What is a Receipt Scanning App?
A receipt scanning app will generally pay you to purchase specific items from certain stores. While they were originally designed for grocery sales, some have expanded to pay you for gas, alcohol, and restaurants. To prove that you have made these purchases, you will need to upload a picture of your receipt to their site or app. You will earn as long as the item in question shows up on the receipt.
Top Ten Receipt Scanning Apps
1. Ibotta
Ibotta will pay you anywhere from $.25-5 per specific product purchased from certain stores. There is often a registration bonus if you purchase a certain amount of items before it expires. The app will sync with stores in your area so that you can quickly see what options are available near you.
In order to be paid, you must purchase the items from the store they are advertised with. You are allowed to use coupons when purchasing the item from the store. There are many products from various categories available.
Additionally, Ibotta will give you cash back when purchasing electronics, eating out, buying alcohol, or even by purchasing items through other apps.
2. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is similar to Ibotta, but differs in that you don’t have to purchase an item at a specific store. There are several products and brands in many different categories. Purchasing these items will allow you to get cash back when you take a picture of your receipt and submit it.
Participants generally receive between $.25-2 per item purchased. When you reach a $3 threshold, you can redeem your cash on a gift card. At the time of this writing, there were over 100 different gift cards available, including a VISA or Mastercard cash card.
3. Shopkick
Shopkick is an app where you can earn “kicks” through completing specific tasks. These include:
- Walking into stores partnered with the app
- Finding and scanning the bar codes of specific items inside the shop
- Completing purchases and taking pictures of the receipt
- Linking your credit card and making purchases with that card
- Purchasing certain items online
- Watching videos on their site
- Earn through a referral program
Each task is awarded a certain amount of kicks which can be saved up and redeemed from gift cards from 30 different popular places including Amazon, Target, and Starbucks.
4. CoinOut
CoinOut grew in popularity after it was featured on Shark Tank. After visiting any retailer, you can scan your receipt to receive randomized rewards. You can also earn online by using their app to make purchases on eBay and other participating sites.
There is no minimum needed to cash out what you have earned when using this app.
5. Trunow
One of the best things about Trunow is that it gives you 1% cashback on all gas station receipts from participating gas stations. You may also be able to earn cashback by purchasing groceries or eating at restaurants in your area.
Trunow deals aren’t available in every area, but the rewards do add up for those who can take advantage of them. Once you have built up your rewards, you can cash them out on PayPal or use them at select businesses in your area.
Trunow also has an affiliate program where you can earn $2 for every friend that you refer to the program.
6. SavingStar
The original purpose of SavingStar was to allow you to sync all your store loyalty cards to one location, making it easier for you to keep track of those numbers and earn your extra savings from stores. The app has evolved to let you select coupons that will automatically be used when you checkout your items.
There are a few items you can purchase that will allow you to receive cashback when you purchase them in the store, and they do have a variety of produce options available.
7. Checkout 51
While Checkout51 doesn’t have a lot of options for products, they do have some for fruits and vegetables. If you purchase certain products, you can take a picture of your receipt and earn cashback redemptions. The app refreshes every Wednesday with new products.
Participants can generally earn between $.25-5 per offer. You can cash out once you earn $20. You can also earn cashback when purchasing gas from one of over 5000 participating stations.
8. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog gives you a chance at a little gaming with your receipt scanning. You spin for the number of points you will receive with each participating item. That being said, people are generally able to get payouts faster than other apps on this list. Occasionally, you will be given the option to participate in a survey to earn additional points.
You can redeem your points through Amazon or PayPal. They occasionally close the ability to accept new members. Check back again frequently until you can join.
9. ReceiptPal
Another app you can use is ReceiptPal. They will accept receipts from anywhere as long as you purchase the products on their list. You will receive points depending on what you buy. These points can be redeemed for gift cards from a few different places including Target, Starbucks, and a VISA cash card.
Unfortunately, their payout is low, but it is a good option when other platforms won’t accept your receipts. Alternatively, you can enter your points into sweepstakes and, if you’re lucky, you may end up with a lot more.
10. Walmart Savings Catcher
If you shop at Walmart, scan your receipts into this app. The platform will automatically check competing prices in your area for the items on the receipt. If a lower price is found, you will be given the difference on a future Walmart gift card.
Can You Submit Receipts to More than One Receipt App?
You may be surprised to learn that you can submit your receipt to more than one receipt app. This allows you to earn from multiple sources from the same receipt. Coupled with coupons and sales, many people are able to get items for free or even earn money from their purchases.
How to Take Pictures of Your Receipts
Here are a few tips to help you get better pictures of your receipts so that you can potentially earn more from receipt-scanning apps:
