I shared my honest review on Ibotta not too long ago, and why I choose to use it despite quitting coupons several years ago.
Today I’d like to dig deeper on how to really maximize your savings and not just save a few bucks here and there. Because I’ve figured out how to MAKE money with Ibotta!
First though – if you’ve never heard of Ibotta, here’s how it works:
- Download the Ibotta app for free. Click HERE to do that (it works whether you’re on the computer or on your smart phone).
- Open the app and browse through the available rebates, unlocking any rebates for things you were going to buy anyway. (You unlock the rebate by tapping the plus sign.)
- Shop at the store like you normally would.
- Upload your receipts.
- Get paid.
Check out my honest review on Ibotta for more information on how it works.
Once you’ve signed up for Ibotta, here are 16 ways you can maximize your time and account so you can actually MAKE money with Ibotta!
16 Ways to Make Money with Ibotta
1. Link Your Store Loyalty Card
Ibotta works with over 300 stores, but they work directly with a handful of stores. These stores are called Preferred Partners, and you don’t even have to scan in your receipts when you shop there.
This is important to note, because you MUST link your store loyalty card with Ibotta in order to receive rebates from them. And it’s recommended that you do it at least 24 hours BEFORE you shop.
To not miss out on any savings at your favorite stores:
- Sign up for Ibotta here.
- See if you shop at any of the stores on this list.
- If you do, find that store within the app and tap the green “Verify Purchases” button at the bottom of the screen. Scan or enter your loyalty card number. That’s it!
2. Look for Bonus Rebates
There are always bonus rebates going on for various items and they’re often linked to the current holiday season.
For example, around Christmas there was a bonus rebate for buying a certain amount of baking items. Around the Super Bowl, there was a big bonus when you redeemed a certain number of rebates. As of this posting, there’s a bonus simply because the Oscars are coming up.
Bonus rebates are icing on the cake for rebates you were going to redeem anyway because if there’s a bonus rebate, there’s likely an individual rebate too!
For example, right now there is a bonus rebate for a name-brand yogurt: earn $1 when you redeem yogurt on 3 or more shopping trips.
There is also an individual rebate for 50¢ off any size of this name-brand yogurt.
When you have bonus rebates that also have individual rebates, it’s like double dipping without even meaning too (and you’re earning free money!). This is a great way to make money with Ibotta!
3. Watch for Recurring Rebates
As you use Ibotta for a little while, you’ll notice that some rebates will show up over and over again. This is by design, because even if you redeem a rebate, the rebate promotion AS A WHOLE is still going on.
This means you can take advantage by redeeming the same rebate during the rebate promotion period!
How do you do this? Simple. Ibotta has a rule of “one receipt per rebate,” meaning you cannot submit the same receipt for multiple identical rebates.
The workaround though, is to pay for a second item separately – specifically, an item that you’re pretty sure will show up again.
The name-brand yogurt I mentioned earlier is a perfect example of this. Because the bonus rebate requires you to redeem the individual rebate 3 times, you know that it will show up again once you’ve redeemed it.
Now, I know you don’t want to go to the store multiple times during the week. Because you have 7 days AFTER you purchase to submit your receipt (more on that below), go ahead and buy the second container of yogurt now. Redeem your rebate as soon as you get home.
Then, check the Ibotta app again in 2-3 days. Since the promotion is still going on, the yogurt rebate should be back and you can submit your second receipt for that second rebate!
4. Buy the Smallest Container
Many rebates will say “valid on any variety, any size.” Use these to your advantage and buy the smallest and ideally, the cheapest size you can. This will give you the most savings and maximum profit!
Continuing with the yogurt example, let me show you how you can practically make money with Ibotta just by choosing a smaller container. Let’s assume for these scenarios that a single serving container (about 5oz) is $1 where a 32 oz container is $4.
Example 1: Use the rebates on the 5 oz containers:
3 yogurts x $1 each = $3 total – 50¢ (x3) individual rebates – 50¢ bonus rebate = $1 out of pocket
Example 2: Use the rebates on the 32 oz containers:
3 yogurts x $4 each = $12 total – 50¢ (x3) individual rebates – 50¢ bonus rebate = $10 out of pocket
Just by choosing the smaller container, we’re saving $9 on yogurt alone!
5. Shop at the Dollar Stores
Not all “dollar store” are created equal, but for those where everything truly is just one dollar, definitely use the Ibotta app when you shop there!
As I type this, there are 23 rebates available at Dollar Tree.
Of those rebates, 9 are for $1 – which means 100% FREE products.
