The Ibotta app is an easy way to earn money on items that you already purchase anyway. It’s just a matter of browsing offers on the app from your favorite stores, saving the ones that you will buy, and then taking a picture of your receipt after you go shopping. Let me explain the steps on how you can earn money by using this app and some benefits you may not have heard of.

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How it works

Once you download the app you can search for the stores that you shop at, including grocery and other retail stores. Search the offers and select the items that you will purchase. Once you’ve gone shopping, scan your receipt on the app. You will receive your cash back for those items within 24 hours. Once you’ve reached $20 you can request to withdrawal your cash into a PayPal account or in one of the many giftcards Ibotta offers. You can also get cash back by shopping at online retailers, which I will explain about more below.

Earning at grocery stores

The most common and easiest way to earn is by doing your regular grocery shopping. Ibotta has a list of pretty much every major grocery store out there, so your local grocery store is probably on the list. Before you head to the store, take a few minutes to scroll through the offers for that store and save any offers for things you might purchase. Here’s a list of things to double check to help make sure you get your cash back on your offers.

  • Make sure you check the size of the item on the offer. It is usually for a certain size bottle or box of something. You don’t want to accidentally buy a 28oz bottle if the offer is only for 32 oz or larger.
  • Also check the package quantity of the offer. Same as above, sometimes the offer is only for a certain package quantity, or there might be exclusions. The offer might say for any size except the 10 pack. I have not double checked this before and I’ve missed out on an Ibotta offer because of my mistake.
  • Sometimes the offer might require you to purchase more than one of the item, so make sure you check that too. If you only purchase one of that particular offer, Ibotta will not honor it.
  • Sometimes the offer will let you buy up to 5 of that item. So instead of getting .75 back on a total of 5 items, you can get .75 back for each of those items and Ibotta will let you do that up to a max of 5 times. This is especially handy if it’s an item that you use a lot of or if it’s on sale.

A few other things to note about the grocery store offers:

  • There are offers from many major brands in several categories. This includes Produce, Dairy & Eggs, Household Items, Beauty & Personal Care, Pets and many more. There are also “Any Item” offers. This means that it doesn’t matter what the brand is for that item. There might be offers for any brand of milk, bread, crackers, shampoo, cat food, etc. If you purchase a gallon of milk you can receive cash back under the “Any Brand of Milk” offer.
  • Once you’ve used the app a few times, Ibotta will start to remember items that you’ve purchased and offer them again or offer similar items. This is great for helping you get cash back on items that you purchase regularly.
  • A few stores are now giving the option for you to link your loyalty card to your Ibotta account. So then all you need to do is add your offers for that store, go shopping (remember to use your loyalty card) and you will automatically earn cash back on those offers within 48 hours. No need to remember to upload your receipt after you’ve gone shopping.

Again, I like to quickly look through the offers before I head to the store to make sure I’m not missing out on any new offers and to double check the offer requirements. I also try to scan my receipt as soon as I get home so I don’t forget. You have a few days after you go shopping to scan your receipt before it expires.

Earning from online shopping

Did you know you can earn cash back by shopping online through the Ibotta app? Most of the major online retailers that you already shop at offer cash back through Ibotta. This includes Amazon, Ebay, Target, Groupon and more. Depending on the retailer, they can offer anywhere from 1% to 10% back on every purchase. Simply search for the retailer in the Ibotta app, click on it and you will be directed to the retailer site. Place your order as usual and you will receive cash back in your Ibotta account in a few days. We all shop online anyway, why not get paid to do it?

Earning through travel purchases

Many of the online travel booking sites have links through Ibotta. This also includes a few hotel and rental car sites. You can get a certain percentage of cash back if you book your travel through these sites on Ibotta.

Pay with Ibotta

Ibotta recently announced a new way to earn cash back. You can now pay straight from the Ibotta app at select retailers and earn cash back instantly. You simply enter the total amount you owe at the store or restaurant, buy a gift card code, and scan it when you checkout. Depending on the retailer, you will earn a certain percentage of cash back to your Ibotta account instantly. You will need to enter a payment method into your Ibotta account like a credit or debit card.

Bonuses and teamwork

There are extra ways you can earn with Ibotta. When you sign up you will receive a code that you can use to invite your friends to join Ibotta too. If they download the app using your code, you will get cash back. If you have a team of friends on Ibotta, there are special bonuses each month that you will earn extra cash back on if you complete them.

Are you ready to earn cash back on your grocery purchases and more? Click on the link below to download the app.

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