12 Best Apps to Scan Receipts for Money

The USDA estimates that American households spend approximately 9.7% of their disposable income on food. Even more interesting, 5% of this goes to groceries. This means grocery expenses are among the biggest and increasing variable household costs.

The good news is saving money on groceries is possible through a range of money-saving methods. You can create a budget for groceries or use cashback credit cards to receive rewards. That’s not all; to maximize your savings, make better use of your smartphone.

You can earn cashback on grocery purchases simply by scanning grocery receipts with various apps. So, take advantage of these grocery rebate apps next time you head to the grocery store to earn money from your receipts.

But which are the best apps to scan receipts for money? Especially with so many claiming to offer incredible rewards!

Well, if you want to learn how to make money from your receipts, this guide is specially tailored for you.

How Apps to Scan Receipts for Money Work

Earning cashback from various apps that scan receipts for money is pretty easy. While every app has its unique features, generally, generating revenue from receipts is straightforward. 

Here is what you need to do:

1. Choose an in-app offer: Coupon apps partner with specific brands and grocery chains to sponsor products within the app. Make a list of the items you plan to purchase at the grocery store that qualifies for a discount before heading out.
2. Shop: Visit your grocery store and buy products from the coupon app.
3. Use apps to scan receipts for money: Please scan your receipt if you purchase these items at a grocery store.
4. Receive rewards: Earn points after uploading eligible receipts in the app. Your earnings will be paid in the form of gift cards or PayPal cash.

Cashback apps vary in how they qualify receipts for cashback. Therefore, it’s worth trying out several apps to find which is best for you.

Top Apps to Scan Receipts for Money

Want to cut your shopping bills? Check out these popular cashback apps that reward you for simply proving your purchases.

1. Fetch Rewards

Making money with Fetch Rewards is as simple as scanning your receipts, collecting points, and redeeming the rewards you earn. Hundreds of popular brands partner with Fetch Rewards. This way, you can earn rewards from big brands like Best Buy, Old Navy, Fitbit, Ulta Beauty, etc.

You earn Fetch Rewards points when a partner brand’s product appears on your shopping receipt. Although making at least  $0.025 for each receipt isn’t much, you can make more by putting more items on the receipt. In addition, the platform has special offers, which allow you to earn more money. 

The favorite part of Fetch Rewards is that it takes less effort than most other apps. Fetch Rewards instantly pays you if you have a receipt with a sponsor’s product, whether or not you knew about the special offer.

Once your account reaches $3 or 3,000 points, you can redeem your points for a wide range of gift cards from brands like Target, Amazon, etc. You can also opt to donate your rewards to Red Cross Charity. 

Accessing Fetch Rewards is possible through various devices, whether Android or iOS. The app offers a low-effort way of earning gift cards by buying brands you already like.

See Related: Get Paid Faster: How to Cash a Check Online Instantly

2. Ibotta

With more than 10 million Android and iOS users, Ibotta is the most popular free receipt-scanning app globally. This app is one of the fastest ways to earn money from receipts.

Ibotta lets you earn cashback with more than 300 brands of grocery stores. Walmart, Target, and Walgreens are some national franchises where these cashbacks apply. 

Most importantly, before you head to the store, check the app to see what offers are available. Scanning the receipt after you shop will earn you money through the app. And you automate the process by linking your store loyalty card.

Using Ibotta has the following benefits:

• Get great deals on personal items and  groceries
• You can activate offers by scanning barcodes
• Brand bonuses specific to each brand
• Browse easily by category
• Bonuses for monthly shopping

Ibotta credits your account within 48 hours of receiving your reward. As soon as you make a purchase, be sure to upload your receipt within seven days.

Moreover, you can earn with Ibotta by shopping online for in-app offers. Even better, it’s possible to verify your purchases using your loyalty card, eliminating manual uploading receipts.

Check out our comprehensive review of the Ibotta app for more details.

See Related: Ways to Get Free Gas Gift Cards

3. CoinOut

Are you Sam’s club or Walmart shopper? You will receive 1.8% back on all purchases with this app. Generally, it is easy to make money by scanning receipts with CoinOut, which lets you redeem rewards faster than with any other app.

The best part? You don’t have to limit yourself to groceries and household items. Your receipt qualifies as long as it includes the name,  date, product, and transaction amount. 

But recipients of lotto tickets, ATM receipts, credit card slips, tickets, money orders, and receipts in languages other than English do not earn rewards.

Another crucial point is that you can earn a minimum and a maximum amount from a receipt daily. In other words, the total transaction does not influence the amount of cashback. There is also a limit on the number of receipts you can upload per day.

Here, a receipt may pay between $0.01 and $0.15 but usually falls within the lower range. And, you can redeem your rewards via a direct deposit or an Amazon gift card for any amount on your account balance.

Even though a minimum amount of $10 is required to cash out with PayPal, not many of the other apps let you use gift cards or direct deposits to redeem your balance. For this reason, CoinOut is among the best options. 

In contrast, apps like Ibotta or Checkout 51 require a minimum of $20, while fetch rewards need around $3.

