It’s more fun spending money when you know you’ll earn money back. Wait, what? You heard it right! Spending yet earning. Keep reading and find out how in this Ibotta review.
Say what you will about it. At the end of the day, shopping is fun (makes Confessions of a Shopaholic all the more relatable). But often, that fun goes sour when you realize the amount of money you’ve ended up spending. Such experiences lead you to go on a budget, track your spending habits, or at least make you wonder how much you spend daily.
While all these money-saving tips are helpful, they’re not always fun. What if we told you there is a way you could spend money like you usually do and save up?
The answer is yes! What if we were to tell you that every time you were to shop, you’d receive a reward. And no, we don’t mean the pleasure you feel from the product you’ve purchased. We mean an actual reward–and in cash, no less! That is what the purpose of Ibotta is!
What Is Ibotta?
Ibotta is an app, and a browser extension launched in 2012 and has since paid over $980 million in cash rewards to its 35 million users. The idea of how the app works is simple; you pay for your purchases through the app, and in return, you receive cash rewards. In addition, the company has partnered up with more than 1,500 brands and retailers, including Sephora, Walmart, and Gap.
So be it groceries, apparel, liquors, or even electronics, shopping and paying through the app will get you to cash in return for your purchases. What a great way to earn extra cash on your daily purchases. Get cashback and save more on your everyday shopping.
How Does Ibotta Work?
The Ibotta app is very user-friendly and, therefore, can be easily operated by anyone. Opening the app takes you to what is called the Offers section. The page displays various items that you can buy via Ibotta. Under each item is the total amount of cash you will receive upon purchasing that product.
Ibotta provides you with several options to receive your cashback. Once you have located your item of interest, you are to tap on the “Earn $…” sign. This would display the tasks you need to complete to earn your cash. The more tasks you complete, the more money you would be rewarded with.
So basically, the cash that you are receiving is a reward for the tasks you have completed. Seems like a good deal, right? The tasks do not take a lot of time either, and some may even find them enjoyable. They include reading a fact, watching a short video, posting something on your Facebook page, writing a brief comment about the product, or participating in surveys online.
Even if you complete a single task on a product offer, you will get the product automatically added to your “Checklist” on the Ibotta app. This means that you can earn money soon after you’ve purchased the product.
Most tasks are completed quickly and easily, in as much time as it would take to handle a coupon from a newspaper.
The final step to earning your cashback is to purchase your product. And you’re done!
Ibotta In-Store Shopping
Ibotta just doesn’t have online shopping covered, and it’ll help you save money in in-store shopping as well! It makes things even more convenient, especially when you have just arrived home with the groceries and are looking to save money.
All you have to do is go to the Grocery option on the app and locate the grocery store you have just arrived from. Browse for available offers and add them as you go by tapping on the blue plus sign. Once you have all your offers and have completed your shopping trip, tap Redeem on the home screen.
Next, you are to choose the store you shopped from and scan a photo of your receipt to earn your rewards. Another option is to scan your products individually. And we’re done!
Sign up here to get your $20 bonus with our unique link.
Is Ibotta Free?
The idea of getting your cashback must mean that you are making additional payments somewhere else, right? Nope! Ibotta is entirely free! It is free to download and free to use.
The only money you will be paying is for the items you purchase. However, Ibotta deducts money from your account in case of inactivity. This is known as Account Maintenance Fees.
It works like this: account maintenance fee is charged to the accounts with a standing balance in their Ibotta account but have not been active in over six months. Ibotta defines an active account as one where the account has completed the redemption of an offer and has received credit for the offer. An inactive account will be charged $3.99 every month until the account balance reaches zero.
Ibotta reassures its users that the company never deducts the fee from your bank account, and charges are made to your Ibotta account only.
[Related Read: Rakuten Review – Is It Worth Signing Up For]
Signing Up For Ibotta
Signing up for Ibotta is just as simple as signing up on any other website. You can register online or download the app on your phone; Ibotta works for iOS and Android.
To sign up, you have to provide your email address, the password you’d use for your Ibotta account, your name, date of birth (you must be over 21 to register), your zip code, and your gender. Once logged in, Ibotta will want you to list the stores you frequently shop from under “Favorites.”
In the final few steps of setting up your account, Ibotta may ask you for your location and permission to send you notifications. This allows Ibotta to locate stores near you and notify you once offers are available.
Well, now that you know how simple the process is, what are you waiting for? Register here!
Getting Paid By Ibotta
So we understand how to purchase products and make money while we are at it, but the question remains–how exactly do you redeem your rewards? Well, that depends on whether you are shopping online or in-store.
For in-store shopping, scanning your receipt or the barcodes of the products you purchased will have your cashback added to your Ibotta earnings within 24 hours of your purchase. Another method for in-store shoppers is to link your store loyalty account to Ibotta. This is a much more convenient option to get your cashback since it requires no receipt.
You don’t need to perform any additional steps in online shopping since the app tracks your purchases for you.
It is important to remember that you must redeem your offers before they expire. Otherwise, you won’t receive your well-earned cashback.
