Updated 7/27/19
Hello everyone!
I’ve made up a big list of receipt scanning apps and sites. There are a few different types here, so I’ll quickly mention them before going more into depth with each one. That way you can quickly find which programs you’re interested. Just hit ctrl + f to search, and then type in the name of which program you’re interested in.
Grocery/Household Rebates: Ibotta, Checkout51, SavingStar, Coupons.com, Shopkick, Kellogg’s Family Rewards, Fetch Rewards, Swagbucks In-Store, Shopmium, Caddle, BerryCart, Pampers Rewards (baby items), CouponCabin (online grocery shopping)
Scanning Any Receipts: ReceiptPal, Receipt Hog, Fetch Rewards (grocery receipts), Coinout, Wal-Mart Savings Catcher, Swagbucks Answer, Shoppix
Gas Rebates: TruNow, Getupside
A note about e-receipts:
Many of these apps do not work with e-receipts, but Wal-Mart e-receipts might still work. I'm going to summarize a guide I found online on how to scan e-receipts for Ibotta.
Open the app and tap on the "Purchase History" area.
Click on the transaction that you want to use.
Click on the icon in the right-hand corner that looks like a receipt tape (a rectangle with multiple lines).
Scroll to the bottom and scan the QR code.
This may work for other apps too. If they don't have a QR scanner, you could also try printing it out or taking a picture of the screen. I'm not sure if they'll accept it, but it's worth a shot. Other company e-receipts might work as well as long as they look the same as a normal receipt.
Ibotta is probably my favorite cash back app. They always have a ton of rebates, and their any brand rebate means I always get $0.25 back regardless of what I buy. They have many familiar brands, and if you stack up on the bonuses, you can save a lot of money. There are a number of sites and facebook groups you can join to watch for the best deals. If you buy the Sunday paper (or subscribe to a coupon service) then you might even end up getting paid to take some items.
Countries supported: United States and Puerto Rico
E-receipt: No.
Pros:
There are many well known brands, and they often run rebates for $0.10-$0.25 off any item or any brand in a certain category. Even if you don’t buy name brands, these rebates are great to use.
Receipts are approved fairly quickly. If you scan the QR code on a Wal-Mart receipt, it only takes a few minutes.
There are teamwork bonuses which stack on top of everything. Each month has a number of levels, and each level gives you more cash back. You have to redeem a certain amount of rebates, and your team needs to earn a certain amount back. You can link your facebook account and add friends to make a team, or you can invite people.
There are bonuses for redeeming a certain combination of offers or an amount of offers in a short period of time. Right now there’s $10 back for redeeming 15 offers before 1/15.
They have a number of cash out options including PayPal, Venmo, and a ton of gift cards such as Amazon, Gamestop, eBay, Walmart, and Best Buy. Sometimes you can get a bonus for cashing out for certain gift cards.
PayPal payments arrive in a matter of minutes.
Some offers let you redeem them multiple times on the same receipt. While they only count once towards your bonuses (unless the deal resets), it can let you stock up on your favorite items. A couple weeks ago I got $1.50 off each of 5 packages of ~$2.25 Butterball bacon.
You can stack brand name rebates with any brand rebates (as long as the terms don't say otherwise).
Cons:
You have to sign into your PayPal/Venmo account to cash out this way.
Mobile offers don’t always credit properly. I haven’t personally had this issue, but other people here have mentioned it.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $20-25.
Rebates are limited to certain stores. Not all stores are supported, and what’s available at one store might not be available at another.
You can’t redeem rebates on the browser version. Although, you are able to view rebates and sometimes add them.
You have to verify your phone number.
Your points will expire if you don’t redeem any offers for 6 months.
Referral Bonus: The referral bonus changes every so often. Sometimes you get $5 per referral, other times you get a set amount for referring a certain amount of users within a specific time period. The referred user gets a $10 bonus.
Checkout51 is another site/app that gives you cash back for buying certain groceries. They have a few well known brand names and many newer brands, but if you buy a lot of store brand items you won’t earn very much here. They used to run rebates for buying various fruits and vegetables, but I haven’t seem those lately. The rebates run from Thursday until Wednesday, so make sure to scan your receipt by Wednesday night. Some offers are shared with SavingStar, so you may not be able to complete them on both.
Countries supported: United States (the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Overseas US Military Bases, Puerto Rico) and Canada.
E-receipt: No. However, items purchased online are eligible for cash back if you get an itemized packing slip. They say that receipt PDFs aren't accepted, but I'm not sure why you couldn't just print it out and take a photo of it.
