We have more requests for an Ibotta review than any other app. Which makes sense since the Ibotta app is a simple way to save money every week on groceries. But, is it worth it? Let’s find out. (Want to cut to the chase? It’s TOTALLY worth it!)
For a limited time, you can even get $10 to try Ibotta by using this link to join!
Quick update, before I tell you how I use Ibotta, and give you the results of what we got in gift cards without changing our spending habits, I wanted to say that I know how stressful finances are right now especially with groceries. I also know that I’m uniquely qualified to help you. I’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people get out of the paycheck to paycheck cycle (after trying and failing for years), by teaching them how to work with their unique personality to actually stick to a budget.
I also realize that this app (which is still pretty amazing) isn’t a miracle worker. And that a lot of you need ALOT more help than just an easy couponing app. A lot of you need to save hundreds, if not thousands a month and constantly set and blow the grocery budget every single month.
So I’m also giving you access to the insanely popular 90 Day Budget Bootcamp for FREE. Because I know that this program will change every aspect of your life. Take a look around. Because this is the LAST DAY you will ever sit around worrying about money. Let’s get to work.
Join the 90-day Budget Bootcamp for FREE here…
Sorry, but if you’re looking for a fast way to reduce your grocery spending… then that needed to be said. Now back to Ibotta…
Have you ever seen something that you thought you would really like but don’t have the time, money or motivation to try it for yourself? Maybe you saw the post on Pinterest about making cinnamon rolls in a waffle iron (it works, but then you just east WAY more)? Maybe you saw on Facebook that someone made a week’s worth of salad stuffed in mason jars and really loved the idea but didn’t want to waste all of that salad if they got soggy the second day (it’s genius- I tried it and have done it for years now). You’ve come to the right place!
In this series, we take an idea that we’re interested in and give it a try. We analyze the time, effort and cost, and decide whether it was worth it or not. If you want to cut to the chase, Just look at the last paragraph to determine if it was worth it. This week we’re doing exactly that by giving you an Ibotta review to see how much you can save on your groceries with this free app.
One of my IRL (in real life) friends posted her yearly account balance with programs like Ibotta on social media, where I follow her. She had “made” (or saved, depending on how you look at it), over $600 in a year using programs like this. Surprisingly, the comments on her status were pretty negative.
Most people seemed to think that she would have had to spend too much to “save” that amount. I knew it was a legit way to save (I’m close enough to her that we had talked about it) but hadn’t had time to branch out into it. So, I added it to my new series, “Worth It?” to find out for myself.
It was clear we need an Ibotta app review.
What is Ibotta?
It’s a FREE app that lets you get cash rebates (not points to track or any of that) on STORE BRANDS (or actually, any brand).
If you just buy the cheapest item (usually a generic or store brand), then you need this app. You get small cash rebates (about 20 cents) on things like milk, apples, shredded cheese, frozen veggies, tomatoes, bananas, eggs, bread, and pasta. You can buy any brand of those products and still get the rebate.
They have tons of other rebates on national brands as well, including organics. Companies like Ragu, Seventh Generation, Pampers, Hormel and more have rebates available. Often the national brands are worth more (like $3 off a bag of Pampers Diapers).
It gets better though! You can also earn money from team rebates. For example, this month, if your team earns $10 in a month, and you earn $5, you’ll get a bonus of $2. If your team continues to save, you can earn more and more. Which is why you want to be on my team!
I can help you earn bonuses because I use the app like crazy. I’m up to $18 in rebates from the last two weeks alone! Make sure that you sign up under this link so that you can get the team bonuses!
Ibotta is usually competing with Rakuten as the “Best Cash Back App”, and they go back and forth as to which is more popular. I think both are great (I use Rakuten to0 but they’re typically used for online purchases and Ibotta is typically used for groceries).
Of course, I’ve already cashed out my first $30 (earned last month) to make absolutely sure there were no issues. I chose to have it transferred straight to my Pay Pal account and the money was there within 5 minutes of hitting the cash out button.
How much time does it take to use Ibotta?
No Ibotta review would be complete without breaking down how much time you spend to save money though.
