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A Cashback Site Worth Joining
Editor’s Note: This post has been completely revamped and updated in 2020 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
I recently earned cashback by shopping at Kohl’s through the Rakuten.com link and discovered a way to turn a little online shopping into earning some extra money from home. Yes, I know that cashback sites are nothing new. However, if you haven’t signed up at the Rakuten cashback site yet, now is your time to do it. And if you’re looking for a way to earn extra cash from home in your spare time, I’ll show you how this website can become your new side hustle.
Since I wrote a couple of posts on buying discounted gift cards, I continue to be in that mindset of saving and earning money. So when I read an article online that mentioned Rakuten as a really good cashback site, I thought I would check it out.
In doing so, I noticed that Kohl’s had a 4% cashback reward (as of today however they often have a higher cashback incentive) plus a coupon code advertised on their website for an extra 20% off my purchase. All I had to do was click the Kohl’s link on the Rakuten website and Rakuten starts your “shopping trip.”
Even better, add the Rakuten Cash Button to your browser, and anytime you visit a participating merchant website, you will be immediately informed of any cashback offers; you don’t have to do anything! You can find the Rakuten Cash Button under “Tools and Services” in the footer at the Rakuten website.
When you initiate a purchase through a Rakuten link or activate cashback through the Rakuten Cash Button, you only have to wait a few hours to a few days to see cashback added to your account. Rakuten pays you by check or PayPal–your choice.
However, when you apply my gift card money-making technique revealed in my Gift Cards Can Make You Money post, coupled with the Rakuten cashback site (as long as a retailer that you have a gift card for is a participating Rakuten merchant), you could make some serious part-time money. Here are the steps…
First Visit This Gift Card Buying Website
Open up a free account at Raise.com. When you sign up to receive their emails, you get $10 off your first purchase. Plus, you receive 10% off your first order.
Next, go back to Rakuten and search for Raise.com (or, if you installed the Rakuten cashback button on your browser, you can go directly to Raise). Start a shopping trip to Raise from Rakuten. Why? Because you will receive cashback for purchasing your gift card too! At the time of this writing, Raise was offering a 3% cashback for shopping through Rakuten. Now you can purchase a discounted Kohl’s gift card (as used in this example) at Raise.com.
Why Digital Gift Cards vs. Physical Gift Cards?
Purchase the electronic gift cards vs. the in-store gift cards. They are delivered into your email inbox pretty quickly and often there are better deals online than in-store. If you are using this technique to make money by buying and selling merchandise, then you want the best deal possible with the least amount of hassle.
Make Sure You Start Your Shopping Trip Here
Now that you have your discounted gift card, go back to Rakuten and start a shopping trip to Kohl’s from there (again, if you installed the Rakuten cashback button on your browser, you can go directly to Kohl’s website). Use the gift card to buy sale merchandise on the Kohl’s website that you linked through from the Rakuten website or cashback button. As I mentioned before, at the time of this writing, Kohl’s was offering 4% cashback for shopping trips through Rakuten.
Don’t Forget to Search For Coupon Codes
Use Kohl’s coupon code to get an additional percentage off the sale price. There are usually coupon codes being offered by Kohl’s right on their website. Just note that if you try to use a coupon code from another website, it may deactivate the Rakuten cashback discount. But if it’s a better discount, by all means, use it.
Check for Free Shipping
It’s a bonus if you get free shipping on your purchases! Kohl’s often offers free shipping on a purchase of $50 or more. What to do next? Turn around and sell your merchandise on eBay (or Amazon, Craigslist, or a Facebook Buy, Sell, Trade group) for a profit, you would have yourself a nice little home business.
Rinse and Repeat!
Not only will you be receiving money in your PayPal account after your eBay auction is over (or if you sell your item(s) through another website), you’ll receive a check (or deposit into your PayPal account) from Rakuten! Turn around and use your Rakuten money to fund your next purchase of discounted gift cards, and start all over again.
So what are you waiting for, sign up for your free Rakuten cashback site account by clicking HERE, and start earning money from home in the next couple of weeks!
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