Ebates vs. Swagbucks: Which is Better?

Ebates and Swagbucks offer cash back from online shopping. You can find stores from their websites, or you can shop your favorite stores and enable the cashback from their browser extension. But which one is better? What features do they have? What’s different about them? Well, let’s take a look!

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Stores Available

Ebates: over 2000. Most notable retailers include:

• Amazon (but only certain categories)
• JCPenney
• Kohl’s
• Macy’s
• The Disney Store
• Old Navy
• Walmart

Swagbucks: It appears they have about the same number and type of retailers. I didn’t see an exact number, but they look similar. They have a smaller amount of retailers that offer the gift card rewards, but Amazon, Walmart, and Target are among them, so you’ll be able to spend your money how you want.

How to Earn

Ebates: Earn cash back from purchasing through their links. You can also earn Refer-a-Friend bonuses. Everything for Ebates is in dollar amounts.

Swagbucks: Earn swag points by purchasing through their links. Swagbucks works on a points system that can be converted to gift cards. You can also earn SB by doing different things on their website such as viewing ads or other websites, signing up for offers, searching the web, answering surveys, and even donating to charity.

Refer a Friend Bonuses

Ebates: Email your friend or post your referral link on social media. Every friend that signs up and makes a purchase of more than $25 (within a year of signing up) will give you $5 plus a $20 bonus. (This is during the current bonus period which lasts until the end of the year.) When your friend uses your link, they’ll get $10 when they make a purchase in addition to the cash back they earn.

Swagbucks: For each friend you refer, you get 500 SB ($5.00) plus 10% of whatever they earn for life. So if your friend earns 500 SB, you get 50 SB. You can email your link or share it on social media.

Payout

Ebates: Your Big Fat Check will be paid every three months as long as you earn more than $5.01 not including bonuses. If you don’t get $5.01 in the 3-month time frame, it’ll just roll over to the next period. The money is either sent by a check in the mail or to your Paypal account.

Swagbucks: Pays out in the form of gift cards starting at $1.00. Most of the good retailers like Amazon start at $5.00. (100SB = $1.00.) You can also redeem your SB to your Paypal account starting at $25. You’re able to redeem your points for sweepstakes entries, too.

Browser extensions

Ebates: A pop-up will appear asking you if you want to activate cash back when you’re on a participating site. This is very handy because I always forget to use mine when I don’t have my browser extension enabled.

Swagbucks: A header pop-up will appear on participating sites to activate SB. They’ll tell you how many SB you get per dollar spent. They also have coupons available. The button also has other features when you click on it. It will let you watch videos for SB or redeem SB codes. Sometimes you can find SB codes on their social media channels. There’s also a search bar to earn SB for searching the internet.

The Main Differences

Ebates is mainly for online shopping. They do have the ability to link your credit card for in-store shopping at a few of the largest retailers. Swagbucks has more ways to earn SB including free things you can do like watch videos.

Swagbucks pays out in gift cards or sweepstakes entries. You can get the money sent to your Paypal, but you have to get at least $25 or 2500 SB. Ebates only pays out in a check or Paypal.

Conclusion

I prefer Ebates, but I suggest you get both because sometimes you get more cash back with one or the other. I just checked it by going to Macy’s website. Ebates offered 3%, but Swagbucks had 6% cash back. Swagbucks is usually 1% at Macy’s, though. Ebates will have double cash back at certain stores sometimes, too. I got 9% back at JCPenney last week.

If you’re more into earning money by doing surveys and watching videos and other free opportunities, I would go with Swagbucks. If you’re strictly in it for the shopping cash back, go with Ebates. It’s totally up to you, but I have both. Go ahead and try them both.

Do you prefer Ebates or Swagbucks?

Let me know in the comments below!

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