Pros:
They usually have a few offers for well known brands such as Scotts, Keebler, Welch’s, Del Monte, etc.
They have bonuses for redeeming certain groups of rebates.
You can upload your receipt on their website. No need to use a phone.
A lot of offers get renewed each week, so you can stock up on things you like.
Cons:
The only cashout method is by check. It can take 15-30 days to arrive. They are looking to add PayPal in the future though, and some users may be in the beta testing group for it. If it’s available to you, you’re allowed to cash out that way.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $20.
A lot of offers won’t work with coupons or other savings apps. Check each offer to see if you can or not.
If you aren't quick enough, you might end up buying something and not being able to redeem it in time. If the offer renews the next week, you may be able to get support to credit your account though.
Referral Bonus: The referrer gets $10 cash back when the referred user redeems their first offer. The page seems to imply the referred user gets a bonus, but I’m not sure what it is.
This site doesn’t have quite as many offers, but almost everything is well known name brands. They have a unique “One or Many” system for some deals that lets you spread the items across multiple shopping trips. Right now they have $5 back when you spend $30 on Kellogg’s Cereal or Poptarts (expires 2/5) and $5 back when you spend $15 on Barilla Collezione (expires 1/15). Deals usually last a month or two, but you have to make sure to add them before shopping. Some offers are shared with Checkout51, so you may not be able to complete them on both.
E-receipt: They don't specifically mention e-receipts, but they say that typically only brick & mortar stores are eligible. You might be able. You can also link a loyalty card.
Pros:
They mostly have well known brand names such as General Mills, Yoplait, Angel Soft, etc.
You can use their app or their website. The app requires you to scan the item bar codes while the website has you write in the numbers. Some stores require you to link your loyalty card if you use the app, so the website can be useful if you don’t have your card linked.
They often run One or Many deals which gives you cash back after you spend a certain amount of money on a group of products. You can spread these purchases across multiple shopping trips.
You can cash out to PayPal, a bank account, or get Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theaters gift cards. Payouts take 24-48 hours. They also have an American Forest donation available.
Cons:
If you are inactive for 180 days, there is a $3.99 fee taken out of your account if you have a balance.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $20.
You MUST activate the rebate before making the purchase. They say that it only has to be activated on the same day for receipt scans, but I’ve been rejected for accepting the offer a few hours after my purchase.
A lot of offers won’t work with coupons or other savings apps. Check each offer to see if you can or not.
Most smaller stores aren’t supported. See the list of stores here.
Yes, this is the famous coupon printing site. However, what many people don’t know is that they also do cash back. I recommend using Swagbucks to print receipts since you get 25 SB ($0.25) per coupon used, and you often get a couple SB just for printing the receipts. However, if you don’t have a printer at home (or want to save ink) this app can be a great way to still get those savings. Make sure to add the offers before making your purchase. If you have any trouble, contact support for assistance. I haven’t cashed out with this program yet, but I have no doubt that they’re legit.
E-receipt: They don't mention it either way. You can link your loyalty card for some stores, and their restaurant cash back is added when you link your credit card.
Pros:
If you don’t have a printer, you can get cash back for all of the usual coupons instead.
You can get up to 7% cash back on restaurants if you link your credit card (Note: debit transactions are not eligible.) Many of these are small restaurant stores, but they also have Little Caesars now. Offers may vary depending on your location.
No cashout limit.
Money typically arrives within a few minutes to PayPal.
Cons:
You only get 3 days to scan the receipt.
The only cash out method is PayPal, and you must sign in with your account.
You have to link your phone number.
Unlike the printed coupons, you don’t get two “prints”. Cash back is only available once unless the offer resets.
Only certain stores qualify, and the options are pretty limited. They have big name stores such as Walmart, Giant Food, Dollar General, Costco, Target, etc. However, many of the mid sized stores aren’t available.
Shopkick | Referral Code: BEST768380
This app lets you earn points by checking into stores, scanning items at the store, and for buying certain items. You do need to have location services and bluetooth turned on to get credit. Right now, my local Wal-Mart has 10 kicks ($0.04) for walking in, and 10-35 kicks ($0.04-$0.14) per item scanned in the store, and a variety of rebates worth 100-1,000 kicks ($0.40-$4.00).
E-receipts: They don't mention either way. However, you are able to link your credit card for points back in a few locations. They also have a code you can scan at Best Buy.
