When it comes to saving money, there’s nothing more satisfying than being paid simply because you shopped.
Cash back or reward apps that save money are a dime a dozen these days, and that’s for good reason.
According to the Colloquy Loyalty Census Report, loyalty program membership in 2017 growth grew by 15% to 3.8 billion, largely due to cash back incentives.
However, inding the best reward apps can be a difficult task however, especially considering just how many choices there are.
Furthermore, while many of these programs might seem lucrative at first, it isn’t uncommon for apps to have high payout thresholds or for their offers to mysteriously get worse over time, making it impossible to cashout.
Thankfully, if you want to earn free rewards just for shopping, these reward apps are a reliable way to make the most out of your hard-earned money.
I’ve decided to break down the best shopping reward apps into one comprehensive list, so get ready and start earning some free money!
Want To Make & Save Even More? Checkout:
- Capital One Shopping – My favorite money-saving extension and mobile app that automatically applies coupon codes and lets you earn free gift cards!
- Fundrise – Invest in income-generating real estate starting with just $10!
The Best Reward Apps To Earn Cash & Free Gift Cards!
If you want to save more money wheneve you shop and to earn gift cards and cash, this list of apps is for you.
These apps won’t replace your day job, but hey, there’s nothing wong with saving more of your hard-earned money!
1. Drop
Drop is an easy-to-use IOS and Android app that rewards you for shopping and aims to “supercharge your credit and debit cards.
All you have to do is link your debit or credit cards to Drop, and you will earn Drop Points when you spend on active offers.
Currently, Drop lets you earn shopping rewards by:
- Purchasing from sponsored brands.
- Signing up for new subscriptions and services.
- Taking advantage of Drop partner coupons and cash back rewards.
Drop Points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards such as gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, and many popular restaurants. Payouts happen fairly quickly, and users are notified of their awaiting rewards via email.
You can also use the Drop app to make money playing video games and by answering short brand surveys.
To date, I’ve earned roughly $50 from Drop without putting in any effort, so it’s definitely an effective rewards app to try out!
Sign up for Drop with my referral link and start earning free gift cards for shopping!
Extra Reading – Checkout Our Official Drop App Review.
2. Rakuten (Formerly EBates)
Rakuten is another cash back platform that can save you money, and it’s also very simple: just shop online through Rakuten’s affiliate stores and be rewarded with cash back.
Rakuten has an extensive array of merchants to choose from, with cash back amounts typically ranging between 0.5%-8% but sometimes reaching as high as 30%.
Amazon, Sephora, Groupon, Old Navy, Home Depot, Forever 21, and so many other stores are partnered with Rakuten and have products available.
Your Rakuten earnings will be paid out after it has been in your account for 60 days, and will be paid with PayPal on the 15th of February, May, August, and November as long as you have more than $5 in your account.
I’ve earned $1,200 in total by referring friends to Rakuten and shopping at some of its partners. You can checkout my review of Rakuten to learn more.
You might be thinking, this is a website, not a rewards app. What gives!?
Well, Rakuten also has a nifty mobile app that gives you in-store coupons, exclusive deals, 5% cash back on thousands of restaurants, and more perks.
Considering how versatile this platform is, there’s no denying that Rakuten is one of the best reward apps out there.
Sign up for Rakuten with my referral code! You’ll help me out, and new Rakuten members receive a welcome bonus of $30 when they spend $30 or more within 90 days.
Extra Reading – The Best Passive Income Apps.
3. Upside
With gas prices on the rise, another one of the best reward apps you can use right now is Upside, formerly known as GetUpside.
This app lets you earn up to $0.25 per gallon of gas at thousands of participating stations across the United States. And you can also earn cash back for restaurant and grocery store purchases as well.
Here’s how Upside works:
- Claim a cash-back offer within the app
- Pay for that offer and get your receipt
- Submit the receipt through the app
- Earn real cash back
You can redeem your cash back for PayPal cash as well as a variety of free gift cards to companies like Amazon. And the best part is that Upside works with 45,000+ brand locations nationwide, including most major gas stations and many fast food joints.
If you’re tired of overspending on gas and want to save more money, Upside is a good reward app to try out.
Try out Upside for iOS and Android today!
4. Capital One Shopping
If you shop online regularly, Capital One Shopping is another great reward app and browser extension you should be using. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to save money upfront rather than relying on future cash outs.
With Capital One Shopping, you automatically apply coupon codes at thousands of online stores in the United States. This saves you the time of digging up coupon codes yourself, and the savings are instant if codes work.
