Features
Ibotta pays real cash back, not points, when you add offers in its app, shop and then upload your receipt or link a store loyalty account. It works in stores, online and through its free browser extension, and users earn an average of more than $150 a year, according to Ibotta’s Chrome Web Store listing.
The catch is getting your money out. You need at least $20 in earnings, one redeemed offer and a seven-day wait after your first redemption before you can withdraw to your bank, PayPal or a gift card, according to Ibotta’s help center. If that’s too slow, or you’d rather not plan purchases around offers, here’s how the alternatives stack up — with every detail checked against each company’s own site.
Need money before payday instead? Two cash advance apps worth comparing:
| Provider | Cashout minimum | Payout format | Signup bonus / earning potential (per its own site) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fetch | 3,000 points for most rewards; first redemption limited to $10, $25 or $50 rewards | Gift cards and other in-app rewards | Not listed as a fixed amount |
| Rakuten | $5.01 in confirmed cash back, paid every three months | Check, PayPal, Amex Membership Rewards points or Bilt points; gift cards from $5 | $10 Welcome Bonus after a qualifying purchase of at least $25 within 90 days |
| Upside | No minimum | Bank account or gift cards | Frequent users earn an average of $270 a year |
| Checkout 51 | $20 | Check or PayPal | Not listed as a fixed amount |
| Receipt Hog | 1,000 coins ($5) | PayPal, Amazon gift card or Visa gift card | Not listed as a fixed amount |
| CoinOut | 3,000 coins for your first reward | Your Choice gift card, Amazon gift card, Venmo or PayPal | 500 coins for your first three paper receipts |
| EarnIn | N/A (earned wage access, not a rewards app) | Cash to bank account | Up to $200/day, max $1,000/pay period |
| Brigit | N/A (cash advance, not a rewards app) | Cash to bank account | 500 (250 in Maine); average advance $73 |
Earning potential: Not listed as a fixed rate
Cashouts from: 3,000 points for most rewards (first redemption limited to $10, $25 or $50 rewards)
Signup bonus: Not listed as a fixed amount
Fetch is a free rewards app (iOS and Android) where every eligible receipt you snap earns at least 25 points, whether it’s from a grocery store, restaurant or gas station. A few types don’t count, like return receipts, utility and medical bills and event or airline tickets. You can earn more through brand offers, Fetch Shop online purchases, Fetch Play mobile games and referrals. The big difference from Ibotta is that Fetch pays in points, not cash. Each 1,000 points is worth roughly $1 in gift cards, according to Fetch, and you can choose from more than 500 gift card options.
Most rewards need at least 3,000 points, but Fetch limits your first redemption to $10, $25 or $50 rewards. Smaller $3 and $5 rewards unlock after that. Snap physical receipts within 14 days, and keep in mind Fetch caps you at 35 receipts in a rolling seven-day period. Points expire if your account goes 90 days without activity.
Earning potential: Not listed as a fixed rate
Cashouts from: $5.01 in confirmed cash back, paid every three months
Signup bonus: $10 Welcome Bonus after a qualifying purchase of at least $25 within 90 days
Rakuten is a cashback shopping portal you can use through its website, app or browser extension. Start your shopping trip through Rakuten at any of its 3,500+ stores, and Rakuten shares the commission the store pays it with you as cash back.
Rakuten pays confirmed cash back every three months, as long as your confirmed balance is at least $5.01. You can take it as a mailed check, PayPal, American Express Membership Rewards points or Bilt points. If you don’t want to wait for the quarterly payment, you can redeem a confirmed balance of at least $5 for a gift card instead. Expect a wait before cash back confirms: most online and in-store cash back takes 3–14 weeks, while travel takes 45–120 days.
Earning potential: Frequent users earn an average of $270 a year
Cashouts from: No minimum
Signup bonus: Not listed on upside.com
Upside is a free app that pays cash back on gas, groceries and dining at participating locations, which it says include more than 100,000 stores nationwide. You claim an offer at the place you’re already planning to shop, pay as usual with your debit or credit card and Upside adds cash back once it verifies the purchase. Depending on the offer, you may need an extra step, like checking in or uploading a receipt.
