Cash back apps, sometimes also called receipt scanning apps, are mobile applications that provide you various rewards for shopping. These programs may work through various methods such as affiliate marketing, data collection, or other forms of advertising.
On your end, all you need to do is scan your receipt and send it over to receive something in return. Usually, these rewards are provided in points or money. Points are often redeemable for various goodies such as gift cards. Some cash back apps, however, may allow you to redeem money directly to your bank account, PayPal, or any other payment provider.
6 Best Cash Back Apps
1. Rakuten
Price: Free.
Availability: Android, iOS, Chrome
Best feature: High cash back rates. Rakuten provides some of the highest returns for your receipts out of all its competitors—up to 40% on some purchases.
Drawbacks: Payments are quarterly. App is mostly tailored to US and Canada users.
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is one of the largest and most popular cash back apps in the world. It serves over 3500 retailers, allowing its users to get rewards from nearly all popular brands in the world. Receipt scanning works for both online and offline purchases with a handy Chrome extension for the former.
The company itself earns a commission for directing customers to the stores, so the users are able to get all the receipt scanning benefits without any drawbacks. One potential negative for Rakuten is only that the rewards are paid out every quarter, so it takes some time to cash out all the benefits. Additionally, the company mostly serves customers from the US and Canada.
2. Ibotta
Price: Free.
Best feature: Immediate cash back. Ibotta is one of the best cash back apps for those that want instant rewards. They allow users to redeem their rewards upon reaching $20 in their account. Ibotta also pays out in gift cards instead of cash only.
Drawbacks: Active participation required. Ibotta requires users to add offers manually before they begin shopping. Additional tasks such as watching videos or filling out surveys may be required.
Ibotta is one of the leading cash back apps, partnered with over 1500 retailers. It functions as a receipt scanning app, so you’ll need to add offers and scan your proof of purchase into the account. Additionally, you can link some loyalty or gift cards to your account to make the process quicker.
One of its greatest benefits is that Ibotta allows users to redeem rewards at any time after reaching $20. On the other hand, the cash back app requires users to manually select offers and to, sometimes, complete other tasks to earn rewards. Additionally, the company serves mostly users from the United States.
3. Dosh
Price: Free. However, accounts inactive for more than 12 months will be charged a small maintenance fee. These fees are only deducted from earned rewards (Dosh wallet), credit cards or bank accounts are never changed.
Best feature: Automated reward redemption. Dosh completely automates the cash back process by asking users to link their credit or debit card to the app and the rewards are issued directly to it.
Drawbacks: Linking credit or debit cards can be considered undesirable. Additionally, the app is limited to card-linked offers only so receipt scanning does not work.
Dosh is a unique cash back app that works by linking credit and debit cards to the program. Users can then use the linked card to shop at restaurants or retailers and get rewards automatically. You don’t even need to shop or complete tasks through the cash back app to earn rewards.
The automated system is the biggest advantage and something that sets Dosh apart from other cash back apps. It does have its drawbacks, however, as for some linking cards to an app is undesirable. Additionally, it can be somewhat restrictive as you have to use the card on partnered retailers to get the benefits.
4. Fetch Rewards
Price: Free.
Best feature: Wide variety of products. Fetch Rewards accepts a wide range of retailers and products, allowing users to use the cash back app for regular day-to-day shopping.
Drawbacks: Limited redemption option. Fetch Rewards only offers free gift cards as the redemption option, no cash payouts are available.
Fetch Rewards is a receipt scanning app, which works on a wide range of products and retailers. Users have to scan receipts within 14 days (or link their email address) to receive points. These points can then be redeemed for free gift cards at major retailers like Amazon. Redemption is available upon reaching $25.
The receipt scanning app’s major strength is the simplicity and ease of use. There’s no need to complete additional tasks or manually select offers. Users can shop regularly and scan receipts after completing their purchases. However, the receipt scanning app is aimed primarily at United States residents as most of their partners are from that region. Additionally, the lack of a direct payout feature makes the cash back app an unattractive option for many users.
5. Receipt Hog
Price: Free.
Best feature: Rewards for nearly any receipt. Receipt Hog is one of the most versatile receipt scanning apps, accepting nearly any type of proof of purchase from retailers, restaurants, and even service providers.
Drawbacks: High redemption thresholds. While no time limit is set, getting cash back rewards from the app can take a while due to high point requirements.
Receipt Hog is one of the best cash back apps for those that value versatility. The company runs on data collection, so users get rewards for scanning receipts of any kind. Receipt Hog also provides various additional tasks such as surveys, which can earn users additional points.
Those points can be for gift cards from popular retailers such as Amazon or directly to PayPal. Unfortunately, one of the major drawbacks is that the thresholds for redemption are set higher than with nearly every other cash back app, making it a large commitment. Additionally, it’s one of the many receipt scanning apps that are tailored mostly to the US and UK, making it less usable for international users.
6. Upside
Price: Free.
Best feature: Cash back on regular purchases. Upside lets users save money on regular purchases, including gas, by providing real cash back instead of points or rewards.
Drawbacks: Geographical limitations. You can only earn rewards in the United States. While the company is quickly expanding, it seems to have yet to reach other locations.
Upside is a cash back app that partners with restaurants, retailers, and gas stations to help users save money on their daily purchases. Users select the offers in the app, scan receipts and receive money directly to their Upside account. Cash can then be redeemed to a bank account, PayPal, or through gift cards.
While the app is incredibly simple to use (even if it does require users to scan receipts), it has one major drawback—geographical restrictions. Upside currently is only available within the US, so international users that want to earn rewards are out of luck.
Maximize Your Savings with Receipt Cash Back Apps
Saving money with cash back apps is quite easy, but there are ways to maximize the benefits of them. One of the best methods for saving money is to register on as many of them as possible.
For example, if one app offers card-linked offers, another app may accept receipts from the same retailer or restaurant. As long as it’s not against the Terms and Conditions, you can get cash back from the first app and scan receipts for the second one, doubling up on the benefits.
Additionally, you can space out the registration on specific apps. Some of them offer signup and referral bonuses, which can be utilized to get even more cash back. For example, you can wait for a deal to appear for something you were planning to buy anyway to boost your initial earnings.
Finally, if you’re planning to use numerous receipt scanning apps at once, it’s wise to create a management system for your proof of purchase. Otherwise, you may easily forget to use one or several of them on some of your receipt scanning apps, reducing overall gains.
