Even the most frugal of people need to purchase basic necessities in order to live.
So why not use free cash back apps in order to make your shopping trips even more affordable?
With cash back apps, you shop and redeem your purchases. As soon as you reach the app’s threshold, you can deposit the money back into your bank account – and let’s be honest – who doesn’t love receiving cash back for their purchases?
Here are some of the best cash back apps available – the first five alone could get you $50 if you sign up using our links!.
1) Ibotta
Everyone needs to purchase groceries – but you can lower your grocery bill by using Ibotta.
Gone are the days of old school coupons at the grocery store. Ibotta now lets you “clip” virtual coupons, all from the convenience of your smartphone. All you have to do is open up the app before going to the grocery store, claim the offers you would like, and then go shopping. Once you’re finished with your purchasing, you can snap a picture of your receipt. The app will then tally what they owe you in cash back offers.
Ibotta has deals from most major supermarkets, including Kroger, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Safeway, and more. Once you redeem $20 worth of offers, you can transfer the money to your bank.
2) Rakuten
One of the most popular cash back sites and apps is Rakuten, which used to be called Ebates. There are two ways to receive cash back through Rakuten. First, you can shop on your favorite websites online, and Rakuten will automatically search for discounts and coupon codes to apply – no extra work is required on your end. Or, you can log into the app, search for offers, and shop through the app.
Both methods are incredibly easy to use. Once you hit at least $5.01 in cash back offers, you can receive payment through Rakuten.
3) Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the original shopping websites. With the Swagbucks app, you get “swagbucks” for completing specific tasks through the app, such as taking surveys, playing games, and watching advertisements.
The “Swagbucks” you earn can be redeemed for gift cards or cash back. Each “swagbuck” equals about one cent, but they add up more quickly than you would realize.
4) BeFrugal
BeFrugal is one of the biggest cash back sites, and they have a great app to accompany it. BeFrugal works with over 5,000 retailers, so you can be sure you will find a coupon for whatever you are searching for.
With BeFrugal, you receive cash back whenever you make a purchase through one of the retailers through their app. You can redeem the cash back either by PayPal, check, direct deposit, or a gift card.
5) Acorns Found Money
You may be familiar with the popular investment website, Acorns, but you may not have heard of their newest app called Acorns Found Money.
Found Money is truly a one-of-a-kind app. Like many apps, you can shop through various retailers in order to receive cash in return. But instead of the typical cash back offers, instead, it will provide you with additional investment cash to be used with Acorns.
Truly, what could be better than automatically investing money you received in return for common, everyday purchases?
Note that this is within the Acorns app, not a separate app.
6) Mr. Rebates
Mr. Rebates is another one of the bigger cash back sites out there. Mr. Rebates has thousands of brands and retailers that it offers cash back rewards for.
Mr. Rebates isn’t complicated. Like other cash back sites, you click through their link to a specific retailer or brand’s website, and 1-3 days after the product ships the rebate is reported. But it’s not just physical products. They work with online retailers like Hotels.com to offer rebates for online purchases.
7) Dosh
Dosh is perhaps one of the simplest cash back apps available today. In order to use the app, all you have to do is download it to your smartphone, securely link it to a credit card, and start racking in the points.
Every time you use your linked credit cards, you have the potential to receive 1-10% cash back. There are no hoops to jump through, either – you simply swipe and check your app!
8) Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is another cash back app for grocery stores. But the best thing about the app? You can redeem offers from any grocery store.
Once a week, the app will list about 50 new offers for various food products. No matter where you purchase the product, you can redeem it for the cash back it offers on the app. In order to receive your cash, you must redeem at least $20 worth of offers.
9) Fetch Rewards
Fetch rewards is one of the newer apps on the market. They specialize in cash back offers from your favorite grocery stores. Instead of having to clip coupons, like you have to with apps like Ibotta, you simply redeem your receipt. After that, you will be rewarded with points.
No matter where you shop, you can snap a picture of your receipt. In turn, your points can be redeemed for gift cards.
10) Makeena
Makeena is a fairly new cash back app that specializes in healthy and eco-friendly products. For anyone who makes it a point to purchase mindful products, you won’t want to miss out on the deals offered by Makeena. Even if you don’t always buy eco-products, Makeena provides great deals that makes purchasing friendlier products more affordable.
Makeena can be used both in stores and online.
11) Trunow
Does anyone enjoy paying for fuel? Gas is pricey, but necessary, no matter how little you commute. Trunow is a unique app that gives you cash back on just fuel purchases. Every time you fill up at the pump, you will receive an automatic 1% cash back in your app.
Not only does Trunow provide cash back offers, but it is an excellent app to help you find the cheapest gas near you.
Too many to choose from? It can’t hurt to sign up for all of them. Then, whichever is offering the best rebate at any given time is the one you should use.
Read about DC’s hack to get the most cash back possible when shopping online.
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We love apps 1-3. This is the first time I’ve heard of Trunow so I’m checking that one out.