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There are a lot of helpful and fun apps available on Android and IOS that offer you either cash back or ways to earn cash from completing various tasks.
What’s even better than earning cash for free, is getting paid just to sign up. Now before you try it, you won’t be able to sign up, cash out with your free bonus and cancel your account. Several apps do require a cash payout minimum and they are not just going to offer that up front.
Instead, this cash bonus helps you get to your payout that much quicker and it is a nice way for these companies to show that they want your business and hope to keep your business.
I have identified 17 apps below that currently pay you just for signing up. Some of these offers are a regular part of just signing up with the app, but some of them are put out there as bonuses to draw in more users, meaning they may not be available long term.
Either way, I believe all of these apps are worth checking out and can be fun to play around with to find a few favorites.
Table of Contents
1. Ibotta
- Registration Bonus: $10 bonus when you redeem your first offer
- Join Ibotta
Ibotta is my favorite receipt scanning app and it just so happens to be one of the most popular app of this particular type.
Ibotta’s concept is really simple. All you do is browse their selection of offers available from a wide range of stores, head to the grocery store, and scan your receipt once you are done. In just a few seconds you can earn as little as $.25 cents or as much as $4 or $5, depending on the offer.
And Ibotta isn’t just for grocery shoppers. You can also take advantage of their online cash back offers available through stores like Amazon, Walmart, Vitacost and eBay.
The best part about Ibotta is that their $10 sign-up bonus when you scam your first receipt. This is a regular thing, so all new users can take advantage and earn cash just by scanning their first receipt.
With Ibotta, the minimum cash payout is $20 and then you can have the money deposited in your PayPal or choose a gift card. Thankfully they get you started on the right path and give you half your minimum payout threshold up front. Lucky you!
Click here for the FFL Ibotta review
2. Swagbucks
- Registration Bonus: $5
- Join Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the apps that doesn’t always have a sign-up bonus. Sometimes they offer as much as $10 to sign up. Currently you can get a $5 sign-up bonus if you register soon. I’m not sure when this one will go away.
With the Swagbucks app, you can surf the web, shop online, watch videos or complete surveys to earn your Swagbucks. Every 100 Swagbucks earned is the equivalent of $1.
It can take a bit of time to earn enough Swagbucks to cash out with a gift card of your choice, but the most popular way to earn is by taking surveys. Surveys can vary in length and the longer the survey the more Swagbucks you can earn.
Click here for the FFL Swagbucks review
3. Shoptracker
- Registration Bonus: $3
- Join Shoptracker
By registering for this free app, you can start earning $36/year just by sharing your Amazon purchase history. Registration is easy and once you qualify and launch the app, you can earn a $3 registration bonus with minimal effort.
Shoptracker is operated by a survey company that measures the U.S. opinion on products and basically pays you to share your Amazon purchase information. As long as you keep the app installed on your phone, you can receive a $3 Visa gift card monthly.
Click here for the FFL Shoptracker review
4. Ebates
- Registration Bonus: $10
- Join Ebates
Ebates is a cash back app that essentially pays you to shop. Ebates is affiliated with thousands of retailers, so really anyone can find a store they are interested in shopping with. Like Ibotta, Ebates offers a $10 sign-up bonus and this is something regularly available to new users.
Cash back percentages will vary from store to store, but you can expect to see anything from 2% to 10% cash back offers. The more you shop, the more you can expect to earn and save.
Ebates pays out their users quarterly, so while you will see your money in your account, you’ll have to wait a bit before you can access it. But since it’s free money, we can’t be too mad about it.
Click here for the FFL Ebates review
5. FusionCash
- Registration Bonus: $5
- Join FusionCash
FusionCash works by paying you for specific tasks. This could be anything from taking surveys, watching videos, downloading apps, or clicking ads.
Registration is easy and free, and they’ll give your a $5 sign-up bonus once you complete your registration. To cash out, you’ll need to earn a minimum of $25 and unfortunately that amount cannot be made up of sign-up bonuses or referral bonuses.
The best way to earn on FusionCash is to take advantage of the several options that allow you to earn. You’ll earn the most from downloading certain apps to your tablet or phone, but you can still earn passively by watching videos or letting the radio play in the background.
Click here for your FFL guide on how to make $25 in under 30 minutes with FusionCash
6. InboxDollars
- Registration Bonus: $5
- Join InboxDollars
InboxDollars is an app that allows you to earn points from doing everyday tasks on the internet like watching videos, shopping, or signing up for offers. You can also earn cash by taking surveys, playing games and even by responding to emails.
To sign-up is free and as an added incentive, they have a $5 sign-up bonus. From there you just have to complete any of the tasks mentioned previously until you reach $25, which is the minimum payout.
For those people living in the UK, you’ll want to check out InboxPounds, which is essentially the same thing as InboxDollars. Please note that the sign-up bonus is less than what InboxDollars offers.
Click here for the FFL InboxDollars review
7. TopCashback
- Registration Bonus: $0 – $10
- Join TopCashback
Like Ebates, TopCashback is a cash back app that pays you when you shop. They definitely have Ebates beat when it comes to their high percentage cash back options.
Similarly, TopCashback is partnered with thousands of retailers and merchants so that you can get the best deals and cash back options available. Unlike Ebates, TopCashback doesn’t have a minimum payout, so you can collect your cash whenever you get it.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of this app, I’d check the site frequently to see if they are currently offering a sign-up bonus. Sometimes they offer as much as $10 for new members, but it’s not something always available.
If you do see a sign-up bonus, make sure you take advantage of it quickly as it may not last very long.
Click here for the FFL TopCashback review
8. Fetch Rewards
- Registration Bonus: $1.50 when you use the promo code HH3MN
- Join Fetch Rewards
Similar to Ibotta, Fetch Rewards is a receipt scanning app. Unlike Ibotta, Fetch Rewards only accepts scanned grocery receipts.