There are also 4 rebates worth MORE than $1 – which means making a profit when you purchase those items!
Shopping at the dollar store is an easy way to MAKE MONEY with Ibotta!
6. Use Your Price Book to Price Shop for Best Deals
Creating a price book is the easiest way to know what stores have the best deals on items you buy most often. I wrote about how to make a price book here, and gave a real life example of how a price book can save you money here.
Note: A price book is one of the best ways to get the rock bottom prices on your most purchased items! Learn more about using a price book and all my money saving strategies in Grocery Budget Bootcamp.
If you use your price book to go to the store that has the best deal, you can not just save money, but MAKE money with Ibotta.
For example, right now there is a 25¢ rebate for a single pouch of Justin’s brand peanut butter. These pouches cost $1.19 at my local Kroger, but they’re only 50¢ at Sprouts! If I were to shop Sprouts instead of Kroger, I’m automatically saving another 69¢ on top of the rebate!
7. Stack Rebates Together
There are times when there are rebates for a specific brand of something, as well as “any brand” rebates. When this happens, you can redeem both by purchasing just one item!
For example, not long ago there were two rebates available for ground beef:
- 25¢ off any brand
- 75¢ off Laura’s Lean Beef
This means that you get both the 25¢ rebate AND the 75¢ rebate just by buying ONE package of Laura’s Lean Beef!
You can see the image above for “any brand” bread and Mikey’s sliced bread. If you bought one package of Mikey’s sliced bread, you’d qualify for BOTH rebates!
8. Stacking Rebates with Sales and Coupons
I did quit using coupons a couple years ago, but I simply cannot mention the tremendous savings when you stack rebates with sales and coupons. Let me walk you through this for a second.
Coupons are usually released to coincide with sale prices. Ibotta rebates are a form of advertising that work similarly to coupons.
This means if you find a rebate in Ibotta, there’s a good chance the item is currently on sale or will be on sale the next week… which means there’s a decent chance there will be a coupon in the Sunday paper too.
In short, we have a triple whammy: sale + coupon + rebate app(s)
Let’s use the example of Laura’s Beef from above. When those two Ibotta rebates were available, there “just so happened” to be a printable coupon for $1 off each package available too. Instead of paying the sale price of $5.99/lb (my local prices, and they might be different for you), you now pay just $3.99 per pound!
Coupons for real food don’t come around that often, but that’s why I like Ibotta so much – you can save on healthy food without even trying!
9. Look for Deals on Low Priced Items
You can really maximize your savings with Ibotta when you combine rebates with items that are already a low price to begin with.
The example I mentioned earlier of the single pouch of Justin’s peanut butter fits here. Be on the lookout for other single-serve items that are regularly priced around $1 each. Granola bars, yogurt drinks, dried fruit bars and flavored yogurt are just a few examples.
While I typically make homemade granola bars and homemade yogurt, sometimes it’s nice to try something new or in a different flavor. It’s also nice to have items like this on-hand for a quick toss-in-the-bag snack or for when the kids go on a field trip and need a completely disposable lunch. I aim to pay just 25¢ for each of these single-serve items, and using Ibotta helps me reach that price!
10. Look at Rebates with Multiple Items Listed
Some rebates require you to purchase multiple items in order to qualify, like an avocado + taco shells, or beer + oranges.
Don’t ignore these rebates, because they might be something you were going to buy anyway!
Let’s use the Laura’s Beef for example again. The same time the beef rebates were available, there was a rebate for $5 off Goose Island IPA beer.
Now if you were already going to buy beer AND ground beef (having a cookout maybe?), then it would be wise to get Goose Island and take advantage of that rebate AND the rebate for the ground beef too!
11. Build a Team
Ibotta is not an MLM company, but they do encourage you to become teammates with other Ibotta users because together you can earn more money! If you sign up with my link, you’re automatically a member of my team!
Remember the bonus rebates I told you about earlier? Some of them are team rebates, meaning the rebates your teammates redeem also count towards your monthly bonus. It’s a win win!
For example, this month’s bonus was for ME to redeem 9 rebates and my TEAM to redeem $6 worth of rebates. That might be tough to reach if your team has only one or two members, but the bigger your team, the easier and faster it is to earn free money!
12. Look Up Items As You Shop
When I first started using Ibotta, there were a few rebates that I thought the item I bought qualified, but it didn’t.
To avoid this happening (and avoid not earning the rebate), make sure the item qualifies before you put it in your cart.
To do this, open the rebate within Ibotta and scroll down until you see the “check product barcode” button. Click the button and scan the item. Ibotta will tell you if it qualifies or not.