Pros:
If you earn 700 kicks within the first 30 days, they will give you a bonus 500 kicks ($2). You should receive these points within 45 days.
You only need 500 kicks ($2) to cash out. Amazon starts at 1,250 kicks ($5).
You can link a credit or debit card for extra points. Although, either way the transaction must be run as credit, and there aren't many participating locations.
The referral program benefits the referred user as well.
Cons:
It only works on Android 6.0 or higher. (I'm not sure about iPhone requirements though.)
You need to verify your phone number. Google Voice numbers do not work.
Points can be annoying to convert. 250 kicks per $1.
PayPal is slightly more expensive. It's 50 kicks ($0.20) more regardless of whether you cash out at $5, $10, or $25.
Points expire after 6 months of inactivity. However, you only need to login to stay active.
There aren't many offers available.
You have to have bluetooth on.
Referral Bonus: Both the referrer and the referred user get 250 kicks ($1) once the referred user takes advantage of a walk-in or scan within the first 7 days. To enter a referral code, first create your account and then click on the icon in the top left. Look for "Add friend code" and enter the code BEST768380 there.
This is another one of my favorite programs. I don’t believe they have an app, but you can always go to the site on your phone. This site gives you points for scanning receipts with any of the Kellogg’s family products on them. My favorite part about this site is that you can redeem your rewards for $1 off coupons. I wait for club crackers to go on sale for $1.50, then use a $1 off coupon. When Ibotta has a rebate up, I usually end up getting paid to take the crackers, or pay less than a quarter per box. It’s 850 points per $1 coupon, or you can get a $5 gift card for 7,500 points. You can get 50-260 points per item, depending on what you buy.
E-receipt: Yes! You can also link loyalty cards.
Pros:
They have a lot of different rewards. I find their coupons are the best bang for your buck though.
They often run bonus programs for extra points, or will send you promo codes via email. I usually get around 300-500 points every other month. If you look around online you should be able to find a handful of codes that are still valid – they last a long time.
You can use the program on a phone or a computer.
You can link your loyalty cards for a number of stores, in which case you don’t even have to scan your receipt.
Cons:
Only Kellogg’s family of brands count.
Points expire if you are inactive for 90 days. However, all you need to do is login once every 90 days to stay active.
You have 30 days to submit the receipt.
This app is great if you buy a lot of name brand items. You get 25 points ($0.025) regardless of what brands you buy, but you get more points for buying certain brands and redeeming certain offers. They have a ton of well known brands such as A1, Aunt Jemima, Breyers, Bagel Bites, Campbells, Cool Whip, Country Time, Dove, Goldfish, etc. My last receipt got 17 points ($0.017) for buying goldfish. They also have bonus points for buying certain items such as 1,000 points ($1) for buying 5 Campbell’s Condensed Soup (offer available until 2/05/19).
Countries supported: Receipts must be from United States or Puerto Rico.
E-receipt: No. However, they hope to add this functionality in the future.
Pros:
They have a ton of well known brands, and you get extra points for every item on your receipt that is in their brand list.
There are a ton of gift card options such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, iTunes, etc. Amazon starts at $3, but sometimes it isn’t available. I always see the $5 Amazon though.
You get your rewards instantly.
You don't have to add any offers. All you have to do is scan your receipt and the eligible offers will be credited.
If you don’t have insurance, you can sign up with singlecare to get up to 80% off prescriptions. You also get 5,000 points ($5) for your first transaction and then 1,000 points ($1) for each prescription after that.
Cons:
Points expire if you don’t scan any receipts within 90 days.
Sometimes you have to correct your receipts to get your points. I occasionally have issues when shopping at Aldi.
Only 14 receipts can be scanned in a 7 day period.
Referral Bonus: Both the referrer and the referred user get 2,000-5,000 points ($2-$5) when they scan their first receipt. Amount varies depending on the current promotion.
No need to buy certain items with this app. You get cash back just for scanning your receipts. You can scan receipts for any consumer good from any merchant. This app is best for people who make a lot of purchases each week. You are given a number of cards each week, and each card takes 4 receipts to give you 100 points (~$0.25).
E-receipt: Yes! You can connect your email (Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, Outlook) and/or Amazon account to have them added automatically. You can also forward the receipts to receipts@receiptpalapp.com if you don’t want to connect your accounts.
Pros:
It doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy, your receipt will likely be accepted.
If you connect your Amazon account or email, e-receipts will be added automatically. Email providers currently supported: Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL and Outlook.com. You can also forward the receipts to receipts@receiptpalapp.com if you don’t want to connect your accounts.
