Did you know that Ebates is now in Canada?

I had the pleasure of speaking to the lovely ladies over at the new Ebates office 2 weeks ago. I’ve always been a big fan of cash-back programs and was excited to learn that they are now in Canada, too!

Similar to cash-back credit card programs that are growing in popularity, some online businesses are also taking advantage of affiliate programs to give their customers an opportunity to earn money back on the purchases that they make online. For example, one of the most frequently encountered sites is Ebates Canada – in fact, you may have already heard about them on the radio or watched one of their recent TV commercials. The primary appeal to shopping through sites like Ebates Canada is that you have a chance to receive cash back for purchases that you would make anyway.

How Ebates Canada Works

Similar to many other online websites, Ebates.ca participates with online retailers in something called an affiliate program. In the simplest terms, they earn a commission on any purchase that you make at a participating retailer after clicking through from the link on the Ebates website. However, unlike other websites that keep the commission, Ebates has setup a special offer that allows their members to receive a portion of the commission instead. In turn, this gives customers an incentive to shop through their website, thus benefiting both parties; Ebates receives more commissions and you don’t have to pay the full purchase price.

To receive money back on your online purchases, you will first have to sign up for an Ebates account. It doesn’t cost a dime to do so, and once you’re registered you can then browse through a list of retail sites. It’s very important to find the company through the Ebates Canada portal before making your purchase so that a tracking cookie can be placed; if you don’t click through the online store from the Ebates website, then your purchase cannot qualify for a cash back reward.

Benefits of Shopping Through Ebates.ca

• Save money on everyday purchases
• An Ebates account is free
• It’s a convenient way to save
• Fast customer service
• Daily Double Deals
• Excellent Referral Program

Potential Drawbacks of the Ebates Canada Cash Back Program

Some shoppers have reported problems with the tracking side of their purchase, where they clicked through to the retailer from Ebates.com (American version) but never received credit for the sale, although since Ebates.ca is rather new, the issue hasn’t duplicated itself here.  In almost all cases the problem would resolved quickly by the Ebates Canada customer service team. However, in any event, it’s probably a good idea to keep track of purchases just in case there’s a problem. One of the biggest factors that influences the difficulty that a member has receiving the cash back that they are entitled to is whether or not they shopped through the Ebates.ca portal; if they did not click the retailer’s link on the Ebates Canada website, then Ebates will not receive a commission from the sale, thus making it impossible for them to pay out a cash back reward.

Final Thoughts about Shopping Through Ebates.ca

The majority of members that have difficulty in receiving the cash back that they are entitled to from Ebates  do not fully understand how the tracking cookies work. Once they realize that a tracking cookie has to be placed for the program to work, they no longer have difficulty obtaining their money back. It’s also important to note that tracking cookies do expire, so if you anticipate shopping for a long time make sure that you click through to the retailer’s site through Ebates.ca one more time before completing the transaction. In the end, the majority of shoppers are happy to have the opportunity to earn money while they shop. So, try it out! The worst that happens is that you end up making a purchase that you were going to make any way!

EDIT: I’ve had a few friends reach out and mentioned that they’ve never had an issue with the Ebates.com, (not Ebates.ca) and this has resulted in quite a few of my family members signing up for the service.  I do want to stress that the American and Canadian version are 2 different sites, so not all of the issues will be identical.