Introduction

Interested in rebate scanning apps but have nooooo idea how to even get started? This guide is for you. I also have a guide on how I do my hauls for those that already know what to do, but are curious how I personally do it, as well as a list of every rebate app/site I know about.

What this post will cover

We'll start with the most important part - figuring out what you want from rebate apps/sites. Then we'll move on to the nitty gritty about planning a haul, shopping, and what to do after you get home. At the bottom, I'll be covering some common questions, and how to deal with any common problems.

Keep an eye out for the ★'s for useful tips I've learned over the years.

Notes about this guide

If I say "apps" or "sites" I am referring to both apps and sites. It just looks weird to type apps/sites everywhere so I use the terms interchangeably.
I will discuss couponing a bit, but it will be exclusively in relation to how it works with receipt scanning apps.
I am from the USA. I imagine this guide would work for other countries, but I do not keep track of what works outside of the USA.

Managing your expectations

I'm sure most of you are here because you've seen some of my hauls where I get paid to take a ton of stuff, and you want to get in on the action too. Offers and bonuses will vary between users, but I make it a point to only show hauls that other users can easily copy or at least do something similar.

However, keep in mind that I have over 10 years of experience with couponing and rebate apps. Using rebate apps is relatively easy in my opinion, but just like any other skill, it can take time to learn the ropes. It's always a good idea to start off slow and build up so that you don't overwhelm yourself. Things will get easier over time.

Also keep in mind, you will mess up, and you will make mistakes. I still miss plenty of deals, buy the wrong products, forget to scan things, etc. No one is perfect, so don't beat yourself up (too much) when you mess up something silly.

What do YOU want from rebate apps?

Before we can start talking about what to do, we need to figure out what you want to do. Even if you take nothing else from this guide, the most important thing is to understand that everyone does things a bit differently, and you need to figure out what works best for you.

There are a few main things you need to think about, and don't worry if you aren't completely sure about the answers! Chances are you won't know what works best for your situation until you actually give things a try.

Where do you want to shop?

Different stores will have different things available. Bigger stores like Wal-Mart will have more options available than your local Mom & Pop stores. There also tends to be more in-store deals available than online ones. You should also consider whether you are able/willing to go to multiple stores to get the best deal, or if you want to stick to a single store to (potentially) save time.

How much time are you willing to put in?

A very important step is deciding how much time, realistically, you are willing and able to put into this. If you only have a couple minutes each week, you may want to focus on apps/sites that take any receipt or reward you for brand loyalty. On the other hand, if you have a few hours every Sunday that you can dedicate to it, then you might consider trying everything, following some groups, and getting into couponing.

How do you want to shop?

There are two main types of rebate apps/sites - ones for specific products, and ones that take any receipt, or any product within a set of brands. Each one has its pros and cons, and you can choose to do one or both of them.

Rebate Apps/Sites for Specific Products - Similar to coupons, some apps/sites offer rebates for purchasing a specific products. Many apps will offer the occasional freebie, and some even offer bonuses for purchasing so many products. You are often limited to lesser known brands/varieties. Not to mention, you have to pay up front and wait to be reimbursed after you reach the minimum withdrawal amount.
Rebate Apps/Sites for Any Brand/Product/Receipt - Quite a few apps/sites will pay you simply for scanning your receipt, or buying anything from the brand. These apps don't pay very much (usually), but offer more flexibility and ease of use.

Along with rebate apps/sites, many apps/sites can also be paired with coupons. Please make sure to read the terms on the offer to see whether it allows you to double up or not!

