My Top 6 Favorite Money Making Apps

It is no secret that money makes the world go ‘round. We love making money and spending money however it seems a lot more difficult to save money.

I have come to be known as the “Promo Queen” amongst my friends, meaning that I typically don’t pay full price for anything. I am always sending them links to new apps, discount sites, sales, promo codes, and anything else that I see that could help them to get a good deal or save a couple bucks. They keep telling me that I should write a blog on things that I come across, but for now, we will just start with listing some of my favorite money making / saving apps that I use literally every day!

Ibotta

Ibotta is probably my favorite, because I’ve had it the longest and gotten the biggest return from it. I use it every single time I go grocery shopping, even if I only get a few items. I don’t make money on every single trip, but there have been trips where I have had a return of $20 of more. Basically, you select the items that you have purchased (make sure that you double check the brand, variety, and size, because those will affect whether or not you get money back) and Ibotta credits your account with anywhere from $.10 to $5.00 depending on the product. It has an “Any Item” section which is great because it allows you purchase any brand and still be compensated. These are usually staples such as milk, eggs, grapes, protein bars, etc.

It often has “bonuses” as well which are based on buying so many of a specific product OR redeeming so many offers during a specified timeframe. For example, right now if you buy three Butterball products between now and the specified date, you get an extra $.50 added to your account with the “Butterball Bonus”. All products are divided into categories and are searchable which makes it really user friendly.

Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is one of the newer apps that I stumbled across. You basically upload your physical AND digital receipts from grocery stores, big box stores, convenience stores, and drug stores for points. Scanning your receipts is super easy in the app and you are guaranteed at least 25 points per receipt. Fetch offers 750 points for your first scanned receipt and 500 for your second. It only takes 3,000 points to be able to cash in for a gift card. Basically, every 1,000 points that you earn is worth $1.00. You get extra points for making purchases on certain items and/or brands, which will allow you to rack up a lot of points in no time!

As far as processing your digital receipts, you only have to add your e-mail address where the receipts from your online purchases are received. These generate points from online retailers such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Instacart, and others!

Achievement

Achievement is a little different and you don’t accrue points as fast as the other apps, but it is so easy! It connects to more that 20 health and fitness apps, such as Fitbit, Google Fit, and Apple Health. For every 10,000 point you earn, you are rewarded with $10 cash, a $10 gift card of your choice, or a charitable donation.

After completing your profile (which you will also receive points for), it’s then tome to earn points through being healthy! You can earn up to 80 points daily for each activity, such as walking running, swimming, cycling, and weightlifting. It takes a while to earn a profitable amount of points, but it’s earning points while doing things that you are already doing.

Panel App

Panel App is another one that takes a while to build up points, but it’s so easy that you literally forget that it’s even there. Literally all that you have to do is install it and create an account. It runs in the background and gives points as it collects market data based on your locations. You can complete surveys related to your travels for extra points. It’s a great passive income booster.

Retail Me Not

I never buy anything online (and seldom in-store) without checking my RetailMeNot app first for coupons and cash back offers. It also highlights stores that are having sales in conjunction with the other money savers. When I first joined, it only listed coupons and only for major retailers.

It has expanded so much over the past year that you are bound to find at least one option on the site that will save you a few dollars (hopefully more). If you ever shop online, this one is a must have!

Rakuten

Formerly known as Ebates, Rakuten’s specialty is cash back for purchases. It also now features coupons. Basically, I use it and RetailMeNot interchangeably, depending on which one has the best offer on the purchase that I am wanting to make. Both have pros and cons, but they’re pretty equal in my opinion. They generally have the same brand recognition now, feature the same companies, and you can earn roughly the same amount on each. It really just depends on which you prefer or are more loyal to.

Qapital

Qapital isn’t a money-making app, but rather a money saving app. I’ve had it for quite a while, so luckily, I was grandfathered in before they instituted a fee. I will say that even if I had to pay the fee (which is $3 a month for the Basic), it would be worth it, and I would happily do so. If it’s not evident by the apps that I enjoy the most, I love to shop, especially online. Being a mild shop-aholic is definitely a hindrance when you’re trying to save money for emergencies. Luckily, Qapital makes it super easy!

You can set it up to withdraw different amounts from your checking account and place it into a savings “goal” account in the app. I currently have it set to where it “saves” the change from my purchases. If my purchase is $23.50, it will round the purchase up to $24.00 and place the $.50 into my savings. You can have one goal or set up multiple. Mine is just general savings, but you can set it up to place your savings into goals such as “Bike Fund” or “Vacay Money”. You can withdraw as much as you need at any time, which is nice in itself. It’s very customizable and a LIFESAVER when I “accidentally” take my shopping a little too far and need a bit of extra currency to make it to payday.

I have gotten to a point where I keep a little extra spending cash in my PayPal that I accrue from these and other apps. That money is my “mad money”, what I use when I want that froo-froo coffee or decide to buy those super trendy jeans that I’ll probably only wear twice. Like I said, I have a problem, but this helps me from going overboard.

** Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation for the promotion of these products. I wish I had, but unfortunately, no. Just trying to help out my peeps!**

***Note: Previously published on Medium.***