Is Giving Assistant a scam? It’s that time of the month again, almost a week had passed after payday, and now we’re all broke again. Money sure does escape from our grasp very quickly.

You wanted to go and splurge a little to go shopping, but you are on a very limited resource on cash. What if I tell you that you can go shopping, while also receiving money at the same time. Say what? I know, crazy, right?!

Well, you better start believing in the crazy now because Giving Assistant says so. This website claims to give the opportunity for online shoppers to shop without the guilt and earn some extra cash while you’re at it. It’s not just that, you are also given the option to shop not just for yourself but also for the sake of others in need. How awesome is that?

With such a beautiful opportunity, it is almost hard to believe that it is true. Is that really possible? Or is Giving Assistant just another sugar-coated scam?

In this post, I will cover all about how Giving Assistant works, and most importantly if it's a legitimate program to sign up for.

What Is Giving Assistant?

Giving Assistant is a website that allows its members to shop through its online shopping portal while also having the opportunity to receive or donate money. It also gives you the chance to receive coupon codes and other good deals.

This website has partnered with over 3000+ stores worldwide that offer cashback to customers. With such a wide array of stores, you will never run out of options to choose from. Some stores included in this cashback movement are Walmart, Target, Nancy’s, American Eagle, Ali Express, Club Monaco, DKNY, Macy’s, Home Depot, HP, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, and many more.

Giving Assistant is a not a non-profit organization, meaning that a part of the commission they earn from the merchants still add up to their revenue. However, the main goal, mission, and purpose of this cashback program is to raise $17 million across the United States by 2020 in the hopes of distributing this amount among different non-profit charity organizations.

As of now, they have raised over $250,000 and donated it to Zidisha, a lending platform for business aspirers and entrepreneurs across third world countries. This is Giving Assistant’s biggest donation to date.

• Giving Assistant is a certified B corporation. This means that their company has gone through a rigorous process for them to be certified that they have a good impact on the environment. Take note that only a small number of companies are B certified, implying that Giving Assistant is a prestigious company.

Giving Assistant’s mechanisms are the same as what you would call an affiliate. When you decide to shop through Giving Assistant’s online shopping portal, Giving Assistant receives 50% of the commission. The other 50% is given to you. Here, you have the option to donate it to charity through non-profit organizations. If you are not interested in that, you can take that money for yourself in the form of a cashback.

Saving And Donating With Giving Assistant

Before we get to the cashback and donation part, you first have to be a member of Giving Assistant. This is relatively easy and fast. All you have to do is sign up either with an email address or if you want things to get easier, you can choose to log in with a Facebook account.

That’s all it takes to get started!

It is also free to be a member of Giving Assistant. You do not have to worry about any unnecessary sign up fees or annoying reoccurring fees all throughout your usage of this cashback program.

Another thing to take note of is that you should clear your browser cookies cache before shopping. This is because a cookie from another website may interfere or collide with the cookies of Giving Assistant’s. It’s problematic because if this happens, you may not receive your cashback at all.

Now that you are all prepped, you can now shop through Giving Assistant’s online shopping portal. You can choose from their list of participating stores, or search your favorite store in hopes that they are a participating store in this cashback movement.

When you have chosen a store to shop with, you will be redirected to the merchant’s website. Before you get redirected, you will first see a pop up indicating that the cashback is indeed activated.

Take note that not all cashback values are the same. The cashback percentage depends on the merchant. For example, Target’s cashback percentage is only 1.7%. Walmart, on the other hand, has a cashback percentage of 4%.

Many customers complain that they are unable to receive their “cashback”, having them scratching their heads. Here’s the thing. Different merchants have different terms and conditions. Yeah, it also shocks me that you have to read those things at all. In the case of Giving Assistant, it is crucial and one of the most important things to note in the process.

Apparently, the prints that will be presented to you hold information regarding your cashback. Like for example, with Walmart, you can’t have cashbacks on iPhones, on gift cards, phone cards, Sam’s Club purchases, financial services, pharmacy, bookings, tires, optical and internet service. Also, when it comes to Walmart, one statement had me blinking twice because I wasn’t sure if I was reading it right. Walmart’s terms and conditions dictate that your earnings will not be redirected to charity, but all of it will be your cashback.