If it works, put it in your cart. If it doesn’t, try a different item or re-read the rebate description to ensure you’re looking for the right item.
A cool perk to this is if the item qualifies, the scanning in the store counts for verifying your purchase. This means that when you get home and unload the groceries, you won’t have to scan the item again!
13. Keep your Receipts!
I briefly mentioned this earlier, but now you have more than one reason to keep your grocery receipts because you can unlock a rebate up to 7 days AFTER you make a purchase!
Rebates are officially released on Thursdays, but they sometimes can take a few days before they’re live in the app. My suggestion is to check for new rebates on Thursdays and go ahead and shop. Then when Sunday night comes, do a quick once-over to see if any rebates were added for things you already bought. If so, add the rebate to your list and redeem that cash!
This 7 day rule also means you can divide your purchases into separate transactions as needed to take advantage of recurring rebates, like the yogurt example I talked about before. Checking the bonus section of the Ibotta app would be wise before you go shopping, so you can see if anything on your list should be made on separate receipts!
14. Save on Mobile Shopping
Ibotta has rebates for mobile shopping too. The “mobile” category shows you all the mobile options, and this also changes depending on the season.
For example, during Valentine’s Day there were rebates for shopping for flowers through BloomThat. As of this posting, there’s a 10% rebate for Delivery.com too. If you’re going to order take out, why not make money using Ibotta while you’re at it?!
As a rule of thumb, I always buy Groupons through Ibotta because there’s a recurring 40% rebate available. I also shop Jet.com through Ibotta to get 5% cash back on my purchases.
Since I find shopping on my phone to be difficult sometimes, I prefer to shop from my computer first and put everything I want in my cart. You have to shop through the Ibotta app to redeem the rebate, so when I’m ready, I go to Ibotta and finish the checkout process there.
15. Save at the Commissary
We’re not a military family, but I have friends who are and they almost always shop the commissary. While the commissary accepts manufacturer coupons and military coupons, they do not accept grocery store coupons and you can only use one coupon per item.
Now that Ibotta has added the commissary as a store option, you can shop at the commissary AND redeem the rebates!
16. Save on Warehouse Memberships
Finally, there’s even a rebate for a Sam’s Club membership! Many people are hesitant to join a warehouse because of the membership fee, so this is a great way to save on that fee.
I save over $75 a month if I shop Costco instead of ALDI, and I know the prices for Sam’s Club are similar to Costco. This goes to show that shopping in bulk really does save you money, and using Ibotta to save on the membership fee is a no-brainer!
At first glance, you might notice a lot of processed goods on Ibotta. That doesn’t help out much with our real food goals! However, I’ve also found a lot of healthy options on Ibotta. In fact, I wrote up a whole tutorial on how to find those healthy food rebates on Ibotta!
Kayla
When mobile shopping on Ibotta do still get rebates such as $1.00 back for Aussie shampoo? Or does it only apply to something like 3% back in baby dept. Hope this made sense! Thanks!
Tiffany
If there’s a rebate for the store you’re shopping at, it should work whether in-store or online. Definitely check the fine-print though!
Alaina
If there is a rebate at Walmart and the same one at rite aid can I get the rebate for both if I purchase the item from both?
Tiffany
It depends – I would visit one store and redeem, and if it still shows up at the other store, redeem again!
Janice
Question: is this only for the USA?
Thanks
Tiffany
I couldn’t see anything that said it was only the US, so I’d give it a shot!
Melody
Just discovered ibotta recently, and am looking for tips and tricks! LOVE this post!! Thanks for sharing!!
Mary Brown
Hi, I’m new to ibotta your blog is most helpful. I the lower part of SC we have Bi Lo often run gift card deals and you get Plenti points for buying them to use for gas. This is helpful at times.
Kori Ireland
In regards to mobile shopping, they had a thing that said you cannot fill your cart and then checkout through ibotta to get the rebate. You must fill your cart in ibotta to get the rebate. On amazon, I do my searching elsewhere (computer or tablet) but add the final item to my wishlist. Then, in ibotta I go to my wishlist and add the item to my cart. It works that way!