There’s no redemption minimum, so you can cash out to your bank account or gift cards whenever you want. Users have earned more than $1 billion combined in cash back, according to Upside, though offers vary by person and location.
Earning potential: Not listed as a fixed rate
Cashouts from: $20
Signup bonus: Not listed as a fixed amount
Checkout 51 posts new cashback offers every week. Offers go live Sundays at 12:00 a.m. and expire Saturdays at 11:59 p.m. in each time zone. Buy the exact product listed at an eligible store, upload your receipt while the offer is still live and Checkout 51 credits your account once it confirms the purchase. Offers come in limited quantities, and some can be claimed more than once.
The app also has gas offers worth up to 25¢ per gallon. You have four hours after adding a gas offer to fill up, you must pay by debit or credit card and you need to upload the receipt within 24 hours. Once your balance hits $20, you can cash out by check or PayPal, per Checkout 51’s terms of service. One catch: if you go 180 days without redeeming an offer, Checkout 51 deducts a $3.99 account management fee from your balance each month (it doesn’t charge this fee during your first six months).
Earning potential: Not listed as a fixed rate
Cashouts from: 1,000 coins ($5)
Signup bonus: Not listed as a fixed amount
Receipt Hog has rewarded people for sharing receipts since 2011. Upload paper or digital receipts and answer in-app surveys to earn coins, Hog Slot spins and sweepstakes entries. Once you hit 1,000 coins, you can redeem for $5 via PayPal, an Amazon gift card or a Visa gift card. Bigger redemptions get you more per coin: 2,900 coins for $15, 4,300 for $25 and 6,500 for $40.
Only receipts from eligible retailers listed in the app earn rewards. You need to upload receipts within 14 days, and up to three receipts per retailer per day can earn rewards. Receipt Hog aims to process redemptions within seven days, and it may suspend US accounts after three consecutive months of inactivity.
Earning potential: Not listed as a fixed rate
Cashouts from: 3,000 coins for your first reward
Signup bonus: 500 coins for submitting your first three paper receipts, plus 200 coins for connecting your first email account
CoinOut pays coins for valid paper receipts from any retailer or store in the US, as long as you submit them within 15 days of purchase. Connect your email and retailer accounts to earn automatically on online orders, or earn extra through CoinPlay games and Missions like surveys.
Your first reward can cost as little as 3,000 coins, and you can redeem for a Your Choice gift card, an Amazon gift card, Venmo or PayPal. Your Choice gift cards are available at every redemption amount, Venmo and Amazon start at $5 and PayPal is only available at $25 and $50. CoinOut has five levels, and higher levels earn more coins per receipt and open up more redemption options. CoinOut re-evaluates your level on the first of each month based on the previous month’s activity.
If what you actually need is money before payday rather than cash back, cash advance apps are a different type of product. Here’s how two popular options compare.
EarnIn’s Cash Out feature lets you access wages you’ve already earned before payday. EarnIn describes it as earned wage access rather than a loan or cash advance. You can get up to $200 a day, with a max of $1,000 per pay period, per EarnIn’s Cash Out page. Qualified new users get a Daily Max of $85 on average.
Standard transfers are free and take 1–3 business days, while Lightning Speed gets money to you in minutes starting at $3.99 per transfer. There’s no interest, no credit check and no mandatory fees, and tips are optional. You need a regular pay schedule and must earn at least $320 per pay period.
Brigit’s Instant Cash advances range from $500 (250 in Maine), with no interest, no late fees, no credit check and no tips, per Brigit’s site. Its average advance was $73 between February 2018 and July 2025, and you can extend your repayment date for free.
Advances generally come with a paid monthly plan. To qualify, your checking account needs at least 60 days of activity, a balance above $0 and at least three recurring deposits from the same source.
Ibotta isn’t the only way to earn on everyday shopping. Upside and Receipt Hog have no or low cashout minimums, Rakuten covers online shopping, Checkout 51 adds weekly grocery and gas offers and Fetch and CoinOut reward you for receipts from almost anywhere. If what you actually need is cash before payday, EarnIn and Brigit are a different route.
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