10 of the Best Cash-Back Apps to Make Money
Honey
Rakuten
RetailMeNot
Ibotta
Fetch
Target Circle
Slickdeals
Upside
Swagbucks
Camelcamelcamel
When it comes to the best apps to make money, Honey is one of the easiest out there. Honey is a free tool that scours the internet to search for deals, discounts and promo codes on whatever you’re shopping for. Honey automatically applies coupons to your online shopping cart and gives you cash back with Honey Gold—just for making purchases you would normally make.
When you’re shopping online, Honey shares alerts to let you know if you’re getting the best deal. And when you check out, it automatically applies coupons for you. Honey also has a feature called Droplist. If you’ve been eyeing a pair of Apple AirPods Pro but don’t want to pay full price, add them to Droplist, and it’ll notify you when they’re on sale. To date, I’ve saved over $5,000 on purchases and received $175 in cash back using Honey. Not too shabby.
You can download Honey as a browser extension on Chrome or Safari, or you can use the app. They also have a Honey Mobile Safari extension that works on your iPhone. Pretty sweet, right?
Pros: You get automatic coupons and cash back for purchases.
Cons: You don’t make as much cash back as some other apps.
How you make money: Honey finds you deals, discounts and promo codes.
How to shop: Use the app for iOS and Android or the browser extension for Chrome and Safari.
2. Rakuten
The best thing about Rakuten is earning up to 45% cash back while shopping at your normal stores, just by using Rakuten’s website link for shopping online. They’ll let you cash out your rewards every three months by sending them to your PayPal account or cutting you a paper check.1 So far, Rakuten has paid over $3 billion in cash back to their members.2
If you’re using the browser extension on your computer, Rakuten will show you when another site has a cheaper price on the item you’re looking at. For instance, I looked up a pair of shoes on Nike, and Rakuten shared that I can get the same pair at Shoe Carnival for $6 cheaper. Score! Plus, if you sign up, you can get 10% cash back on purchases for your first seven days.3
And if you think you can’t earn cash back while shopping in person, you thought wrong. Just link the offer to your debit card and pay with your debit card in the store. Easy enough, right?
But remember: Never spend just to save. Only buy what you’ve budgeted for!
Pros: Rakuten helps you find the best deals, and you get up to 45% cash back—and they usually have sign-up bonuses.
Cons: It only pays out quarterly.
How you make money: You get cash-back reward payouts through PayPal or a check in the mail.
How to shop: Use the app for iOS and Android or the browser extension for Chrome and Safari.
3. RetailMeNot
If you’re a deal lover, you’ve probably heard of RetailMeNot. When I’m shopping online or looking for promo codes, it’s the first place I go. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it lets me know if there’s a code or discount for whatever I’m planning to buy, whether that’s a new denim jacket or a gluten-free pizza.
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And just like with Honey Gold and Rakuten, RetailMeNot gives account holders the opportunity to get cash back (with some retailers offering up to a maximum payout of $50 per purchase).4 They’ll even let you get cash back and use a promo code for a discount on the same purchase. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
For RetailMeNot, getting your purchases approved is a 45-day process.5 And when it comes to cashing out your cash back, they’ll either send it to your PayPal account or Venmo you.
Pros: You can get cash back and discounts at hundreds of stores.
Cons: Getting your cash rewards takes a while.
How you make money: Cash-back rewards pay out through PayPal or Venmo.
How to shop: Use the website or the app for iOS and Android.
4. Ibotta
Ibotta makes earning cash-back rewards both in store and online easy. Just download the app (or browser extension), add the offers you want to use, do some shopping, and then scan your receipt if you’re shopping in store. Ibotta’s cash-back offers depend on the brand or store you’re shopping with. You can get cash back by spending gift cards too. Once your account reaches $20 or more, you can send the money to PayPal—or get gift cards to any one of multiple retailers.6 The welcome bonuses are pretty great too.
Here’s an insider tip: Ibotta is all about brands (that they’ve partnered with), so they might sway you toward one brand over another depending on the cash back. Don’t buy the more expensive name-brand item just to save some money. That’s how they get you!
Pros: You can earn cash back on purchases both online and in store.
Cons: You get ads, you have to add the offers before you shop, and if you shop in store, you need to upload receipts.
How you make money: Cash-back rewards pay out through PayPal.
How to shop: Use the app for iOS or Android and the browser extension for Safari or Chrome.
5. Fetch
The Fetch rewards app can make you money too, and unlike other apps, you can cash out with as little as $3 worth of rewards after your first redemption.7 But you can only cash out for things like gift cards or cash sweepstakes. Not as great as cold, hard cash in my opinion.
Using Fetch is easy enough. Snap a picture of your receipt from any store (digital receipts work too), and you’ll get at least 25 points for each shopping experience.8 And if you really want to earn more points, Fetch rewards you even more for shopping at specific stores or buying specific brands. Here’s the nice thing: You don’t need to add offers to your app before you use it (which is great). And last but not least, Fetch gives you two whole weeks to upload your receipt.9
Pros: You can shop anywhere to earn points.
Cons: You can only cash out for gift cards and cash sweepstakes entries.
How you make money: You can earn points and exchange them for gift cards or entries in cash sweepstakes.
How to shop: Use the app for iOS or Android.
6. Target Circle
My family spends enough at Target that it has its own line item in our EveryDollar budget. And you’re missing out if you don’t take advantage of Target Circle Rewards in the Target app.
