Best Rebate & Cashback Apps of 2021

Our testing criteria consisted of a combination of factors, including finding what kinds of discounts the apps offered, how user-friendly it was, and how much money you could get back from using the apps. 

We also looked at how easy and functional the app is overall. Like most people, we don't have much patience, and trying to figure out how to work a complicated app just isn't on our priority list. 

Because most apps require a location, we used Chicago, IL, to test them. This helped us further understand the differences between the apps and gave us an overall better understanding of the types of savings you would expect to see. 

That being said, user reviews were also examined during our testing process. By looking at user reviews from people across the United States, we could get a deeper understanding of what users experience in both rural and metropolitan areas. More specifically, we can see if apps work better or worse for people depending on their location. 

Our testing involved looking at similar items (like groceries) across the ten apps to see which ones give you the best rates in terms of cashback savings. In addition to this, we also looked at the variety of items and stores that the apps offered cashback opportunities on. For instance, some apps on this list were geared primarily towards groceries, while some had greater variety and offered cashback on other stores. 

Fetch allows you to earn points every time you shop for thousands of items from top retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon, making your cashback possibilities large. 

Unlike some of the apps on this list, Fetch gives you points on items you buy at participating stores. Points can be used to buy gift cards to places like Amazon. For example, if you accumulate 50,000 points from using the app, you can get a $50 gift card. 

Fetch focuses predominately on giving you points towards purchases made on groceries. Still, they do offer points at other stores and make it relatively flexible in turns of savings on everyday purchases. 

Another thing we love about this is that you can also link Fetch to your SingleCare app to earn additional points on any of your prescriptions. Additionally, Fetch allows you to submit both physical and electronic receipts from both in-person and online shopping.

These reasons alone make it a great choice if you are looking to get cashback (via gift cards) on a wide range of common purchases like groceries and prescriptions. Not only this, but Fetch also allows you to donate your cashback earnings to charities instead of redeeming them for gift cards.

In fact, user reviews were overwhelmingly positive for Fetch. Fetch users love how quickly they started seeing savings and how they offer additional savings and point offers just for signing up. Additionally, users also praised the app's easy layout, making it one of the most user-friendly and efficient money-back apps that we tested. 

Fetch is an all-around great app to use if you are looking for cashback opportunities. While we definitely recommend that you try it out for yourself, there are some things that we would like to see changed.

For instance, Fetch does offer cashback on thousands of popular items, but we wish that they would expand these offerings to additional stores and items. There seems to be somewhat of a limitation while shopping than some of the other apps on this list.

Another slight snag is that it doesn't offer traditional cashback as you can only redeem points via gift cards. While we aren't complaining, sometimes it's nice to see money go back into your bank account.

Despite these slight snags, Fetch is still one of the most user-friendly and useful apps out of all tested cashback apps. We recommended it completely if you are looking for money-saving options on everyday purchases. 

Ibotta is a great app to try out if you want to get cashback on most of your everyday purchases. This app features a wide variety of participating stores and even has cashback opportunities for larger retailers like Walmart and Target. 

While Ibotta focuses most of its energy on giving you cashback for your groceries, it also features lifestyle brands like Sephora and Nike, which allow for extra savings the next time you need some foundation or a new pair of running shoes. 

The app itself is very straightforward and easy to use. In fact, we were able to set up an account in less than three minutes, and accessing offers is as easy as tapping the offer, adding it to your list, and shopping online like normal. Once the order is delivered, you will automatically get cashback within 24 hours. 

If this wasn't enough to get you to check out the app, Ibotta is currently offering a $15 welcome bonus when you sign up. All you have to do is redeem nine offers within fourteen days of signing up. 

The majority of users love this app, with most reviews being over four stars. Users stated that they had saved money since downloading the app and love how easy it is to use on everyday items. 

Overall, if you're looking for a user-friendly app that gives you the potential to save a lot of money on grocery and lifestyle products, we recommend checking out Ibotta. 

Receipt Hog is an exclusive cashback app that pays when you upload pictures of receipts for market research. While you have to apply to gain access to the app, we didn't find any difficulty in getting admitted. However, that may change if demand increases for this app and may differ in other places around the country. 

Once admitted, it is a very simple and straightforward app to use. Receipt Hog allows members to submit receipts from stores that primarily sell food, health, or beauty products (so think brands like CVS, Costco, Petco, and Sephora.) 

Once you submit your receipts, you earn coins and sweepstake entries for the chance to earn considerable amounts of money each month. In addition to this, Receipt Hog also allows you to earn slot spins for a chance to earn prizes when you submit receipts to stores that don't fall into the main categories. 

Unlike some of the other apps on this list, Receipt Hog offers both cashback and gift card payouts, allowing you more flexibility when it comes to saving and getting money and prizes. It should be noted that we couldn't figure out how many coins you actually had to earn through the app to get a gift card. 

Many user reviews say that this is one of the best money-saving and cash-back options on the market currently due to its ease of use and money-saving ability. However, some users have stated that sometimes the receipt picture-taking function doesn't work all the time, which can cause some frustration. 

Overall, we love this app due to its flexible payout options, user-friendly interface, and various ways to save and get cashback. Because of this, we recommend checking out Receipt Hog if you are looking for a fun way to save on everyday purchases. 

Dosh is a great app that allows you to save money and get cashback on your purchases from local stores, hotels, restaurants, gas, and online brands. The fact that this app offers cashback on such a wide variety of things makes it one of the most versatile apps on this list which is why we love it so much. 