Sunday Paper Coupons - Many Sunday newspapers come with high value coupons that you can't get anywhere else. You will need to buy the paper, or buy the coupons from a coupon clipping service.
Printable Coupons - Many companies nowadays offer coupons on their website or through coupons.com. The obvious downside is that you have to print the coupon. Coupons may not be around very long, and they may have unexpectedly short expiration dates. Most sites limit you to 1 or 2 prints, and you may need to install special software and/or verify your phone number. If you're going to print them from coupons.com, I recommend going to Swagbucks or MyPoints, since you can get extra points for printing and redeeming coupons.
Digital Coupons - These are similar to printable coupons, except you load them to your loyalty account instead of printing them out. Many grocery stores with loyalty programs such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc have digital coupons that can be loaded to your account.
Coupons in the mail - Another source of coupons is to contact manufacturers directly and request coupons. This is not something I am particularly knowledgeable about, and the results can be hit or miss depending on the company.

Are you going to chase bonuses?

Chasing bonuses can be rewarding, but it can also get very tiring. You will likely end up with a lot of products you wouldn't normally buy or simply don't want. On the other hand, it lets you try a lot of new things, can net you a few bucks profit, and your friends and family will love you for all the freebies. Not to mention, it just feels awesome to bring home a bunch of stuff and say "I got paid to take alllll this."

Give it a try if it sounds fun, but don't get too over your head. I recently challenged myself to complete a 115 item bonus which I had a month to finish. I made a nice chunk of profit, but I did end up burning myself out a bit. Not to mention the three 40-50ish item week-and-a-half long bonuses that followed after that...

Where are you going to put everything?

Depending on how you do things, you may end up with an excess of products. It's a good idea to plan where to put everything before you go buying things. Keep in mind that having a lot of clutter can be bad for your mental health so it's best to hide stuff away, and you will need to use the products before they expire or go bad.

A few ideas

Store extras with your regular supply or in a nearby drawer, cabinent, etc.
Keep a few extras in that room, and store the rest in the basement, under a bed, etc.
Dedicate a small room or closet for extra products. This works great if you have a good shelving system and keep things organized.

Get rid of the stuff you don't want

If you chase bonuses, you will inevitably end up with some things you don't like or simply don't want.

A few ideas on how to get rid of stuff

Mix it in with the stuff you already use. Note: Be careful mixing chemical products up in advance. It may make the products less effective, or potentially dangerous. Mixing that cruddy vegan burger in with some tacos isn't going to hurt though.
Sell it on facebook, craigslist, or other local group. People buy bundles of products all the time.
Give it to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc.
Donate it to a donation center, local church, homeless shelters, women shelter, food pantry, youth organization, or simply put it on your porch with a "take me" sign.

Is this worth YOUR time?

Now that we've gone through all of the basic questions, it's time to think about whether this is something you actually want to do. Are you still excited? Or are you exhausted with the idea of it already? I personally find it fun and rewarding, but there certainly are more lucrative ways to spend your time if all you're interested in is the money/freebies.

What to expect

Doing rebate apps is similar to couponing, except that you get cash back after you purchase the items and scan your receipt instead of bringing your total down at the register. Many sites/apps have high minimum cashouts and it may take days or even weeks to get your reward. I personally don't have a problem with this, but it may make things difficult if you are on a tight budget.

Finding Apps/Sites

I made a huge list of all the apps/sites I know about. You can also do a search on this subreddit and/or other groups. You can also try looking on blogs or just using the app store. There are quite a few apps/sites out there, and after a while you'll start to realize which ones you use and which ones just aren't for you.

Finding one-time deals

Finding one-time deals isn't necessarily difficult, but it can be quite time consuming. I have yet to find a single place that uploads every deal, so you have to look all over the place to find new deals. The primarily way I learn about one-time deals is from other users - whether that be from my friends, this subreddit, or other groups I'm part of. Additionally, I learn about deals from doing google searches, getting mail or an email from a company, noticing promotions on a website or a product at the store, so on and so forth.

Finding printable coupons

The main ways I find printable coupons is from coupons.com and from the retailer's website. To find coupons on retailers websites, I usually just do a google search for "product or brand coupon". Typically you will find a result within the top few links, and you'll quickly learn which websites lead to junk. If that doesn't bring anything up, I check the main page and sign up for any email lists (make sure to use a throwaway email!) or check my email if I've already signed up. I also check at the navigation at the top and bottom of the page, as well as do a search if available. If you can't find anything relatively quickly, there usually isn't a printable coupon available on their site.