Target Circle sorts offers by discount amount—which can be up to 50% off! Now, don’t buy stuff you don’t need because it’s on sale. But this feature might save you money on something you were already going to buy. If you don’t care about brands, then this is a great way to save a couple bucks.
The Target app helps you browse Target’s current deals and you can use it to apply the savings from the Circle Card.10 Just add the coupons to your app before you shop. And if you want to save even more, check out Target’s store debit card (known as the Circle Card) to get 5% instant savings on all purchases.11 Just be sure not to get it confused with the credit card they offer (also called the Circle Card). Never ever fall for Target’s credit card (or any credit card for that matter).
Pros: You can save money with the Circle Card and filter by discount using the app.
Cons: You have to add offers before you shop.
How you make money: You get cash-back rewards and discounts for purchases at Target when you join its shoppers club and use its store debit card.
How to shop: Use the website or the app for iOS or Android.
7. Slickdeals
Slickdeals is another moneymaking app to keep in mind when you’re shopping for something specific. They hang their hat on being the app that helps you shop smarter and save more. With this app (or browser extension), you can type in the item you’re looking for and sign up for a custom deal alert. It’ll let you know when your item is on sale or when there might be a deal. Just know—this app promotes and advertises specific deals that may not even be the best available for that item.
Slickdeals also has a cash-back rewards program. When you make your purchases through their website, app or browser extension, you’ll collect points that can be redeemed through PayPal or gift cards.12 Another unique thing about Slickdeals is that you can vote on deals and post new deals yourself to let others in on the moneymaking goodness—without clipping coupons. Yeah, let’s spread the savings love.
Pros: You get custom deal alerts and cash back.
Cons: The promoted deals aren’t always the best deals.
How you make money: You get alerts for discounts on items you’re interested in and rewards points you can redeem for cash or gift cards.
How to shop: Use the website, the app for iOS or Android, or the browser extension for Chrome.
8. Upside
The best part about Upside is how easy it is to use. It’s so easy because the Upside app opens cash back offers up front, then you shop as usual and cash out earnings directly to your bank account, PayPal or a gift card.13 Upside is especially great for gas, grocery and restaurant savings. With a handy map feature, you can scope out all the best discounts on local businesses and plan your errands based on the cash back opportunities. How convenient is that? Once you’re ready to cash out, processing can take three to four business days.
Pros: You don’t have to scan all your receipts after making a purchase—only those for cash purchases.
Cons: You have to link a card to confirm purchases (and cash purchases require a receipt).
How you make money: Cash-back rewards pay out through your bank, PayPal or Venmo.
How to shop: Use the app for iOS or Android.
9. Swagbucks
If you’re looking for an app to make money, Swagbucks should be next on your download list. Not only can you earn points by shopping online with Swagbucks, but you can also earn points by taking surveys, searching the web, making referrals, playing games, watching videos, and more. When you use the browser extension (the SwagButton—cool name, huh?), you can get deals alerts when you’re shopping online too.
Plus, when you sign up for your free account, you can get $10 for spending $25 at a Swagbucks-approved store.14
Pros: You can earn cash back through more than spending.
Cons: The points may not be worth the effort.
How you make money: You get deal alerts, cash back and other rewards.
How to shop: Use the website, the app for iOS or Android, or the browser extension for Chrome.
10. Camelcamelcamel
Last but not least on the list is Camelcamelcamel (no affiliation with this Kamel), a free Amazon price tracker. It’s technically a website and browser extension and not an app—but it’s still a great way to save money while shopping online. You can sign up for price-drop alerts on items you’ve got your eye on. Pretty great, right?
Let’s say you’re in the market for a new TV, but you don’t want to spend the list price on Amazon. That’s where its free browser extension, the Camelizer, comes in. Just sign up for price-drop alerts, and you’ll get a notification in your email telling you when it’s the right time to buy.
The beauty of this site is that it saves you time . . . for free. And you’ll see the price history on what you’re purchasing so you know if you’re getting the best price possible.
Pros: You get a free Amazon price tracker.
Cons: It may not have everything you’re looking for.
How you make money: Price-drop notifications alert you about specific items you’re interested in.
How to shop: Use the website or the browser extension.
Even More Apps and Websites to Make Money Online
If you’re worried cash-back apps are a scam, or if logging onto a retail app just to save 8 cents on bananas doesn’t feel like the banana juice is worth the squeeze, that’s okay! I’ve personally vetted these apps and have enjoyed the savings. (And there’s no rule saying you can only use app one at a time—search them all to find the best deal on what you plan purchase!)
Still not convinced? There are other ways you can make extra money online with skill-share websites, online surveys, tutoring and more. And don’t forget about the tried and true side hustle of selling your stuff online! It’s great to explore with moneymaking apps to see what works for your lifestyle, time and habits. But no matter how you start earning extra money, don’t forget that you need to be intentional with your earnings!
Managing Earnings From Moneymaking Apps
Apps and websites that make money are awesome for getting rewards and discounts on purchases you’d make anyway. But you should never buy something just because you get cash back or it’s on sale. Remember, everything is 100% off when you don’t buy it!
Now that you’ve almost maxed out your phone’s storage from downloading these apps to make money, I want to talk about the one app that’ll help you manage all that money you’re making (and saving).
The EveryDollar budget app is the one I personally use to manage my money and track my spending. Not only is it free, but it also helps you save money by doing a zero-based budget every month. And as long as you’re intentional and stick to the budget, you can find money you never knew you had.
Download EveryDollar for free today and start saving money. Believe me—it’s worth the storage space on your phone (206.2 megabytes, to be exact). Now, go forth and spend wisely, my friend.
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