For this week, I used 16 generic brand rebates. It took me 5 minutes total to unlock the rebates (you watch a 15 second Ibotta ad for each). Really, though, I would only count half of that time since, I was working on my grocery list and only pausing enough to hit play. I verified the purchases in store (it took me less than a minute for all- I just kept the app up and swiped the barcodes as I put them in the cart). When I got back in the car, I uploaded the receipt before I even drove away using the app (I just lay it on the steering wheel and took a photo), Which took me less than a minute. In total, this took me less than 7 minutes.
What did I save?
This week, just on the generic “any brand” offers, I saved $3.20, this would equal out to be $166 in a year.
Last week, when I couponed, I’ve saved $9.70 by spending less than I usually do on groceries through couponing combined with the Ibotta app. I was able to snag $100 worth of groceries for $50 in one trip and $120 worth of groceries for $60 in another trip. I’d have to keep getting lucky with high dollar rebates on things I use, but let’s just say that happened, I could save $504.00 in a year. Not to mention bonuses, anywhere around $60 a year in team bonuses (assuming a conservative $5/month team bonus earning).
Even, if you don’t coupon at all, and you only buy a few basic groceries a week, a very conservative estimate of $2.00 a week would lead to a yearly savings of $104. Even at that rate, you’d be eligible for team bonuses assuming the other members of your team are using the app (which is why you should join my team!), so add in another $2 a month and you’re up to $128/year.
Dangers of Ibotta:
Update (2023): I’ve used Ibotta successfully for years now, and I’m often surprised to see posts like this one or a social media post saying that they think of Ibotta as a scam. I can say that Ibotta definitely isn’t a scam, you need to earn $20 to make a withdrawal (which is a common misunderstanding), we let the money accumulate all year and take a withdrawal in November to add to Christmas funds. When my kids were little, this actually paid entirely for our moderate Christmas (we combined it with our Rakuten earnings).
I think the bigger danger of using Ibotta is that there’s a recent realization that when it’s not clear how a company like Ibotta makes money, your data is usually the way they make money. This concept was made popular by The Social Dilemma Movie .
In Ibotta’s case, they make money with affiliate income (so Yoplait or another large company offers them a portion of their sales when their users buy Yoplait using those coupons, and through advertising (seeing ads while you use Ibotta) and they may sell non personalized data For example- they may sell data that they’ve compiled that says that 85% of their users that buy Yoplait yogurts also buy Sarah Lee Bread (which is a stat that I just made up), but not that Emma Roberts (or whoever) buys Yoplait and Sarah Lee Bread). This doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but I mention it in case you’re super sensitive to stuff like that.
If it helps, Consumer Reports recommends Ibotta (read their article here) and they have a 4 star rating on BBB *Better Business Bureau).
Ibotta Review- Well, Is it worth it?
Yes! This is an amazing saving opportunity for people that are too busy to coupon!
Now, I’m not bashing couponers! I love coupons and have started using them heavily. But a lot of you may not be ready for that. You may be overwhelmed handling what you have now and don’t want to pile on more. I completely get that.
This is why you need this!
It’s such a painless way to save and it really adds up, especially if you just leave it in your account to cash out right before the Holidays. Wouldn’t an extra $200 or so be welcomed right before Christmas?
If you coupon, this is a no-brainer. You can use the Ibotta app in addition to store sales, and coupons, so it’s one more way to get free or almost free products.
Heads up: For a limited time, Ibotta is giving you a $10 bonus when you get your first rebate back! You can grab that here.
P.S. Don’t forget to use this link when you sign up so I can help you earn the bonus cash: https://ibotta.com/r/fcetinx
P.P.S. If you clicked on any of the other links in this post for Ibotta and are now staring at this going “Doh! I wanted to be on her team!”, fear not! All the links on this page are for my team. 🙂
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So, that’s my Ibotta review. Did you learn anything new?
