Best Grocery Rebate Apps for 2018

Clipping coupons is a thing of the past. While using coupons and a loyalty card are still prevalent in today's shopping world, if you want to save money while shopping at your favorite grocery stores, you no longer have to buy the Sunday newspaper and wade through all the coupons.

Nowadays, there are loyalty card and coupon apps that can help you save money on every shopping trip – no scissors required.

Yes, the phrase “there’s an app for that” extends to the world of grocery shopping as well. In fact, there are a number of applications specifically geared towards helping folks get the most out of their trip to supermarket. The trick is narrowing the playing field.

So in the interest of shining a light on those most worthwhile options, here is a list of the top grocery apps on the market.

You’ll find there are dozens of grocery rebate apps, and each one operates differently. You may prefer one that is the easiest to use, while other people may choose an app that is slightly more complicated but saves more money and offers better deals. The best thing about these apps is that you can use a coupon on the item and still receive the rebate, saving you even more money.

Frequent users on grocery rebate apps claim to get hundreds of dollars in cash back every year. Ultimately, your total cash back will depend on what you buy and which app you choose.

Now that we’re in the new year, you may be focused on cutting back on spending and saving money. Using a grocery rebate app can help. Here are the best rebate apps you should consider for 2018.

iBotta

When it comes to grocery rebate apps, iBotta appears to be a clear favorite among shoppers. One of iBotta’s biggest advantages is that it has a great selection, so you’re sure to find rebates and savings on items you actually buy. Plus, many of the rebates allow you to choose from any brand of items such as milk, vegetables, fruit, meat, bread and more.

iBotta also offers some excellent bonus opportunities. For example, just for signing up, you get $10 cash back. By uploading a certain number of receipts, you can earn more money. You can also earn rewards by referring friends. Many people earn $30 or more per month. That’s several hundred dollars back in your pocket every year.

Many people choose iBotta because it is easy to use. All you have to do is follow five easy steps to get your cash back. First, you have to download the app, which is available on IOS and Android.

Before you can go shopping, you must first unlock the rebates by performing some simple tasks. This is what makes iBotta different from the other grocery rebate apps, which do not require you to perform any tasks first.

However, with iBotta, there are sometimes several tasks you can do to get more cash back. For example, you may be asked to read a fact, watch a video, participate in a poll or write a comment about the product.

Now you can go shopping. Buy the items for which you have unlocked offers. Make sure you shop at a participating store. Be a receipt hog, as you will need to upload it to the site, as well as the product barcodes. Finally, you’ll receive your rebate in your iBotta account within 48 hours. Once you reach $5, it will be transferred to your PayPal or Venmo account.

Checkout 51

Checkout 51 is even easier than the iBotta app, but one of the drawbacks is that it does not have as many rebates to choose from. To use Checkout 51, you can use a computer or mobile app. You’ll see all the available offers. Many rebates are specific to certain stores, but you can filter those out so you see only the ones that are valid at the store of your choice.

Tap the plus icon to select the rebates you want. Once you’re done shopping, upload the receipt and you’ll receive your rebates. Note that while you can receive multiple offers on a product, you can redeem the offer only once. Make sure you buy the exact product listed or you won’t receive your rebate deals.

One thing to keep in mind is that the offers are limited and expire quickly. It’s best to check for rebates while you’re actually shopping in the store. Offers are not store-specific. Once you receive the $20 minimum, you can receive your earnings via check only.

SavingStar

When it comes to money saving apps, the SavingStar app is known for huge rebate offers. SavingStar does not require a smartphone. You can use a computer and print a list of your rebate offers. There is no limit to the number of offers you can add. However, they can sell out, so you should use them as possible.

Offers are typically released around the first of the month. Every Tuesday, you can also take advantage of Healthy Offers. With Healthy Offers, you save 20 percent on certain fruits and vegetables, no matter the brand. There are also freebies and special deals from time to time.

SavingStar is fairly easy to use. Activate an offer, add a store, select the store you want to choose and purchase the product. Take a photo of the receipt and submit it. The money will then be credited to your account.

Once you reach $5, you can cash out your earnings in a variety of ways. You can transfer the cashback funds to your bank or PayPal account or redeem them for gift cards for iTunes, Starbucks and other stores.

Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog is a cash back app that is available on iPhone or Android. It works differently from other grocery rebate apps in that it doesn’t matter where you shop at or what you buy. Just upload your receipts and convert them into cash – it’s as easy as that. There's no easier way to earn cash.

Every time you shop, take a picture of your receipt and upload it. Every time you upload a receipt, you’ll receive coins. The more receipts you upload, the more coins you’ll receive. You’ll receive 10 coins per receipt when you first start. This is Runt, the first level. After you upload 10 receipts, you move up to the next level and receive 15 coins per receipt. Once you get to Hog level, you earn 25 coins per receipt. You can also take surveys to receive even more coins.

