Receipt Scanning Apps are apps that pay you for taking pictures of your receipts using your phone, mostly grocery receipts. However, you can scan receipts for alcohol, electronics, online purchases and restaurants. It’s one of the easiest ways of earning free money.
With these apps, you can stack the value and use the same receipt for multiple apps to double or even triple your cash back.
4 Types of Receipt Scanning Apps
- Scan receipts for items at certain stores. These apps require you to purchase specific items at specific stores.
- If the item is on your receipt, you earn cash back. These apps don’t care where you purchase your items. As long as the product appears on the app, you’ll get paid. Most receipt scanning apps are like this.
- Earn cash back at a certain store. These apps only care out where you make your purchase. It doesn’t matter what you buy, you’ll earn cash back.
- Earn cash back for having a receipt. These apps are the easiest to earn cash back. It doesn’t matter what you buy or where you buy it. You’ll receive cash back.
How Do You Scan Receipts?
Receipt Scanning Apps use your smartphone’s camera to take a picture of the receipt. It’s important to keep your hand steady when taking the picture. Also, try to keep the receipt flat and place it on a flat surface. The receipt information needs to be clearly seen. If the image is blurry, you may not receive credit.
1. Ibotta
- Sign Up Bonus: $10 using promo code cvhjpqm and scan your first receipt
- How Ibotta Pay: Link Your Bank, PayPal or Gift Card
- Join Ibotta
Ibotta is one of the highest paying receipt scanning apps. Earn cash back on your grocery receipts for purchasing specific items from specific stores. Most of the items are products you buy on a weekly basis such as milk, bread, toilet paper, soda, etc. But you can also earn cash back on alcohol, electronics and online shopping.
As an added bonus, when you refer your friends, you can earn $5 for each friend when they scan their first receipt.
You can earn anywhere from $0.25 to $5 per item. The best part, you get a $10 bonus when you register using promo code cvhjpqm and scan your first receipt. They even offer extra bonuses when you meet certain milestones. Learn how to sign up for ibotta.
2. Fetch Rewards
- Sign Up Bonus: 1,500 points with referral code Q3GBU and scan your first receipt
- How Fetch Rewards Pays: Gift cards or Visa/Mastercard Reward
- Join Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is very similar to Ibotta. You can earn points for purchasing specific products. Since it’s a new app, there aren’t very many products listed. However, you can scan receipts from stores such as Walgreens and earn points for each dollar spent.
The best part about Fetch Rewards, you only need a minimum of 3,000 points ($3) to cash out for a gift card. Also, when you refer friends, you earn 1,500 points ($1).
This is definitely one app, you’ll want to get. Get a bonus of 1,500 points when you register using referral code Q3GBU and scan your first receipt.
Click here to get Fetch Rewards
3. ReceiptPal
- Sign Up Bonus: None
- How ReceiptPal Pays: Amazon or Retail Gift Card
- Join ReceiptPal
ReceiptPal pays you no matter what you buy or where you buy it. It doesn’t matter if the receipt is from a grocery store, electronics store, restaurant, etc., you earn cash back. Each receipt earns you a certain amount of points. These points can be exchanged for Amazon or retail gift cards. You can also link your email, Amazon, Instacart, Starbucks, Walmart and Kroger accounts as well.
There is a downside. The receipts earned per receipt is low. You have to scan a lot of receipts before you can cash out. It’s a good app to deal stack.
4. Receipt Hog
- Sign Up Bonus: 5 bonus spins with invite code stat6711
- How ReceiptHog Pays: Amazon Gift Card, Visa Prepaid Card, PayPal
- Join Receipt Hog
ReceiptHog is similar to ReceiptPal. You can upload any type of receipt. But ReceiptHog has gamified receipt scanning. You not only earn coins, you earn spins as well. When you make a match with the ReceiptHog slot machine, you can earn additional coins. This makes the boring job of scanning receipts a little more fun.
Earn 250 extra coins when you refer others to the app. You earn coins and they earn 5 bonus spins.
The slot machine may be fun, but the amount of coins you earn per receipt is low. You can link your Amazon, Target, Walmart and more accounts to earn instant coins instead of scanning the apps.
5. Shopkick
- Sign Up Bonus: 250 kicks with invite code sale870163 and walk in or scan
- How Shopkick Pays: Gift Card or Merchandise
- Join Shopkick
Shopkick offers a variety of ways of getting paid. Using your smartphone location and bluetooth, you can earn “kicks” (points) each time you walk into certain stores. For example, you can earn 35 kicks when you walk in Best Buy.
Kicks can also be earned by scanning items in store. You don’t have to purchase those items, but if you do, you earn extra kicks. For example, if you scan Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Moisturizer at Walgreens, you will earn 20 kicks. If you decide to purchase it, you can earn an additional 250 kicks. Finally, when you link your credit or debit card, you can earn kicks for online purchases or purchases in store.
Extra kicks can be earned referring friends. When you refer a friend, you will receive 250 kicks.
This is definitely one app, you’ll want to get. Get a bonus of 250 kicks when you register using promo code sale870163 and walk in your first store or scan your first item. There are also other ways you can earn kicks with Shopkick.
6. Amazon Shopper Panel
- Sign Up Bonus: None
- How Amazon Shopper Panel Pays: Amazon Gift Card
Amazon Shopper Panel is an invite only program where you can earn monthly rewards for scanning your receipts. The receipts must be purchases outside of Amazon.com. You can either scan your receipt within the app or email your receipts to receipts@panel.amazon.com. Scan 10 eligible receipts and earn a $10 Amazon gift card for the month. You can also choose to forgo the gift card and donate to charity.
If you have an iOS device, when you enable ad tracking, you can earn an additional $2 per month. Additionally, earn when you complete mini surveys.
7. Checkout 51
- Sign Up Bonus: None
- How Checkout 51 Pays: Check, PayPal is in Beta
- Join Checkout 51
Checkout 51 offers cash back on grocery items including fruits and vegetables. Cash back of earned on specific products no matter what store you purchase them from. The app also offers bonuses when you purchase multiple products from a particular brand.
One great feature is that it caters to the holidays. For example, during Thanksgiving, you can find cash back on pumpkin pie ingredients. Use the same receipt with ibotta, Amazon Shopping Panel, ReceiptPal and ReceiptHog to maximize your earnings.
8. Swagbucks
- Sign Up Bonus: $2 bonus with your first scan
- How Swagbucks Pays: PayPal or Gift Card
- Join Swagbucks
While you won’t earn much with Swagbucks when you upload receipts, it is a great way to use the same receipt with ibotta, Amazon Shopping Panel, ReceiptPal and ReceiptHog to maximize your earnings. When you upload a receipt, you earn 2 SB (Swagbucks) which is about $0.02. Plus, you can earn easily make $100 per month taking a few surveys.
When you click the link below to sign up, earn 150 SB plus the chance to earn a $10 sign up bonus.
