On Saturday, I participated in the CompareRewards holiday chat. We got to talk to the heads of 8 different cash back and rewards sites.
One of the sites was BeFrugal.com. It has great rates, and initially I was really excited about it. After some research, though, I’m not sure I can endorse it wholeheartedly. Maybe 3/4-heartedly?
Cash back rates
The good:
The rates are mostly equal to or higher than other sites. (But you should always, always check. It only takes a minute, people.)
The bad:
I’ve found several instances where the percent is lower — and I don’t always want the hassle of contacting them for a couple percent more.
The verdict:
If you’re going to spend large amounts online and/or are a (very) patient person, BeFrugal.com will probably get you a better deal.
Payment
The good:
Referral bonuses count toward the threshold.
Choose payment by Amazon GC and get an extra 3% added to your balance.
The bad:
Sooooo many.
You need $25 of rebates before you can cash out. If you don’t manage to refer anyone, that’s a tall order. In that case, you’d have to spend $250 at 10% (and you’re rarely going to get a percentage that high) just to be able to cash out.
Yes, referral bonuses count toward the $25 minimum — but not until your referral reaches $25. That’s probably going to be a long wait.
Also, this site will charge you for lost checks. If your check gets lost in the mail, you have to cover BeFrugal’s fee for canceling the check. You’ll get the remainder. I’m not a fan of this policy.
That said, you can get around this by getting paid by PayPal or Amazon GC.
Oh, and you’ll be charged for inactive accounts. For each month you don’t at least start a shopping session (click through a store), you can be charged $2 a month. It’s easily avoidable, but it rankles me nonetheless.
The comparison:
Ebates: $5.01 balance, not including bonuses.
Extrabux: $10, which has to include at least one purchase.
Mr. Rebates: $10, which can be all bonuses.
None charge for inactivity.
The verdict:
BeFrugal’s high threshold is a deterrent. The potential charge for USPS mistakes and the inactivity fee just piss me off.
Rate guarantee
The good:
BeFrugal.com has a 125% rate guarantee. If you make a purchase and then find a higher rate on another site, BeFrugal.com will apply the higher rate — plus 25% — to your rebate.
The bad:
You have to notify them within 24 hours. Understandable — rates change often — but still a little inconvenient.
The guarantee used to say you can only get a match once a year. I don’t see that restriction anymore, so that may have changed. It does say one per store per member, and there’s no time limit specified. So it may be that you can only get a match on the merchant once.
This might make you reluctant to use the option at any given time, in case the difference in rates is better in the future. It seems like a bit of a deterrent, but maybe I’m just overly sensitive about this kind of stuff.
The comparison:
No other site has this.
The verdict:
It’s a great offer with an execution that’s kind of cumbersome. But it’s still very generous. Also, looking at the site’s rates, it’s just not going to come up much.
Coupon guarantee
The good:
If you find a coupon that doesn’t work, you get a $5 bonus.
The bad:
It doesn’t count toward the $25 payout threshold.
The comparison:
Once again, this is an unique offer.
The verdict:
Very generous, very impressive.
Referral bonuses
The good:
You get $5 per referral — $10 if you refer 3 or more people.
The bad:
You won’t get the credit until your referral has reached the $25 threshold. That’s probably going to be a long wait — assuming the person doesn’t get discouraged and give up completely.
The comparison:
Ebates: A $5 credit when the referral signs up, available once the referral makes a $25+ purchase. Very generous bonuses for multiple referrals.
Extrabux: A $5 credit when the referral signs up, available once the referral’s first rebate becomes available. Plus 5% of the rebates for the first year.
Mr. Rebates: 20% of the referral’s rebate with no time limit.
The verdict:
BeFrugal is the worst deal of the bunch.
Ending remarks
For the record, I do think BeFrugal.com has a lot of positive points. But the payment and referral bonus thresholds give me pause. A long, long pause.
If you want to rely on referrals to make money, this isn’t the site for you unless you refer serious shoppers.
If you just want more cash back, then this site is perfect for you — as long as you’re very patient or shop a lot. And since the rates are the same or higher than all other sites, you can arguably reach that goal faster.
But if you get frustrated and quit the site, you’re just out of luck — and dinged $2 a month for your lack of determination. That would make the higher rates moot. Plus, since you could have used another site that would have let you cash out, you’ve kind of lost money.
