January is here and the credit card bills are starting to come in, rapid fire. All those Christmas gifts purchased, time spent with family sometimes involved gas money or an airline ticket, all of it is coming in and it can be daunting for several months after.
Well, if you are willing to take a little time before, during or after you shop in the new year, these apps will let you earn your rebate and get it back in cash. Most also have a gift card option of some sort, but if you’re like me, green is what you want so you can pay your bills and call it a day.
ibotta
Okay, so I am totally loving using ibotta to earn cash back on groceries and other restaurant and retail shops.
This app is super simple to use. You find the store you are shopping at and then you scroll through the products that have a rebate available. Tag the items that interest you and when you shop you scan the barcode with your phone to make sure you have chosen the right product. After you checkout, scan your receipt and all of the items you have chosen should be seen. If something didn’t tag, no worries, you are able to go back and select it and that is all you do. After you have $20 in rewards, you can have your money sent to your PayPal
ibotta also offers you opportunities to earn individual and team bonuses. Your team consists of friends who also use ibotta. If you would like to be a part of my team use the referral code qcfxkog when you sign up and I will also earn a referral bonus that will help me earn cash for the new year. Once you sign up you can also earn referral bonuses by inviting friends to join your team.
Ebates
Ebates is super handy during the holidays and especially when you are purchasing a big ticket item online. Although they are known for online rebates, there are some brick and mortar stores that let you receive those rebates through Ebates if you link your credit card and once you have done that it will automatically appear in your Ebates account after a few days.
The important thing to know about Ebates is that you must use the link they provide you to the store to earn the rebate. They payout every three months and you have to have a cash back balance of $5.00 or more. The money is also sent to your PayPal
I’ve earned $70.61 in cashbacks with Ebates. Remember, the key is to check your Ebates app for potential rebates on big ticket items, the savings can be substantial and most times combined with other offers.
Sometimes, your purchase through their link will not show up in your account. In those rare cases, you are able to ask ebates to track that purchase and they will follow up with the company and keep in touch with you via email about the progress. The wait can be long but if they are able to get the rebate, so worth it.
Ebates also offer a “Refer a Friend” bonus. If you would like help me earn a bonus just click on the hyperlink, which is contained on the highlighted Ebates.
Checkout 51
This app works a lot like ibotta but the platform is different. The products are not broken down by stores and sometimes when scrolling through you will notice that some products can only be purchased at a specific store that is mentioned next to the item, to earn the rebate.
The savings can be substantial and unlike the other two apps I have discussed, Checkout 51 actually sends out a check with your rebate amount after you have earned $20.00 or more. I have earned $26.20 through Checkout 51. Checkout 51 also offers contests and bonuses on occasion to help you earn. Click the hyperlink to download the app for Checkout 51.
Hope these apps save you money. They have been very helpful to me and require very little of my time.
What are some of your favorite money-saving apps? Share in the comments below.
Now, let’s go save!
Isabel Natera 