Best Grocery Store Apps to Save Money
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You’ve probably heard about cash-back apps through word-of-mouth or an advertisement. But are they really worth it? From my experience, they usually are. I used to struggle to remember to upload my receipts to redeem my offers sometimes, and that was frustrating. However, some apps have made it possible to earn cash back automatically by linking your store loyalty cards. Take a look at these top apps and see which ones might make your life easier.
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Overview of the best grocery store apps to save money
App | Best for |
Checkout 51 | Weekly reminders |
Coin Out | Quick cash out |
Fetch Rewards | Opportunities to earn gift cards |
Flipp | Meal planning |
Ibotta | Rebates |
Instacart | Managing grocery budget |
Makeena | Rewards for eco-friendly and healthy living |
Rakuten | Blanket cash-back offers |
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Best grocery store apps to save money
Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is a unique app that updates offers at set intervals. You can check the app each Thursday for new savings opportunities. Offers can be added to your shopping list at this time.
A couple of extra steps are needed to get your cash-back offers. After you’ve gone grocery shopping, you need to open up your app and select the items you purchased on your shopping list. This lets the app know what to look for when you upload your receipt.
The app is simple to use overall. You can take photos of your receipt using the camera on your phone. Checkout 51 will review and approve your cash-back offers after the receipt has been uploaded. You can also redeem purchases from online retailers using itemized packing slips as your receipt. The cash-back credit is loaded to your Checkout 51 account, and you can cash out of the account once your balance has reached $20.
When you use Checkout 51, there are some things to remember. The fact that offers are updated every Thursday is a nice feature because it gives you a reason to check into the app regularly. However, the offers expire after a week, so you must complete your shopping trip while the offers are still live.
- Price: Free to download; $3.99/mo fee if your account is inactive for 180 consecutive days
- Where accessible: Canada and the U.S.
CoinOut
CoinOut is a unique app that is newer to the market. It was originally featured on Shark Tank in 2013 before officially launching in 2017. Today, it offers two ways to earn money using the app.
Connecting your eligible accounts to the app is the easiest way to earn cash back using CoinOut. Accounts you can connect include your email, Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart accounts. When you connect your accounts to the app, CoinOut will be able to reward you for your online purchases automatically.
You can also use CoinOut to earn rewards on purchases that you make in-store. All you need to do is submit a picture of your receipt. If your accounts are not connected to the app, you must make sure that you’re uploading your receipts to receive your rewards.
After you’ve earned some rewards, you’ll have a few options when it comes time to cash out. If you choose Zelle or an Amazon gift card, no minimum balance is required to cash out. If you use PayPal, you must have a minimum balance of $20 to cash out.
CoinOut does not appear to charge a fee if your account goes inactive. However, after six months of inactivity, you’ll receive a push notification to your phone and email. If you don’t open the app within a week after the notifications, your account will be disconnected, and your CoinOut reward balance will be erased.
- Price: Free
- Where accessible: The U.S.
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is an app that gives you a few opportunities to earn points that can be redeemed for rewards. You can only redeem the apps for gift cards. However, there is the option to redeem points for a Visa Prepaid card for people who don’t want a store-specific gift card.
Like many rewards apps, Fetch allows you to earn points for submitting receipts. You can submit any receipt and receive at least 25 points. If your receipt contains an item from one of Fetch’s participating brands, you’ll also receive points for this. Participating brands are listed on the Fetch app and website.
Additionally, you can search the Discover page of the app for special offers. This is where you’ll find a list of items eligible for bonus points. To participate in these special offers, you must buy the item and submit the receipt as you would with any other receipt.
Once your account has built enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards within the app. Most rewards require a minimum of 3,000 points. In the Rewards section of the app, you can browse the available gift cards. You’ll find restaurants such as Panera on the list, movie theaters, and stores such as Amazon. There are usually a few gift card amounts to choose from, and you’ll be able to see which ones you have enough points for. After you’ve submitted the redemption request, it will process within three days, and you will be notified in the app when the gift card is ready.
- Price: Free
- Where accessible: The U.S.
Flipp
Flipp is an app that allows you to browse sales flyers for your favorite stores. Over 2,000 stores participate with the app, including major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Costco, and Aldi. You can’t place orders through the app, but you can save items from the flyers to a shopping list within the app.
Most grocery stores participate with Flipp and other stores such as home goods, hardware, and pet stores. You can save your favorite stores to make it easier to find and check for ads each week. The app also lets you use your phone’s location to show which participating stores are near you.
There are no offline capabilities for Flipp, so you need to view ads while your device has a strong internet or network connection. However, Flipp does save your cached data. This makes it possible for you to open ads that you’ve already viewed, even if you’re in the store with no network connection.
In addition to sales flyers, you can use Flipp to find coupons. Coupons can be sent to your email, and then you can print the coupons from there to bring to the store. If you have store loyalty cards or rewards cards, you can also add these to your Flipp account. In some cases, you may be able to load coupons from the app onto your loyalty card to use in-store.
- Price: Free
- Where accessible: Canada and The U.S.
Ibotta
Ibotta allows you to earn rebates on your purchases in a few ways. There is a mobile app that has been around for several years. Ibotta has also added a browser extension that can be used with Google Chrome.
You can earn cash back for your online purchases by using the app to visit the store’s website and make your purchase. Ibotta has a list of stores that participate within the app. You can also earn cash back when saving the offers you want to your account before you shop in-store. For some stores, you may be able to link your loyalty cards so your cash back is automatically added to your account. You must upload your receipt for other stores to get your cash back.
The browser app can be helpful, especially if you could use some reminders to keep your account active. After you’ve installed the extension, you can either log into your existing Ibotta account or create a new one. The extension will pop up when you’re on a website that participates with Ibotta. All you have to do is activate the extension when asked to earn cash back.
There are other Ibotta features to be aware of. You can use Ibotta to purchase gift cards and earn instant cash back. You can also set up nearby store alerts if you want Ibotta to notify you when you’re near a participating store.
- Price: Free; account maintenance fee of $3.99 per month if the account has been inactive for over 180 days
- Where accessible: The U.S.
Instacart
Instacart is a marketplace that allows users to order groceries for pickup or delivery. The app connects users with Instacart shoppers, who will gather the items according to the order that was placed. Over 900 retailers participate with Instacart, including Sam’s Club, Wegmans, Kroger, Publix, and ALDI.
Most people know Instacart for its delivery service. When you place an order through Instacart, you can track your order’s progress and communicate with your Instacart shopper through the app. Some locations also offer Instacart curbside pickup if you prefer to drive to the store and pick up your groceries.
You don’t need a membership to use Instacart, but it may be worth the investment if you plan to use it often. Instacart+ memberships offer unlimited free deliveries on orders over $35 and lower service fees on every order. You’ll also access exclusive offers from Instacart’s partners and a 5% credit back on eligible pickup orders. Instacart+ costs a flat fee of $99 per year or $9.99 monthly.
Without the Instacart+ membership, you’ll have to pay delivery fees on every order. The fee starts at $3.99 and can vary based on the total amount of your order as well as the timeframe of your delivery. Similarly, service fees for each order are based on the items in the order and your location. Pickup orders may also come with a fee.
- Price: Instacart+ membership is $99 per year or $9.99 per month; delivery fees start at $3.99
- Where accessible: Canada and The U.S.
Makeena
Makeena is an app that rewards you for purchasing eco-friendly and healthy products. The app and website are user-friendly and make browsing and adding offers to your account easy. You can even search for participating brands by attributes such as “diabetic friendly,” “fragrance-free,” “no animal testing,” and much more.
There is a two-step process to earn rewards on your purchases. First, you must scan the barcodes of every eligible product you’ve purchased. Then, you need to submit a photo of the receipt that shows proof of purchase for those items. Fortunately, Makeena recognizes barcodes and automatically adds the offer to your account if you scan an eligible product. You can also browse the app ahead of time to see which items have offers available.
Items from most stores are eligible for rewards from Makeena. This includes online stores and even farmer’s markets. For brand rewards, points are awarded based on the number of items purchased, so you can earn more reward points for buying multiple items. Receipts must be submitted within seven days for in-store purchases and 10 days for online purchases.
Points usually appear in Makeena accounts within 48 hours after receipt is submitted, but sometimes, it could take up to 10 days. When your account balance reaches $20, you can cash out to redeem your points for money. Makeena pays out for its points through PayPal and Venmo.
- Price: Free
- Where accessible: The U.S.
Rakuten
Rakuten makes it easy to earn cash back on most purchases, whether you’re shopping in-store or online. Instead of taking time to add offers to your account or make shopping lists based on what’s on sale, Rakuten allows you to earn a flat cash-back rate no matter what you’re buying. The cash-back rates vary by date and store, so it’s good to check Rakuten regularly to see the current cash-back offers.
