7 Grocery Apps that Will Save You Money

This past year I finally upgraded my basic cell phone to a smart phone. I know, I’m a little behind the times, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay more money for a data plan. After doing a lot of research, we finally found a cell phone carrier and data plan that was within the price range we were willing to pay, and that included being able to upgrade my phone to a smart phone. And I will say that I have loved it.

So now that I have a smart phone, I’ve been researching smartphone apps to find more ways to save money on groceries. These grocery apps have eCoupons or pay you money for purchasing groceries such dairy, produce, household items and more. I love saving money with eCoupons and earning money for products that I’m already planning on purchasing. And it’s nice that you don’t even have to hand clip a coupon. I have downloaded and used all of the apps, and the ones I use the most are Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Checkout51, and Snap by Groupon. I enjoy sharing money saving tips, so I thought I’d share with you these 7 grocery apps that will save you money.

1. Ibotta

Ibotta is a smartphone app where you can earn money by purchasing participating products. Ibotta’s product offers range from food and beverages to cleaning products, personal care and more.  Here’s how it works:

• Register for an account, then download the Ibotta app to your phone.
• Before you head to the grocery store, unlock Ibotta’s cash back rewards on products by completing simple tasks such as a survey question or watching a short video. The amount of cash back from each product ranges anywhere between $0.25 to $1.00 or more.
• Head to a store on Ibotta’s list such as Walmart, Smith’s, Walgreens, Target and more to purchase the products you’ve unlocked.
• Verify your purchases by scanning the product barcodes, then finish by scanning the barcode on your receipt.
• Within 48 hours, you’ll have the cash deposited into your Ibotta account, and you can cash out via Paypal or an eGift Card once your account reaches $10.

In addition, Ibotta has a Teamwork Bonus, which is a monthly bonus where you and your friends work together to earn more money. Your team will consist of your friends on Ibotta who have connected their Facebook accounts to the app. And the more friends you have on your team, the faster you will earn. Each month, your team will be given a total earnings goal. Once you redeem one rebate and your team reaches the monthly goal, everyone on your team will earn a cash bonus. Join my team here.

By using Ibotta, I’ve received cash back on purchases at the grocery store such as any brand of milk, eggs, bread, produce, cleaning products & more. And it’s nice to earn money on items I am already planning to buy. Plus, you can use coupons at the store in addition to Ibotta’s cash back rewards. Ibotta started out by focusing on groceries, but it now has expanded to retail, restaurants, electronics, home and office, and more.

2. Checkout51

Checkout51 is similar to Ibotta and is a cash back app that saves you money on your groceries. Every Thursday morning, they have new offers available for only one week, and you need to redeem the offers during this time. By Wednesday night, the offers expire. You can download the Checkout51 app on your smartphone, but it is also possible to do everything on a laptop or desktop. Here’s how to use it:

• Register for an account, then download the Checkout51 app on your phone.
• Browse through the offers before you go shopping, then head to any local store to purchase the items.
• After you purchase the items, take a picture of your entire receipt and submit it to Checkout51 before the offer expires on Wednesday.
• Within 48 hours, your account will be credited for the qualified cash back purchases. Once your account reaches $20, you can request a payment via check.

You can stack these Checkout51 savings with coupons and digital coupons, as well as Ibotta cash back offers.

3. Snap by Groupon

Snap by Groupon is similar to Ibotta and Checkout51 and gives you cash back on everyday grocery purchases. You just buy promoted products at any store and snap a photo of your receipt to get cash in your account. Here’s how it works:

• Register for a Snap by Groupon account, then download the Snap by Groupon app to your phone. It’s available from both iTunes and Android. Snap by Groupon can also be used on desktop or laptop computer.
• Browse through the offers that are available to you. Some offers can only be redeemed once and others have unlimited redemptions, so make sure to read the fine print. Many offers will have a maximum number of uses attached to them, so it’s best to redeem an offer as quickly as you can. Expired offers will either no longer be visible or will be marked as “All Gone.”
• Purchase items from your list of offers at any store.
• Snap a photo of your entire receipt and upload it using the app or website. Make sure to do this within 2 days of making your purchases.
• Within 48 hours, your account will be credited. And once your account reaches $20, you can request to be paid. Payments are usually distributed within 2 weeks, but can take up to 60 days.

4. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards pays you for uploading pictures of your paper receipts, and you can redeem your earned points for gift cards.

• First download the Fetch Rewards app.
• Once you’ve downloaded the app, sign up with your email address or through Facebook.
• You’ll also be prompted to select the state you live in and enter your phone number.
• You’ll earn points when you make a purchase on a qualifying brand (any product) or buying specific items and quantities.
• The number of points you earn is tied to how much the product costs.
• Once you’ve made your purchases, take a picture of your receipt and submit.

5.  Target Cartwheel

If you shop at Target, this is an app you should download. Cartwheel is a free savings program that you use at Target where you can save anywhere from 5-50% on the items you purchase. The offers can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon, a Target coupon, as well as your Target REDcard.  They have coupons for groceries, as well as every single department in the store. And you can download Cartwheel from the app store on your smartphone or access it from a computer. Here’s how to use it:

• Download the Target Cartwheel app.
• Choose the eCoupons you want to add to your Cartwheel account. If you are using a computer, print off the barcode right from the Cartwheel website after you’ve chosen which eCoupons you want and take it with you to the store.
• The Target cashier will scan the barcode on your phone at checkout and you save money.

6.   SavingStar

SavingStar is a grocery eCoupon app that allows you to save digital manufacturer coupons to your supermarket and drugstore loyalty cards. More than 100 retail chains participate in SavingStar. There are participating stores that do not have loyalty cards such as Albertsons, Farm Fresh, Hy-Vee and more. Head over here to see how these stores work with SavingStar without a traditional loyalty card. And there are stores without loyalty cards such as Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens and more, where you can take a picture of your receipt to get the savings.

Every week, there is a 100% off freebie offer from SavingStar, as well as healthy offers. And every first of the month new offers are available. Since these are manufacturer coupons, you shouldn’t stack these eCoupons with other manufacturer coupons for the same purchase. You can use these eCoupons in addition to in-store coupons. And SavingStar has “One or Many” promotions where you can be rewarded for multiple purchases of products. For instance, save $5 when you purchase $20 on specific products. These purchases can be done in one shopping trip or many shopping trips and multiple stores. Here is how it works:

• Sign up here and create an account, then download the SavingStar app to your phone.
• Select the grocery and drug stores where you shop. These include stores with loyalty cards, as well as receipt-scan stores where you might shop regularly. Then sync your loyalty cards with SavingStar by entering each loyalty card number.
• Choose which eCoupons you want to activate. The activated eCoupons will then be automatically loaded onto all of your registered loyalty cards.
• Head to the store and use your loyalty card at checkout. The eCoupons will automatically register as being used in your SavingStar account. If the purchase is from a store that doesn’t have a loyalty card, then you’ll need to scan the receipt and submit it through the SavingStar app or website.
• The money will be deposited into your SavingStar account within 2-22 days depending on the store where you made your purchase. You will also receive an email when the savings is posted to your account. Once you have $5 in your SavingStar account, you can transfer the savings to your bank or PayPal.

7. Shopkick

Earn points or “kicks” with the Shopkick app when you walk into a store, scan barcodes on specific products, or purchase products.  You don’t need to purchase anything at a store to collect points. You can walk in the store, get the points, scan barcodes on specific products, and leave. The “kicks” that can be redeemed for gift cards and other products at a variety of stores. Here’s how it works:

• Download the Shopkick app, then sign up and create an account.
• Open the Shopkick app and it will show nearby retailers offering a “kicks” for walking in and what products are available to scan or purchase for additional kicks. Just by opening the app everyday, even if you are not visiting any store, you can earn daily bonus points.
• Once you walk into a store, Shopkick will load available coupons for purchasing specific products. Just click on the coupon you want to use (you can also select your coupons within twelve hours prior to use), and Shopkick will give you a barcode on your phone to show to your cashier at checkout.

A few stores where you can get Shopkick points include Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, American Eagle, Macy’s, Walmart, Walgreens, and more.

What other apps or ways to save money on groceries do you use?