4 Apps to Put More Money Back in Your Pocket
What if I told you that you could save even more money with your everyday shopping? It’s true, and it’s all thanks to cash-back apps! And it’s as easy as tapping a few buttons on your phone.
With these apps, saving has seriously never been easier. Maybe you’re reading this thinking cashback apps aren’t worth the time and effort. But over time, those rewards add up and can help you save some serious cash.
Let me introduce you to my four favorite cashback apps and show how they can help you keep more money in your wallet.
1. Rakuten
Let me start with my number one personal favorite, Rakuten. Rakuten is an app that helps you earn cashback from your regular shopping at a ton of popular retailers. You can earn a percentage of cash back by shopping through Rakuten’s app or website. Through Rakuten, you can shop at stores like CVS, Nike, and Target.
To get started with Rakuten, create an account. Check out their list of stores, and if you need to do some shopping, make your purchases through their platform. Rakuten tracks your spending and gives you a percentage back as cashback. Different retailers offer different percentages at other times. I’ve seen anywhere from 20% to 1%. This might not seem like much, but trust me, it adds up! The app also makes the process easy, and you don’t have to do anything else other than shop through it.
Rakuten deposits your earned cashback every three months, which you can receive as a check or through PayPal. And the best part is…if you have an American Express credit card, you can choose my favorite perk of all…award points!
Rakuten offers the option to use cashback as award points.
So, let’s say you buy something for $100, and the retailer offers 10% cashback. The cashback you receive would be $10, but if you accept it in points, you would get 1,000 points! I know, crazy, right? To add to that, if you use your AMEX to pay for the item, you get the purchase points plus the cashback points! This is what we in the travel hacking/cashback world call “stacking.” To me, the value of the travel points waaay outweighs the cashback option, but to each their own. Do what’s right for you.
But be warned! If you switch your account settings from cashback to points and back to cashback, Rakuten won’t let you switch back to the option to receive points again. So, if you make the switch, be sure that’s what you want.
Ultimately, Rakuten makes earning cashback easy and could bump up your purchasing power without much extra effort.
2. Fetch
Fetch is another app that’s straightforward to use. For this one, all you do is take a photo of your shopping receipts from any retailer. And in return, you earn…you guessed it…points! Once you accumulate a certain amount of points, you can redeem them for gift cards at your favorite stores.
There are a few things to keep in mind when using this app. First, the receipts you use can only be two weeks old. The other annoying thing is that you can only scan one receipt at a time. However, the app does give you the option to scan through your email for electronic receipts, which I think is a nice touch.
When I have enough points, I like using Fetch for my everyday shopping. I mainly use the points for gift cards to Sephora, Ulta, or Target to give myself a discount on things like skincare items. Overall, Fetch is great for turning shopping receipts into rewards.
3. Ibotta
Ibotta is another cashback app that rewards you for shopping. To use Ibotta, start by browsing through the app to find offers from grocery stores to retailers. Once you choose the items you want, shop as usual for them.
After you’re done shopping, you need to submit those receipts to the app to claim your cashback. Ibotta lets you either scan or link your loyalty card for automatic tracking.
Ibotta offers cashback on many products. They update their offers a lot, so there’s a good chance you’ll find something you can get cashback on.
Cashback earned on Ibotta can be withdrawn once you reach a minimum of $20. You can receive these funds via PayPal, bank transfer, or gift cards. Many users, including me, appreciate how easy it is to add Ibotta to my regular shopping routine. It’s another super simple way to earn cashback.
4. Fluz
Fluz is a unique cashback app that focuses on gift cards. It’s unique because you can choose the exact amount you want to load onto the gift card right down to the cent. I find this helpful in getting exactly what you want without overspending.
However, it’s important to remember that you can’t get that money back once you buy a gift card through Fluz. So, if you put $200 on a Nordstrom gift card, that money goes to Nordstrom. That means you better be sure about your purchase before you commit.
So, why use Fluz, you ask? When you buy gift cards from Fluz, you can earn cashback. Depending on the retailer and offer, you might be able to get a percentage of your card purchase back in cash.
With Fluz, you get cashback benefits and the convenience of putting exactly how much to load onto the gift card.
Stacking Deals
And the best thing of all is stacking your rewards! One of the most effective ways to maximize your savings is by stacking your rewards across all these cashback apps. By creating a strategy where you use all these platforms together, you can turn your everyday purchases into big cashback opportunities. Here’s how to do it:
Figure out what you want to buy or the stores where you usually shop. Buy gift cards for these stores via Fluz. Remember, once the money is loaded onto the gift card, you can’t return it.
Shop with Rakuten.
After buying the gift card from Fluz, use it at a retailer you can access through Rakuten. Before shopping, check Rakuten for any good cashback offers for that store. This will earn you cashback through Fluz and Rakuten.
Upload Receipts to Ibotta.
After making these purchases, use Ibotta to upload your receipts. If the items you bought had cashback offers on Ibotta, you just got triple cashback.
Use Fetch for more rewards.
Lastly, scan your receipts in Fetch after shopping. Fetch rewards you for virtually any store receipt.
To help paint a better picture, let’s use the example of me buying my face moisturizer from Target and how I could use stacking to maximize my savings:
My face moisturizer is $12.67; I know I can buy it at Target.
First, I’ll go to Fluz to load a Target gift card with exactly $12.67 and receive a cashback offer. Then, I’ll check Ibotta for any cashback offers. Say there’s one for my moisturizer with 2% cashback, so I add that to my account.
Then I go to Rakuten and find that Target is offering 2% cashback as well. Using my Fluz gift card, I buy my item through Rakuten, which gives me cashback from Fluz, Ibotta, and Rakuten.
After that’s done, I hop on Ibotta and Fetch to scan my receipts and get points for all that.
By stacking, I maximized my cashback value x4.
Bottom Line
There’s a whole world of cashback apps just waiting for you to explore. Whether it’s for groceries, clothes, or travel, these apps can help you save and earn a little extra cash on stuff you’re already buying.
So why wait? Start exploring these cash-back apps today and watch your savings grow. Download the ones that fit best and make your shopping work harder for you. Here’s to smarter spending and extra money in your pocket!
Helpful Links
Rakuten
Fetch
Ibotta
Fluz
Cashback Monitor