Many savvy shoppers love to shop at Amazon during the Christmas / holiday shopping season because of free super-saver shipping (or free two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members). According to Kiplinger Personal Finance, Amazon underprices Walmart on several of the popular gift categories including video games and toys.
Getting a good price with free shipping is of course, much appreciated by frugalistas like me, but you can go one better when you earn cash back for shopping at Amazon!
Where’s the BEST place to get Amazon cashback?
There are only a handful of cashback programs that offer Amazon cashback, and Amazon only allows them to offer cashback on certain categories of products on their site, which change every couple of weeks. These categories and rates are active as of this posting, but they may vary by the time you read this, so this is just intended as a guideline to let you know where to go to earn Amazon cashback:
MrRebates: In business since 2002, MrRebates pays cashback monthly. You’ll earn a $7.50 signup bonus to join MrRebates when you join here. This is my favorite of the sites below because, in addition to doing frequent increased cashback promotions on MANY of their stores, they also do frequent contests with big prizes like iPads…and just in general I prefer the layout of their site. Coupons codes are easy to find and you can even click to see a list of all recently added coupon codes. You can request cashback in the form of check or PayPal when you’ve earned at least $10 in cashback. Their Amazon cashback rates are currently:
- 6% on Fashion for Women, Men, Girls, and Boys
- 6% on Sports & Outdoors
- 6% on Amazon Local
Ebates: Ebates is my second-favorite site and it’s been around the longest: 16 years. They pay cashback quarterly, about 6 weeks after the quarter has ended. You’ll earn a $5 signup bonus when you join here. You’ll need $5.01 or more in cashback to be paid, and you can choose to be paid by check, PayPal, or by Amazon gift card. Their Amazon cashback rates are currently:
- 8% on Fashion for Women, Men, and Kids & Baby
- 8% on Sports & Outdoors
- 8% on Music
- 2% on Toys
FatWallet: Owned by the same parent company as Ebates, FatWallet has offered cashback for over about as long as MrRebates, but their hugely popular deal forum is their main claim to fame. It’s a good place to find deals, then I usually go elsewhere to actually place my order. FatWallet pays by PayPal when you’ve earned $10 or more in cashback shopping rebates, with cashback eligible to cash out around 90 days after shopping. They don’t offer any signup bonus. Their Amazon cashback rates are currently:
- 8% on Fashion for Women, Men, and Kids & Baby
- 8% on Sports & Outdoors,
- 8% on Musical Instruments
- 5% on Amazon Local
- 2% on Toys & Games
Swagbucks: Unlike the other Amazon cashback sites, Swagbucks rewards you in, well, Swagbucks…which can be cashed out for various gift cards. One SB = 1% cash back when you do the math. Also unlike the other sites, you can earn SB to help you get to the minimum cashout (of $5) faster by doing other things on their site like completing surveys and using their search engine. They’re not currently running a signup bonus. Their Amazon rates are:
- 5 Swagbucks per Dollar (5% cashback) on Fashion for Women, Men, and Kids & Baby
- 5 Swagbucks per Dollar (5% cashback) on Sports & Outdoors
- 5 Swagbucks per Dollar (5% cashback) on Musical Instruments
- 5 Swagbucks per Dollar (5% cashback) on Toys
Extrabux: Founded in 2006, Extrabux is kinda different because not only do they have great cashback rates, but they also have a product price comparison tool that will tell you the lowest price for an item factoring in cashback and any available coupon codes. You can cash out for PayPal, credit card, or check when your account reaches $10 in cashback or more. Their current Amazon rates:
- 7% on Fashion for Women, Men, and Kids & Baby
- 4% on Sports & Outdoors
- 2% on Toys & Games
BeFrugal: A relative newcomer to cash back, they have been offering it since 2011, though the site’s been live as a coupon and deal site since ’09. You have to earn $25 in cashback before you can redeem it, then you can choose from PayPal, check, or various gift cards. You can cash out after around 90 days after you shop. They’re not currently running any signup bonus promotions. Their Amazon rates are currently:
- 8% on Fashion for Women, Men, and Kids & Baby
- 8% on Sports & Outdoors and Luggage
- 6% on Amazon Local
- 4% on Toys & Games
No matter which rewards program you decide to use when you shop at Amazon, any cashback is always better than NO cashback! Choose a rewards program that fits well with the amount of shopping you do (their minimum to cash out), the types of rewards you can choose (if you’d prefer a check or if PayPal is okay), and your preference for the overall look and feel of the site!
Keep in mind that these categories and rates change often, so this is just meant as a snapshot as of this posting, and a guideline of what to expect at the different programs.
Enjoy your holiday shopping with a little extra cashback from Amazon!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
SO MUCH great info. I appreciate you doing a nice compact consolidation. Who knows what I might be able to find and this will allow me to save a bit more.
Thank you fearless frugal leader!
Thanks for the info. I like to spread out and use multiple rewards sites. One that is not on your list (probably because it’s fairly new) is opinyun.com. You get 10 credits for signing up and the money back for your time is one of the best I’ve seen. up to $.25 per review and some can be done in about 30 seconds.