Want to save money or earn some extra cash without exerting a lot of effort? Check out these apps and tips.
Top 6 Most Recommended:
- Ibotta (free app)- highly recommend!
- This is an app that offers money back for buying certain items (bananas, bread, Groupon deals). All you have to do is add a featured item to your list, buy the item at the store, then scan the barcode and load a picture of your receipt through the app. It’s pretty easy. (UPDATE: The app now also allows you to load loyalty cards, which redeem your rebates automatically. You still have to add the items to your list, but you don’t have to scan any receipts.)
- Plus, right now if you use my referral code (rrceial), you can get $10 just for signing up.
- Once you get $20, you can cash out using Paypal or buying gift cards. I really like the Paypal option, because it allows you to use your money pretty quickly, unlike some apps that send a check or work through gift cards only.
- So far I have made $45 in a little over a month (UPDATE: I have made $248 in a little over a year).
- This is a great app, because you also get bonuses for completing tasks like redeeming Organic Gatorade two times or redeeming a certain number of rebates a month.
- Use referral code rrceial for $10 just for signing up
- Cartwheel (free app)- highly recommend!
- If you shop at Target and don’t have this app, you should really download it. It’s basically coupons right on your phone that you can scan at checkout to save money. There are tons of deals on food, clothes, electronics, etc. It even tracks how much you’ve saved using the app. This is such an easy way to save money and is completely free.
- Bing rewards (free app and desktop search engine)
- I personally use Google Chrome for most of my online activity, however I also have a Bing account because it allows you to earn points that you can use toward things like Amazon gift cards and Hulu subscriptions.
- You get points for searches you make using Bing (this includes just randomly searching letters until you reach the cap for that day, which is the strategy that I employ). You can get up to 100 points for mobile searches per day and 150 for desktop searches.
- You can also get points for taking trivia quizzes or just clicking certain links and there are bonuses for completing searches for multiple days in a row.
- A good way to earn some money here and there. I usually average about one $5 gift card a month and have made made $100 in a little over a year.
- Use my referral link, because free money is the best money
- Swagbucks (free app)
- You can earn a lot of points using this app by doing searches, entering codes, buying deal, watching videos, and taking surveys. For the most part, I just watch videos, answer the daily poll question, and entering the codes when I can.
- So far I’ve made enough for $10 worth of gift cards (UPDATE: I have made about $60 in gift cards now).
- I’ve read about people buying deals at a discount and then selling them online, which gets you a decent amount of money, but is also a lot of work. So you get what you put into this one.
- The nice thing about the videos is that if you’re at home and connected to Wifi, you can just let the video reel run while you read, craft, do dishes, work out, whatever. It’s a decent way to make a little extra cash.
- Use my referral link for extra points
- S’more (free app)
- I love this app. It’s simple and adorable. This is a lockscreen app. All that means is that it puts an app on your lockscreen, which you can either click on or swipe up to access your phone. You do not need to click on the ads (I don’t think you earn extra points for clicking).
- The nice thing about this app is that you get 10 points for every day you have it activated on your phone.
- You can earn extra points by watching videos and taking surveys.
- You can redeem points for gift cards (Amazon, AMC, Domino’s, Target, Starbuck, Google Play). 100 points equates to $1 in gift cards. Most of the gift cards are available in $5 increments. Amazon is also available for 100 points ($1).
- I have made $30 with this app since I started using it about 9 months ago. That’s pretty good considering all I have to do to earn points is unlock my phone.
- You can use my referral code (YJRGZY), which gives you a free 75 points.
- Fresh Perks Card/Metro Market and Pick ‘n Save App (free loyalty card and free app) – highly recommend
- If you shop at Metro Market or Pick ‘n Save, you should get a Fresh Perks Card. If you have a Fresh Perks Card, definitely download the Metro Market/ Pick ‘n Save app.
- The card will give you extra savings on many items in the store, including produce. With the app, you can also download coupons onto your card for more digital savings. Plus, each Friday there is a coupon for a free item. You have to download it on Friday, but you can use it until it expires (usually in about a week). The free items are usually snack foods of beverages. Last Friday’s item was a bag of Sour Patch Kids. I also gotten peanuts, taco seasoning, gum, package of dog food, cat treats, salad dressing, and tons of other stuff. I usually “buy” whatever it is and if it’s not something I’ll use, I put it in the food pantry box.
- With the app, you can also view the weekly ads, refill prescriptions, and make digital grocery lists.
- New on the app is Click List, which is a grocery pick up service. You pick out the stuff you want online, then someone does the shopping for you and you pick up your groceries at the pick up time that you set. There is a $4.95 pick up fee, but the first three orders are free. I’ve done this once and it was very convenient. The person I worked with was very nice and helpful in explaining the process.
