What Happened to Ebates?

Mama Say What?! is the new name for Thrifty Guardian.

If you have an Ebates account, you may have noticed something new in the banner area – Ebates is now Rakuten.

Why Did Ebates Change Its Name?

According to the Ebates/Rakuten website, “taking the Rakuten name most accurately reflects who we are today: a company that gives you all the cash back you’re used to, with even more opportunities to save.”

Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner!

What Is Rakuten?

Rakuten is a Japanese marketing company that acquired Ebates in 2014. However, it wasn’t until the 2019 Superbowl that they began to publicize the merger.

I’ve been a part of Rakuten for nearly as long, as it’s one of the ways I make money with affiliate marketing.

Rakuten itself was originally Buy.com, founded in 1997 and bought out by the Japanese company in 2010 in an attempt to enter the American market. They became a very close competitor with Amazon before the buyout!

Also, if you made money selling on eBay around 2008, you may remember Buy.com. They formed a partnership with eBay and quickly became their top seller but were not charged listing fees – something that angered a lot of independent sellers.

Maybe this is my nerdy side coming out, but I find this company’s growth fascinating (all the more with their Ebates merge, too!)

How Do You Pronounce Rakuten?

It’s not as easy to say as Ebates, but it’s still just as easy to use!

Is Rakuten Legit?

Rakuten is genuinely such a great way to make money!

If you’re new to Ebates (or Rakuten), it’s a site that allows you to earn cash back if you click through their links before shopping. Even better, they’ve recently added an “in-store” option!

The best part is that you don’t have to do anything special; you click through and shop like you usually would.

How to Sign Up

First, create an account HERE! By signing up through this link, you’ll earn an automatic $10 after your first $25+ shopping trip – not bad for 30 seconds of work, yeah?

How Does Rakuten Work?

Rakuten incentivizes shoppers to go through their platform by offering a certain percentage back on their purchases. While this may seem nonsensical, it’s a win-win for everyone.

A customer may not be set on buying anything today until they see that the shop is offering only 8% back through Rakuten today – a win for the shop as the buyer is now all the more eager to buy.

Then not only does the buyer earn that 8% back, but Rakuten will also get a small commission from the shop.

Using Gift Cards With Rakuten

If you’re planning to do a lot of shopping, this is my top tip (it’s the best way to save during the holiday season!)

If you know ahead of time that you’ll be shopping at a specific retailer, be on the lookout for discounted gift cards through sites like Raise – if you know you spend money regularly somewhere (like a gas station!), why not buy gift cards for yourself and save even more?

For example, I recently purchased a $50 Kohl’s gift card for $41.90 and got 2% back from Rakuten. Then I made a purchase (again through Rakuten!) for $53, using mainly that gift card and earning myself an excellent $4.24 back. So instead of spending the full $53, I’m only looking at a total of $36.82.

More Rakuten Tips and Tricks

First, make sure you’ve downloaded the Rakuten extension downloaded for your browser!

Just check out the bottom of the Rakuten homepage to download. This way, you don’t even have to worry about going through the site first when browsing your favorite shopping site – seriously, could it get any easier to make money with this?

Also, if you can behave when using credit cards, another “must do” with Rakuten is to have the Rakuten Cash Back Credit Card.

Just check out the footer on their homepage for more information, but basically, it allows you to earn even MORE cash back (typically an additional 3%). So in my above gift card example, I could’ve only spent $36.07 on a $53 purchase if I had used my Rakuten card. LOVE IT!

In-Store Shopping With Rakuten

Something else you can do to make even more money back is to choose to “pick up in-store” while still shopping online. This is especially great if you’re prone to impulse purchases at your favorite store or want to save time running errands. You will earn that cash back you wouldn’t otherwise, but you can run in, pick up your stuff, and get on your way!

Coupon Codes With Rakuten

Another great thing about Rakuten is that you can combine the cash back you’re earning with any coupons available. They even have coupon codes for you – no need to hunt down a mailer you got or sift through e-mails. It’s straightforward if you’re using the mobile app or the browser extension.

How to Refer Friends to Rakuten

Finally, you can, of course, refer your friends to Rakuten. By just referring THREE friends, you can earn $75! How awesome is that?

Rakuten Proof of Payment

If you’re still not sold on Rakuten, check out just how much money I would have otherwise lost out on last quarter were it not for shopping with this cash-back app: $256.77.

So to Re-Cap:

• Rakuten membership is free.
• There’s no limit to how much cash back you can earn.
• There are no rebate forms to mail in or points to count— they send you your cash back, no strings attached.
• Literally, everyone should sign up!

Despite the new name, Rakuten is Ebates and there’s no catch here – so sign up today!

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