Is Fetch Rewards Legit & Worth It? (My Honest Review!)
According to the USDA, the average family of four spends anywhere from $571 to $1,300 per month on food. That's potentially almost $16,000 per year in food costs!
There's no way around it: groceries are expensive. Plus, this percentage of household spending is unavoidable.
Sticking to a budget, tracking your spending, and looking for deals are some simple ways to cut down on expenses.
But, if you want to take things one step further, there's a wide range of nifty cash back reward apps that you can use to recoup ever more of your hard-earned money.
And, out of all cash back apps, one of the most popular is Fetch Rewards.
But is Fetch Rewards legit? And how much money can you actually save with this grocery rewards app?
Well, I've been using Fetch Rewards for the last few years to save more money. And my Fetch Rewards review is covering how this app works, its earning potential, and how to decide if it's worth downloading.
Let’s dive in!
Download Fetch Rewards for IOS or for Android, and use the code “APREWARDS” to redeem 3K points!
What Is Fetch Rewards?
Fetch Rewards is a free rewards app that lets you earn free gift cards in exchange for buying products from partner brands. The app began in 2012, and since then, it's become one of the most popular reward apps with over 17 million members.
If you want to get paid to shop, it's one of the best reward apps out there. And I've been using Fetch alongside apps like Ibotta, Swagbucks, and Drop to save more money for my weekly shopping.
Fetch Rewards partners with over 500 popular brands. To earn, all you need to do is buy products from these brands and then scan your receipt to provide proof of purchase.
From there, you can redeem your Fetch Rewards points for a wide range of free gift cards. And Fetch Rewards pays you as long as any product from a partner is on your receipt, so it's very easy to earn points with.
Is Fetch Rewards Legit?
Yes, Fetch Rewards is legit, and the app lets you earn free gift cards for buying products from its 500+ partners. It has over 17 million members, with thousands of positive reviews and payment proof online.
I like using Fetch Rewards since you don't have to build a grocery list before shopping to earn or scan barcodes for money. All you have to do is buy products from partner brands and take a photo of your receipt to earn.
I do wish that Fetch Rewards had free PayPal money rewards. But the gift card variety and low 3,000 point minimum redemption requirement help make up for the lack of cash rewards.
How Does Fetch Rewards Work?
I've been testing out reward apps ever since my phone farming days in college. And after trying out Fetch Rewards, it's a very beginner-friendly app that's easy to use.
All-in-all, Fetch Rewards works in four simple steps:
- Shop at Fetch Rewards partner brands
- Scan your receipts
- Earn points
- Cash out
I'm going to cover how each step works in a bit more detail. And I'm also going to cover some Fetch Rewards hacks and other methods you can use to earn even more points.
1. Shop For Partner Brands
The great thing about Fetch is that you don’t have to shop at a specific store to earn rewards unlike most of the offers on apps like Ibotta or Checkout 51. This is by far the best feature of using Fetch Rewards.
As long as you shop for partner brands and upload a receipt to Fetch Rewards, you earn points. Again, the specific retailer doesn't matter, which is awesome.
Here are a few popular brands that work when shopping with Fetch Rewards:
- Betty Crocker
- Cheerios
- Dove
- Godiva
- Jello
- Coors
- Pepsi
- Kraft
- Kleenex
- Lipton
- Starbucks
- A snapshot of some Fetch Rewards brands.
This is just a small fraction of the brands eligible for earning rewards. You can check out the complete list to see if it lines up with your current shopping list.
And you may have noticed, not all of these brands are necessarily for food. There’s a huge array of options for personal care, magazines, baby products, and more.
This is another advantage of using Fetch Rewards. You can earn cash back for a wide range of categories, so it's easy to make the most of your spending when using this app.
2. Scan Your Receipts
To earn points with Fetch Rewards, you snap a picture of your shopping receipt with the app. This is how you prove that you've purchased products from various Fetch Rewards partner brands.
You don’t have to carry any coupons, discount codes, or even scan individual items. All you have to do is shop as you normally would, check out with the cashier, and get your receipt.
When you receive your receipt, open the Fetch Rewards app and take a photo of it through their scanning technology.
I really like that you don't have to manually check off items from a shopping list or add items you want to buy to earn points. Apps like Drop and Caddle make you do this, but Fetch Rewards is way more passive.
You generally earn 25 to 50 points per shopping receipt. But how many points you earn depends on the number of products you buy. Completing sponsored offers or using other tips, which I'm covering below, can also pay more points.
3. Shop For Sponsored Offers
Another way to earn points with Fetch Rewards is to complete sponsored offers. This involves buying specific products from different partners in exchange for even more points.
You don't have to add these items to a shopping list either; as long as they're on your receipt, you get points.
This is another reason I prefer Fetch Rewards over Ibotta; it's way more passive and takes less effort to earn rewards.
Fetch rewards understands that it would be a hassle to manually search for those products. Again, this is why Fetch Rewards is better than Ibotta!
The offers are displayed in the app if you want to go after them yourself, but just know that you might earn more rewards than you thought just by regularly uploading your receipts.
4. Refer Your Friends
When you refer a friend to download and use Fetch Rewards, you both earn 2,000 points.
That’s $2 in free money for helping your friends save money. And the best part is, you can refer as many friends as you want.
The Fetch Rewards referral code only gives you $2 to $3 normally. But if you refer enough friends, it can be a great way to earn rewards for minimal effort.
Keep in mind that you need $3 minimum to redeem free gift card rewards, so this referral bonus almost puts you at the cash out limit just like that.