- Also fairly new with the Fresh Perks card is Fuel Points. These are points that are added to your card, which you can use for discounts on gas a BP stations. The rewards only work a BP, but it’s nice to get a discount on gas. Plus, there are usually digital coupons for getting 2x the points. There are certain items you can get that will give you extra points, but I just buy groceries as usual and get a ton of points. I usually get at least $0.10 off per gallon, sometimes up to $0.40 off per gallon. It defiantly adds up.
Most Interested In:
- Readercoin (free app)
- This is the most recent app I have started using. Basically it pays you to read. There are tons of free audiobooks available on the app and you get points for reading them (there is also an option for you to see the text on your device as you listen to the audiobook).
- You get 2 readercoins/points for every 10 minutes of reading you do. You can redeem points of gift cards or donate them to charity. A $2 Amazon gift card is 200 points, $5 is 500 points, and $50 is 5,000 points. You can also get paid through PayPal, but they only have one option ($1,000 for 30,000 readercoins- I’m just not patient enough for that).
- The books are mostly old classics (Pride and Prejudice, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, all of the Oz books). I think there are also some independently published books on the app as well.
- It’s not a huge payout, but if you are trying to read more, this is a great incentive. Plus, since they are audiobooks, you can listen to them while you’re doing something else (finishing a puzzle, sweeping, making dinner). Very convenient.
- I just started using this app this weekend so I haven’t redeemed any points yet, but have read from people who have gotten paid using the app.
- Use my referral code (McKenvn7) for a free 50 readercoins.
Most Fun:
- Shopkick (free app)
- This one is kind of fun. They payouts aren’t huge, but it’s set up like a scavenger hunt. When you go to a store, you can get kicks (points) for Walk-ins (make sure your Bluetooth is on) and by scanning certain items.
- You can also get kicks for buying certain items and scanning your receipt. You need at least 500 kicks to redeem a ($2) gift card.
- So far I have gotten four Target gift cards for a total of $8 just by getting Walk-ins and scanning things. Again, not a huge payout, but a fun way to earn a few bucks here and there, especially if you have some time to kill before going somewhere.
- UPDATE: I have made $32 using this app in a little over a year. It’s a nice way to get a little discount on your purchase without having to actually buy anything.
- To get started, if you use my invite code (EARN916928), you get 250 points, which is already halfway to a $2 gift card.
Other:
- Cashout51 (free app)- pretty good, especially in conjunction with other savings (Ibotta, Cartwheel)
- This is pretty much the same thing as Ibotta except the deals are posted every Thursday and are good for one week. However, many of the deals are repeated weekly such as Starbucks coffee.
- There are some overlaps between the Ibotta deals, which is nice because sometimes you can use both rebates to basically get the item for free.
- I have noticed that many items included also have coupons available (Cartwheel).
- You do have to be careful though, because some offers are only available at certain stores. Be sure the rebate you want to use is available at the store you are going to before you buy it otherwise you won’t get any money for it. This has happened to me a few times and it is pretty disappointing.
- This one also has a $20 cashout minimum. The downside is that it only pays through checks, which means you have to wait around for it in the mail.
- So far I’ve made almost $35 with this one. (UPDATE: I am up to made $79 now.)
- ReceiptHog (free app)
- Similar to Ibotta and Cashout51, this is a receipt-based app that gives you points and rewards for snapping pictures of your receipts. Unlike those other apps, you don’t have to clip any offers. You just take a picture of the receipt (being sure to include the store name, date and time of purchase, and total spent) and you’ll get coins or sweepstakes entries.
- This is also a nice app because you can include receipts from stores as well as restaurants.
- Once you’ve saved up enough coins, you can cash them in for Amazon gift cards, VISA prepaid cards, or through PayPal.
- So far I have made $10 in a little less than a year, so the payouts aren’t huge, but if you’re already taking pictures for Cashout51 and Ibotta, it’s a nice way to get some more money.
- Fetch Rewards (free app)
- Same thing as Ibotta, Cashout51, and ReceiptHog: take pictures of your receipts for points. This one is more like ReceiptHog in that you don’t have to add items to your list, but you do earn points for buying certain items, which you can see. But even if you don’t buy any of the featured items, you can still get 25 points for just uploading your receipt.
- I use this in conjunction with the other three apps, because might as well if I’m already taking pictures of my receipts, right?
- I have about about $11 with this app. Not a huge payout, but it’s something.
