Cash back apps have been around for a while now. If you are like me, you were probably very hesitant to use them at first. I have four cash back apps that I have been using regularly for a while now. Some of them for years, even, and I can’t say I have one complaint about them.
Check out these apps if you want to start earning cash back or if you are looking for even more ways of making some extra spending money.
Get Upside
Get Upside is the newest cash back app I’ve been using. It works when you purchase gas for your cars. It’s tricky for me because my husband is the one with the long commute, and he fills up two to three times a week, where I only drive around town and can go three weeks without having to fill up. The tricky part is that you have to “check-in” to the gas station on the app, and then you have a certain time frame to redeem their cash back offer. This is something my husband is guaranteed not to remember, but I do it whenever possible.
I’ve seen up to eight cents per gallon savings, but I’ve heard they occasionally offer up to 25¢ back per gallon. I have yet to actually redeem my savings from this app only because I just haven’t needed to, but they have a large variety of gift cards to choose from. They can throw it in your PayPal account, do a bank transfer, or even mail you a check. You only need $1 earned to redeem.
Use this link or enter promo code ABC4PW when you download the app to get an extra 15¢ per gallon in free gas the first time you use it. That can be up to 40¢ per gallon back in your pocket.
Receipt Hog
The Receipt Hog app is super easy because all you need to do is take a picture of your receipt and upload it. My husband happens to leave receipts lying around everywhere, so I easily round them up and load them into the app. The only catch is you have to upload the receipt within two weeks of the purchase. You can also put all your receipts in one spot and upload them once a week to get it all done at once.
Once your receipts are accepted, you will get coins added to your account and earn slot machine spins, giving you even more coins. You also earn more coins by consistently uploading receipts each week as a bonus. They’ll give you entries into monthly sweepstakes where you can win even more coins. Receipt Hog has various levels you can earn while you upload your receipts. The first 11 levels will earn you bonus slot spins, and every level after that will earn you even more coins.
Redeem your Receipt Hog coins for PayPal cash or an Amazon or Visa gift card. Every 1,000 coins you turn in equals $5, and you can earn more money by turning in larger amounts of coins. For example – you can earn $25 by turning in 4,300 coins instead of 5,000 coins (which is what it would be in $5 increments.) I’ve always selected PayPal to redeem my cash and haven’t had any issues. This isn’t an app where I turn in my coins super often, but hey, every bit helps.
Ibotta
This is the app I make the most money off of. It’s been around for years, so I won’t go super into detail about it. Basically, you select the store you shop at, add offers of the things you buy, and go shopping. If you link your account electronically, you don’t even have to upload any receipts. If you aren’t linked already, you will just take a picture of your receipt and upload it. I was a little late to the Ibotta game, but I have already earned almost $500 from it since I started a few years ago, and that’s even without using the app at all for over six months at one point.
Redeem your money with tons of gift card options or have it deposited into your PayPal account. Use this referral link to get started on earning your cash back.
Survey Junkie
If you’ve magically reached the end of your social media feed and still have time to kill in the school pick-up line, Survey Junkie is the app for you. All you do is answer survey questions. They tell you how much a survey is worth and approximately how long it will take to complete.
Survey Junkie is probably right behind Ibotta in terms of how much I have earned. The only catch – you might get a message soon after you start your survey saying you aren’t eligible for it, so you won’t earn money from it, but they throw a few points your way for your time.
One Last Tip
Check with your employer to see if they offer any kind of wellness incentives. My workplace uses an app that allows you to track activities, answer simple health and wellness-related questions, check out healthy recipes, and more. You don’t have to use all the features to start earning, either, but each thing you do gives you points to redeem for products or gift cards. The last time I redeemed my points, I was able to get $90 worth of Banana Republic gift cards, and I was using it for maybe close to a year at that point.
Of course, there are more ways to earn cash back besides these few apps. I’ve tried others, but these are the ones that work for me, and I have been able to stick with them. Have you tried any other cash back apps? What are your favorites?
Disclaimer – none of these apps will earn you enough money to quit your day job. I simply use my earnings as fun money. I usually choose the PayPal option when I redeem my money and go find cute things on Etsy to spend it on.
