Ibotta Referral Code Signup Bonus Code THFT3A + How to Redeem

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Grab some coffee and make some room in your wallet, fellow frugal friend. Have I got an Ibotta review and hacks to share with you! Sadly, the Ibotta referral code bonus fluctuates from $5-$10 now, whereas it once was $20 in the good ol’ days. That’s 2021 2022 for you.

Nonetheless, this Ibotta welcome bonus and subsequent earnings should result in plenty more cash in your pocket by the end of this year that could potentially outdo your Christmas bonus–if your Christmas bonus is around $360. Ideally, I’ll ignite a lifetime love of saving money–isn’t that the best gift of all?

Here are 7 reasons you need to keep using this money-saving app even after you get your Ibotta referral code bonus.

1. Ibotta referral code

Download the ibotta app from the Apple or Google, or go through this button and send it straight to your phone:

Each person I refer with my Ibotta referral code earns me a bonus as well. So….thank you!

But check out my recent Ibotta earnings that didn’t even include referrals.

If you go through Apple or Google, use my ibotta promo code thft3a for a $5-$10 bonus. Bonuses fluctuate throughout the year and get as high as $20, usually just around the holidays or after you complete several different tasks on the app.

2. Unlock the Ibotta referral code bonus

Unlocking the Ibotta bonus is so easy to do, as I’ll show below. If you’re looking for an Ibotta review or information to let you know if it’s worth it, you’re also in the right spot. And if you’re in the mood for more excitement-packed articles about ways to save money, well that’s here.

Remember to use the Ibotta promo code THFT3A!

3. Is the Ibotta app worth it?

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of my ibotta review, I’d like to share a pre-Ibotta simulation. It is a story that takes place before Ibotta and before online cashback was popular. Heck, this was before even smartphones were the norm, at least in our household. Like ten years waaay over a decade ago.

Picture yourself as a new mom or dad in a checkout line in 2009. Grouchy, tired folks are in a line a dozen folks long and just trying to get their groceries and get out. Then, with all these people behind you, you hand over a dozen coupons with the hope of saving around 20% off your $100 grocery bill. That Extreme Couponing show on TLC looked too good to be true, but I had to give it the ol’ college try. An admirable and very achievable goal for a savvy couponer, but a surefire way to piss off the ten folks behind you.

But wait–the cashier is stumped. Your coupons aren’t coming off. The grouchy become grouchier. Frowns; frownier. Progress stalls. Your stomach churns. All eyes are on YOU.

Why are you wasting everyone’s time, including your own? Or at least that’s how you feel.

This situation was all too familiar to me when I first started trying to make an effort to save money.

It’s so easy to feel self-conscious when you hold up a checkout line for any reason. Traditional couponing can cause a little anxiety for this very reason, especially for those of us prone to it already! *Shyly raises hand. Nobody wants to hold up a checkout line or be the cause of delaying others’ plans. Okay, maybe some people do. Not this gal.

3. Cashback is more convenient than coupons–and the deals are better

There was good couponing to be had in the recession-era time period. It was even worth it to hold up the checkout line! You just needed to know how to strategically stack coupons with sale prices, and you’d save a bundle. And coupons brought many families through some rocky times–my little family included. But alas, those days of crazy freebies, double coupons, and TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” show are gone. Now people pay through the nose for Instacart and watch TLC’s “My 600 Pound Life” instead of Extreme Couponing. While I admit I’m guilty of the latter, I’ll be cold in the ground before I pay 3x retail price for Instacart service.

Companies are stingier now. Sales are “meh,” and paper coupons are lackluster. Couponing doesn’t seem as popular. I look around at fellow shoppers, and instead of seeing other folks with coupons or even a list in hand, I am surrounded by Walmart employee “order pickers” and personal shoppers gathering orders for online pickup. They’re not shy about taking up the aisles at Walmart. It appears that people don’t need coupons to save money…but maybe that’s because their savings are just paperless now…

Mind blown?

So, what’s a deal-craving gal or guy to do when traditional couponing doesn’t feel worth the effort, you wanna get in and out of the grocery store quickly, and you want to save real money on food?

Go digital.

Enter Ibotta app for savings without the hassle

Oh, Ibotta, you never let me down. It’s ridiculously easy to save money on groceries without coupons. Instead of all that extra effort listed above, I sit outside on my patio and sip tea while my kiddos play. I open up the Ibotta app on my phone and click “Add” next to any item I’m interested in saving money on. I buy said items at Walmart, then scan the QR code on the receipt after purchasing to redeem my items. It’s all automated for Walmart, so my work is done here.

Usually, the money is in my ibotta account within moments after I scan the receipt, though sometimes it takes up to a day.

4. What stores are on ibotta? As my son would say, “Your mom’s.”

Pretty much all the big-box stores and websites are on ibotta. And even some surprises I’ll share below.

Maybe the better question is where does ibotta NOT work? While you can some redeem grocery offers at gas stations like Maverick and Shell, they don’t give cash back on gas. Fast food restaurants are similar: you can only buy gift cards for them through ibotta, and it’s kind of a process.

Pet stores like Chewy and Petsmart, and even subscriptions like Barkbox, do have cash back offers. So do electronics stores like BestBuy, HP, and Dell. Subscription services like Blue Apron, Everyplate, and HelloFresh have nice offers like $20 cash back! Disney Plus, Sling, and Hulu also have generous cash back through ibotta.

To shop online, just open up the Ibotta app, just click on the store and it’ll take you to that store’s site to start shopping. There are tons of stores available, even some you wouldn’t guess.