CoinOut allows you to scan your receipts to make money. Furthermore, users can earn additional cashback by shopping online through the app by taking advantage of a rotating list of partner offers.

See Related: Best Apps Where You Can Win Money

4. ReceiptPal

ReiptPal is undoubtedly among the best app to scan receipts and make money. Picture this: earning money with this app is easy as you only need to scan and upload the receipts. In essence, there’s no need to make in-app purchases.

As part of the process, ReceiptPal collects the data from these receipts to help companies develop and market their products more effectively.

All you need is to create an account for free with ReceiptPal, a mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. From here, earning points is as simple as taking photos and uploading a receipt through the ReceiptPal app. 

The receipt must meet the following criteria:

• Stores: Not just groceries, but any consumer goods purchase counts.
• Buyer: You must submit receipts from your shopping trip or a relative’s shopping trip.
• Timeline. Provide receipts within a week of purchase. ReceiptPal’s website contains a complete list of submission rules.
• Information about the location. It is necessary to provide the date, store name, spending amount, and a phone number or ZIP code on the receipt. A receipt must be in English and come from a retailer in the U.S., Guam, Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico.

ReceiptPal will reward you with up to three additional Point Cards worth 25 points each week once you earn your first five Point Cards. You will earn sweepstake entries rather than points once you reach the maximum on your Point Cards. This means that you can also win cash prizes with each of the three weekly sweepstakes run by ReceiptPal.

After earning the rewards, you are free to redeem points for gift cards from several retailers, such as Home Depot, Walmart, and Target. 

5. Shopkick

 Shopkick is an app that rewards you for shopping at certain stores. Generally, you earn “kicks” (points) by scanning your receipts from qualifying purchases. These points can be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash.

By linking your credit card to the app, you can also earn kicks for simply walking into qualifying stores. You can also earn kicks by making online purchases through the Shopkick app.

While you won’t get rich using Shopkick, it is a great way to earn some extra cash or gift cards for your everyday shopping trips. And who doesn’t love getting rewarded for shopping?

When it comes to redeeming your kicks, you’ll have a few options. You can cash out for a gift card to one of your favorite stores or restaurants, or you can choose to receive PayPal cash.

There are dozens of retailers that accept Kicks, including Best Buy, Nike, Amazon, and Walmart. It is possible to earn a few free gift cards per year by diligently using Shopkick alongside other receipt-scanning apps.

6. Checkout 51

Checkout 51 provides easy ways to earn cashback on gas and groceries, and it’s among the popular receipt-scanning apps.

It gives cashback on a wide range of items, and the offers change every week. Butt, you should check the app before you shop to see which products are eligible for cashback.

To earn cashback with Checkout 51, all you have to do is purchase the qualifying items and upload a photo of your receipt through the app. Once your receipt is verified, the money will be deposited into your account within 48 hours.

As an added benefit for Checkout 51 members, you can earn up to $0.25 per gallon at gas stations, including Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP.

The rebate offers, and the ability to earn gas receipt rewards make Checkout 51 more attractive than several other apps. And when you earn your rewards, you can then withdraw them via PayPal or choose to receive a check in the mail.

See Related: Can You Really Hack Your Productivity With The Bizggro App?

7. Receipt Hog

The goal of Receipt Hog is to allow users to earn prizes by collecting receipts. And it takes just three steps to use Receipt Hog: 

1. Easily upload receipts
2. Gain points
3. Get PayPal cash or free Amazon gift cards by cashing out.

The type of rewards you earn with Receipt Hog depends on your receipt type. Generally, there are three types of receipts:

• Spin Receipts. As a bonus, these receipts earn you spins on Hog Slots, Receipt Hog’s online slot machine game where you can win cash prizes, bonus coins, or 100% money back on your latest receipt. Purchases of electronics, apparel, home improvements, and office supplies are examples of spin receipts.
• Coin Receipts. You can use Receipt Hog Coins to redeem prizes in the app. The value of the transaction determines how many coins are awarded on most receipts for consumer goods purchases. The receipts from groceries, supercentres, pharmacies, and convenience stores are coin receipts.
• Sweepstakes Receipts. Receipt Hog offers monthly sweepstakes with additional coins for winners. The receipts included in the sweepstakes are fuel purchases and receipts from delis, bars, restaurants, and cafes.

That’s not all. Leveling up your account also earns you coins. As you upload receipts, you level up, but it takes more receipts to do so. 

You should note that after purchase, you should upload that receipt within 14 days if you need to earn from it. Also, for the receipt to be eligible, it must have store name, total, prices items, prices, date, and total.

 Each week, you can upload up to 20 receipts. You can also upload your e-receipts automatically to Receipt Hog if you connect your email. Once your account reaches 1,000 coins (worth $10), you can redeem them for rewards. 

8. TopCashback

Topcashback is a website and app that offers cashback on your purchases when you shop online at places like Boxed, Vitacost, etc.

