freeshipping.com

What is FreeShipping.com

FreeShipping.com is a membership-based online shopping rewards and rebate program. According to their website, members pay a monthly fee (currently around US $20/month) in exchange for benefits including:

  • 10% cash back when shopping through their affiliated online retailers. (Free Shipping)

  • Reimbursement of shipping and return-shipping fees up to certain caps. (Free Shipping)

  • Price-protection benefits (if an item you buy goes on sale later, you may submit a claim). (Free Shipping)

  • Access to coupons, food-delivery rebates, and cash back for in-store shopping by linking a card. (Free Shipping)

  • According to their site the program has been “trusted for 20+ years” and claims users can “save up to $3,000 a year” under certain usage scenarios. (Free Shipping)

Essentially: you pay a monthly subscription, you promise to use it through many retailers, and you hope the cash backs + shipping rebates exceed your cost.

How it works – step by step

  1. Join: You sign up for a monthly membership (e.g., $20/month). (Free Shipping)

  2. Shop through the service: On the FreeShipping.com site you search for a retailer you plan to use, click through their portal (“Shop Now”), and then complete your purchase at that retailer. That’s how they track your purchase for the 10% cash back. (Free Shipping)

  3. Cash back & rebates accrue:

    • The 10% cash back is credited to your “Savings Center” when the purchase is validated. (Free Shipping)

    • If you pay shipping/return-shipping charges, you can submit a “shipping rebate” claim (up to specific annual limits, e.g., up to $500 in shipping and $500 in return shipping per year) according to their site. (Free Shipping)

    • If the item later goes on sale within 90 days (for example), you can submit a “price difference” claim (up to $100 per rebate, up to $1,000 annually). (Free Shipping)

  4. Monthly payout: They state they pay out the cash back and rebates from the prior month each month. (Free Shipping)

  5. Cancel anytime: They claim you can cancel your membership at any time. Also, a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered for first month. (Trustpilot)

Strengths / What works well

  • If you shop online a lot and frequently buy from the retailers affiliated with FreeShipping.com, the 10% cash back is substantial compared to many typical cashback sites (which often offer 1-5%). Some members claim they earn far more back than they pay in membership fees. (See reviews later.)

  • The shipping/return-shipping rebate feature adds value especially if you buy items with high shipping costs or frequently return items.

  • The price-protection feature is a nice bonus that many simpler cash-back programs don’t offer.

  • The model is transparent in principle: you know what you pay (membership fee), you have defined benefits (cash back, rebates), the requirement is to click through their portal.

Weaknesses / What to watch out for

  • The membership cost (US $20/month) means you must use it enough for it to pay off. If you only shop occasionally, you likely won’t recoup the membership cost. Reviews reflect this. (Trustpilot)

  • Many reviews report difficulty qualifying for the 10% cash back (missing clicks, purchases not tracked, needing to follow up). For example from Reddit:

    “According to Sitejabber, FreeShipping has a consumer rating of 1.73 stars from 667 reviews … Consumers complaining … about credit card, customer service and monthly fee problems.” (Reddit)

  • Some users say the automatic renewal and membership model were not clearly communicated at the time of signup (leading to unexpected charges). (Trustpilot)

  • Some users say the shipping rebate maximums or requirements make it harder to actually claim what you expect (e.g., if shipping was free, you can’t claim a rebate). (Trustpilot)

  • The business is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), though it is listed. (BBB)

Is it worth it? Key considerations

Whether FreeShipping.com is worth it depends heavily on your usage pattern. Here are key questions to ask:

  • How often do you shop online (and at the affiliated retailers)? If it's only a couple of times a month, the membership fee may outweigh the benefits.

  • Do you pay for shipping or return shipping on those purchases? If you regularly pay shipping and returns, the rebate part becomes more valuable. But if most of your purchases are free shipping already, that benefit drops.

  • Are your purchases large enough to make the 10% cash back meaningful? For example, a $100 purchase gives you $10 cash back — but if you’re only doing small buys, it might not justify $20/month.

  • Will you reliably remember to click through the portal, track purchases, submit claims when needed? The system requires some bookkeeping on your part.

  • Are you comfortable with a recurring monthly subscription (and remembering to cancel if you stop using it)?

  • Are the retailers you already use included in their network of “1000+ top retailers”? If many of your preferred shops aren’t included, the benefit shrinks.