If you browse their selection of cash back offers, you can make a note of what items to shop for. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter which store you get your items, as long as it is a grocery store.
Plus you’ll earn some points with every receipt scanned, even if there are items on there not offering cash back. They generally have a high payout for their cash back offers and you only need to reach $3 to cash out, versus the $20 required by Ibotta.
Click here for the FFL Fetch Rewards review
9. Makeena
- Registration Bonus: $1
- Join Makeena
Makeena is another grocery receipt scanning app. But Makeena stands out from the rest in that you’ll regularly see fruits and vegetables listed. Even organic produce will pop up on there. This is something Fetch Rewards and Ibotta are sorely lacking in.
Makeena is a great app to use to earn some extra cash and it encourages you to make healthier food choices. Plus, it doesn’t matter what store you shop at, as long as you keep and scan your receipt.
Similar to Ibotta, Makeena does require a minimum of $20 before you can cash out via PayPal or Venmo.
Click here for the FFL Makeena review
10. BeFrugal
- Registration Bonus: $10
- Join BeFrugal
Like TopCashback and Ebates, BeFrugal is another app that pays you to shop. Similarly, they are affiliated with several retailers and work to offer you some really great cash back rates. I would rate them better than Ebates but not as great as TopCashback.
As an added incentive to their new members, they offer a $10 sign-up bonus and there’s no code required. Once you join, you can begin shopping and earning money. The more you shop, the more you can expect to earn.
Keep in mind that BeFrugal does require a minimum of $25 before you can cash out.
Click here for the FFL BeFrugal review
11. BerryCart
- Registration Bonus: $2 with promo code 7xYw14Jb and scan first receipt
- Join BerryCart
Similar to Makeena, BerryCart is a great grocery app for the health conscious. BerryCart offers rebates on items that are organic, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free just to name a few. You can even search for items that fall under a specific category.
BerryCart will even use your phone’s built in GPS to find a specific item that you’re looking for that may not be available in a regular grocery store. Once you’ve accumulated enough cash back, you can cash out via PayPal or gift card.
Click here for the FFL BerryCart review
12. ShopAtHome
- Registration Bonus: $10
- Join ShopAtHome
ShopAtHome is another cash back site that pretty much pays you to shop. Their deals are not as great as TopCashback or Ebates, but as another online shopping tool, they are definitely worth checking out. Plus they offer other tasks, such as taking surveys, as a way to earn cash when you aren’t shopping.
ShopAtHome gives their new members a $10 sign-up bonus upon completing registration. From there is it as simple as searching for your favorite stores, clicking the affiliate link and shopping.
In a nutshell, ShopAtHome wants you to shop and help you save. The more you shop, the more you can earn and the more you can save. Once you reach a minimum of $20, you can cash out via PayPal, Amazon gift card or check in the mail.
Click here for the FFL ShopAtHome review
13. Acorns
- Registration Bonus: $5
- Join Acorns
For some, the thought of investing your money can seem a little daunting. That’s where Acorns can come in to help. To get you started, they offer a $5 sign-up bonus and from there you can start investing with just as little as $5 into your stock portfolio.
Acorns is a great starting point for anyone new to investing. You aren’t required to put out a lot of money up front and they will walk you through the best portfolio type for you.
Click here for the FFL Acorns review
14. YouGov
- Registration Bonus: $2
- Join YouGov
If you like politics and want to express your opinion on current events, then you’ll want to check out YouGov. YouGov is a survey site and app that pays you to give your honest opinion. Plus you’ll get to see others thoughts and opinions on certain political topics.
New users will get a $2 sign-up bonus. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’ll help you get to the $25 minimum required to cash out. Please note, that YouGov does award points versus real cash, so reaching 35K points is the equivalent of $25.
Click here for the FFL YouGov review
15. Trunow
- Registration Bonus: $2 when you scan your first receipt using promo code TO1F19
- Join Trunow
We can all admit that saving at the grocery store is great. Even better would be to save money at the gas station and that’s where Trunow shines. Trunow is a fairly new app that allows users to save money at the pump.
For each receipt you scan, you automatically get a 1% cash back bonus plus an additional 2% toward rewards. Plus, it doesn’t matter where you fill up, just remember to hit “yes” when it comes to printing your receipt.
As an added incentive to check out this app, it will let you know where to find the cheapest gas in your vicinity. Trunow knows how to give the people what they want.
Click here for the FFL Trunow review
16. Drop
- Registration Bonus: $1 when you link your credit/debit card
- Join Drop
Drop is the go-to app for those individuals that want to save and earn money, but don’t want to deal with scanning receipts (plus going paperless is always a good idea).
By linking your credit card with Drop, you’ll get a $1 registration bonus and you’ll automatically earn cash back when you shop at one of their affiliated retailers. You’ll only be able to link 5 retailers initially, but the more you use Drop the more this will expand down the road.
Click here for the FFL Drop review
17. Dosh
- Registration Bonus: $1
- Join Dosh
Dosh works by letting you save and earn money from your everyday shopping. This could be grocery shopping, travel, entertainment and more.
To start off with Dosh, you’ll need to link your credit card and in return they’ll give your a $1 sign-up bonus. From their Dosh will give you cash back when you shop at one of their partnered retailers.
While you do get paid in the form of Dosh Dollars, this is basically regular money as 1 Dosh Dollar equals $1. When you reach $15 you can cash out to your PayPal or bank account.
Click here for the FFL Dosh review
Conclusion
Hopefully some of these apps catch your interest and you’ll try them out. I’d recommend trying a few just to get a feel for which one is best for you. If you’ve tried any of these and have taken advantage of the bonuses, let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading and happy frugaling!
