
Today we’re going to take a look at an application called Paribus to answer the question, “Is Paribus a Scam?”.
If you are curious about this product but you’re looking for more information before you take the plunge, continue reading this article.
In this review you’ll find out what to expect from this platform
Paribus Review
Product Name: Paribus
Product Type: Online Retailer Cash Back Application
Price: Free, but requires a credit card (see reason below).
Best For: Nobody in my opinion.
Rating: 50/100
Summary: Cash back apps like Paribus are fine for saving a little extra money from past or future purchases. The reality is that apps like Paribus encourage people to spend more money than they save. So it depends on how you use it. There’s also a personal privacy concern that I don’t feel makes the app worth it.
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What is Paribus?
To start off, Paribus is a cashback application.
The way it works is a little different than traditional cash-back opportunities.
For one, it scans your email inbox to find better deals on items you regularly purchase.
One of the core features of Paribus is it lets members know when various online stores owe them a refund.
How Paribus Works:
You buy something online and receive an electronic receipt.
Paribus records the receipt and scans other stores or the same store for better deals.
Another similar app is called ReceiptPal, you earn points for scanning receipts and you can redeem them for gift cards.
When a better deal is found, you receive a notification.
Paribus scans most major retail stores such as: Amazon, Old Navy, Nord Storm, Walmart, Target, and more.
The app also scans for potential owed compensation.
For example, if a delivery from Amazon is late, sometimes you can be entitled to a refund.
In short, instead of chasing down retailers to demand a refund, this app does it for you.
I think it’s cool how this app scans for different ways to save money on items you buy online.
But there are some issues you should know about, such as privacy invasion.
Privacy Concerns with Using Paribus:
Since Paribus requires email privileges (read and write) a lot of people are worried about the app reading other emails on their account.
This is a valid concern.
According to Paribus, the app does not scan every email on your account.
Rather, it scans for transaction emails only, such as receipts.
So if you buy something from Amazon and receive a payment confirmed in your inbox, Paribus can see that.
On the other hand, if you’re writing a personal email to a friend, Paribus won’t see that.
It’s a little tricky to figure out which emails that app can or cannot read.
Generally, I don’t like the idea of giving an application control of my email inbox.
I have a lot of important stuff in there!
Speaking of email, the company only supports email providers from three companies: Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo.
You can’t create an account unless you have an email address with one of the above providers.
Honestly, this is a decent trick to cut back on the amount of spam the company receives.
How Much Does Paribus Cost?
Paribus is free.
But there’s a catch.
You have to add your credit card details to your user account.
Though the service is free, they require your credit card because they take a fee out of the deals you find.
The fee is 25% for most refunds.
For example, if the app finds a deal that is $100 cheaper than regular price, and you bought it, Paribus will take $25 and you’ll get the rest.
It takes the funds directly out of your credit card, after you make the purchase.
Paribus Up-Sides:
One thing I liked about this company is the payments are instant and there are no minimum pay outs.
The reason it works like this is because Paribus doesn’t actually handle payments.
It’s more like a negotiator between you and the company that may owe you cash.
So the online stores don’t pay Paribus – the only stores pay you – and then Paribus takes money out of your account.
Honestly, the system is interesting and relatively hassle-free.
I also like how the platform works with most major online stores, and it can find a decent amount of deals.
Paribus Downsides:
Credit card and email access are the main issues.
But there are other ones too, such as the lack of deals for people who don’t live in United States.
As you probably noticed, the supported stores are all based in United States.
If you don’t live in the United States, the platform is pretty much useless because it won’t find you any decent deals.
Another downside is their late delivery refund feature.
They claim you can request a refund on items that are late to arrive.
Except, with Amazon, most orders arrive on time, if not earlier than the estimated shipping date.
And if you order locally, Amazon usually offers free shipping so there’s no way to get a refund.
So if you regularly shop with Amazon it will be rare to receive a refund.
It also only works for online purchases.
You can’t walk into the store and ask for the deal.
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Conclusion on Paribus:
Paribus is a decent application and it can help find you a better deal.
