Best Cash Back Apps 2024

Rakuten is the best cashback app for online purchases, while Ibotta offers the greatest rewards for in-store purchases. Upside is good for gas purchases, and Dosh is best for dining rewards. Honey helps you find coupons and deals to save more on your purchases.

You need to spend money on groceries, household essentials, and apparel, so why not earn cash back from those purchases using one of the best cashback apps? These tools integrate into your normal buying habits but offer additional funds in addition to any cash back you earn through your credit card or the store’s promotions. If you aren’t using a cashback app, you’re leaving free money on the table. Review Benzinga’s list of the best apps and what they are good for to start earning money on everyday purchases.

Quick Look: The Best Cash Back Apps 2024

• Best for Online Shopping: Rakuten
• Best for Grocery Shopping: Ibotta
• Best for Gas: Upside
• Best for Dining: Dosh
• Best for Finding Available Coupons: Honey

Best Cash Back Apps

Using the top cashback app can help you maximize your finances or save for fun purchases, like a new TV or to fund your coffee habit. Review these leading apps to find the one that best aligns with your spending and get started earning cash back. 

1. Best for Online Shopping: Rakuten

If you’re an online shopper, Rakuten is the app for you. It’s free to sign up, and you can get a browser extension that reminds you to activate your cash back when you’re shopping at a participating retailer. Once you have $5 worth of cashback, your cashback automatically pays out quarterly to your linked PayPal account. 

A major benefit of using Rakuten is that you don’t need to worry about saving and uploading receipts. It’s all automatic so long as you activate the browser extension or shop through Rakuten’s website once logged in. Enjoy thousands of participating retailers. The app isn’t great for in-store purchases, though, because rewards are limited. 

Why We Love It: Automatic cashback without uploading receipts and a browser extension to remind you to activate cashback make this an attractive option. The large network of participating retailers helps grow your cashback quickly.

2. Best for Grocery Shopping: Ibotta

The price of groceries has soared recently. But you can help reduce the pain you feel at the checkout of your favorite grocery store by using the Ibotta app. It’s also good at other in-person retail locations. 

You need to save your receipts and scan them after purchasing. You can also save online using the browser extension. You’ll need to activate the browser extension to access your online savings. To cash out your earnings, you'll need $20 in your account. Then, you can choose from gift cards to popular retailers or transfer the funds to your bank. 

Redditors like earning more lucrative cashback during promotions or with certain products using Ibotta.

Why We Love It: Lucrative cash back on grocery purchases and in-store shopping make Ibotta a great addition to your rewards apps. 

3. Best for Gas: Upside

You don’t need to save receipts to enjoy Upside's perks. The app is free to use and allows you to select the gas station, restaurant, or retailer where you’ll be making a purchase. Then, make your purchase and see your cashback accumulate. Cash out your rewards for PayPal or gift cards to major retailers.

While you’ll find restaurants and other retailers on the app, gas stations are the most common cashback options. Gas stations also offer the largest rewards on purchases. Refer your friends and enjoy ongoing rewards when they use the app. 

Why We Love It: The app offers cashback on gas purchases from participating stations, restaurants, and grocery stores. It is easy to use and requires minimal work to experience savings.

4. Best for Dining: Dosh

Get cashback from your hotel, restaurant and store purchases using Dosh without the need to scan receipts. Getting started with earning is simple. Download the app, create an account, and connect the credit cards you use for everyday purchases. The app will use your credit card transaction data to find cashback offers for those retailers. No more clicking buttons, scanning receipts, or remembering to activate an offer in the app before purchasing.

Dosh offers $1 in cash back just for signing up. You can also earn $10 for every friend you refer who signs up for the app.

Why We Love It: Automatic cashback without scanning receipts or activating offers helps ensure you maximize your rewards with minimal work.

5. Best for Finding Available Coupons: Honey

In addition to cashback points, you can find available coupons or better prices on the item you’re shopping for at other retailers. Never overpay when you activate the cashback app. Honey will apply coupons to find the one that earns you the best savings on your purchase. As you make purchases, you’ll accumulate points you can redeem for gift cards and cash back.