Rakuten might be most well known for its Google Chrome browser extension. This is a great tool if you use Google Chrome when shopping online. Once installed, you’ll get a pop-up when Rakuten notices you’re on a site where you can earn cash back. All you have to do is activate the offer within that pop-up to earn. Sometimes, the browser extension also alerts you to relevant coupons and promotions for the site.
If you’re shopping from your phone, you can also use the Rakuten app to visit your favorite websites to shop from. When you use the Rakuten app to purchase from participating websites, those purchases will be eligible for the store’s cash-back offer. You can also use the app to browse current cash-back offers.
In addition to virtual shopping, Rakuten allows you to earn cash back by shopping in participating stores. The app has a section specifically for in-store cash-back offers. You can link the offers you are interested in using to a credit card or debit card you plan to purchase from that store. When you enable push notifications from the app, you’ll also receive alerts when an in-store offer is near you.
- Price: Free
- Where accessible: The U.S.
Summary of best grocery store apps to save money
App | Costs | How to Redeem Rewards |
Checkout 51 | Free but $3.99 per month fee for inactive accounts | Cash out when your balance hits $20 |
Coin Out | Free | Anytime with Zelle or Amazon gift cards; $20 minimum balance for PayPal |
Fetch Rewards | Free | Rewards are in the form of gift cards; most rewards require 3,000 points for first redemption |
Flipp | Free | There are no rewards, but you can use coupons from the app |
Ibotta | Free but $3.99 month fee for inactive accounts | Transfer money via PayPal or purchase gift cards after you’ve earned at least $20 |
Instacart | Instacart+ membership is $99/yr or $9.99/mo; delivery fees for non-members start at $3.99 per order | Credits earned using Instacart are automatically applied to your next pickup or delivery order |
Makeena | Free | Payment is available via PayPal or Venmo after the account balance reaches $20 |
Rakuten | Free | Cash-back earnings are paid out every three months via check or PayPal |
FAQs
What happens if accounts are inactive?
Most apps charge an account fee if your account becomes inactive. Each app sets its own fee and rules around the fee. However, most apps consider an account inactive if there are no offers claimed or redeemed within a period of 180 consecutive days. Then the fee is usually charged on a monthly basis for as long as the account remains inactive.
Which cash-back apps should I use?
You can pick the cash back apps you want to use based on your preferences. For example, if you want a simple app that lets you browse flyers for your local stores and create a grocery list, you should consider an app like Flipp. But if you’re looking for something that will help you get the best price when you’re online shopping, an app with a browser extension might be a better choice. Most apps don’t require subscriptions, so you can always try an app out and then delete your account if you don’t like it. However, you should be sure that you do remember to keep your accounts active or delete them so you aren’t charged an inactive account fee.
Can I still use coupons?
Clipping coupons can still be a good way to save money on your grocery bill. Most cash back apps allow you to use their offers in addition to physical coupons. You may also be able to use digital coupons that are offered within the app.
Most apps don’t require subscriptions, so you can always try an app out and then delete your account if you don’t like it. However, you should be sure that you do remember to keep your accounts active or delete them so you aren’t charged an inactive account fee.
Can I still use coupons?
Clipping coupons can still be a good way to save money on your grocery bill. Most cash back apps allow you to use their offers in addition to physical coupons. You may also be able to use digital coupons that are offered within the app.
Why you should use cash back apps
Cash-back apps present an easy and usually free way to save money at your favorite grocery store or retailer. New offers are added to the apps regularly, so the apps can be used over a long period of time to help you save. The only reason not to use a cash-back app is if you’re worried that you’ll acquire account maintenance fees for leaving your account inactive for too long.
The bottom line
Cash-back apps present a great opportunity to save money on everyday purchases. It’s free to join most apps with no commitment and no subscription. As long as you understand how to use the apps to get the most out of them, they’re worth exploring.
When using cash-back apps, you should be aware that if you forget to use your account but don’t delete it, you could be charged. These fees usually don’t kick in for at least a few months, but once they do, most apps charge the fee monthly until you use your account again. Some apps might also offer a paid version with additional benefits you might want to consider.
The options can be overwhelming sometimes, so it’s important to look at what apps are on the market before you start downloading. You can find participating stores and brands on most of the apps’ websites, which can help you decide which apps are worth using. Additionally, you should be sure to pick the apps that you’ll get the most use out of.
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Writer
Ashley Hart is a lead copywriter and digital marketing expert covering finance, law, real estate, music, entertainment, health and wellness.
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