Get Money Back for Online Shopping

I love online shopping. It's so convenient, easy and saves me a nerve-racking trip to the store with my child who enjoys bolting from her stroller to hide in the clothing racks. Shopping online can also save you money and make you money. Here are some tips:

Get Some Cash Back.
Shop at websites that will actually give you cash back for shopping through them. How can they do this? Advertising, commissions - Cha ching! These sites are getting paid, so you should get paid too (so nice of them to share the wealth, no?!). Here are some suggestions:

• Coupon Cactus - My sister-in-law told me about this website (thanks, Christine!) that not only provides online coupons and codes for thousands of online retailers, but also gives you cash back for your purchases. Most of the online stores offer cash back percentages from as little as 1% to as much as 26% (this is for E-Harmony - maybe another incentive for online daters?!). Of course, the trick is that you must always click on the Coupon Cactus website link to be eligible to receive cash back. For example, if you just click on Target.com and spend $50, that's all you get. But if you enter the Coupon Cactus website first, look for Target and click on the link, you'll receive whatever online discount is available plus 3% back on your purchase. Coupon Cactus pays you quarterly. I just started, so can't wait to see how much I'll get back!
  

• Cash Crate- Cash Crate is mostly a site that pays you for completing online offers (check out at the bottom of my blog to learn more), but there is also a shopping section with a small list of about 20 retailers including Babies R Us (7%), Disney (5%), Flowers.com (20%), Magazines.com (35%), Walmart (5%) and etoys (3%). The percentages are the amounts you get get back from your purchase. For example, if you're already planning to buy a $50 bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day from Flowers.com, you'll get back $10 in your Cash Crate account. Cash Crate also claims to offer the highest percentages online for their retailers. I also like Cash Crate because it gives you money back for buying things that you may already be planning to purchase. For example, I was planning to buy photo stamps for my daughter's birthday cards. Cash Crate will pay you $10.00 for your first purchase. Thinking about signing up for Blockbuster Online or Netflix? Cash Crate pays $20.50 for signing up with Blockbuster and $12 for Netflix. Other deals that may be of interest to you include: $10 with a purchase from Let's Talk (cellular phone and accessories); $8 for signing up with Stamps.com; $11 for Columbia House DVD Membership; and $17 for Scholastics Phonics Program.
  
  
• FatWallet - This website offers 3 great elements: 1) cash back percentages on hundreds of retailers; 2) price comparison with Pricegrabber.com; and 3) includes a forum to get the scoop on deals found by other money saving shoppers.
  

• Ebates - Ebates compares their site to one giant mall with over 900 retailers. This is similar to Coupon Cactus, where you must enter their website first, then click on the online retailer.

Earn Gift Cards for Online Shopping with MyPoints.
The difference with MyPoints is that they give you points for shopping through their website, which can then be redeemed for gift cards from thousands of participating retailers. You can also earn points by just reading e-mails from their advertisers (usually 5 points), completing surveys or referrals. I've been a member for a couple of years and have already received a $50 gift card to Old Navy. And for the month of April, Mypoints is offering double points! I do love MyPoints - it's great, it's easy and you get a little something back!

Use promo or coupon codes every time you shop.
Before you order anything, check if the online store has a promotional code or coupon that you can enter. Chances are if there is a box for a promo code, there is one out there. The best site that I use is RetailMeNot.com. It features coupon codes for thousands of retailers. Just type in the name of the retailer, and it will show you a list of any available online coupons. I like this site because it also gives you comments on whether this coupon has worked for them or not. Other good sites I have used are couponcabin.com and Wow Coupons. I've also heard good things about Rather Be Shopping. It looks very organized and even has a blog. My husband likes DealNews and Deal Catcher as these have more codes for electronics. Just note that these codes cannot be used in combination with codes provided on Coupon Cactus or Ebates; however, they can be used on MyPoints.

Sign-up for e-mail newsletters and e-mail alerts from your favorite retailers. E-mail alerts are great because they give you a heads up on sales in-store and online, and most of the time give you promo/coupon codes. I subscribe to The Children's Place and almost always get a 15% coupon in the mail and via e-mail. Just recently I also received a $5 off $25 purchase at Toys R' Us.

Compare Prices.
If you want to save money, then you really need to compare prices on the products you plan to buy. There are several websites that offer price comparisons, but the ones I've found useful include: Pricegrabber, My Simon, Bizrate, Dealio and Nextag. Once you find the retailer that is offering the best deal, go through one of the websites listed above that offer cash back for your purchase. Now you've shopped, scored a great deal and will get some money back!

Any other ideas out there to share? Let me know!