Ebates, the cash back online shopping portal, is celebrating its sixteenth birthday by offering sixteen percent cash back on purchases from over 150 online stores.
Most of the sales run all week, but the sixteen percent cash back on Priceline Express Deal hotel rooms is today only.
Not to be outdone, FatWallet, another cash back portal owned by the same company, is matching the sixteen percent offer at Priceline and is offering additional bonuses on travel purchases originating at their site, today only.
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Today I received a surprise check in the mail from Ebates, an online shopping portal.
I don’t remember what I bought online, but it reminded me to check out Ebates’ current payouts on travel purchases.
The best travel deal I found on the Ebates site was for 8 percent cash back on IHG Hotel Reservations.
IHG properties range from budget to luxury: Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, InterContinental, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites all fall under the IHG umbrella.
Of these, Holiday Inn Express is my current favorite. We stayed at a HI Express near Asbury Park, NJ in September. While the location away from the beach was not inspiring, we had a very pleasant stay. We enjoyed the free WiFi, free breakfast, and the swimming pool. The room was clean, modern, and spacious. When traveling with kids and teens, a few extra square feet can make big difference in comfort!
The fine print from Ebates states that cash back is only available for commissionable IHG rates. Specially negotiated rates such as IHG friends & Family are not eligible for cash back. Further, it may take up to 40 days after travel is completed for cash back to show up in your Ebates account.
11 Percent Cash Back on IHG Hotels with Upromise Credit Card
If you are intrigued by this deal, there is an even better offer open to holders to the Upromise MasterCard. You may have heard of the Upromise college savings program.
Well it turns out that Upromise is not just for college students or their parents.
Anyone can open a Upromise account and receive cash back from certain purchases.
The best deal is via the Upromise MasterCard, which pays 5 percent cash back on all purchases through the Upromise online shopping portal. The portal includes a slew of travel websites that pay additional cash back over and above the five percent.
IHG hotels, for example, currently pays 6 percent, for a total of 11 percent cash back. Not bad.
11 Percent Cash Back on Priceline Hotels with Upromise Credit Card
What’s more, if you prefer to save money with Priceline for “Name Your Own Price” hotel reservations, you can also get 11 percent back: 5 percent by using the Upromise MasterCard via the Upromise shopping portal, plus 6 percent additional from Priceline. Now you are talking real savings!
In fact, you will find over 900 online merchants including a slew of popular travel sites in the Upromise shopping portal. Many of the popular travel sites are represented — including Orbitz, Expedia, Hotwire, Westin, Hotels.com, Carnival Cruises, and many others. Used in conjunction with the Upromise Credit Card, you will be well on your way to earning 10 percent cash back on travel.
To earn and receive cash back earnings, you must be a Upromise member, pay for purchases with your Upromise MasterCard and register your credit card to your Upromise account. To become a member and register your credit card, go to Upromise.com/activate.
What’s the downside?
Online shopping portals can be frustrating to deal with. Sometimes “cookies” that track your online activity will prevent the cash back portal from properly crediting your purchase. Also, if you use the wrong coupon code, you may not be eligible for cash back.
Some days, I am ready to give up on online shopping portals, but on days when a check comes in the mail, my faith is restored!
There are affiliate links in this post. Thanks if you choose to use them!
