I use to walk into Best Buy, Foot Locker, Express, Walmart, Target and other stores to buy my stuff. But how can you save when they charge tax and don't offer much of a discount especially if you're looking for something specific? For me, I prefer to shop online for all my stuff whether its camera gear, home or personal products unless I have no choice or the store actually has a better deal.
I've been using Mr. Rebates for quite some time. Even though I belong to a few other cashback sites, Mr. Rebates is hands down, my most favorite because of the large list of stores as well as higher cashback percentage (%) and coupons.
Here is a list of some eligible stores out of over 2,000 stores:
- Abe's of Maine - 2%
- Abt Electronics - 2%
- Adorama - 3%
- Apple - 1%
- Beach Camera - 2%
- Best Buy - 1%
- Buy.com - 3%
- BuyDig - 2%
- Cameta - 3%
- Canon - 3%
- Crutchfield - 2%
- Dell Home - 3%
- eBay* - 1%
- Groupon - 6-8%
- J and R - 3%
- Meritline - 3%
- Newegg - 1%
- OneCall
- Samy's Camera - 2%
- Target - 3%
- TigerDirect - 4%
- Unique Photo - 1%
- Walmart - 2%
- And many many more!
Here are some examples of my purchases: I purchased two (2) Nikon D7000's and spare batteries from Abt Electronics and received $51 in cashback. Ordering from HP, I was able to save $20 and 23. I've even purchased items that were a couple bucks and got back as a couple of cents in cashback. It may not sound much but when you start accumulating the cashback, it adds up.
You can save pretty much on anything...electronics, baby stuff, furniture, clothing, even Groupon! eBay use to be part of the cashback program but as of June 2011, eBay stopped participating. (*eBay was added back for the 2012 holidays).
Enough with the talking, how to do I use Mr. Rebates so I can start saving!?
- The first thing you have to do is register with Mr. Rebates (if you have not registered already). Your registration identifies you to the Mr. Rebates website and insures that you get cash-back credited to your unique account.
- After registering with Mr. Rebates, you will be automatically logged in. For those who have come back to the site at a later date, you must insure that you are logged in each time you shop with Mr. Rebates by checking that your registered email address is shown in the top right-hand corner just beneath the main banner ad.
- Logged-in users can then shop at any of over 2,000 stores.
- After you have clicked a cash-back store, make sure you complete the purchase in that same click session to insure the cash-back rebate is credited to your account.
- DO NOT click or surf to other discount, coupon or comparison shopping websites after clicking through to a store using the same window as cash-back rebate tracking can be lost if store links are clicked on other websites and a cash-back rebate will not be credited to your account.
If you want to browse a different site, open a new tab. - Rebates are credited to your Mr. Rebates account usually within 1-35 business days of the ship date of your order although the wait time does vary from store to store. You will receive a confirmation email when the rebate is credited.
- After 90 days of being posted to your Mr. Rebates account and you have accrued a minimum of $10 in "Available Rebates", you can request either a rebate check be sent to a postal address location or rebate payment via Paypal (if sent to PayPal, there is no fee for receiving payment).
How long does it take for a rebate to be posted to my account after I have placed an order at a Mr. Rebates' store?
Most orders are reported in a short time from either the ship date or order date depending on merchant policy. On average, rebates get credited within 1-3 business days (sometimes earlier) from the order date or the ship date. However, it can take up to 30 days after the order date for Mr. Rebates to receive confirmation of the purchase or that an offer has been completed.How do I shop at a Mr. Rebates' store and earn cash-back?
The only action required to get a cash-back rebate is to simply click on your desired store and make your purchase in that same click session. Your click-through from Mr. Rebates activates a code in the store's shopping cart that will make sure that you are credited with the rebate. Each order from a participating store requires a unique click-through from Mr. Rebates. If you are making multiple orders then make sure you have a separate store click for each corresponding order. Please note that rebates do not show up in a store's shopping cart. Rebates are credited a few days later in your Mr. Rebates' account.Can I still get a rebate if I forgot to click-through to a store at Mr. Rebates?
Unfortunately, orders placed outside of Mr. Rebates do not qualify for cash-back rebates. If the rebate is important to you then the only other thing that can be done is to cancel the original order and re-order through a Mr. Rebates link. That decision is up to you however.What happens if I exchange a product or make changes to an order?
Contacting a store to change an order (even for an exchange) can sometimes negate the cash-back rebate. The reason for this is that some stores will negate the first original order and generate a new order that does not have a rebate tied to it. When making changes to an order, our best advice would be to cancel your original order and re-order through Mr. Rebates (if the rebate is important to you).Can I use coupons featured at Mr. Rebates when I shop at your partner stores?
Absolutely! Be sure that you only use coupons that are posted here at Mr. Rebates as coupons found elsewhere can negate the cash-back with most merchants. Please also make sure that discounts or free offers are present in the shopping cart of the participating merchant. Mr. Rebates is not responsible for coupons that are expired or incorrectly redeemed.Are purchases of gift cards or payment via gift cards eligible for cash-back rebates?
Some stores do offer cash-back for gift card purchases as listed in the Gift Cards category. However, any store not listed in that "Gift Cards" category do not offer cash-back for gift card purchases. Purchases made with gift card redemption or gift certificate redemption as the full or partial payment method are not eligible for cash-back rebates.How do I shop at a cash-back store?
First, make sure you are logged in to the Mr. Rebates web site. You will be able to verify that you are logged in by viewing your registered email address in the top right-hand corner of the screen under the main banner. Next, find the store that you would like to shop with and simply click on that store's link. Don't worry, if you are not logged in, a warning screen will display asking you to login or register. After you are redirected to the store's website, simply purchase items just as you would normally do, checkout and the cash-back rebate will be reported to your Mr. Rebates account a few days after the ship date of the order or sometimes even earlier depending on the merchant's reporting policy.If you have additional questions, please take a look at Mr. Rebates FAQ section.