- Plus, there are tons of rewards such as gift cards (Amazon, Target, Panera, Hotels.com, iTunes, Burger King). Or you can donate your points to various charities.
- Use my referral code (WA1PV) for a free 2,000 points to start you off.
- InboxDollars (free app)
- This one is similar to Swagbucks. You can earn points by watching videos, taking polls, doing web searches, taking surveys, etc. Downside, it takes longer to get real rewards. While with Swagbucks, you can cash in 500 points for a $5 gift card, with Inbox Dollars you have to have $30 before you can cash out.
- Rewards include gift cards or check.
- I have only reached $30 once since getting the app (probably about a year ago, I think- I have another $20 right now). When I requested a check, there was a fee to cash out, which comes out of the check they send you. You can omit the charge if you earn another $10 in a certain amount of time. I opted to just pay the fee and get the check.
- Overall, it’s pretty good, it just takes a long time to get rewards. I get most of my points from taking the daily poll, doing 4 daily web searches, and having videos play on my phone while I’m reading/watching TV/working out/cleaning.
- Use my referral link and you get $5 just for signing up.
- Lucktastic (free app)
- This is kind of like those apps that pay you to play games. It’s a free scratch off app where you can earn points for various gift cards and rewards. It’s a fun way to earn a little extra money.
- Payouts are slow, but it’s a nice mindless way to make money. I usually binge-scratch while watching TV or waiting for dinner to cook.
- There are a lot of gift cards such as Amazon, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Petco, Groupon, Sephora, AMC, Uber, and more. They range from 10000 (magazine subscription) points to 130000 points ($50 Amazon gift card). I usually go for the $5 Amazon gift cards, which are 30000.
- So far I think I have made about $15 using this app. It’s not a ton, but when you are getting a bunch of small increment Amazon cards from various apps, it really adds up. I buy a lot of books online and almost never pay for them (I usually combine gift cards with my Cashback earnings from my Discover card each month).
- Use my referral link
Tried and Deleted:
MobiSave (free app)This is another rebate-based app. The downside is that there are only a few rebates available at a time. But on the plus side, once the rebate goes through, the money is automatically added to your Paypal account. There is no minimum for cashing out unlike many other rebate apps. The payouts aren’t huge, but it’s a little extra something.(UPDATE: I have since deleted this app, because I didn’t make much money from it and there were very few redeemable items offered.)
BevRAGE (free app)This is a rebate-based app for alcohol that you purchase from bars, restaurants, and stores. I have not had a chance to use it yet. Check back for updates soon.Loved the idea of this, but have since deleted it, because there were never any offers I would actually use. Did not make any money off of it.
ShopTracker (free app)This one comes in at the bottom of the list. It’s an easy way to earn $3 a month, but the money is almost impossible to spend. All you have to do is link your Amazon account to the app. The app has access to the records of what you buy (they do not get information on your credit card number or anything like that). Send in your info each month and they send you a code for a $3 Visa card. Unfortunately, the Visa card acts like a credit card so finding things online for under $3 is pretty annoying. I’ve gotten two so far and have used them on books on Amazon, but each time the total was under $3 so now I have two cards with a few cents on them that I can’t use anywhere.I have since deleted this app. Really annoying to use and I kept getting locked out of my account. Seems like it had lots of bugs. I don’t want that anywhere near my credit card.
Berrycart (free app)- Originally downloaded this because I was intrigued by the fact it gave rebates for “healthy” food. Unfortunately, there are not very many items offered at a time. Payouts are really low. I would make $0.50 every time I bought tofu (if the offer was available) and that was about it. You can cash out at $5. I didn’t get any money from this app and just deleted it.
Slidejoy (free app)This is another lockscreen app with the same idea as S’more. I don’t like this one as much because the “carats” (points) you earn are not immediately available. They basically sit around for a month before you can actually use them.For this one you slide right to get to your homepage.You can either get gift cards (2,100 carats = $2 Amazon gift card) or PayPal (2,040 = $2).So far I have made $12 in a year so you definitely earn more with S’more.You can have multiple lockscreens so for awhile I was using this in conjunction with S’more. It was fine, but I ended up disabling this one, because I liked S’more better and I hate the fact you don’t get to use your points right away.- Deleted this one. You get more points with S’more and it is more consistent.
Goread.com (online book marketplace)If you’re not using Goread.com, you should give it a try.You can earn points (litcoins) by adding books to your library, following authors, and writing books reviews. You can then use these points to get free books (you just pay shipping, which is usually about $5 or so- this is awesome, especially for new/hardcover books that would be more expensive on Amazon).Use my referral link to get litcoins just for signing up.- no longer in service