How do you make money from cash-back apps?

To make money from cash-back apps, download the app to your mobile device and create an account. You’ll see offers on the app promoting specific stores, brands or products. Some apps require you to claim an offer before making a purchase. Other apps require you to submit a receipt proving your purchase. Once you follow the app’s instructions, you’ll receive a reward you can redeem for cash back or gift cards.

How much cash back can you earn from your purchases?

The amount of cash back you make from your purchases depends on various factors, including the app you use, the amount you spend and the deals offered on the app. Ibotta reports its average user earns $256 a year in cash back. Upside reports its users typically earn an average of 8 percent back at restaurants, 5 percent at grocery stores and 12 percent at convenience stores. On average, frequent users of the app earn $270 a year.

Are cash-back apps free to use?

Most cash-back apps are free to download and use. However, the app may charge you a fee if you’re not an active user. For example, Dosh may reduce your account balance by $4.99 a month if your account is inactive for longer than 12 months.

How do cash-back apps make money?

Cash-back apps make money by earning a commission from brands and retailers for promoting their offers on the app. They share a portion of their commission with app users in the form of cash back and other rewards. Apps may also make money from advertisements that appear on the app or by selling user shopping data to market research companies.

What categories do cash apps pay you for?

Written by

Elizabeth Blessing,

Edited by

Aylea Wilkins

Published on November 18, 2024 | 5 min read

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Refueling a car and paying using smartphone.

If you’re looking to make cash back on your purchases, you might be amazed at the number of categories that qualify for putting money back into your pocket. By using the right cash-back app, you could receive money back from grocery shopping, buying gas and dining out.

It’s not just everyday expenses that offer you money back. You can earn cash back from big-ticket items like airline flights, hotel stays and home improvement projects.

Cash back for gas

You could earn cash back for each gallon of gas you purchase.

Upside is a free cash-back app that makes it easy to find the best deals at a gas station near you. Open the app, and you’ll see a map with each station’s location and how much cash back it offers per gallon. Claim the offer you want and make your purchase.

On average, you’ll get 10 cents a gallon cash back. You can also use the app to earn cash back at grocery stores and restaurants. Cash out your earnings anytime, although you might incur a $1 charge if you cash out less than $15. You can redeem your earnings directly to your bank account or PayPal or for gift cards.

Cash back for groceries

Grocery shopping is one of the most popular cash app categories to earn money back from purchases. You shop your favorite brands and grocery store retailers as you normally would. If you shop at a retailer or buy at a brand with an active offer, the app will automatically add the specified reward to your account after you buy something.

Some apps require you to claim your offers before you make your purchase. For example, Ibotta requires you to add the offers you want to your shopping list in the app. Once you’ve made your purchase, you’ll scan and submit your receipt using the app.

Other apps, such as Fetch, work a little differently. They don’t require you to claim your offers beforehand. Just use the app to scan your grocery store receipt to earn points you can redeem for gift cards.

Cash back on retail shopping

Retail shopping is one of the largest cash app categories, covering everything from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping. In addition to cash back, these apps frequently offer immediate savings through discounts and coupon codes.

Along with offering rewards for shopping specific brands, these apps typically grant bonuses for shopping at large retailers like Walmart and Target, drugstores, convenience stores and specialty stores.

PayPal Honey is a mobile app and browser extension that finds coupon codes when you shop online and automatically applies these discounts to your shopping cart. By activating the PayPal Rewards feature, you also earn points for your purchase, which you can redeem for cash, gift cards or PayPal shopping credits.

Cash back on dining

Several apps help you earn rewards and save money on restaurants and food delivery. With Dosh, you earn automatic cash back when dining at partner restaurants. Pay with a credit or debit card you’ve linked to the app, and Dosh will keep track of your rewards. Once you’ve reached $15, you can transfer the money to your bank, PayPal or Venmo or donate it to charity.

Available in several major U.S. cities, Seated is an app that lets you earn up to 30 percent back in rewards when you make reservations at participating restaurants. Upload your receipt and earn rewards for brands like Amazon, Delta, Starbucks and Target.

