15 Best Cash Back Apps To Earn And Save While You Spend Money!

Online shopping has pretty much taken over our lives. From grocery shopping to shopping from electronics, you can buy everything you need online using your credit or debit card.

Cash-back apps offer cash-back, rewards, and discounts to help you save money when you shop online. Some cash-back apps even offer you rewards if you shop in brick-and-mortar shops.

In this post, I’ve rounded up the best cash-back apps you can download and use to earn cash rewards for shopping online.

Let’s take a look at them right now!

Disclaimer: If you buy something using the links in this article, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Know that I only promote stuff that I use and trust for the sake of my readers and the reputation of this site.

Best Cash Back Apps for 2021

1. Ibotta

What is Ibotta?

Ibotta is a cash-back app that has ties with thousands of retailers such as Walmart, The Home Depot, Kohls, and Target to give you a cash-back on purchases you make.

Ibotta helps you earn cash rewards when you shop online or in brick and mortar stores.

How To Use It:

• Download the Ibotta app for iOS or Android.
• Search for good offers at your favorite grocery store or retailer.
• Once you’ve found a good offer, you may need to complete a simple task such as watching a video to activate the offer.
• After you’re done shopping, you can claim the discount or cash-back by scanning your receipt through the app or by linking your store loyalty card.
• Once you’ve got $50 in your Ibotta account, you can get the cash in your bank account using PayPal or Venmo, or buy a gift card through the app.

What I Like About It:

• Ibotta offers cash-back when you shop at some brick-and-mortar stores apart from online shopping.
• The app gives you a $20 welcome bonus for your first 10 offers redeemed.
• Ibotta offers a $50 cash reward if you refer five friends to use the app within your first month of joining.
• Ibotta offers many deals that you can easily search for and choose to redeem.

What I Dislike About It:

• With Ibotta, you have to choose your offer manually before you shop at your favorite grocery or retail store.
• Some offers expire, so you’ll need to keep a check on them if you really want to earn money through them.
• You need to scan your receipts within a week of activating your offer so that you do not lose out on the cash back.

Recommended Reading:

13 BEST SURVEY APPS THAT HELP YOU EARN REWARDS ON THE GO

2. Honey App

What is The Honey App?

Honey is a browser extension that helps you find the best deals and discounts while shopping online. You can download the Honey app and browser extension for free.

Honey helps you in saving money by finding discount codes for you automatically whenever you shop online.

How To Use It:

• Download the Honey app for iPhone and Android devices or the browser extension for your laptop or desktop.
• Whenever you shop online using your phone or computer, Honey will find the best deals and offers for you without you having to search for them manually.
• Honey alerts you of these offers during the checkout process. You can then apply these discounts to your purchase.
• You can add items to a Drop List and Honey will alert you when there is a price drop on them.

What I Like About It:

• The Honey app works on all smartphones and the browser extension is compatible with most internet browsers.
• Discount codes for your favorite retail or grocery store are found automatically without you having to search for them on your own (unlike other cash-back apps like Ibotta).
• The Price Tracker feature allows you to find the best discounts for big purchases.
• Honey has a Rewards Program that offers gift cards when you spend a certain amount on the app.

What I Dislike About It:

• The browser extension can seem a bit intrusive by appearing on your browser every time you try to buy something online.
• You may not always be able to get the best discount using this app/ browser extension.
• You can only redeem your cash-back through gift cards on the app, not through your PayPal account.

3. Groupon+

What is Groupon+?

Groupon+ is a cash-back feature offered by Groupon that allows you to save extra money at participating restaurants.

All you need to do is link your credit card or debit card to the app and you get automatic cash-back on your credit card statements.

How To Use It:

• Sign up for Groupon+.
• Link your debit or credit card to the app.
• Go through the deals available through participating restaurants near you.
• If you find a deal you like, click on it and make the purchase with your linked card through the app.
• The cash-back is automatically added to your linked card.

What I Like About It:

• Earn 15-30% cash-back through the mobile app.
• Cash-back from your purchase is directly added to your linked credit or debit card.

What I Dislike About It:

• Currently, Groupon+ only offers deals on meals from restaurants unlike most other cash-back apps

4. Coupons.com

Coupons.com

What is Coupons.com?

Coupons.com is a site that offers you digital and printable discount coupons for grocery stores that offer a store loyalty card.

For online purchases at major grocery stores without a loyalty program, you can click a photo of your bill receipt and submit it to get your money back.

