If you want to save money on the items you’re going to purchase anyway, using apps to get product rebates is a great way to do so. You won’t get rich using them, but every little bit helps. Below are 4 of the most popular and highly-rated product rebate apps.
iBotta
iBotta is perhaps the most popular cash back app. It supports 300 stores, ranging from restaurants and movie theatres to pharmacies, retail chains, convenience stores, pet stores, and home improvement centers. Some of the retailers include Walmart, Blue Apron, Amazon, Overstock, Choice Hotels, Barnes & Noble, and Hotwire. Consumers can earn money by three ways:
#1: Send a receipt: this involves finding the offers you want on the app, buying the products at participating stores, and then taking a photo of the receipt. The app matches your items to the offers that you pre-selected, and within 48 hours, cash will be deposited into your iBotta account.
#2: You can also ink to your store loyalty card or use your phone number to find offers before you go shopping.
#3: You can use the mobile in-app purchase process to browse top apps for cash back offers. Then, launch the iBotta app, and make a qualifying purchase in a participating app. The last step is to receive a confirmation that the offer is pending. Note that with mobile shopping offers, you must launch the mobile retailer’s app through iBotta.
One requirement of iBotta is that you have to complete tasks before you can get rebates. For example, you might have to watch a short (3 minute) video, take a short survey, post a comment about a product on your Facebook page, etc. Also, be advised that when you activate an offer, the clock starts ticking, and there are expiration dates on the offers.
After you’ve earned $20, the money can be transferred to either PayPal or Venmo, or you can choose to receive it as a gift card. At the time of publications, the gift cards were for Whole Foods, Red Robbins, and Nike.
Also, there are several ways to earn bonuses, including when you buy featured items. Also, if you can get 8 of your friends to sign up for iBotta using your referral code and then redeem a qualifying offer, you will get $100.
Dosh
Another popular and highly-rated app is Dosh. After you link your credit and debit cards to the app, you will automatically receive cash back when you use them for available offers. The beauty of using Dosh is that it doesn’t require you to scan barcodes or take photos of your receipts. There are no mail-in rebates, and no promo codes.
A variety of brands and places use Dosh, including Target, Burger King, Microsoft, Walmart, Hilton, Autozone, Nike, Gap, and Nordstrom. When you book a hotel using Dosh, the app not only helps you to get the best price, but also gives you Dosh money.
You can transfer funds once you earn $25. The money can be transferred to your bank or to PayPal. However, if your balance exceeds $350, the transfer might be reviewed (which might take up to 7 business days). When you use Dosh’s online program, it will take 60 days for the money to appear in your account. You can get $10 for each friend you refer to Dosh. However, they have to click on your share link to download Dosh and then link a credit card to the app.
Checkout 51
If you want to save money on groceries, Checkout 51 is a cool app. Once a week, it is updated with new offers – and the previous offers also expire each week. After you download the app and create an account, you can pick offers and purchase these products. Then, you take a photo of your receipt, check off the items you purchased and note how many times you’re claiming each of the offers. However, your receipts must be uploaded within the week in which those specific offers are featured.
For online purchases, the itemized packing slip is the only acceptable proof of purchase. Email confirmations and PDFs of a receipt are not considered valid forms of proof.
Checkout 51 only pays out by check, which will be mailed after you earn $20. However, at the time of publication, there are plans to include PayPal as a form of payment.
BerryCart
While the decision to eat more nutritiously can provide health benefits, you can also reap financial rewards with BerryCart. After downloading the BerryCart app, you can view offers on a variety of healthy foods, including those that are gluten-free, organic, all natural, nut-free, dairy-free, vegan, and non-GMO. Sometimes, non-grocery items are also included in rebate offers.
You also get a nugget of information, such as a fun fact, testimonial, or quiz about various brands and products. Like iBotta, you have to read and respond to these prompts to obtain an offer. After purchasing a featured item, you take a photo of the receipt, upload it, and BerryCart will send you money within 24 hours. (The payout minimum is $5.00). You can choose to use PayPal or accept payment in the form of a gift card; when you sign up, the gift card options will be revealed to you.
BerryCart can be used in 100,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Walmart, Sprouts, Target – basically any store that gives customers a valid receipt. Both instore and online purchases are eligible, but the receipts must be submitted within 7 days.
If your goal is to save money this year, product rebate apps can provide a modest boost. However, you will have to choose between linking your credit or debit cards, or keeping up with your receipts. If you value your privacy, using receipts might be a better option; however, if you’re notorious for losing receipts, you might have better luck with an app that doesn’t require them.