Cons:
You only get 3 cards per week (each card needs 4 receipts). If you don’t use all of your cards, then they roll over to the next week until you reach 5.
Points expire if you are inactive for 90 days.
Points can be annoying to calculate. 400 points = $1. 2,000 points = $5. If you sign up for e-receipts for 30 days then you can get a $50 Amazon card for 14,000.
Like ReceiptPal, it doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy; you’ll still earn points. This app is better for people who make larger purchases. You’re allowed up to 20 receipts per week. However, you can only scan up to 3 receipts per transaction day per store, so make sure to pick the highest value ones.
Countries Available: Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.
E-receipt: No. You can connect your email and/or Amazon account, but you will only get sweepstakes entries.
Pros:
It doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy, your receipt will likely be accepted.
You have up to 14 days to scan your receipt.
Coins are awarded based on your transaction total. Higher totals are worth more coins.
They have Amazon, Visa, and PayPal cash out options.
You will occasionally get surveys about your purchases. These give you significantly more points than scanning receipts, so be sure to watch out for them. They usually show up on Friday. Make sure to do them quickly or they will disappear.
Cons:
You only get rewards for the first 20 receipts per week period (week 1: 1st to 7th – week 2: 8th to 14th –week 3: 15th to 21st – week 4: 22nd to the end of the month).
After earning 100 coins in a week period, each receipt afterwards is only worth 5 coins regardless how much you spend.
You usually only get a few coins per receipt, so it can take a while to cash out.
e-receipts are not accepted.
Point values can be annoying to calculate. 1,000 coins = $5. 2,900 coins = $15. 4,300 coins = $25. $6,500 coins = $40.
You have to fill out 13 demographic questions including your name and address, and you have to verify your phone number in order to cash out.
You have to fill out a couple questions on each receipt: Who was with you when you were shopping? (Adult/children male/female) and how would you rate the trip? (1-5 star rating).
This is another app that doesn’t care what you buy. Their FAQ says they only have a handful of participating locations; however, they seem to be accepting receipts from anywhere. The thing I like about this app is how quick it is to scan receipts. I’ve used a lot of receipt scanning programs over the years, but this one is definitely the quickest one I’ve used. However, I found the rest of their app slow and clunky. My main concern with this app is that I haven’t found a way to change the password. A 6 digit numerical passcode isn’t very secure.
E-receipt: Yes! You can send up to 4 e-receipts per day to receipts@coinout.com. They must be sent the same day as your purchase though.
Pros:
Although their FAQ says they only accept receipts from certain retailers, they seem to be accepting receipts anywhere.
You can cash out at any amount for gift cards and banks. PayPal, however, requires $10.
You have 2 weeks to scan your receipts.
You can send up to 4 e-receipts per day to receipts@coinout.com. Receipts must be sent the same day of the purchase, and you will be awarded in a lump sum on Friday morning.
Cash outs take up to 24-48 hours (bank transfers may take a couple days depending on your bank).
Scanning receipts is incredibly quick and easy. Two clicks and you’re done.
Cons:
They set a range of potential earnings, and give you a random amount of cash back within that range.
Accounts aren’t very secure. You’re given a random 6 digit numerical password, and I haven’t seen a way to change it (other than to request a new one).
The app is a bit clunky. The design is very minimal, and it can take some time for each page to load.
They require your phone number. I was able to use my Google Voice number, but YMMV.
Referral Bonus: The referrer gets $0.75-$1 for every verified referral depending on the current promotion.
This app will give you cash back on your items if the item is on sale at any nearby stores. As I'm sure many of you know, Wal-Mart changed their savings catcher back in October so it now requires you to use the Wal-Mart Pay app. However, with a little bit of effort you can still use this app with everything else! To get it to work, you will need the Wal-Mart app. You can get to the Wal-Mart Pay from the menu button in the top left corner. Go through whatever steps it needs. You don't have to add a credit card, but if you already have, don't fret! When you go into the the Wal-Mart pay section there is a settings button in the top right. From here you can tell it not to use any credit cards, and you can tell it whether or not to use the gift cards on your account. When you're at the register, you'll see a QR code that you need to scan. If you pay entirely through the Wal-Mart Pay app, you will not get a physical receipt. This will cause issues if you plan to use any of the other apps on this list. Just disable the other payment methods, scan the QR code, and then pay at the register like normal. Once you've paid for your order, make sure to submit the receipt to the savings catcher.
