Whether you prefer shopping online or in the store, an app that pays you to shop can blunt the financial impacts of your spending.
Shopping rewards apps work in various ways.
Some pay you cash back automatically when you shop at a participating online retailer. And there are those cash back apps that reward you indirectly by offering discounts on the price of an item without requiring you to cut coupons.
You may have to upload your purchase receipts (e.g. for groceries) in order to redeem the offer, or in some cases, discounts are automatically applied.
Cash Back Apps That Pay You To Shop
While there are many cash back apps offering to pay their users, we have listed some of the very best ones in the United States below.
1. Rakuten ($30 Bonus)
Formerly known as Ebates, Rakuten is great for shopping online and earning cash back rewards.
It has been around for a while and has paid over $3 billion to members of the platform in the U.S. and Canada.
The Rakuten app pays you to shop at over 3,000 stores, including retailers like Sephora, Walmart, eBay, Hudson’s Bay, Lululemon, and more.
- To start earning, open an account here (free).
- Visit Rakuten to find your favorite store and shop as usual.
- Cash back is automatically tracked and applied to your account.
The payment options for withdrawing your earnings include checks, PayPal, and Amazon gift cards. Payments are sent in May, August, November, and February.
Available on: Desktop, iOS, Android, and via a browser extension.
Promotion: New users get a $30 welcome bonus after making their first purchase of $30 or more.
2. Swagbucks ($5 Bonus)
This rewards site has paid members over $810 million to date for completing simple tasks, including shopping online.
Swagbucks is free to join. As a member, you can visit your favorite brand from the platform and take advantage of cash back offers of up to 40%.
You earn Swagbucks points and can redeem your points as cash via PayPal or for popular gift cards.
Available on: Desktop and smartphones.
Promotion: New members get a $10 welcome bonus. You can learn more in this Swagbucks review.
3. Kashkick
This get-paid-to site offers three main ways for users to earn, including:
- Answering paid online surveys
- Watching videos
- Browsing the internet
- Finding deals and discount offers
Payout is conducted through PayPal, starting at $10. You can learn more in this KashKick review.
4. MyPoints ($10 Bonus)
MyPoints is a cash back app like Swagbucks and also offers other ways to make money. In addition to shopping, the site pays you to clip e-coupons and answer paid surveys.
When you want to cash out, the options include PayPal and gift cards (e.g. Walmart and Amazon).
Available on: Desktop, iPhones, and Android devices.
Promotion: New members get a free $10 gift card when they shop through MyPoints online and spend $20 or more.
Learn more about the platform in this MyPoints review.
5. Receipt Hog
This is another shopping app that pays users to upload their purchase receipts.
You earn coins for each qualifying receipt you submit and can redeem your coins for PayPal cash or an Amazon gift card.
Receipts you can submit include those from grocery stores, pharmacies, pet stores, liquor, and pet supply.
Available on: iOS and Android.
Sign up for Receipt Hog and get 50 bonus points.
6. Ibotta ($10 Bonus)
Ibotta is one of the best grocery cash back apps you will come across. The platform works with over 1,000 retailers.
After signing up for an account, you can take advantage of offers available when you shop online for groceries, clothes, travel, takeout, pet supplies, entertainment, and more.
You can withdraw your earnings starting at $20 using PayPal or redeem it for a gift card.
Available on: Desktop, iOS, Android, and via a browser extension.
Promotion: New users get a $10 welcome bonus after they redeem their first offer.
Join Ibotta on iOS or on Android.
7. Fetch Reward
Fetch Rewards is a grocery cash back app that gives you points when you scan and upload your grocery receipts.
The app is straightforward to use and is rated 4.3/5 on the Google Play Store and 4.8/5 on the App Store by more than 1 million reviewers.
You can redeem your Fetch points starting at $3 and exchange them for hundreds of gift card options.
Available on: iOS and Android.
8. Drop
The Drop app is available to residents of the U.S. and Canada and has over 3 million users. It offers rewards when you shop, play games, answer surveys and refer your friends.
To get started, sign up and link your preferred bank card. Drop automatically tracks your purchases at participating stores and credits your account with your earnings.
When your balance is $25 or more, you can redeem it for gift cards.
Available on: iOS, Android, and by using the Drop Chrome extension.
9. Shopkick
The Shopkick rewards app is all about paying you to shop online and in-store. It has paid users $85 million in free gift cards as of this writing.
Using the app, you can earn rewards for making online purchases, scanning barcodes on products, watching videos, and more.
When you have earned ‘kicks’, you can redeem them for electronic gift cards, including those for Starbucks, Target, Amazon, and Kohls.
Available on: iOS and Android.
10. TopCashback
TopCashback is a cash back rebates site similar to Rakuten and offers ways to earn at more than 4,000 online stores.
After joining, simply visit TopCashback when you want to buy something online. If your store is listed, click through to their site and earn cash back. It’s as simple as that.
When you want to withdraw your earnings, options include PayPal, gift cards, and a Visa prepaid card.
Available on: Desktop, iOS, and Android devices. Learn more in this TopCashback review.
11. Dosh
Dosh is similar to Drop in that it automatically tracks the cash back you earn online when you pay with your linked card.
It has over 10,000 partner stores in the U.S., including Walmart, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’, Sephora, Instacart, and more.
You can withdraw earnings starting at $25 through PayPal or Venmo.
Available on: iOS and Android devices.
12. Checkout 51
This grocery cash back app sends discount offers every week, and you earn after uploading your receipt. It also offers cash back on gas purchases at participating gas stations.
You can redeem your cash back through a check in the mail when your balance reaches $10.
Available on: iOS and Android.
13. BeFrugal
BeFrugal is one of the best websites that pay you to shop.
Like Rakuten and the Drop app, cash back is automatically applied to your account when you shop through BeFrugal.
You can withdraw your earnings by check, PayPal, direct deposit, Venmo, Zelle, or gift cards.
Available on: Desktop, iOS, and Android devices.
Final Thoughts
A cash back app that pays you to shop is one way to lower your monthly expenses and have cash left over for savings and investing.
For even more ways to save money daily, check our article on 100+ ways to save money.
Other ways to make money:
