Money for Shopping

I regard shopping through portals as found money, however there is work involved, both in finding a good offer and making sure it credits. Make sure it's worth your time. Shopping portals offer different types of rewards; usually points, miles or cash.  After years at this game, I still use a combination of all three, using the most advantageous deal.

How do you find the best rewards when shopping?  For a few years now, I have used Cashback Monitor to check.  However, it is mostly accurate, but not 100%. Since programs change quickly or offer special limited promotions, double-check yourself as well.

Stick with a single portal, or root out the best deal? That depends on how much time you want to spend. Service matters as well. If the cashback isn't reliably credited or paid, the ratio is immaterial. If you want to keep it simple, stick with one or two. I would recommend Rakuten (formerly eBates), Topcashback, and Retailmenot.

It always makes sense to keep records of cashback claims. Very often they do not track. I keep a list of all potential cashback and check its progress once weekly. If after 14 days (or the length of time specified by the site) something has not tracked, I query.

The worst experience I had was Hilton cashback across multiple portals, where valid claims where either being denied or getting too low an amount. This was a rarity, but I would never factor in cashback when considering whether to book Hilton. You will get a sense through bitter experience which companies are unreliable, but it's a risk to make a purchase decision based on cashback. That's a bird in the bush, not in hand.

Shopping for Cash or Reward Points


Name Referral link -
please use and throw me a few bones!		 Value of individual unit Expiration Type of reward Cash out level
Shopping portals. These sites are straightforward.  Do your shopping through them and get back cash or points.
Rakuten www.rakuten.com/r/LWITCH2?eeid=28187 .01 or more None Cash or Membership Rewards points $5
Rakuten has become my number one portal. The biggest advantage is that it offers payout in American Express Membership Rewards points as well as cash. I value these at closer to two cents each rather than one, because these points can be pooled with points you earned from spending on American Express credit cards to boost your balance and transfer to airline and hotel programs. On top of that Rakuten generally has high rates and responsive customer service. Payout is quarterly.
Topcashbackhttp://www.topcashback.com/ref/lwitchel.01NoneCashNone
Now one of the oldest portals, Topcashback has very competitive ratios and good customer service. I've been using them for years and they would be another good choice if you only wanted to use a single portal.
Mr. Rebates http://www.mrrebates.com?refid=347700 .01 None Cash $10 via check or Paypal
Straightforward cashback on purchases with very competitive cashback ratios. Cashback becomes available after three months, and they pay reliably, but you need to keep track and request payment once you have enough cash back.
Retailmenot None .01 None Cash $10 via Paypal or Venmo
Straightforward cashback on purchases with one of the most competitive cashback ratios, but higher maintenance. You are only allowed cashback on seven purchases per month from one company, and twenty purchases monthly from all offers. Also, cashback maxes out, usually at $50. Check the offer carefully and consider splitting your purchase if possible. I usually need to send customer service a reminder to make cashbackgo from pending to approved, but it is fast and responsive. Just keep track.
RebatesMe https://www.rebatesme.com/r/qsz8nj .01 None Cash $10 via Paypal or Gift Cards
RebatesMe is largely a straight cashback portal, but to boost daily traffic, it has some rewards for clicking like the mixed portals below, (they're in the "tasks" section) that offer a little daily cash for very little extra time. There's also a daily drawing in the same section that offers both cash and increased cash back ratios. With those offers, the portal has become more competitive.
Mixed Programs
Mixed portals have somewhat less attractive reward ratios for shopping, but you can augment them with clicks or surveys.  They may also have a vendor that isn't with one of the other portals.   Most of the early mixed portals have either gone out of business or are not worth using, but the three that have survived are now all owned by the same parent company. If you are at one, you might as well be at all three and earn daily rewards at each.
Mypoints https://www.mypoints.com?rb=28832778 .00625 None Points 800 points = $5 cert.
Along with InboxDollars and Swagbucks, MyPoints offers shopping, offers and daily activities. Mypoints is the only one where points are worth less than a cent, but it also offers the highest reward for a failed survey. Where once all the sites had their own redemption rates, they've largely harmonized it to make cashing out for PayPal rather than gift or visa cards, particularly in larger values, make the most sense. Redemption is very quick and I do not believe that points expire. 
Inbox Dollars http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=lwitchel .01 None Cash $10
Similar to its sisters, InboxDollars offers cashback and daily tasks. Bonuses are awarded by a scratch-off game.
Swagbucks https://www.swagbucks.com/profile/lwitchel?rp=1 .01 None Cash $10
Similar to its sisters, InboxDollars offers cashback and daily tasks. Its unique features include a significant monthly discount on a single $25 giftcard, membership levels for cumulative earnings, and a daily trivia game.



Page last updated September 12, 2025.