12 Best Cash Back Apps for Shopping, Saving, and Rewards
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Do you want to save money, earn cash back, and get rewarded for shopping online? Cash back apps can help.
The best cash back shopping apps are user-friendly, legitimate rewards platforms that can help you get great deals and earn cash back while you shop. They are simple to use and free to join.
Here’s how they typically work: Download an app or browser extension, click through their link to visit your favorite store’s website, and earn cash back or points for shopping at partner retailers. Once you accumulate a certain amount, simply redeem your rewards for cash or a gift card.
Ready to learn more? These are the 12 best cash back shopping apps to add to your arsenal. And they’re all free.
1. Rakuten
Want to earn up to 30% cash back at more than 750 stores? Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) delivers.
Join for free and start earning cash back when you shop at your favorite online retailers through the Rakuten online portal. To clarify, we aren’t talking about tiny percentages here. Sometimes you’ll see offers for 10% cash back or even higher.
If you want to streamline things, you can skip the portal by downloading the Rakuten button. When you shop at a partner retailer, the button pops up in your browser and prompts you to activate the cash back offer with a click. It couldn’t be simpler! You can even earn cash back when you shop in-store by linking a credit card to your Rakuten account. These two options require no effort beyond the initial sign up.
You’ll be paid real cash once a quarter through check or PayPal as long as you’ve racked up at least $5.01. Otherwise, your balance will be rolled over and combined with the next quarter’s payment.
Join Rakuten for free today and get a $10 welcome bonus when you spend $25.
Get Started with Rakuten | Read our Rakuten Review
2. Ibotta
Ibotta is more than just the best cash back app for groceries; they actually partner with more than 1,500 retailers to offer real cash rewards in almost every category. It’s available as a free mobile app and browser extension and supports online and in-store shopping.
To get paid for in-store shopping, start by checking the app for cash back offers at that particular store. Add the ones you like, and shop as usual. Take a picture of your receipt and upload it to the app within seven days of purchase to get paid.
Hot Tip: If you enable it, Ibotta will notify you when you’re nearby a retailer with cash back offers. That way, you won’t forget to claim your cash.
You can also link certain loyalty program accounts to Ibotta, allowing you to automatically take advantage of cash back offers when you shop using those loyalty accounts.
Earn cash back when you shop online through the Ibotta app on your phone. On your computer, simply add the Ibotta browser extension and get notified when an offer is available and activate it with just one click.
Join Ibotta for free and earn a $5 welcome bonus when you use our link below and complete the qualifying steps.
Get Started with Ibotta | Read Our Ibotta Review
3. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping (formerly WikiBuy) is a powerful, free browser tool that saves you time and money through automation in three different ways.
When you shop online, it automatically compares prices across sites. If there’s a better deal to be had, Capital One Shopping will find it. You’ll also earn rewards on purchases at partner retailers. These Capital One Shopping credits are redeemable for gift cards for dozens of popular stores.
Okay, that’s two ways, but the third is my favorite. How many hours of your life have you wasted searching for and testing coupon codes that weren’t even valid? That ends now.
Capital One Shopping instantly finds and applies coupon codes that actually work. Simply install the tool and start saving today!
Get Started Here | Read our Capital One Shopping Review
4. Drop
Want automatic rewards when you shop, order food, and book travel? There’s an app for that! It’s called Drop, and like all the best cash back apps featured on this list, it’s free.
You can earn points on purchases in two ways. The main way is to start your online shopping in the Drop app. The other way is to link your debit and credit cards to your Drop account so you earn points when shopping at select retailers.
You’ll also need a linked card to take advantage of special time limited Flash Deals. (Hot Tip: Enable push notifications so you don’t miss a Flash Deal.)
Points are redeemable for gift cards for Amazon, Walmart, Netflix, and more. Every 1,000 points is worth $1, and you can cash out once you hit 25,000 points.
5. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is known as one of the best paid survey sites, but the rewards don’t end there.
In addition to watching videos, browsing the web and answering surveys, Swagbucks members earn SB points and access special coupons and deals when they shop online at partner retailers. There are more than 1,500 of them, including Amazon. Earn extra SB points when you sign up for exclusive offers through the app or website.
Points are redeemable for PayPal credit or gift cards from a large selection of retailers. You can cash out with as little as $3, so you don’t have to wait long. Additionally, gift cards sometimes go “on sale” for up to 25% less SB points – so be on the lookout for that.
Get Started with Swagbucks | Read our Swagbucks Review
6. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is a versatile cash back app that rewards users with points on every shopping or dining purchase — it’s great for groceries.
