Shop Smarter: 10 Best Cash Back Apps & Sites for

best cash back apps for online shopping

For the average shopper, saving money has become more of a necessity than a luxury. Fortunately, with the rise of cash back apps and sites, earning rewards on your purchases has never been easier. Whether you’re shopping online or in-store, these platforms offer you the chance to earn cash back on your everyday purchases. The platforms earn a commission when you make a purchase, and they share that commission with you in the form of cash back. We’ve rounded up the 10 best cash back apps and sites to help you make the most of your money.

Rakuten

rakuten site e1709351100913

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 4.5

✦ Best Overall ✦

Rakuten is a pioneer of cash back shopping, formerly know as Ebates. They boast a solid curation of stores, and many ways to get rewarded via the site, app, or browser extension. Rakuten has great US-based customer service and is perhaps the most dependable cash back platform.

🎉 Welcome bonus: $30
when you join and spend $30+ within 90 days
Sign-up

No. of stores

3,400+

Where you earn

Online & In-store

How you get paid

Paypal, Check, Membership Rewards

Top features:

  • Rakuten browser extension not only helps you remember to activate cash back when shopping online at participating stores, but also finds and applies coupons automatically.
  • When you link a credit card to your Rakuten account and pay with that card in-store, you’ll automatically get cash back for in-store offers you’ve activated. You can also get cash back at participating restaurants with a linked card.
  • American Express partnership allows you to connect your accounts, and transfer your Rakuten cash back 1:1 for Membership Rewards. This can potentially have outsized value when using MR for travel.

Top Cashback

top cashback site e1709446675946

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.5

✦ Best Cash Back Rates ✦

Top Cashback offers some of the highest cash back rates among its competitors. Unlike others, they pass on all of their commission to you, which is why they sometimes have the best cash back rates. They also offer very flexible methods of getting paid, including direct deposit.

Welcome bonus: None
Sign-up

No. of stores

9,500+

Where you earn

Online

How you get paid

Paypal, Direct Deposit, Gift Cards

Top features:

  • Top Cashback has an actual guarantee that their offers will be highest cash back rate. They’ll not only match, but beat the competitor rate.
  • Offers payout of your balance with no minimum required to transfer and no set payout schedules. The limited restrictions on your earned cash back is one of the best of all the platforms.
  • You can boost your cash back payout by up to 5% by choosing from various gift card options.

Capital One Shopping

capital one site e1709593377477

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 2.5

✦ Best Targeted Offers ✦

Capital One Shopping, which does not require a Capital One credit card, earns cash back at participating stores and offers a robust browser extension that automatically finds best prices and applies coupon codes at checkout. However, their payout flexibility is limited compared to others.

Welcome bonus: $40
Sign-up

No. of stores

3,900+

Where you earn

Online

How you get paid

Gift Cards

Top features:

  • In addition to cash back, Capital One Shopping compares prices across various retailers to ensure you’re getting the best deal.
  • The extension also automatically finds, applies, and clips on-site coupons so you can be sure you’re applying the most savings to maximize the bottom line on your purchase.
  • Targeted offers based on browsing history can sometimes present outsized cashback opportunities. For example, I have received many offers of 30% cash back or more.

Upside

upside app stores

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.5

✦ Best for Gas ✦

Upside App offers cash back rewards by linking your credit card and then paying with that credit card. You can use it for everyday essentials at participating gas, grocery, or dining stores via offers you activate in their app. This is great for earning cash back locally.

Welcome bonus: 15¢ off per gallon first purchase
Sign-up

No. of stores

50,000+

Where you earn

In-Store

How you get paid

Paypal

Top features:

  • The Upside App specializes in providing cash back on everyday purchases, particularly gas, groceries, and dining.
  • The available stores are hyper local, meaning you’ll find small businesses and national alike that participate near you.
  • When you refer-a-friend, you’ll get a bonus 15¢ off per gallon on a single purchase. And you’ll get 1¢ for every gallon of gas your referral buys via Upside in the future.

Dosh

dosh site e1709836852829

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.5

✦ Best for In-Store ✦

Unlike traditional cash back platforms, Dosh App offers automatic rewards on qualifying purchases made with linked credit or debit cards, eliminating the need for manual activation or receipt uploads. It may be the most hassle-free approach to cash back shopping.

Welcome bonus: None
Sign-up

No. of stores

10,000+

Where you earn

Online & In-Store

How you get paid

Paypal, Venmo, Charity

Top features:

  • Simply linking a credit or debit card to your account, and using any linked cards on your qualifying purchases will track for earning–without the need to activate an offer separately.
  • Wide selection of participating merchants, including online retailers, national in-store chains, and local businesses.
  • Dosh Local allows users to earn cash back automatically when they dine out at participating restaurants, cafes, and bars.

Pepper Rewards

pepper rewards site e1709836898830

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.5

✦ Best New Platform ✦

As the newest kid on the block, Pepper Rewards stands out as another hassle-free way to earn rewards. Use it to purchase instant, exact amount gift cards for popular stores at a discount. Pepper currently has an impressive set of participating stores, which will likely grow over time.

