RebatesMe Review: Get Your $45 Sign Up Bonus

RebatesMe

7.5

Product Rating

7.5/10

Strengths

  • Earn cash back at over 3,000 online retailers
  • Cash and gift card payments
  • Mobile app and browser extension
  • Free to join

Weaknesses

  • High redemption minimum
  • $4.99 monthly fee after 12 months of account inactivity
  • Signup bonus may require several purchases to earn

RebatesMe is a shopping portal where you can earn cash back on some of your favorite retailers. They have a mobile app and browser extension to make shopping easy.

While you may already pay the lowest online price, RebatesMe can help you get cash back at many online stores. It is available in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

This RebatesMe review gives you an inside look at how you can earn cash back and your payout options.

Table of Contents
  1. How Does RebatesMe Work?
    1. How to Earn Cash Back
    2. Redemption Options
  2. RebatesMe Features
    1. First Order Exclusive Cash Back
    2. Mobile App
    3. Browser Extension
    4. Coupon Codes
    5. Cash Bonuses
  3. RebatesMe FAQs
  4. RebatesMe Pros and Cons
    1. Pros
    2. Cons
  5. RebatesMe Alternatives
    1. Rakuten
    2. TopCashback
    3. Swagbucks
  6. Summary

How Does RebatesMe Work?

RebatesMe is an online shopping rewards portal that partners with over 3,000 retailers to give you cash back on qualifying purchases.

Some of the cashback categories include:

  • Beauty
  • Clothing
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Jewelry
  • Office supplies
  • Pets
  • Sports equipment
  • Subscription services
  • Travel

Retail shopping is a highly competitive business and most shoppers care more about paying the best price than being loyal to a particular store. Therefore, if two retailers (i.e., Target and Walmart) charge the same price for the products you want, the retailer with the highest rate may win your spending money.

You can shop from a web browser or the RebatesMe mobile app. Your redemption options include cash and gift cards with a $30 redemption minimum.

Learn more about RebatesMe

How to Earn Cash Back

Most stores award between 1% and 15% back on purchases. These rates are competitive with similar platforms. 

Earn a Signup Bonus: New members can earn up to $45 bonus cash when they accumulate a minimum of $10 in cashback within 90 days of signing up for an account.

The process for earning cash back is similar to other cash back sites. You will need to activate a shopping session from your web browser or mobile phone so RebatesMe can track the purchase.

It will take up to 48 hours for most orders to track. After seven days, you can file a dispute to claim missing cash back by providing the shopping session number.

You can activate a shopping session on these platforms:

  • The RebatesMe website
  • Chrome browser extension
  • Mobile app (Android and iOS)

Your cash back amount is for the item cost, excluding sales tax and shipping fees. 

Most stores award cash back on the entire purchase amount. However, some stores have tiered cash back rates and award more for certain categories.

For example, office supply stores are notorious for not offering cash back on laptops or tablets. In addition, most stores won’t credit gift card purchases unless you buy directly from a gift card marketplace. These limitations are usually standard across every cash rebate site for the same retailer.

Comparing the cashback rates for your favorite stores can be the easiest way to decide if RebatesMe is the best cash back site for you.

Read the Cash Back Terms and Conditions

Each retailer page includes terms and conditions. 

This section lists the following details:

  • How much cash back you can earn on qualifying product categories
  • Non-eligible product categories
  • The average time it takes for RebatesMe to calculate your shopping trip rewards

Your shopping trip may also not qualify if you use unique discount codes. One example is getting a personalized code from the retailer’s mailing list as a birthday special. 

Bonus Tip: You can stack your cash back with a cash back credit card

Redemption Options

The platform has several redemption options that make it easy to spend your rewards.

Your redemption options include:

  • PayPal
  • Credit card (Visa and Mastercard)
  • Check
  • Gift cards

The redemption minimum is $30 for both cash and gift cards.

Gift card redemptions may increase your cashout value by up to 10%. For example, a $30 cashout is worth $33 in gift cards and $30 for cash rewards.

This redemption minimum is higher than most cash back sites. If you shop infrequently at participating stores or bounce between several cash back sites to find the highest rewards rate, RebatesMe may not be the best option.

Many platforms have a redemption minimum of $10 or less for cash and gift cards.

Like competing platforms, it takes between 60 and 90 days for your shopping rewards to unlock for redemption. The retailer verifies you don’t return the item before sending payment to RebatesMe. 

If a $30 minimum redemption is too high for you, check out our list of best cashback sites for other options.

Do RebatesMe Rewards Expire?

After 12 months of not earning cash rewards, the platform may charge a monthly maintenance fee of $4.99 until you make a qualifying purchase or your balance reaches $0.00.

The high redemption minimum and this potential fee make this platform a realistic option if you actively use RebatesMe several times per month or are comfortable with longer payment intervals.

Learn more about RebatesMe

RebatesMe Features

Here are some of the core platform benefits.

First Order Exclusive Cash Back

You can earn an enhanced cash back rate at participating stores on your first shopping session.  So if you have a large purchase planned don’t use your first session at a new store on a small item. Wait until you are ready to make that big buy.

