I buy milk. I scan the receipt. I earn points. This is how I live now.
They laughed when I said I was making money from my trash, but who’s laughing now as I sip free Starbucks bought entirely with scanned receipts? Still them. But that’s beside the point.
Let me introduce you to the secret society of receipt scanners. We are quiet. We are disciplined. We do not let a Walmart receipt go unclaimed.
Here’s how it works, plain and true: You make a purchase, you get a receipt, you scan it into an app, and points trickle in like coffee dripping from a busted percolator. It’s slow. But it adds up.
These are the apps I use, and yes, I use all six. Because why have one digital rewards program when you can run a small receipt empire?
1. Fetch
Fetch rewards you just for scanning receipts. You don’t even have to buy anything fancy. You could buy a banana and it would nod solemnly and hand you 25 points. This app also will give you bonus points for buying specific items. Sometimes 1,000 or more points with one receipt!
Use my code: 9QA99
2. Receipt Pal
This one’s more mysterious. It accepts most receipts, but only at its leisure. Like a receipt gatekeeper. But it pays in Amazon cards and sweet validation. This is the app that started all this receipt scanning for me! If you have Amazon Prime, you also get points for what you’ve watch on TV.
3. Pogo
Pogo is like a nosy neighbor that pays you for your data. Connect your cards and it tracks your purchases. Creepy? Maybe. Profitable? Definitely. It is also one of the apps that lets you play games to earn points.
Use my code: 7ZLNM
4. Receipt Hog
This one is a hog indeed. It hoards your receipts and pays you in coins like some kind of virtual piggy bank. You’ll need patience, but those coins eventually squeal into real money. With this app you also earn points to play “Hog Slots”! (I see where your dirty mind is going! — it’s just a hog themed slot machine game.)
Use my code: buz86589
5. CoinOut
CoinOut is a no-frills, one-scan-and-done type of app. Scan, get cents. Feels like scratching a lottery ticket that always wins something… even if it’s just 3 cents. This app was featured on “Shark Tank”
Use my code: HYZQJX
6. Frisbee
The cool new kid. Fast, fun interface. It tosses you coins with wild abandon, like it doesn’t even care. But it does. Oh, it does.
Use my code: fwWgj
Here’s the deal. No one’s quitting their job over receipt apps. But every few months I get a $25 Amazon card, or money drops into my PayPal like a small victory parade. It doesn’t sound like much, but even if you received a $25 from each app over the course of a year — You will have earned $150! Who wants to throw out an opportunity for $150?
These apps work best when used together. Like an Avengers team of frugal glory. Make it a habit. Scan after every shopping trip. Watch your digital wallet grow.
Some will say “you’re giving them all the information about what you are buying.”. Well, the stores pretty much already have that information and if it’s that important to them and they will reward me with a few points — I’ll do it!
You were going to throw that receipt away anyway. Now it’s a money-making artifact. Your trash is your treasure.
And hey, if you sign up with my codes, we both win. You get bonus points. I get bonus points. Everyone’s a little richer.
If you ask me, that’s worth five seconds and a wrinkled slip of paper. And by remembering to scan it, I save the receipt from turning to a wad of mush when it goes through the washing machine!