To earn cashback, you have to shop through the Topcashback site or app. The company has partnerships with over 2000 retailers, so you’re likely to find a store that you already shop at.

When you make a purchase through Topcashback, you’ll earn a percentage of your purchase back in the form of cash. This money can then be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash.

The best part about Topcashback is that there are no minimum earnings requirements – as long as you have a receipt, you can submit it and get paid!

This app makes it easy to get cashback. To get started, just type in the store’s name, and the app will direct you to the merchant’s website. 

Following your purchase, TopCashback keeps track of your transaction. In most cases, you receive your cashback within 24 hours.

See related: 8 Ways to Get Paid to Try Products.

9. National Consumer Panel

Earn points when you buy products you use every day by joining the National Consumer Panel. Participating in the program earns you gift cards and products. Unlike some of the other apps mentioned here, National Consumer Panel operates differently. 

Typically, with National Consumer Panel, you activate offers when you pay. And you can use this app for non-grocery purchases as well. It’s effortless, and all you need is to scan the barcode along with the price tag on every product you buy.

The process of sharing your shopping history and earning points takes about one hour per week. You shop, scan, and earn points that you can redeem for gift cards, cash, and each purchase and prize. 

The app also holds monthly and quarterly cash draws. 

Scan your purchases every week to earn more points as a loyalty bonus. As long as you stay active, you earn more points. In addition, you can earn bonus points by completing paid online surveys.

Also, don’t despair if you are one of the few without a smartphone. A free barcode scanner will be mailed to you by the National Consumer Panel.

10. Rakuten

Rakuten is a popular online cashback portal. You get discounted deals with the app, and you can access various stores, including Blue Apron, Jet, GNC, Vitacost, etc.

As Rakuten tracks your online purchases, you won’t need to scan your receipt to make money. Rakuten will credit your account with the rewards within two days of the purchase. And as soon as you reach $5 in rewards, you will be paid via PayPal or check. 

Rakuten payouts are made every three months!

One good thing about Rakuten is that its browser extension will never let you miss a cashback session. It always alerts you of such discounts. Also, you can use the Rakuten app or your computer to start a shopping session.

The only drawback is that you might not earn cashback from your local grocery store. Here is a more comprehensive review of the Rakuten app.

11. Basket App

Basket is a receipt-scanning app that offers cashback on your grocery shopping.

To earn cashback, all you have to do is scan your grocery receipts through the app. The Basket app will then give you a certain amount of money back, depending on the items that you purchased.

There are two ways to save money using the Basket app:

1. Take advantage of in-app grocery offers by activating the app. Cashback on select baby items, grocery, and personal care items.
2. Creating a shopping list within the app is also a way to earn cash rewards.

After creating a list, the basket retrieves what users of similar items paid for in other apps. The basket then suggests the cheapest store. 

The best part is the In-app offers. Using this app, you can predict how much you will spend. It’s among the most flexible apps to scan receipts for money with.  

12. Mobee

Mobee is a unique app that allows you to earn rewards for completing mystery shopping tasks. While it doesn’t require you to scan receipts for money, it’s still among the easiest ways to make money while shopping.

Basically, Mobee sends you on “missions” around your city. These missions can include things like checking the price of an item at a store or taking pictures of a product display.

For each mission that you complete, you’ll earn points. For instance, a shopping trip review is complete when you answer five to ten questions. Once you have completed the review, you will receive your reward points within 24 hours. 

These points can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or for gift cards to your favorite stores and restaurants.

Getting the Most Out the Cash Back Apps

You can make money by scanning receipts from any of your purchases. Whether it’s that one grocery receipt from your last store visit or any other consumer product receipt, these can earn you money. 

To make the most of your efforts, follow the tips below. Saving a few more pennies isn’t a bad idea!

1. Get a Loyalty Card from Your Grocery Store

A loyalty program is usually available in supermarkets and several other retail stores. When you check out, you can scan these cards for a discount.

Cards like these are free and can offer exclusive discounts such as gas discounts or cash coupons in-store when they’re associated with a gas station.

2. Scan Your Receipt as Soon as Possible

Ideally, you should scan your receipts once a week or immediately after receiving them. Some apps may only allow you to scan your receipt after three days.

Waiting to scan receipts for money makes it more likely that you will forget to submit some. You won’t earn money for that trip if you wait too long. You can easily share grocery purchases and earn cash rewards using the apps.

3. Take Advantage of In-store Coupons 

Many cashback apps usually have double coupons (although not all of them). This means that you can enjoy an instant cashback discount from your in-store purchase and still get an additional discount through the app’s digital coupon. 

If you want to earn more from your purchases, it’s always good to keep your eyes open and conduct research on these coupons. 

4. Use Your Rewards Credit Card to Shop

Each dollar you spend can earn you rewards points with a rewards credit card. Those points are separate from those earned from app promotions. However, this is only applicable when you pay your credit card balance in full every month.

The good thing about these apps is that they are not interested in your mode of payment for the purchases. All they want to ascertain is that you made the eligible purchase, and the receipt was scanned and uploaded within the specified time.  

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