How I Earn Money While Shopping

You guys know that my nickname is “Frugal Fran” and I’m all about getting the biggest bang for my buck when online shopping at my favorite stores. With the abundance of coupons, discounts, and promo codes that we have access to, I refuse to pay full price for anything (however, I’m happy to pay full price when shopping at small businesses).

In addition to saving money while shopping, did you know that you can make money while online shopping? I do it all the time by using Rakuten and I want you to start earning while you shop too!

What is Rakuten?

Rakuten (formerly known as ‘Ebates’) is a free cash back rewards website that allows you to earn cash back when shopping at over 2,500 stores. Stores pay Rakuten a “finders fee” or a commission for sending you to them, and Rakuten pays a portion of the commission to you. Use Rakuten each time you shop and you’ll reach your cash back every 3 months. Your money can be sent to you via check, gift card to one of your favorite stores, or directly to your PayPal account. PayPal is my favorite cash back method because I can use the money for a variety of things.

How to use Rakuten:

1. Shop with Rakuten at your favorite stores

2. Earn Cash Back on your orders

3. Get paid by check or PayPal

How does it work?

You can use Rakuten through their website, phone app, or Chrome browser extension to shop, then Rakuten will earn a commission from the store for sending you their way and a portion of that commission will be shared with you!

I personally prefer to use Rakuten via the Chrome extension because I never miss out on coupons or cash back since the extension automatically applies promo codes or processes my cash back.

My Favorite Stores

My favorite store to use Rakuten for are:

• Walmart
• Amazon
• Target
• Macy’s
• Travel Booking Sites (like Hotels.com)

How to Get Started with Rakuten

1. You can sign up for Rakuten with your email or Facebook account.

2. After creating your account, search for the store that you’d like to buy from in the Rakuten portal. Often times, you’ll find special promotion offering additional cash back!

3. Once Rakuten confirms your purchase, the cash back will be applied to your account.

So, when do I get my money?

Rakuten will send your cash back every 3 months in the form of a check, or they’ll deposit the money directly into your PayPal account. You’ll need to have an account balance of at least $5 in order to receive a pay out. If your balance is less than $5, the funds that you have will roll over into the next quarter’s payout.

Check out the payment schedule here:

As a money-loving finance enthusiast, I must say this… Do NOT start shopping constantly just because you want to earn cash back, this will only cost you money if you’re buying things that you don’t actually need.

But if you’re going to buy things that you need, you might as well earn a little extra money while doing it.

What are you waiting for? Set up your Rakuten account and start earning today!