This Be Frugal review is going to be short and sweet, so you won’t need to grab a cup of coffee for this one.
I’m going to give you the facts and not some sales pitch, so you can expect nothing but my honest opinion.
So I have been coming across many of these get paid to do minimal tasks type sites and Be Frugal just so happens to be one of them.
With a proven track record and an ongoing solid reputation, I had to give my two cents about something that most people spend a lot of time on.
Just like everyone else out there with reviews on BeFrugal, I too have my outlook on things.
You might like it or you might not, as we all have our own opinions but I’m sure you’ll appreciate the honesty.
BeFrugal Review
Name: BeFrugal
Owner: Jon Lal
Website: Click for official site
Price: Free
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
What is BeFrugal?
What started as a coupon site for restaurants and grocery stores has now added the cash back feature, which changed everything about this site.
It was created by Jon Lal, which was started in 2009 and is still going strong since then.
According to Wikipedia, this site is best known for its “fly or drive” calculator, which lets you know if it’s cheaper to take a car or plane to your next travel destination.
Who This is For
Anyone looking to save money with as well as make some cash back. This is most especially for those of you who have time on their hands and are interested in saving some dough.
When I first got to the site, it reminded me of Dubli, and Shopping Sherlock which I liked to a certain extent.
After more research, I found out that this one is not really the same and for all the right reasons too.
How it Works
Getting signed up is the easiest part of all this as all you need is a valid email address.
Remember that $10 deal they were promoting?
Let me explain that first.
In order to receive that, you need to make at least $25 $10 in cash back in 90 365 days or less.
Once you accomplish that, you will then get credited $10 to your account.
That is an absolute steal, especially with the fact that you can create a free Befrugal account to start sharing your personal link.
Now if you don’t know how to get coupons or cash back, let me explain.
You can browse the site for whatever stores you want to save with or you can checkout their daily deals section, which shows you what types of deals are going on from different stores and restaurants.
Don’t forget that not everything is for online purchases, so you can get discounts from places like the Olive Garden and Subway as well.
Make Money With the BeFrugal Referral Program
You already have the savings and cash back thing going for you, but that is not the only way.
For bringing in new people to the site, you can expect to make $10 if they make $10 cash back within a 365 day window.
So when they meet that threshold, you can make $10 and they also make $10, so it’s really a win/win situation for everyone.
Not a bad incentive for just bringing people in, right?
I actually think this is a better deal than most MLM companies that pay you for getting people to join their so called opportunities.
So you definitely want to give that a go.
Is it Really Free to Join BeFrugal?
Like advertised, it is completely free to join.
I guess this is also a great time to explain how they make their money.
Some of you are probably wondering how in the world these guys make any money when they are always giving away a couple of dollars here and there.
Well, let me explain.
What I do is a thing called affiliate marketing, and something that I recommend to anyone who is looking to do more than just save money online.
Now when you purchase anything from these links, John Lal will make some money for referring you to these sites.
More like an incentive for showing people to their site.
There is nothing wrong with this and it is really just a win/win for everyone.
You save money from something you were already going to buy in the first place, and John gets paid in the process.
This is a very brilliant idea and you gotta give it up to John for his success with BeFrugal.
Very comparable to Swagbucks, so you might want to check them out too if you want to make even more money.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Does work
- Completely free to join
- Saves you money on big name stores and restaurants
- You can download coupons
- Allows you to make real cash
- Allows you to make money for referring new people to the site
- Fly or drive calculator is awesome
- Has an app
- Site is user friendly
Cons:
- Several complaints (see below)
Complaints of BeFrugal
Just like anything out there, you’re going to have complaints and that’s just how it is.
For BeFrugal is no different and here are what members are complaining about.
Viruses and popups.
Some users have mentioned that they got a virus and their computers froze.
There is also a bunch of popups after the app downloaded itself.
Most users that don’t want to use the service anymore and seem to have a problem removing the toolbar, so if you’re wondering how to do that you can learn it right here.
The good news is that no one is complaining about not getting paid or getting ripped off. So I guess we can put this on the legit side of things and move on.
At a Glance
Name: BeFrugal
Owner: John Lal
Website: Click here to go to the official site
Price: Free to join no strings attached
Overall Rating: Legit
Final Opinion of BeFrugal
This site is legit and it is what it is.
For free, I don’t see how anyone could complain about anything, besides the toolbar that it comes with.
I know you’re not going to be rich and this will not replace your 9-5, but you can make something. BeFrugal is not a scam and you can trust this site.
I mean, they have been going strong for the past 8 + years and I don’t see them going anywhere either.
You get to save money for crying out loud and it’s not for just any stores, but ones most people shop at.
Click Here to Join BeFrugal For FREE
What I Really Think
I’m all about making money online and I’m all about free, but do remember that you are investing your most valuable asset into this.
Your time.
Another thing that ends up happening is people join this site and end up forgetting that they have coupons that could’ve saved them some money.
Use your coupons people!
Not many sites allow you to save on stores like Macy’s and Walmart and you can even get a free desert or appetizer at the Olive Garden, so use it for what it’s worth.
Here’s a sample of a coupon I generated for the Olive garden in case you were wondering what they would look like.
