To paraphrase a famous quote: Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer – but doing it cheaper is even better.
I’m always up for saving money when traveling, but frankly time is never on my side. Trying to compare prices, find coupon codes, and all that jazz – especially while on the go – doesn’t always feel like a solid use of time.
What if there were a single place that gave you cash back at the stores you were already shopping at?
You see where this is going – start from a single site, search for the store you’re looking to shop at, click the link, and get cash back or coupon codes added automagically. You’re basically profiting from the arrangements stores offer to affiliates, and often getting cash back rates similar to credit cards (without worrying about carrying a balance or making payments).
How does it work?
Go to givingassistant.org, find the store you want to shop at, then click the ‘shop now’ links or the buttons to reveal coupon codes. Cash back can arrive via Paypal, and is paid out every Monday once your balance is above $5. You can also use a dead-simple slider to donate your cash-back rewards to charity:
They claim over 890,000 charities are in their database (!), so chances are pretty good your favorite is listed. If you were looking to donate to the Chris Backe Travel Fund… well… you can message me directly…
Booking.com: 4% cash back. Bookit.com: save up to 6%. Expedia: save up to 7%. Camping World: up to 5% cash back. And plenty more.
These may not sound like big amounts, but A: every little bit adds up, B: it’s added up, discounted, or otherwise taken care of automatically, and C: lots of online purchases related to travel are big-ticket items. Also, they’re currently claiming 1,640 cash-back stores, from up to 35% at 123 Copy DVD to up to 6% at ZUJI Australia. Their blog plays up some of the better-known stores with limited-time deals – one for sheets and bedding stuff offered 10% cash back for about a week.
Protip: use this URL to find stuff faster
Assuming you know where you’re shopping, edit this link to see all the coupon codes for that store and shop a bit faster:
https://givingassistant.org/coupon-codes/STORE.com
Change ‘STORE’ to whatever site in question you want to check out. No ‘http://’ or ‘www’ needed.
The catch?
The biggest one I’ve noted: you’ll need to turn off your ad-blocker, if you’re using one. That ensures everything’s tracked correctly, and is just a matter of pausing or disabling whatever tech you use while you’re shopping. Once the transaction has gone through, turn it back on
Also, not every store offers cash-back bonuses. Some savings are based on coupon codes, while some stores only offer donations to your charity of choice.
If you’re already shopping online, a tool like this makes finding coupon codes or getting cash back about as easy as it can get. I’m not a fan of trying to keep track of credit cards or puzzling through the umpteen rewards programs offered by each individual store – but something simple like this will get used again and again.
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