Example scenario

Imagine you shop online at several major retailers regularly, spend say US $300/month (US $3,600/year). With 10% cash back that’s potentially US $360/year in cash back. If you pay shipping/returns often and claim say US $200/year in shipping rebates, your total benefit could be US $560/year. If you pay US $20/month = US $240/year in membership, you net around US $320/year. That’s a win. But — if you only spend US $50/month online, without much shipping/returns, you might only get US $60 a year in benefit and you’d lose money.

User reviews & reputation

  • On Trustpilot (as of the date I looked), FreeShipping.com has around 3.4 stars out of 5 from 5,000+ reviews. Some users are very happy — longtime members say the savings far exceeded membership cost. (Trustpilot)

  • On the other hand, many negative reviews raise concerns about the tracking of purchases, automatic renewals, the value of shipping rebates not keeping pace with rising shipping costs. (Trustpilot)

  • Example from Reddit:

    “I unknowingly signed up for this … I will be refunded and my 'membership/subscription' ended.” (Reddit)

  • From the BBB profile: the company is NOT BBB accredited, and there are complaints about unexpected billing. (BBB)

Cancellation & hidden traps

  • Because this is a subscription service, you need to be aware of renewal. Some users say they were charged months of membership they didn’t intend to keep.

  • To cancel: As one tech-helper site says, you log into your FreeShipping.com account, go to “Help” → “Cancel Membership” (or contact customer service). (JustAnswer)

  • Make sure you have confirmation of cancellation and monitor your bank/credit statements to ensure no further charges.

  • One particular trap: sometimes the signup may be bundled or appear during checkout on another site, so you might not realize you enrolled in FreeShipping.com membership. Many complaints stem from that kind of confusion.

Final judgement

If I were to give a summary:

  • FreeShipping.com can offer real value — especially to frequent online shoppers who use many large retailers, pay for shipping/returns, and are disciplined about using the program correctly.

  • But it’s not a “set-and-forget” benefit for casual shoppers. If you don’t use it enough, or if tracking & claim submission becomes a hassle, you may end up paying more than you get.

  • Also: make sure you understand the membership cost, how you signed up, how to cancel, and keep track of your savings to make sure the service is delivering as promised.

  • If you’re considering signing up: calculate (estimate) your annual online shopping spend * that portion of that through their affiliated retailers * shipping/return costs separately * and compare to the membership cost. Only proceed if the estimated benefit has a comfortable margin above cost.

Key Takeaways

  • FreeShipping.com is a subscription-based cash-back + shipping/return rebate + price-protection service.

  • Membership cost is around US $20/month.

  • Benefits: 10% cash back, shipping/return shipping rebates, price protection, many retailers.

  • Requires active participation (click-through, claim submission, tracking).

  • Reviews are mixed: some highly satisfied long-time members, many complaints about tracking, billing, value.

  • Best for heavy, frequent online shoppers; less useful for casual shoppers.

  • Always check the fine-print: affiliated retailers list, limits on rebates, shipping conditions, cancellation policy.

FAQ

Q: Is FreeShipping.com free?
A: No — it’s a paid membership service (monthly fee). The name “FreeShipping.com” might imply “free shipping everywhere” but the model is that you pay the fee and in return you get benefits (cash back, rebates).

Q: Will it give me free shipping automatically on all orders?
A: Not exactly. It’s not that shipping becomes free everywhere. Rather, you get a rebate for shipping charges up to certain limits, and you earn cash back through purchases. If a retailer already offers free shipping or if you don’t pay shipping, the rebate benefit may not apply.

Q: What happens if I forget to click through the portal or submit claim?
A: If you don’t follow the required process (clicking through the FreeShipping.com portal, using the correct retailer link, submitting required documentation for rebates), you may lose out on the benefit for that purchase. Some user complaints centre on missing cash-back credit due to tracking issues.

Q: Can I cancel anytime?
A: Yes — you’re supposed to be able to cancel anytime and they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for the first month. But you must ensure you actually complete the cancellation process and verify you won’t be charged further.

Q: Will I definitely save money?
A: Not necessarily. It depends on how much you shop online, whether you use the affiliated retailers, how much shipping/returns you incur, and whether you use the program consistently. If you don’t do enough volume, you could end up losing money (membership cost > benefit).

Q: Is the company legit?
A: It appears to be a legitimate service — they have a business listing, are reviewed by users, operate a portal, etc. But “legit” doesn’t mean “automatically beneficial for everyone.” The mixed reviews suggest some users find the benefit harder to realize than the marketing might suggest.

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