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Can you really make money by spending money? In a way, yes – you can get rewards for snapping pictures of your receipts. Receipt apps have been growing in popularity for a while now, and they show no signs of slowing down. A lot of them focus on physical paper receipts, but the best options also offer cash back for online retailers. You also have the option to download multiple receipt apps, so you can get rewarded for the same purchase several times.
The question is, why would anyone pay for a picture of your gas, grocery, or restaurant receipts? The answer is simple: marketing data based on consumer preferences. This might sound a little invasive, but it’s really no different from Google, Facebook, or a hundred other companies that gather data on their users. Plus, these apps typically keep every user’s data anonymous. In other words, they aren’t tracking your Starbucks habit because they’re interested in your weekly spending; they’re tracking the Starbucks habits of their users in general so they know more about buying patterns and consumer preferences. If this is a concern for you, check the terms and conditions of whatever app you’re interested in, or simply don’t sign up.
With that introduction, here are the top 10 receipt apps to try for yourself.
Fetch Rewards
Get rewarded for sending photos of your receipts, plus your receipts from 50+ online retailers too. To maximize your points, you can redeem special offers, buy from popular brands, or refer the app to your friends. To redeem your points on the Fetch Rewards app, first you should download the app and be sure to sign up with a Fetch rewards referral code). You can exchange points for a variety of gift cards that you can use to treat yourself. It’s also available for anyone who’s 13 or older, so even teens can get rewards for shopping!
CoinOut
CoinOut accepts receipts from any physical retailer for cash rewards – and they also have special offers where members can earn cash back online. You can even get bonus cash by simply being a member! For greater convenience, CoinOut lets you send your rewards to your PayPal account, or straight into the bank. If the name seems a little familiar, you may have heard of this app before – it found success on the TV show Shark Tank just a few years ago.
ReceiptPal
What makes this app special? You get rewards for pictures of your physical receipts, but you can also link your Amazon or email accounts. Anytime you receive a receipt in either of those accounts, you’ll automatically get points. There are also sweepstakes and other entertaining features to keep you engaged.
Makeena
Here’s a receipt app that promotes eco-friendly, healthy products. Physical and online retailers are all the same here, so you can get points no matter where you’re buying from. When it’s time for the payout, you have the option to use Venmo or PayPal; you will need at least $20 in your account in order to cash out, though.
SavingStar
If you use store loyalty cards frequently, you might enjoy using this receipt app. If you use the “Automatic Stores” feature to link your loyalty cards to the app, you’ll get automatic cash back every time you make a purchase. That’s in addition to the standard “scan receipts for cash back”, of course. If you activate “Always On” offers, you’ll automatically earn from them whenever you complete a purchase. You could also take advantage of their healthy produce offers, which are available to qualifying members who get two or more rewards each month.
Receipt Hog
Some receipt apps are picky about the kinds of stores they accept receipts from, but Receipt Hog is true to its name – they’ll take literally any receipt. On the other hand, it probably won’t give you as much money per receipt compared to other receipt apps. Still, this is an app that gives you rewards for receipts that most other apps wouldn’t accept, so it’s definitely still worth using.
NCP ReCap
This app was made by National Consumer Panel, a market research company. You’ll get at least $0.05 for each receipt, and you can scan up to 10 receipts per week. The receipts can come from physical stores or online shopping sprees, including restaurants, gas stations, and more. You’ll also get occasional surveys, which are another easy way to make a little extra cash.
Shopkick
Scanning receipts will get you cash with Shopkick – but you’ll also get paid to scan barcodes or simply walk into stores! Link a credit card to get rewarded for purchases, watch in-app videos, invite friends, complete treasure hunts, and shop online to get even more points.
Checkout 51
Available to anyone 18 and older in the US and Canada, Checkout 51 is one of the most popular receipt apps. You can scan receipts, enjoy cash-back offers, take surveys, watch videos for bonus points, and even participate in contests! You can get your payouts by check (which typically takes 15 to 30 business days) or through PayPal. Use it when you buy snacks, toothpaste, pet food, or pretty much anything else you purchase in-store or online.
IBotta
As one of the more established receipt rewards apps, IBotta has some of the best rewards, as well as a sign-up bonus of $5 after you upload the first receipt. All you have to do is register, tell them which offers interest you, get the products, then scan the receipt. You’ll also get points with in-app purchases, or by using the IBotta web extension. The app is available in the US only, but the extension can be used anywhere in the world. Payouts are made through gift cards and PayPal.
Which one will you try first?
There’s a lot to choose from here, but guess what? Since you can often scan the same receipt in multiple apps, you don’t necessarily have to choose just one! Check out a few and see how they suit your shopping habits – you’ll probably be glad you did once you start getting the payouts!
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