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Got my mom and I signed up for Ibotta in April and we’ve each saved over $20 so far in 2 months and every little bit counts. Love it when I can use a coupon and Ibotta for the same item. Ended up with Challenge cream cheese for $.26 last week
I’m changing my original opinion of Ibotta. I thought it was great before, but then I noticed that the generic items I was using a lot before (milk, eggs, bacon, yogurt, bananas) aren’t every on there anymore, so I wasn’t saving as much each trip. I mentioned it to my mom and she say, “I have milk on mine this week.” So I started to wonder if as you use it longer, if you start seeing the generic items that you use frequently, less and less. To test this, I had my husband start his own account, and sure enough all the generic items I was missing on mine are on his. This is still a good app and I’m still saving money on the name brand items, just not as much as before the generic stuff started to disappear. Call me a skeptic, but I think the program slowly takes away the generics you use a lot when you’ve been using the app for a little while. So I cashed mine out and my husband has been using his to maximize our savings while the generics are still available to him.
I could be wrong (I’ve only used it for a few months), but I think what it is is the bonuses you need to activate). I have between 5 and 20 generic items, depending on what bonuses I activate.
I’ve noticed that when you have a generic item the app allows a certain amount of purcheses of these items. One month I was able to buy 2 gallons of milk then the rebate was gone. This isn’nt a big beal for me though because my household doesn’t drink a lot of milk but if you want a real boost punch in my code at start up “xsomxtk”.
I agree. I haven’t even had many staple items like eggs, coffee, milk, etc. Very few if any fruits and vegetables fresh. I only shop for two, so it’s been harder to even get a rebate uness I buy something I don’t really need.
I wondered about that. Things that I bought stopped showing up.
It took me over 1.5 years to earn $40. Including the $10 bonus and $5 from a friend joining.
I still use it. I need to join this team.
I’ve been on Ibotta for a couple of months and I’m just starting to use it. I forgot that I had joined! How do I add teammates? I would love to join your team.
That’s the one downfall. The only way to add team mates (except for signing up using their code) is by being personal “friends” on Facebook. You can sign up using a different email address and just use that one if you want to be on my team, but really the reason you would want to do that is to get the bonus money from having active users as friends. If you connect your current account to facebook and see 3 or 4 friends that use the app regularly or just one or two friends that use the app heavily, you’ll be able to earn your bonuses through them. You just don’t want to be stuck without friends using the app, because you give up about $3/month.
That sure is unfortunate !! ):
I love Ibotta! When I first started using it I was so intimidated and got it all wrong the first 10, or so, times I tried it but now that I know what I am doing, I have already gotten two pay outs since last November. That isn’t a huge thing, yes, but it is only 2 of us I buy for and only every 2 weeks.
Have you tried Checkout 51? I used to like that one better, it was easier but lately I only get about 0.25 a week from them. Their selection of rebates seems to have gotten smaller, lately.
Thanks for all you do!!
I had already signed up before I read this. Is it still possible for me to join your team?
Bummer! It;s not Jayme… Connect the app to Facebook though and search your friends… as long as you have friends on Facebook that you the app, you’ll be ok. If you don;t you can sign up through my link with a different email address and just use that one. 🙂
This is the first time I’ve come across this issue. I happen to finish a shopping trip to Walmart where I managed to get nine dollars in rebates (they were all items I needed). However I scanned all the items correctly (they all matched), they all matched the rebate, and I scanned the QR code. What usually takes a day or so, is taking much longer. I can’t help but think it is because the rebate amount was so high. They’re telling me they can’t read the receipt but the QR code should have fixed that, as well as the fact that I’ve had other receipts in worse light (Safeway in this instance) get recognized quickly the only mitigating factor was that the rebate was much less. I’m curious if this has happened to others.
Hey Cecilia, I’ve definitely had more then $9 in rebates in a single trip and still got the rebate. I bet it’s just running slow to apply. I notice that happens on the weekends sometimes.
I have just had the exact same thing happen today using ibotta at Walmart. I should have had $4 in rebates (more than usual for me) and I got an email a little later saying my receipt couldn’t be read. I used the QR code like always and it “read” it perfectly well when I scanned the receipt. I’ve tried it three more times with the same result. I emailed ibotta but haven’t yet received a response.
If I am already set in in I Botta is there a way to hook up team? I only see my referral code, no way to enter yours 🙁
The only way I know to do that is to sign up with another email. 🙁
How is the money distributed if the money goes to one account from the savings? I have not joined yet — but, I have my sisters, son daughters, nieces, nephew and friends that would benefit and I would not want to recommend if it is a scam. Please explain how we can benefit or do we have to make our own team? Thank you very much!