★ Pro Tip - Print your coupons.com coupons from Swagbucks, MyPoints, etc for extra points. Swagbucks offers an extra $0.25 or $0.50 once you redeem your offer as well as $0.003-$0.02 per print. Keep in mind it will take a little while to get the bonus.

★ Pro Tip - Many stores will only accept one of the two barcodes on the coupons.com coupons. If one doesn't work, try scanning the other one.

Avoiding Scams

In general, most rebate opportunities are legit. I have found very few that are scammy. The majority of scams are one-time things, many of which are offered directly by users on Facebook. Some basic things to look out for:

Required amazon reviews - It is against Amazon's ToS to write a review in exchange for compensation of any kind. This includes getting a discount, rebate, etc. Doing compensated reviews can result in your account being terminated. Also, many of the offers are just scams to begin with.
Requiring lots of personal information - It's pretty rare, but some scammers will try anything to get your personal information.

Planning a haul

Planning a haul is relatively straightforward. Check your apps, and see what's available. If you don't know the price of something, you'll probably want to look it up. I recommend doing this the day you plan to go shopping since many deals will end up expiring if you wait. How exactly you do it will depend on personal preference, but either way I recommend jotting down potentially interesting deals, and then going back through to decide whether or not you really want them.

If you are planning to hit a bonus, make sure you're not spending more than what the bonus will earn! Don't forget to account for tax. Also keep in mind what things would have cost if you bought your usual brand.

Note: Offers tend to vary per user. If you see someone else showing off a deal you don't have, keep an eye out for the next few days. It might pop up for you soon. Also, be aware that some users will post long after a deal has already ended.

★ Pro Tip - Not sure whether an item will qualify? Try scanning the barcode from an image! Wal-Mart's website has the barcodes for most products in the product images. If you can't find it there, you can try doing a Google search. Just be careful scanning products on apps that pay you for the scans. You might not be allowed to check again while you're at the store!

★ Pro Tip - Check brickseek to find products available in stores near you. I find that it's usually accurate for prices, but it's not always accurate about product availability. I have noticed that Wal-Mart's website no longer lists all products in the store when you do a search (especially cheap things), so brickseek can be helpful.

★ Pro Tip - Going for a bonus? Make sure to prepare a couple backup deal items in case the stuff you want isn't available.

★ Pro Tip - If an offer is particularly good or it keeps changing/disappearing, take a screenshot of it. If you need to contact support for any reason, you may need it.

Finding the best deals and money makers

Truthfully, there isn't any trick to finding great deals. It's simply a matter of seeing what offers are available, and knowing what the price of the items are. This may be time consuming at the start, but after a while you'll start to know approximately what things should cost, and you can quickly look up the exact cost. Alternatively, you can find other people like myself who post good deals and check to see if you have the same offers available.

Keeping track of things

The two most common ways to keep track of your haul are digital spreadsheets such as Excel or Google Sheets, and just writing things down on paper. Some people even use note taking apps or record themselves speaking their list. There are pros and cons to each one, and what you use will depend on your personal preferences. Give each a try and see what works best for you.

★ Pro Tip - Group similar types of items together on your list. This makes it less likely to miss an item and have to back track through the store. As you get more familiar with your store, you can even start ordering items based on your path through the store.

★ Pro Tip - If you're shopping at a store that has a website which tells you where to find products in the store (Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc), write the aisle number down on your list. This'll save you time tracking things down.

What to do at the store

Locate the products

When you get in the store, you'll want to start locating the products. I like to work my regular grocery list in with my hauls so I don't have to keep back tracking. I also plan my path through the store so that it has minimal backtracking. I finish off in the food section since I can personally make use of more food items than I can personal care or household goods. I also find it helpful to put all Ibotta items in a certain part of my cart so I can double check to make sure I got enough to hit my bonus.

