What is Ibotta and is it legit?
Yes, Ibotta is legit, and here’s why.
We all shop. But wouldn’t it be nice to get paid to shop?
Ibotta is a free app that lets you earn cashback and save money every time you shop in-store or online with hundreds of US retailers.
The perfect side hustle, the Ibotta app lets you earn cash back and other rewards every time you shop.
It really couldn’t be more simple to have a paying passive income or side hustle.
What is a passive income?
Before we get to our Ibotta review and decide whether it’s legal or not, let’s start by doing a little digging on the subject of passive income.
Don’t worry, it’ll all come together pretty quickly.
Getting more out of your purchase
Imagine buying online like you always do but now with the added rewards for each purchase. That’s exactly how our rewards app works. And best of all, it’s free!
As passive income as a side hustle
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a passive income, or side hustle, is defined as the following: ‘A piece of work or a job that you get paid for doing in addition to your main job’.
However, don’t think of a side hustle as a second or part-time job.
In a part-time job, you have to follow the rules and clock in and out on time. Someone else controls your working environment, and your pay, and can even terminate your service at the drop of a hat.
That’s not how a side hustle works.
A side hustle gives you the freedom to choose where and when you work, how much you want to do, and even how you get paid.
For any side hustle, you’re probably going to need a bank or PayPal account to process your payments.
Some good examples of passive incomes are:
- Taking surveys
- Becoming a brand ambassador
- Getting paid to shop
- Doing some online teaching
- Mystery shopping
- Joining a cash back platform (like Ibotta – I told you it would come together pretty quickly)
And hundreds of others.
How does Ibotta cash back work?
In-store shopping
Once you download the Ibotta app you’re ready to start shopping and save money.
Your Ibotta account and app give you a selection of ways to save cash with every purchase you make. If it even helps you find offers on individual products or gives you instant cash back for your every qualifying purchase.
Using the Ibotta app you can earn as you shop in hundreds of the US’s top retailers and local stores. That means you can earn cash back on stuff you buy every day.
Here are 4 ways the Ibotta app can help you with in-store shopping:
- By linking loyalty accounts – The Ibotta app can link directly to your favorite store’s loyalty account. When you use your loyalty card at the checkout, your purchases will be linked to any available offers and you’ll receive cash back in your Ibotta account within 24 hours.
- Upload receipts – After shopping, simply submit a photo of your receipt to the Ibotta app and get cash back on all qualifying purchases.
- Gift cards – When you purchase gift cards from your favorite retail stores or restaurants, you can immediately get cash back on the entire amount. The Ibotta app comes with a complete list of gift card retailers to make it even easier.
- Store alerts – When you enable the ‘Nearby Offer Alerts’ on the app, you’ll be notified when you’re near an Ibotta retailer so you can start shopping and earning on your everyday purchases.
Online shopping
It’s a matter of convenience whether you prefer in-store or online shopping.
Either way, the Ibotta free app gives you access to super cash back opportunities at hundreds of online stores, travel sites, hospitality sites, food delivery services, and so many more.
If you want to do your grocery shopping from home – don’t forget to link your purchases to the store’s loyalty program account – and earn cash back without leaving your house.
You can use your mobile or your computer to earn cash back, get exclusive offers, or arrange pickup and delivery of your online shopping items.
Ibotta account
And with more than 750 retailers, food delivery services, concert ticket outlets, and movie theatres to choose from, you’ll be spoiled for places to earn cash back.
As part of the Ibotta review, here’s just a small sample of the app’s cash back partners. These include many internationally acclaimed top brands and major retailers:
- Ace Hardware
- Macys.com
- Levis
- Michael Kors
- Ray-Ban
- Ticketmaster
- Urban Outfitters
- Expedia
- H&M
- JC Penny.com
These are just a small selection of the major store brands and online retailers that Ibotta has partnered with to let the consumer earn cash back and real rewards.
What is Ibotta best for?
Ibotta is a super easy way to earn cash back when you make regular purchases.
The app – that can be downloaded from Google Play Store – gives you different ways of making savings and earning extra cash and valuable rewards.
Ibotta app review – Pros
- You can combine cash back offers with discounts and coupons
- Earn cash back in the form of a $20 welcome bonus when you sign up
- Use ‘any brand’ opportunities to save on regular purchases. This option doesn’t limit you to a specific brand to make savings.
- Use the in-app scanner to discover if a product is eligible for a cash back bonus
- Refer a friend and earn cash and other extra rewards
- Link the app to your grocery store loyalty accounts
- Upload your receipts for extra cash back rewards
Free app payment choices
When it comes to cashing out your Ibotta rewards there are three payment methods. You can have your earnings transferred directly to your bank account, to your PayPal account, or you can redeem them as gift cards that can then by used to purchase more valuable goods.
Ibotta app review – Cons
- No cash back after purchase – Cash back offers can’t be applied after you’ve already made a purchase. You’ll need to plan your in-store or online purchases in advance to get extra money in your Ibotta account
- $20 threshold – Before you can draw down your Ibotta rewards to your PayPal account or bank account, you’ll have to earn $20 in cash back offers. Although, with a $15-$20 sign-up bonus, that shouldn’t be a problem.
- Maintenance fees – If you don’t use the app for 180 days, you’ll be charged a maintenance fee of $3,99 a month. You can avoid this deduction by taking advantage of at least one offer every 6 months.
Alternatives to Ibotta
With over 40 million users it’s fair to say that the Ibotta app is a legit way to make a rewards platform work for you.
Call it a side hustle or a passive income, retailers and marketers have learned the value of online rewards programs for engaging and attracting consumers. That’s why they’ve grown in popularity and in number so quickly.
There are hundreds of sites out there that want to reward you for your everyday purchases, for completing surveys, for viewing videos, for reading articles, or for simply offering your opinion.
