Ibotta is one of the most well-known reward apps out there. The app pays you money for scanning receipts showing eligible purchases from Ibotta’s partner stores. They claim to have over 500,000 partner locations run by over 300 partner retailers. Founded in 2012, Ibotta has already paid out more than $600 million to its users! So clearly, Ibotta is a great way to get cashback from your shopping.
But Ibotta is not the only app that pays you money for shopping online. So, if you like Ibotta, you should check out some of the apps like Ibotta below.
Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is the rewards app that is probably most like Ibotta.
Checkout 51 gives you a list of offers that you can use to earn cash. The offers update every week on Thursday, and you can add the offers you want to get to your ‘shopping list’ in the app.
Once you buy the items at the store listed in the app, you scan your receipt with the item listed on it. After the app has verified your purchases, you will get cash in your account. When you reach $20 in cash rewards, you can cash out to a gift card or directly to a PayPal account.
For anyone familiar with cashback apps like Ibotta, this might sound like I’m describing the same app. They are very similar, with the main difference being the specific stores and offers in the app. So, if you like Ibotta, you might want to give Checkout 51 a try. It’s a great way to still get rewarded for online shopping in stores that partner with Checkout 51 instead of Ibotta.
Shopkick
Shopkick is probably one of the best-known reward apps behind Ibotta. The app rewards you points called ‘kicks’ for shopping at their partner retailers. You can redeem the kicks for gift cards at most major stores like Amazon.
In addition, there are cash prizes. But the minimum cash-out amount is $2, much lower than most reward apps. If you have enough kicks, you can also get PayPal cash. Shopkick makes a direct deposit to your PayPal account.
When you first set up the app, you will be asked to link your credit or debit card. While this may make some people uncomfortable, the reason the app asks for this information is to track your spending for eligible purchases for which you should be given rewards.
With this setup, you don’t need to take any action to get rewards; the app will automatically know when you have shopped at partner stores and automatically add the kicks to your bank account. This is an excellent system because it means you will never miss rewards just because you forget to scan a receipt. As a result, you will probably find yourself earning a lot more often with Shopkick than most other reward apps.
Kicks are not worth all that much – each one is worth only $0.004. This means that getting to the minimum cash out of $2 takes 500 kicks. This may take a while to earn, but since your cards are linked, you don’t have to do anything to make sure the app gives you kicks after completing eligible purchases. So, it will probably still take you less time to earn rewards with Shopkick than with other reward apps.
The Shopkick app has 4.7 stars in the Apple Store and 4.4 stars in the Google Play store, so customers seem to like the program. Some reviews say customers are getting locked out of their accounts, but it’s unclear if this is a rampant issue.
However, many other reviews say that they have been able to cash out much quicker with Shopkick than with other reward apps. So, in general, this app still seems to be a good, low-effort way to be rewarded for the online shopping you already do.
Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is another app like Ibotta because it gives you reward points for scanning your shopping receipts. So, it is a receipt scanning app. However, this app has multiple features which make it unique.
One key difference is that Receipt Hog does not require you to shop online or purchase specific items as Ibotta does. Instead, as long as you have a receipt from a partner retailer, Receipt Hog will reward you with ‘coins’ for sending in a photo of the receipt. The receipt cannot be more than two weeks old, but other than that, it will work.
This is a significant advantage over Ibotta because you can be rewarded for buying anything from a partner store – you don’t have to go out of your way to purchase specific items or miss out on rewards because you didn’t buy a particular item.
Receipt Hog coins are worth different amounts depending on how much you redeem. For example, if you redeem 1,00 coins, you get $5 (so each coin is worth $0.005), but if you redeem 6,500 coins, you get $40 (each coin is worth about $0.006).
Some receipts will not reward you with coins but instead will give you a spin at the ‘Hog Slots’ game, a slot machine in the app that gives you prizes if you win. Awards include coins and cash, but it’s unclear how likely you will succeed.
Each receipt will also give you an entry into their monthly sweepstakes, and sweepstake winners get 5,000 coins.
Receipt Hog is also different from Ibotta because it has levels. As you level up, your rewards for certain activities increase. You also get bonuses for leveling up, and these rewards can include coins or Hog Slots spins. So, there is a strong incentive to keep using the app for a long time.
Overall, Receipt Hog is an excellent way to earn some extra money for shopping that you already do. Of course, it’s never going to make you rich or help you save money. But it becomes more and more worth your time as you level up.
Fetch Rewards
This app is similar to other apps that scan grocery shopping receipts. You can choose your deals, scan your receipt, and save money. Fetch is available for iOS and Android phones, and it offers gift cards to retailers like Amazon, Target, Sephora, and Best Buy.
You can donate points to charities like Habitat for Humanity or American Cancer Society when you earn points. Each gift card has a minimum amount of points you can cash out, depending on the retailer. However, the redemption structure is similar, and every 1,000 points are worth $1.
Coupons.com
When you join Coupons.com, you can search for rebates from local grocery stores and other retailers. You can get both printable and digital coupons. After shopping with a participating retailer, you scan receipts to get automatic cashback.
Suppose you skip receipt scanning by adding your store loyalty card. With this card, you automatically get cash back anytime you make online purchases. There’s no minimum amount to cash out when using this app, and your money goes straight to your linked PayPal account.
Apps Like Ibotta: Worth It?
So, are these apps even worth your time? Yes! While you’re never going to get rich off of them or find yourself saving money, you can earn cash for shopping that you are already doing.
Our professional financial advice is to be careful not to do extra shopping because of the rewards available. After all, there’s no use in getting 25¢ cash back if you have to spend $5 to get it. At the same time, if you can earn some money back for your shopping, you should go for it. Apps like Ibotta help you get money.