Heidi
I agree with you. I believe that was an incorrect statement by Tiffany, about filling your cart first then going through the app to check out (however, I suppose it’s possible they have changed the rules since she posted that). I also have experienced that you must start through the ibotta app with an empty cart. Like you, I have also figured out the work around of putting things into my wishlist or favorites! 🙂
Michele
I know nobody has committed in months but im hoping someone can help answer my question. I to have ibotta. Only for a few mths. But unless im doing something wrong everytime I go on one of the storez any store even CVS or dollar tree. They all have the same exact stuff. Yhat cant be right
Tiffany
It’s right Michele – the brands you see negotiate for coupons and such with various stores, and then you see them in your app or in the Sunday newspaper. There are a few differences – I see it mostly when I look at a specific chain like Publix or Kroger, and then compare to Walmart.
MartyB
Yes Michelle. The most misleading thing about Ibotta is you see the same list of items at all stores. Then you buy the items, submit the receipt & learn the rebates are only honored if purchased at 1 or 2 stores. Once you scan any receipt from a store, it tells you what’s available from that store.
Jojo
I just linked my Food Lion card to the app and submitted my first receipt I assume because I use my card to check out. However, the rebates are still in effect on my app as if they were used because they haven’t got around to giving me credit yet. Soak, how my supposed to know what I already submitted if I buy so much stuff, and what if I went to the store nowAnd purchased those same items again and submitted the second receipt? What will they do, email me and tell me that the second receipt will not give me credit because they finally got around to giving me credit on that item from the first receipt? If that’s the case, this is ridiculous and that I have to remember all the rebates that I submitted on a big long receipt and then remember to not use them again until the loyalty card purchases actually kick in.
Jennifer
Is there a way to get Ibotta credit if you use Sam’s and Walmart’s scan and go apps – since you don’t have a paper receipt to scan?
Bethany
You wrote: “Rebates are officially released on Thursdays, but they sometimes can take a few days before they’re live in the app. My suggestion is to check for new rebates on Thursdays and go ahead and shop. Then when Sunday night comes, do a quick once-over to see if any rebates were added for things you already bought. If so, add the rebate to your list and redeem that cash!”
Are you saying to not upload that Thursday receipt right away? I was thinking I read that you should do it asap because there are only so many of each offer available and if you wait they might be all gone before you get around to uploading the receipt.
Tiffany
Hi Bethany! If you aren’t pressed for the deadline on the rebate (you can see when they each expire), then yes, I’d wait until Sunday. I haven’t seen Ibotta “run out” of certain rebates like other apps do (like Checkout 51).
Myrr
When it comes to multiple receipts for bonuses, any idea how long it has to be between receipts? Can I just buy the product 3x on three different receipts in the same trip?
Tiffany
Myrr – you have a 7 day window to claim a rebate on your receipt AND once you use your receipt, it can’t be used again. I’d recommend buying 2 items separately, claiming one receipt ASAP and the second as soon as the rebate re-populates (within 7 days).
Archana
When I buy an item and claim the rebate and due to some reason I decide to return the item what happens?
Does ibotta revert back?
Tiffany
I’m honestly not sure Archana. I haven’t run into this issue. I would suggest emailing Ibotta to see what they say.
Ranae
No… U still get savings from ibotta… I don’t think there really is a way for ibotta to know u returned an item…
ibotta user
Hi,
That is a very useful post for a newbie like me…Thanks for the effort. I have a doubt, can me and my partner use the same receipt and get paid for same rebates? Eg: I found a rebate for “Covergirl face product”. Can I get paid if I use same receipt but in 2 different phones (mine and my partner)
Tiffany
Hi there! To the best of my knowledge, no. Receipts can only be used once, for one rebate. But you can test to see if that’s valid!
Cinderella hamel
I have an Ibotta account. How can I join your team ?
Tiffany
Unfortunately Cinderella, you’d have to create a new account from a new device in order to join. 🙁
lo
Wondering about what you mean by one rebate per receipt. I have seen offers that say “valid for up to 5 items,” so you can buy up to 5 items (or whatever the limit may be) on the same receipt and still get the rebate x 5. Right?
The first time I uploaded my receipt it unlocked all the rebates by itself. The second time, however, I had to manually select the items it missed (a bunch!), then scan each barcode on the actual item. This is how I was able to see the option to get multiple rebates on the same (multiple) items; when you’re manually scanning in each item, it actually allows you to select the number of items you bought, then scan the SAME item 5 times.
Tiffany
You are correct Lo. If you find a rebate for yogurt that says “valid for up to 5 items on the same receipt,” then you can get the rebate for 5 yogurts on the same receipt. However, if you submit your rebate for yogurt today and then on Thursday they offer a new rebate for ketchup (that you also bought), you cannot submit the same receipt for ketchup b/c you’ve already submitted it once. Does that help clarify?
