Some of you may have noticed us including Ibotta coupons in the Target and Rite Aid weekly posts. I’ve been getting a few questions on what Ibotta is and how the program works, so I thought I’d break it down for you!
First of all, I’ll tell you that this new program is awesome since it actually lets you earn cash on your purchases. Also, they will give you a $5 cash bonus to get you started when you sign up through this link using your smartphone! This sign-up bonus ends at Midnight ET on January 11th.
Now here are some more details on Ibotta:
What is Ibotta and How Does it Work?
Ibotta is an app for smartphones (Android and iPhone) that contains many different money saving offers for popular products. You can learn facts, watch videos and take one question surveys before purchasing a product to earn cash. Once you have purchased the product, you simply take a picture of your receipt showing your purchase of the item. Ibotta allows you to earn up to $40 cash per shopping trip.
How Do I Get Paid?
Once you’ve redeemed offers totaling $5 or more, Ibotta lets you transfer your earnings directly to your PayPal account. Choose “Withdraw Cash” from the main menu of the app, then select “Get My Cash” to link Ibotta to your PayPal account.
What Stores are Ibotta Coupons Good At?
Ibotta recently added a bunch of new partners and they are adding more all of the time. Here is the currently list of stores participating in the Ibotta program:
- Target
- Walmart
- Walgreens
- CVS Pharmacy
- RiteAid
- Kroger
- Safeway
- Publix
- Stop & Shop
- Fred Meyer
- King Soopers
- Ralphs
- H-E-B
- Meijer
- Vons
- Duane Reade
- Smith’s
- Fry’s
- Pick ‘N Save
- Dominicks
- Pavilions
- Tom Thumb
- Dillons
- ShopRite
- Giant Eagle
- QFC
- Harris Teeter
- Randalls
- Food 4 Less
- Hy-Vee
- CityMarket
- WinCo Foods
- 7-Eleven
- United States Armed Forces Commissary
Get $5 for Signing Up and Earn $1 When Friends Sign Up
Ibotta will pay you $1 for every friend who signs up using your personal referral link. It’s easy – just Invite Friends from within the app or email them your personal referral link, and we’ll do the rest. There’s no limit to how much you can earn! When friends sign up using your personal referral link, there’s a $5 bonus waiting in their account as soon as they’ve redeemed their first offer. Again, This sign-up bonus ends at Midnight ET on January 11th.
How Do I Get Started and Make $5 Cash for FREE?
1. Get the Ibotta app on your tablet, iPad, iPhone or Android phone using this link: http://www.bargainblessings.com/ibotta
*Keep in mind that if you download it directly from the app store and do not use this link, you will miss out on your $5 New Member credit.
2. Register with the app on your phone.
3. Redeem one of the Ibotta offers. There are tons to choose from and you can find some great scenarios in the store deals on Bargain Blessings.
4. Once you redeem your first offer, your $5 will be credited to your account and you can then transfer it to your Paypal account!
Head on over here to sign-up for Ibotta and get your FREE $5 cash credit! I can’t wait to hear what you all think about this new money saving option. Since they just added more participating stores, we will be including their offers in our King Soopers, Walgreens and Safeway match-ups starting next week!
Don't forget to get the Bargain Blessings toolbar to print coupons and stay up to date on all the latest deals!
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you know if this works for Android tablets? My tablet is much “smarter” than my Android phone. I think my phone would go on strike if I tried to use this App on it. Thanks!
I asked a friend to test it out on her tablet and she said it does Julie.
Yeah! Thanks for checking. I can have the kids take care of this for me. I see a new homeschool subject in our future….
Shall we call it consumer economics?
Fantastic idea!
Also, a couple of questions that I just can’t figure out. Do you have to actually scan the bar-code then purchase the product to get any credit at all? Also, how soon does the $5 bonus show up?
You actually take a picture of your receipt once you’ve purchased the item. This video also helps explain in: http://vimeo.com/51179012 The $5 bonus will show up after you submit your first receipt.
I noticed they are a Denver based company which is pretty cool!
Yepp…I agree!
i signed up the other day and have claimed a few purchases but i never got my $5 credit
Regina~ Did you make sure to sign-up through the link in this post?
Can you use a manufacturer’s coupon with the offers?
Yes, you can Amber!
This looks like a very cool app! One question… By the savings just being added to a PayPal account, does that mean you just have a credit there to spend online, or is there a way to get this money back as cash? I just don’t use PayPal very often
Thanks!!!
Shannon~ Once the money is in your Paypal account you can transfer it into your bank account.
I only have a few of these stores on my list! How do I get cvs and rite aid? I was trying to upload a receipt and those stores are not on my list on my app! Please help!
Here is what Ibotta says about that issue Kim. Does this help you at all? “If you are using an iPod 4th generation or iPad 2, you won’t see all retailers. Some retailers use text strings for their receipts and the only way for us to know whether you have purchased the correct product is for you to scan the item in the store prior to your purchase. The iPod 4th generation and iPad 2 do not support this feature, but will still be able to upload receipts from all the retailers listed under the “Shopping List” section on that device.”
