Ibotta was the first app that made my pocket jingle and I'm still in love with it! This is the app that made me look forward to grocery shopping instead of dreading it. Ibotta is tons of fun to use, and a great way to start saving money on groceries!
Ibotta gives you cash back when you purchase any of the items listed in the app. There are a large number of stores you can choose from as well as items. There are even some "generic" items in the list where it doesn't matter what brand you pick like bread, lettuce, eggs, and milk.
How Does Ibotta Work?
Ibotta works by giving you cash back on items you have selected within the app. The majority of the rebates available on Ibotta are for grocery items, but you can also earn cash back at all kinds of stores (Best Buy, Macy's, Ulta, for example). You can even earn cash back at your local liquor store! But, don't rush to the store just yet! There are a few things you have to do in order to redeem an Ibotta rebate:
To start earning cash back with Ibotta, open the app and select the items you plan on buying. This is done before you purchase your items. When you first open the app you'll see a screen similar to the screenshot on the left.
After you select the category you want, you will see a list of stores. Some of the stores have different items in their list and I've even seen some with the same item but a different cash back amount. So, if you are going to multiple stores, double check to make sure you are getting the best deal!
Once you select a store you will get a list of items that you can earn cash back on. You can also create a grocery list and Ibotta will let you know if any of the items in your list have a rebate. The search bar at the top is also useful if you are looking for something specific.
In order to select a rebate, you have to first unlock it in the app. To unlock a rebate, you must first complete a simple task. There are a few different tasks you will encounter when unlocking the rebates, and most of them only take a few seconds.
The tasks are things like doing a quick one question poll or viewing a fact. Some may ask you to watch a 10-30 second video.
To maximize savings you can also use coupons on the items and still get the rebate! I like to do a quick google search for the items on my list to see if there are any printable coupons. With this method I have actually made money on a few items!
When you have your list ready, just go to the store that you have chosen and do your shopping! You don't have to do anything special in the grocery store (but you can unlock more rebates in the app if you see something else you want), just make sure to get your receipt.
Once you are back home, just tap the green Verify Purchases circle and you will see a screen like above. First you have to scan the items you bought. When you tap the scan product barcodes button, it will show the list of the items you unlocked and you scan the bar code of each item.
After you scan the barcodes, it will prompt you to take a picture of your receipt. If you shopped at Walmart you only have to scan the QR code.
Just submit the receipt, and after it is verified the cash amount will show up in the app. It doesn't usually take long to verify, 24 hours at the most. I've had a few go through in less than 10 minutes.
There are also bonuses you can receive for submitting! You don't have to do anything to unlock them. You can view the bonuses by tapping the menu in the top left corner. You can get bonuses for redeeming a certain number of rebates, completing teamwork challenges, or for redeeming a specific combination of rebates.
Ibotta Payouts
So now that you have submitted your receipts and earned a few extra bucks, its time to think about redeeming!
The minimum payout is $20.00 for Paypal and Venmo.
You can also get your cash back on a gift card. The gift card options are:
Best Buy
Amazon
Starbucks
Sephora
Cabela's
Walmart
Express
Aeropostale
Regal
iTunes
I like to get the Walmart gift card just because I can put my earnings back into groceries, but Paypal is nice too!
I've had very good experiences when redeeming from Ibotta. It is very fast, and in most cases it has been instant!
How to Sign Up for Ibotta
Ibotta can be found on the App Store and Google Play.
Use the code hipsuxo for a $10.00 bonus when you sign up! That will get you halfway to your first redemption!
Is Ibotta Worth Using?
Yes!! Ibotta is one of my "staple" apps for grocery shopping. I always check it before I go anywhere to make sure I'm not missing out on deals! I've had the app for almost 3 months, and have already earned $105.30 cash back! I would definitely recommend Ibotta for anyone looking to save on their grocery bill!
Like earning cash back on your groceries? Double up on cash back deals by combining Ibotta with other grocery rebate apps!
Let me know if you have any comments or questions! :)
Labels: App, Earn Cash, Earn Gift Cards, Favorite, Money Making Apps, Review, Save on Groceries, Savings
