Redeeming points earns you Amazon gift cards in $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 increments with a discount for larger gift cards. If you prefer entering a sweepstakes with your points you are also able to choose this option. Once you choose your reward an emailed gift card code is send to you to redeem on Amazon. 

There isn't a referral link for this one but it was super easy for me to find on the app store and get started. ​

Until next time,

Under $10: 5 coins
Between $10 and $50: 10 coins
Between $50 and $100: 15 coins
Over $100: 20 coins

You can redeem for Amazon gift cards as well as cash out with PayPal or a Visa gift card. In April I chose to get an Amazon gift card to go towards a larger purchase I was making. The process was simple to redeem.

If you use a referral link then you receive bonus points upon sign up, helping you get to your first gift card all that much faster. If you are interested in using my code it is: SMUR5412

Untl next time,

In today's edition of money making apps we're actually not looking at an app (though there is one for your phone should you want to do online shopping on the go) but rather an extension to your browser. Rakuten isn't likely brand new to you, you likely know several people with the little R logo in the top right hand corner of their browser. But you may not be taking advantage of the cash back that they offer yet so I wanted to bring a little extra attention to it in this series just in case. 

The thing I like about Rakuten is that it just sits in the top of my screen, quiet and unobtrusive, until I go to a website that it can save me money on. Then it lights up and is like hello, over here, click me to save money... more or less. :) The app works off of a simple shared commission strategy- they make money so they share it with you once a quarter in the form of a "Big Fat Check" to your mailbox of PayPal account. 

I wanted to share a few items that I had received cash back on in recent months. The amount of cash back varies per store and sometimes even by department so it is good to check and see if another coupon might save you more money if they percent is low for your purchase store/department but if coupon codes are not for you (or if they are and this still makes you more, because it did in the cases below for me as well as many other times) then download the Rakuten app and get started on your first Big Fay Check. 

As per usual, I am including the PayPal screen shot for one of my recent checks from them. It was a lower quarter for me as I had been avoiding online shopping but I gladly put the nearly $12 into my budget for something fun in my office.

I have a referral code for this extension if you are looking to get started with a a guaranteed Big Fat Check at the end of the quarter. Using my referral code is worth up to $30 currently. If you would like to join using my code, it is 28187. 

Until next time,

In today's edition of money making apps we're looking at Pogo. Pogo is an app that is a little bit different than others that we have previously looked at as it links to your debit and credit card rather than requiring you to upload receipts. When you make a purchase it automatically recognizes the purchase and you simply go into the app and claim it. Sometimes it will ask you about the purchase but not always. For instance, it doesn't seem to ask me about my electric bill but it always asks me about my McDonald's purchase- did I go inside or go through drive through, what did I buy, etc. Its an easy to use app which I appreciate but my morning drink stop has gotten a little redundant to answer the same question about each day haha. 

Their website shows the processs as below:

Pogo is the newest app that has made it onto my keep list so I have only received one payout to date but it was a simple payment process to have it sent over to my PayPal once I hit the $3 threshold. I love that it uses actual cash rather than gift cards. Screengrab of the payment to my PayPal account so that you can see what they look like:

I do have a referral code for this app if you are looking to get started with a little extra right from the start. Using my referral code is worth 1,000 points currently. If you would like to join using my code, it is 8DX6E. 

Until next time,

In today's edition of money making apps we're looking at NCP Mobile, another receipt submission app but this one is a little different as you don't actually upload the receipts but rather the UPCs of the items you purchase. I have found that it take a little bit longer to use than the other apps I have talked about so far but once I got into a habit of and had the process down I was significantly faster than the first time I used the app. 
​
The National Consumer Panel (NCP) describes their app as:

One thing they don't mention is that there is also a survey component to that app to earn extra points should you be interested in completing additional surveys. Sometimes they are super easy- tell us how many canned soups you have and scan the UPCs into the app (a recent one I completed) and sometimes they are a little more boring- tell us about your grocery store brand habits. They are always pretty short though and offer a choice between a set number of points or half that number and entries into a drawing for a larger prize. I'm typically more definite rewards focused so haven't entered any of the drawings yet but I may give one a try in the future just to see how it goes.