I guess it becomes a question of when the extra cash back is outweighed by the wait.
I’m going to give it a try — mainly because I won a $10 credit in the chat. That means I have a $15 incentive. For the rest of you… Well, you’ll just have to decide on your own.
Is the extra money enough incentive for you?
PeggySue2u2 says
I had never heard of Frugal.com until a few minutes ago and found that they provide coupons. Well, I called the place in which they provide a coupon for and they said said that none of their 470+ locations accept their coupons. It’s always good to call the place in which you plan to use the coupon for. The gentleman I spoke with also added that they also offer a BOGO deal with Mickey D’s and they also do not honor them. Wow, seems like they need to either keep up to date or have a change in people who handle their coupons.
Abigail says
Well, some of the coupons may be out of date. Unfortunately, stores sometimes expire deals without letting affiliate sites know. I’ve run into that before.
But you should also know that a lot of customer service reps aren’t aware of affiliate marketing relationships. This means they may not know about coupons offered through those channels.
If it’s a coupon for a store that also has an online site, I would suggest making a test order and apply it to see if it works. If it does, it should work in-store.
ccp says
I found the above review helpful.
I do not think I am going to keep my account w/BeFrugal, though.
Compared to other cashback sites I’ve used, this is by far the most frustrating and unfriendly to the consumer.
I am having a heck of a time getting credit I earned posted….they make it impossible to contact them by phone…. the people on “chat” are rude, write their responses as if they were from a script and when questioned will adapt their words so that they are never held accountable. Because I’m not one to give up, I managed to obtain their headquarters phone number when I went to BBB website to read some interesting and revealing complaints. I did make that call to headquarters and I am going to see if the person in charge there will help me and I will report back with the results.
Abigail says
Eesh, sorry to hear they’re rude. To be fair, macros are common to most companies, hence the “script” feel. But yeah I try to personalize the script if a customer is having issues/is frustrated with something on our site.
Laura says
I just installed BeFrugal and now my computer doesn’t work right. NP before installing. Now I can’t get it to uninstall. Not happy at all. Can anyone help me w/ uninstalling. Thank you if you can
JMz says
I saw something in an email today about not being able to uninstall BeFrugal. Have you tried system restore? If you go into control panel you should be able to find it. I should note this is for a novice PC user. You don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to read the directions. If computers make you nervous find someone who is better to do this.
You need to do this quickly, since System Restore can’t go back that far.
JMz
PS to MSFT: I’ve a hunch you invented System Restore. Make it better. Make it so you can go back a fortnight, month, quarter, or year.
Abigail says
Is this a plugin? I haven’t tried those. I prefer to just navigate directly to the sites. I hope you’re able to get it dealt with without too much hassle!
Alexei says
I agree! Befrugal doesn’t have phone support. After my request send me payment check I waited long time and didn’t get nothing. I sent them request and got answer :
Hello,
Thank you for contacting BeFrugal.com.
Your most recent payment was issued via check through USPS first class mail on November 3, 2015. This was sent to the address you provided in your BeFrugal account at the time the request was made:
XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX
XXXX XXXXX
XXX XX
XXXXX XX XXXXX
Depending on location, you should expect this to arrive within 3 to 5 business days.
If you believe your item has been lost in the mail, we are able to re-issue your payment. Please note that BeFrugal is not responsible for items lost in the mail. There is a $35.00 stop-payment fee assessed for any payment by check that needs to be re-issued. This fee is deducted from the remaining cash back balance.
If you would like us to re-issue this payment minus the $35.00 stop payment fee, please confirm via support ticket. If you wish to update the payment method or change the address on file, please update your account and notify us of the new payment preference.
Happy to help,
Todd from BeFrugal.com
So, they didn’t send payment, but may be will do it for extra $35
I will close my account with befrugal and look for another company.
Abigail says
WOW, seriously? I mean, most cash back sites don’t have phone support. But a $35 fee?! I’ve never heard of another cash back site doing that. And let’s face it, even outside the holiday season, a lot of checks probably get lost in the mail.