Another great feature that Dosh has is that it lets you know how much cashback you can expect from certain brands on the app. For instance, you can get 5% cashback when you shop at Adidas and up to 10% cashback when you shop at Walmart. We love this feature because it allows you to make smarter decisions when looking for deals. 

The unique feature that really surprised us is Dosh's cash-back deals on hotel reservations. While your vacation plans may be put on hold for the time being, Dosh is one of the only apps that goes beyond offering cashback for just goods. 

Using the app itself is extremely easy. All you need is a credit or debit card to link to your account and once you use it at participating stores, cashback is automatically sent to your account. 

As far as user reviews go, you won't find many negative things about Dosh. For the most part, users love how easy and versatile the app is to use. However, some did note that customer service was lacking. 

Overall, if you travel a lot or just want an easy-to-use app that doesn't require a bunch of steps, we recommend trying out Dosh. 

Shopkick is one of the most unique apps that we tested in that actually purchasing items isn't necessary to get cashback. This app offers you the option to scan your receipts or individual items for points (called kicks) or shop online through the app. 

In other words, you can earn kicks just by walking into stores and scanning certain items. This is a great feature if you want to make a little extra money without spending any to get it. 

However, the app doesn't actually have any straight cashback options. The only way that you can use the kicks that you accumulate is by trading them in for gift cards for stores like Target and Amazon. 

Using the app was extremely user-friendly. It had a great set of startup instructions that took you through how to use the app and navigate in-store scanning, receipt scanning, and online shopping through the app. After the end of the 5-ish minute mini-tutorial, we felt like professional Shopkick users. 

User reviews are generally ok. Many people have stated that it is a great app that has saved them a lot of money throughout their time using it. However, many reviews point out that the in-store scanning option has some flaws. For instance, a lot of the products that should be scannable aren't. Nevertheless, users have found that they generally had the best luck at larger chains such as CVS and Walmart. 

Overall, we love the unique features that Shopkick offers and how you can earn gift cards. We recommend checking it out if you are looking for a slightly different experience than a standard cashback app. 

Earny offers a clean and user-friendly layout which makes finding cashback offers a breeze. If you generally shop at larger brands like Best Buy and Target, this app may be a great fit for you. 

Earny is great for finding deals on items from larger retails. However, this app does work a bit differently than the other apps on this list in that it notifies you of money-saving opportunities on specific items. If Earny finds better prices on items that you've bought, you get the difference back. 

Using the app itself is very intuitive, making savings more streamlined and easy than some of the other apps on this list. To access cashback deals, use the "shop" tab and tap the store you want to shop from. Shop like you normally would, and the money you save from the app directly appears in your earnings section in your profile. 

A unique feature that we love is that the app allows you to track prices on certain items and enter sweepstakes for chances to win additional money. We love this because it allows you to find items at their lowest prices to save even more money than you normally would. 

Overall, user reviews on Earny were relatively positive. Many users mentioned how attentive and friendly their customer service was, which is great if you run into problems using the app. Additionally, many reviews liked how easy the app was to use and found themselves saving a lot of money while shopping. 

However, some users did find some glitches while using the app. While we didn't experience this during our testing, it is something to be aware of. 

Regardless of the app's potential bugs, Earny offers some unique features like price tracking on larger brands that allow you to save big on your shopping. 

Rakuten gives you the chance to earn between 1-10% cashback on all of your purchases at over 2500 stores throughout the United States, with payouts occurring every three months via a linked PayPal account or through check. 

The app itself is relatively easy to use, and cashback is automatically applied to your account when you shop directly from the app, making it a good app to check out if you're looking for a user-friendly app with some variety. 

While Rakuten has positive user reviews, for the most part, some reviews have mentioned their payouts getting delay. If you decide on this app, please be aware that payments may take a little longer than the three months mentioned. 

Checkout 51 is unique in that it is one of the only apps(along with Doth) that we tested that gives you the opportunity for cashback at gas stations and grocery stores, making it a great app to check out if you regularly get fill up your car. 

The sign-up process is very straightforward, and accessing the deals is as easy as adding offers to your list, purchasing your items, and snapping a photo of your receipt. 

For savings on gas, you need to purchase gas within four hours of adding the offer on the app, and payment with a credit or debit card is necessary to access the cashback deal. Once you upload a picture of your receipt within 24 hours of purchase, you automatically get approved for your cashback. We found deals of up to 12 cents off per gallon at local gas stations. 

The downside to this app is that payouts can take up to 75 days for the cashback savings actually to appear in your bank account. Additionally, while Checkout 51 does offer more deals than just deals on gas, user reviews state that the deals aren't as good as other apps on the market. Because of this, we recommend sticking to this app for cash back on gas. 

CoinOut is a very straightforward app for cashback savings with no bells or whistles. In fact, the layout and aesthetics could use an update. 

While there isn't anything glaringly bad about this app, it doesn't offer as many features or opportunities as some of the other ones on this list. User reviews seemed to mirror our findings. 

While some people have said they have saved a lot of money using this app, others have said that getting your money takes a long time and have seen more savings on other apps. 

Due to this, we recommend trying out the other apps on this list before you try this app out. 

Like some other apps on this list, Receipt Pal uses a point system to bring you cashback savings. All you have to do is submit receipts via pictures through the app, and you gain reward points that you can cash in for rewards like gift cards to places like Target and Amazon. 

A great thing about this app is that it also allows you to submit an e-receipt, which makes getting points for online shopping relatively easy. You can scan virtually any store receipt, which makes it one of the more versatile apps on this list. 

However, we found that it doesn't give you as much cashback as some other apps on this list. Despite this, we recommend checking it out if you want to earn money for free gift cards and want the flexibility to shop anywhere.