​This app is one that I am still trying to get into the groove of using consistently for things outside of groceries. Once I do, I expect my gift card redemptions to go up. I have only been utilizing my grocery purchases to date though so need to get on it and get those extra rewards for my gas receipts as well (my pharmacy expenses are $0 at this point in the year since I met my cap in February). 

There isn't a referral link for this app but if you are interested I would check out the app store for your phone, it was quick to find and the logo is above if you want to make sure you are using the right app.

Until next time,

I do have a referral code for this app if you are looking to get started with a little extra right from the start. Using my referral code is worth $1.75 currently. If you would like to join using my code it is RCZ9JND. 

Until next time,

Fetch Rewards pays out via gift cards to a slew of different stores- everything from Auto Zone to Whole Foods. I typically go with Amazon as I buy my household goods through them and have been spending money redecorating my office so needed everything from pens to a phone cord as well as the fun things like décor. Their gift cards are claimed in the app and then emailed to you. One of my previously redeemed Amazon gift cards are below to show you what the emails look like. ​

This is the first one that I have a referral link for. If you use a referral link then you receive bonus points upon sign up, helping you get to your first gift card all that much faster. The current reward for using my referral link is a bonus 2,000 points on your account. If you are interested in using my code it is: HE3JP

Until next time,

In today's edition of money making apps we're looking at Amazon Shopper Panel, a receipt submission app. This app links to your Amazon account and requires that you upload at least 10 receipts each month to be rewarded with a $10 gift card added to your Amazon balance. Occasionally you will also receive invitations to surveys for additional rewards. I've been enjoying using this app as it is super simple and the requirements for a $10 payout months are very small. $120 a year buys me a lot of household supplies on their website, lowering my overall household goods budget considerably for the year. The website's description of the app states:

No referral link for this one either and it said that it was invitation only when I downloaded it... but when I put in a request to join it took about a month for my request to be approved so its worth a shot if you haven't been invited yet.

Until next time,

This is a new series looking at the apps that I am using to make money on things I already do every day- grocery shopping, getting gas, running errands, eating out, taking photos and more. 

Today's app is Google Opinion Rewards, a location based survey reward app. What is a 'location based survey reward' you ask? Good question! This app requires that you share your location on your phone and then when it sees you at a location that has a survey linked to it you are notified. The website say:

I obviously don't do survey's on the subway but I often do them on my lunch break, while waiting in line or when I'm watching a commercial as they take a minute or so, tops. The pay for a survey depends on its length it seems but I have gotten 10 cents for a single question survey and 60 cents for a 5 question survey about what kind of payment type I used when I was at the grocery store. Both of these were quick and easy change in my pocket. 

This app automatically pays out once you hit the $2 threshold and pays through PayPal or with Google store credits depending on the settings and type of phone you have. I typically make between $2 and $8 each month on this app- not big money but, over time, it will pay for someone's Christmas present the time holiday season gets here. 

There isn't a referral link for this one but it was super easy for me to find on the app store and get started. 

Until next time,

Fetch Rewards is the newest app to be reviewed in this series all about getting more for the purchases you already make. This particular app rewards you with points for grocery receipts. By grocery receipts they mean your normal grocery stores but also convenience stores, liquor stores, drug stores, and more. According to their website, the thing that sets them apart from other couponing apps is that you don't have to sort through a list of offers to select from and are not limited to a specific set of stores. I have to admit, this appealed to my time-saving self quite a bit so I downloaded it to give it a try.

Once I opened the app I was a little confused by the layout of the homepage. It appeared to me that the point they had stressed was an outright lie- I would have to choose offers! I was quite disappointed but after working with the app for a while I realized that my original disappointment was unwarranted. The app should have a better set of instructions or be laid out a little differently in my opinion for optimum understanding of how to use all the features. Since it doesn't appear that it's going to happen right away we're going to have to do a little more explanation here than we normally would when reviewing an app.