Furthermore, you can also earn shopping credits by shopping at select partners. Credits are redeemable for a wide variety of free gift cards to companies like Amazon and Walmart once you earn $5 in credits.
Plus, you can use the Capital One Shopping app to save while shopping on your phone and complete local offers to earn even more credits.
Start saving with Capital One Shopping!
5. Dosh
Dosh is undeniably one of the best reward apps on the scene despite the fact the app has only been around since 2017.
Dosh, like Drop, is very straightforward. Just connect your card to the app and then enjoy cash back when you shop at a variety of stores.
Some popular stores you can earn rewards from include:
- Walmart.
- Target.
- Walgreens.
- Nike.
- Forever21.
- Guess.
- Instacart.
And plenty, plenty more.
However, the best part is that Dosh is completely passive. I explain how it all works below and also in my recent YouTube video on the best cash back apps! 🙂
Apps like Drop make you pre-select shopping offers to earn shopping rewards. In contrast, Dosh automatically detects when you spend and pays you accordingly.
This makes Dosh a pretty humble yet effective source of passive income, and it’s definitely a must-download reward app.
You also earn cash back rewards when you book travel arrangements through Dosh Travel, making it easier to save money on vacation or business trips.
Dosh has a payout threshold of $25, which is somewhat steep for cash back apps. But it’s still a great way to make money on autopilot when you shop.
Signup for Dosh and start automatically earning cashback!
6. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is a free receipt scanning rewards app and is available for IOS or Android devices. Fetch Rewards is only available in the United States, but this app is a tad different than other reward apps.
See, Fetch Rewards pays you for being brand loyal, not store loyal.
As long as your receipts contain partnered brands, you earn points. It doesn’t actually matter where you shop, provided you are in the United States.
Fetch Rewards has plenty of popular brand partners, including:
- Pepsi.
- Kraft.
- Heinz.
- Dove.
- Taco Bell.
However, this app is definitely more than just your basic grocery rewards app, and includes household goods, alcohol, magazine subscriptions, and beauty products as well as food items.
Eligible receipts are guaranteed $0.25, although special offer rewards can easily range from $2 to $3.
The cashout minimum is also conveniently $3. Gift card options include Amazon, Target, Walmart, Dunkin Donuts, and plenty of other major retailers.
If you do most of the shopping for your household, Fetch Rewards is one of the best reward apps you can use simply because of how consistent it is.
Signup for Fetch Rewards and start easily saving money! Use code “APREWARDS” to redeem 3K points!
You can also checkout our article on the best apps like Fetch Rewards for more grocery saving ideas.
7. Honey
Now, Honey isn’t exactly a pure rewards platform since this Honey is a browser extension and mobile app.
However, Honey does let you earn cash back for shopping, and I’ve saved more than $200 by using Honey, so I figured it deserved a place on this list.
When Honey members shop at more than 4,000 Honey partners, they earn Honey Gold.
You can redeem their gold for a wide variety of free gift cards, and this is a completely passive way to save money once you install the extension or try the app.
Ultimately, Honey is definitely one of my favorite coupon platforms and ways to earn cash back, and there’s no harm in seeing how much money Honey can save you the next time you shop online.
Plus, the Honey mobile app acts as a consolidated shopping portal and coupon finder that makes it easy to earn free shopping rewards.
Find the sweetest deals with Honey and start earning cash back rewards!
Extra Reading – Honey Browser Extension Review.
8. Ampli
Alright, time for a win for the Canadians out there!
If you ask me, Ampli is one of the best rewards apps around just because it’s enitrely passive.
Once you download Ampli, you connect your credit and debit cards (just like other FinTech apps) so Ampli can track your spending.
Now, Ampli has a variety of cash back offers…some require spending a certain amount at a retailer, but others pay you cash back for spending any amount.
Plus, you don’t have to preselect offers to earn, which is why Ampli is passive.
Here are some examples of offers in my area:
- Indigo – Spend $25 and earn $5.
- Adidas – Spend $175 and get 10% cashback.
- Baskin Robbins – Spend and earn 5% cashback.
- DoorDash – Spend and earn 10% cashback.
- H&M – Spend $25 and earn $5.
Just connect your cards, shop like normal, and see how much money you make with Ampli over the course of the year!
Checkout our Ampli app review for all of the details.
Just remember to signup for Ampli with the code WORLD5 for a free $5 signup bonus! 😉
9. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is a popular receipt scanning app that is similar to Fetch Rewards. The app partners with almost major grocery stores and companies like Costco, Canadian Tire, Dollarama, and Walmart.
When you purchase eligible items and upload a receipt for proof of purchase, you earn cash back. Items typically earn less than $1 in cash back, but occasional offers like razors or beauty products can earn more.
