I know what you’re thinking.

This sounds like spam. It sounds too good to be true. It sounds like Megan sold her soul to the online advertising devils.

Not so.

When it comes to websites that promise to pay you for stuff, I have always been skeptical, and rightly so. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Then I learned about Ebates. I first heard about it through a friend as a way to earn cash back when you shop online. As a colleague and fashion blogger, I trusted her when she said this website was the real deal.

What is Ebates? 

It’s a cashback website. It’s a shopping portal for thousands of retailers that gives you a percentage of cash back on everything you purchase. I’m not talking about some random stores you haven’t heard of–I’m talking about all the stores you’d be shopping at regularly: WalMart, Sephora, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Charlotte Russe, and Bed Bath and Beyond to name just a few. To be honest, I have not yet searched for a store on Ebates that I haven’t found.

How it works

First, you sign up by clicking here.

Did I mention you get a $10 bonus credit for just signing up?

Once you sign up, use the Ebates portal to shop online as your normally would. You’ll be able to browse stores and see how much cash back you’ll get through each place. There are special deals and coupons each day, including double cash back on certain purchases.

I personally have made over $50 using this website.

I’m not kidding.

Not only will you get $10 for signing up with my link above, and not only will you earn a percentage of what you spend shopping back, you get $15 for every person you refer that makes purchases of $25 or more. You will receive a custom link to share with friends once you sign up.

If you can really spread the word and get more people to sign up using your link, you can really earn a decent chunk of change. I’ve heard of people making up to $2500 just for referring friends. Another cool thing? They do not limit you on how much you can make.

Skeptical? I don’t blame you. But using Ebates is truly the smart way to shop online. You’re actually missing out on money by not using it. If you’re going to be shopping online anyway, so you might as well get paid for it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter. Now go sign up and start making some money!

Click here to sign up for Ebates and get a $10 shopping credit