So we can only use the stores that show up on our list? Bummer. I just bought several items from King Soopers, and I just discovered that’s not on my list.
I understand you have to go through PayPal but will PayPal charge you for receiving money from Ibotta? Thanks. I don’t use it either.
Great question.
Here is Ibotta’s answer: Once you’ve redeemed offers totaling $5 or more, Ibotta lets you transfer your earnings directly to your PayPal account. Choose “Withdraw Cash” from the main menu of the app, then select “Get My Cash” to link Ibotta to your PayPal account.
If you don’t already have a PayPal account, you can set one up for free at http://www.paypal.com. Money in your PayPal account can be transferred to any bank account, sent to other PayPal users, or loaded onto a debit card.
Please note that it is very important to verify your PayPal account by following the steps emailed to you from PayPal. Ibotta never collects a fee for transferring money into your account, but if the account remains unverified at the time of transfer, PayPal will collect a small fee for the transaction and you will not receive the entire amount owed to you. Because we always want you to receive the entire amount you worked to earn, please ensure your account is verified.
I’m excited for this!
I have to say, this is kinda fun.
For some reason it’s failing to post to Facebook when it had been working just fine. Any tips??
Mine is failing to post to Facebook also. Previously it had been fine.
I can’t wait to try this! Love that you can stack the refund with a paper coupon!
Is the $5 offer still good? It seems like the links are all linked back to this post. Am I missing something?
Yes it is Beth. If you click on any of the links in this post from your phone (or your computer) it will take you to the page you need to download the app (or register before you download) and get you and get you your $5.
I didn’t get my $5 credit either, and I was very careful with going through the link and signing up. I have read a lot of comments about people not getting theirs and Customer Service not being any help.
Sheila if you signed up through the link in this post AND have redeemed your first offer the $5 WILL show up on your account. If you are still having trouble, please contact me directly and I will check my sign-up records.
Did you redeem your first offer? My $5 showed up on my account as soon as I did.
Sheila~ I just checked my records and show that you downloaded the app at 1:00pm this afternoon. If that is the case, I’m guessing you have not yet redeemed your first offer and had it approved…so your $5 will not yet show on your account.
You’re right. I haven’t redeemed my first offer yet. I will on Friday. Sorry for being confused and thank you Jennie for all the work you do!
You bet!
Glad we got it sorted out!
Just to make sure Im not cukoo, I can buy three or four things and scan one receipt into the system, am I right? Im off to buy cold medicine so I want to be sure….
Yes, that is my understanding Barb. I’ve actually only done one at a time, but I’m quite sure that if you have more than one item on your receipt you are fine…just as long as they are different items and not multiple of the same item.
If I buy 4 items will that redeem as 4 items too? Say. $1 so it will be $4?
Each offer can be redeemed only once.
so if i bought 4 same item in 1 transaction that means i can only redeem 1 item?
Yes that is correct.
How come I don’t get all the offers that you mention on here (i.e. the Capri Suns in the Safeway ad this week)???
Thanks
Ashley~ Offers will vary a little from person to person.
Hi. I added two offers on Th. night, and went back last night to scan them and only one was there. Did anybody else’s Eggland’s Best offer disappear?
Ashli, yes my Eggland’s Best offer dissappeared Friday morning too. When I looked Thursday night I had 19 of my offers in my shopping list say the last day to redeem was Thursday. So Friday morning all of them were gone. I didn’t look to see which were supposed to be left but many folks say that even ones that were not supposed to expire that night did as well.
Can you explain again how to do this with a 2nd generation ipad? I don’t understand how it works, because not very many retailers are showing up on my shopping list.
Hi all. I am just wondering what tablets will work for these Apps? I don’t have a smartphone, but I am looking to buy a tablet (knowing which tablets will work with this program might sway my final purchase decision). Also, I saw a couple comments that said you have to scan the bar-code in the store; does that mean I have to have internet to do that? I am not very tech savvy. Thanks!
Hi Jennifer~ You will need your tablet to be able to connect to the internet and you’ll also want to make sure that you can take pictures with it so you can scan UPCs and take pictures of your receipts. I hope that helps.
I notice I only have anywhere from 15-30 items at anytime to choose from. Does anyone ever hear of them adding more items?? So far it has been great, just want more added!!
Thanks
Chandra
How long is it supposed to take for the money to enter your PayPal account?
It is usually immediate for me.
I tried to redeem my money and it just sends me to the list of stores. it says I have 10.00 pending and it wont let me redeem it. please help
Hi Tabitha…have you tried contacting iBotta directly? I would suggest trying them on their Facebook page if you have an account. I’ve heard they are pretty responsive there. I’m not sure why it will not allow you to redeem. It sounds like a bug with their system or something.
i dont have a paypal account. whats the best option….should i link it to my bank account or debit card?
Unfortunately you have to have Paypal in order to work with iBotta.
im sorry for not being more clear. wat i ment was that when applying for paypal should i link my debit card or bank account to it?
Oh gotcha.
I personally have my bank account linked. 