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According to the latest US BLS data, most American households spend an average of $475.25 per month on groceries. I don’t know about you, but my grocery bills are consistently double the average they mention. And what about other basics like gas, pet supplies, or skincare items? We still have to commute, care for our pets, and manage our personal care, don’t we?
Indeed, our expenses can empty our wallets if we don’t strategize how we spend our money. But instead of avoiding shopping or cutting back your daily expenses to save on groceries, why not make some of that money back?
In case you didn’t know, the receipts you get from shopping are not a waste of paper. Many free apps reward users for the physical and digital receipts they get from shopping.
Most incentives are cash (or gift cards, freebies, etc.), which can be used to buy food, shoes, clothes, gas, and other stuff.
Some of the popular scan receipt apps I use are Swagbucks and Checkout 51. I have been using these platforms since college to pay for many things, but mostly to score free Starbucks coffee.
However, you must bear in mind that many money-making apps take time to incentivize you while others are huge scams!
To avoid all these hassles, I’ve gathered some of the best legit apps that scan receipts for money.
So, without further ado, let’s begin.
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1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the best survey sites online and they’ve since expanded their cash back system to allow users to turn their grocery receipts into cash.
Since its founding in 2008, it has remained one of the most popular consumer and loyalty programs worldwide.
They are well-known as a legitimate app that allows you to earn extra cash with minimal effort, like answering surveys, playing video games, watching videos, shopping online, and scanning receipts.
These little activities allow you to earn points and use the points to redeem PayPal cash and gift cards.
You can also earn money with receipts through their Magic Receipts feature. All you need to do is upload your receipts from Target, Walmart, Albertsons, Ralphs, Safeway, Kroger, and a hundred other US stores and supermarkets to the Swagbucks app.
You will receive points upon verification of your uploaded receipts. To get verified easily, make sure you get the “perfect” picture of the receipt. This means the receipt is complete, not wrinkled or blurry, and not taken on busy backgrounds.
The points you will receive vary from 1 to 10 SB per dollar spent. It’s 100 SB for $1, and as you reach 2,500 SB ($25), you are ready to redeem cash or gift cards you can use to buy on Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and many other participating stores.
2. Receipt Hog
Unlike other sites that reward you money for doing diverse minimal activities, Receipt Hog focuses on rewarding users with extra money by submitting receipts.
Do you find cashback apps boring? You might like the app’s gamified approach to earning rewards as it makes putting more cash in your piggy bank exciting. The more you use and share information on the app, the more you will move up your levels, warranting more points to earn.
There are three ways you can use your receipts to earn virtual coins.
- Upload paper receipts: When you visit restaurants, grocery stores, and department stores, always ask for receipts and upload them on the app to get points.
- Upload digital receipts: Earn rewards without doing anything. Link your shopping apps, such as Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, etc., and the app will automatically scan the receipts for you.
- Take online surveys: This one still involves submitting receipts. Uploading more receipts on the app allows you to receive more online surveys to answer.
You can also collect more coins through slot spins, sweepstake entries, and increasing your level. How? By submitting more receipts, of course! Collect at least 1,000 coins ($5) to initiate cash out and Amazon gift card rewards.
3. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards will give you cash for shopping at any store. Sounds too good to be true? Not at all. This app is the only platform I know that rewards you money for every purchase you’ve made, anywhere you shop.
This means shopping at any store you like will make you feel better because you know you’ll be rewarded after splurging on both your “wants” and “needs.” Not to mention that they give high reward points for each receipt scanned.
A receipt submitted through the app will earn you 25 points or more. Keep in mind that old receipts may not hold value. Their rules say that any receipts beyond two weeks old are no longer accepted.
When promotional items at their participating stores are purchased, you will be rewarded dozens or even hundreds of extra points. Heck, even the first receipt you scanned for the week allows you to earn additional bonus points.
To start collecting points at Fetch Rewards, make sure to have your receipt ready for scanning. At the bottom of the app lies the option to scan receipts. You won’t have a hard time navigating through the platform, let alone submitting your receipts, because it’s simple, organized, and visually appealing.
Their promotions are likewise featured on the main page, allowing you to receive more points quickly. Gather at least 3,000 points to cash out $3. This is the app’s minimum threshold to redeem cash rewards, including free gift cards online.
4. Ibotta
Do you sometimes feel guilty having to do some retail therapy for your sanity? You’re not alone. However, remember that life is short not to enjoy things, so if shopping makes you happy, do yourself a favor and shop more!
Jokes aside, you would feel better knowing you can make your shopping trip an opportunity to earn extra money. With Ibotta, you can receive rebates for every purchase made at grocery stores, online retailers, travel, and more.
To get paid to shop or earn money from scanning receipts, you need to download the app, select the store you want to shop, browse their offers, and add them to your list. Then, go to the store, buy the products you’ve just listed on the app, and scan the receipts. Take note that the validity of each receipt is up to 7 days.
On the flip side, if manually scanning receipts is not your thing, you can skip this by shopping online. Just link the online store loyalty card, say Amazon, to the app to get a cashback automatically after shopping.
According to CNBC, an average Ibotta user can earn between $10 and $20 a month, while active users can earn up to $300 per month. Not bad, right? I mean, in this economy, who would not love to earn money by just adding some stuff to their cart?
Note: Receipts from your local mom-and-pop shops won’t give you a cashback. Ibotta encourages you to patronize their partner companies like Walmart, Target, Kroger, Safeway, and Albertsons. A trip to a movie theater, pet store, or hardware store also comes with massive rewards.
5. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is one of the easiest money-saving apps to use. Simplistic in style, it is easy to navigate the platform after a small learning curve. All features, such as stores available, product offers, and bonuses, are clearly labeled and organized.
Uploading receipts is also fast, but the best of all is the simplicity of the app. If you don’t like flashy colors, animations, or a gamified approach to using a cashback, then a minimalist person like you will adore this app.
Checkout 51 emphasizes on its main page the rewards you get buying gas, but don’t let this deter you from getting incentives from your grocery receipts. In fact, grocery stores feature the most offers on the app.
I must also highlight that basic necessities like bread and eggs reward you with cash regardless of the store you buy them from. This is clearly one of their advantages, as many scanning receipts and cashback apps are only useful if they collaborate with a store you usually shop from.
The downside, however, is that despite many participating stores, their offers are often limited and are only available from Thursday midnight until the following Wednesday at 11:59 P.M.
As such, offers can run out quickly, especially if many shoppers claim them. That’s why it’s important to check the app from time to time before you start shopping. This will ensure that the offer is available on the app and that you will be rewarded afterward.
When you finish shopping, snap a photo of your receipt, submit it on the app, and wait until they approve it. All approved receipts will show up in your account. Once you reach $20, you can redeem it as a PayPal cash or paper check.
6. MyPoints
Established in 1996, MyPoints is one of the oldest and best receipt rewards apps that still exists today. So before Swagbucks, Ibotta, or Rakuten became popular, this site was already born, giving extra cash to people who like doing micro-tasks online.
Are you fond of watching videos? Shopping online? How about reading books? If your answers are all yes, you would definitely love MyPoints.
To make money on your phone scanning receipts, you must go to Magic Receipt. Like Checkout 51 (and other apps mentioned above), you must activate offers before heading to the store to shop.
On the Magic Receipt page, browse the offers you would want to buy. All chosen products will go to “Your Shopping List.” A tiny icon of the product and its corresponding points are also listed there.
Note that it will take you 4,000 points to redeem $25 in PayPal cash. You also have the option to withdraw earnings via gift cards, travel miles, and virtual prepaid cards.
To make the most out of your receipts, here are some things to consider:
- Most offers are associated with a specific store. Make sure that you buy items from their partner stores.
- Basic household necessities like soap, bread, and eggs can be purchased anywhere, regardless of store and brand.
- Offers are limited and may run out if you don’t claim them immediately.
Meanwhile, redeeming rewards is a piece of cake. Once you meet the minimum threshold for the rewards you want, say Starbucks gift cards (700 points), tap “Redeem Points” next to your total points balance.
7. Shopkick
Shopkick is another rewards site – just like earning cashback by paying through a credit card or earning miles for travel. Their difference is that they are flexible.
You don’t only have to scan receipts and barcodes to get rewards. With Shopkick, you can collect points called “kicks” by referring friends to use the app, walking to their partner stores, shopping and linking a credit card, and doing many other errands.
The number of kicks you’ll receive will vary depending on the things you do. Most of the time, you have to do some online and in-store activities to receive points.
For instance, scanning receipts lets you earn 30 kicks or so, walking to the store guarantees 10 kicks while shopping through the app with your linked credit card warrants 6 kicks per $1 spent.
Shopkick, however, won’t give you real money. Instead, they will allow you to redeem gift cards, which is pretty much the same as earning cash.
Sephora, Target, Starbucks, eBay, and Amazon gift cards are the most in-demand prizes available on the app. With 250 kicks, you can have one dollar. To cash out, you’ll need a minimum of $10 in your account.
8. Rakuten
As per Statista, the number of US online shoppers is projected to soar to approximately 285 million by 2025
Technically, Rakuten doesn’t give you money by scanning receipts. They give you a cashback by doing what you love, which is, of course, shopping online.
Rakuten works with over 3,500 stores. Do you love Adidas, Toys R Us, Sephora, or Lululemon? Get money back by shopping at your favorite stores through this app. You can even use your Apple gift cards and still earn cashback after purchasing an Apple product on Rakuten. It’s that simple!
With a $5 balance, the app allows you to cash out through PayPal. You can also easily redeem rewards after you sign up because the app will give you a $10 cash bonus after making $25 worth of purchases.
Unfortunately, you can’t win rewards shopping from your local grocery stores. The company promotes online shopping, so I suggest you shop your household essentials at Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, or other Rakuten partner stores.
FAQs
1. Can I earn money scanning receipts?
Yes, you can get cash back on your shopping receipt. Apps like Swagbucks, Ibotta, and Checkout 51 are the best apps that reward you money for scanning receipts. If you consistently use them, you could realistically earn $600 to $1,000 a year.
Money doesn’t grow on trees, so anything that makes you money, as long as it’s legal, is always worth it. There’s no such thing as free money as well. You can expect any money-making apps to ask you to do some small errands.
I suggest that you activate offers before shopping, do some micro-tasks available on the app, and refer some friends to make more money.
2. Which receipt-scanning apps pay the most?
I would say Ibotta. Again, according to CNBC, active users can earn up to $300 per month from the app.
However, the real answer to this question depends on what type of user you are. This is because the number of points (redeemable as cash) will vary depending on the purchases made as shown on your receipts, and the bonuses you’ve obtained.
So, let’s say even if you’re a frequent Ibotta user but don’t take advantage of their promotions or buy products not on the offer list, you will most likely get fewer points.
That said, any app can be the highest-paying scanning platform if you plan your shopping around their weekly offers (i.e., participating in bonus promotions, referring friends, and buying their specials).
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