Mom Tips: Do you know about Ebates?

Although I am definitely a bargain-hunter, I've never been big on reward sites when shopping online. I can't even begin to count how many I signed up for at some point or another, only to completely forget to use them, or find that they don't offer incentives for the retailers I like to shop from. And I don't want to even think about how many accounts I have that are just 5, or 10, or 100 "points" or "credits" or whatever random currency away from earning a $25 gift card, or cash back, simply because I've forgotten about them.

My no-rewards-shopping plan came to an end recently though, when one of my cousins told me about Ebates. Rather than earning some sort of proprietary points, you simply earn cash back when you visit your regular shopping sites through their websites. And they are supported by hundreds of retailers, including all the major ones. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out since I was getting ready to do my holiday shopping anyway - plus they were offering a $15 sign up bonus as well. 

I have to say I actually REALLY like it. Most online stores offer about 2%-5% cash back when you shop through Ebates. Ebates keeps track, emails you when you've earned money, and the best best part - they automatically mail your check (quarterly) as long as you have at least $30 in earned money. If you have less than $30, it rolls over into the next quarter. Considering the $15 sign up bonus, I managed to get to the $30 fairly quickly by trying to specifically buy from stores with a higher cash back bonus - some at 10% and 15%. I definitely think Ebates is well worth a shot for any regular online shopper. It's proven to be far better than most of the competition.