Is Ibotta Legit? The Most Complete Ibotta Review 2021

Updated: Septemeber 15, 2020 

Even a casual search for Ibotta reviews will turn up questions like “is Ibotta legit?”, “is it worth the effort?” and, “is Ibotta really that good?”

Questions like these are probably why you’re looking at this Ibotta app review now! Well, I won’t keep you guessing; the short answers to those questions are yes, yes, and yes!

Ibotta is legit, it’s not a scam, and it’s definitely worth the effort if you consistently use it before doing your shopping.

But that’s not all! There’s a lot more to Ibotta than most people think and that’s what we plan to cover in this Ibotta review!

By the time you’ve read this review of Ibotta you’ll know exactly what the app is, how it works, and you’ll be wondering why you didn’t download Ibotta sooner!

Ready? Let’s go get that money!

Is Ibotta Legit

First off, is the Ibotta app legit?

As you know, the short answer is yes. The longer answer is yes because…

1. Ibotta has partnerships with over 1,500 retailers like Wholefoods, Publix, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc.
2. It’s been downloaded over 35 million times by people just like you and me
3. It’s paid out over $600 million to its users since it was founded (and I’m one of them!)

The fact that Ibotta has been able to create and maintain relationships with large retailers and with millions of people for nearly 10 years is some serious social proof.

Not to mention its track record of paying out hundreds of millions of dollars in cold, hard cash!

But What is Ibotta?

Let me back up for a minute before I get into the full Ibotta review.

You might have heard that the Ibotta app can help you save money or put free money in your pocket, but you might not know exactly what it is or how it works.

In a nutshell, Ibotta is a legit phone app that gives you cash back for making purchases through the app.

It has agreements with brands and retailers that pay Ibotta a commission for sending shoppers (i.e. you and me) their way. Ibotta then gives us a slice of that commission.

It’s basically a win-win-win situation.

And since the app has partnerships with over 1,500 different brands and retailers, you can earn cash back in so many ways.

Whether it’s by buying groceries from Walmart, clothes from Target, electronics from Best Buy, or a million other things that you were going to buy anyway.

Honestly, if you haven’t downloaded Ibotta   yet and started putting the app to good use, you’re basically passing up free money!

Did I mention that you can earn $20 just by signing up for Ibotta through our link! Get that money!

How Does Ibotta Work?

When it comes to using Ibotta, most people will tell you that it’s simply a matter of taking a picture of your store receipt.

This is true, and it is that easy. But it’s not the whole picture.

Ibotta actually gives you a lot more options to earn money than that!

To keep it simple, there are two main ways to earn cash back with Ibotta.

• In-store shopping and
• Online shopping

And on top of that, there are a few different ways to earn money in-store and a few ways to earn money online.

Let’s go through each of them.

Related post: Survey Junkie Review.

Make Money Shopping In-Store

he first way to make money is by going to the store.

Receipt submission is what most people think of when they think of Ibotta. It’s still the main way I make money with Ibotta myself.

This is how it works – you search the app for product offers before you go shopping. These products offers will show you how much cash back you’ll receive if you choose to buy the product.

If you see an offer that catches your eye, go ahead and select it. Then, after you buy the item, take a picture of your receipt and they’ll credit the cash back amount to your Ibotta account.

It’s really that simple, but you have to be consistent for the process to be worth it.

Use it every time…that’s the key to using the app to make money.

Link your loyalty cards

Nowadays, it seems like every retailer has a loyalty card. I know I’ve got a few, maybe you do too.

Well, Ibotta took notice of how popular loyalty programs are and thought it would be a good idea to let you make money using your loyalty cards. (I have to admit, it is a pretty good idea.)

For it to work you have to first link your loyalty cards to your Ibotta account. Then, selected offers you’re interested in (the same as you would with the receipt method).

During check out, give the cashier your loyalty card to scan or your phone number, and you will automatically get credit for the cash back offers you selected.

And that’s it! No need to take photos or upload a receipt!

Pay with Ibotta

A third way to make money in-store is to use Ibotta to pay for your purchases.