You can’t use Honey in stores, and some coupon codes that Honey alerts you of do not work. But when they do work, it’s a great perk to save money via coupons you might not be aware of and earn cash back from everyday purchases.

Why We Love It: Testing available coupons while earning cashback is a great perk of using Honey. The free mobile app and browser extension make earning cashback easy.

What Are Cash Back Apps?

Cashback apps offer discounts and earnings on purchases. Some apps help you identify retailers with lower prices on the items in your cart or find applicable coupons for your purchase. 

To earn cashback, you might need to upload a receipt or activate an offer. Alternatively, the app scanning your linked credit card transactions might automatically earn it. 

A cashback app provides you free money in exchange for your purchasing information. You lose some privacy as the apps use your data to understand consumer behavior and market to you more effectively. But the apps don’t cost you money to use.

How Do Cash Back Apps Work?

Cashback apps are simple ways to enjoy incentives from retailers for buying from them. You’ll typically follow a simple process to get started.

1. Select an app: Use Benzinga’s list to choose outstanding app options. Install the app.
2. Create an account: Share your basic information by signing up for the app. You might need to connect a credit card to see automatic savings or connect your PayPal account for payouts.
3. Browse offers: Review the partner offers to familiarize yourself with your options.
4. Shop available offers: Choose the retailer or product available through the app and earn your cashback.
5. Earn cashback: Earn cashback as you redeem offers or make purchases through eligible retailers. Watch it accumulate, and wait until you meet the app’s required thresholds to redeem it.
6. Redeem: You can cash out your rewards through gift cards, credits toward future purchases, or cashback to your bank or PayPal.

Types of Cash Back Apps

As you consider your options for cashback apps, familiarize yourself with the types available. Some require work after you complete your purchase, while others are automated. Review these app types and how they work.

• Cashback: Your earnings and offers and promotions are reflected in dollar amounts, such as earning $0.03 per dollar you spend or a flat $0.25 for purchasing a specific product that’s part of a promotion. Once you reach a certain threshold, you can redeem that cashback toward rewards.
• Points: Instead of showing your rewards in a dollar amount, you might see them reflected as points. You can turn points into gift cards or cashback as you accumulate points.
• Receipt: Scan and upload receipts to get money back on eligible purchases. The app will review the receipt to look for promotional savings, and you’ll watch your cashback accumulate. Then, cash it out for gift cards or transfers to your PayPal or bank account.
• Linked card: Link your credit cards to the app and allow it to scan your transactions for available rewards and promotions. Then, enjoy automatic cashback savings from your purchases. These apps are nice because they don’t require additional work from you.

Features of the Best Cash Back Apps

You have many options for apps that reward your purchases. As you evaluate good cashback apps, consider whether they have these features.

• Redemption options: Once you’ve earned cashback, you want to know if you can redeem them for gift cards that you’ll use. Some apps allow you to transfer the funds directly to your bank account or through PayPal to use the money anywhere.
• Wide network of participating retailers: The more retailers available through your cashback app, the greater the benefits you’ll experience from it. Make sure the app offers a good network of retailers in your area or that you shop with online to earn the most rewards.
• A low threshold to cash out your rewards: Some apps make you wait until you’ve earned $20 or more to cash out. The lower the redemption requirement, the sooner you’ll have access to your earnings.
• Solid rewards: Look for an app that offers the best rewards on your purchases.
• Bonuses: Some apps feature bonuses during certain times of the year or when a new product launches.
• Referral programs: Earn extra cashback by referring your friends. Some apps even pay you a percentage of your friends’ earnings as long as they use your account.

Earn Free Money on Your Purchases

Take advantage of free money on your purchases through cashback apps. You’ll get rewarded for shopping, dining out, staying at a hotel, buying gas and more. If you need to make a purchase, you might as well earn points and rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions