You can save money, earn cash back with Ibotta
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Shopping is a bit of a game to me – the challenge is to see how much I can save. When I save, I win.
And when I save big, I win big – like thousands of dollars.
The shopping tool I want to share with you today has earned me close to $3,000 in digital rebates. Money in the bank. The tool? An app called Ibotta.
Ibotta is a free cash back rewards and payments app. You might have seen the TV ads pop up recently. It’s an easy way to save on most grocery store trips, online shopping, gift cards and even booze in some states. Some shoppers have saved thousands more than I have – one person I spoke with scored more than $10,000 in savings. More on that later.
What sets Ibotta apart from such rewards programs as CVS ExtraCare is that you can use it in person at multiple stores, including Target, Walmart, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Aldi and online at Amazon, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Macy’s and more.
It also is a way to get freebies and try new products.
Right now, for instance, Ibotta is giving away school supplies for a limited time.
The rebate items, which have a combined value of up to $20, are available to buy in-store and online at Walmart and online at Target, Instacart, H-E-B or Shipt.
You also can earn cash back when booking travel through Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com and other popular sites and get 75 cents back with every Uber or Lyft ride when you launch the ride-hailing apps from Ibotta.
On its own, it might not look like much. But the money adds up on products and services that you’d be purchasing anyway.
CEO and founder Bryan Leach told me Ibotta has given out more than $1 billion in the company’s lifetime. It launched in 2012 primarily as a grocery app, but has evolved over the years.
Ibotta is working to make earning cash back more seamless and recently announced an expanded partnership with Walmart. Leach said it’s expected to start next year, and it’ll be easier to find cash-back offers on the app and website.
“As we move, expand and grow we think there’s an opportunity to give you cash back on everything,” Leach said.
Long before the Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020, thanks to Ibotta, I was prepared with a nice stockpile of bath tissue and cleaning products.
So was Carrie McGuire-Loveall, of Lebanon, Indiana, who has earned more than $12,000 in cash back from Ibotta.
Her family called her stockpile her “personal grocery store,” and she says it helped her gain more of a financial cushion.
“It’s my addiction,” she said. “I check the app multiple times per day.”
When COVID-19 hit and many of her neighbors were out of work and having a hard time finding items in local stores, she took action.
“I opened my garage to my neighbors so they could get what stores no longer had. Some paid me for what they took, some couldn’t,” she said. “What I didn’t want to sell, I gave away.”
Heather Curtis, of New Market, Tennessee, has earned more than $6,100.
“If you take 10 minutes, you can easily make money,” Curtis said, noting on a recent shopping trip she made a whopping $48 back.
But she doesn’t only make money with Ibotta. She also pays it forward.
For a recent food drive for vets, she donated 15 boxes of products with Ibotta rebates.
“Usually for a food drive, they’re getting all the cheap stuff,” Curtis said. “I was buying all the namebrand stuff and was getting really great discounts and cash back. I don’t think I spent even $25.”
For grocery rebates, I focus on the free or nearly-free items. Last month, I picked up a pack of Beyond Meat burgers that were free after a rebate, and this week, I’ve ordered many of the free school supply items.
However, depending on what store you frequent, Ibotta’s free items might not be 100% free after the rebates and could each cost a few cents. Or maybe you wind up walking away making a few cents. Ibotta bases the rebate on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, which can vary.
Ibotta also has enticed me to try new products with little risk. The first time I tried Halo Top ice cream was when there was a rebate through Ibotta, and when Coca-Cola with Coffee came out this year, there was a rebate to try a can for free.
Eeveryday items you buy also might have rebates. Need milk? There might be an offer for any brand. Getting blueberries? There could be an offer for those good at any store, though sometimes it’s available only at specific stores.
There’s even a category for beer, wine and spirit rebates, which can be used at liquor stores, though the rebates can’t be redeemed in all states, so read the fine print.
Here’s how Ibotta works
Download the mobile app and browser extension: You can use the mobile app for shopping on the go and in-store offers, for either iOS or Android devices. For shopping from a computer, you can get the browser extension, which is available for Chrome and Firefox, but also works on Microsoft Edge.
For in-store offers: Add the offers to your account on the app by clicking on a plus sign next to the item. After you shop and redeem the offer, for some stores, you’ll have to upload photos of your receipt in app. At other stores, you can link your account to Ibotta, and the rebates are automatically processed. (For instance, if you pay with Walmart Pay at Walmart with a linked account, you won’t have to submit a receipt). Cash back on qualifying purchases usually is added to accounts within 24 hours but sometimes happens within minutes.
For online grocery orders: When shopping for grocery pickup and delivery, make sure your Ibotta account is linked with the online retailer. Then add offers to your account and checkout online. You’ll get cash back 24 to 48 hours after your order is picked up or delivered.
Pro-shopper tip: Check to confirm you are buying the rebate items. In the app, you can scan the barcodes of your items to check. If, for some reason, you don’t earn cash back for a purchase as expected, you can file a ticket with Ibotta customer support on the app and explain what offers you were trying to redeem.
Important notes: The email address on your retailer account does not need to match your Ibotta account email address, but multiple Ibotta users can’t link the same retailer account. So if you share an Old Navy account with a parent, partner or roommate, for instance, only one of you can link the account to Ibotta.
Gift card perks
Leach said buying – and using – gift cards through Ibotta is something he considers a “power user feature.”
Heather Curtis says it’s one of the ways she earned $3,000 last year. Her family would look for restaurants with high percentages of cash back.
Curtis also used Ibotta gift card offers to help get gifts for “the grandmas and grandpas” her family adopted for a holiday drive. Sometimes, they’d use the gift card to purchase the gifts, and sometimes they gave the gift card as a gift.
Cash-back percentages vary and periodically change. On Thursday, 15% was the highest percent on gift cards from Adidas, Applebee’s, Belk, DSW, IHOP and Red Robin. Walmart had a 0.5% cashback offer and Amazon 1% back.
Step 1: You can find a large selection of restaurant and store gift cards under the “gift cards” category of the app.
Step 2: Gift cards can be purchased with a debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or you can apply your Ibotta earnings. Then, the cash back will be added to your account instantly. For instance, I purchased a $5 Starbucks gift card and received 10 cents back immediately.
Step 3: You can use the gift card immediately in stores and online.
You can give Ibotta gift cards as a gift. You’ll need to toggle on “This is a gift.” You’ll have the option to send the gift card as a text or email. Your friend doesn’t need to have Ibotta to use the gift card.