Packing up and driving to the store can be a hassle. Opting to shop online allows you to purchase virtually anything you need, get it delivered to your door, and avoid crowds. Not only is it super convenient, but you can even get paid to shop online.
While you won’t get rich quick, you can save money by receiving cash back on items you already plan to buy.
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How to Earn Cash Back While Shopping Online
Shopping with apps that give you free money may sound like a scam, but it’s not. In fact, your purchase total is the same as if you don’t use a rewards app. You just earn extra cash in the process.
Cash back sites earn a commission for the traffic they send to retailers. After you make a purchase, the site passes a portion of their earnings to you.
To earn cash back when shopping through an app or site, you simply:
- Visit the shopping app website or mobile app
- Activate a shopping session window
- Complete your shopping trip within the app or site
Some sites even allow you to use coupon codes to stack your savings. Most cash back apps let you access your rewards within 60 to 90 days of your shopping trip. You can redeem rewards for cash or gift cards.
Top Apps to Get Paid to Shop Online
There are a variety of apps that pay you to shop online and at local stores. You could use one app for online purchases and another for local spending. All of these apps are free to use.
1. Swagbucks
Not only is Swagbucks a popular survey site, but they also offer the opportunity to earn cash back when shopping online.
You can use Swagbucks at over 1,500 online retailers. You can also earn points by scanning your receipt when you purchase eligible items at local stores.
Swagbucks makes it easy to redeem your rewards points. Amazon gift card redemptions start at one dollar. PayPal payouts are available as well if you have a $25 reward balance.
2. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping is one of the best comparison apps to help you avoid overpaying for items. You can add the Capital One Shopping app to your mobile phone or use their browser extension to shop and compare prices.
*Related: Looking for additional ways to save money on clothing? Check out our guide on how to get free clothes online and keep more money in your budget.
Capital One Shopping will help you find a lower price online for the item you want to buy. If you’re not ready to make a purchase, Capital One Shopping can track the price and notify you when it changes.
The browser extension can apply coupon codes at checkout to reduce your purchase total. Linking your payment card allows you to earn shopping credits for online or local purchases. Cash payments are not available, but gift card redemptions start at $0.01.
Average rebate: One percent and five percent
Trustpilot score: 4.6 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $.01
Cash out maximum: $500
Get started: Join Capital One Shopping
Read our review of the Capital One Shopping browser extension to learn more.
3. Honey
You can get paid for shopping using the “Honey Gold” shopping portal. A browser extension is available for Chrome, Safari, Opera, or Firefox. Apple and Android apps are also available.
Thousands of merchants partner with Honey to offer you discounts of up to 20 percent. A few of these retailers include:
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Pizza Hut
- Target
- Adidas
- Walmart
Honey will apply any discount codes when you’re ready to check out. It also compares prices on Amazon to find the merchant with the lowest cost.
You can redeem your gold points for gift cards once you reach a $10 minimum balance.
4. Ibotta
Like Swagbucks, Ibotta gives you money back on items you already buy. Ibotta is one of the best money earning apps for grocery purchases. You can also earn points by shopping online and at select local retail stores.
For trips to the grocery store, you can activate shopping offers for participating name brands. After you checkout, scan your receipt with the Ibotta mobile app to match your purchases with the offers.
You can also use Ibotta to get paid to shop online. Ibotta works with over 350 retailers. Simply activate a session from the Ibotta shopping portal to receive points for your purchase amount.
Ibotta gives you $5 when you upload your first receipt, making it one of the top cash rebate apps.
5. Rakuten
Formerly known as Ebates, Rakuten is another platform that lets you get paid to shop online. Rakuten also applies coupon codes to help you save money.
You can start a shopping session from the Rakuten website or mobile app. They also have a Google Chrome and Safari browser extension that lets you activate a session directly from the store site.
Rakuten works with most major brands and retailers that offer rebates. Some retailers offer up to 15 percent cash back. However, most offers are between one percent and six percent.
The only downside you may find with Rakuten is that they pay quarterly. To receive a payout, your balance must be at least $5.01 at the end of the quarter.
PayPal or paper checks are the best payout methods. A handful of gift card redemptions are also available.
You can earn a $10 signup bonus when you spend at least $25 on your first Rakuten shopping trip.
Average rebate: One percent and six percent
Trustpilot score: 4.1 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $5.01
Get started: Join Rakuten and get $10 bonus cash
Read our review of Rakuten to learn more.
6. MyPoints
MyPoints offers you cash back from over 2,000 retailers. You will likely be able to find your favorite shop on MyPoints.
When you shop with MyPoints, you can receive up to 40 percent off at partner retailers. The app also allows you to take advantage of promos and deals so you can increase your savings.
Like some of the other apps that give you money, MyPoints pays you to take online surveys. This will help you earn more points.
MyPoints is currently offering a $10 Amazon or Visa gift card for signing up and spending $20 within 30 days. It’s free to sign up. All you need to do is provide an email, name, and password.
