We tested the top rebate and cash-back apps for groceries and found that the best option varies by person and depends on factors like where you shop, the brands you buy, and your preference for shopping in-store or online.
Here’s a list of the top options, including notes on who will benefit the most from each app.
Note: The review scores in this post were collected on December 9th, 2024. We revise this post periodically throughout the year to update this data. While we have personally tested many of these apps (see our detailed reviews linked throughout), our rankings for apps without formal testing are based on current app store ratings and our industry expertise. Click on individual reviews to see how much we earned during our testing periods.
Top Cash Back Apps for Groceries
#1. Ibotta
Ibotta tops the list as an option for both in-store and online shopping, with wide availability and the highest potential earnings.
Download and search the Ibotta app for digital coupons on food and other items at grocery and retail stores (both brick-and-mortar and online). Buy the items you have coupons for, and upload a picture of your receipt to your Ibotta account. The Ibotta app will deposit your cash-back bonus into your account within 48 hours of verification. Once your account reaches $20, you can transfer the money to your PayPal or Venmo account.
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 1.8 million reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.5/5 with 687K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: New users will receive a $5 bonus after spending $15 through the app’s cash-back shopping portal.
Learn more: Read our Ibotta review and learn about other apps like Ibotta.
#2. Fetch Rewards
Fetch stands out for shoppers who want simplicity, as there’s no watching videos or scanning barcodes.
The Fetch Rewards app allows users to earn points for sharing their digital and physical grocery receipts. You don’t have to preselect the items or clip coupons — Fetch accepts all receipts.
Most receipts pay 25 points, which equates to a few cents. However, you can earn significantly more by purchasing sponsored brands and items. You’re often buying these products anyway, so no brand-changing is required.
A tip worth mentioning is that you can upload the same receipt to both Fetch Rewards and Ibotta.
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 5.46 million reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.7/5 with 1.23 million reviews.
Sign-up bonus: Get 3,000 bonus points automatically by using our sign-up link.
Learn more: Get tips to maximize your earnings in our Fetch review.
#3. Checkout 51
Primarily a receipt-scanning app, Checkout 51 also offers surveys and a cash-back shopping portal.
Checkout 51 works at any grocery store. After downloading the app, search for coupons and offers and add them to your account before you go grocery shopping. When you’re done, just open the app, mark the items you actually purchased, and upload a picture of your grocery receipt. Once your receipt is approved, your cash back will appear in your account.
App Store ratings: 4.0/5 with 6.3K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.2/5 with 79K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#4. Fluz
Ideal for shoppers who purchase groceries with a debit card or who don’t earn more than 1% back using their credit card. It’s also one of the few apps that works with Instacart.
Fluz is a cash-back app that allows you to earn rewards by purchasing gift cards through the app and then using those gift cards to make purchases at participating retailers. You can stack cash-back earnings from Fluz with rewards from other apps.
While many of the other options on this list require you to complete small tasks — like watching an ad or uploading a receipt — using Fluz only takes a minute and can save you as much as 4% at major supermarkets, including Kroger, Ralph’s, Safeway and Whole Foods. It can also be used for Instacart orders.
App Store ratings: 3.9/5 with 1.4K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.3/5 with 1,249 reviews.
Sign-up bonus: Join with this link for a voucher worth 35% cash back (up to $10).
Learn more: Learn more about the app in our Fluz review.
#5. Shopkick
Great for anyone who can afford to spend a few extra minutes at the store hunting down an item or two and taking a picture.
Link a debit or credit card to the Shopkick app. You’ll earn points (called Kicks) when you purchase eligible items and submit a copy of your receipt. Your Kicks can be redeemed for gift cards from dozens of retailers.
Other ways to earn Kicks include walking into a specific store and scanning the barcodes of specified products.
App Store ratings: 4.6/5 with 83K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 3.7/5 with 233K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: Get 500 Kicks using the promo code WIN521288 when you sign up for a new account.
Learn more: Read our Shopkick review.
#6. Receipt Hog
It’s similar to Fetch in that it’s simple to use. While we’ve found the earning potential is low, you can cash out with PayPal.