On the other hand, if you are looking to make real money online, this is not going to be your solution to all your financial problems but I’m sure you already knew that.
If you are looking to make money online, you might want to checkout my top recommended program, which is also the same exact site that allowed me to work from home full-time.
Other than that, thanks for reading my review of BeFrugal and hopefully you got a better understanding of how everything works here.
If you have any questions or you would just like to add your two cents, please do so in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to “be frugal” and count your blessings.
Cheers!
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Jane
I had no problem using other cashback sites, but BeFrugal has been a headache from the beginning. I had to contact their customer service multiple times and every single time “Todd” responds in a rude and condescending manner. Everything that doesn’t go right is the customer’s fault and “he” is never apologetic. Really the worst customer service ever!!! I’m sticking to other sites that have great customer service.
David
I signed up because they have better advertised return rates than other apps. However, I have yet to receive a single penny from any transactions. Many of my transactions were not logged as “clicks” because of a problem with their app. I had to uninstall and reinstall it. I contacted customer support for assistance and even though I could show screen shots where purchases were made through the app (I screen shot everything) they would not give me credit for purchases because their system did not show the “clicks.” For reference, a click is you when click on the retailer’s icon and go to their webpage through the BeFrugal portal. The “click” is logged and in theory the retailer will report the transaction back to BeFrugal and you will be credited with the rebate later on.
Which brings me to the next problem. I made transactions at a larger retailers through the BF portal. I made sure the click was present before ending the transaction. I completed the purchase. I waited about 10 days, no credit given. I contact customer support yet again and they said I needed the exact email (copy and pasted into their support page) of the purchase confirmation email. The retailer does not provide a purchase confirmation email that shows prices, only an email that your order is being processed (for pickup) and another email confirming it’s ready for pickup.
I then reached out to customer support for the retailer. They told me they don’t send those email, but instead provided me instructions to print my invoice. BF doesn’t want my invoice…they want the email that doesn’t exist.
Finally, BF says they’ll credit my account, but conduct an inquiry before making a final determination. Fast forward several days and they remove my credit without giving me a specific reason why. Instead, their email just says their investigation was denied, stating “This may have been a result of clicking on any links or popups outside the BeFrugal browser window, searching using an outside site, using a coupon code offer not listed on BeFrugal, having another coupon site’s toolbar active, etc.”
None of this occurred. BF has simply denied every single transaction I have performed in order to prevent from paying me any credits that I earned.
I have never had these issues on any other app/service that provides electronic rebates and I use several. I earned enough last year to pay an entire mortgage payment. I understand the rules very well. I would discourage anyone from using this app/service.
Susan
They do not pay. Wasting my time trying to even get a response.
John
Thanks for the headsup Susan! Most companies start out really strong because of the hype but eventually die out and stop paying. I hope that’s not the case with BeFrugal and I hope you get your money.
MICHAEL AKINDUTIRE
Hello Jon,
I am thinking of working online part time. Please is there anyway you can assist me?
John
Yes Michael, what are you looking to do exactly?
Jerry
I to have been screwed by Befrugal I have $35.00 pending for over two months.There customer service is really bad.They do not resolve your problem just give you a automatic response email and thats it stay away from this scam company
Roman
I’ve spent over 1000$ on different web pages included in Befrugal listl.
Only 5$ received after a year passed by.
Their promised 3 months wait time for cashback is a clear scam. Most people give up on waiting or simply forget about befrugal in a month. It in such a big amount of time, that befrugal is not goanna send you money at all. You wouldn’t receive anything from them until you demand your order reviewed after 3 months. Imagine how many email you receive in 3 months, your order confirmation is gonna be lost in a huge archive and little chance to be found again.
Use ebates.com instead . Two weeks at most and 75% success rate for my orders.
Cynthia
I have been a befrugal.com customer for about a year. First, I have not reached my $25 threshold to cashout. Right now they have denied me cashback from a purchase I made through Walmart.com back in October of this year. This purchase will allow me to cashout once confirmed BUT they denied me because of several possible reasons first I clicked on a pop up or did not order in a timely manner or navigated away from the site. I did not do any of these. I have the order receipt and a click history to prove I clicked on their link. Another reason they state that my denial could have occurred was if I used a coupon not listed on BeFrugal.com I did not use a coupon. I am only owed $7.24 in cashback but it is the principal of the situation. I followed their rules and yet they deny me my owed cash back. This site has only caused me frustration. This is not the first incident where they took away cashback owed but I let it go but this time I will not. This site is not worth it. One must worry whether or not they will receive their cash back and that they are doing this properly. I have reported them to the Better Business Bureau. Who knows who else they are doing this to and may be keeping the money. They will not give me a SPECIFIC REASON why I was denied my cash back just a long list that I stated above. I even called Walmart.com and they could not do anything as they are not affiliated with Befrugal.com.
John
Thanks for that Cynthia. These cashback sites are usually not worth the time and if you’ve been with them for a year and still haven’t cashed out even $25, then that is definitely not worth anyone’s time. If you want to make money online, you should try this program right here. It’s what I use and it’s what got me to making a full-time income online. I’m sure you’ll like it too!