Surprising websites and stores where Ibotta offers cash back:

• Amazon
• Groupon
• Hotwire.com and other travel sites.
• Doordash
• eBay

5. There are more bonuses after the initial Ibotta referral code bonus!

If you’re doing any shopping via your phone, you need to check ibotta’s “Bonus” link on the bottom menu. I’ve seen them offer $10 bonuses for Underarmour.com, Boxed.com, and HSN.com in the past. Also, $1-$15 bonusses for buying X amount of items in a given week.

Make sure the bonus section is the first place you check when you open the ibotta app. I almost always grab an ibotta bonus when shopping at Walmart, because it’s so easy to do for a couple of extra bucks. They often offer “Weekend Warrior” bonuses and “Mid-week Moneymaker” bonuses worth an extra $2-$3 when you buy 5-8 products. My favorite bonuses are the $5-$10 offers that usually pop up around holidays and seasonal changes!

To find bonuses, just look at the bottom menu at the “Bonus” link. There’s nothing you need to do to activate these, simply purchase enough items or buy the particular manufacturer’s item.

5. Redeeming Ibotta offers is simple…

You can add the items you’re shopping before or after purchasing the items for most stores. However, stores like Rite Aid offer automatic savings via your loyalty card number, and you should add the items before purchasing. If you don’t add them beforehand, no worries. I’ve actually been able to add them within a few hours after purchase and still get credited. Of course, you’ll want to be sure to add those items asap if you add them after purchasing.

After buying your items, you’ll hit the “Redeem” button shown above in the menu. If it’s Walmart, you’ll scan the QR code. For loyalty-card automatic redemption stores like Rite Aid, you don’t need to do anything except make sure your offers are added. If it’s another store, you’ll take a picture of the receipt–possibly a few pictures if it’s a long receipt.

Walmart is the only store that I know of that offers the QR feature where you simply scan the code on your receipt, but there are countless stores where you can utilize cash back. Walmart also tends to have the most savings through ibotta. Fred Meyer, Winco, Albertsons, etc, shoppers needn’t dismay: Ibotta loves you too. The receipt process is similar, but you take a picture of the entire receipt with all other stores, instead of just the QR code. Ibotta also lets you link your loyalty card from some stores like Rite Aid, Fred Meyer, and now Walmart (Walmart’s link is via credit card) so you just need to add the offers before you shop–savings automatically add to your account within a few days when you input your phone number at the checkout pad at the store.

Ibotta updated its system to recognize most offers automatically on the receipt. You usually need to just verify it gathered all your offers, then hit “Submit.” For non-Walmart stores or stores that aren’t card-connect like Rite Aid, you’ll sometimes need to scan each item you want cash back for if it doesn’t pick it up automatically. You hit “Submit” when finished, and cashback is usually in your account within a day. Bonuses will hit your account–if you meet the requirements–at the same time as your other cash back earned.

6. C’mon Holly, how much cash back could I possibly earn with Ibotta?

Speaking of cash back earned…I know that’s what y’all are here for.

So on to the good stuff. What can you realistically make–or save–from Ibotta? I usually save an average of $20-$30 each month with Ibotta, with at least half of this attributable to bonuses. Last month, I saved $41 due to several bonuses snagged! I also tend to save extra around November and December when the bonuses get really generous. Here’s proof in my Paypal account. You can also redeem your Ibotta earnings in the form of gift cards for Amazon, etc if you like.

7. Ok, Holly, thanks for the Ibotta welcome bonus and review, but… got hacks?

Ibotta hack: Ibotta offers cash back on toys, over-the-counter meds, pet food

This cashback app saves on more than groceries! You can save on toys like Hatchimals, over-the-counter medicine like Zantac or Tylenol, pet food like Purina, and small appliances. It’s a more recent update to offer the toys and appliances, so probably not something many are aware of. They’re also near the end of the offers list.

Bonus Ibotta hack #2: earn more with two accounts

My husband and I both have an Ibotta account for several reasons.

• I signed up, then signed up his phone through my invite link to get a $5 referral credit on both our accounts! When you refer others to ibotta, you get a referral credit. That varies between $5-$10, and so does the bonus for the user who signs up.
• Different users receive different offers, and sometimes the lesser-used account has more savings or just better savings overall.
• Bonuses often have fewer requirements on the lesser-used account. For example, he may have a “Redeem 8 offers for $10” offer while my account has a “Redeem 12 offers for $10” bonus offer. It’d behoove me to use his account which requires fewer offers to redeem.
• If you use one account for a couple of months, then switch to the other account, you can best utilize the extra savings offered to the stagnant account.

Hack #3: Get lots of freebies around Thanksgiving!

A few final tips to remember in this Ibotta review:

1. Only shop when there are bonuses. Better yet, try to shop when there’s at least a $5 bonus. This happens at least once a month.
2. Keep your receipts for a week. Sometimes ibotta offers show up after you purchase an item that wasn’t previously on there. So if you bought Nutella on Monday without an offer, you could still get the $1 credit for it if the Nutella offer shows up Saturday. It appears to be a 7-day limit.
3. Utilize customer service as needed. If you ever have trouble with an offer, they’ll work with you to make it right. Just click the “Help” in the upper right corner while viewing the problematic receipt through the notifications link. This is in the top right corner and indicated by a bell.
4. Don’t forget you can use coupons in addition to Ibotta. Although Ibotta was intended to be an alternative to coupons, you can use paper coupons plus get cash back for Ibotta products.
5. Make a Pinterest post about Ibotta and offer your referral code to others. Referrals are worth $ in your account! Since I’ve made this blog post review, I’ve earned extra money each month just from people reading this and signing up for Ibotta using my referral code!

Who doesn’t love to save money? And who doesn’t love to save money in the easiest way possible? In this post-coupon age, you gotta get on this app! It’s a legit, real way to save money each month, and could easily save you at least $240-$360 a year just like it does for me. You’re especially gonna love it by the end of the year when you cash out.