For in-store shopping, simply snap a picture of your receipt and upload it to the app. For online shopping, you’ll want to link your email and Amazon accounts in the app and then upload your electronic receipts for credit. Your points are good for free gift cards, which never go astray.
Hot Tip: You can use Fetch Rewards in conjunction with another cash back shopping app. For example, link your credit card to your Rakuten account to earn cash back for in-store shopping. Then upload a picture of the receipt to Fetch Rewards and get points there, too. This works as long as the store is a partner of both programs.
Get Started with Fetch Rewards | Read our Fetch Rewards Review
7. Honey
Like Capital One Shopping, Honey saves you time and money by automatically finding coupon codes on more than 30,000 sites. All you have to do is sign up for free and install Honey on your desktop.
When you shop, Honey will search all available coupon codes and apply the best one to your cart. Never miss a deal again!
Although most famous for finding coupon codes, Honey also has a rewards program called Honey Gold. When you shop at one of the 4,500+ partner sites, you’ll automatically earn “Gold”. Once you have 900 Gold, you can redeem it for a gift card of your choice. Reward rates range from 0.1% up to a whopping 20%, but either way, that’s free money in your pocket.
8. Dosh
Dosh users earn straight cash when they dine, shop, or book hotels with a linked card or payment platform (like Venmo or Jelli). Once you’ve earned $25, you can cash out and transfer your funds to your bank, Paypal, or Venmo. Feeling generous? You can donate to charity through Dosh, too.
Dosh is great for users who don’t want to bother with shopping portals, receipts, or gift cards. Just link your cards and earn real money.
And if you don’t mind uploading a receipt, pair Dosh with Fetch Rewards or Ibotta and double up!
>>Related: 103 Ways to Make Extra Money
9. Checkout 51
If you’re looking for a way to save on gas and groceries, Checkout 51 is it. It’s a free app that offers weekly cash back offers. Some of the offers are for a select retailer, but many are product specific, so it doesn’t matter where you shop.
Offers come out on Thursdays and expire the following Wednesday. To get the deal, just buy an item with an active offer and upload your receipt during that seven-day window. Some offers have limited quantities, so it’s best to upload your receipt immediately after purchase to avoid missing out.
Once you’ve earned $20, you can cash out and get a check in the mail. Cha-ching!
10. Belly
Belly by Mobivity is a universal loyalty program service marketed to businesses. More than 8,500 retailers use Belly, and each has a tablet on site and a stack of loyalty cards. To sign up, grab a card, scan it on the tablet, and enter your email address. You can carry your card with you or download the free mobile app and use that instead.
The app has a cool feature that shows you nearby participating retailers. When you head to one, scan your card or app on the tablet and earn points on your purchase. When you’ve earned enough points, you can see and redeem deals available at each retailer when you scan your card or app.
Special offers called Belly Bites are available at select retailers for a limited time. Browse Belly Bites on the website or app, add them to your account, and visit the business in question to redeem within three days.
>>Related: 25 Best Money-Making Apps
11. Shopkick
Shopkick rewards members for shopping at partner retailers in-store and online. The rewards are called kicks, and Shopkick says the average member earns enough for a $10 gift card in just one week.
In addition to shopping, you can earn kicks by walking into certain stores, scanning select product barcodes in store, or lounging on your couch watching online videos. Yes, you read that right: You can earn kicks without spending any money!
There’s a tab in the app called Kicks Nearby that shows you the stores offering walk-in kicks and scanning kicks. To get the walk-in, all you have to do is, well, walk in. To get kicks for scanning, you have to find the item in question and scan its barcode through the app. There’s a limit on how many walk-in and scanning kicks you can earn per month, but still, it’s pretty neat!
For most rewards, 250 kicks is worth $1. They’re redeemable for gift cards or a PayPal credit.
12. MyPoints
MyPoints members earn points and score coupon codes when they shop at 2,000 retailers through the MyPoints site. That includes biggies like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy.
For those of us who will forget to shop through the site half the time, MyPoints has a free browser extension called Score. When you shop at a partner retailer, Score notifies you of point offers and coupon codes so you never miss out.
When it’s time to cash out, redeem your points for a wide selection of gift cards or a deposit to your PayPal account.
Join MyPoints for free and get a $10 welcome bonus (1,750 points) when you spend $20 or more at a partner merchant during your first 30 days of MyPoints membership.
Get Started with MyPoints | Read our MyPoints Review
Wrapping Up
There you have it, the 12 best cash back apps for shopping. I hope you download a few of these and start using them in tandem to earn and stack cash back rewards whenever you can.
Do you have a favorite cash back app that deserves a spot on the list? Let us know in the comments!
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