I’ve received two rebate checks this month: One from Ebates for $23.40, and one from ShopAtHome for $30.89. This is the second rebate check that I’ve gotten from Ebates and the first one I’ve received from ShopAtHome. That’s a total of $54.29 in rebates – nice! I like to share these photos to illustrate why it’s worth using online rebates. You may only get a small amount back from each purchase, but it does add up and eventually pays off; so if you’re shopping online anyway, why throw money away? Both of these sites also offer a sign-up bonus, as well as a bonus anytime someone registers through your link. If you’re new to online rebates, check out my article “How I Save Money With Online Rebates” to learn more.

Have you received any rebate checks this month?

My rebate check for the Renpure conditioner “Try Me Free” offer has arrived – meaning that all of my outstanding rebates for the year so far have now been received!

Have you received any rebate checks lately, readers?

In March, I bought Jennie-O turkey and sent in for a try-me-free rebate. Like my recent Olay rebate check, I ended up with a small profit thanks to the Safeway 10% club card discount. Since I earned a 10% store discount on all my Safeway purchases in March, this $4.99 turkey only cost $4.49 (which I put on a gift card!). Jennie-O reimbursed me for the full amount, pre-Safeway discount, of $4.99. This .50 cent profit covers the cost of the stamp I used to mail in the rebate, plus .06 cents!

Last month, I bought a bottle of Olay Quench Lotion and sent in for a “Try-Me-Free” rebate. The original price was $5.99, and I also received a 10% store discount for using my Safeway club card, so I paid $5.39 out of pocket for this lotion. I received my rebate check a few days back, and Olay reimbursed me for the full amount, pre-Safeway discount, of $5.99. This .60 cent profit covers the price of the stamp I used to mail in the rebate, plus .16 cents!

I recently got my second rebate check of the year – this time, from online rebates that I did via Ebates. I’ve mentioned Ebates in the past – if you’re a long-time reader, you might remember the Victoria’s Secret deal, which is when I discovered it. Ebates offer rebates on purchases made at participating retailers – currently, they have 1,200 stores to choose from, each offering a specific cashback rate. You also earn a $5 bonus just for signing up; so in addition to getting rebates on online purchases that I would have made anyway, I also earned a $5 profit. Occasionally, you can also get deals with Ebates that you wouldn’t otherwise, like my $1.95 box of coffee from Gevalia. And finally, you can also earn $5 for anyone that you refer.

ShopAtHome is a newer (to me, anyway!) site that also offers rebates for online merchants. They operate in a similar manner to Ebates, and provide rebates for 3,000 merchants. Like Ebates, they also offer you $5 for signing up and $5 for referring friends.

When I’m about to make a purchase online, the first thing I do is check both Ebates and ShopAtHome to see if either of them offer cashback for the merchant I’m about to shop at. If they both do, I choose the one with the higher cashback rate. For example, I recently needed to purchase an SD cardreader from Newegg for my computer. I checked both sites and saw that ShopAtHome offered .05% back, while Ebates offered 1% back. Obviously, Ebates was the better deal in this instance. All I had to do was click through their rebate link and make my purchase as normal – it tracks everything automatically, so you don’t have to do anything other than click through their site to receive your rebate.

Bear in mind that both these sites require that you accumulate a certain amount before you receive your check. Ebates stipulates that you earn $5.01 or higher in rebates before they cut your check – this does not include your $5 sign-up bonus or referral bonuses. So once you register and receive your $5 sign-up bonus, you will need to earn $5.01 or more in rebates – for a total balance of $10.01 or higher – before your check is sent. ShopAtHome requires a $20 minimum, but as far as I’m aware, bonuses do count towards that total. I don’t mind waiting for my rebate checks, since I would have to make these purchases regardless, and I’ll come out with a profit thanks to the bonus each site gave me for signing up.

I know there are other rebate sites popping up, but these are the only two that I’ve had personal experience with so far. If you know of a good one that I missed, let me know!

Here is my first rebate check of 2010 – and also the fastest rebate I’ve ever gotten! This is for the Kikkoman Curry Sauce “Try Me Free” offer, which I received within just a few weeks after submitting it.

Have you gotten any rebate checks this month, readers?