★ Pro Tip - Check the clearance aisle(s). You never know what amazing deals you might find. Be wary of temptation from non-deal items though!

★ Pro Tip - Always check to make sure the offer is still available, and scan the products at the store if possible! Save yourself the headache by making sure the offer is still available, and that the system recognizes the product.

Checking out

I prefer to use self checkouts since it allows me to go at my own pace, and I'm not holding up any other customers. I like to scan any Shopkick items first, or I put them on a separate receipt. Sometimes they miss things if they're scattered about. I also prefer to wait until the end to scan any products I have coupons for or otherwise think they won't ring up at the right price. This just makes it easier if you have to call someone over to fix something.

★ Pro Tip - ALWAYS get a receipt and KEEP it. If your receipt looks poorly printed, ask them to print another one. I also recommend taking a photo of your receipts just in case you need it. I save all of my receipts for at least 2 months just in case.

★ Pro Tip - For apps that have specific products (Swagbucks, Ibotta, etc) scan your receipt before leaving the store or as soon as you get home. You never know when an offer might change.

Notes about shopping at Wal-Mart

I mostly only shop at Wal-Mart, so I can't say much about other stores.

Expired coupons on products - Your store may mark the price down for you if the coupon came directly off the product. YMMV
Many e-gift cards will not scan properly. To avoid the hassle, add them to your Wal-Mart pay account and pay that way. If you need to have a printed receipt (you will for most apps), toss in a penny or use your ebt card first. This will let you get a printed receipt.
Don't trust the price tags at the store. If you see something marked down cheap, make sure to scan it first. If it doesn't ring up right at the register, tell the cashier. Wal-Mart will price match to walmart.com as long as the product is sold by Wal-Mart.
If a coupon needs to be punched in, you likely will need a second approval when you pay. This isn't a problem, but just be aware that it doesn't mean you did something wrong.
Many new, seasonal, and trial size products don't show up on Wal-Mart's site when you do a search. Ever since they merged Walmart.com with Wal-Mart Grocery, a great deal of their products are on hidden pages.

When you get home

If you haven't already, you will want to scan your receipts to all of the apps. I prefer to do this before I put things away since you should always scan your receipts asap, and some apps may need you to scan the product's barcode or you'll need to take photos to submit it to customer support. If I have something that I know needs to go in the fridge/freezer asap like frozen veggies or eggs then I'll toss those in, but otherwise I go straight to scanning my receipts.

After that you'll need to put everything away. Don't forget to put the new stuff behind the old stuff!

Common Questions

Can you use this with EBT, WIC, gift cards, etc? (USA)

Yes! I have yet to find a site that even remotely suggests how you have to pay, so pay with whatever method you feel most comfortable with.

Do you have to pay taxes? (USA)

Nope! Coupons, rebates, cash back, credit card rewards, etc are not taxable if they are reducing the purchase price of an item or if it's a reward for meeting a spending goal.

However, if you received the rebate in exchange for a service such as a review, then you may need to pay taxes on that or on the estimated value of the product if you received it for free. Also, any referral income is taxable.

Can you hide personal information on the receipt?

Every app will need to know what store you went to including the store's location, the individual items you purchased, the total, and the receipt date. Most apps also need the barcode and/or transaction number, and the number of ites sold. Some apps may need more than that, but I have not had any issue covering up or hiding information personal info.

You should not have a problem covering up or hiding:

Card numbers or remaining balance
Loyalty card number
Coupons, Store statistics, or other account-related information.

Addressing common problems

Since this guide is a general guide and not app-specific, I won't cover problems that are app-specific. Most problems will be solved by either restarting the app or your device, reinstalling the app, contacting support, or waiting for them to update the app so it will work for you again.