Rebekah
Very nice! You know more than I do about some of the perks of Ibotta, so thank you for sharing, I learned some new stuff today 😀
jessie
The logic is flawed on the yogurt example. Yes you spent $9 more, but you didn’t save $9 by buying the smaller size because you have 1/6 the amount of yogurt as if you had bought the large ones. You would need to compare 6 small containers with one large container to make a comparison on the same amount of yogurt. You would end up paying $2.50 for six small, or $3 for one large. Saves you $.50 for every six small containers you buy. And you would actually still have a little less yogurt (2 oz). Still discounts add up, but no where near $9.
Tiffany
Jessie – I completely understand your math, but the example isn’t comparing the best price per ounce of yogurt, rather how to spend the least amount of money out of pocket. If I weren’t using Ibotta, I’d go your route for sure. BUT if the whole point it to reduce what you spent out of pocket entirely, then the example in the post stands.
Shannon
Wha, pray tell, is the point of paying more for less food just to get a bigger rebate?
Tiffany
That’s the thing Shannon – you don’t pay more for less food. Only use Ibotta for the things you’re buying anyway!
Jenni
It’s all about cash flow sometimes. We all have to eat. But there’s not always unlimited funds. If you’re already over budget and your kid wants yogurt, it would stand to reason that aquiring a yogurt for 25 cents is better than paying 50 cents. Kid probably won’t notice or care if it’s a 4oz yogurt vs a 6 oz yogurt.
Dianah
My friend got a discount through ibotta for Amazon prime, don’t quote me as to how or what but she has her Amazon account link to her ibotta account. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to link my Amazon account to my ibotta account? I have had Amazon prime for several years now so I did not know if that would be the problem? Because I already have one. Somewhat of topic sorry. Just can’t seem to find an answer.
Tiffany
Hi Dianah! I’ve never seen Amazon w/in my Ibotta either, so if your friend found it, it must be a regional or random thing. Ibotta shouldn’t know whether or not you already have Amazon, but if you have this rebate and don’t have Amazon Prime, that’s a great deal!
Jackie Bovine
Ibotta offers me a $20 Amazon gift card for signing up for Amazon Prime.
Tiffany
Yes! That rebate was added after I originally wrote this post. Definitely take advantage of it!
Mustang036
You need to add Amazon Mobile to your favorite places to shop.Exsiting Amazon account does not qualify for rebate for having Amazon Prime, amazon kindle, etc.
Melissa
Can you use Ibotta only with a computer if you don’t have a smart phone?
Tiffany
Hi Melissa! You can browse rebates on Ibotta on the computer, but to redeem the rebates you do need a smartphone.
Tracey Fleger
Does it have to be a smartphone? Or, can it be an iPhone?
Tiffany
An iPhone is a smartphone. 😉
Kelly
You are so awesome! I am so appreciative of your helpful tips on saving money! xoxo
Deb
I’ve been an iBotta member for a while, but it’s been a while since I’ve used it, and I’d like to start up again. Is there a way to join your team if I’m already signed up? I follow your blog on Facebook, but I assume it won’t automatically find you based on that. Thanks!
Tiffany
Hi Deb! Unfortunately you can’t join my team if you already have an account UNLESS you sign up with a new device (so, if you got a new phone since you last use Ibotta and haven’t downloaded the app yet) and use a new email address.
Dixie
Tiffany thanks for all the info! Wish I had found you sooner. I started using Ibotta at beginning of month. I am amazed at how much I have earned. It’s so worth it. I do have a few questions. How can I email or get in touch with you? It’s frustrating when u purchase multiples on different receipts and takes so long to re appear in gallery because I’m wanted to earn all bonuses fir month and so far I only like one more. Also when u purchase in bulk like Sam’s the bar code is different than what is on receipt and u have to take pics of product bar codes wait for approval. Also how do you contact businesses to join Ibotta. Thanks Dixie
Klaw
Adding people as Facebook friends will add them to your Ibotta team also. Assuming your Facebook is connected. 🙂
Penny
I have never used Ibotta so my question is how do you get your money? Do you get a check, gift card, or what? Thanks for all the great information on this.
Tiffany
Hi Penny! You can cash out via Paypal or Venmo. Here’s more information on this (and I’ll update this post!): https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/02/ibotta-review/
emily
You con also redeem for gift certificates to big box stores like best buy and online retailers like Amazon. Recently there was even a $5 bonus if you redeemed 25 dollars to Buffalo Wild Wings.
Klaw
I just redeem for gift cards. I don’t have paypal or venmo.
It’s fun to get gift cards 😄