Grocery Cash Back Apps An Easy Deal For Some Shoppers
NORTH READING (CBS) -- Finding good deals at the grocery store is a must for Kate Rouleau of North Reading.
"I do everything to try to save money," she said. That means putting in some work before heading to the store. "I cut coupons. I shop the sales."
And Kate uses apps like Checkout 51 and Ibotta. Both offer cash rewards on hundreds of popular products.
"It has everything from dairy items, produce, it even has alcohol on it," Kate explained.
The discounts range from 25 cents to a couple of dollars each. But the savings over a year can add up quickly. Just ask Kate.
"Two-hundred bucks is not something to sneeze at," she said.
With Checkout 51, shoppers star items they plan to buy. After checkout users claim their rewards and upload a photo of the receipt as proof.
Kate has saved $57.50 using this app over the past year.
It's the same idea with Ibotta. First, shoppers choose their store and then unlock rewards specific to that shop. Users may have to watch a quick 15-second ad or answer a one-question survey.
"If you come into our app and spend a little time learning about a product that you might want to buy, and then if you buy that product and try it out, then we will actually share our advertising revenue back with you in the form of a cash reward, " Ibotta Founder and CEO Bryan Leach said.
Ibotta customers upload product bar codes and the receipt. The entire purchase will be reviewed to tailor future deals just for you.
"There are so many offers that we want to put the 10 best or 15 best ones in front of each different consumer based on what they like," Leach explained.
Ibotta is a little more work, but with a potentially bigger payday. Kate has saved $163.35 after a year of using this app.
In one example, Kate doubled up on both apps and saved 50 cents on 79-cent carrots. It's time well spent for this busy mom.
"All in all it takes five minutes out of your day," Kate said. "Everybody has five minutes to do that."
Customers need at least $20 in an account to cash out in the form of a gift card, online payment, or a simple check in the mail.
