Best cash back apps: 8 worth using in 2026

According to Yahoo Finance, you are missing between $240 and $720 each year if you don’t use cash-back offers to save money. Cash-back apps allow you to get some money back on your purchases. However, keep in mind that some things, such as app availability, terms, and reward rates, change frequently. Before signing up, verify inside each app if it could work for you.   

Key takeaways

So, how do cash back apps work? Here is what you should know:

• Cash back apps return some of the money you spend, in the form of points, bank deposits, or gift cards. 
• There are three earning models: credit card rewards linked to your card, receipt scanning apps, and shopping portals/browser extensions for online shopping.
• If you’re interested in getting more cashback for the same purchase, stack 2-3 apps. 
• Don’t spend more or go into debt just to get more cashback, as that defeats the whole purpose.
• If you can’t decide between two similar cashback apps, use them both for one month, and then see which one worked better for you. 

TL;DR: 8 best cash back apps to save money

Here is a brief overview of 8 great cash back apps that can help you save money:

App name	Earning model	Payout method	Best for
Rakuten	Browser extension	PayPal, Bilt Points, or a check	Cashback at over 3,500 participating stores
Ibotta	Scanning receipts	PayPal, bank deposit, or gift cards	Cash back across multiple spending methods
Fetch	Scanning receipts, browser extension, or playing games	Gift cards	Turning everyday purchases into points
Upside	Card-linked cashback	PayPal, bank deposit, or gift cards	Cashback on gas, groceries, and restaurants
Checkout 51	Browser extension/shopping portal	Cash or gift cards	Weekly grocery and pharmacy rebates
TopCashback	Shopping portal	PayPal, bank deposit, or gift cards	Passing 100% of affiliate commissions to users
Capital One Shopping	Browser extension	Gift cards	Coupon hunting and price comparison
BeFrugal	Browser extension/shopping portal	PayPal, check, bank deposit, Venmo, Zelle, or gift cards	High cash back rates with a price-match guarantee

1. Rakuten, best for cash back at over 3,500 participating stores

The short version: With Rakuten, you can earn cashback or promo/coupon codes by shopping at more than 3500 different stores and brands – the largest store network for cashback apps.

What to know: Activate your cashback via a browser extension, website, or mobile app to activate cashback for a desired brand or store. Typical cashback rates are 1-10%, but they can double or triple during Cyber Week. Stack cashback, coupons, and promo codes to further increase your rewards.

Minimum payout is $5.01, and you can get paid via PayPal, check, redeem gift cards, or convert to Amex MR / Bilt Points. However, payouts are quarterly only, which means you can get paid every 3 months. For example, January purchases are paid in May, which can deter some potential users. It’s also worth noting that, since 2020, Amazon is no longer a Rakuten partner.

What sets it apart: Amex Membership Rewards / Bilt Points conversion. 10% cash back becomes 10x points per dollar. No other cash back app offers this, which makes Rakuten one of the best money-saving apps.

2. Ibotta, best for cash back across multiple spending methods

The short version: Get cashback on everyday purchases by combining in-store purchases, online, and receipt-based offers.    

What to know: Ibotta is truly a grocery store champion, perfect for weekly shops at major chains. Before you go shopping, you need to activate offers in-app and link loyalty (Walmart or Kroger) for auto-credit, or you can scan the receipt after the purchase. 

Most rebates are $0.25- $3 per qualifying product. There are also bonus offers that you can stack, depending on the current promotions. The minimum payout is $20, and you can withdraw it via PayPal, bank account, or gift cards at a slight premium. Rebates are credited within approximately 48 hours after you scan your receipt or link loyalty.

What sets it apart: Linked-loyalty automation at Walmart and Kroger. This means that your rebates will appear even without scanning a receipt.

3. Fetch, best for turning everyday purchases into points

The short version: Fetch turns any receipt from almost any retailer into points that can be redeemed for gift cards, perfect for users who want rewards without changing their shopping habits. 

What to know: This is the lowest effort app on the list, as it requires no activation and no pre-shopping. You will earn points by scanning any receipt. Just photograph or e-link any receipt from any retailer, and the points will get credited automatically. You’ll get at least 25 points per receipt, but you can get extra points for partner brands. 

1,000 Fetch points are worth $1, and the minimum cashout is pretty low ($3 for some gift cards). You can withdraw the money to gift cards or your PayPal account. E-receipt linking also allows automatic imports from services like Amazon, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Instacart, and Gmail. This makes the whole experience even more effortless.  

