimes require you to request a payment (generally via PayPal or check).

There is essentially no downside, and it is pretty simple. I have been using these sites for almost 12 years, and to date I’ve received over $3,000 in cashback:

Mr. Rebates: $1,665.58 since March 2011

Rakuten: $891.42 since July 2011

TopCashback: $543.64 since March 2019.[1]

An advanced tip:

If you are already an experienced cashback shopper and use multiple providers, you should start your shopping at Cashback Monitor, which compares the cashback rates available for a specific retailer. You can then use the cashback provider currently offering the highest rate and complete your order.

And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:

• The Rocky Road of Running an Ice Cream Truck This Summer

• One Player Remembers Serena Williams’s Debut—Because She Beat the Future GOAT

• Paul Newman’s Daughters Sue Newman’s Own Foundation: “Mr. Newman launched Newman’s Own in 1982 with a homemade salad dressing and later produced pasta sauce and other products. The company has given away its profits to various causes each year, an amount that has totaled more than $600 million over 40 years.”

I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.

[1] A note on TopCashback. I don’t recommend them because their site is user-unfriendly and requesting payouts of cashback from them can be a hassle. But they often offer the highest cashback rates of the major sites.

[2] And one more note: none of the links above are affiliate links. I’m not compensated for anything you sign up for from this post, and I don’t make any money from this newsletter.