Big Crumbs vs. Mr. Rebates: One User's Review

Big Crumbs and Mr. Rebates are two of the biggest, most well-known cash back sites. Because I used both sites on a regular basis, I thought I would take the time to spell out the differences between these two sites and my experiences with both.

Most people probably aren't sure what is meant by a cash back site, but if you do any online shopping at all, it is something you could probably benefit from. A cash back site is a website that you log into before you go to the site where you plan to shop. In other words, you click through to your desired destination from a cash back site.

Why would you want to do that?

Because a cash back site will then give you a rebate - anywhere from 1% to 30% - for the shopping you were going to do anyway. The rebate is put in your account at the cash back site, and after a certain period of time has passed to allow for returns, etc. (usually 2-3 months) you can cash out your rebates.

How much can you benefit from a cash back site?

That depends on how much online shopping you do. This may seem like a lot of trouble to go to for one or two transactions, and it is, but if you remember to use the cash back site every time you shop online, over time it can all add up. And the process is pretty simple so why leave money on the table?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I regularly use both Big Crumbs and Mr. Rebates and have been paid by them multiple times. It's safe to say that they're my favorites when it comes to cash back sites. Still, there are differences between the two so I thought I would outline them here.

How long does it take to sign up?

At both Big Crumbs and Mr. Rebates, the signup process is fast - less than a minute - and it's free. You'll just need to provide some very basic information like your name and email address.

Is there a signup bonus?

Mr. Rebates offers a $5 bonus just for signing up. It is credited to your Mr. Rebates account right away. Big Crumbs does not offer a signup bonus. As I mentioned earlier, both sites are free to join.

How many stores does each site offer?

This number is always changing, but Mr. Rebates does have more stores than Big Crumbs. Big Crumbs is in the hundreds - Mr. Rebates is over 2000. At both sites you will find some of your favorites stores like Target, Walmart, Dell, Best Buy, Office Max, Office Depot, etc. There are many smaller, specialty retailers as well.

How fast are my rebates credited?

Fast! Usually within a day or so.

When do my rebates become available?

With Big Crumbs there is about a six week lag time. For example, purchases made in January are paid out the middle of March. At Mr. Rebates, the wait time is 90 days. In other words, a rebate from a purchase made January 1 becomes available April 1 and is paid out in the first part of May.

How much do I have to have in my account to be paid?

At Big Crumbs, there is no minimum necessary. At Mr. Rebates the minimum is $10. (Your first payout would include your $5 bonus.)

How am I paid from these sites?

Mr. Rebates give you the option of being paid by check or through Paypal. Big Crumbs gives you the choice of Paypal or a Prepaid MasterCard.

These are some of the most common questions people have about these sites. Both sites have a FAQ section to answer more.

A second way to save money at both Mr. Rebates and Big Crumbs is to use the online coupon codes that each site makes available. In addition to the cash back rebates you earn every time you click through to a retailer from these sites, each site will also give you a list of available coupon codes you can use with that retailer. These coupons are good for things like percentage discounts and even sometimes free shipping. (See more about free shipping below.) You can even use multiple coupon codes if the retailer allows it. In any case, you can always combine a coupon code with the cash back rebate.

If you can get free shipping at an online store - either because of a coupon code or because it's something the store regularly offers - it almost always makes sense to do your shopping through one of these cash back sites. Here's a story that illustrates that:

Last week I was back to school shopping with my teenage son and he wanted a very expensive pair of Nike tennis shoes that we saw at Finish Line. I didn't buy him the shoes in the store because I knew I could save a little money buying them online through one of these cash back sites.

We came home and I did a little research. I was able to buy his shoes at FinishLine.com with a cash back rebate that paid me almost $10. Because FinishLine.com offered free shipping on the shoes, I came out money ahead.

Online shoe stores are great for this because many of them offer free shipping both ways. If you know what shoes you're after, it just makes sense to order them online and get a cash back rebate in the process.

Another example is Walmart.com. Both of these sites offer cash back at Walmart and Walmart offers free site to store shipping. So if you have a major Walmart purchase to make, order it online through one of these sites and have it shipped to your local Walmart store for free.

Both Big Crumbs and Mr. Rebates offer cash back rebates at eBay, but they do it a little bit differently. Mr. Rebates offers a flat 3% cash back on your eBay purchases. Big Crumbs offers an eBay rebate of 36% of the seller's fee.

Even though I've sold some stuff on eBay, I am not an eBay expert. I believe that the buyer usually comes out ahead with 36% of the seller's fee, but not always, so it's hard to tell which of these sites would be better for eBay. They do both provide cash back, however.

One unique thing that Mr. Rebates does is pay you 50 cents for reviewing a store once you've shopped there. I just completed the Finish Line review (see free shipping above) and it took me about 30 seconds.

It's kind of nice to get a little extra bonus for giving my opintion and I can use others' store reviews to determine if I want to shop at a retailer or not.

Big Crumbs has a unique feature as well. It lets Etsy shop owners or eBay store owner promote their stores for free. You can even offer discounts to Big Crumbs shoppers. That's definitely a feature I haven't seen anywhere else.

Both Big Crumbs and Mr. Rebates will pay you to refer others to their site. This is how the sites grow. Mr. Rebates pays you a flat 20% of the rebates earned by anyone you refer. Big Crumbs has a little more complicated referral system. The percentage amounts you earn vary by store and you not only earn on anyone you refer but also anyone they refer and it even goes one more layer after that.

It's hard to say which site has more potential in this area. Since Big Crumbs' percentages vary, it's difficult to do a straight up comparison.

In either case, referring others to the sites is optional. You can just be a shopper if that's all you want to be. If you do refer, you'll earn money not just once, but every time your referrals shop. That can be a great source of recurring income.

My obvious answer here is why not use both? They're free to join and you can see which site suits you the best. As I've said, I use both sites regularly. I probably give the slight edge to Mr.Rebates, but there's really no reason to choose.

This is a long article and a lot of information about something that is really very simple. Sign up at one or both, click through to the online store, do your shopping as usual, and collect a rebate. That's the nuts and bolts of it.

Here's where you go to sign up at one or both of of these sites:

You can sign up at Mr. Rebates by clicking here.

You can sign up at Big Crumbs by clicking here.