Ibotta Review: Earn Cash Back On Groceries

Are you looking to save extras on your grocery? Then you gotta check out Ibotta! For me, this app is a must-have for your smartphone because it saves you money on grocery and other things (find out below). I was never a paper coupon person because it was impossible to find a coupon on organic and natural products or foods. And even if you do find one, you have to remember to bring it, and hope you don’t lose it along the way. But there just weren’t many coupons that fit this lifestyle until I discovered Ibotta. With this app, I was able to shop like I usually would and save. I do not have to compromise on brands I love and the quality (organic and natural) of what I want. I was able to find deals that genuinely fit my organic and natural lifestyle.

In this post, you will find below topics and you can click on the link to jump to that section:

What is Ibotta App

Here’s a quick rundown of how Ibotta works

How to maximize your Ibotta cash back

My Ibotta Review

What’s Ibottas catch

How does Ibotta make money

What is Ibotta app?

It’s a FREE app that lets you get cash back on groceries, clothing, travels and much more. Ibotta has cash back from over 500,000 locations.

With Ibotta, you have the opportunity to earn cash back on select products by performing easy tasks, purchasing the product, then scan your receipt. It is super easy, and simple steps.

For a limited time, you can get $10 just for trying the app by using this link.

And join my team to earn some extra bonus by using this link.

Here’s a quick rundown of how Ibotta works:

How to maximize your Ibotta cash back?

If you are someone who is on a budget, then you have to remind yourself that savings are most valuable when you earn them from items you already were planning on purchasing anyway. And the stores make money by luring you in with items on sale and then counting on you to buy more nonsale items once you’re there. However, you maximize your savings by avoiding impulse purchases and sticking to what you need. To prevent this to happen and to maximize your earning, follow these steps:

1. Make a shopping list

If you shop weekly, make a weekly shopping list.

2. Open Ibotta and scan the rebates

For me, there are a few stores I would typically shop at: Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco, and Pavillon. I like going to these stores because it is close to me, and I know they carry the products/brands I like. So in my case, I would only look at what deal is going on at these stores. If you are not loyal to a shop, then you can scan the stores near you rather than a specific store.

3. Add rebates to your list

You can add the deal you are interested in by clicking the “+” sign, and you can review the saved offer under My Offer. Sometimes you have to take a short quiz to get the rebate, and sometimes you have to “watch” a 15-30 second ad video (you don’t have to watch the video, and you can’t fast forward it).

4. Shop

I will shop like I usually would base on my shopping list. Remember, avoid impulse purchases and stick to what you need.

5. Scan receipt (Only certain stores require this)

I typically scan the receipt as soon as I get home, so I don’t forget. Your cash back will be deposited into your account within 48 hours after uploading. And when you earn $20, you can withdraw from your Ibotta account. You can get cash back via Paypal or Venmo, or choose a gift card.

• Tons of other rebates on national brands
  

  Companies like Perfect Bar, Seventh Generation, Health ADE Kombucha, Stonyfield, Tom’s and more have rebates available.
  

• Rebates from Whole Foods 

  Whole Foods is one of the primary grocery stores that I shop at, and Whole Foods can be pricey compared to your traditional grocery store. But I love shopping here because they carry many healthy and specialty items.

• Rebates on healthy products

  When you think of coupons and rebates, you think of products that no one wants. But you can actually save on healthy products like coconut water, kombucha, fresh juice, chickpea pasta, etc..

• With Ibotta, you can save beyond just food.
  

  You can save on clothing, hotels, restaurants, online shopping and much more! I know, this app is like a giant money saving hub! Here are some unexpected retailers:

  • Amazon
  • Groupon
  • Uber
  • Hotel.com
  • Ulta
  • Walmart

• Some stores don’t require scanning recipes anymore. And it is as easy as using QR code and loyalty card. 

  Ibotta is trying to move to a more streamlined model by syncing up with your store’s loyalty card program or requiring you to scan a QR code at checkout for automatic redemption.

• New offers go live every Wednesday

  The best time to look for new offers is on Wednesday afternoon when the bulk of new rebates hit Ibotta. Check back on Thursdays, as new offers keep trickling down for the first 24 hours.

• The easiest way to get cash back and increase earnings

  Average savings on one Ibotta rebate is about $0.75. So, it can sometimes seem like a lot of work to accumulate earnings in your account. The best way to speed up your savings is to take advantage of bonus rebates. Join my team to earn bonus rebate.

• Ibotta teamwork bonuses add another $2 per month to your account.
  

