I don’t know about you, but I love saving money! I am one of those people who never talk about how much I spend, but will always share how much I save! I love a great deal and am always on the hunt for ways to save and earn a little extra. Here are some of my favorite smartphone apps that I’ve been using for the last few years that have saved me hundreds of dollars.
Rakuten
Rakuten, formerly Ebates, is one of the best smartphone apps out there, and one that I use often. They have cashback at over 2,500 stores online and it’s so easy to use. If you’re a mobile shopper, then downloading this app is a no brainer!
Here’s what I do… Before I start shopping, I click on the Rakuten app and search for the store I plan to buy from. If it’s there, I click through and it sends me to that store’s site. Once I make a purchase, I get an alert that lets me know the money will be in my Rakuten account within the week (it’s usually sooner).
My usual purchases through the Rakuten app are Walmart, Old Navy, Gap, Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, food ordering apps, and Amazon. One day, I went to reorder my contacts online and decided I would check if Rakuten had my retailer. Sure enough, they did and I got $6 back from a purchase I was going to make anyway. Another day I happened to open the app just to check my account and noticed Groupon had 10% cashback. I looked for an activity nearby, bought it and got $8 back for 3 sessions at a trampoline park in Stratford for the kids.
I started using Rakuten in April 2018, and have received $175 cashback so far. I linked it to my PayPal account and every 3 months they transfer the money. This app rocks and all it takes is a few seconds to search before you buy online. Once you download it, remember it’s there so you can receive your extra cash. You will get a $10 bonus once you sign up and spend $25 at one of the listed stores (again over 2,000 options). Sign up here.
Ibotta
Ibotta has been a game-changer for me. It’s a very simple money-back app for grocery shopping. The rebates and offers are organized by store which makes it very easy to find. This is another app that involves pre-planning. Before I go grocery shopping, I click on the store I’m going to (Shoprite, Whole Foods, Target or Stop & Shop) and scroll through to see what promotions they have. I add some items to my grocery store list and go to the store. Once I return, I simply click the items I want to redeem, scan my grocery store receipt, and scan the barcodes if I’m prompted. That’s it.
Although most items will give you a return of 25-50 cents, sometimes you get items ranging from $1-4 cashback. You will even get cashback for any receipt scanned. They also offer cashback offers on generic items like eggs, milk, beef, vegetables, pasta sauce, etc.
Your cash will show up almost instantly or within 48 hours. Since using the app I have received $326 cashback for my grocery shopping. The offers change weekly or monthly, and Ibotta often offers a bonus for redeeming a certain amount of items each month. The Ibotta app pays out with Amazon gift cards (my favorite), Venmo, Paypal, or other gift cards. Download the app and start saving today – click here or use my referral code tyhlist.
Earny
Earny is my favorite cashback app because it offers price protection that gives you cashback when an item you bought somewhere is found at a lower price. Here’s how it works. Earny goes through your email receipts (yes it’s secure and safe) and looks for lower prices and then gives you the difference back. It also gives you money back on your credit card purchases if the price drops within 90 days. The past two years I haven’t had to worry about Christmas inflation prices because Earny has sent me back close to $150 when quite a few of my purchases drop in price during January and February.
Now, when I first downloaded the app in 2017, it was free to sign up and Earny would take a commission for the return. As of June 2019, Earny is still free to download but it comes with a $40 subscription. For me, it will pay for itself. Because I shop constantly on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Old Navy, Gap, Zappos, and Jet, I get price drop alerts and cashback totaling well over $40 a year.
To date, I have been refunded $454. The instructions on the Earny app are very simple and can be done within minutes. Each time you get a new price alert from Earny, you will be thankful! It is one of the easiest, no fuss money-back apps there is. Check out all the FAQ and how it works, then sign up here.
Dosh
Dosh is my newest cashback app and is great for dining out. Although it does offer online and in-store shopping options, the restaurant list is much larger. There are tons of restaurants that offer cashback on the Dosh app. Some local ones are Dunkin Donuts, Akita, Blue Cactus Grill, Rio Bravo, Local Kitchen & Craft, and more. The best part about Dosh is that you simply link your credit or debit card, pay at the restaurant as you normally would, and then the app will send you a notification when you get cashback. That’s it. You don’t have to do a thing!
I just started using Dosh in January 2019 and already have $48 in my account. You can cash out starting at $25 to a bank account, PayPal or Venmo account. Get started with $5 to your account by clicking here or typing in my code MARGIED5.
Are there any other smartphone apps that you’d recommend to help save money and get cashback? I’d love to hear about it. Since we are on the app subject, here are some great smartphone apps to help every mom.
I am not paid by any of these sites/apps. I really do use them and love them, so I am just sharing. If you click on the links I provided, I will get a small commission, but you also get a discount too!