Welcome bonus: 10% back on every purchase for the first 15 days.
Sign-up (use code: 600559)

No. of stores

100+

Where you earn

Online & In-Store

How you get paid

Points Credit

Top features:

  • Simply link a credit or debit card to your account and purchase exact amount gift cards at a discount. No need to activate an offer. Just purchase a discounted gift card for the exact amount you need for popular stores like Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Walmart, Target, and many more for at least 5% off your purchases instantly.
  • Provides bonuses and missions to incentivize users and boost their earnings. These bonuses may include extra cash back for reaching spending milestones, referring friends to the platform, or participating in special promotions.
  • Points are applied to future purchases. For every $5 spent, you get 1 point. Each point is worth 25¢. So if you spend $100 and gain 20 points, that’s $5 off a purchase.

Swagbucks

swagbucks site

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.0

✦ Most Unique ✦

Swagbucks is a truly unique cash back platform that is fun to engage with and earn rewards. It offers various ways to earn, including cash back for shopping online, but also unique methods such as taking surveys, playing games, watching videos, and more.

Welcome bonus: $10
Sign-up

No. of stores

2,300+

Where you earn

Online

How you get paid

Paypal, Gift Cards

Top features:

  • Cash back is referred to as SB (Swagbucks). Each SB is worth 1¢. So, 1000 SB = $10 usd. The shear number of ways that you can earn this cash back—shopping online, taking surveys, uploading receipts, playing games, downloading apps, watching videos, and more—is unique to this platform.
  • When you choose a gift card for payout, some gift cards offer up to 12.5% discount on the face value.
  • Swagstakes allows you to use your Swagbucks to enter sweepstakes for the chance to win more Swagbucks, gift cards, and high-ticket products.

RebatesMe

rebates me site

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.0

RebatesMe offers cash back on purchases made through their website, browser extension, or app at over 4,500 stores. They also offer international cash back opportunities, along with multilingual support.

Welcome bonus: $10
when you earn at least $10 in cash back within 90 days
Sign-up

No. of stores

4,500+

Where you earn

Online

How you get paid

Paypal, Gift Cards

Top features:

  • Seasonal events, like their anniversary, allow you to rack up additional cash back through games and challenges that are beyond your actual spending.
  • Exclusive elevated cash back offers for new sign-ups allow you take advantage of your initial shopping through RebatesMe.
  • Some cash back earnings can expire, so be sure to read the details about earning and redeeming any earned cash back.

RetailMeNot

retailmenot site 1

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.0

RetailMeNot is well-known for its coupons, but in recent years it also started offering cash back when you shop through their platform. When you pair that with the vast community of users sharing coupons and deals, you can uncover harder to find discounts (YMMV).

Welcome bonus: $10
when you earn RetailMeNot cash back for the first time
Sign-up

No. of stores

3500+

Where you earn

Online

How you get paid

Paypal, Gift Cards

Top features:

  • RetailMeNot is a community-driven platform with millions of users sharing community-driven coupons and deals, helping you find unique or elevated discounts. It’s worth noting that some may not work depending on if you’re a first time customer and other factors.
  • With cash back added to their offering, you can now shop through RetailMeNot to earn at participating stores similar to other cash back platforms.
  • The Deal Finder browser extension automatically scans the web for available coupons and applies them at checkout. The extension also provides real-time notifications when a better deal is available.

Ibotta

ibotta site e1709594024681

Logo Moola Stamp FlatMag rank: 3.0

Ibotta is one of the largest cash back platforms, and its been around over a decade. Aside from cash back offerings online and in-store at household name brands, Ibotta keeps things interesting with regular bonuses and special offers to help you get extra savings.

Welcome bonus: $5
when you redeem a qualifying offer within 7 days
Sign-up

No. of stores

2,000+

Where you earn

Online & In-Store

How you get paid

Paypal, Venmo, Gift Cards

Top features:

  • Ibotta sometimes provides bonuses and special promotions to help users boost their earnings, which includes extra cash back for completing certain tasks or purchasing specific products.
  • In-store shopping requires you to submit a receipt in the app or online to earn your cash back.
  • Link a bank account or choose a gift card to withdraw earnings when you reach $20.

Other Cash Back Rewards Platforms

While our list compiles our opinion of the best cash back apps, there are many other cash back sites available to make more of your everyday purchases. Below are more cash back sites you might consider:

Cash-back Apps: Bonus Tip!

To be sure you are not only using the best cash back apps, but also getting the best cash back rate for your purchase, check cashbackmonitor.com to easily search where you’re shopping, and compare rates for the cash back apps and sites that you actively use. It’s worth noting that not all the cash back apps we’ve featured here are listed, but most are. You may even find more cash back platforms that fit your needs!

cashbackmonitor frontpage

Wrap-up: Maximize Your Cash Back

With all the cash back sites and apps available, and new ones popping up every year, it’s easier than ever to get more bang for your buck. Whether you prefer shopping online or in-store, these platforms offer a convenient way to earn rewards on your everyday purchases. From veterans like Rakuten to newcomers like Dosh, each option brings its own unique features and benefits to the table. So what are you waiting for? Start taking advantage of opportunities to save and put extra cash back in your pocket.

These are our recommendations but it isn’t financial advice. We may receive a commission if you click through any of the links in this article.

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