News flash: You now can get money for receipts.
Wait, did you already know that? I'll be honest… I did too but I rarely take the time to scan receipts and usually throw them out right away.
This is a mistake. Cash back apps and reward apps like Swagbucks make it easy to earn money for receipts that you get for everyday purchases at grocery purchases, gas stations, and shopping — and all you need is a receipt.
Want More Than Pocket Change? Start With These Two
Receipt apps are worth using, but keep the math in mind. Scanning groceries pays in cents per item, and it takes a full month of shopping before it adds up to much. If you want bigger payouts for about the same effort, start with these two and run the receipt apps alongside them.
- Bigcash pays you to try new apps and games. Bonuses run up to $15.
- Testerup pays for every app you test, around $5 per completed task.
They pay for different things than receipt apps do, so there is no reason to choose. Use both.
Legit Apps That Will Pay You for Your Grocery Receipts
Ready to scan receipts for money? These grocery rebate apps can really get you money — for your receipt purchases.
1. Fetch Rewards
Fetch is the one to install first because it takes any receipt from any store, with no offers to activate beforehand.
How it worksSnap a photo of any receipt after you shop. Groceries, restaurants, gas, anything.
What you earn25 points per receipt, plus bonus points when a partner brand is on it. 1,000 points is worth about $1.
Signup bonusGet a $3 bonus with promo code C1JAV.
Cash outGift cards, including Amazon and Walmart.
Best forEveryone. It is the lowest-effort app on this list.
2. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 works the opposite way to Fetch. You pick offers first, then buy those specific items.
How it worksBrowse the week's offers, buy the matching products at any store, then upload your receipt.
What you earnCash back per offer, usually well under a dollar an item.
Cash out$20 minimum, paid by check or PayPal.
Best forShoppers who plan around weekly grocery deals. New offers post every Thursday.
Read our full Checkout 51 review for more, or see other apps like Checkout 51.
3. Ibotta
Ibotta pays the most per item of any app here, but only on products you selected before you shopped.
How it worksAdd offers in the app before your trip, shop as normal, then scan the receipt.
What you earn25 cents to a few dollars per item, in real cash rather than points.
Cash out$20 minimum to PayPal or a gift card.
Best forAnyone willing to spend two minutes checking offers before a grocery run.
4. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog accepts receipts the other apps reject, which makes it a useful backstop rather than a main earner.
How it worksUpload any receipt from any store, including ones with no grocery items.
What you earnCoins. A $10 receipt is worth about 5 coins and a $100 receipt about 20. A coin is roughly half a cent.
Cash out1,000 coins for $5, through PayPal or a gift card.
Best forFilling the gaps. Expect two to four months of normal shopping before your first payout.
Apps That Will Pay You Money for Gas Receipts
These cash back apps for gas will help you never pay the price at the pump. You can save up to 25 cents per gallon starting from now with these apps.
5. Upside
Upside is the one to add if you drive, because gas is where the cash back is biggest.
How it worksClaim an offer in the app before you buy, pay however you normally do, and the cash back lands after.
What you earnUp to 25 cents a gallon on gas, plus cash back at restaurants and grocery stores.
Cash outBank transfer, PayPal, or a gift card.
Best forAnyone filling up regularly. The gas offers alone beat most receipt apps.
Easiest Apps to Earn Cash Back with No Receipt Scanning Required
6. SavingLoop
Every app above needs a receipt. SavingLoop does not.
There is no purchase to make and no photo to take. The team behind it has been at this since 2016 and has been covered by Business Insider, Entrepreneur, The Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Finance.
How it worksOne free spin a day. Every spin lands on a real cash bonus.
What you earnA few dollars up to $75, depending on where the spin lands.
Cash outStraight to PayPal, your bank, or as cash.
Best forAnyone who wants a payout without buying anything first.
7. ReferralWallet
ReferralWallet runs on the same idea with a different mechanic.
The pack shows you exactly what it takes to qualify before you commit. If it is not a fit, take a fresh pack tomorrow.
