4 Ways to Get Cash Back on Purchases

2. Cash back shopping portals and apps

Coupon sites have evolved over the years and today there are shopping portals, giving shoppers free access to cash back deals, coupons and other discounts. The sites get paid a commission to send business to retailer websites, . You can shop on your computer or mobile device at popular shopping portals such as Rakuten, RetailMeNot, Ibotta, CouponCabin and TopCashback. 

“Every purchase you make this holiday season should not only go on a rewards-earning credit card but also start via a cash back site like Rakuten or TopCashback to earn extra rewards,” says Hull. “It is common Black Friday for these sites to compete with each other and award 5–20 percent cash back on really great, popular retailers, which makes for extra rewarding shopping. It’s free, easy and you often get an extra bonus when you first sign up.”

Effort level: Medium. To earn cash back on purchases, consumers have to register for free on the websites. Click on the cash back rewards and you’ll be taken to the retailer’s website to check out as normal. The cash you earn will be available in the coupon site’s account. From there you can redeem it via Venmo or PayPal. It can take weeks for the money to be paid out so don’t expect it shortly after you make the purchase.

3. Cash back days

​Offered by a handful of coupon websites and a credit card company, national cash back days are growing in popularity. These shopping days give consumers extra cash back on their purchases from a variety of different retailers.

Take RetailMeNot’s National Cash Back days, which run for three days starting Nov. 2.. Shoppers can earn as much as 20 percent cash back on their purchases. Hundreds of retailers participate in this event each year including Neiman Marcus, Ray-Ban, Sam Edelman, Elf Cosmetics, Samsung, Expedia, PrettyLittleThing, Ninja Kitchen, Princess Polly and more.

In previous Cash Back Day events, RetailMeNot said shoppers earned an average of $18 cash back per order. Since 2019, it has paid shoppers close to $1.3 million during Cash Back Day events. CouponFollow, another coupon website, is running a cash back day on Nov. 11, giving customers double cash back at over 1,000 retailers including Bose, Groupon, Origins, Pier 1, Princess Polly, Tarte and others. 

Bank of America is also rewarding credit card customers with extra cash back on its More Rewards Day Nov. 9. Consumers and small business credit card holders with rewards cards will automatically earn 2 percent cash back, two points per $1 or two miles per $1 spent. Credit card holders without a rewards card will earn a statement credit equal to 2 percent cash back on the first $2,500 in purchases made on Nov. 9.

Effort level: Easy. If you have a Bank of America credit card, all you have to do is shop on Nov. 9 to get the bonus. If you don’t, you have to apply for an account. The same goes for RetailMeNot and CouponFollow. If you are already a member, shop as normal to get the extra rewards.

4. Cash back browser extensions

​From Capital One to Rakuten, companies of all stripes have gotten into the browser extension game. These tools, which you download and install on your internet browser on your computer or mobile device, automatically apply cash back and coupons as you shop. Rakuten is a popular one, giving consumers access to cash back at over 3,500 stores. PayPal’s Honey, CouponCabin and Ibotta are other examples of browser extensions that give you cash back on your purchases.

Effort level: Medium. You do have to be a little tech savvy since you’re required to download and install a browser extension on your computer or mobile device. Once you do, it’s easy to rack up cash back.