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We all need to eat, and who doesn’t want to be rewarded for that obligatory milk and bread run? Even if you’re the coupon-clipping master, it’s impossible to completely eliminate a grocery bill. With grocery receipt scanning apps, though, you can earn cash and rewards on those necessary food purchases making that mundane trip to Kroger/Ralphs or Aldi suddenly a whole lot more exciting.
The apps below are the favorites of the grocery receipt scanning crowd. Simply complete your grocery run, upload your receipt with your phone, or submit your e-receipt if you buy groceries online, and enjoy the cash flow return.
How Receipt Scanning Apps Work
The skeptical among us may think these apps are a scam, which is understandable. I’m a true believer that any company that offers people money for no additional work should be highly scrutinized.
The thing about receipt scanning apps, however, is that they are getting something from you: your shopping habits. The amalgamated information from millions of shopping receipts helps with market research. As ReceiptPal puts it:
So, not only are you getting your basic sustenance needs met, but you’re also helping the brands you know and love.
Which Grocery Receipt App Will Benefit You the Most?
Everyone tends to shop a little differently, and we all have different wants when it comes to rewards. Not every grocery receipt scanning app may match your lifestyle and preferences. Take a look at the consolidated chart below to help in your selection of the grocery-receipt scanning app that can benefit you and your grocery shopping style.
Related: 31 Apps That Can Make You Money
| Easily Earning Points | Fetch |
| No Minimum Cash-out | Coupons.com |
| Giving to Charity While Earning Points | Kellogg’s Family Rewards |
| Most Convenient for Grocery Delivery | Ibotta |
| Online Grocery Shopping | Honey |
| Direct Payment to Bank Account/PayPal | Receipt Hog |
| Unlocking More Expensive Rewards | ReceiptPal |
| Claiming Offers Multiple Times | Checkout 51 |
| Flexible Cash-out Terms | CoinOut |
1. Fetch
This is one of the highest-rated grocery scanning apps out there, and Fetch’s reputation precedes it. For example, on the Apple app store, Fetch has a five-star rating from more than 1.1 million reviews, and users have scanned more than 623 million receipts for rewards.
The app is free to download and use, and your receipts will earn points for online shopping. Every time a receipt is uploaded, you’re absolutely guaranteed to earn points. This gives Fetch an edge over other receipt-scanning apps that require you to purchase specific items. Those points can benefit you two-fold if you also purchase products from the hundreds of household brands that partner with Fetch. Accumulated points can be redeemed at stores you’re likely already shopping at, like Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon, to name a few. Read our full Fetch review here.
2. Ibotta
I blame Ibotta for my kombucha addiction of 2017. Every time I went to Target, I knew Ibotta had a deal specifically for a kombucha brand I loved, so I had no qualms about purchasing a little probiotic pick-me-up and getting some money back for it.
I can’t be alone, because this app is popular for receipt scanners, and Ibotta has paid out approximately $860 million in cash back to its loyal users so far. Ibotta has integrated cashback exclusive offers for in-store, online, and grocery delivery orders, making it extremely convenient to use during pandemic times. Just upload your receipt to the app or add the Ibotta extension to your browser to start earning cashback on your groceries.
3. ReceiptPal
After a big grocery haul, scan your receipt into ReceiptPal to unlock certain rewards. Users gain access to prizes at specific levels, kind of like a video game. For example, at level 1 you might qualify for a $5 Amazon gift card and at level 2 you might unlock a $10 or $25 gift card to Amazon, depending on the number of accumulated points.
Don’t sleep on your rewards either. ReceiptPal prefers users to upload receipts within the week that shopping is completed, and points are reset if there’s no activity for 90 days.
4. Kelloggs Family Rewards
So someone ate the last of the Frosted Flakes and had the nerve to put the box back in the pantry. No worries. With the Kelloggs Family Rewards receipt program, you’ll have the opportunity to enter into a host of sweepstakes as well as redeem rewards when you replace your favorite breakfast cereal. Rewards vary from a vintage Tony the Tiger tea set to a $15 gift card to From You Flowers, so be sure to check out all the assorted reward options before selecting.
As a charitable bonus, Kelloggs is donating $2 per purchase of Frosted Flakes to DonorsChoose.org, which helps kids and teachers get the resources they need during this challenging time in education. Simply upload your receipt from your smartphone to kfr.com.
5. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is one more way to increase your rewards after waiting in the grocery checkout line. Every Thursday at 12 a.m. in your time zone, the app releases its brand deals for the week. If you buy from those brands and upload your receipt while the offer is live, you’ll be rewarded. When your account reaches $20, Checkout 51 mails you a check, and you just got paid for eating.
As a little extra perk, some offers can be claimed multiple times. Meaning, that you could potentially earn extra points for stocking up on toilet paper, if the offer applies to the brand.
6. Receipt Hog
Hog those grocery store receipts! Before you crumple that paper up and lose it in your purse or throw it in the trash, snap a pic of it and submit it to Receipt Hog. Grocery receipts, specifically, will earn you points called coins in the app. Once you’ve stacked enough coins, you can cash out with either PayPal or Amazon.
Receipt Hog will only take receipts within 14 days of purchase. It may also take the app seven days to review and approve your receipts for rewards. New users will need to complete a survey, verify their device and their email before cashing out their coins.
7. CoinOut
CoinOut makes earning from your grocery purchases a no-brainer. Instead of putting users through months and months of receipt collecting to earn rewards, CoinOut makes it possible to cash out whenever you want with no minimum requirements.
Make sure your receipt’s date is within two weeks of the upload date and that the merchant’s name and total price are completely visible. The more you use the app, the more you’ll receive offers and bonuses tailored to your spending habits.
8. Coupons.com (formerly SavingStar)
SavingStar was once a darling among grocery receipt app users. Sadly, the platform folded in late 2020. But its coupon savings and cashback deals live on through Coupons.com, and you can keep earning cash from your grocery bill. Receipt collectors, rejoice.
Whether you get your fresh fruit from Costco, Target, or Whole Foods, it doesn’t matter. The Coupons.com app will accept your receipt and, as long as you purchased at least one item from their offers list, you’ll receive money back. Your money goes straight to your PayPal account, so no need to worry about any cash-out minimums.
9. Honey (online)
Honey has become so ubiquitous with online deals that it may be easy to forget that this cashback giving app can apply to your groceries too. That is, as long as you’re filling your virtual grocery shopping cart on a web browser. This is the app I use personally to earn points for my grocery orders that I schedule for pick-up from Kroger. Grocery bills add up, so it’s fairly easy for me to get to the $10 Amazon reward card every so often.
Honey dispenses Honey gold to its 17 million worldwide users when the browser add-on is used, even if there are no savings coupons to be found. Once you’ve reached 1,000 honey gold, you’ve earned a $10 gift card from one of their many partner companies, no extra spending on your part necessary.
Related: Best Cash Back Online Shopping Sites
Bottom Line
There are many receipt-scanning apps to sift through to find the one (or few!) that works for your lifestyle and will actually benefit you by putting money back into your pocket. Make sure to read up on the reviews and verify the efficacy of the company before downloading and giving any app-sensitive information, like your bank account information.
Once you’ve found the right grocery store receipt-scanning app for you, why not earn a little moolah with your milk? Or put some ca-ching back in your bank account with those potato chips? Or save some bills with that bacon? I could go on, but you get the idea. Grocery receipt scanning apps are an excellent way to consistently save a few bucks while completing a task you have to do anyway.
Related: 6 Best Cashback And Rewards Apps