8 Best Cash-Back Apps and Websites (Tested and Ranked)

If cash back apps websites is on your radar, this short guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is worth knowing, and how to put it to work today.

Key Takeaways

• Share This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, advisory, or brokerage services.
• We may earn compensation from some links on this page.
• We’ve tested dozens of cash-back apps and websites to find the best options based on average cash-back rates, the number of partner stores,...

Share

This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, advisory, or brokerage services. We may earn compensation from some links on this page. Learn more.

We’ve tested dozens of cash-back apps and websites to find the best options based on average cash-back rates, the number of partner stores, ease of use and cash-out options. 

Our top picks are: 

• Best overall: Rakuten
• Excellent for deals: Capital One Shopping
• Best for Amazon gift cards: Kudos
• Best for groceries: Ibotta
• Best for gas: Upside
• Best general rewards platform: Swagbucks
• Best for receipt scanning: Fetch
• Best for maximum cash-back: TopCashback

In this article:

Toggle

• #1. Rakuten (Best Overall)
• #2. Capital One Shopping (Excellent Targeted Deals)
• #3. Kudos (Best for Amazon Gift Cards)
• #4. Ibotta (Best for Groceries)
• #5. Upside (Best for Gas)
• #6. Swagbucks (Best Online Rewards Platform)
• #7. Fetch (Best for Receipt Scanning)
• #8. TopCashback (Best For Maximum Earnings)
• Best Cash-Back Sign-Up Bonuses
• Final Thoughts: Cash-Back Apps Put Money Back Into Your Bank Account

#1. Rakuten (Best Overall)

Why we like it: Rakuten combines excellent cash-back rates, limited-time offers that can reach up to 20% on major brands, an simple-to-use interface, and reliable transaction tracking (so you never have to wonder if you’ve been properly credited after a purchase).

iOS rating:4.8/5 with 360,068 reviews.Android rating:3.5/5 with ‎72,436 reviews.Our rating:4.5/5Payment: $5 minimum, paid quarterly via PayPal, paper check or AmEx points.Learn more:Rakuten review

Rakuten offers up to 15% cash-back at more than 3,500 online retailers. A significant advantage of the platform is its limited-time deals, frequently timed around shopping holidays like Black Friday and Memorial Day, when cash-back rates across numerous retailers increase significantly. This sets Rakuten apart from most other cash-back sites, which tend to maintain standard rates year-round.

While it won’t always offer the highest cash-back rate, its rates are consistently competitive.

Our managing editor uses Rakuten for most of his online purchases and has earned over $1,100 in just under four years:

Actual lifetime Rakuten cash-back of The Ways To Wealth’s managing editor.

One Rakuten feature I benefit from is that you can get paid in the form of American Express Membership Reward points. Since travel websites typically value these points at 2 cents each, you’re essentially earning double rewards on each transaction. 

Sign up for Rakuten.

#2. Capital One Shopping (Excellent Targeted Deals)

Why we like it: Capital One Shopping combines competitive reward rates with a sold automatic coupon code tool. However, what truly sets it apart are its targeted deals , offers that sometimes appear a day or two after browsing a site. These targeted discounts can far surpass what you’d typically get from other cash-back apps.

iOS rating:4.9/5 with ‎684,992 reviews.Android rating:4.8/5 with ‎49,764 reviews.Our rating:4.8/5Payment:You earn “Shopping Credits” that can be redeemed for gift cards.Learn more:Capital One Shopping review

Capital One Shopping is a free app and browser extension with multiple money-saving features. You don’t need to be a Capital One checking or credit customer to use it.

Here’s are some of the platform’s key features:

• Shopping Credits, which are a percentage of each qualifying transaction awarded as points that can be exchanged for gift cards. (Shopping Credits are essentially cash-back, although the company does not use that term.)
• Exclusive Deals, which are targeted discounts for products you’ve viewed based on your browsing history. (I’ve personally taken advantage of these to get as high as 27% cash-back when checking out at Saks 5th Avenue. )
• Automated coupon codes. Capital One Shopping combines publicly available discount codes with crowd-sourced codes from other app users to try and find the one that will give you the highest discount among available tested offers.
• Real-time cost comparison tool, which alerts you when it finds a better deal for a product you’re about to purchase. (This feature works especially well when shopping on Amazon, as you’ll see a cost comparison box right on the product page.)

The website and app aren’t quite as simple to navigate as Rakuten’s, and the payment process (earning points that you can exchange for gift cards) is less convenient than being automatically paid in cash.

However, with its target deals, I’ve found it a good one-two combo with Rakuten, when I’m patient enough to wait around a day or to see if any targeted offers appear from Capital One Shopping.

Some tips I’ve found helpful to get targeted deals:

• Install the free browser extension and let it monitor your browsing. Then wait 24 hours before making a purchase. You’ll sometimes receive targeted offers by email for the stores you viewed.
• If you’re concerned about privacy, use a separate browser profile specifically for shopping with the extension.
• Deals are found in two places: the emails

  Final Thoughts

  The bottom line: a little research on cash back apps websites goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is one click away.

  Originally published at thewaystowealth.com.