If you like flexibility, you’ll love Receipt Hog. It doesn’t matter what store you shop at or what you buy. You can upload any receipt and earn points, called Coins, for every upload. The number of Coins you earn depends on the amount you spend, so the more you buy, the more you save. Coins can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or Amazon gift cards.
App Store ratings: 4.7/5 with 194K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.7/5 with 257K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#7. CoinOut
An ideal app for anyone who simply wants to upload a receipt without the need to buy specific products or scan barcodes.
CoinOut allows you to upload receipts from any retailer and get a random amount of cash back added to your wallet. It also functions as an online shopping portal where you can earn extra cash back from online purchases at major retailers. There’s no minimum to cash out via bank transfer or gift card, but there is a $20 minimum for PayPal.
App Store ratings: 4.6/5 with 69K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.5/5 with 55K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#8. ReceiptPal
It has lower earning potential than other universal receipt scanning apps, but it is worth it for those who like double dipping on rewards.
With a few exceptions, you can upload a receipt from almost anywhere you shop and earn points with ReceiptPal. Every four receipts will earn you 100 points, and you can submit up to 20 weekly. The points can be redeemed for gift cards. Plus, for every receipt you upload, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing each Monday, which pays out $250 total.
App Store ratings: 4.4/5 with 21K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 3.9/5 with 39K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#9. NCPMobile
Solid earning potential if you don’t mind the extra effort of scanning barcodes.
NCPMobile is a barcode-scanning app. Scan the barcodes of eligible items you buy, answer a few questions about the purchase, and then submit your feedback to earn points. The points you earn can be redeemed for gift cards.
App Store ratings: 4.4/5 with 8K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.5/5 with 50K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#10. Rakuten
Rakuten has some decent in-store deals but primarily specializes in earning cash back for online grocery shopping.
The Rakuten app and browser extension allow users to earn cash back on in-store and online grocery purchases.
For online grocery shopping, activate cash back through the app or extension before purchasing. For in-store shopping, link your credit card to your Rakuten account and activate in-store offers before shopping.
Cash back rates vary by retailer but typically range from 1% to 5% for grocery purchases.
Rakuten also frequently offers increased cash-back rates during promotional periods.
A key advantage of Rakuten is you can often earn cash back at your preferred grocery store without changing your shopping habits, as you’ll earn it on your entire purchase, not just on certain items.
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 359K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 3.6/5 with 72K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: Get $30 using our sign-up link and make a qualifying purchase. See Rakuten promo details for more information.
Learn more: Get tips to maximize your earnings in our Rakuten review.
#11. Merryfield Rewards
Merryfield is a rewards app for health-conscious shoppers, with deals on popular healthier brands.
Merryfield lets you earn points on every receipt and provides bonus points for over 60 better-for-you brands, such as Amy’s Kitchen, Califia Farms, and Organic Valley. The app’s strict Clean Council standards ensure all participating products meet high safety and health criteria.
However, Merryfield has recently reduced its points-per-receipt from 25 to 10, making it slower to accumulate rewards unless you focus on big bonus offers. Points can be redeemed for gift cards once you reach 10,000 points ($10).
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 10K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 3.4/5 with 3.58K reviews
Sign-up bonus: N/A
#12. Frisbee
Frisbee lets you scan physical or e-receipts, link retailer accounts, and earn points that can be redeemed for cash, gift cards, or sweepstakes entries.
To use Frisbee, you can upload a photo of any in-store receipt directly through the app or connect to popular online retailers—such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target—to automatically track purchases made via your linked accounts. Once your receipts are verified, points appear in your account, which you can convert into various rewards.
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 34K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.4/5 with over 15K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
Best Grocery Coupon Apps
Beyond cash back apps, there are many good coupon apps that allow you to save money (just not earn). Here are a few favorites:
#1. The Krazy Coupon Lady
A robust app for coupon clippers who want to go digital.
This app is like a one-stop shop for coupons. It has coupons from circulars, stores and manufacturers, as both digital and printable coupons. The app will send new offers to your phone as it finds them, wherever it finds them. The app also offers tutorials and videos to teach those new to couponing how to optimize their savings.
App Store ratings: 4.9/5 with 149K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.8/5 with 57K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
#2. Flipp
Another app worth downloading for coupon clippers to check on local deals.