How To Use It:

• Go to the coupons.com site and select a coupon you would like to use.
• You can also download their mobile app to earn cashback at your favorite shopping outlets.
• Link your store loyalty card to the app to get your cashback straight to your PayPal account.
• If you shop at a store that does not offer a store loyalty card, you can click a photo of your bill receipt and submit it to coupons.com for approval.
• Once approved, the cash-back is sent straight to your PayPal account.

What I Like About It:

• This cash-back app helps users in earning money for everyday shopping at grocery stores with or without a loyalty program.
• The site has many good deals to choose from.
• You can earn up to 10% cash-back for purchases you make at your favorite grocery stores.
• There is no minimum cash out required and this rewards app sends you cash rewards directly to your PayPal account.

What I Dislike About It:

• Some users have experienced trouble in printing out coupons from the site.

5. Receipt Hog

What is Receipt Hog?

Receipt Hog offers you cash-back for online shopping at major retailers by gamification. You can enter sweepstakes, and Hog Slots spins to win coins and other rewards like Amazon gift cards.

Receipt Hog makes earning cash fun by offering games to win rewards. You can even dress up your Receipt Hog avatar in fun outfits!

How To Use It:

• Download the Receipt Hog app for your iPhone or Android device.
• Scan receipts for everyday purchases from major convenience stores with the app.
• Earn 5- 20 coins for each purchase. 1,000 coins earn you $5, and 4,500 coins earn you $30.
• You can even play mini-games, refer friends, or answers surveys to get more coins and rewards.
• Every time you submit a receipt you can enter monthly sweepstakes with the chance to win 5,000 coins on the app!
• Once you reach the minimum of 1,000 coins, you can choose to cash out through PayPal, avail of Amazon gift cards, a Visa e-gift card, or buy a magazine subscription.

What I Like About It:

• You do not need to select or ‘activate’ deals in advance.
• You can submit your cash receipts from almost any major store.
• Receipt Hog gives you multiple ways of earning more coins in your account.

What I Dislike About It:

• There is a limit on how many receipts you can upload from a particular store per day.
• You will need to answer survey questions to earn coins.
• You will need to submit your receipts within two weeks from the date of purchase.

6. SwagBucks

What is SwagBucks?

SwagBucks is one of the most popular cash-back apps that helps you earn cash rewards for everyday spending. Apart from earning rewards when you spend money, SwagBucks also offers rewards for simple tasks like watching videos and taking online surveys.

SwagBucks is a great way for you to make free money while carrying out your daily activities.

How To Use It:

• You can earn rewards from SwagBucks by shopping online or by completing other simple online tasks on the site in the form of SwagBucks (SBs)
• You can also download the app on your iPhone or Android device to complete tasks and shop on the go.
• Play games, take online surveys, watch videos, browse the web, or shop online through the app to earn points.
• Once you reach a minimum of $5 worth of SwagBucks, you can cash out using PayPal or use the points to buy gift cards to major retailers.

What I Like About It:

• You can earn SwagBucks for the simplest of tasks.
• SwagBucks offers many ways for you to earn extra cash.
• There is no upper limit to the number of points you can make each day.

What I Dislike About It:

• Most of the tasks pay poorly.
• It takes a while for you to reach the minimum payout and automatically earn cash.

7. Fetch Rewards

What is Fetch Rewards?

Fetch Rewards is the best cash-back app that allows you to save money when you upload receipts for your grocery shopping. Fetch Rewards offers cash-back or free gift cards when you scan receipts to almost any store.

How To Use It:

• Download the iOS or Android app on your device.
• Scan your receipts with the app and upload them within 14 days of purchase to receive your discounts or rebates.
• Fetch rewards will add points to your account for qualifying purchases and special offers.
• Once you collect 3,000 points on your account, you can exchange them for a gift card to retailers like Amazon, Sephora, and Target.

What I Like About It:

• The app is fairly simple and easy to use.
• You can get rebates for purchases from grocery stores, liquor stores, drug stores, and warehouse stores for in-store as well as online purchases using your debit or credit card.
• You need not perform additional tasks to unlock deals or rebates.

What I Dislike About It:

• Like other cashback apps, the rewards for spending money are quite low, but they can add up over time.
• You can only claim your points in the form of gift cards – no actual cash-back.
• There are limits to some offers (such as the amount you need to purchase to avail of a discount).

