Shopping is one of the things in life that we simply can’t
avoid. We shop for groceries, health and beauty products, and many other things
on a daily basis. With all of this shopping, one thing is guaranteed – you’ll
be spending a lot of money. And unless you are not a millionaire, you’ll want
to spend the least possible amount and save as much as you can. That’s where
rebate apps kick in.
Rebate apps (also known as coupon apps and grocery apps)
help you get some of the money back while shopping. They partner up with brands
to offer its members cash back offers for a particular product. The cash for
redeemed offers is paid by the brand who hopes to turn us (grocery apps users)
into their loyal and regular customers.
In other words, these money savings apps pay you for
purchasing a specific product at a specific store. And since most of them have
offers for everyday items you buy on a daily or weekly basis, such as milk,
yogurt and toothpaste, so it would be a wise decision to start using rebate
apps and save some money.
How Rebate Apps Work
As we already said, rebate apps get you some of your money
back if you purchase certain items offered by the app. These money-saving apps
enable you to instantly get credit for completing purchases and keeping track
of your receipt. Once you accumulate enough money you are able to get it via
PayPal, gift cards and some other methods (depending on the app). In addition, most of the grocery apps will stack with
in-store sales and coupons. Therefore, by doing a proper research and being
smart, you can get some items for free.
So how to start using rebate apps?
First of all, you need to own a smartphone that is
compatible with the app. The actual requirements will depend on the chosen app,
but most coupon apps will require: iPod touch 3rd generation, iPad 2, iPhone
3GS, iOS 5.0 and Android 2.2 or any other newer version.
Next, you’ll have to register/download the app from the
online store. Most grocery apps are free and work on both Android and iOS. Once you have logged into your account, you’ll look for
offers and find an item that you would like to purchase. Then you’ll find the
nearby store that has partnered up with the app (you can find this information
on the website or the app) and go shopping.
When you find that exact product in the store, you’ll have
to scan the barcode (in most cases) to validate that the offer matches the
product you have chosen. Next, you’ll have to send a picture of the receipt
(from top to bottom) to confirm the offer, and within a specific time frame
(this varies from app to app), you’ll see money on your credit balance. When you accumulate a certain amount you’ll be able to get
that money. Some grocery apps require collecting a specific amount (anywhere
from $5-$20), while other coupon apps enable you to get the money as soon as
your balance changes.
Best Grocery Apps
Many rebate apps promise cash back on everything you buy.
However, some of them are just too complicated, have bad offers or simply
require too much work to get a single rebate. Therefore, we decided to share with you the best coupon apps
that are worthy of your time and effort.
1. Ibotta
Ibotta is probably the most popular rebate app and is widely
famous for its wide range of items that aren’t brand-specific. Available on
Android and iOS, this free smartphone app offers cash back and rebates for
grocery stores, retailers, restaurants & fast food, pharmacies, clothing,
alcohol, beauty & wellness and
convenience stores. The number of Ibotta partners increases on a daily basis, so
chances are that all the stores you currently visit are Ibotta partners and you
can use them to get cash back.
Important things to know about Ibotta:
- Once you find the item on the app, you’ll have to do a few simple tasks to unlock the cash-back option. The tasks are simple and can be done within a minute.
- There are two ways to complete the offer: scan the barcode and take a picture of the receipt or use the retailer loyalty card.
- There is a minimum $5 cash out amount.
- Most offers come with an expiration date (usually 7 days once you validated your purchase).
- New offers appear between Wednesday and Friday every week, so it’s best to check the app on Thursday morning.
- You can transfer your Ibotta credit to PayPal or Venmo, or convert it into a gift card.
- There are a couple of ways to increase your Ibotta earnings: refer friends, build a team, complete bonuses and combine offers with coupons.
- You won’t be able to do bulk shopping (the offers are usually for 1 item only).
With all of this being said, Ibotta is probably the best
rebate app on the market, which is the reason we even dedicated an entire
article to this app. So if you would like to know more about Ibotta, click
HERE.
2. Checkout 51
Similar to Ibotta, Checkout 51 is a free smartphone app that
partners with brands to offer its members cash back offers on particular items. All you need to do is sign up by entering your name, email
address and password. You can download the app to your smartphone (free for iOS
and Android), but that’s not mandatory as you can use Checkout 51 via your
computer. However, we recommend downloading the app as well. What separates Checkout 51 from most money grocery apps is
the chance to redeem some offers up to 5 times.
Important things to know about Checkout 51:
- New offers are updated on Thursday at 12 am in each time zone and expire the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm. Therefore, make sure to submit the receipt before the deadline.
- All offers are available in limited quantities so make sure to check whether the offer is still available before shopping. Once you purchase the item, upload the receipt immediately.
- The submitted receipts must be in English.
- You can redeem some offers more than once (up to 5 times).
