How to earn extra cash back on meal delivery kits, language learning, and more

Rakuten has launched a flash sale, increasing its cash back rates at hundreds of stores in an effort to provide some relief to customers and retailers during this difficult time.

Related: Using online shopping portals to maximize your online purchases

With social distancing and quarantining being the new normal, more and more people are turning to online services for no-contact deliveries. But before you start ordering, be sure to check that you’re not leaving any cash on the table. An easy way to avoid that is by download the Rakuten Google Chrome extension or the app. The extension will automatically alert you to activate cash back anytime you’re on a site that offers it. If you’re shopping or ordering on your phone, you’ll have to start in the app first.

Now let’s take a look at some of the best offers you can get take advantage of while quarantining:

1.  $9 cash back on your first Postmates order
   If you haven’t taken advantage of Postmates quiet yet, now is the perfect time to with the opportunity to earn $9 cash back on your first order. Pro tip:
   both Amex and Chase code Postmates as dining so use your American Express® Gold Card to earn 4x  or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to get 3x.
2. $10 cash back on your first Purple Carrot order
   Purple Carrot is a plant-based diet meal delivery service. Whether your vegan, vegetarian or just trying to eat more veggies this could be a great thing to try out while you’re stuck at home.
3. $8 cash back on your first Butcher Box order
   If you’re a carnivore through and through then Butcher Box may be the way to go. Butcher Box is a meat delivery service that delivers grass-fed beef and other antibiotic and hormone free meats.
4. $20 cash back on your first Home Chef order
   Home Chef is another meal delivery service. A box of three meals for two people would typically cost $60, but if it’s your first time ordering you’ll automatically get $30 off plus the $20 cash back through Rakuten. So essentially you’d end up paying $10 for three meals — there’s no reason not to try this one out!
5. 7% cash back on Rosetta Stone orders 
   Use your new “commute time” to learn a new language. This could also be great if your kids are out of school and you want to keep them up to pace with whatever language course they were in.
6. 6% cash back on ReStockIt orders
   ReStockIt offers office, restaurant and cleaning supplies at a discounted price. If you’re running low on cleaner at home and can’t find anything in store, this could be a great alternative to stock up.
7. 6% cash back on Entirely Pets orders
   Entirely Pets allows you to order non-prescription pet medications and other pet supplies online. There’s no reason to take an unnecessary trip to the store when you could just order it to your door.
8. 15% cash back on KiwiCo subscriptions and 10% cash back on orders
   Many parents are now both working from home while also taking care of young kids. It can be hard, we get it. KiwiCo is a craft subscription box for kids created by a mom. This could be a fun activity to keep the kids busy so mom and dad can get some work done.
9. 10% cash back on Dollar Shave Club orders
   Maybe you’re embracing no shave March through who knows when, but if you’re someone who prefers to stay clean shaven then you may want to take advantage of this discounted Dollar Shave Club offer.
10. 10% cash back on Book Outlet orders
    Have a book or a few that you’ve been wanting to read but just haven’t had the time? Well, now’s your chance. Order all those books you’ve been wanting to read and get 10% off.

Which credit card to use

Maximize your spend even more by using a credit card that rewards you. Here are some of our top picks for cash back:

• Citi® Double Cash Card: Earns 2% cash back on all purchases (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay)
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: Earns 1.5% cash back on purchases, but can be transferred as 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points when paired with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: Earns 2x miles on all purchases  

Featured photo by vgajic/Getty Images.