Home » Top 5 Apps That Pay You for Scanning Receipts

Top 5 Apps That Pay You for Scanning Receipts

 

Hey, Frugal Farmer friends!!  Today’s post is a guest post from fellow blogger Abby, who blogs over at Living Cheaply. Enjoy! 

Probably the easiest way to get paid by apps is with cash back shopping apps. This is my list of the top 5 cash back apps that put money back in your Wallet. Do please keep in mind that you are not limited to just using one of these apps. You can actually get cash back from multiple apps for the purchase of a single product. However, never use the same receipt with the same app or you will likely be banned.

1. Ibotta

Ibotta is Easily the most popular cash back shopping app out. This app has been around since cashback apps started and are still going strong. Pays a very high rebate compared to many others with many times being over $1.00 for a single product. Each and every week you will see new product rebates available.  Many of the products you will find on Ibotta are staple items you buy each week such as bread, milk, and eggs. Given this app has been around for a while they have partnered with most all common retailers such as Kroger, Walmart, Target etc. Something you should keep in mind with Ibotta is they pay you with cash back rebates that select before you go shopping. After you download the app, search for deals you like. Now add this deal by clicking on it and then watching a video or doing a short survey. You ready to go shopping?

Check out my Ibotta Review for a more in-depth look at this app.

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2. Checkout 51

If you like the Ibotta app you will also most likely enjoy Checkout 51 as well since they work almost the same way.  Checkout 51  does have one big advantage on IBotta because you can redeem their offers from any store. Yo also do not have to to do jump through any hoops to get your offer. Simply select a deal and you’re all done. With that said Checkout 51 does not have quite as wide of a selection to choice from as Ibotta. Checkout 51 does often offer cash back for unique products like fruits and vegetables. This app also does a geat job of offering relevant rebates for holidays coming up.

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3. Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog functions more a like a game that pays you. Instead of earning cash you instead earn coins. But don’t worry those coins van be converted to cash or gift cards later. Unlike with the first two apps, you do not have to select deals before you go shopping. Instead, you just take photos of your receipts after you have already gone shopping. Doing so will earn you coins or slot machine spins depending on the store your receipt is from. Yeah, that what I was talking about when I said it functions like a game. This may or may not apply to your but I did kind of enjoy this part of the app.

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4. Shopmium

Shopmium is a retailer independent cashback app. This means you are not limited to certain retailers who are partnered with the app. You can instead shop anywhere the product you are looking for is sold. Shopmium also gives you the ability to search stores that are near you and find deals you may not be aware of.  Shopmium is best known for its exclusive offers that you can not find anywhere but on Shopmium.

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5. Walmart Savings Catcher

Walmart Savings Catcher could actually be the number one app on this list if you do a lot of shopping there. This app works much differently than the first 4 apps in the list.  With Walmart Savings Catcher you scan any receipt you get back after a purchase from Walmart. Your receipt is automatically compared to prices with other retailers. If the app finds that any other retailer was selling any product you purchased for less, the app will reward you with the difference in the form of an e-gift card. The huge downside to this app is it is completely limited to cash back for Walmart purchases only. Otherwise, this app would have been much higher up on the list. With that said this app does do more than just give cashback. Walmart Savings Catcher gives you the ability create a shopping list, search for products within departments, and even order refills from their pharmacy.

*Laurie’s note: We’ve been using Savings Catcher for nearly three years now, and love, love, love this money-saving app. Even with our minimal grocery bill we end up getting cash back for stuff with Savings Catcher. Our biggest one-time score with Savings Catcher was a $12.71 refund on a $140.44 grocery bill. We got $10.84 cents of it back when the local dollar store had Welch’s 100% juice on sale (we do our “big shopping” once a month and had purchased 8 bottles of juice) and the rest on random purchases. 

We use our Savings Catcher money to cover groceries during tight months, and it really helps. Our total cash back as of this date through their program is nearly $90. Considering it takes me less than a minute to sign in and enter our receipts, that’s a pretty decent hourly rate. 

I would love to hear about your experience with any of these apps or any other cashback apps you have used in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!

Bio: Abby Parker writes about her unique journey to frugal living and making money online on her blog Living Cheaply.

16 comments

  1. Brian says:

    I have never used a receipt app. I have heard of Ibotta before, but just have never taken the time to use it. Given the fact that our food bill in one of our largest buckets each month I need to check these apps out.

    • Abby Parker says:

      Brian you are absolutely right. A few years ago I was shocked when I did the math and had to conclude my family was spending more money on food than anything else.! Ibotta is a great place to start with these type of apps. Also if you shop much at Walmart, savings catcher is a must. Good Luck!

  2. Interesting! I tried a couple of these apps and they weren’t for me, personally. I think they tend to be more useful if you buy processed or manufactured foods. Often there aren’t discounts on whole foods like oranges, tomatoes, etc. In the end (for us) it’s cheaper to buy produce and cook things at home than it is to get cash-back on manufactured foods. But it’s still a good option to explore; you never know how much you could save.

    • Abby Parker says:

      Your right, most coupons are going to be on processed food. That’s mainly because almost everything you will find in a typical grocery store will be processed in some way. But you can still find cashback on things such as eggs, milk, and produce. Over that past year or so I am seeing more and more coupons for healthy, organic, gluten free, less processed or even non-processed foods.

  3. I tried a few of the receipt scanning apps, and like Mrs. Picky Pincher, it just wasn’t for me. Another case of convenience trumping frugality. I am able to keep our grocery bill rather low just by shopping smart. Also, I get wear of Big Brother (paranoia here!) and don’t want whoever is running these apps to know my every purchase! I’m happy that these apps work for other people though!

  4. I love the Walmart Savings Catcher app. Not only does it almost always find deals for cashback, but it is SUPER easy. I love that you can just scan the QR code on the receipt and be done. The rest of the apps require more work.

    • Abby Parker says:

      Me too Brad! Can’t beat it if you do any shopping at Walmart. Ibotta is much better than it used to be. Now once you get the hang of it is really simple. They have a search function where you can search for specific things you normally buy. Once you find something usually that product is on there time and time again. So I just mainly keep an eye out for specific products I would normally buy without any coupon. Could not tell you how many times I have used a rebate on Ibotta for the same product I bought all the time without any cashback.

      Thanks for reading!

  5. Bethany says:

    Just a note of interest. When downloading and using apps like these, be thoughtful about what kind of information you are providing to that company (and anyone they choose to sell that data to) about you and your family. As someone who works in the technology sector, I can tell you that if you are not paying for a product or service, then YOU definitely are the product.

  6. Katy says:

    Thanks for the comparison of all these apps! I haven’t used any of them yet, since we do most of our grocery shopping at Aldi or online, but it is nice to know they are out there if we change our grocery shopping habits. I’ll have to keep this on our radar for our occasional trips to Acme or Wegmans.

    • Abby Parker says:

      Hi Katy, I do quite a bit of shopping at Aldi’s too! They usually have really good deals on meat and produce. Most of my other grocery shopping is done at Kroger where these apps come in really handy, especially Ibotta.

      Thanks for the kind words,

      Abby

  7. Kae says:

    I couldn’t find Walmart savings catcher on Android play store 🙁
    I use both Ibotta and Checkout 51. Best deals on non-food items. I wish Checkout 51 had a search button like Ibotta so you could quickly look up a product to see if there is a rebate, instead of looking through all of them.

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