For example, I just bought some cold medication this week, and Checkout 51 had a $4 cash back offer:
If you frequently grocery shop and enjoy the Checkout 51 offers, you can expect to earn around $20-$30 per month.
If you don’t enjoy the items that are frequently listed on Checkout 51, it might take a bit longer to reach your $20 threshold.
Ultimately, I think Checkout 51 is one of the best cash back apps for groceries, and rebates often cover a large percentage of a product.
Read out Checkout 51 review for even more information!
Extra Reading – 12 Ways to Make & Save Money In A Pinch.
10. Bumped
I’ve mentioned Bumped on this blog before, and this app is probably one of the coolest reward apps around right now if you want to invest and earn money for your spending.
With Bumped, you earn free stocks from the companies you spend at instead of cash back. When you signup with Bumped, you select a single merchant from each of the 16 categories to earn stock from.
There’s a wide array of categories, and some of the most popular merchants include Starbucks, Netflix, Spotify, and Walmart.
You’ll generally earn 1-3% in free stocks for shopping, but some merchants pay up to 5%.
Just note, you will need to provide your SSN when signing up and creating an account because you are dealing with stocks instead of cash.
You’re free to sell your portfolio/specific stocks at any time, and you can transfer the cash back into your linked bank account following order completion.
Signup for the Bumped wait-list on their website!
Extra Reading – Bumped App Review.
11. PEI
Pei is an automatic cash back app that works the same way as Drop. However, unlike Drop, Pei lets you cash out for cash or Bitcoin and is completely passive like Dosh.
Plus, Pei ahs a lot of partners, including major brands like Uber, Starbucks, Walgreens, CVS, and hundreds more.
Most cash back offers range from 1-2%, although Pei also has a loyalty bonus that grants $0.50 if you shop at a store 5 times. Plus, they have some ‘$2 for $20’ offers on stores that reward a $2 bonus for spending $20 or more.
You can cashout upon reaching $15 through PayPal, Bitcoin, or prepaid Visas.
Ultimately, if you like the passive nature of apps like Dosh, I think Pei is one of the best reward apps in 2020 that you can try.
Extra Reading – Pei App Review.
12. Caddle
Caddle is a Canadian cash back app that also appeared on Dragons Den, and this app is one of the newer players in the field of money saving apps.
With Caddle, you can save money with cash back rebates, but you have a few options to earn money, including:
- Scanning and uploading grocery receipts for proof-of-purchase.
- Answering paid surveys about shopping habits or other lifestyle questions.
- Watching specific advertisements via the Caddle app.
- Shopping at specific online stores or buying certain products online.
- Writing reviews and interacting with brands.
My favorite part is that upon signing up, you can earn between $7-$8 just by filling out your personal information, signing up with your email, and answering a few surveys.
Caddle has a cash out threshold of $20, but you can definitely reach the threshold easily thanks to the signup bonuses. You get paid via cheque, and the app refreshes offers quite regularly.
As you can see, Caddle is a legit shopping rewards app and does pay out their users!
Sign up for Caddle today and start saving! Use the code TOM43988 to earn an additional $1 upon signup!
Read more about earning cash back with Caddle in Caddle review!
Extra Reading – Sick Of Having No Money? Make These Changes!
13. ReceiptPal
ReceiptPal is another receipt scanning app that pay you for uploading receipts into the app.
However, unlike some of the cash back apps in this list, ReceiptPal isn’t exclusively for groceries.
If you upload a receipt within one week of purchase, you earn points which can be exchanged for a variety of gift cards.
A receipt is worth roughly $0.07, which isn’t great, but hey, free money is free money!
You can also connect their Amazon account or email to automatically upload receipts to earn points, so you can easily maximize how much you earn with ReceiptPal.
Overall ReceiptPal is a semi-passive cash back app that isn’t a bad way to earn some free gift cards!
This isn’t the most lucrative rewards app for 2020, but if you already use receipt scanning apps, you might as well add ReceiptPal into your routine!
Checkout our ReceiptPal review for all the details.
14. Ibotta
Ibotta is a popular receipt scanning app that lets you earn rewards for purchasing from select stores and partners. Simply go shopping, send a picture of your receipt with the Ibotta app, and earn cash back on eligible products.
Ibotta currently partners with over 500 retail chains, including Walmart, Publix, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Target, and many more popular shopping destinations.
Money you earn will appear in your Ibotta account within 48 hours. You won’t make a fortune with Ibotta, but you can realistically expect to earn around $20-$30 per month if you are the primary spender in a family of 3 or 4 people.
