Is Rakuten Worth It?
How does Rakuten work?
Are you planning to do shopping online this year? I know that a lot of us will be going that route, because of the pandemic.
And, if you have social anxiety, going out to shop in stores may be doubly stressful this year. While I’m all about facing your fears, there’s also something to be said for conserving your energy.
If going to Costco gives you a panic attack, why not just order online? Save up your social energy for things that matter most.
If you will be doing holiday shopping online, you need to know about a service called Rakuten!
I’m a little embarrassed to say that I’ve known about Rakuten (formerly called Ebates) for a while. But before I tried it, I thought it was going to require more of my time than it was worth.
So, I took the advice of a blogger friend and decided to check it out for you.
What I discovered is that it’s as simple as taking one extra step before you make your online purchase.
If the thought of standing in line at stores is already off-putting to you, the chance to actually SAVE MONEY by shopping at home should be what seals the deal!
Again, I’m not saying that if you have a fear of shopping that you shouldn’t work on that. My ultimate goal is for everyone to feel comfortable doing what they really want to do.
But if feeling comfortable at a store is not high on your priority list right now, I think online shopping (with incentives!) is perfectly reasonable!
This is why I think you need Rakuten! It’s a FREE service that gives you cash rebates (not points) when you shop at your favorite stores online (most popular retailers are included!).
If you will be doing holiday shopping online, or any time of year shopping really, then you need to sign up! You’ll get cash rebates as a percentage of your purchase.
Now, one cash rebate isn’t going to be a lot. But, if you do a lot of shopping, you could end up with hundreds of dollars sitting in your Rakuten account for something that only takes a few extra seconds.
Common Mistakes Anxious Shoppers Make
One of the most common mistakes that anxious shoppers make is to miss out on deals, discounts, and other savings because of the feeling of being rushed at the checkout.
I know it’s especially true if you have social anxiety.
It might feel like all you can muster the energy for is to pay for your purchase, let alone price match items or use coupons.
And that’s not to say it’s not worthwhile to face your fears and do those things… if it’s important to you.
But if saving money at the cash register isn’t high on your list of priorities, I completely understand. Save your energy for facing your fears in other areas of your life, and just get yourself through the checkout.
That being said, there’s no reason for you to miss out on savings when you are SHOPPING ONLINE!
There’s nobody behind you in line. There are no flyers to show the cashier or coupons to present.
There’s really no excuse for anxious shoppers when it comes to saving money on online purchases.
Sometimes, when I’ve known about something for a while, I forget that other people might not know about it.
I was talking to a friend and she had no idea what Rakuten (formerly Ebates) was. I was surprised! I thought everyone knew.
Obviously, my goal is always to help you manage anxiety. But in this case, I feel like this service applies to everyone who shops online. If you’re going to shop online, why wouldn’t I tell you how to get a rebate?
How does Rakuten work and why should you care?
Rakuten is a super-easy way to get a cash rebate on almost all of your online shopping. It’s completely free!
You enter the online store from the Rakuten website and voila… a percentage of your purchase is returned to you by Rakuten. That’s it. The percentage can range from 2%- 30% (average around 6%).
You can sign up for Rakuten here
It’s super easy and quick to do! But if you are still wondering exactly how it works, you can see for yourself in this quick video by finance blogger Rosemarie Groner.
How do I get cash back?
Go to the Rakuten website.
Search for the store you want: like “Amazon” or “Target”
It will tell you the percentage of cash back you will get for that store.
Click the “shop now” button. It goes right to the store and you complete your shopping like normal. It’s easy!
FAQ About Rakuten
I don’t shop online so this wouldn’t work for me, right?
This is true. If you prefer to shop in store, it won’t help you. Rakuten only works online.
However, you can save a ton of frustration and anxiety by shopping online, particularly with the current state of the world.
With free shipping and free returns at most stores, online is the way to go.
I don’t get it. How is it free? They must make money somehow.
Yes! They do (and probably a lot!). The stores pay Rakuten to send them customers. You’re kind of hacking the system a little.
I’ll give you an example:
You need to buy Christmas gifts, and you know that Rakuten will give you 8% of your purchase back at Amazon, so you go to Rakuten first, then enter Amazon.com through them.
You spend $100 buying Christmas gifts for everyone.
Amazon pays Rakuten $10 for sending you to them, and Rakuten pays you $8 for going through them (and making them $2).
Amazon is happy because they get more customers, and Rakuten is happy because they make money.
You’re happy because you get money back… and you didn’t have to fight the anxiety-inducing crowds at the store. Remember, it’s all about conserving our mental energy for the things that matter most. Right?
Is it really worth my time?
The short answer is yes. If you look at Rosemarie’s account in the video I linked above, you’ll see she has a couple hundred dollars in her Rakuten account.
If you do a lot of online shopping, it will add up! Rosemarie saves up her money to pay for Christmas presents each year.
I’ve been a Rakuten (formerly Ebates) member for years! I just keep forgetting to use it when I make a purchase online!
I feel your pain! When your mental health is not always stellar, it can feel hard to keep track of little things like this.
But, once you’ve used it a few times, you’ll get excited to see your earnings. So, just make sure you remember to use it at least a few times.
If you really can’t remember, try changing your desktop background on your computer monitor or saving a phone background to remind you until you make a few purchases. Overkill perhaps, but whatever works!
How Does Rakuten Work?
I know you might still be wondering, how does Rakuten work? Make ABSOLUTELY SURE you use Rakuten when you shop online (to avoid the crowds and frustration). It’s completely free and super easy.
Just head here to sign up, then when you go online to shop, go to the store by clicking the link from Rakuten. A percentage of anything you purchase will be refunded to you.
That money adds up quickly!
It’s silly to buy something online (even Amazon!) without doing this first! It takes less than 2 seconds and Rakuten pays you a cash rebate for something you would buy anyway.
Rakuten has hundreds of stores available (I haven’t been in a situation yet where they didn’t have the store I wanted.)
A free tool to save you hundreds of dollars a year is a no-brainer.
You can head here to sign up for Rakuten for free
P.S. – If you sign up by March 31st, you’ll receive a free bonus $20 deposited to your account when you spend $20 online within 90 days. Make sure you sign up with this link so that you get this referral bonus. Remember, it’s completely FREE to sign up!
I’m going to save up my rebates to use for gifts as well as things I have on my wish list (books, I’m looking at you!). You get to choose how you spend your rebates. Go sign up for Rakuten! And go make your first purchase so you don’t forget!
Related Posts about Anxious Shopping
- Amazon Prime Day Best Deals for Mental Health
- How to Manage Grocery Store Anxiety
- Tips for Coping with the Fear of Crowds
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