For this to work, you’ll need to link your debit or credit card to your Ibotta account. Then, when you’re out shopping and ready to make your purchase,

1. Open up the app
2. Enter your checkout amount
3. Allow Ibotta to charge your card the checkout amount (or preload an amount to your account beforehand)
4. Get a gift card referral code from Ibotta
5. Give the gift card referral code to the cashier

And voila! You’ve just earned cash back on your entire purchase (without uploading a single receipt)!

In addition to that, you can still earn cash back on individual product offers!

The Pay with Ibotta option is only available at certain retailers and restaurants. But you can set it so that Ibotta notifies you when you’re in a Pay with Ibotta location, so you’ll never miss out on a chance to save!

FYI: FYI: You might be wondering “is Ibotta safe?”. Sure, you can make a few bucks with this app, but can you trust it with your debit card? I totally understand how you feel. The good news is that   Ibotta is safe. They actually use the same standards as your bank to protect your data.

Make Money Shopping Online

Ok, now let’s talk about the online way to make money. With Ibotta there are two ways to do this:

1. On your phone
2. On your computer

Get Real Cash Back in Your Favorite Stores!

Save money on your phone 

When you download the Ibotta app on your phone (or other mobile devices) and start searching for offers, you’ll see an option for online shopping.

All you have to do is pick the store you want to shop at, check out the cash back rate they offer and click through to their website to do your shopping.

Whatever money you earn will be credited to your account.

Save money on your computer

Ibotta is currently beta testing its money saving broswer extention

Online shopping with the computer is slightly different than doing it on the phone.

When testing is finally done, you’ll be able to download the Ibotta Chrome extension and save 10% on your entire purchase when you purchase from select retailers.

A word of caution

To make sure you receive credit for your online purchases

• Make sure you open the Ibotta app first before you start shopping on a retailer’s website or app.
• Don’t leave the site without making a purchase and then come back later, or you won’t receive credit.
• Make sure your shopping cart is empty before using a shopping offer online.

Make Money With Ibotta App

I know I said there were two main ways to make money by using Ibotta, but I’ve got a bonus way to share with you!

Refer friends to earn money

When you invite friends and family members to sign up for Ibotta, you’ll earn money with Ibotta. $5 for each one that actually signs up and redeems an offer!

Ibotta also offers referral program bonuses every month, so you’ll get money from Ibotta when your friends sign up!

Just make sure they sign up using your Ibotta referral code. You can find it under your account in the Invite friends section.

Team up

How do I Get a Free $20 With The Ibotta App?

Earlier, I mentioned there’s a way to get $20 when you sign up for Ibotta through our link. But there’s a catch. (As always, right?)

First, you have to be eligible for this to work.

Second, there are a few steps you have to take to claim that free money.

Eligibility for the Ibotta welcome bonus

To be eligible for the Ibotta $20 welcome bonus, you have to download the Ibotta app on a device that hasn’t been registered with an Ibotta account before.

You also have to use Ibotta to redeem a qualifying offer within the time limit. (Check the Bonus section in the app to check what your time limit is).

Now, about actually getting your bonus…

our bonus…

3 Steps to claim your Welcome Bonus

One: Get a $10 cash bonus by redeeming your first in-store offer and uploading a picture of the receipt.

This doesn’t work for offers that are labeled ‘Any Item’ or ‘Any Brand’. Instead, make sure you redeem an offer for a specific product and from a specific brand. Once you do that, the $10 will be credited to your account.

Two: Get a $5 cash bonus, by using the app to redeem your first mobile shopping offer. And by “Mobile Offer” Ibotta really just means “Online Offer”.

And just so you know, Ibotta has a variety of online retailers, including Domino’s and iTunes. So, you can get your $5 bonus just by buying pizza or music…things you were probably going to do sooner rather than later!

Three: Get another $5 cash bonus when you redeem your second in-store or mobile offer!

Easy-peasy…

You see how easy it is to get free money with the Ibotta app. But there’s one more thing you might want to know…

How do I Get My Money From Ibotta?

That’s the million-dollar question!

The first thing you should know is that Ibotta doesn’t hand over your cash until you’ve earned at least $20.

But that shouldn’t be too difficult! After all, you’re going to get that Ibotta sign up bonus when you download the Ibotta app through our link! (I don’t know why you haven’t done it yet!)

Once you’ve reached that $20 threshold, you’ve got two options for getting your money.

1. Get cash through PayPal
2. Get gift cards

Let’s take a quick look at both of these options.