8. FreeBird

What is FreeBird?

FreeBird is an app that helps you in making money for taking rides with Uber or Lyft. You can also earn cash back on rides to specific partner bars and restaurants near you.

FreeBird also offers referral bonuses for you and your friends for your first two rides.

How To Use It:

• Download the FreeBird app on our iPhone or Android device.
• Connect the app with your Uber or Lyft accounts.
• Link your debit or credit card to the FreeBird app and book your Uber or Lyft ride through the app.
• Earn cash back once you’ve paid for your ride.
• You can also earn cashback for purchases made through the app.

What I Like About It:

• You can earn cashback for Uber and Lyft rides.
• Earn additional cash-back for rides to partner restaurants and bars.

What I Dislike About It:

• You cannot cash out to a credit card – only to debit cards.
• You have to manually select rides through your Uber and Lyft apps.

9. Paribus

What is Paribus?

Paribus is an app that tracks price drops across the web and offers you cash-back even after you have made a purchase. This helps save you heartbreak when you find a much lower price on an item the day after you’ve bought it!

Paribus is a part of Capital One shopping.

How To Use It:

• Download the Paribus app on your iPhone or Android device and grant access to the app to access your email inbox.
• Paribus searches your inbox for receipts and tracks the items you bought online for lower prices.
• When there is a drop in the price of a purchase you have made, Paribus sends you an alert so you can receive compensation.
• You will then receive a cash-back for the difference in price on your credit card.
• You can also install the browser extension to get notified of deals and discounts.

What I Like About It:

• Paribus tracks price drops across major retailers like Amazon and Target.
• The cash-back is sent directly to your credit or debit card.

What I Dislike About It:

• The app requires access to your email inbox.
• Paribus can only access receipts that are sent to your registered email account.

10. RetailMeNot

What is RetailMeNot?

RetailMeNot is one of the best cash-back apps that offer cash back after it detects a drop in the price of one of the items you have purchased online.

Although it is mainly used to find coupons, RetailMeNot also allows you to scan and upload receipts to get cashback.

How To Use It:

• Create a free account online or download the app and sign up.
• Look for a deal you like among thousands from your favorite online retailers.
• Select the deal you want and shop online to get your cashback.
• You can also look for promo codes and discounts on the app.
• Link your credit or debit card to the app and get cashback for every purchase you make when you shop cash-back or in online stores.

What I Like About It:

• You can find deals and promo codes on this app that you can’t find anywhere else.
• It is easy to create an account and start saving money through the RetailMeNot app.

What I Dislike About It:

• Sometimes, cash-back rewards appear after almost 45 days in your account.
• You can only redeem cash through your PayPal account.
• There is no sign-up bonus or referral bonus for this app.

11. ShopKick

What is ShopKick?

ShopKick has the best cash-back offers for shopping in person or online. Unlike other apps, ShopKick offers its users points for other activities that do not require purchases.

For example, you can earn points (or ‘kicks’ as they are called) for walking into stores and scanning the barcodes of certain products. You can exchange your ‘kicks’ for gift cards to your favorite stores like Amazon, Target, and Starbucks.

How To Use It:

• Download the ShopKick app for Android or iPhone.
• Earn kicks (250 kicks = $1) for doing simple activities like walking into stores and scanning the bar codes of products.
• Link your debit or credit card with the app and earn more kicks for shopping (in-store or online) using your linked card.
• Exchange your kicks for gift cards at your favorite stores.

What I Like About It:

• The app is very user-friendly.
• It is easy to earn more kicks using the app.
• There are many credit card rewards and gift cards to choose from when you want to redeem your kicks.

What I Dislike About It:

• It can take a long time to accumulate enough kicks to cash out.
• You can only redeem your kicks in the form of gift cards – not actual cash.

12. Upromise

What is Upromise?

Upromise is unlike all the other rewards apps on this list. A subsidiary of a student loan provider Sallie Mae, Upromise helps you save up for college.

You can transfer all the cash you make through Upromise into a savings account or directly into your student debt balance. You can earn up to 5% cash-back on purchases made through this app.

How To Use It:

• Download the Upromise app and sign up for a free account.
• Shop with partner merchants and restaurants and earn up to 5% cash-back on all purchases.
• When you earn points you can choose to redeem them directly to your card or to your savings account.

What I Like About It:

• This is the best cash-back app if you want to earn money to pay off your student debt.
• Earn up to 5% cash-back for your purchases.
• You can transfer your points to your card or your existing student debt balance.