Standout feature: You need zero pre-planning. Just shop as you would normally, and think about rewards later. Best stacked with Ibotta on the same grocery receipt.

4. Upside, best for cash back on gas, groceries, and restaurants

The short version: This is the best cash back app for commuters and rideshare drivers, as they shop regularly at gas stations that are Upside’s partners. 

What to know: Claim a GPS-based offer in the app before making a purchase, then pay with any card. The app will verify the transaction and credit your account. Make sure to claim the offers before pumping and complete them within ~4 hours. If you miss this time window, you’ll get no rebate. 

Typically, you can expect a 5–25¢ per gallon rebate. For the restaurant and grocery offers, rebates are percentage-based or fixed cash amounts. Upside has over 30,000 partner stations, including BP, Shell, Exxon, and Circle K. Withdraw cashback to PayPal, bank, or gift cards

Standout feature: Keep in mind that the Upside-offer gas station isn’t always the cheapest pump price. Always price-check and compare to other nearby gas pumps before deciding where you’ll get your gas. 

5. Checkout 51, best for weekly grocery and pharmacy rebates

The short version: With Checkout 51, you can earn rewards through weekly grocery and pharmacy rebates (unlike Ibotta, it is less tied to specific stores). 

What to know: Checkout 51 has weekly offers (that usually refresh on Thursdays) that you can select in advance, buy the qualifying items, and scan the receipts within 7 days. Some offers can be stacked and redeemed up to 5 times per cycle (look for the “+” sign). 

The minimum cashout is $20, and you can withdraw it via PayPal or check. There is also a beta feature that includes instant offers via OTC Network barcode (Walgreens, CVS, Walmart). This means you get a discount applied at checkout instead of a rebate.

Standout feature: “Choose Your Own Offer” rebates unlock the more you use the app. Checkout 51 rewards loyalty in a way most cash back apps don’t. 

6. TopCashback, best for passing 100% of affiliate commissions to users

The short version: For those who hate to wait for quarterly payouts with Rakuten, TopCashback is a great alternative, especially since it often has higher headline rates on overlapping retailers. 

What to know: TopCashBack works through a shopping portal and browser extension. You activate the deals before shopping, and the purchases are tracked back to you via affiliate links. However, unlike Rakuten and other similar apps that keep a share, TopCashBack gives you the full retailer commission. 

This means that you get 1–2 percentage points higher than Rakuten on overlapping retailers. Once the retailer approves your cashback (usually takes 4-12 weeks), you can withdraw it anytime, without waiting for a quarterly cycle. The minimum payout for PayPal in the US is $0.01.

Standout feature: There is a gift card bonus, as many retailers add 3–5% extra when payout is taken as a gift card. 

7. Capital One Shopping, best for coupon hunting and price comparison

The short version: Capital One Shopping is a hands-off browser extension that hunts coupons and checks prices for you, automatically. 

What to know: You can choose to use Capital One Shopping as a browser extension or mobile app; no Capital One Shopping account is needed. Once you’re all set up, you can shop at over 100,000 retailers (Walmart, CVS, Temu), and your coupons will be applied automatically at checkout.
Payouts are done via gift cards only (no PayPal or cash). At the moment of writing this article, the sign-up bonus was $80, but this amount varies from time to time.
Standout feature: The Amazon price-comparison feature allows you to find better prices, making Capital One Shopping a unique option in comparison to other cashback apps. 

8. BeFrugal, best for high cash back rates with a price-match guarantee

The short version: BeFrugal is a shopping portal that backs its rates with a written guarantee and pays out more flexibly than Rakuten.

What to know: Use BeFrugal as a shopping portal or browser extension. Click through BeFrugal before shopping, shop, and the cashback will be credited to your account within hours. Cashback rates can range from 1% to 40%. If you find a higher rate elsewhere, the Best Price Guarantee feature pays you 125% of the difference. 

Minimum payout is $10, via PayPal, bank deposit,  gift cards, or check. Once your cashback is confirmed and approved, you can withdraw it on demand, without a quarterly wait. Gift card payouts come with 3-25% bonuses. 

Standout feature: The Best Price Guarantee compensates you if you find a higher rate at another cashback app- No other cashback portal pays you for finding a better rate elsewhere.

Want to earn cash even when you’re not shopping?

If you want to earn money in a way that’s not time-consuming and doesn’t require you to spend money, you can try the Honeygain app. Honeygain allows you to make money online by sharing your unused bandwidth data.
As a passive income source, you can use it alongside any cash back app. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees on how much you can earn via Honeygain, as your earnings will depend on how much data you can share, and they usually vary between $5 and $20 per month.