How to Earn Extra Money by Doing Things You’re Already Doing

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Want to get a check in the mail every few months for $20, $50 or even $10,000 by doing things you’re already doing? I know it’s possible, because I’ve done it. In fact, last year I earned more than $19,000 with an idea so simple, it takes less than 10 seconds to get started and it’s totally free.

Here’s what you do:

Click here to join Rakuten.

Rakuten is a cash back website. In other words, whenever you shop online, you earn money back. Joining takes only a few seconds, costs nothing and requires no personal information other than your email address. What you get:

  • Up to 40% cash back whenever you shop online or in select stores
  • A free $10 gift card
  • $25 for everyone who signs up through you

Ready? Follow these three simple steps.

Step one: Sign up

As I said, Rakuten is a cashback service, meaning you can get rebates when you shop. The amount ranges from as little as 1 percent to as much as 40 percent, depending on the store. Not all stores offer rebates, but thousands do.

Getting started is simple. You sign up, then visit the site before shopping online. For example, if you want to shop online at Kohls, instead of going directly to Kohls.com, you’d start at Rakuten, click on the Kohl’s page, then shop. When you buy something, you’ll earn money back. Rebates are paid quarterly.

Simple, right? There’s no catch. Cashback sites simply get a commission from participating stores when you make a purchase, then share it with you.

Nothing to lose, everything to win. Ready to get started? Do it right now. Click this link, then fill in your email address. That’s it: You don’t have to provide your name, bank or credit card info, and the process takes less time than it took to read this sentence.

You’ll also qualify for a $10 gift card just for signing up. To claim it, all you have to do is buy $25 worth of stuff through Rakuten within 90 days.

Step two: Use their tools

I signed up for Rakuten years ago, but until relatively recently, never used it. Why? Because I forgot to. To get cash back, you have to start your shopping at their site, and that’s something I’d never remember. A while back, however, I did two things that changed everything.

The first thing I did was add the free Rakuten browser plugin, so whenever I searched for something online, I’d automatically see the savings. (You get it at the Rakuten site and it only takes a few seconds to install.) Once it’s in your browser, every search result shows you the available rebate.

For example, here’s the result for a search for “women’s clothing.”

Johnson / Money Talks News

As you can see, the Rakuten plug-in tells me the stores that are offering cash back, and how much. I simply click on a link and I’m automatically getting cash back. Zero hassle, extra money. What’s not to like?

The second thing I did was to sign up for the Rakuten daily double-cash-back email. After I did that, I started getting deals in my inbox every day. They’re usually stuff I don’t care about — I’m not a big shopper — but if I’m not interested, I just delete it. No biggie.

Step three: Earn a bounty

At the beginning of this article, I said I made $19,000 from Rakuten last year. That’s absolutely true, but it didn’t all come from earning cash back while shopping online.

Like many sites, Rakuten pays a bounty when you bring them new customers. They pay $25 when someone signs up using your special signup link, then spend at least $25 on cash back purchases within a year of joining.

So that’s a potential $25 for everyone you sign up. (You can read more about it after signing up.)

This is how I made so much from Rakuten last year: writing articles like this one and getting people to sign up. Since I have a successful blog, I reach more people than most, so duplicating my success won’t be easy. But even if you don’t, getting paid $25 to help your friends save money, as well as getting a free $10 gift card, is definitely win/win.

Speaking of making money, after you sign up for Rakuten, do yourself another favor. Sign up to receive the free MoneyTalks newsletter. We’re always offering ideas to make more, spend less and otherwise improve your life. So even if this idea wasn’t up your alley, maybe the next one will be. It only takes a few seconds to join our growing family. Do it right now!

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