From giant multinational retailers to convenience stores, liquor stores, pet stores, and grocery stores, it seems that everyone is getting in on the rewards program business.
Let’s take a look at some other money-saving apps to see if they’re up to scratch.
Swagbucks
Not only is Swagbucks a popular loyalty and consumer program around, but it’s also secure, and thoroughly dependable.
The free Swagbucks app makes saving money and getting great rewards easy, safe, and secure.
Members are rewarded with gift cards and cash back for simple tasks like conducting web searches, playing games, watching videos, answering questionnaires, and shopping online.
For taking part in these activities, members earn SB points that can then be easily redeemed for a whole range of gift cards, PayPal cash, and other great prizes. You’ll even earn cash back just for downloading and installing the Swagbucks browser extension.
Here are a couple of reasons why the Swagbucks app has been downloaded by so many:
- Swagbucks has partnered with over 7,000 top stores to bring you better deals
- You can scan your shopping receipts to earn extra cash back
- Make money for playing or installing featured games
- Earn cash, coupons, and promo codes by installing the Swagbucks browser extension
- Get paid for doing online surveys about food, travel, finance, and lots more
- Get access to valuable Swag Codes on social media or directly from the browser extension
- Win laptops, game consoles, SB points, and lots more by Entering the Swagstakes
- Earn rewards for searching the web using the Swagbucks search engine.
Monetha
Monetha is simply one of the best and easiest-to-use rewards program apps on the market. Its simplicity coupled with a wealth of real rewards, along with over 750 top-class partner stores makes Monetha a must-have passive earnings app to have on your phone.
Monetha is the easy way of earning cash for doing something you were probably going to do anyway. Plus, it lets you save money as you spend.
Here’s how it works.
Download the free Monetha app, become a member – for free – discover great deals, bargains, and discounts from a huge variety of stores, make a purchase, and get rewarded with Monetha points.
You can then exchange your Monetha points for gift cards from some of the world’s most well-known brands. You can also use your points to invest in cryptocurrency or exchange them to make a donation to a charity of your choice.
You can download the Monetha app here and start earning cash back today.
Getting more out of your purchase
Imagine buying online like you always do but now with the added rewards for each purchase. That’s exactly how our rewards app works. And best of all, it’s free!
Toluna
Operating as a market research company for well over twenty year, Toluna works in tandem with global companies to conduct surveys and research into market trends and consumer behavior.
When you sign up to Toluna you’ll earn rewards for completing surveys and giving your opinion on various goods and services. Simple, eh?
Once you sign up you can choose the categories that interest you. By choosing particular categories you can be an expert on particular topics.
This will give you a better earning experience and a better chance to earn free cash.
Additionally, the more information you provide about yourself – depending on how much time you’re willing to invest – the more survey opportunities you’ll disclose.
The surveys come in different types, from the very short to the much longer format. Obviously, a 20-minute survey lets you earn more points to redeem for cash back rewards than a 3-minute survey.
You can read a Toluna review here
Rakuten
Rakuten is similar to the Monetha rewards app, a platform where you can start earning real cash back for shopping in a selection of over 3,600 stores.
It’s easy and free to sign up for and the premise is simple.
Online shopping outlets pay Rakuten for sending you to their website or store. In turn, Rakuten pays you – in the form of cash back – a portion of their fee. Every time you go shopping online with Rakuten’s partner stores you’ll earn money that will be paid to you every 3 months – you’ll also earn a cash bonus just for signing up.
Your payments will be paid by check or PayPal with no fees and no forms.
If you’re feeling even a little skeptical, you’ll be happy to know that since its foundation in 1998 Rakuten has paid out over $1 billion in cash back to its members.
Survey Junkie
Another site that gives you cash back for your survey answers is Survey Junkie.
Like most survey cash back apps, Survey Junkie is designed for people with time on their hands and who want to convert that time into a little cash.
Survey Junkie is a legit site founded on the basis of a market research company. To put it simply, they value your opinions (or rather their clients do) on a whole range of topics.
To get those opinions they’re willing to pay for it.
Once you start taking surveys you’ll earn rewards in the form of points. These points can then be redeemed for PayPal cash or a wide range of valuable gift cards.
As part of the process, Survey Junkie will ask for a lot of information – some very personal – to ensure that you’re matched to the right survey. But don’t forget, all of the information you provide is voluntary and you can choose to walk away anytime you like.
Survey Junkie has an SSL Certificate which is only awarded to safe websites.
Inbox Dollars
As the name suggests, your inbox is the key to earning cash online in your spare time.
You can get paid for reading emails, playing online games, completing surveys, or just browsing online. That means you get paid for doing what you normally do anyway.
You can even earn real cash for doing your regular grocery shopping and access great cash back deals for buying your favorite products.
Plus, you can earn even more cash just by scanning your shopping receipts. How cool is that?
Working differently from most rewards sites – where you earn points that can be exchanged for gift cards and other rewards – with Inbox Dollars you get paid in real currency.
Ibotta review: conclusion
If you’ve got some spare time on your hands and want to turn it into cash back savings, there’s a huge selection of rewards, survey, and questionnaire apps out there waiting to get you started.
Whether you choose Ibotta or Monetha, or any other reward site, it’s easy to find one that suits your free time and your interests.
Whichever one you choose to help you with your side hustle, be sure to ask online about its reputation and its security. There are still a lot of scamming sites out there waiting to steal your personal details without giving you any rewards for your time.
If you want to make the most of your side hustle, stick to the sites with trusted reviews from online platforms like Which and Trustpilot.
Cashback with every purchase
Shop via Monetha’s app and get rewarded with every purchase you make. Accumulate points and spend them on thousands of available gift cards. Fast, easy, reliable – Monetha is your gateway to huge savings!
