We’ve got news: Your grocery receipts are a lot more valuable in your hand than in the trash.
Now, I’ll be honest… I’ve crumpled more receipts than I could ever count. I used to save them all, but the inside of my wallet started looking like something George Constanza would be proud of.
Once it got out of hand (like having years-old receipts…), I resorted to tossing them. Here’s why that was a mistake: Cash-back apps make it extremely easy to earn rewards for making purchases you were already going to make — and all you need is a receipt.
8 Apps That Will Pay You for Your Grocery Receipts
To give you an idea of how cash-back apps can make your life easier and your wallet a bit fuller, we tested a ton of them and narrowed it down to the best, top-rated apps that will pay you for your grocery receipts. Ready?
1. Fetch: Get Rewards for Any Purchase
Fetch Rewards is an app for iOS and Android that will reward you for scanning your grocery receipt from any store. All you have to do is shop, snap and go.
Every time you scan a receipt that includes one of more than 250 participating brands, you’ll earn points — without worrying about matching specific product offers. No scanning barcodes; no searching for offers; no grocery store limitations.
Once you collect enough points, cash out for a gift card to retailers including Amazon, Airbnb, Best Buy and more. For example, 10,000 points will get you a $10 Sephora gift card. Or 3,000 points will get you a $3 Panera Bread card. If you’re feeling generous, the app also lets you use your points to make a donation to a charity of your choice.
Oh, and keep in mind you must scan your receipt within 14 days!
Pro Tip
Enter the code PENNY to earn a $2 (2,000 points) sign-up bonus!
2. Ibotta: Earn Cash Back for Snapping a Photo (Plus a $20 Bonus!)
Ibotta is traditionally known as a cash-back app for groceries — and you can still earn a heap of cash on your next haul — but you can also earn cash back on just about anything you purchase.
Whether you’re catching a Lyft, ordering something on Amazon or buying off-brand items at your favorite grocery store, you can earn cash back on a number of purchases in the store and online. Occasionally, you’ll find freebie offers in the mix, too. All you have to do is take a photo of your receipt or shop through the app.
Bonus: You’ll pocket a $20 sign-up bonus after redeeming your first 10 offers within 14 days.
Pro Tip
To avoid overspending, make your list first, then see if the app has available offers for what you need.
Hit $20, then cash out via PayPal or Venmo, or opt for a gift card to a popular retailer like Amazon, Best Buy, Target or Walmart.
3. Paribus: Find Your Hidden Money
You know those confirmation emails that inundate your inbox after you’ve done some online shopping? Yeah, you might want to stop deleting those. Here’s why: Paribus gets you money back for your online purchases.
It’s free to sign up, and once you do, this tool will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.
Disclosure: Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.
4. Drop: Get a $5 Head Start Toward Your Rewards for Shopping
The best kind of savings are the kind where you don’t have to switch up your routine. Or even better, when you get rewarded for doing things you were probably going to do on your own… for free. That’s just one thing that makes Drop so appealing.
All you have to do is link your credit and debit cards (no coupon clipping or hoarding receipts!), and shop through the app. When you make a Drop-qualified purchase, you’ll automatically earn points, even if you only hailed an Uber or ordered a pizza.
The app also has a “Try Something New” section that showcases new offers for you to try, and you get paid just for testing them out. To qualify, you must be a new customer to the featured offers, and you have to sign-up through the app.
Each offer rewards you in points (1,000 points = $1), which you can redeem for gift cards to your favorite retailers, like Amazon, Sephora, Hotels.com and more.
5. Receipt Hog: Turn Any Receipt Into Cash
Matt Roth for The Penny Hoarder
Just take a picture and earn a reward — yup, that’s it.
Receipt Hog accepts receipts for nearly any in-store purchase from groceries, clothes, electronics and even gas.
You can earn a variety of rewards: Coins (cash rewards), spins (earn bonus coins or other prizes) and sweepstakes (monthly cash prizes). Once your rewards balance is at least 1,000 coins, or $5, you can redeem your coins for cash or Amazon gift cards. U.S. participants can also redeem their coins for magazine subscriptions.
6. SavingStar: Double Your Rewards at Your Favorite Store
You have a go-to. You know the aisles, when the bakery will have fresh bread and when your favorite deals will be available, because it’s your store.