Hi! It’s really simple actually- they just credit your account for the amount you earn and then you can transfer your money to your paypal account and then your bank. If you don’t use paypal, you can just use it for an amazon gift card.
I love Ibotta!! It actually makes grocery shopping kinda fun!
Have you tried Mobisave? It works similar to Ibotta, but there is no minimum payout and the rebates are sent immediately to your Paypal! Check it out: http://mypocketjingles.blogspot.com/2015/11/mobisave-app-review.html
I used mobisave to test it, but we didn’t find enough to make it worth it to me. We seem to buy a ton of generic and then allergy friendly foods for name brand so most of the other rebate apps don’t work as well for us. Glad you found it though!
My referral code is wrlrrst add me to your team we will make lots of money together!!
🙂
Please join my team.
Here is my referral link https://ibotta.com/r/uyvcpyt and my code is uyvcpyt
Let’s make money together!!
I’d love if someone wants to use my code to sign up ?
I’ve already earned $53 back in less than 2 months!! This app is fantastic. https://ibotta.com/r/wdqunvy
Just curious – when you click on someone’s code to join their team, you have the option of signing up through Facebook or with your email. It says you’ll save more with Facebook signup – does it actually make a difference?
Yep! If you connect to facebook and you have FB friends that use it, you get bonuses ont heir earnings.
I like Ibotta, I have earned $18 in a couple of months or so and it takes very little time to unlock rebates and photograph receipts. However, I’m wondering how you cashed out $18 to PayPal when on mine it says $20 minimum?
It used to be $15, they probably just changed the minimum over time. I always make more than that in a month so I don’t remember when they changed it.
I have been using this app since last year and have gotten over a $100 back (make sure to keep an eye out for bonuses your team bonuses, plus bonuses they randomly add – i got a great bonus twice doing NFL superbowl time a game day bonus – plus team bonus). I also cross apply my Walmart Savings Catcher which is on the Walmart app, and a few other rebate apps (Mobisave,Checkout 51, and SavingsStar, and sometimes use paper and electronic coupons – a lot of times i end up with money back on items because a lot rebate apps have the same items listed for rebates back plus i have a coupon 🙂
I love the extra bonuses!
Ibotta is great. I use it to save money for Christmas or birthdays. My referral code is n9rvnw. You’ll get $10 after your first rebate.
links.
I save about $20 every 5 weeks which I put toward girl trips. My problem in my rural area they took my IbottA scanner areas out so its a bit more complicated but I have made it work
Ibotta scanner areas?
I signed up about a week ago using one of your links and it didn’t add me to your team! Kind of bummed.
🙁 You can try again and write in the refferal code if that helps!
I followed the link & when I put in my age it says “you must be at least 13 years of age” – I am. I kept tapping back to 1963, hit save, or set – not quite sure which one. Now, when I try to use the link it gives me the same message. I’d really like to join under you. Any suggestions? Thank you ?
That’s likely a bug. All apps have them. If you update the app and try again it should work fine. (Also- feel free to choose a different birth year- you’re just telling them that your over 13, you don’t have to tell them your actual year)
I got an error message after entering my date of birth. I tapped back to March 2,1963. After I hit save, or set, I don’t remember which one- the message said “you must be at least 13 years of age” ? Quite obviously I am. Now when I try to use the link to start over the age message comes up. I want to sign up under your group. Any suggestions? Thank you
Is there a way to join your team if I already had ano account to set up?
The only way I know is to sign up with a new email address:(
It may take a while, Am I on there now?
I tell EVERYONE about Ibotta!
I must have had Snap after Groupon bought them, I thought it sucked too. 🙂
Hi!
I’m already an Ibotta user for over a year and I love it! However, I am a solo user and would LOVE to join your team to maximize savings! Do you know how we can connect without me having to set up a new account and lose the savings I’ve accrued?
Thanks!!
I signed up today and am on your team!! 😀 But it doesn’t say anything about the $10 cash out rebate for my first receipt! Do you know if it will give it to me when i have enough to cash out?