Through PayPal

Obviously, you have to have a PayPal account to use this option. If by some chance you don’t have one, you can get one for free.

Link your PayPal account to Ibotta under “your account” in the settings menu. And once you’re able to cash out, Ibotta says that you should receive your money within 2 hours.

Through Gift Cards

 You’re able to get a gift card once you reach $20, but some gift cards have $25 minimums.

It’s no biggie though because all of their gift cards are pretty awesome and definitely worth it! When you’re ready to cash out, go to your account, click on withdraw cash and select your gift card. It’ll arrive in your inbox faster than you can say “sweet”!

They have gift cards for 68 different brands, including:

• Amazon
• Bath & Body Works
• Best Buy
• Chilis
• Cold Stone
• iTunes
• Panera Bread
• Starbucks

I know you saw one that you want! Don’t wait too long to get the gift card you want!

Is Ibotta or Ebates Better?

Trying to see who’s better out of Ibotta vs Ebates is kind of like wondering who wins out of peanut butter vs jelly. Sure, one may be better for a specific situation, but the real power comes when you use both of them together.

Ebates (now Rakuten) is like Ibotta, but it focuses on online purchases.

And because that’s the focus, you’ll find some of your favorite online retailers in Ebates that aren’t in Ibotta stores.

But that doesn’t mean you should use Ebates exclusively for shopping online.

Instead, download the Ibotta app, download the Ebates app, and get cash back on the best deals from both!

Check out our full Rakuten vs Ibotta review for more info!

Other Cash Back Apps Like Ibotta

There are quite a few cash back apps out there like Ibotta.

If you’re looking for more ways to save money, give these cash back apps a shot!

• Dosh
• Topcashback
• Checkout51
• My points

Related Post: Checkout 51 Review- Make Money Buying Groceries.

Pros and Cons of Ibotta

Pros

• Low payout threshold
• Easy to use and earn cash back
• Offers available in most of the main big retailers.
• It’s a free app

•  

  cons

• Not many local stores available
• Minimum cash out on $20
• Customer service doesn’t seem to be the best.

Ibotta FAQ

Does Ibotta Really Work?

Yes! Ibotta has been around for nearly ten years. It’s not a scam and is a completely legit way to make money!

It has partnerships with over 1,500 companies and it has millions of users. Ibotta has only been able to build and maintain so many relationships over the years because it works well for a lot of people.

Is Ibotta Free?

Ibotta it’s a free app!

Obviously, you’ll have to pay for the products you buy (and prove it with the receipt), but you’ll never be charged for using Ibotta app.

Even the Pay with Ibotta feature has zero fees attached.

Now, the only thing that even comes close to fees is the Inactive Accounts fees that the Ibotta app charges.

If you don’t redeem an offer within 180 days, your account will be charged $3.99 per month. But, that amount only comes out of the earnings in your account.

If you have no earnings, the app won’t charge you any money.

Is Ibotta Worth it?

Ibotta is definitely worth it! If you do any kind of shopping at all, then by not using this app you’re walking away from free money!

So if you are looking for way to save money in your next grocery shopping, give it a try to the Ibotta app!

What’s The Catch With Ibotta?

There’s no catch with how Ibotta works. It really is free and they really do pay you money.

Now there are some catches to specific product offers. Like “limit two”. Or maybe there are steps you have to take to qualify for some bonus.

And as we mentioned before, there’s a catch to getting your $20 bonus. (Honestly, they just want you to redeem a few purchases, so it’s not that bad…)

How Does Ibotta Make Money?

Ibotta gets paid by retailers for sending customers their way. Ibotta then gives us a slice of their earnings as an incentive to use their app.

Is Ibotta Safe?

Ibotta is safe! You only need an email address, to use Ibotta and a camera phone to upload each receipt. But if you do give your info to Ibotta, it uses bank-level security to keep your data safe.

Final Thoughts

If you came to this post wondering “is Ibotta app legit?”, or “how does Ibotta work?” I hope this Ibotta review convinced you that Ibotta is a totally legit, money saving app that can earn you some real money!

If you’re not using Ibotta every time you go shopping, you’re literally passing up free money!

Don’t keep doing that. Go ahead and try it out for yourself.  Sign up today