The next time you go shopping, take the SavingStar app with you. It’s basically a perfect match for grocery store loyalists because, depending on where you shop with your store loyalty card, you can connect it to earn automatic rebates.
If you frequent BJ’s, Family Dollar, Safeway or Walmart (to name a few), all you have to do is scan your store card to link and activate your rebates. Then you’re done! Saving Star takes care of the rest. Otherwise, just scan receipts to claim your rebates.
Once you collect $20, transfer the money to your bank account, or cash out via PayPal. You can also choose to donate your earnings to charity.
7. Checkout 51: Let Your Receipt Get You Cash Back and Weekly Savings
Is your shopping style less about loyalty and more about wherever you can get the best deal? Same. In that case, Checkout 51 is a great cash-back option.
Redeem the app’s cash-back deals for specific products from any retailer (unless the offer specifies otherwise).
If you prefer to shop online, Checkout 51 makes it easy to earn there, too. Just claim your offers by snapping a photo of your packing slip. No need to shop through a portal.
Checkout 51 updates its offers each Thursday, giving you a week to get your shopping done. Oh, and the app tends to focus on name-brand items, so don’t forget to compare prices. Generic or store brands might be more affordable even without a rebate.
Once you have earned at least $20, you can transfer your Checkout 51 rewards to cash in your bank account.
8. BerryCart: Score Cash Back for the Extra You Spent on Clean Eats
Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
If organic food is mostly what fills your grocery cart, BerryCart is perfect for you — it’s an app that specializes in finding you the best deals on gluten-free, organic and non-GMO food.
BerryCart works at more than 100,000 stores nationwide, including health-focused stores like Whole Foods, and also at everyday stores like Walmart and Target. As long as you have an itemized receipt that states which products you purchased, BerryCart will accept it.
Keep in mind there may be a limited selection of offers, but depending on your shopping habits, the app can still be useful because it features products other apps don’t.
Your cash back will be deposited into your account within 24 hours and can be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash with a minimum rewards balance of $5.
Maximize Your Rewards With These Tips
Cash-back apps are pretty simple, for the most part, but there are still some clever ways to make the most of your rewards. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
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Shop with a rewards credit card.
Credit cards are handy (and dangerous) for a lot of reasons. When it comes to restocking your fridge, you can double your rewards by using a cash-back credit card that will pay you 1% or more on your purchases.
But don’t get blinded by the perks and just sign-up for any card. Start by finding out if any of your current credit cards offer this perk, and if not, weigh your options. While they may be easy to understand (spend money and rack up cash), cash-back credit cards are also very easy to get carried away with. Our advice? Spend wisely, and remember not all cards are created equal.
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Don’t wait to scan your receipt.
Fetch is the only app on our list that limits the validity of a receipt, but it’d be wise to consider other issues that may arise when you hold off on scanning immediately. Receipts typically end up at the bottom of cup holders and bags, where they crumple and get sullied with stains. To avoid a faux pas like losing out on rewards because the scanner can’t read your receipt, just upload it ASAP.
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Use grocery store loyalty cards or apps.
A lot of stores offer some sort of loyalty program, whether it be through an app or a card you use to pay for your groceries. The discounts vary, but they’re still discounts, and every little bit helps.
To squeeze all the juice out of a reward opportunity, up the ante and sign up for loyalty programs at stores and restaurants you use the most. Scan your receipt to your favorite cash-back app, and earn more from one shopping trip! Which brings us to…
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Stack deals on deals.
Ever heard of deal stacking? This is where you can stack your rewards by using multiple methods together to reduce the price of an item.
You may be getting cash back by purchasing with a credit card, and then also getting cash back from an app. Or maybe you’re just getting rewards points from a loyalty program. However you’re earning, add deal stacking to your methods and share the love with your go-to cash-back app for even more rewards.
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“The limit does not exist.”
If there’s one thing to be gleaned from Cady Heron’s famous words, it’s that it can be applied it to almost anything: Why limit yourself to one-cash back app when you can redeem, buy and scan on as many apps as you can? To double (or triple!) your earnings, check all your favorite cash-back apps for similar offers before you shop. Claim them and upload your receipt to all the apps.