I know that isn’t much of a problem, because who am I kidding? Who does not want a cashback? But, Giving Assistant’s purpose for existing is to give customers the option to receive their money in a form of cashback or to donate it to charity. It does not add up in my head why Walmart does not allow that.

But then again, the terms and conditions differ per company. Other companies allow donating to charity, and others do not have much restrictions. The bottom line, always read important prints.

If you want your money to be for a good cause, you can donate your cashback to any nonprofit organization of your choice. Some of the nonprofit organizations participating with Giving Assistant are Team Rubicon, Pencils Promise, and many more. You can also indicate how much percentage of your cashback you want to donate. This way, everybody can benefit.

Giving Assistant also offers you other ways to save or earn some extra cash.

One of this is the referral program. For every friend you refer, you will be rewarded with $5. That’s not so bad!

Another treat Giving Assistant has for you are the coupon codes. Right after you are redirected to the website of the merchant, you are lead to a page indicating a list of all the coupon codes and other deals that will help you save more money.

You can cash out your cashback as long as your account has a balance of at least $5.99. If not, well, that just means you would have to hustle more and shop more.

You can have further information regarding the Giving Assistant by watching the video below.

Giving Assistant Browser Extension

If you want to maximize more of Giving Assistant’s savings, you can download their browser extension from their website by clicking ‘Button’ on one of its tabs.

Installing and downloading this extension only takes a few minutes. This extension can be downloaded for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

This browser extension works its magic when you are shopping online, Giving Assistant pops up and tells you that the store is a participant, and also indicates if you can receive a cashback and how much you can get.

You can also know if there is a cashback opportunity when you are searching for a product on Google, and the logo appears on the title. Sounds convenient, doesn’t it?

Giving Assistant Complaints

Although Giving Assistant is A+ accredited on Better Business Bureau (BBB) which indicates that they are indeed legitimate, there are still complaints from grumpy and unsatisfied customers.

Where’s My Cashback?

Some customers complained that their purchases are not eligible for cashback. This issue can actually be avoided if people read the terms and conditions presented to them in the fine print. These prints hold valuable and important information regarding your cashback. There you will see restrictions on your cashback. Through this, you wouldn’t be surprised with any unexpected happenings on your next purchase with Giving Assistant.

What’s Taking So Long?

Merchants involved in cashback programs take a long time to verify your purchase. This is so that the merchant will not be conned or scammed. Because of this, your cashback will take a long time to be credited. In causation, it will take months for you to receive your cashback. Bummer!

Not For Reselling Purposes

If you buy an item with a quantity of, let’s say 20, your account will be flagged. Giving Assistant will detect that you might be buying the item so that you can resell at a higher price. This is not parallel to the rules and regulations of the company.

What Makes Giving Assistant Awesome

Free To Join

You don’t even need to pay for a membership fee in order to be a member of Giving Assistant. There are not even reoccurring fees you have to worry about. All you have to do is sign up with an email address or log in with a Facebook account, and then you’re all set up. Even the browser extension which will enable you to maximize your money is free. All it takes is a simple download. Although the upgrade costs at least $5.99, this is still optional

Makes Saving A Piece Of Cake

Who would have thought that you could shop and earn money at the same time? Well, you better believe it. Different stores offer you different cashback rates. You could choose a store with a high cashback rate so that you can maximize your shopping experience with Shopping Assistant. For another thing, you can also gain $5 for each friend you refer to Giving Assistant. Cool!

Business For A Cause

It’s nice that Giving Assistant just not focuses on earning money for themselves. The commission they receive gets cut in half. Half goes to them and the other half goes to you. It is your choice whether you will receive your cash back or donate for the better good of others.

Options Everywhere

With over 3000+ participating stores offering you cashback, you will never get bored nor run out of options. All of these stores can cover all your needs from appliances, beauty care, electronics, and many more.

Is Giving Assistant a Scam? No, however, I think what’s more amazing than saving money is actually making money online. Sure you can go shopping all you want and earn some cash, but nothing beats a sustainable and profitable way of making money online, Check out my number 1 recommendation!

If you have any question, comment or even if you want to add something to my Giving Assistant review, leave me a comment down bellow, Cheers.