Average rebate: One percent and six percent
Trustpilot score: 4.4 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $5
Get started: Join MyPoints and get $10 bonus cash
7. Dosh
For local shopping, Dosh can be a good option. Just link your payment card so Dosh can track your card purchases.
When you shop at a participating store, Dosh gives you rewards points. You don’t need to scan a receipt or activate a shopping session.
You can also use Dosh to get paid while shopping online or booking hotel rooms.
Once your balance reaches $25, you can request payment via bank, PayPal, or Venmo.
Average rebate: One percent and five percent
Trustpilot score: Unavailable
Cash out minimum: $25
Get started: Join Dosh
8. InstaGC
Of the many free money apps, InstaGC has one of the lowest redemptions minimums. Gift cards are available once you reach a $1 balance.
Most stores on the InstaGC online shopping platform award up to five percent back. You can also earn points by completing online surveys, watching videos, and signing up for product offers.
Each point is worth one cent. $1 gift cards require 100 points.
Average rebate: One percent and five percent
Trustpilot score: 3.6 out of 5 stars
Cash out minimum: $1
Get started: Join InstaGC and get 10 free points
9. Drop
Drop is a phone app that has over three million users. With Drop, you earn rewards for shopping online and linking your credit card or debit card. You can also make purchases from your phone or by using a Chrome extension.
The app lets you earn points for shopping online. You can also earn points for ordering items, such as groceries or take out via Postmates by Uber Eats, and travel purchases made online.
Most stores award up to one percent back. You can also activate personalized offers to earn bonus points.
How many points you earn depends on your personalized offer details. You will likely need to spend a minimum dollar amount to earn cash rewards.
Drop offers surveys and games so you can earn points even when you aren’t shopping.
Once you reach $25, you can redeem your points for gift cards.
Average rebate: One percent
Trustpilot score: 1.9 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $25
Get started: Join Drop
10. FusionCash
FusionCash offers a multitude of ways to earn money online.
The primary way FusionCash pays users is testing products. Each product is different and can range from apps to something physical.
You may have to purchase a product or cancel before a free trial offer expires. FusionCash pays you once you finish testing. You earn more than you pay for the trial product.
In addition to product testing, you can earn money by:
- Watching videos
- Taking surveys
- Using their online shopping portal
- Reading sponsored emails
- Using their search engine
The minimum redemption amount for FusionCash is $25. They give you a $5 bonus for opening an account to help you reach the initial amount.
Average rebate: Between $1 and $5
Trustpilot score: 1.9 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $25
Get started: Join FusionCash and get $5 bonus cash
11. Earny
If you’d like to get paid to shop online, check out Earny. This browser extension can help you save up to 20 percent on many of the items you buy online.
Earny can help you receive rebates on over 5,000 brands. Additionally, Earny can claim refunds for you so you stop overpaying on your purchases.
Not sure you’re ready to buy just yet? Put your items on a watch list and Earny will provide 24/7 alerts when the prices drop. This can help you save even more money.
Average rebate: One percent and five percent
Trustpilot score: Unavailable
Cash out minimum: $15
Get started: Join Earny
12. ThredUp
Do you have clothes you want to sell? ThredUp is one of the best cash back sites to make money by selling your used clothes.
If you have vintage, designer, or clean clothes that are in fashion, you can sell them on ThredUp. The site will pay you in cash through Stripe or PayPal.
You also have the option of earning store credit to ThredUp, Toad&Co, and FRAME. Credits can be worth more than cash payouts.
Average rebate: Varies
Trustpilot score: 2.7 out of 5
Cash out minimum: $1
Get started: Join thredUP
13. FlipGive
FlipGive is one of the more unique cash back apps. Instead of receiving cash, you donate your earnings to a sports or nonprofit team of your choice.
Signing up for FlipGive is free. There are no fees.
Once you create an account, you invite people to join your team. FlipGive then pools all of your rewards. Your team can donate to your chosen sports or nonprofit team.
To make sure that your team earns money, each team member needs to use a specific link when shopping online.
Most online stores award two percent back. Some offer higher payouts. In-store purchases and gift card purchases can also help you raise money for your team.
The one drawback is that FlipGive has a minimum redemption amount of $100. As a result, smaller teams may take longer to redeem earnings.
Average rebate: Two percent
Trustpilot score: Not available
Cash out minimum: $100
Get started: Join FlipGive
Bottom Line
It’s not difficult to get paid to shop online. Most people already do some of their shopping online. However, they might be missing out on receiving rebates.
If you are planning to buy something anyway, it makes sense to recoup some of the cost by using cash back apps.
What are your favorite cash back shopping sites? How else do you save money on your online shopping?
*Capital One Shopping compensates
Kim Suazo has been a freelance writer and business owner for over four years. When she's not writing for Frugal Rules, you can find her on other publications like Chime, Discovery, and Due. She also owns her own websites The Entrepremomer and Part-Time Profit, where she teaches overworked moms how to streamline their new businesses so they can scale without a team.
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