Groceries are really where Ibotta shines, but the app can also earn you cash at certain hotels, restaurants, clothing stores, or home good stores.
You must earn $20 before cashing out, and payment methods include PayPal or various gift cards.
Try out Ibotta for Android or IOS today and start earning rewards!
You can also read our post on Ibotta vs Rakuten to find the right cash back reward platform for you!
Extra Reading – Fetch Rewards vs Ibotta.
15. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is yet another popular rewards app where you earn money for scanning receipts. And the main perk of this receipt scanning app is that you can upload any kind of receipt to earn ‘coins.’
With your Receipt Hog coins, you can redeem Amazon gift cards, pre-paid Visa cards, or PayPal cash.
200 Receipt Hog coins is equal to $1, and most of the receipts I’ve uploaded have granted me 20 coins, or $0.10. It’s a slow process, but it’s easy.
On the bright side, Receipt Hog also has a Hog Slot game where you unlock spins by uploading more receipts. Prizes include bonus coins and cash, and you never know when you’ll get lucky!
Ultimately you won’t earn a lot of money with Receipt Hog, but it is a consistent receipt scanning app that pays and way to earn some guaranteed cash back.
Checkout our Receipt Hog review for all the info!
16. Swagbucks
Now, as you might know, I don’t think online surveys are worth it.
However, when it comes to Swagbucks, I’ve definitely earned my fair share of free gift cards with this platform.
Swagbucks is a versatile way to make money online, and lets you earn with surveys, gaming rewards, download offers, videos, and shopping rewards.
Swagbucks has a fairly extensive list of partners, including Amazon, Sephora, Macy’s, RONA, Home Depot, Nike, and Roots.
Most cash back incentives fall in the 1-3% range, but you will also see offers for 5-15% at times.
Overall, this is a very robust get-paid-to website with plenty of freebies up for grabs if you’re willing to put in the effort! And it’s a realistic way to get paid to shop if you take advantage of the cash-back offers.
Signup for Swagbucks and start earning! Just don’t waste your time doing surveys!
Extra Reading – How To Make $150 Fast.
17. Shopkick
Shopkick is another popular rewards app, and you can benefit from shopping online or in-store with Shopkick.
Shopkick users can earn ‘kicks’ for buying partnered products online or in-store, but you can also earn points for simply scanning items as well (I assume this is for market research purposes).
250 kicks equals $1, and points can be redeemed for free gift cards with companies like Target, Starbucks, or Amazon.
Shopkick is currently partnered with more than 250,000 retail locations, so you can definitely find a way to earn cash back with this app if you live in the United States.
If you want a mix of a rewards app, cash back portal, and mystery shopping gigs, apps like Shopkick are definitely for you!
Read our Shopkick review to learn more or our post on the best Shopkick hacks to earn more kicks!
Extra Reading – How To Earn $1,000 In 24 Hours.
18. Fluz
Another one of the top reward apps is Fluz, a newer player in the space.
This nifty reward app lets you earn up to 35% cash back, which is honestly an insane amount of cash back for any app to pay you.
The app works similarly to Slide, and you basically buy gift cards through Fluz for the merchants you’re about to shop at and then earn cash back in the process.
Fluz also has a shopping extension so you can earn rewards for online shopping.
Some notable Fluz partners include:
- Chipotle
- Domino’s
- DoorDash
- Hulu
- Nike
- Papa John’s
- Sephora
- Uber Eats
- Wayfair
You can cash out once you earn $26 for free PayPal money, direct deposit, and a variety of free gift cards.
Extra Reading – The Best Survey Sites For Free Gift Cards.
Final Thoughts
None of the apps in this list are going to earn hundreds of dollars per month (unless you have a serious shopping budget).
However, if you take advantage of a few of these popular reward apps, you might be surprised at how much you can earn annually.
They might seem tedious or irrelevant at the start, but even completely passive reward apps like Dosh or receipt scanning apps like Receipt Hog can make a difference over time.
If you implement a few of these apps, you will earn a couple of free gift cards every year, so you might as well try them out!
If you want to save even more money when shopping, I also suggest checking out my post on the best money saving browser extensions!
That’s all for now! I hope this list of the best 2020 reward apps helps you save even more money this year.
Catch you guys in the next one.
Looking for other ways to make extra money? Checkout:
Note: Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up using the links provided.
Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and the gig economy. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Investor Junkie, and more. This Online World is all about providing people with honest ways to make and save more money by using technology. To learn more about Tom, read his About Page!
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Hi,
What is the promo code for Ibotta? Thanks!