Amir says
BE AWARE FROM BEFRUGAL.COM. I do a lot of online shopping and used their site for few months to get cashback. It was fine at first and I succeed to make 2 withdrawals, until one day I tried to log in to my account and apparently it was deleted! I asked them on chat what happened and they told me my account was deleted and I am banned permanently. They didn’t agree to tell me why. I tried also on email and phone to get some details, but they didn’t agree to tell me why I’m banned. The representative who spoke with me on the phone slammed the phone down on me. I had there on my balance about 600$ which I earned, 250$ confirmed and the rest pending. This money befrugal earned thanks to me. Now they got my money. I know it’s happened to few other people too. It’s their site and it’s their right to suspend me, but it’s not their right to take my money. They at least should have give me the money I earned through their platform. And not tell me why I was banned?! This is extremely disrespectful. So people, there are plenty of other cashback websties, befrugal is a waste of your time. Do yourself a favor and use other cashback website.
Abigail says
Hmmm that’s odd. Usually, cash back sites only close accounts if the user is abusing registration/referral policies or are marketing their site via prohibited methods. Still, they ought to tell you what the reason is. It’s awful that you couldn’t get that information.
JMz says
They have a very high number of BBB complaints. They have a few ripoff report complaints. Good luck getting your money.
Abigail says
Most cash back sites have BBB complaints. I’m not saying to disregard the complaints completely, but here’s the issue:
* People don’t read the Terms and don’t follow them
* This causes their claims to be denied. (Which usually only happens if the store itself denies a claim.)
* Denied claims mean the cash back site doesn’t get a commission and can’t give the customer a rebate.
* The site won’t give the customers a rebate when it’s obviously against the Terms.
* The customers refuse to accept it, despite agreeing to the Terms when they signed up, and go to the BBB. Despite the company being within its rights.
Again, that’s not the case in all claims, but if you read between the lines for most cash back sites’ BBB claims… That’s what’s going on. So take it all with a grain of salt.
BeAwful says
STAY AWAY FROM BEFRUGAL. Save yourself the eventual headache. I have been using another more mainsteam cashback site for some time and have never had a problem with it, always getting credited for every purchase. I signed up for befrugal enticed by the signup bonus and higher rates (good luck ever getting enough to be paid out). Well of my four purchases, only one went though, and they told me that I could not dispute the other three. Stick with another site, there is a reason that others are much more popular.
vanoren says
They pass blame to the company issuing the credits. I had a credit from a qualified purchase (website referral) and waited for the time window to lapse, but received no credit. I contact them through a trouble ticket, they referred the inquiry to the business and then ….nothing. I requested an update status twice over four months time and was told the request is “pending investigation.” This is not a federal case it is a credit for a website purchase. Befrugal will not honor their end of the bargain, they will kick the can down the road to delay time so people get tired and go away, they will pass blame onto the merchant which in the end will impact the merchant’s bottom line as well. I would suggest both consumers and merchants stay away from this company. There are similar services with long-standing establishment that provide much more reliable and trustworthy service.
Andrew Andrews says
Stay away. Besides the malware toolbar they install, their reputation for not honoring
rebates is well documented. Once you hare accumulated a significant amount of cash
they will just close your account and steal your money
Abigail says
i don’t know that I’d go that far. I’ve received a payout once (don’t use it enough for more than that one), and the company would’ve gone under long ago if it did routinely withhold rebates and close accounts to avoid payouts. Remember that some of the reviews you see for cash back sites are angry people who didn’t get the cash back they expected. As far as I know, every rebate site out there gives cash back any time they receive a commission. They only refuse rebates if they themselves aren’t commissioned for a purchase.
Abigail says
Oops, forgot to add: That said, I think there are a number of aspects of BeFrugal that make me more inclined to use the other rebate sites out there.
Sandy says
BeFrugal rarely works automatically. I find myself constantly having to check to see if transactions were recorded on the site. Most of the time, they have not, and they don’t allow you to contact them about it until a whopping 7 days are gone. I buy things every day. I can’t keep track of every single transaction and make sure to go back and email them about the ones from 7 days ago, especially when I also need to tell them within 24 hours if another website has a higher rate. Having to do all that makes it more like a job than an effortless rebate.
Even when I do wait the 7 days and track everything — then I contact them, they tell me “oh, okay, we just credited you…” a much lower amount than the cashback offered on that day. So on top of everything I am keeping track of, I have to remember how much cashback was offered on each store for each transaction. No thanks. I already have a job and it pays much more than these annoying rebates.
TopCashBack offers the same “max cashback” guarantee and doesn’t run into problems. It will even report transactions I never made and later correct the error all by itself — so it’s paying attention! Ebates is the smoothest experience, but the lowest cashback, usually.