Logging into the app takes you to the first photo with a list of special offers and brands with current offers. When you click the plus sign it will add it to the "Plan" screen. This is what was originally confusing for me. I couldn't figure out how to add things from my planner to a specific receipt. The answer= you don't have to. The purpose of the plan screen is just like it sounds, you can plan purchases ahead of time if you'd like to take advantage of extra points off- but you don't have to add them to any list in order to get the points back. Sometimes when you upload a receipt they will even let you know that if you purchase something else on your next trip then you will get additional points or qualify for points with an item on your current receipt. Those items go onto the Plan tab as well for easy recall. Just check them off and a 'clear' button will appear so that you can remove them from the list for the next week. I probably should have figured it out sooner if I'm honest but now you don't need to go through that small frustration. 

This is the Scan tab. I want to say right up front that I didn't actually spend $842 for just my food in two months. This includes a trip to Walmart where they counted the entire trip even though only a few things were grocery related as well as a purchase for work of a little over $300 that I scanned in without thinking as I was going through my receipts from the evening one night. I didn't actually get any offers on that receipt but did get an extra 250 points for adding it to the app (you get points just for uploading even if there are no offers that match your receipt, I've had either 100 or 250 point offers for uploading so far). I wanted to be 100% upfront on that so that you wouldn't think my spending was astronomical and that's why I was able to cash out on the app.

On this screen you can scroll through uploaded receipts, see statistics for your points, and upload new ones. The little blue button takes you to a screen showing how to connect your email and Amazon accounts to the app for additional points. I did not do that for these (but totally should have, I had a lot of purchases for the house that were e-commerce this month as I've been fixing it up and finding better prices online for needed items) so my numbers would have gone up if I had.
​
The orange camera button is the one that we're looking for on this screen. Click it to open the camera, align the receipt and snap a photo. That's it, no need to add additional information, do survey info (some apps require one or both of those as we'll see in later installments of this series) or etc. It will upload the receipt and you'll get a read out of the number of points it qualified in less than a minute.

We'll come back to Rewards tab in a minute. Next we're looking at the "My Account" tab which will have your name, phone number, email and the number of points you have currently. You can also add a photo if you'd like. I hadn't done so when I did the walk through yet. 

Signing up for Fetch Rewards also signs you up for SingleCare which is a prescription savings plan. Prescription savings plans can be helpful if you aren't able to get good prices on your medication with your prescription drug plan or don't have one. I would caution you to be careful with how you use them though as you typically won't get credit for the purchase on your insurance deductibles and out of pocket maximums so you may pay more money in total for the year if you don't take everything into consideration. Becoming an informed consumer in our current medical environment is extremely important and is one of the things I stress to employees in my day job (HR Manager) each year.

You can also adjust app settings, visit the Help Center and rate the app from this screen if you scroll down into the "Learn More" area you can see visible on the bottom of my screen shot. 

​​And now we can get to the part everyone came here for... the Rewards!

The first screen is rewards options arranged by category, the second by points level and the last is a listing of all the Rewards you have claimed. I chose an Amazon gift card as you can see. 

And as always- proof that I actually got the reward they promised me. 

As for what I think of the app... I like it. I wish it was either better laid out or explained for first time users but other than that its actually really simple to get points and I earned an average of $5 per month using this app for grocery spending that I was already doing. If I bought more name brand items I would be getting more money back from them but that's not how I shop personally. I like to buy mostly fresh vegetables, meat and the occasional seasoning packet or canned or frozen veggie from the inside aisles but most of my shopping is done on the outside edges of the store where few coupons or offers are available. It's nice that I can still get a little bit of money back on even these kinds of purchases though. Staying at this rate of rewards earning would put me at about $60 a year in money I didn't have to do anything for other than give them a photo of my receipts. An easy trade for me. This app is one that will be staying on my phone. 

If you're interested in trying it out and want to get 2,000 bonus points after you upload your first receipt just use my referral code: HE3JP