Quote from Savings Beagle on November 28, 2020, 9:42 am

Saving money doesn't have to be hard, you just have to remember some basics to make it happen.  

And purchasing through a cash back (or airline miles/credit card points) portal is one of the easiest money-saving opportunities there is.

So, next time you go to make a purchase online, check to see if that retailer has any decent cash back or miles/points earning opportunities associated with it.

Tip: Even though maximizing credit card and saving opportunities is what I do, more times than not I load up an online shopping cart before going through a shopping portal to earn rewards/cash back.  Turns out, it's not a big deal.  No, I don't have to start all over, clicking through the portal first and then adding each item to my cart one more time.  All you have to do is open another browser window, go to your preferred cash back or miles/points earning portal, click the retailer's link on that portal's site, and another browser window will open for that retailer, with the current contents of your shopping cart already loaded.  Then, proceed with the purchase as usual with that newly opened window and your transaction will be registered with the associated portal.

The main cash back portals are Top Cashback and Rakuten.

Rakuten is currently offering a $40 sign-up bonus for new users when they spend $40 at a Rakuten partner retailer. Rakuten has been offering some nice cash back amounts at many retailers the past week or so.  I would expect that to continue, just maybe not at the 15% amount...although maybe.  

Top Cashback is offering a sign-up bonus, too.  The regular bonus is $10 cash back for new users.  Although there are some referral links floating around that provide $30 cash back for new users...if you want to go for the larger sign-up bonus, just Google Top Cashback $30 sign-up bonus and use one that's currently active.

And if you want to compare cash back earning options of other platforms, in addition to miles and points earning options, too, I like Cashback Monitor.

Cashback Monitor scans a variety of cash back, miles and points earning portals and lists them on one page for participating retailers.  While not always up to date, it's pretty good.  And gives you a comparison so that you can decide which earning option is the best for you for that retailer.  

Once you pick your desired portal after checking Cashback Monitor, log in to your account on that portal, click through the retailer's link and shop.  Earning cash back or miles/points couldn't be easier.

The holidays are a time when more shopping is taking place than normal, making the use of shopping portals a great way to benefit your bottom line.  As long as you remember to do it that is.

But, hitting a shopping portal before any online shopping, no matter the time of year, is just a smart thing to do.  Even if it's a dollar or two savings, that's still better than nothing and can add up over time when done regularly.

So before you start your next online shopping jaunt, remember to check the various shopping portals and get something more than just the items you're buying for the purchases you make.