Give Me That Universal Discount

I am addicted to buying things online. I don’t have to endure bussing all over town just to look at a limited selection and to stand in line. Arguably,  I’m spoiled. It makes sense to me to see every variation on a product possible, every Chinese knockoff, every designer brand. Everyone has standards, sometimes my standard is; “I have this much money”.

I already have explained my opinion on the “universal discount” that I should get just for being me. Recently I found an app that comes pretty close to that online. Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is another in a long series of cashback apps. The thing that makes this one special is that it works. There are hundreds of participating retailers and you get a significant amount back. I’ve made almost $50 in the last couple of months. It’s not huge but it’s super easy.

I installed the Chrome extension and the phone app. When I’m browsing a relevant shop, I get a notification to turn on cashback and then it’s done. Qualifying purchases automatically return cash to my account. I often use this in conjunction with purchasing an Amazon gift card. You get 5% from the gift card and 4% from Rakuten. Not a shabby return on something I would have bought anyway.

Another unique bonus of this app is that it works on Lyft rides so you get discount transportation to boot.

You can get started with Rakuten here. You’ll get a free $10 bonus the first time you shop with the app for using my referral link. Enjoy your free money back.