Top Online Cash Back Shopping Sites, Which is the Best?

The thought of getting paid to shop sounds like a dream come true for many of us. And in a way, cash back shopping websites can make that a reality. When you shop through these cash back portals, a percentage of each purchase from various retailers is returned to you. They also offer perks like sign-up bonuses, referral rewards and coupon codes. There are so many of these online cash back shopping sites popping up we thought a side-by-side comparison of some of the most popular portals would be helpful. Here's a rundown of Ebates, Mr. Rebates, Big Crumbs, Spree and Fat Wallet.

Ebates

The Rundown: With Ebates.com there are no points to redeem, no forms to mail in, and no fees. Ebates is able to give its users cash back because stores pay them a sales commission for sending shoppers to them. Ebates also has the Daily Double which features a new retailer each day offering double cash back.

Sample Cashback Offer: Get 20% cash back from FTD, 8% from Sephora and 6% from Barnes and Noble.

Participating Merchants: There are currently more than 1,200 retailers offering cash back through Ebates.com.

Referral Reward: Normally you get $5 for getting a friend to sign up through your Ebates referral link. Currently they're running a promotion that rewards users with a $40 bonus when they have four qualified friends sign up.

Mr. Rebates

The Rundown: Mr. Rebates offers one of the largest selection of retailers in their cash back database. Look for the "bonus" icon next to various retailers to find those offering a higher than normal cash back amount.

Sample Cashback Offer: Get 15% cash back from FTD, 7% from Sephora and 5% from Barnes and Noble.

Participating Merchants: There are more than 2000 merchants participating.

Referral Reward: You will automatically earn 20% of your referrals accumulated rebates for as long as they shop with Mr. Rebates.

Big Crumbs

The Rundown: Big Crumbs is a community of members who are trying to find ways to stretch their dollars further, increase their incomes and build their own businesses. Big Crumbs allows eBay and Etsy sellers to post deals and listings directly to others in the community.

Sample Cashback Offer: Get 9.6% cash back from FTD, 4% from Sephora and 4.8% from Barnes and Noble.

Participating Merchants: There are just over 1200 big name retailers offering cash back through Big Crumbs.

Referral Reward: When people sign up through your referral links you get a cash bonus and earn money each time they shop.

Spree

The Rundown: Hundreds of thousands of people use Spree.com as a way to earn extra cash back on their online purchases. Signing up is free.

Sample Cashback Offer: Get 5% cash back from FTD, 3% from Sephora and 3% from Barnes and Noble.

Participating Merchants: There are more than 450 stores participating on Spree.com.

Referral Reward: When a friend you refer enters your referral ID and makes a purchase, you get a portion of whatever they spend in extra cash back. You also get a portion of the purchases made by your referrals' referrals.

FatWallet Cash Back

The Rundown: Earn cash back at hundreds of stores when you shop through FatWallet Cash Back. You'll never have to pay full price for shoes, plane tickets, or computers again and your payment comes through your PayPal account.

Sample Cashback Offer: Get 11% cash back from FTD, 4% from Sephora and 4% from Barnes and Noble.

Participating Merchants: Hundreds.

Referral Reward: None.

We'd love to know what your favorite cash back shopping sites are. What's the most cash back you've received from a site like this? Give us your tips for using cash back shopping sites and tell us about the best deals you've scored. We love hearing your bargain scoring stories!

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