Rebate Key Review – Scam or Free Products from Amazon?

What Is Rebate Key?

In a nutshell... Rebate Key (found at RebateKey.com) is an online rebate site where you can buy products from online retailers, submit a claim, and get a rebate back within 35 days. The product rebates they offer range from 25 - 100% off!

It's like those old rebates that you had to mail in, just everything is done online, which makes it easier for you. And the nice thing about it all is that you don't have to worry about getting your rebates--because RebateKey helps to ensure you will get paid (I'll go over how in a bit).

What is a Rebate?

A rebate is nothing more than money paid back. When someone buys something and they get a partial or full refund, that is a rebate.

With RebateKey you are able to buy items with the promise of getting partial or full refunds on the price paid--so that you can potentially get products for free.

For a short little video presentation of how it works you can watch this:

How Is This Possible?

For those thinking that this sounds a bit too good to be true, fear not. Offering rebates is a marketing tactic that has been around for years. The idea behind rebates is that more customers will buy a company's product and this will lead to a snowball effect where word-of-mouth marketing further increases sales, this time normal sales without rebates. Additionally they can help increase brand loyalty and repeat customers.

So by offering rebates and giving people great deals on items, companies have the hopes to increase their overall earnings in the long run.

Rebates are good when companies are just starting out or when launching new products--before they gain any popularity. It is becoming increasingly popular with sellers launching new products on Amazon, which is the reason most of the products you will find here are being sold on Amazon.

Most sellers that offer rebates on RebateKey are looking for product reviews. You don't have any commitment to leave reviews for them, but they will be able to message you through the platform and might ask you to leave one.

What's In It for RebateKey?

Of course they charge the seller a small fee for each sale--a $2.95 fee per sale to be exact. (this doesn't affect you--the buyer)

How It Works

Step 1) Sign Up

The signup process is painless, so don't worry. If you have a Facebook or Google account you can use it to signup with a few clicks. If not you will be able to enter your name, email address, phone number and create a password.

They will send you a verification code via text message to your phone that you will have to use to confirm your account. They don't sent out the typical email confirmation link for some reason.

*You are only allowed one account per household. If you violate this agreement they reserve the right to close your account(s).

Step 2) Shop Products

Once logged into your account it will look something like this...

You will have a menu on the left-hand side (on a desktop computer) and all the products with available rebates will be right there in the center.

You will be able to browse the products and see what the normal price is, what the final price will be after you get your rebate, the rebate %, etc.

You will find all sorts of products here. As you can see below, right now I can get a 50% rebate on a bicycle seat, a 100% rebate on apple cider vinegar detox capsules, a 40% rebate on a set of salt and pepper grinders, and so on...

Supplements and personal care items seem to be the most common for what you find here however.

After you find a product that you like then simply click on it and it will give you more details. I clicked on a supplement called HempFlex for dogs and as you can see it has a 100% rebate, is sold on Amazon and there are 10 more available...

To complete the purchase I will be directed to Amazon, and there I will purchase it at it's full price as I normally would.

All you do is click on "Buy Product" and then it will give you some instructions--click it again and it will direct you right to the product for purchase.

Note: If you want to get your rebate you have to purchase it originally at the full price, no coupons allowed.

You will find products listed on RebateKey that are sold on Walmart's website, Shopify, eBay, but the ones being sold on Amazon you can often find with free shipping too--so you can literally get products for 100% free, after you get your rebate back of course.

Tip: When there is a good product that you want you need to be quick to purchase it! When I was writing this review there was a supplement with a 100% rebate (Spirulina supplement) that I wanted--but there were only 4 remaining and withing a period of minutes it was no longer available. I missed out 🙁

Step 3) Enter Your Rebate Code Within 1 Hour

After purchasing the product for the full price, you will then have 1 hour to enter your "rebate code", which is usually just your order number.

Copy that number and go back to RebateKey >> go to Purchases >> then go to Unclaimed. You will be able to click on Confirm Purchase and enter in that order number to confirm.

That's all you do. Then it's a waiting game.

Step 4) Wait 35 Days

In the short video posted above it states that you will be able to get a check in the mail within 30 days, but it's really 35 days. They must have changed this after they released the video.

But anyways--you wait 35 days and then you either get a check in the mail or you can choose to have your rebate delivered electronically via PayPal, which is a newer payment option they added recently.

Why 35 days? 

Well what they say is that the reason behind this waiting period is to ensure that there aren't any problems, but the main reason is likely to ensure that you don't return the item purchased--since most places have a return period of somewhere from up to 2 weeks to 30 days.

Guaranteed Rebates (Well, Pretty Much Guaranteed)

35 days is one heck of a long time to wait, but luckily you can rest assured that you are going to get your money back.

To understand why you are [pretty much] guaranteed rebates (if you follow the instructions properly) it's important to understand how this works from the standpoint of a seller.