You can then redeem these coins to earn cash or Amazon gift cards. One thousand coins equals $5 through PayPal. However, if you save up, you get more money, as 4,500 coins is worth $30. Note that there are limits to the number of receipts you can upload. You can upload 20 receipts per week, and no more than three from the same store in the same day. Like with other coupon apps and money-saving apps, you can use these in conjunction with your credit card or store loyalty cards.

BerryCart

If you’re looking to eat healthier and save money in 2018, BerryCart can help. BerryCart is unique in that the cashback rebates are for “good” foods – foods that are organic and contain no gluten or GMO. However, the majority of rebates are for convenience foods, which may or may not appeal to you.

Download the app for Android devices or iPhone, and complete specific actions to unlock cashback rebates. For example, take a quiz, read a testimonial or learn more about different products and brands. Once you unlock the rebate, buy the product and upload the receipt. You can shop in more than 100,000 locations. You’ll receive money in your account within 24 hours. You can receive the money via PayPal or redeem the money on gift cards.

BerryCart can help you save money if you buy these types of foods anyway. It’s a good incentive to eat healthier. However, if you rarely buy these foods, you’re not going to save much money and you’d be better off sticking with one of the other grocery rebates apps.

Other Grocery Apps

Grocery IQ – free

Billing itself as “the #1 grocery shopping list app” (and it has write-ups from Forbes and GigaOM.com to buttress that claim), Grocery IQ allows users to create lists via an extensive product database. On top of that, the app comes with a barcode scanner that allows shoppers to quickly scan a product in order to get info and save for later. Users can also send this info to other mobile devices and search for up-to-date coupons right from the app.

GrocerEaze – free

This is a popular option for cost tracking. The app provides an extensive product database and tallies up the prices of lists the user inputs into the system. Users can even add new foods as well as food photos to the database.

Shopper — $0.99

This app endeavors to be nothing more than a solid shopping assistant, and that is exactly what it achieves. It allows users to create and find recipes (it even makes recipe suggestions). It also offers an abundance of coupons, grocery fliers and daily deals from many top stores and brands.

Shopping List — $2.99

Those who are looking for a basic shopping aide would do well to download this option. Shopping List doesn’t come with as many features as some other apps, but it does provide everything the user needs to streamline his or her trip to the market. It also offers multiple shopping lists that can be shared across a number of mobile devices and even through email.

Grocery Gadget — $3.99

It comes with a hefty price tag (for a mobile app, anyway), but Grocery Gadget offers enough features and functionality to make it worth the purchase. Not only can users create and edit lists with this app, but it can also sink with recipe sources in order to provide immediate info about necessary ingredients that need to be purchased. The app also offers push alerts for last-minute items and users can link multiple accounts and share info with other users. It comes with a barcode scanner as well.

In the end, those shoppers who dread that weekly trip to the market may find that one or more of the above options can help carry the burden. In fact, installing just one of these apps on a person’s mobile device should provide enough help to not just make the trip to the grocery store more efficient, but save money in the process.

Your Grocery Chain’s App

Many grocery stores have customer reward programs. These programs require you to use store loyalty cards, a branded credit card or your phone number to save on items you buy. You receive a percentage of your purchases made on your shopping list, in the form of deals, points, or cashback.

Depending on the store, they may have a rewards app for IOS and Android, that allows you to store your shopping list before you go grocery shopping. The shopping app will then offer you deals in relation to what is on your shopping list. This can help you save money or earn cash, and often comes with a sign-up bonus. Even restaurants and drugstores have these programs in place, and if you use them wisely, you can save hundreds of dollars a month.

Starbucks has one of the best programs. You earn points with every purchase, and these points can be redeemed for free drinks and special deals. It too comes with a sign-up bonus that often includes a free drink. Target has an app called Cartwheel that offers hundreds of coupons. Best Buy also has a program called Reward Zone, which allows you to earn points and receive special deals and promotions.

CVS and Safeway have programs and customer loyalty cards that track your purchases so they can offer customized coupons based on what you buy. Safeway takes that a step further, though, and also offers one point for every dollar you spend. When you earn 100 points, you receive 10 cents off gas at Safeway fuel stations.

If you shop at a certain grocery store often, make sure you take advantage of its customer loyalty program in addition to money-saving apps. Many offer huge discounts, freebies and more.

Which Should You Choose?

Every person shops differently, so what works well for someone else may not work well for you. You are not limited to just one app; you can use multiple ones and save even more.

The best way to start saving money on your groceries is to start with one money-saving app. Use it for a month and see how much you have saved. Then add another app and see how it compares. You might decide to keep both apps or try a third one.

Even though these are the best rebate apps to use, trying to manage multiple apps can be confusing, though, so make sure it is worth it. If you’re spending hours trying to upload receipts to receive $1 back, try a different method. Hopefully, the apps listed above will help you earn enough cash back to save up for a vacation or other item on your wish list.

Did we miss one of the best rebate apps? Tell us below. 

Sources:

• http://urbantastebud.com/best-grocery-rebate-apps/
• https://www.simplyunscripted.com/best-grocery-rebate-apps/
• https://thethriftycouple.com/top-8-grocery-shopping-rebate-apps-highest-payouts/