Ibotta review: is this the best cashback app available today?

Ibotta is one of the best cashback apps for real cash on groceries and online buys. Learn how it works, what you’ll earn, and its few drawbacks.

Ibotta is one of the best cashback apps available today for earning real cash on groceries, clothing, and online shopping.

It’s free to use, easy to navigate, and offers instant cashouts to PayPal or gift cards.

Still, it’s not perfect - so below, we’ll cover exactly how it works, what it does best, and where it falls short compared to other cashback apps.

What is Ibotta? 

Ibotta is a cashback app that pays real money when you shop online or in stores - not points or coupons.

Founded in 2012, it’s now one of the largest U.S. cashback platforms, with 50 million users who’ve earned over $1.5 billion to date.

Who is Ibotta for? 

Ibotta is for anyone in the United States who wants to make money back from their purchases, whether shopping physically or digitally.

How does Ibotta work? 

Ibotta lets you earn real cash back every time you shop, whether you’re buying online or in-store. Once you create an account in the Ibotta app (available only in the U.S.), you can choose from over 2,000 retailers and start earning right away.

There are three main ways to earn cash back:

• Loyalty account linking: Connect your store loyalty cards to Ibotta, and your earnings are added automatically after checkout, no receipts needed.
• Manual receipt upload: Shop in-store, add offers to your list before you buy, then upload your receipt to claim cash back.
• Online shopping: The easiest method - start your purchase from the Ibotta app, click “Shop,” and complete your order to get cash back.

It takes a bit of setup at first, and missing a step can mean missing your reward. But once you’ve used it a few times, Ibotta remembers your habits and suggests personalized offers, making it faster and easier to earn money back on things you already buy.

Ibotta's simple user interface  

Ibotta’s user interface is simple and accessible. There are only four options to choose from at the top of the home page, which are: 

• Search bar: Allows you to search for either a retailer or a product you want to buy. 
• Categories: Helps you to easily browse through the categories on offer. 
• Help: Takes you to a separate page with a range of support articles to guide you through the Ibotta process. 
• Wallet: This section displays the money you’ve earned so far as well as guiding you through the withdrawal process.  

Deals on Ibotta

Ibotta offers a wide range of cashback deals, but not every deal is identical for all users. Rewards can vary based on your account status, retailer, and purchase type. For instance, new users might see 4% cashback on a brand like Beam, while existing users earn 1%.

That’s not necessarily bad - it’s Ibotta’s way of rewarding new signups and rotating promos - but it does mean you should always double-check the fine print before buying.

Each offer comes with its own terms that affect whether you’ll earn cashback. For example:

• You must launch the offer directly from the Ibotta app or site.
• Cashback applies only to the subtotal (before tax and shipping).
• Only one shopping session per 24 hours counts.
• Gift card purchases usually don’t qualify.

Overall, Ibotta’s deals can be rewarding once you know the rules. Just make it a habit to open offers in-app and check the conditions before checking out.

Extra cash for referrals 

Another way to make extra cash from Ibotta is with its referral scheme. For every friend that you convince to sign up for Ibotta, using the referral code provided by the platform, you earn $7. They’ll also earn $5 for their troubles. 

While this scheme ultimately works in Ibotta’s favor, as they gain more users, $7 is a nice incentive for a low effort task.  

Where can you use Ibotta?

Ibotta stands out for its massive variety, with cashback offers from over 2,000 retailers. You’ll find deals for everyday essentials and big-name brands alike, so it’s easy to earn on purchases you already make.

Some of the most popular retailers include:

• Walmart
• Target
• Costco
• Best Buy
• Temu
• Adidas
• Lego
• Bose

From grocery runs to luxury buys, Ibotta covers nearly every spending category. You can even find localized stores alongside national chains, giving you plenty of ways to earn no matter how or where you shop.

Retailer categories 

Ibotta’s 2000+ retailers are split up into 19 different categories, ranging from food and drink to travel. As well as categorizing retailers, Ibotta also has categories for the cash back deals on offer. 

These are: 

Featured offers

These are special offers pinned to the top of the screen by Ibotta. They’re often deals for popular brands, such as Walmart, Home Depot, and Best Buy. 

Hot Deals

Ibotta’s Hot Deals feature temporary boosts in the amount of cashback you receive from certain retailers. In this case, the largest upgrade is an added 6% cashback if you shop at the sunglasses retailer Oakley. 

Bonuses

Bonuses are special offers which allow you to claim even more cashback if you meet certain requirements. The requirements don’t tend to be complex, with most requiring you to redeem a certain number of offers. 

How does Ibotta pay? 

Ibotta pays you real cash once you reach a $20 minimum balance. You won’t get paid instantly after each purchase, you’ll need to hit that threshold first.

When you’re ready to withdraw, you’ve got three payout options:

• Bank transfer: Send your earnings straight to your bank account (most major U.S. banks are supported).
• PayPal: Don’t have a supported bank? You can cash out through PayPal instead. Just note that small transaction fees may apply.
• Gift cards: Prefer store credit? Redeem your balance for gift cards from popular retailers, though some start at $25.

Before you can withdraw, you’ll need to:

1. Redeem at least one cashback offer.
2. Earn $20 or more in your account.
3. Wait seven days after your first redemption.

Once you cash out, expect your payment to arrive within five business days.

Pros and cons of Ibotta 

Pros  

• Wide range of retailers: Ibotta has partnered with over 2000 different retailers, meaning you’ll be able to earn cashback rewards in a wide variety of stores.  
• Low cash out threshold: Unlike a lot of cashback apps, Ibotta lets you cash out for a relatively low cash out threshold of $20. This will help you to start earning at a quicker rate. 
• Referral scheme: Ibotta offers a referral scheme, which pays you money for inviting friends to join the platform. It may not be a large sum, but it is a nice incentive for encouraging people on to join the platform.  
• Bonus deals: Ibotta’s bonus offers section rewards you with cash, coupons, or extra cashback if you complete certain requirements. These requirements will often be along the lines of completing three or more purchases using the platform.  
• Personalized deals: After using Ibotta for a while, the platform will remember the products you buy regularly. It will then offer you personalized deals for the specific retailer 

Cons

• Only available in the US: Unfortunately, Ibotta is only active within the US. Users won’t even be able to sign up for the platform if they live outside of the US.  
• Deals are inconsistent: While a deal may be advertised on the main Ibotta page as being 4% cashback, this isn’t always the case in reality. A lot of deals on the platform are geared toward new users, with existing users often receiving a smaller percentage of cashback. 
• Earning cashback can be complex: While it’s easy enough to get set up on Ibotta, there are a few small steps that can be difficult to remember when redeeming cashback. For example, when shopping in-store, you have to remember to add your product to your retailer list before buying it. 

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