  Each month, on top of regular offers and individual bonuses, Ibotta also has team bonuses! Bonus on bonus = more cash back! It is FREE money and are you saying NO to free money?

  To join my team you just download the app and use my referal code: “KJOLEAY“.

• Ibotta rebates can be ‘stacked’ with other offer and deal
  

  Ibotta rebates work on purchases where additional offer and deal are redeemed. Use whatever you have at checkout, then upload your receipt after and still get the full rebate value — even if it’s more significant than the price you actually paid for the item! Double win!
  For example, I brought 2 for $7 GI Kombucha deal from Whole Foods. I scanned my receipt for the deal and was able to claim $1.10 back on each bottle I purchased. So this means I just got the Whole Foods deal and got $2.20 cash back.

• You can find offers based on location.

  Whether you are traveling, new to the area or just looking for deals, you can search deals based on your locations. This means, you can literally get cash back everywhere you go!

• Ibotta is super user-friendly.
  

  The app itself is super user-friendly. To claim cashback, steps are super easy and it will only take a few minutes of your time.

Cons of Ibotta:

• Don’t forget to upload your receipt

  If you forget to upload your recipe, you will miss the cash back opportunity. Which is why I recommend that you upload your recipe first thing you get home.

• If you don’t use the scan feature, you could get the wrong product
  

  The deal is very specific when it comes to things like product size, quantity, flavors, exclusions, etc… similar to a manufacturer’s coupon. Use the scan feature to make sure the product you are planning to buy meets the requirement. It will add a few minutes to your shopping trip to scan… but it will be worth it. I did not use it the first time and wound up buying wrong items that were not qualified for the cash back.

• Don’t overspend just for a cash back boost

  I know shopping can get a little addicting, especially when there is saving involved.  We all love a good deal. But don’t buy things you don’t need.

• You will need to put in a few mintues to max your saving

  Whether you are utilizing my method to optimize your saving or do it your own way, you will need time to do the search and upload the recipe. And this will take a few extra minutes of your time for a few bucks, it could be worth it.

• You can’t access Ibotta from a computer

  The phone app is the only way to use Ibotta. You can shop at online stores, but it has to be through Ibotta’s app. That’s where Honey still come in handy.

• All offers have expiration dates

  There are two different places you will see when an offer is about to expire. Once an offer is activated, the expiration date will display on the “Checklist”, the “Offers”, and “Stores Extras” sections. In addition, offers that are set to expire within five days will display an “expiring” flag, which is helpful.

• Scan your receipt clearly or else it can get rejected

  If your receipt was not scanned clearly, the deal might not be recognized, and your submission could be rejected. You will get a message like “illegible receipt” and “incorrect vendor”. In this case, you can resubmit the receipt again. And this time be sure the receipt is clear by making sure the camera is focused.

• The personal questions/surveys during the offer selection process
  

  When you scan the products, one of the tasks requires you to either fill out a one-question survey or watch a video. If you got the survey, it typically will ask you personal questions like household income, ethnicity, education level, etc.

Summary

• Only buy what you need and don’t overspend just for a cash back boost
• Great for cash back on your favorite store and brands.
• Healthy products/food deals are available.
• Covers beyond food. You can get deals on cloth, spa, beauty, restaurants, etc.
• You only get cash back from a few cents to a few dollars per item.

• Use the barcode scanner feature. If you don’t use this feature, you could be getting the wrong item.

• If you don’t scan the product bar code or scan your receipt clearly, your submission could get rejected.

Tips:

• Scan every item in-store to avoid any surprises.
• Be sure to grab a copy of your receipt.
• Make sure the receipt is clearly printed for scanning.
• Don’t assume anything. If the “exact” store name matching the offer is not visible on the top of the receipt you are submitting, it will likely not be accepted.
• Read the fine print of each offer. The product size, quantity, flavor, etc. do matter.
• Join teams to max your saving! It is free extra money! Use my referral code: KJOLEAY and earn extra cash back together!

What’s Ibottas catch?

There is no catch, as far as I know. Ibotta is designed to help consumers earn cash rebates and helps brands increase awareness and customer loyalty. Brands are utilizing this cash rebates as a way to get you to spend money! It is a win-win situation.

How does Ibotta make money?

Doesn’t it all sounds to be too good to be true? So I decided to do a little research to learn what is in it for Ibotta.

Here is the deal. The app makes its money by getting a small commission when an item is purchased and used the app to redeem the rebate. The app makes additional revenue from the advertisers by making us watch sponsored videos, and answer polls in order to unlock rebates because we are their targeted users.