Ebates and BeFrugal both pay you to buy things, which seems like a pretty good deal. But which will fit your needs better?
Ebates is the older company and its reputation for paying what and when it should is quite good. Ebates pays what it should and offers good customers service.
BeFrugal is newer than Ebates and its ratings aren’t quite as good on BBB and Trustpilot, but many users prefer them anyways due to an intuitive app.
Both companies are free to join, but Ebates takes it one step further by actually paying you to join. BeFrugal will pay you to join too, but only if you join during a promotional period. Both companies pay you to refer your friends, and both provide options for shopping online or at brick and mortar companies.
These are straightforward cashback sites. They don’t reward you for performing tasks, but you can get extra savings from both by utilizing coupons.
What are cashback sites?
Like many websites and blogs, cashback sites make their money through affiliate links. When you click the link and buy a product, a cookie tells the merchant and the merchant pays the website or blog owner.
Unlike most sites, which keep the money, cashback sites share their commission with the person who made the purchase. Some cashback sites pay a set amount per purchase, while others, like BeFrugal and Ebates, pay a predetermined percentage. The percentage is set by the merchant and by the cashback site. Most of the time the percentages are quite small, perhaps four or five percent, but other times percentages can be quite high, as high as 20 or 30%.
Why would it be worth it for a merchant to pay so much? Lesser known merchants who may be struggling with marketing consider the percentage a small price to pay for a sale and a potential good review to motivate more sales. When you consider the costs of marketing for a smaller company, 20% of the purchase price may not seem like so much for a sure sale. After all, the merchant doesn’t have to pay until a purchase is made.
How does BeFrugal work?
Like other cashback sites, BeFrugal works by paying you to shop through their site or app. You simply log in to your account and scan the retailers and their cash back deals until you find a product and deal that appeals to you. Click “shop now” and you’ll be taken to the retailer’s website, where you complete the purchase. Cookies tell the website that you have come from BeFrugal so that you will receive the cash back in your BeFrugal account.
Join BeFrugal here today for free!
How does Ebates work?
Ebates isn’t different from other cashback sites. Ebates similar to Ibotta earns money by receiving commissions from retailers and motivate shoppers to use their site by paying shoppers a percentage of that commission. Every three months you, the shopper, get the bonuses paid out to you in cold hard cash.
You can also sign up for a Visa card through Ebates which will give you 3% back on qualifying purchases and 1% on everything else, in addition to the money you are paid for purchasing products through Ebates.
Just like TopCashback there is a browser extension available through Ebates to make shopping and getting cash back easier. You can also use the intuitive app or link offers to your credit card so that shopping through Ebates is as easy as shopping normally.
Reputation and reviews comparison
Ebates has been in business for a long time and has an excellent reputation, but BeFrugal gets great reviews as well. Both Ebates and BeFrugal have an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau. Ebates had slightly better customer review ratings, with an average 4 ½ stars from 326 reviews, while BeFrugal received a three-star rating from 65 reviews.
On Trustpilot, Ebates had excellent reviews from 87% of the 825 reviewers, while 5% thought they are a great company and only 5% gave a bad report. A few users reported Ebates not paying out on earned cash back, but these reports are very rare. 81% of 149 users thought BeFrugal was excellent and 12% thought it was a bad company, which aren’t as good of ratings as Ebates had. Some users found the customers service offered by BeFrugal to be lacking in initiative when resolving issues with payment from merchants.
Features and benefits of each company
40% cashbacks are meaningful savings offered by Ebates. Not many deals will be this good, but even the possibility of finding something you want to buy and getting back 40% makes Ebates very attractive. Coupons are offered by Ebates as well, providing another way to save. You can use the app, web browser, or link your card so you can make in-store purchases.
BeFrugal has lots of stores and highly variable deals, with some percentages getting quite high, and they pay out more frequently. BeFrugal has a very intuitive app, as well as an easy to use browser and the capacity to earn cash back at brick and mortar stores as well.
What stores are on Ebates?
Ebates has over 2000 participating stores, including many stores that sell a wide range of goods, including Walmart and JC Penny. Ebates doesn’t have quite as many stores available as some competing Cashback sites. However, they do have many popular stores available such as Footlocker, Bealls, Vitacost, Holiday Inn, Amazon, Etsy, Overstock, Nike, Kohl’s, Walmart, and more.
Get $10 by joining Ebates today for free!
What stores are on BeFrugal?
BeFrugal has a vast network of stores, over 5000 online and brick and mortar. Choices include popular clothing stores like Abercrombie, and general stores like Walmart, at which you can get 6% back. Other great options are Home Depot, where you can get up to 10% cash back, and Bed Bath & Beyond with 6%. Remember that these percentages adjust constantly, so keep checking to get the best deals at your favorite stores.
How much can you earn?
With any Cashback site, including BeFrugal and Ebates, you can only earn a fraction of what you spend. The more you spend, the more you earn. If you are buying things that you would buy anyways, the savings can be significant. Some very dedicated cashback users who find the best deals and pair cashback savings with coupons, and who spend a lot, can earn $1000 or more a year, while the casual user is more likely to earn in the $100s.
The cost
Ebates and BeFrugal are both free to join. Ebates takes it one step further by actually paying you to sign up with a $10 welcome bonus as long as you spend $25 on their site in the first 90 days. With BeFrugal, it is worth waiting for a promotional period, since you can get a cash bonus during these times.
Refer a friend bonus
Both BeFrugal and Ebates reward you for referring your friends. That makes sense, since the more people use them, the more they make. BeFrugal pays $10 for every friend that you refer if your friend signs up during the period and makes a qualified purchase within the time determined.
Ebates pays a different amount for referring friends depending on the current promotional period, so check out their promotion and then refer a friend.
Customer Support
Ebates has a good reputation for customer service from the BBB, Trustpilot, and other reviews. In the rare occasion that something goes wrong and you actually need to talk to a person, it seems that Ebates makes sure that there is someone available and that they will follow through on your complaint. There are a few reports that Ebates didn’t pay out on legitimate claims and then deleted the account, but these reports are quite rare.
BeFrugal has slightly more complaints about not being paid out what they were owed, especially for large purchases. Some people found that the shopping trip was not registered properly, and that customer service was unhelpful in solving the problem. It seems that many users find they lack initiative in solving customer complaints. Many other users seem very happy with the customer service offered by BeFrugal, however.
Bottom line
Both companies are great and although BeFrugal offers more stores, Ebates has a better payout rating. I found it easier to get your cashback on time with Ebates. This is one of the reasons that Ebates has better reviews.