Once Ibotta has verified your purchases, you will receive your cashback reward in your Ibotta account. When you have earned $20 in cashback, you can transfer the money to your PayPal or Venmo account or even cash it in.
Is Ibotta Legitimate Or A Scam?
You will find many cashback apps and websites that promise to help you save a lot of money. Some of them may be scams. Ibotta, on the other hand, is a legitimate website that has helped people save thousands of dollars on their purchases.
Pros And Cons Of Ibotta
Still haven’t been able to decide whether Ibotta is right for you? We got you covered in this Ibotta review, where we go through the pros and cons of the app:
Pros Of Ibotta
- Easy to Use: Ibotta is incredibly user-friendly, and the whole process of shopping and purchasing takes minutes. This prevents you from quitting and keeps you coming back for more offers.
- Lots of offers to choose from: Ibotta covers a wide variety of products and can help you save a lot of money.
- Helps you save on groceries: What makes Ibotta great is that you get offers on generic products, including any brand of milk, cereal, and even fruits! So whether you decide to shop in-store or online, Ibotta has got you covered!
- Easy to transfer cash: Ibotta allows you to link your account with PayPal and Venmo and easily transfer the money once you reach $20 in your cashback rewards.
- Ibotta goes beyond shopping: Okay, so we know Ibotta gives you a way to earn cashback when you shop but did you know it also offers cashback rewards on travels? Yep! One of the companies Ibotta has partnered up with is Uber. Although not always available, this offer provides you with a $1 discount on each ride if you access Uber through the Ibotta app.
- Saves you time and money: With Ibotta, you don’t have to worry about spending your time clipping coupons and presenting them at the checkout counter. The process of purchasing items and redeeming your rewards is pretty fast and saves you a lot of time.
- You have your cash in no time: Cashbacks are added after 24 hours of your purchase, which means you don’t have to wait long to get your reward.
- Earn as much as you want: There is no limit to how much a user can earn through Ibotta. An average Ibotta user earns about $10 to $20 a month, whereas more active users earn $100 to $300 a month.
Cons Of Ibotta
- Transfer is limited: Although you can easily transfer your money to your PayPal or Venmo account, you can’t transfer your balance between two Ibotta accounts.
- Not fully accessible: The Ibotta app is only currently available for iOS and Android users, which means other platforms cannot access the app.
- Offers are not available for all products: One thing that frequently confuses users is the items you can find on Ibotta. The items present are called offers because these are the only items available for purchase on the app via which you would receive cash back rewards.
- Offers expire: Although Ibotta has some superb deals, they don’t last forever. Be mindful of the expiration dates of the offers to make sure you purchase the item in time to reap the rewards.
- Not all brands: Although Ibotta has partnered up with over 1,500 brands and retailers, many brands (like Aldi) and local grocery stores are not currently available.
How To Earn More With Ibotta?
Ibotta has some additional features that allow you to earn more money:
Ibotta Sign Up Bonus
Ibotta offers all new customers a signup bonus. At the moment of writing, you’ll get a $20 bonus when you sign up through my link. So if you’ve been considering it for some time now, this is the moment to pull the trigger.
Please be aware that the signup bonus changes from time to time, as well as the requirements to qualify for the bonus.
Bonuses
By visiting the “Bonuses” section on the main menu, you will be provided with a bonus activity to complete. Once you are done, you will be given the opportunity to unlock another bonus, thereby helping you earn even more!
Referral Bonuses
If you like Ibotta and recommend it to a friend, Ibotta pays you for that too! Your friend simply has to access the registration page using a referral link you sent them, and Ibotta will thank you by adding a $10 credit to your account for each friend you refer.
Ibotta Alternatives
Ibotta, although a great app, isn’t the only one like it out there. Here are a few Ibotta alternatives that you can use to save money and earn cashback rewards:
- Checkout 51 provides weekly cashback offers by updating their list every Thursday. The app can be used for both in-store and online shopping.
- Dosh gets you your cashback without going through the hassle of scanning receipts or using promo codes. Like how it sounds? You can read more about this app here.
- The Shopkick app rewards you with digital gift cards for performing various activities such as visiting stores, watching videos, and scanning barcodes.
Conclusion – Ibotta Review
Ibotta provides a unique way for customers to earn money while spending it. In this day and age where money is valuable, and people need to be money-smart, Ibotta offers us a way not to feel guilty when buying and shopping for stuff we want and need.
You earn cash back, and once you add up all these rewards, the pay-off would be enough to make you smile more at how efficient their services are for you. So hop on the Ibotta train and discover it for yourself. Shop online or in-store and get these ultimate rewards. Good luck and enjoy the ride!
Try Ibotta now! And experience earning from cashback through shopping.
You’ll get a $20 bonus when you sign up with our link.
Marjolein is a financial consultant who has built over €4,000 monthly passive income and saves over 70% of her income. Read Radicals’ inspiring story, from stuck in the 9-to-5 to loving life. Feel free to send Radical a message at the bottom of this page