October 22, 2011

Don't forget Big Crumbs!

Maybe you've seen my post earlier comparing the big three cash back sites Shopathome, Ebates, and Mr.Rebates.  There's one missing from that group that trumps them all.  It's Big Crumbs, and I like the way they do business. 

You remember how a cash back site works, right?  You visit the cash back site, click the link to the online retailer you want to shop at, and then you shop at that retailer as you normally would.  Everything looks the same from that point on.  In the background, a percentage of your order total is tracked and sent back to you in the method you choose as free, easy cash.  That's it.  It's so easy, you are throwing away money if you don't use one when you shop online. 

Now back to Big CrumbsBig Crumbs is better than all the rest all for these reasons:
  • Large selections of online retailers to choose from.
  • Their percentage of cash back is generally among the highest out there.
  • Coupon codes are prominently featured for even more savings.
  • Cash is paid out every month compared to bi-monthly or quarterly for other sites.
  • The minimum cash back balance to have for payment is only $1
  • You don't have to do anything to initiate your monthly payments (unlike other sites, eh hem, Shopathome, I'm talking to you).  Once you've chosen your payment method, the money comes automatically, the way it should.
  • You can opt to receive your cash back through your PayPal account or through their BigCrumbs Prepaid MasterCard.  (Note that the email address you sign up using is where they'll send your cash if you choose to receive through PayPal).
  • It's not just for US shoppers. Australia, Canada, Ireland, and United Kingdom, this site is for you too!
  • And even more love for the international shoppers - you can earn cash back on eBay.ca, eBay.com.uk, and eBay.com.au.
And while I rave about Big Crumbs, no site is perfect.  Here are my honest critiques.
  • In rare cases, your cash can take up to 60 days to appear in your account.  That rare case happened to me on a big purchase.  Maybe the big purchases take longer?  Nevertheless, I followed their instructions for contacting them through the Help Link, and I learned that the Help Link is incorrectly named. It should be the No-Help Link, or the Link-That-Does-Nothing Link, or maybe the We-Ignore-Inquiries-From-This-Link-So-Don't-Bother Link.  That pretty much tells the story.  In the end, my nice sizable cash back amount was credited to me; It just took the full 60 days (while I wondered and wondered and wondered where it was.  Not cool guys).
  • No option to receive your cash back via paper check.
But still, a whole lot more pros than cons.  

Every month I see a nice little deposit in my PayPal account from Big Crumbs, and it's welcome sight.  I hope you get to see it soon too.

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