The offer disappeared

The best option is to prevent this from happening. Offers are always subject to change, so you can't rely on a deal being available until the expiration date. You should always check that an offer is still available before you shop, and preferably before you check out. Make sure to scan your receipt as soon as you possibly can - before you leave the store if possible.

Unfortunately, even if you do this there is still the possibility that the offer may disappear between the time you make the purchase and you submit your receipt. If the offer still isn't available, I recommend waiting a couple hours. Sometimes the offer will pop back up. I usually wait until the following day, and if it still isn't there then I send a polite message to support. You may need a photo of the offer that disappeared though, so it can be beneficial to screenshot any particularly good deals ahead of time.

Receipt Rejected - Bad quality photo

Some apps such as Ibotta only need a barcode, but many apps submit the receipts for manual review. This means it's incredibly important you get a clear photo. Make sure your camera is in focus, you have good lighting, and that your receipt is on a darker, solid background. If your photos are still coming out blurry, you may need to clean off your phone's camera. You also need to make sure that you are close enough, but not too close. You should clearly see every edge of your receipt. Most apps will allow you to take more than one photo.

Receipt Rejected - No qualifying product was found

The first thing to do is to double check the offer and make sure you purchased the right product, the right variety, the right quantity, and that you purchased it from the right store. If everything is correct, try resubmitting the receipt. Sometimes the person looking it over just misses it. When this happens, I often times will use a pen or my finger to point at the correct product on the receipt. If submitting it from my desktop, I like to use a highlighter tool.

If they still cannot find the product, you will need to contact customer support. Make sure to be polite in your message. Your message should contain:

A photo of your receipt. Preferably with the qualifying product pointed out (don't draw on your receipt, that may invalidate it, but highlighting it on the computer is usually fine), or at least say the full name of the product on the receipt.
A photo of the front of the product including the size and variety
A photo of the product's barcode
The full name of the offer and the number of points you were supposed to receive. Make sure to give them the individual offer amount and the total you were supposed to receive.
The date you submitted your receipt
Optional: A photo of the offer

Receipt Rejected - Invalid Date

Most apps/sites have a certain a time frame that receipts can be submitted. If you've gone past this time frame, you're just out of luck. Some apps will still accept the receipt until the end of the day, some until the exact minute, and some place the cutoff timer in the morning. You should always submit your receipts right away. In addition to that, you may run into issues if you made the purchase before adding the offer to your account.

If you are getting an "invalid date" due to a poorly printed receipt, you can try to carefully tracing over the date and time info. I have had success with this when the number is mostly printed but just a couple missing spots made it hard for the scanner to pick it up. Make sure to take a picture of the receipt beforehand just in case. Alternatively, you will need to contact customer support.

Banned

I have honestly never heard of someone being permanently banned for interacting with rebate apps in a legitimate fashion. On occassion you may trigger the fraud detection, but that should be easily cleared up by sending a polite message to support.

A few common reasons people are banned

Cashing out immediately - This seems to trigger the fraud detection on some apps. Ibotta is particularly bad about this, so it's best to wait a day or two before cashing out.
Uploading other people's receipts. If you use a ton of different payment methods, you may accidently trigger the fraud detection.
Buying products that aren't supposed to qualify. For example, if the app says it excludes a specific size, then you shouldn't get that size even if it scans.
Using multiple accounts. Some apps allow you to have multiple accounts per household, but if you make it obvious that one person is using both apps then it is possible you will be banned and have to submit proof that the apps are used by different users.
Returning/exchanging a product after receiving cash back.
Being a dick to customer support

Contacting Support

I have a full guide here for what you should do when contacting support. The TL;DR of it is keep things short while including all of the info they will need, be polite, and be patient. r/beermoney sites have more than enough workers, so very few will tolerate people who are throwing a fit over a minor issue like something not crediting immediately.

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source https://www.reddit.com/r/beermoney/comments/v7442x/guide_beginners_guide_to_using_rebate_appssites/

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