Can I really make money with Ibotta? I want to save more money at the grocery store, but is Ibotta even worth my time? If you’re asking these questions, this complete Ibotta review is for you!
Read on to learn more…
This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure here.
You’re busy! That’s probably an understatement, right? Between work, driving the kids around to all their different activities, making dinner, helping with homework – there is just SO MUCH to do. When you try to throw saving money into the mix, it can often feel like just one more thing you don’t have time for.
You want to save money (who doesn’t?) but you definitely don’t have time to sift through newspapers for coupons every week or visit multiple grocery stores to find the best deals. I’m a teacher and a mom, believe me, I TOTALLY get it!
I love saving money, but too often life gets in the way. There are many weeks when I just don’t have the time or energy to plan the perfect shopping trip, and I end up overspending especially on things our family needs every day like groceries.
Overspending stinks! So I came up with a realistic plan that I knew I could follow even when life gets super busy. It has really helped me stick to our food budget, and I hope it helps you too!
How to Save Money at the Store
If you’ve ever read articles about saving money on groceries, they will almost always start with meal planning. And I agree – meal planning truly is the key to success when it comes to saving money at the store.
Related post: 9 Brilliant Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store
Occasionally, I will have time to meal plan, but more often than not, I am just too busy. That is why I subscribed to the $5 Meal Plan. For only $5 a month, you get customizable, weekly meal plans plus pre-made grocery shopping list. You can even have your shopping list sent to your favorite store for pick-up. It’s an awesome service and it has saved me so much time, stress, and money.
Try it free! The $5 Meal Plan offers a free 14 trial – I really encourage you to give it a try and see if it works for your family. Sign up for the $5 Meal Plan here!
After I have a my weekly meal plan ready to go, the next is to load up digital coupons on my store loyalty card. It’s a quick and easy way to save money without clipping coupons.
Finally, I tap open the Ibotta app on my phone, click on my favorite grocery store, and load up cash-back offers on anything that is already on my grocery list. Ibotta is great because not only can you earn cash for things you were going to buy anyway (like eggs or produce), you can combine manufacturer coupons with Ibotta offers for even greater savings.
This whole process takes less than 30 minutes a week and saves me a ton of money!
Because Ibotta is new for many people, let me show you exactly how it works with my complete Ibotta review.
Check it out:
How Does Ibotta Work
Ibotta really makes it easy to earn cash back at the grocery store. It does, however, take a little planning (it’s super quick though, I promise).
The first thing you need to do is set up an account and then select your cash-back offers. It’s a very simple process.
Let me show you:
How to Set Up Your Ibotta Profile
To get started, download the Ibotta app and register. Afterward, you can choose which stores you would like to see offers for.
Once you set up your profile, you will see suggested offers on the home page. You can also find offers by clicking on your preferred store icon.
How to Add Offers on Ibotta
To add cash-back offers to your account, simply click on the store that you plan to visit to see their cash-back offers. Every store is different so make sure you are looking at the correct store’s offers.
Once you see an offer you like, press the + sign to add it to your account. Occasionally you will have to watch a short ad to activate the offer and other times you can just click to activate.
How to Make Money With Ibotta
Depending on which store you shop at, there are three different ways to earn money with Ibotta.
1. The most common way to earn cash with Ibotta is by taking a picture of your receipt and sending it in. Quick note: You can submit receipts that are up to a week old, so always make sure to hold onto receipts for at least a week.
In the app, just click the “Redeem” button at the bottom of screen. After clicking, you will be prompted to take a picture of your receipt.
2. A few retailers will print a QR code at the bottom of your receipt which you can simply scan to redeem offers. The Ibotta app will prompt you to do this if your receipt is from one of these retailers.
3. The final way to redeem cash-back offers is by connecting your store’s loyalty card to your Ibotta account. I haven’t tried this because my grocery store, Fry’s, hasn’t set this up yet. I hope they do soon though – it seems really easy!
If you shop at a store that offers this service (the app will alert you if you do), just activate your loyalty card before shopping and your cash-back offers will automatically be redeemed within 48 hours.
And that’s it! No matter what method you use, cash will be deposited in your Ibotta account within 48 hours. It’s real money too, not points or gift cards – just real, pay-your-bills cash!
How to Redeem Your Cash from Ibotta
Okay, now that the money is in your Ibotta account, it’s time to redeem your cash! You can choose to receive a gift card or have your money sent through PayPal or Venmo. It’s up to you!
Does Ibotta Cash Expire?
No. However, if your account is inactive for over a year, Ibotta will begin to deduct a monthly “inactivity fee” from your balance.
Ibotta Teams
Ibotta teams are another great way to earn extra cash with Ibotta. Every month your team works to unlock special cash bonuses! There are 4 teamwork levels that you and your team can complete every month. Whenever your team completes a teamwork level, you get a special bonus. It’s a super easy way to earn more!
For example, to earn the teamwork level 1 for July, your team must do two things:
- You must redeem 7 unique offers
- Have your team redeem $8 worth of offers
If you are on a good team, completing these teamwork bonus challenges is easy!
Ibotta Review
So what do I really think of Ibotta? Like anything there are pros and cons to this money saving app. The biggest benefit is the money – it won’t make you rich, but it’s a nice little boost! The main disadvantage is the time it takes to load offers. Ibotta is faster than clipping coupons for sure, but it still takes a little extra time.
See my complete Ibotta review below:
Ibotta Benefits
In my humble opinion, it would be silly not to sign up for Ibotta. It’s absolutely free to use, so you should definitely give it a try and see if it’s for you.
Personally, I absolutely love Ibotta. Within the past two months, I have made over $70! It takes me less than 10 minutes a week to load my Ibotta account with offers, so that’s a pretty decent rate of return.
Ibotta Drawbacks
Like I said above, the main drawback with the Ibotta app is the time it takes to load the offers to your account. When you’re really busy, sometimes the 10 minutes it takes to log in and find offers is just too much!
The other drawback with Ibotta is that you need to remember to keep your receipts and upload them within 7 days. I have a terrible time remembering to keep my receipts!
All in all though, I think the benefits of using Ibotta far outweigh the disadvantages. Even if you only use the Ibotta app occasionally, you will still make money. This is one app I would be sure to keep on my phone!
✅ Ibotta Bonus Code
I hope this complete Ibotta Review has been informative, and that it helps your family save more money at the grocery store. If you do decide to give Ibotta a try, sign up here and you will get a $10 welcome bonus just for signing up!
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