How it worksRip open one free pack a day. It reveals a live cash offer, almost always a signup bonus.
What you earnBonuses run up to $75 from apps that are paying right now.
Cash outPaid by whichever app you claimed, on that app's terms.
Best forBigger one-time payouts instead of cents per receipt.
Cash Back Apps That Do Not Need a Receipt at All
These online shopping cash back apps help you earn gift cards and cash for shopping online or in-stores at top retailers like Walmart, eBay & Amazon.
8. MyPoints
MyPoints is a rewards portal rather than a receipt app. No scanning involved.
How it worksStart your online shopping through MyPoints, or earn from surveys, videos and daily polls.
What you earnPoints per dollar spent, plus points for the other activities.
Signup bonus$2 once you confirm your email address.
Cash outGift cards, PayPal, or travel miles.
Best forPeople who shop online and want more than one way to earn.
9. Rakuten
Rakuten is the biggest cash back portal, and right now it has the largest signup bonus it has ever run.
How it worksStart your shopping in the Rakuten app or browser extension, then buy as normal.
What you earnA percentage back at more than 2,500 stores.
Signup bonus$50 after you spend $50 in your first 90 days. The usual offer is $30 to $40.
Cash outPayPal or a check, paid quarterly.
Best forOnline shoppers. There are no receipts involved at all.
10. Swagbucks
Swagbucks does a bit of everything, which is both its strength and its weakness.
How it worksShop through the Swagbucks portal, or earn from surveys, videos, games and offers.
What you earnSB points, worth roughly a cent each.
Cash outGift cards or PayPal.
Best forPeople who want several earning options in one app.
Other Receipt Apps Worth Knowing About
These three round out the category. We have no partnership with any of them, but leaving them out would make this list less useful. They take the same photo you already took.
11. Amazon Shopper Panel
Amazon Shopper Panel pays the highest flat rate of any app on this page. The catch is getting in at all.
How it worksUpload up to 10 receipts a month from any store, or answer short surveys.
What you earn$1 per receipt, the highest flat rate of any app on this page.
Cash outAmazon balance or a charity donation.
The catchInvite only. You join a waitlist and wait for a spot to open.
12. NCP
NCP, short for National Consumer Panel, is the NielsenIQ and IRI panel. It pays in points rather than cash and rewards the people who stick with it the longest.
How it worksScan the barcodes of what you bought with the NCPMobile app after each trip.
What you earnPoints toward digital gift cards, plus surveys, special programs and sweepstakes entries.
Cash outA digital gift card catalog rather than cash.
Best forPeople who will stick with it. Rewards build slowly but steadily.
13. CoinOut
CoinOut has the lowest cash out threshold here, so you see real money fastest even though the amounts are small.
How it worksPhotograph any receipt from any store, including small local shops the big apps reject.
What you earnUsually 1 to 25 cents a receipt.
Cash out$1 minimum for an Amazon gift card, the lowest threshold in the category.
Best forGetting paid quickly rather than getting paid much.
How Much Can You Actually Make Scanning Receipts?
Be honest with yourself about the numbers before you download five apps. A single grocery receipt is usually worth a few cents on Fetch and a dollar or two on Ibotta if you matched offers before you shopped. Nobody is paying rent with this.
The trick is that these apps do not compete with each other. They cannot see what you submit elsewhere, so the same grocery receipt can go into Fetch, Ibotta, and Receipt Hog on the same trip. Stacking two or three is what turns pocket change into a real grocery credit each month.
A sensible setup: install Fetch and Ibotta first because they cover the most stores between them, add Upside if you drive, and let Receipt Hog collect whatever else is in your wallet. Check Ibotta offers before you shop, since that is the one that rewards planning.
The Bottom Line
That is the full list of apps that pay you for receipts, plus a few that pay without one. If you use these services, you will be surprised how much money you can actually save at the end of the day. So don't throw out your receipt next time so you can enjoy your cash back later. Happy shopping!
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