Mobile App

Downloading the RebatesMe mobile app to your Android or iOS phone or tablet can be easier than navigating the web platform from a small screen.

The app may also offer enhanced offers not available to shoppers using the browser edition.

Browser Extension

Laptop users can install the Google Chrome or Firefox browser extension to activate shopping sessions directly from the store website.

The extension also lets you look up a store’s current cashback rate with the built-in search engine.

Coupon Codes

You can find discount codes for specific retailers to apply at the checkout screen for instant savings.

The available coupon codes that RebatesMe lists on the store cash back terms and conditions page are the discounts you can claim and still earn cash rewards.

Other codes may disqualify your shopping session from earning a shopping bonus.

Cash Bonuses

There are several opportunities to earn bonus cash:

  • Signup bonus: Receive $45 bonus cash after earning $10 in cash rewards during your first 90 days of membership.
  • Refer friends: You and your friend can earn bonus cash when they signup using your referral code and make qualifying purchases.
  • Loyalty bonuses: Occasional promotions to earn bonus by completing certain activities like visiting the site several days in a row. 

RebatesMe FAQs

Here are some common questions you may have about the platform.

Is RebatesMe legit?

RebatesMe is a legit way to earn cash rewards at most online stores. The cash back rates are competitive with similar platforms and the company has been operating for eight years. 

The site also has a Trustpilot score of 3.8 out of 5 (January 2024).

However, the $30 redemption minimum and potential account maintenance fee can make it challenging for infrequent users to request payment.

What is the RebatesMe signup bonus?

The RebatesMe signup bonus can be as much as $45 but can fluctuate. 

Regardless of the bonus value, you will need to earn $10 in rewards within the first 90 days of account opening. This bonus can take longer to earn but is more valuable than most new member offers for shopping portals.  

Is there a RebatesMe referral bonus?

Yes, you can earn $10 per successful friend referral when they join using your invite code. You and your friend earn a cash bonus after your friend makes $10 in rewards during the first year.

What are the RebatesMe cash out options?

Most of the cashout options are cash payments. They include PayPal, Paper check, Credit card deposits (Visa and Mastercard only), and Gift cards are also available to select retailers. This redemption option may have a 10% bonus.

Is RebatesMe free?

Yes, it’s free to join RebatesMe and you won’t pay higher prices when you shop online. There are no fees for any cash or gift card redemptions.

What is the RebatesMe account maintenance fee?

The only fee you might pay on RebatesMe is an account maintenance fee after 12 months of account inactivity. The platform deducts $4.99 per month until your balance reaches $0.00 or you earn new cash back.

Learn more about RebatesMe

RebatesMe Pros and Cons

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of RebatesMe.

Pros

  • Earn cash back at over 3,000 online retailers
  • Cash and gift card payments
  • Mobile app and browser extension
  • Free to join

Cons

  • High redemption minimum
  • $4.99 monthly fee after 12 months of account inactivity
  • Signup bonus may require several purchases to earn

RebatesMe Alternatives

These platforms are worth considering as they have lower redemption minimums and different cash back rates for your favorite stores.

Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is one of the best-known shopping sites due to their many advertisements on TV and other spots.

In addition to earning cash back online, you can activate in-store offers and paying with a linked credit card or debit card.

The redemption minimum is $5.01 for PayPal, paper checks, and gift cards. You can receive your payments at the end of the current calendar quarter when your balance reaches the qualifying amount.

The signup bonus is $10 after making your first $25+ purchase.

Read our Rakuten review to learn more.

Learn more about Rakuten

TopCashback

One of the best advantages of TopCashback is no redemption minimum for cash or gift cards. Online purchases earn cash rewards.

Redemption options include gift cards, PayPal, prepaid debit cards, and bank account deposits. In addition, you can get a redemption bonus for Amazon gift cards.

Learn more about TopCashback

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is your best option if you want to combine your shopping rewards with other short tasks if you’re an infrequent shopper. 

You can earn cash back when shopping online and scanning receipts to redeem in-store offers.

Other ways to earn cash include:

  • Online surveys
  • Downloading apps
  • Playing games
  • Watching videos

Some of these activities may require a purchase but most only require a few minutes of time.

The redemption minimum for Amazon gift cards starts at $1 and other brands for $3. PayPal cash rewards only require a $5 balance.

Read our Swagbucks review to learn more.

Learn more about Swagbucks

Summary

RebatesMe can be a good option if they offer the best rates for your favorite shows or you regularly shop online and remember to activate a shopping session. However, the $30 redemption minimum may be too high for shoppers who prefer small yet frequent payouts.

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About Josh Patoka

After graduating in $50k with student loans in May 2008 from Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. International Studies and Political Science with a minor in Spanish (he studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain for 3 months), Josh decided to sell his soul for seven years by working in the transportation industry to get out of debt ASAP and focus on doing something else with a better work-life balance.

He is a father of three and has been writing about (almost) everything personal finance since 2015. You can also find him at his own blog Money Buffalo where he shares his personal experience of becoming debt-free (twice) and taking a 50%+ pay cut when he changed careers.

Today, Josh relishes the flexibility of being self-employed and debt-free and encourages others to pursue their dreams. Josh enjoys spending his free time reading books and spending time with his wife and three children.

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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