Live.com Cashback – Let Microsoft Pay You When Making Online Purchases

August 17, 2008 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Whether you love them or hate them, Microsoft is willing to pay you cold, hard cash just for using their Live.com cashback service to buy things online. The idea is that you simply use their search engine to compare products and prices, then click-through to the selected online store. When you make your purchase, you earn cashback from Microsoft. Easy as that.

Keep saving money each time you use Live Search cashback. Every time you make a qualifying purchase, we’ll send you an email to confirm your Live Search cashback savings. Usually 60 days after your purchase (although this time period may vary for some stores), and when your cashback account reaches a balance of at least $5, you can claim your cold, hard cash.

Microsoft wants to increase exposure to their search engine, and they may have some success by paying people in this manner. They hope that by offering this juicy incentive, you will not only use their search engine for online shopping, but for all your other search-related needs. Hmm, maybe they will win a few converts.

Now let me tell you how it really works. Google will continue to dominate the search arena, and people like myself will simply click-through to a specific store when buying things online just to harvest the cash from Microsoft.

Speaking of which, here is a list of stores (sorted alphabetically - DEAD link, sorry). With regard to technology, I’m pleased to see Newegg.com on the list – currently earning 5.5% cashback.

If you’re a TigerDirect fan, you can earn 10% cashback from Microsoft! Some other examples currently include:

• Lenovo – 10% cashback
• Overstock.com – 4 to 14% cashback
• Creative Products – 10% cashback
• Shop4tech.com – 12% cashback

If you’re planning a new computer build from Newegg anytime soon, or are eyeing a new Lenovo laptop, you should use the Live cashback system and let Microsoft reimburse part of the cost to you. It certainly won’t cost you anything extra to do so.

Check it out: a few days ago I decided to buy a new USB flash drive from Newegg, so I clicked-through, spent a whopping $9 on a drive from Crucial, and then checked my Live cashback account. Lo and behold, $0.50 had already been deposited into my account. I’m rich!

Once I hit $5, Microsoft will pay me (through PayPal, direct deposit, or a mailed check). Hmm, I wonder if I have any friends who will let me buy parts for them online (then pay me back in cash)? Earning cashback could turn into a side job!

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