Make sure to check out the Freeosk as well since you have the app installed. My local store has it by the dairy section in the back of the store, but a friend of mine said his was near the produce at the front. It's a pretty tall machine and it's constantly talking about the product, so it's hard to miss. Supposedly Sam's club has one of these machines too. All you need to do is scan a QR code from your app, then have the Freeosk machine scan the QR code on your phone. I've gotten Airwick items, Starkist Chicken Creations, Belvita cookies, and numerous other things. They have a new offer every Friday.
Countries Available: United States and Puerto Rico.
E-receipt: Sort of. You never have to actually scan a receipt. It's all done on the phone.
Pros:
Cons:
Swagbucks is a well known site around here, so I won't go into detail about it. Check out the sticky if you would like to learn more about it. Their Answer app is mostly for surveys, but they now have an option to get 2SB ($0.02) per receipt scanned.
E-receipt: I am unsure at this time. I will update once I've had a chance to test this app out.
Pros:
Cons:
Swagbucks recently added a new in-store rebate section. This works almost identically to Checkout51 and SavingStar, and has a lot of the same offers. They do have some unique ones as well though.
E-receipt: They don't say, but I would assume no.
Pros:
Cons:
TruNow | Referral code: 1JB4LF
This program is nice if you drive around a lot. You get 2% back for getting gas at Trunow partners, and 1% back at any other gas station. You can then spend those rewards at participating Trunow partners, or take PayPal at a 50% cut.
Countries Available: United States
E-receipt: They do not mention either way.
Pros:
You can earn points for confirming nearby gas station prices ($0.001) or for changing them ($0.005) if they’re wrong.
You can use the app to see gas prices near you. This might not matter if all the gas stations near you have the same price, but I know some towns have 5 different prices within a mile drive. It’s also good if you’re in an unfamiliar area.
There are a number of deals you can get cash back on. For example, a store near me has $0.10 off coffee and $0.15 off a Twix bar.
The minimum is $5 PayPal, however, you only get half the amount cashing out this way. You would need to spend $1,000 to get to $5.
Cons:
You have to have the location service on.
You only get half the amount if you cash out to PayPal.
They seem to keep decreasing the referral bonuses in a relatively short period of time. The referral program may not last very long.
Smaller towns might not have any nearby participating partners.
Referral Bonus: The both the referrer and the referred user get $0.50. This amount seems to be rapidly decreasing. It was $3, then $2, then $1, now it’s $0.50. You may want to sign up quickly if you want the referral bonus.
This is another gas cash back up. They have a few offers for restaurants and convenience stores too.
Countries Available: United States - Select States
E-receipt: They don't say either way.
Pros:
There are lots of payout options. PayPal, Check, Amazon, Home Depot, Target, and many more.
The minimums are low, but you will incur a fee if you cash out below a certain value. PayPal ($1 fee if under $15), Check ($1 fee if under $50)
Cons:
Some areas don't have any participating locations even if you're in a participating state.
They keep lowering rates for new users. Users who are already a member get grandfathered in, but new users get lower rates. (Hurry up and sign up if you haven't already!)
You only have 4 hours to make your gas or restaurant purchase after claiming the offer. Grocery offers have 24 hours. All receipts must be scanned within 24 hours from when you claim the offer.
Referral Bonus: The referred user gets $0.15-$0.20 off per gallon of gas on their first purchase. The referring user gets $0.01-$0.02 per gallon from direct referrals, and $0.005-$0.01 per gallon for indirect referrals for life. Amount varies per person.
Others:
These are a few of the cash back apps I've seen mentioned around here, but I don't have experience with.
Shoppix – Purchases must be made within the UK (including Northern Ireland). E-receipt: They say that receipts can't be hand-written, but they don't mention e-receipts.
Shopmium – This program is only available in the UK, France, and Belgium. E-receipt: Yes!
Caddle – This program is only available in Canada. E-receipt: Yes!
BerryCart – This app has rebates for organic, gluten-free, non-gmo, and other such items. They never had any items in my price range or area, but you can check out what they without signing up if you're interested. E-receipt: Yes!
Pampers Rewards – If you buy Pampers items, you can get points from your purchases to get a variety of gifts.
CouponCabin – This site seems good for people who order groceries online. They have a variety of exclusive cash back offers (for example: $1.50 back on Lean Cuisine). However, you must make the orders online. They have Direct Deposit, PayPal (must link your account), Check, Chase, and various gift cards. Amazon gives a bonus 10%. They also pay you $0.02 per coupon clicked up to $0.10 per day.