What I Dislike About It:

• There is a high minimum balance of $10 – $50 you need to accumulate before you can redeem your cash-back.
• You will need to give out a lot of personal information when you sign up for the app.

13. Rakuten (formerly Ebates)

What is Rakuten?

Rakuten is another popular cash-back app that you can use to redeem cash-back and rebates that you get with purchases made at partner stores (both online and in-store).

What makes Rakuten worthwhile is that it is easy to use the app and all major stores have tie-ups with the app so it’s pretty easy to find good deals.

How To Use It:

• Download the Rakuten app for iPhone or Android. You can also choose to install the browser extension for your desktop or laptop.
• Search for deals on the app and make your purchases through the app.
• Rakuten’s browser extension automatically searches for the best deals for you and applies promo codes or other offers when you shop online.
• You can earn money when you refer your friends to join Rakuten.

What I Like About It:

• You can use both the app and the browser extension to get the best offers and deals when you shop online.
• There are many big brands that have partnered with Rakuten, giving you many options to choose from.
• You can receive your cashback through PayPal or check.

What I Dislike About It:

• You can only redeem your cash-back once per quarter.
• You will need a minimum amount of $5 to redeem your cashback.

14. Trunow

What is Trunow?

Trunow is an app that gives you cash-back for gas station purchases. Most cash-back apps pay you for purchases you make at retail stores, but that is where Trunow is different.

Trunow allows you to save money on gas station purchases. You can find local deals on everything from gasoline prices to restaurant purchases.

How To Use It:

• Download the Trunow app for iPhone or Android.
• Snap a picture of your cash receipt when you make a purchase at your local gas station or restaurant.
• Upload the bill receipt pictures on the app to earn cashback on your purchases.
• You can redeem your cash-back by spending on other purchases or just as cash.
• You can also earn cash by referring your friends.

What I Like About It:

• You can earn cashback for all your gas station purchases.
• You can choose to use the cash-back on more purchases through the app or send the cash directly to your card.

What I Dislike About It:

• You may not get offers if you live in a rural area.
• The app is quite new and has not partnered with many retailers and gas stations.

15. BeFrugal

What is BeFrugal?

BeFrugal is another great cash-back that has partnered with thousands of major brands to get you the best deals and cash-back offers you can find.

With more than 5,000 participating stores, BeFrugal gives you a chance to earn up to 40% cash-back on your purchases.

How To Use It:

• You can shop directly on the BeFrugal site, install the browser extension to look for offers when you shop online or download the iPhone or Android app to get the best deals.
• Earn up to 40% cash-back from over 5,000 participating stores.
• BeFrugal also offers users exclusive coupons and promo codes.
• You can redeem your cash-back through direct deposit to your bank account or through PayPal with no minimum amount required.
• If you would like to redeem your cash-back through check you will need to have a minimum of $25.
• You can also buy a gift card with the money you earn.

What I Like About It:

• You can get $5 if you find a promo code on the site that does not work.
• If you find another site with a better discount, BeFrugal will match the discount and give you an additional 25% back.
• You will receive a $10 welcome gift when you sign up.
• You will also receive $10 for referring your friends if they earn $10 or more cash-back within a year.

What I Dislike About It:

• You cannot earn cashback for in-store purchases.
• It sometimes takes up to 30 to 45 days to receive your cash-back rewards.

Which App Gives The Best Cashback?

Some of the best cash-back apps that give you the most cash back are Rakuten and BeFrugal. You can earn rewards in the form of money back or a gift card for any purchase you make with your credit card or debit card online.

However, the best cash-back app for you depends on your buying habits and where you tend to shop most often. The best way you can find what works well for you is if you choose one, download the app and start using it.

Most cash-back apps also offer a browser extension, so you can install that and try it out for a few months if you do most of your shopping on your laptop or desktop.

Conclusion

I hope you found this post useful.

Cash-back apps help you earn cash rewards for money that you will be spending anyway. It’s the best way to save cash for everyday purchases.

You can use these best cash-back apps to earn money or gift cards that you can use to cut down more of your everyday spending.

If you use cash-back apps carefully, you can even save enough money every month to pay off your student loans!

Do you use cash-back apps for your everyday purchases? Which ones help you save more money every month? Let us know below in the comment section!

Also, don’t forget to share this post with your friends who are looking for ways to save more money! 🙂