The $10 comes through when you verify your first purchases Sydney! 🙂
This website is a waste of time! I’m committed to getting my 20 whole foods gift card. I’ve been 3 dollars away for 2 weeks. It keeps saying it can’t read my receipts. It is so frustrating!!! My time is worth more than I’ve been saving. The app needs a better system of reading the receipts. Use ebates! I’ve gotten 650$ back in a year and didn’t have to do spend a second verifying a purchase.
I absolutely love Ibotta! I go through spells with it, where i forget to use it, but I’m trying to stay on track with it now. I’ve used it off and on for a couple years, (more off than on until about a year ago) and have already over 250 in lifetime rebates!
I don’t have a smart phone, Can I use my iPad or Samsung tablet
Check out Ibotta to get cash back! Use my referral code, rtcoslw, and you can earn an extra $10. Sign up at https://ibotta.com/r/rtcoslw
I’ve been using it to pay for movies. I also love the clothing rebates; I shop at Soma, so I have bought things there a couple of times and gotten $10 in one shot. I also craft, and if I need something specific, Joann’s has a coupon for $5 back for $30. At Christmas, it was $5 for $15 spent. I’ve redeemed that several times. I have nearly $300 in earnings, and I’ve only been doing this since July. That is nearly $300 in movies on my iTunes account; allowing me to spend that money on other things!
Wow, that’s awesome! Way to go 🙂
Ibotta hooks you with the plentiful “any brand” offers at first. Then they slowly disappear. “Well, why are you complaining about free money?” Because there’s a $20 minimum to withdraw. I’ve had Ibotta for about a year and have yet to meet the minimum and get any of the money I’ve earned because 1. they stop offering the easy “any brand” coupons after you’ve used it a few weeks; 2. I don’t waste money on the name brand junk foods they only offer coupons on after that point; and 3. I’m not interested in becoming one of those people who constantly begs their Facebook friends to sign up for things just so they’ll get a kick-back.
If you think spending $5 on a loaf of specialty sandwich bread to get $.75 back from Ibotta is a legitimate way to be frugal, then you’re gullible AND bad at math. Ibotta is only worth it if you’re willing to pester your friends and family to sign up using your referral code (as whomever wrote this post has clearly figured out. Someone’s trying to meet the $20 minimum!)
I totally agree. I refuse to pester my friends to sign up. In addition, I very rarely buy name brands. I do most of my shopping at Aldi, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and last resort Whole Foods.
It might have already been asked but what if your already a member? Can I still be on your team?
Hi Bridgette!
Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, there is no way to join a team if you’re already a member 🙁
Use $10 sign up code: DDKXFAC and recieve a $10 welcome bonus when you redeem your first Ibotta offer within 7 day. Refer 5 people before the 26th of December and get $100 for doing so with cash rewards and bonuses. Merry Christmas and happy shopping!
This app takes the fun out of shopping.. Over and over I try to submit receipts that are not accepted because they are too big and do not fit in the camera. I have a family of 5 and do my shopping twice a month so my receipts are very big. I scan barcodes and tape my receipts down, anything to get the rewards I was promised and sometimes I don’t get them at all. I only shop for certain things because of the rewards and then they don’t give them to me. I hate wasting my time and I HATE even more wasting money on things I wouldn’t usually buy… ONE out of five stars!!!!!
No Joke. iBotta is life changing. We’ve saved so much using this little app.
limited to certain products and stores, that is only on their list . not worth it when you got buy items that you do use every time and have to travel 15 to 20 miles to stores on their list.
I tried IBOTTA and did not have a good experience. I linked 2 grocers, one worked the other did not. OK. So I scanned and sent in my receipt for the grocer that did not auto update my purchases. That did not work. So I filled out the support request, and the process wanted me to provide the total savings amount for the items purchased. (I really could not be accurate as some of the offers had expired, and I really didn’t know the exact amount of the rebate.). Then I was contacted by a support person and they wanted me to resubmit my receipt (already did that one) and then scan and submit the barcodes of all the items. And to detail the bonuses involved. I don’t understand why I should have to do all this work. I would not have to if their process worked properly. I cancelled my account