But is it worth it? Can’t you find good deals by yourself with a bit of research?
It depends. Personally, I don’t recommend it.
I don’t really like the idea of cash-back opportunities.
It’s like they want you to spend money to receive a little bit back.
If you’re tight on cash, the best thing that you can do is to not spend it.
Figure out how to earn more.
One way to do that is to by offering a service online or building an online business.
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And now back to the subject:
Is Paribus a Scam?
So to answer the original question, “Is Paribus a Scam?” the answer is:
No. It’s not a scam.
But it won’t earn you much cash either.
The privacy concerns turned me off the most.
Nevertheless you can try it if you want, but we don’t recommend it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this Paribus review. Leave a comment if you have any questions!
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You bet Eric, thanks for your take on Paribus, much appreciated.
While I was reading your review on Paribus I was starting to really like the idea of getting money back on purchases that you are going to buy anyway. But then you laid out your cons and I like you saw some red flags. First of all I don’t like the idea of giving anyone access to my emails and second of all I live in Canada and it sounds like it’s not something that will work here.
Funny how you get excited about a cool way to save money and then a great review like this provides all the research for you and shows you it really isn’t so cool. Good job.
Thanks Coralie, glad it helped out! Cheers
Hello again, Todd.
Enjoyed reading this review. I have seen a lot of those “Shop and get money back Apps” but I really haven’t tried using them.
The idea is very appealing to a lot of people hence their popularity but when I read your comment “The reality is that apps like Paribus encourage people to spend more money than they save” it made me think, Yeah, that’s totally correct. You can’t get money back unless you spend it first and, in the end, you may save a little but you never get ahead.
The human mind is easily tricked into thinking that things like this are going to make them a lot of cashback. They make it look like you just have to have it. You know what I mean?
This one, you say, is for online shopping only? I do shop online occasionally but I don’t purchase a lot and even though there are a lot of sales online, I’m guessing the average person might make 5 maybe 10 purchases online? Could I be wrong about that?
If this is the case, then I would have to agree with you that this isn’t worth using if one wants to make money online.
Makes me glad I haven’t gotten sucked into this stuff.
You know, I’m betting this could be addicting to some people and get them into a lot of financial trouble. What do you think? I don’t like that credit card business either. Too scary, not for me.
Wayne
Hey Wayne that’s some great feedback on using a service like Paribus and some wise observations about human nature. People do get tricked into these type of products and some people do end up spending more money than they should. But you’re not going to be making any money online with this program.
As for shopping online, I think you might be a little bit off. The trend is constantly on the rise to buy more daily products online. Just think of Amazon and how easy it is to get most anything that you buy on a regular basis delivered to you and in many cases it’s less expensive. Other times it’s just the convenience of ordering things online and have it come directly to your door versus going out and fighting with the crowds and dealing with traffic.
Either way, online business is here to stay and if you want to take advantage of it and start making money online versus spending it, I’d encourage you to take my free internet marketing training course.
Thanks and take care,
Todd
Hi Todd! I had read a good review about Paribus and yet decided to continue searching for more reviews about it. I’m glad I came across your site.
Thank you for pointing out your concerns in relationship to giving an app control over our inbox. I know they state they won’t touch our other emails, but once access is given, anything could happen. I think I rather play safe.
Right on Henry and thanks for your feedback.
Even tough they are legit and the service they provide is free, I’m just not comfortable with giving full access to my email to people I don’t really know.
Our email address contains a lot of important and valuable information, as well as private conversations. Giving others full access to it is like giving them the key to my room, complete with keys to my drawers as well.
Thanks for the honest review.
You bet Jordon. Thanks for your feedback on Paribus and it’s a common concern that should be considered with any similar types of programs.
Cheers
Hi Todd
I have never heard of the product Paribus before. What I like about your article is that you give a lot of information for the reader to make a choice to purchase or not.
The company wanting my email and credit card information would be a deal breaker for me. That seems too intrusive. I appreciate the honest information on this company. Thanks
All the best
Eric