Legit Ways to Make Money Online | 10 Best Receipt Scanning Apps
Get Paid to Upload Receipts
Did you know you can get paid for things you already bought? Earn free money just for taking pictures of your receipts. It takes less than a minute!
These apps give you cash back on meals at restaurants, electronics, groceries, alcohol and other products. A few of the apps only offer gift cards, but you can trade those gift cards for cash here
It’s a huge market out there. Over the past year, I’ve tried all the money making apps, and deleted most. Check out which ones are actually worth it in the long run.
LET’S COMPARE…
Best Receipt Scanner Apps
1. iBotta
This one is my favorite. You can get free money with almost ANY receipt. I made the most money in the fastest time w/ this one.
This is a very passive way to make extra money for me. I don’t actively scan my receipts, only if the receipt is in my hand and the timing is convienient. I don’t even go out of my way to buy the promoted product and I end up with an extra $30 a month.
Still, this app can be much more lucrative if you are actively seeking to make money with it. One of my Facebook friends made $1089.15.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $139.46 (Including the pending $7)
- SIGNUP BONUS: $10 (w/ Promo Code: ebxilef)
- AVERAGE PAYOUT:$0.10-$8.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: Same Day (through Paypal)
Check out how simple iBotta is:
2. Walmart Savings Catcher
(*No longer valid, unless you sign up for a Walmart Card.)
Don’t you hate it when you buy something only to find out you could’ve bought it somewhere else for way cheaper? This is where the Walmart Savings Catcher comes in.
Scan your Walmart receipt w/ this app and they’ll check competing retailers nearby for a better price on everything you bought. If another store has a cheaper price, they’ll reward you the difference! It takes about 3 days to process, but afterward you can use the money at Walmart immediately by scanning the credit card reader w/ your phone’s app.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $55.42 (in 3 months)
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: Varies
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: Immediate
Check out how the app works:
Join Walmart Savings Catcher here
3. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is similar to ibotta, except it doesn’t matter where you bought it. They aren’t affiliated with stores, only brands and products, so it doesn’t matter where you buy anything. I only just discovered it, so I haven’t had much of a chance to let my payment add up.
The only problem is you’re limited to 14 receipt submissions per week (which is still a lot anyway.)
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $28 (in 3 months)
- SIGNUP BONUS: $1.50 (using PROMO CODE: W9QKP )
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.25-$2.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: Immediate (to Paypal)
Check out how the app works:
Mediocre Receipt Scanner Apps
4. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog pays you without worrying about what you buy or where you buy it. You receive a certain amount of points, or “spins” each time you scan ANY receipt. Points can be redeemed for cash.
Each spin can be used to play a round of hog slots, which has rewards ranging from 5 points to $100 (from what I’ve seen.)
Although it has one of the lowest payouts of these apps, it lands higher on this list because EVERY receipt counts.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $45
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.05-$5.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: 2-5 days (to Paypal)
Check out how the app works:
5. Shopular
Shopular is affiliated with Ebates, so the company is reputable. They do percentage cash back, rather than dollar number and they have almost every store you can think of. Also it can be used for online shopping.
The thing I’m not feeling is how it’s set up like a coupon catalog that you have to search through and save items bought, so I only use it for online shopping. Also, they have scheduled payouts, so you have to wait for your payment.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $12.41
- SIGNUP BONUS: $10 (w/ this invite link)
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: Varies by percentage spent
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: 45 days
Check out how the app works:
6. Shopkick
Shopkick gives you rewards for just walking in the store (when you turn your locations on.) You can also earn points for linking your credit cards, shopping online, and (of course) scanning receipts.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many qualifying items and the payout is relatively low compared to others.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $15
- SIGNUP BONUS: $0.25 (w/ Promo Code: GOAL187051)
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.04-$8.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: N/A (Haven’t cashed out yet. I’m saving up for a higher cashout on this one)
Check out how the app works:
7. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 has a lot of $1.00+ payouts for everyday basic items. Also it doesn’t matter what store you buy from.
The only problem is they don’t have many affiliated products, so I don’t even bother with it
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $0.25
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.25-$4.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: N/A
Check out how the app works:
Worst Receipt Scanner Apps
8. BerryCart
BerryCart is perfect for those with specific health needs. If you’re looking for dairy-free, gluten-free, organic or any other type of specificity when it comes to food, this is the best app for you.
I’m from New Orleans. We don’t make many healthy dishes here; so I didn’t find this too useful. If I were a health nut, this one would rank higher.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $0
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.25-$4.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: Immediate (to paypal)
9. SavingStar
SavingStar was originally created to help you link loyalty cards from grocery stores into one account and get rewards each time you make a purchase. No more constantly carrying your loyalty cards around.You can also “clip” their coupons electronically. They’re automatically applied at checkout with a linked card.
However, if you’d rather scan your receipts, you only have three days to do so. Because of that, I didn’t find it was worth it if I have to prioritize receipt-scanning. The point of receipt-scanning apps is easy money, after all.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $0
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.25-$5.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: N/A
10. Punchcard
PunchCard is one of the newer receipt scanning apps on the market. They’re currently partnered with a lot of popular retailers such as Subway, Target, and many other stores. Not only that, but you’ll also find a lot of mom and pop shops you can earn cash back from with this app. Although you won’t earn as much as apps like Ibotta, many of their partner stores won’t be found on other apps.
- HOW MUCH I MADE: $0
- SIGNUP BONUS: None
- AVERAGE PAYOUT: $0.25-$5.00/ per item
- AVERAGE TIME FOR PAYOUT: N/A
To Recap..
They all have their pros & cons. iBotta used to be my favorite for the high payout; and Shop Kick for simplicity. However, they both got a little stingy during Covid.
My new favorite for convenience is now Receipt Hog and Fetch Rewards.
Tbh, the top contenders are the only apps worth the download imo; but make up your own mind. Let me know what you think.
Check this video out for more on that…