By Ashlee Anderson
Saving money at your local grocery store and favorite retailers on the brands you love and things you frequently buy does not require a ton of time or effort. Thanks to smartphone apps, you can earn real cash back and find the lowest prices in town without ever having to study sales ads or clip a single coupon. If you love to save but couponing isn’t your thing, check out these apps that put savings in the palm of your hand.
The Ibotta App gives you cash back for making everyday purchases. Before you go shopping, check out the many rebates available. You’ll have to unlock the offers you want by completing small tasks first like answering a one-question poll, learning a fact, or testifying about your favorite products. Once you’ve unlocked a product offer, you can earn money back when you purchase it at one of over 150 participating stores.
To redeem offers, you’ll need to scan the product’s barcode and upload your receipt in the Ibotta app. In most cases, your account will be credited in 48 hours or less. You can send your savings to a linked PayPal or Venmo account. So, whether you’re shopping for groceries or stocking up at Sephora, there are hundreds of places and ways to save money on purchases with Ibotta.
Checkout 51 helps you save money on your grocery bill every week. New offers are released on Thursday mornings and you have until the following Wednesday to cash in on all the savings. Simply browse the weekly selection of offers and upload a picture of your receipt for any participating products you purchased during the week. Once your receipt has been processed and purchases confirmed, your account will be credited.
What’s great about Checkout 51 is that you can make purchases at any store that carries the offer products. So if you have a preferred store—no problem—with Checkout 51 you can shop anywhere and everywhere for great savings. The app will even pick up on your location and show you money-saving offers nearby. Once you’ve saved $20.00, Checkout 51 will mail you a check. With Checkout 51 you can save on grocery staples like milk and eggs and also find many offers on new and specialty items worth trying.
You’re probably familiar with Groupon and how it helps you save on goods, services, and travel. Well now they’ve extended the savings to your local grocer with their new app, Snap.
Before you head to the store, browse Snap offers and add the ones you want to your shopping list. You can go shopping anywhere offers are sold. After you’re done shopping, upload a picture of your receipt using the Snap app. That’s it. Your account will usually be credited in 48 hours or less. After you reach $20.00 in savings, you can request a payout and Groupon will mail you a check.
As a bonus, you can refer friends to Groupon Snap and earn $1.00 for every person who signs up and redeems their first offer. Remember, though, offers are limited, so it’s best to act quickly to maximize your savings. From bread and produce to health and beauty items, Groupon makes it, well, a Snap to save.
Nobody likes to pay more for something than they have to. Stock Up makes it easy for shoppers to find the lowest prices on items at nearby stores. The app works by providing live pricing information for thousands of items at over 100,000 stores nationwide. To date, Stock Up has added over 1 billion prices to their database!
Stock Up users can share prices of items which gives their fellow shopper the opportunity to make informed shopping decisions and not second guess whether or not they got the best deal in town. Although Stock Up doesn’t offer cash back incentives, it’s still an easy way to save by allowing you to see, at a glance, how much items cost at your local stores. You’ll never again wonder whether you paid too much for an item with Stock Up.
These apps, all available for Android and iOS users, give you the power of savings right at your fingertips. With no coupons to clip, rebates to mail in, or shopper points to redeem, it’s never been easier to cash in and save on your everyday purchases. So, next time you head to the store, look no further than your smartphone for opportunities to get cash back and find extra ways to save at your favorite local stores.