- You can use Checkout 51 rebate offers along with coupons and other discounts.
- Once you have uploaded the receipt, it takes up to 48 hours to get credit for the purchase.
- There is a minimum $20 cash out amount. Once you reach it, you can ask for your money and Checkout 51 will send a check to your address.
- All products must be purchased in your country of registration. Checkout 51 currently supports Canada (excluding Quebec) and the United States.
Overall, Checkout 51 is definitely one of the best coupon
apps on the market that can save you a lot of money. Just make sure to always
double check to make sure that the offer is still available before purchasing
the item.
3. mobiSave
Started as an app for iPhone users only, mobiSave soon
expanded to include Android phones as well. It is the most user-friendly app,
very similar to the above mentioned rebate apps. What separates mobiSave from the crowd is the fact that it
works in any store that provides itemized receipt. You just have to add the
items you would like to purchase at the store to your “cart” before you check
out. The only issue with mobiSave is that it offers less rebate
money compared to Ibotta and Checkout 51. You can even find the same offers
with better value on these two apps from time to time.
Important things to know about mobiSave:
- New offers are updated regularly and there will be overlaps with other coupon apps.
- There is no minimum cash out amount, so you get your money as soon as the rebate is approved. The money is automatically sent to your PayPal account.
- You can purchase items at any store and claim your rebate.
- mobiSave mostly offers name-brand rebates.
- It has a limited range of offers (compared to Ibotta).
To conclude, mobiSave is definitely an amazing app that will
only grow in the future. We assume they’ll expand their offers soon and become
one of the biggest names in the industry.
4. BerryCart
BerryCart is a unique rebate app that offers rebates for
organic, gluten-free or non-GMO foods. Their goal is to convince people to buy
healthier products. Free for both iOS and Android users, BerryCart is a must
have app for people who prefer organic and healthy food. It works the same as the coupon apps mentioned above, but it
doesn’t matter where you make your purchase because the app works in all
stores. However, as the products are unique, the store selection is a bit
limited.
Important things to know about BerryCart:
- Cash back offers vary from 50 cents to a few dollars (depending on an item).
- To unlock the offer, you’ll have to do a few easy tasks (read short & fun facts or testimonials and complete a short fun quiz), which will take less than a minute of your time. And if you are into healthy living, you’ll enjoy doing these tasks.
- The offers for organic, non-GMO and natural foods rarely change (so you can go shopping and save money every day of the week).
There is a minimum $5 cash out amount, and the app is linked
to PayPal.
BerryCart is definitely something that health enthusiasts
will prefer and it works great together with other grocery apps.
5. Shrink
Shrink is another useful app that helps save money while
shopping. Similar to all the above mentioned coupons apps, you purchase an
item, scan the barcode and take a picture of the receipt.
Important things to know about Shrink:
- Shrink is available for both Android and iOS users.
- After you scan the recipe of the product, Shrink automatically tells you what offers and deals you qualified for. So in addition to cash back, you can also get gift cards, coupons, buy one get one free deals, etc.
- There is a minimum $20 cash out amount and the app supports both PayPal and Venmo. You can also expect gift cards in the near future.
- Shrink has a wide range of organic food offers.
Overall, Shrink is a good rebate app, but far from the best.
You should use it combined with some other grocery apps to get the best offers
and earn the most money.
6. Shopmium
The last rebate app on our list is Shopmium. Although it
started as an independent app, in late 2015, Shopmium was purchased by
Coupons.com. It is the only rebate app that doesn’t allow stacking
coupons with rebate offers. Apart from that, Shopmium doesn’t accept receipts
from stores that don’t itemize coupons on the receipt, which limits users in
terms of the stores where they can claim rebates.
Important things to know about Shopmium:
- There is no minimum cash out amount.
- Rebate payments are automatically sent to your PayPal account (within 24 hours).
- Shopmium doesn’t support coupons and will accept only stores that itemize coupons on the receipt.
- They have a limited number of offers (significantly less than Ibotta and Checkout 51).
Shopmium has some limitation which is the reason most people
opt for other rebate apps. However, you can still find great deals, so it’s
definitely worth having it on your device and looking for good money-saving
offers.
Takeaway Notes
Rebate apps are a great way to save some money while
shopping. In order to maximize your cash back and save the most money,
you should use all of these grocery apps and stack offers. For example, if you
want to buy milk, you can look for milk offers on every single app, purchase
milk and use the receipt for all apps that have that offer. Simply put – you can use the cash back option for one milk
on different coupon apps, which means that you can even earn money while
shopping. You just have to do a proper research and take advantage of this
amazing opportunity that not many people are familiar with.
This post originally appeared on the Dealspotr blog. Dealspotr is the most accurate coupon site that pays you to save. I'm @MECC on Dealspotr, use my link to join today and earn 5,000 bonus points.
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