Cash back on ride-sharing services

If you’re a frequent user of ride-sharing services, it might be worthwhile to combine your rides with a cash-back app. Ibotta offers cash back for Uber rides, while Fluz gives you cash back on past Uber rides for up to 30 days.

Cash back on entertainment

Known for its extensive partnerships with retailers, Rakuten offers cash back on entertainment-related services. On Rakuten’s events and entertainment page, you’ll find offers for concert and movie tickets, sporting events, comedy shows, streaming services and local events.

Cash back on airline flights

This is a competitive category where you might want to compare offers across multiple cash-back apps to find the best deal. Also, check whether booking directly with the airline offers better rates or rewards.

TopCashback offers cash-back offers for flight bookings with multiple airlines and travel sites. It partners with online travel agencies like Expedia and Travelocity and major airlines like British Airways, United and Southwest. Cashback typically ranges from 2 percent to 10 percent.

Cash back on hotels

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, a hotel stay can be expensive. Several apps offer deals on hotel chains like Marriott, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Hilton. Some apps even include cash back on Airbnb and VRBO stays.

Similar to airline flights, it pays to compare offers to find the best deal for your hotel booking. Some good options to compare include:

Rakuten works with many major hotel chains, offering cashback on hotel bookings made through its app. Deals change daily. The offers ranged from 2 percent to 15 percent cash back on the day we checked.
The Guestbook specializes in hotel cash rewards with over 800 participating hotels. You’ll select your deal and book your room directly on the partner hotel’s website. You can receive 5 percent cash back via PayPal or gift card, donate 5 percent to charity or apply a 15 percent credit to a future hotel visit.
TopCashback has cash-back offers and coupons for airfare, vacation packages, hotels, transportation and parking, car rentals, travel insurance, cruises and resorts. On average, members save $450 a year with the app. You can receive your money via gift cards or directly to your bank or PayPal account.

Cash back on home improvement

Americans spend over $500 billion a year on home improvement. In 2023, the average homeowner spent $13,667 across 11.1 projects. If you’re a DIYer looking to save money on your next home improvement project, you might want to check out some of these cash-back apps:

RetailMeNot automatically finds coupons, discounts and cash-back offers as you shop online. On the day we checked its Home Depot page, the app had 52 offers listed, one for 40 percent off select online items in every department and another for 35 percent off select appliances.
Fetch allows you to earn rewards by scanning receipts from any retailer, including home improvement stores like Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Ikea and Ace Hardware. You can redeem your rewards for gift cards.
Ibotta offers cash back from home improvement retailers like The Home Depot and Lowe’s. You can also browse the app for offers related to tools, paint and other supplies.

Next steps

After you’ve picked the apps you use, don’t forget to take advantage of other ways to save. For example, many apps encourage you to link your loyalty store cards to the app to automatically earn cash back when shopping at your favorite stores. Additionally, you can increase your cash back on purchases by paying with a cash-back credit card.

If you decide to pay with a credit card to earn rewards, pay off the balance in full each month so you don’t incur interest charges. Don’t overspend just to earn a few dollars back. Creating a budget and sticking to it will help keep your spending in check.

Frequently asked questions

To make money from cash-back apps, download the app to your mobile device and create an account. You’ll see offers on the app promoting specific stores, brands or products. Some apps require you to claim an offer before making a purchase. Other apps require you to submit a receipt proving your purchase. Once you follow the app’s instructions, you’ll receive a reward you can redeem for cash back or gift cards.
The amount of cash back you make from your purchases depends on various factors, including the app you use, the amount you spend and the deals offered on the app. Ibotta reports its average user earns $256 a year in cash back. Upside reports its users typically earn an average of 8 percent back at restaurants, 5 percent at grocery stores and 12 percent at convenience stores. On average, frequent users of the app earn $270 a year.
Most cash-back apps are free to download and use. However, the app may charge you a fee if you’re not an active user. For example, Dosh may reduce your account balance by $4.99 a month if your account is inactive for longer than 12 months.
Cash-back apps make money by earning a commission from brands and retailers for promoting their offers on the app. They share a portion of their commission with app users in the form of cash back and other rewards. Apps may also make money from advertisements that appear on the app or by selling user shopping data to market research companies.