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My favorite part of grocery shopping now is getting cash back from my purchases. Apps like Ibotta, Checkout51 and the like put money back in your hands, so why shop without them?
Try out some of the cash-back grocery apps I’ve covered below and see for yourself.
(Psst… be sure to download the KCL app to learn about even more ways you can save.)
1. Checkout51 will let you cash out when your balance reaches $20.
Checkout51 lets you choose from weekly offers with their partner retailers. When you select an offer and purchase it, you get cash back after uploading your receipt, right to your mailbox.
There’s always a ton of offers to choose from, so refer to our Checkout51 page if you need help finding the best deals.
Once you’ve reached $20 in your account balance, you can cash out, and Checkout51 will send you a physical check in the mail (check their terms for more details).
As for coupons, you can stack them with any in-app offers unless the offer’s conditions explicitly say you can’t. For example, right now you can earn $3 cash back for Duraflame outdoor firelogs, but the offer conditions says, “Cannot use this offer with any other print or in-app coupon or rebate.”
2. Get cash back after purchases with Ibotta.
Ibotta lets you select offers before purchasing them, too. You can link a loyalty card and automate the whole process, but you still need to select items beforehand per their updated policy.
It goes like this: After completing a purchase with your loyalty card, Ibotta automatically receives an electronic submission of your receipt and purchase info. But, Ibotta even says on their website that sometimes there can be errors and mistakes on the retailer’s receipt.
Also, what if you stumble across a cash-back offer in store that you didn’t anticipate wanting? According to Ibotta’s policy, if that offer isn’t claimed before purchase, you won’t get credit for it when you pay with a linked loyalty card since your receipts are forwarded to Ibotta automatically.
The automatic processing of your loyalty card purchases is convenient, but not a surefire way to get all the cash-back opportunities available. That said, it just doesn’t make sense to link up a loyalty card.
Here’s the best way to use Ibotta:
- Purchase your items (without linking a loyalty card)
- Get your paper receipt
- Add Ibotta cash-back offerings that match your receipt in the app
- Upload your receipt to Ibotta
With this method, you can shop with offers pre-selected and add more if you find them after checkout. When you’ve reached $20, you can cash out through PayPal, Venmo, or Ibotta Pay.
RELATED: Reasons to Stop Throwing Away Your Receipts
3. Save on online and in-store groceries with Rakuten Rebates.
Rakuten Ebates isn’t designed specifically for grocery shopping, but you can get deals like 1% back at Safeway when you order grocery delivery or curbside pickup.
Since the app also works as a Chrome extension, you can get money from any other qualifying online purchases, too. I’m talking up to $7 cash back when you order meals through Postmates or 1.5% when you shop at Wine.com.
Per their exclusions and limitations policy, Rakuten can’t guarantee that you’ll receive your cash back if you try to stack other promos and coupons with your purchase. It depends on the retailer’s policies as well, so it’s best to avoid adding promo codes and coupons if you want to ensure you get your reward.
Once you’ve racked up your savings enough, you can request a check by mail whenever you like. There’s no minimum saving threshold, which is also super convenient.
4. Get cash back from receipts or offers with SavingStar.
SavingStar lets you scan receipts for cash back or link up your loyalty cards to get cash back from offers. The app categorizes stores as either “Automatic-Savings Stores” or “Receipt-Scan Stores.”
Automatic-savings locations are retailers where you can add a loyalty card to automatically upload offers from your purchase so you can get cash back, but like Ibotta, you still have to select these offers before you pay.
If you want to avoid the hassle of uploading your receipt, that’s all well and good, but be sure to have your phone out as you shop to ensure you’re getting all the cash-back deals available.
When it comes to coupons, SavingStar doesn’t give a clear “yes” or “no.” To quote them loosely, in-store digital coupons may prevent you from earning a reward for the corresponding SavingStar rebate.
Once your balance hits $20, you can transfer your money to your bank account or cash out through PayPal, Upromise, Starbucks gift code, iTunes gift code, or AMC Theaters gift code.
5. Keep your couponing game strong with Coupons.com.
The Coupons.com app has the same offers as the site, but rather than print your coupons, you load them onto your phone and scan receipts after your purchase.
When you create an account, Coupons.com tethers your phone number to it, so you don’t print the same coupons twice by mistake. The money saved from your coupons won’t be deducted from your in-store purchase. It goes instead right to your linked PayPal account.
Coupons.com doesn’t permit other paper coupons to be used with cash-back offers, which is too bad.
6. Have cash back deposited after your purchase with Shopmium.
Like the other apps on this list, Shopmium allows you to select offers for cash back. Only with Shopmium, you can have your money deposited directly into your bank or PayPal account.
Just select the offers you want, use their geolocation tool to check your grocery store’s availability, and start shopping. When you’re done, upload your receipt for your rewards! You can cash out once you’ve hit $20 in your account.
RELATED: Totally Legit Receipt Apps That Reward You for Shopping
7. Get money when your friends shop with Fluz.
With the Fluz app, you can earn in two ways:
- Link up your credit or debit card and accumulate points when you shop, which you can redeem for digital gift cards
- Refer your friends and get actual cash back (not gift cards) for their purchases when they shop
Cool, right? When you’re ready to get your money, have it deposited through PayPal or your bank account. Plus, when you sign up through our link, you’ll get three vouchers for up to 35% cash back at various brands.
Lastly, Fluz is super into you saving as much as you can. They encourage users to stack paper coupons, as well as any other cash-back cards.
8. Earn points for physical and e-receipts with ReceiptPal.
The ReceiptPal app allows you to link up your Amazon account and email address so you can scan online receipts and get points. You can also scan physical receipts for more points.
For each receipt, you earn 25 points and a weekly sweepstakes entry for cash back. The points you earn can be redeemed for prizes, like gift cards, or (in some cases) cash back.
When you sign up, you get a 150-point sign-up bonus. For reference, a $5 Amazon gift card on the app costs 1,550 points.
RELATED: Your Ultimate Guide to Rebate Apps
9. Get cash back and digital gift cards with ReceiptHog.
The ReceiptHog app has the same rundown: Scan your receipts and get points, which you can redeem for Amazon gift cards, or cash out through PayPal.
To make the app a little more interactive, you can take short surveys to earn more or even play their slot machine game for a chance to win up to $100 cash back and other prizes.
Don’t scroll up! Here are your related links:
Reasons to Stop Throwing Away Your Receipts
Totally Legit Receipt Apps That Reward You for Shopping
Your Ultimate Guide to Rebate Apps
UP NEXT: Save More with These Money Hacks!