When a seller wants to list a product they have to prepay their expected daily rebates in the beginning, then they will be charged daily based on their campaign settings. This money is then held by RebateKey until the 35 days is passed without any problems.

So it's not like you have to worry about all these sellers on Amazon living up to their end of the bargain. RebateKey is well aware of the potential problems and that is why they make their sellers fork over the money upfront. 

The reason I'm saying that you are "pretty much" guaranteed rebates is because the seller could refuse a rebate key (order number) entered--and in this case RebateKey will try to find a solution for both the buyer and seller. This is unlikely to happen if you do everything correctly but it still could.

What Type of Products Can You Find?

As mentioned, most of the products that you will find here are supplements and personal care products, but there are others.

The fun part of it is that you never really know exactly what you might find.

Right now here is a list of all the different products available to me, many with a 100% rebate...

• Detox supplements
• Skin moisturizer
• Hemp oil for dogs
• "Scratch off maps" (don't ask me what this is because I don't know)
• Air vent phone mount
• Brain boosting supplement
• Matcha green tea powder
• Gun holster
• Make-up brush set
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Garcinia Cambogia supplement
• Earbuds
• Sleep aids
• Lifting straps
• Tiaras for brides
• Diaper bags
• Wireless phone charger
• Libido boosting supplements

Are the products any good?

The truth is that sometimes the product quality can be questionable. 

Many of the products listed are for new product launches, meaning that they haven't stood the test of time. Additionally, many are being sold by new sellers on Amazon, whom you may not know the trustworthiness of.

Be Careful:

In particular you should be careful when getting supplements. Why? Well, because you put these products in your body.

Take this product for example which is available to me right now with a 100% rebate...

It's an Apple Cider Vinegar supplement manufactured by some company called Nubu Naturals.

Is this a trustworthy brand? No idea--I looked into it and couldn't really find much info on it. It's likely some small startup brand.

So should you trust this supplement?

Well, with this supplement you are just getting some Apple Cider Vinegar which isn't going to cause anyone any problems, but you get the point.

The point is that you should look into the products beforehand--especially supplements.

How Much Money Can You Save?

As you already know, you will be able to find items that have up to 100% rebates, but does this really mean that they are FREE?

Not necessarily. I know, doesn't make much sense right?... but let me explain...

First off, not all items have free shipping. A lot do, because most of the items listed are being sold on Amazon and if you are an Amazon Prime member you will often be able to get free shipping, but not everything ships free.

And even if it does ship free, you will might not be getting a 100% free product--and the reason for this is SALES TAX.

Sales tax will vary depending on what state you live in and what type of item you are purchasing. If you've ordered many items on Amazon before you have probably noticed that sometimes you are charged sales tax while other times you aren't. Some sellers on Amazon simply don't collect sales tax even when they should, which many buyers get lucky with.

So in order to truly get a free product using RebateKey, and I'm talking a 100% free product, it must...

• Have a 100% rebate
• Have free shipping
• and Have no sales tax

If it has all of the above, then you get it for free.

So to answer the question: "how much money can you save?" --this depends on how much the item costs in the first place.

If you get a $10 item for free then you just saved $10. If you get a $35 item for free then you just saved $35

Real Examples: So let's take the products that I showed earlier...

• The Life's Best Bike Seat normally costs $39.95 and you can get a 50% rebate which brings the total down to $19.95 = a savings of $20
• The Apple Cider Vinegar Capsules sell for $23.99 and you can get a 100% rebate = a savings of $23.99
• The Weightlifting Neoprene Padded Wrist Straps sell for $8.99 and you can get a 100% rebate = a savings of $8.99
• The VALI Brain Booster Supplement sells for $23.99 and you can get a 100% rebate = a savings of $23.99

But don't get too carried away thinking that you are going to be able to save boatloads of money--there is a limit.

Members are limited to 5 rebates per day and a total of 50 per month. If you reach the limit it will be refreshed the next day or month, depending on which limit you reached.

Note: You can actually make money on top of what you save--more on this is in a bit.

How to Contact RebateKey

So let's say you encounter some unexpected problem, such as your rebate key (order number) not working for some reason.

How do you get in contact with this place?

Unfortunately they do not offer phone support, which I think we can all agree is the best way to provide virtual support. As far as I can see your only option would be to go to the contact page and submit a support ticked, which they will be able to follow up with you through via email.

Another alternative would be to message them through their Facebook page. They typically reply "instantly".

What Users Are Saying

As I'm writing this they have a 4.5/5 star rating on Facebook with over 45 reviews left--which is pretty good.

Other than that it is hard to find independent reviews from real users. But I guess this might be a good thing because usually people are more inclined to leave negative reviews complaining about things rather than positive ones--so maybe the lack of user reviews is a good sign.

That said, there are a few complaints I came across dealing with problems where the seller refused to rebate codes for whatever reason. These occurrences seem to be rare, but I guess they can and do happen at times.

Can You Resell Items?

Wouldn't it be pretty cool if you could make a little business out of getting rebates like this--buying products, getting rebates on them and then selling them at full-price??

Ya, well unfortunately you are not allowed to do this, as stated in the Terms of Use Agreement, which you have to confirm that you read and agree to.

That said, it would be nearly impossible for them to keep track of what everyone does with their products and if you were to resell on eBay, Craigslist, Letgo, etc. you could more than likely easily get away with it--but this is not something I would condone simply because this is now what RebateKey is intended for.

How to Make Additional Money

1) Upload Payment Proof & Get an Extra $20!

When you get paid for the first time you are able to provide social proof of your payment and get an additional payment of $20. 

All you have to do is publish a picture of your self with your check on Facebook.

2) Earn Up to $20 for Each Person You Refer to Join

They also have a referral/affiliate program where you can make up to $20 for each person you get to join, but this is dependent on how active they are and how many rebates they collect.

In order to get the maximum $20 for a referral they will have to claim 50+ rebates. You can see how it works in this chart...

• After a referral claims over 1 rebate you get a $1 commission.
• Then after they claim 5 rebates you get a $2 commission
• After 10 you get a $3 commission
• Once they claim 25 you get a $5 commission
• And once they claim 50 rebates you get your last commission of $9

The total of all those commissions is $20, which is all possible for each referral if they are active.

3) Resell Items

Just kidding. Don't do this! I'm just seeing if you're paying attention.

Pros v Cons

Pros

• Free to join
• Easy to use - You don't have to mail in rebates, just enter your order number online
• Guaranteed rebates - RebatesKey charges the seller beforehand
• You get products for less! (which is obviously the point of signing up in the first place)
• Payment via check in the mail or PayPal
• Easy $20 extra opportunity
• Good referral program

Cons

• Long wait time - 35 days is a long wait, but unfortunately there is no way around this
• Small product selection - The amount of products listed for rebates varies, but generally speaking there usually isn't all that many
• Limit of 5 rebates per day - This is somewhat of a downside I guess, yet I can definitely see how this is absolutely necessary.
• Products sell out fast - Some products that are listed only allow a handful of members to claim rebates on them. You will often find that you are too late to the party. This is why if you want a product then you should jump on it right away.
• Seller problems - RebateKey does a good job at protecting it's members and making sure they get their rebates, but unfortunately there are still some problems that people encounter, such as how a seller could reject a rebate key as mentioned above.
• Can't resell items (not supposed to)
• Products quality can be questionable at times

Is Rebate Key a Scam?

It doesn't appear that they are accredited with the BBB but this doesn't really mean anything.

On their 'about us' page they don't tell us much, but after some further digging around and running a WHOIS search, I found that the domain was created back in 2017...

Although they could do a better job at providing additional information to us, there is no reason at all for me to believe that Rebate Key is a scam. They seem to be running a legitimate business and doing exactly what they say they are doing, which is connecting sellers looking to promote products with buyers looking for good deals--and making money in the process of course (by collecting that $2.95 fee per sale).

Seeing that user complaint websites like SiteJabber, PissedConsumer, etc. aren't filled with complaints is a very good sign. Having been around since 2017, if this were a scam we would be finding a lot more negative reviews.

Key Points

• Sellers offer rebates through RebateKey to promote products (new products)
• RebateKey makes money by charging the sellers a $2.95 fee per sale
• Signing up as a member is free
• You can get up to 100% rebates as a member
• There is a wait period of 35 days after you purchase the product before you get paid
• Most products are supplements and personal care items
• There is a daily limit of 5 rebates and a monthly limit of 50
• You can get an additional $20 by sharing social proof of payment
• They have a referral program where you can earn up to $20 per person you get to join
• Most rebates you are only allowed to claim once
• Only one account is allowed per household
• You aren't allowed to resell items
• Product quality can be questionable at times
• The overall outlook on RebateKey is good and they are not a scam

Final Thoughts

RebatesKey may not be for everyone, mainly due to the limited product selection, but it is definitely worth a consideration. You may not be getting the best products from this site, but it's a bit hard to argue about product quality when many of the products have 100% rebates--meaning they are free (not counting shipping and taxes).

All in all this is a site I would recommend joining. You can at least join and see if there is anything available that you like--and if not then you haven't lost a thing--besides the maybe 30 seconds it takes to sign up.

The biggest downside to RebateKey (in my opinion) is the small product selection and the fact that you don't really know what you might find. Because of this you definitely can't do any sort of "regular" shopping through this site.

What you might also be interested in since you are looking to save on shopping are cashback apps like Ibotta and DOSH, which give you cashback on purchases. For example you might get 2% cashback shopping at a certain store or $1.25 back for buying a certain item--not much but it adds up.

Also, on a completely different not, be sure to check out my top picks for making money from home & the program I use to make a living working online--if this is of any interest to you!

What do you think about RebateKey? Have you joined and what has your experience been like? Any complaints? I love to hear from my readers so feel free to leave any comments or questions below 🙂