Major cash back rebates this week!

Holy guacamole! Just got an email from Shortcuts.com saying it is offering a 12% cash back rebate at more than 100 online stores. Wahoo! It’s unclear when the 12% rebate ends, but I have an email into headquarters and will ask. See below for a list of participating stores. Note, Shortcuts is a Frugal Festival sponsor, but this is such a hot deal I would have written about it no matter.

If you’re new to cash back sites, here’s how it works.

Step 1. Click the link above to see the full list of retailers offering 12% back back, then click on which retailer you want to shop at. (I’d click Athleta as I’ve been eying their skorts for my summer beach volleyball league.)

Step 2. Sign in or register at Shortcuts.com.

Step 3. Click “Shop Now” on the Athleta page (or whatever retailer you want to buy from). Shortcuts creates a tracking ticket and if you buy something, sends you a check in the mail for the rebate amount.

The math for my hypothetical purchase works like this:

Merchandise total: $68

Tax: $4.76

Shipping : FREE over $50

Gift cards and store credit: $0

Coupons: None

My total before rebate: $72.76

12% of $68 = $8.16

(Tax, shipping, store credit, coupons, and gift cards are not eligible for the 12% cash back rebate)

I’ll pay $72.76 upfront, but in about 90 days receive a check from Shortcuts for $8.16, so it’s as if I only spent $64.60.

My favorite thing about cash back rebate sites is that you can combine the cash back rebate with coupons for dollars off, a percentage off, or free shipping. So it’s like stacking coupons! Just keep in mind that the rebate is based on what you actually spend, minus tax, shipping, store credit, and gift cards.

A few of the stores offering a 12% cash back rebate:

Art.com

Athleta

Baby Gap

Banana Republic

Beauty.com

Best Deals Magazines

The Body Shop

Burpee

Cafe Press

The Container Store

Cooking.com

DirectTV

Drugstore.com

DSW

eBags

Ed Hardy

Eddie Bauer

And so many more!