Best Cashback and Coupon Apps to Save Money in 2025

Cashback apps aren’t going to make you rich, but they’re one of the few categories of personal finance tool where you genuinely get something for almost no effort. You’re spending money anyway. Getting 1 to 10% back on purchases you were going to make regardless is free money, as long as the app doesn’t change your spending behavior to justify the cashback.

Here are the best options and what they’re actually good for.

Rakuten (Best for Online Shopping)

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is the largest cashback platform for online shopping. It partners with over 3,500 retailers and pays cashback as a percentage of your purchase amount when you shop through the Rakuten portal or use the Rakuten browser extension.

Cashback rates vary by retailer and promotion: typically 1 to 5% at most stores, but Rakuten regularly runs boosted rates of 8 to 15%+ at popular retailers. Quarterly payouts arrive as a check or PayPal deposit.

The browser extension is the key: it activates automatically on supported retailer websites, shows the available cashback rate, and applies it with one click. There’s no coupon hunting or code entry. On large purchases (furniture, electronics, travel) the cashback on Rakuten can be $20 to $100+ from a single transaction.

Ibotta (Best for Groceries)

Ibotta is the leading cashback app for grocery and in-store purchases. You browse available offers (specific products at specific stores), add the ones you want, make your purchase, and upload your receipt to claim the cashback. Ibotta also has a browser extension for online shopping similar to Rakuten.

Cashback amounts vary by offer but commonly run $0.25 to $1.50 per product, with occasional higher offers for trying new products. There’s also a “any brand” offer on a category (like $0.25 back on any fresh vegetables) that doesn’t require a specific brand, which adds up on regular grocery runs.

Consistent Ibotta users report $20 to $50 back per month on regular grocery purchases without changing what they buy, just by checking available offers before shopping and scanning receipts afterward. Minimum $20 balance to cash out via PayPal, Venmo, or gift cards.

Fetch Rewards (Easiest to Use)

Fetch Rewards earns points on every grocery receipt you scan, any store, any products, no pre-browsing offers required. You scan after checkout and earn points automatically on eligible items. Points can be redeemed for gift cards.

It’s less lucrative than Ibotta (the points-to-dollar conversion is lower and you can’t target high-value offers), but it’s nearly effortless. If you’ll actually use it consistently because it requires no planning, Fetch’s low-friction approach generates more total savings than an app you use occasionally because the process was too involved.

Capital One Shopping (For Automatic Coupon Application)

Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension that automatically searches for and applies coupon codes at checkout when shopping online. It also compares prices across retailers and alerts you if the same item is available for less elsewhere.

It works passively, just install the extension and it activates on checkout pages where coupons are available. Unlike Rakuten and Ibotta, there’s no cashback deposited to your account; it applies savings as direct price reductions. Honey (owned by PayPal) works similarly and is worth installing alongside Capital One Shopping since coupon code databases don’t fully overlap.

Upside (For Gas and Restaurants)

Upside offers cashback on gas station purchases and, increasingly, restaurant visits. You browse nearby gas stations in the app, claim the cashback offer (typically $0.05 to $0.25 per gallon), fill up, and upload your receipt. You won’t drive 20 miles out of your way for $0.15/gallon savings, but if the participating station is already nearby, it’s an easy addition to a regular routine.

Upside payouts via PayPal, bank transfer, or gift cards. The gas cashback specifically adds up noticeably for regular commuters, $5 to $15/month is typical for drivers who use it consistently.

Using These Apps Without Changing Spending Behavior

The risk with cashback apps is rationalization: “I’m getting 8% back, so I might as well buy this thing I wasn’t planning to buy.” That’s how a tool that should save you money costs you money instead.

Used correctly: you check cashback availability on purchases you’ve already decided to make, and you add cashback offers to items on your grocery list. You don’t make purchase decisions based on cashback availability. The savings are real when the behavior is disciplined, and most people who use these apps consistently pull in $200 to $600/year in total savings without much effort.

Install Rakuten and the Capital One Shopping extension today. Add Ibotta for groceries. Check Upside when you need gas. These three cover the majority of regular consumer spending categories and require about 10 minutes total to set up.