Flipp lets you see all the circulars in your area (just enter your zip code when creating your account) to save money on grocery items, household items, clothes, electronics, and more. “Clip” the coupons, which will be attached to your store loyalty cards.
You can also use the app’s price matching feature to get the lowest price in stores that allow price-match savings.
App Store ratings: 4.8/5 with 439K reviews.
Google Play ratings: 4.8/5 with over 358K reviews.
Sign-up bonus: None currently available.
Grocery Store Specific Shopping Apps
These are just a few of the major retailers that have dedicated mobile apps. While apps like these typically don’t give cash back, they do often feature exclusive coupons and deals that can help you save money on your grocery purchase.
Target’s Circle App: This app lets you see Target’s in-store offers right on your phone. Search by category or collection, or enter a brand or item into the search bar. You can also scan a barcode to see if there are any savings on that particular item. When you find an offer you want, click it and it will be added to your list. When you’re checking out, scan the barcode in your Target app at the register and the discounts will be applied.
Kroger: Not only does the Kroger app save you money on household staples and grocery items, it also saves you time. You can shop from the app and pick up when you arrive at the store, or you can have your order delivered. You can also view weekly ads, coupons and special offers, and load digital coupons to your loyalty card.
Whole Foods: You can use the app to see weekly sales and specials. To really save though, you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member. Prime members receive special offers and an extra 10% off hundreds of weekly sale items. Sign in through Prime and scan the QR code in the app when checking out.
Meijer: The Meijer app offers users digital coupons, special offers, rewards for buying eligible items, and access to the weekly circular. Users earn rewards like $5 off their next shopping trip after spending $250 or more in total purchases.
Walmart: This app allows users to view the weekly circular, create a shopping list, receive notices about special offers, scan items to check their price, send money, and refill prescriptions.
3 Smart Ways to Maximize Cash Back on Groceries
- Use the right credit card. Consider getting a cash-back credit card that lists grocery stores as a bonus category. I have the American Express Gold Card, which earns me 4x points on groceries. I value these points around 1.5 cents each, so that means I earn 6% cash back every time I shop. This card has a high annual fee ($325), but since we’re a family of five who eats primarily at home, we find the 6% cash back to justify that yearly cost. Another card worth considering is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which earns 6% cash back on up to $6,000 per year in purchases and has a $95 annual fee.
- Stack reward apps. Most of the apps listed here can be stacked with each other, as well as with credit card reward points and potential rewards from an in-store loyalty program. See how much you can save by stacking with our easy-to-use cash-back calculator.
- Use a shopping portal when buying groceries online. If you buy groceries online, use one of the top cash-back shopping apps and websites to see if you can garner additional savings.
Cash Back on Groceries: FAQs
Some companies that offer cash back rewards for receipts use those receipts to verify that you purchased sponsored products or brands. One example of this is Ibotta, which gives you cash back for buying specific items that are advertised within the app. Other companies use the data on your receipts for market research purposes, analyzing things like what items people purchase in combination, what time of the day certain groups of people shop, etc. This is the case with pure receipt-scanning apps like Receipt Hog.
Fluz offers a flat cash back rate for Amazon purchases paid for through the app (the specific amount varies depending on whether you use a debit card, credit card or bank account). Fetch accepts digital Amazon receipts, but you have to connect your inbox and allow the app to scan your email.
The answer to this question depends on many factors, including your creditworthiness, how much you spend on groceries and where you shop. As mentioned in the previous section, two of our favorites are the American Express Gold Card and the Blue Cash Preferred Cash Card. Another good option is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, which gives you 5% cash back on all Whole Foods purchases.
Other popular cards that offer cash-back rewards for groceries include the Citi Custom Cash Card (5% in your highest spending category), the Capital One SavorOne Card (3% at grocery stores), and the Costco Anywhere Visa Card (2% on groceries purchased at Costco).
The Best Cash Back Apps For Groceries: Final Thoughts
Groceries aren’t getting cheaper any time soon. If you’re a budget-conscious person who is willing to put in a little bit of time and effort, it’s not unreasonable to think you can shave 1% to 3% off your grocery expenditures by using one or more of the apps mentioned in this article. Using a cash-back credit card with a dedicated earning category for groceries can often double that savings.
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