Rationally it is against dealing guidelines and actually, it is difficult to generate lot through refund applications. Because investors who can breakeven will always aim for benefit instead of refund and thus earlier or later will be able to create much more than small refund quantity. Newbies also aim for productivity in currency dealing but those who aim for refund will never generate more than they reduce and gradually their consideration will be blown

I think if people understood where brokers get the rebate from, they would stop chasing them. 

A rebate is money that you paid them in the first place. A broker uses rebates to promote to newbies who dont understand and are chasing the bonus money. 99% of the rebate offers come from Market Makers. 

So, lets put this together 

Market Maker offers you a rebate but charges you an inflated spread, and slips you some each way. 

or you can go with a ECN ( an actual ECN, not just someone who claims to be an ECN but everything screams bucketshop) where you can get better spreads and execution, and save yourself the rebated amount and more. 

Gee this is a really hard decision..... what to do?