I’m an online shopper. I don’t buy more than is absolutely necessary and I avoid the malls like the plague… especially this time of year. So when I tripped across ebates.com, I wasn’t sure if it was worth the trouble… but I took a chance.

I must say, I’m glad that I did. Those online orders add up quickly, and the percentage rebates that are automatically added to my account don’t require much effort at all!

After signing up, I just make sure I go to ebates before visiting any online vendor. A splash page showing me how much I can save (in percentages) and on what products (usually listed by departments) appears for a couple seconds and I’m on my merry way. Some vendors offer free shipping when you go through ebates too! I don’t have to stop or fill anything out or bother with it. The biggest hassle after the original sign up is to remember to START at the ebates site — and I fixed that with a shortcut that says “shopping” in my browser and on my desktop.

Easy. And I’ve already received a $10 Walmart gift card and a couple small checks. It may not make things “simple” — but it doesn’t make them complex — and I love to save money! And, if you tell other people about the program (like I just told you), they offer additional bonuses. 🙂

I’m not usually enthused by this type of program, but I like this one, I’ve tried it and it’s legit — so, I thought you might like it too (especially for holiday shopping).