5. Enter Sweepstakes & Contests
Fetch Rewards also runs monthly sweepstakes and contests which provide another way to earn even more points.
There are a few sweepstakes that you enter just by shopping between a certain date and time. That's all it takes to be eligible to win.
Monthly sweepstakes also giveaway $1,000 prepaid Visa cards, which is absolutely awesome.
Just be sure to read the terms for each giveaway to see if you can be chosen for a $1,000 Visa Gift Card. The timeline to qualify really matters for your chance to enter, so read the terms for each contest carefully.
Plus, Fetch Rewards also runs fun contests too, like its Brand Bracket challenges, and plenty of other fun contests.
6. Upload EReceipts
Fetch Rewards now lets users earn by connecting their email and Amazon account to Fetch Rewards to redeem electronic emails!
The app won't scan your inbox automatically. However, you can press the eReceipts button in the app to scan your inbox to look for receipts.
Now, this feature doesn't work with every partner brand. However, some notable partners include Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Kohl's, CVS, Food Lion, and Instacart.
Overall, if you want to shop online and earn Fetch Rewards points, this new eReceipts program is excellent news.
7. Shop With GoodRX
Another exciting update for Fetch Rewards is their partnership with GoodRX.
GoodRX helps you save on prescription costs by giving you coupons you can use at pharmacies. Fetch Rewards helps you find these deals and coupons and earn bonus points in the process.
This is a newer feature, so be sure to update your Fetch Rewards app to the latest version to start using it.
Fetch Rewards Gift Cards & Cashing Out
Fetch Rewards lets you redeem your points for a variety of free gift cards. Many gift cards require 3,000 points to redeem, which is worth $3.
This is a low cash out requirement in the world of GPT apps. And Fetch Rewards has gift cards to many popular retailers like:
There are hundreds of gift cards available. A lack of PayPal money rewards is a downside, but there's enough gift card variety to find a brand you normally shop at.
Just note that many gift cards have a minimum balance of $5 even though some gift cards, like Amazon, are available for only 3,000 points.
How Much Does Fetch Rewards Pay?
Fetch Rewards states that “points are awarded based on the final price paid: pre-tax and after all other coupons/discounts/savings are applied.” But as a general rule of thumb, it seems like you earn about one Fetch Rewrads point for every $0.10 you spend.
However, buying sponsored offers can definitely help speed up the process. According to this Fetch Rewards review on Reddit, this user got $100 worth of Fetch Rewards points by buying sponsored offers, often earning $0.25 to $3 in cash back per receipt.
So, the amount of points you earn is really based on how much you shop, if you shop for partnered brands, and if you take advantage of other ways to earn and sponsored offers.
Let’s assume for a second that you spend $500 on groceries every month. Let’s also assume that half of that cost ($250) is eligible for Fetch Rewards and you referred one friend.
With this scenario, you earn 2,500 points plus an additional 2,000 for referring your friend. That equals 4,500 points (or $4.50) that you can use towards a free gift card of your choice.
If that happened every month, you’d earn $54 in gift cards after 1 year. That’s not bad for just having to scan a receipt every time you shop!
Is Fetch Rewards Safe?
Yes, Fetch Rewards is safe. The app doesn't steal credit card information or even require any personal financial information to earn rewards. All it needs is pictures of your shopping receipts to pay you with points.
You should still read its privacy policy, and know that you're basically selling your customer data to get points.
However, Fetch Rewards amalgamates data to keep things anonymous. And again, you don't need to share any personal financial information with the app.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Fetch Rewards is a mostly passive income app since all you have to do is upload photos of receipts
- Excellent gift card variety
- A low 3,000 point minimum redemption requirement
- Multiple ways to earn points with sponsored offers, eReceipts, and GoodRX deals
- Fetch Rewards is very user-friendly
Cons:
- Fetch Rewards is only available in the United States
- You don't earn many points unless you complete sponsored offers.
- No PayPal money or direct deposit rewards
- Competitor apps like Ibotta or Checkout 51 often have better sign up bonuses
Other Fetch Rewards Reviews
Fetch Rewards is one of the most popular rewards apps on the market. Personally, I enjoy using it whenever I'm in the United States, and I think it's the best way to get paid to shop for groceries.
That said, one of the best ways to tell if a money-making app is legit or not is to see what other users have to say about their experiences.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Fetch Rewards reviews on websites like Reddit where other users share their feedback:
- earthdogmonster says: “I just look for the featured deals mainly. Sometimes they have some outright free stuff. Sometimes they have some nice stacks with Ibotta, Checkout 51, and Shopkick. Also, if you don’t submit anything for like 2 weeks, sometimes they send an incentive “bonus” for any receipt, usually 250-300 points.”
- Therealabbybob says: “I’ll echo what other posters have said- check the extra point deals. Also it helps if you buy the brands that offer extra points: Unilever, Bimbo, PepsiCo are big ones.”
- elliottbtx says: “Agree with a previous post that said getting deals from manufacturers that offer deals helps. I do a lot of deals at CVS or Walgreens for Unilever products like Dove.”
- Koolkat30625 says: “You get the most points for buying specific products and doing the special offers. About 3 months ago they had a deal where if you spend $90 bucks at jewels grocery store up to 3 times you receive 4000 points per shopping trip. I shopped at jewel's and took advantage of the offer and earned 1200 points which is the equivalent of $12.”
As you can see, these users all say you have to look for featured deals to get the most points. And stacking Fetch Rewards with other apps, in-store promotions, and credit card rewards helps you earn more.
This Fetch Rewards app review from YouTuber Debt Free Millennials also shares her experience with the app and how she earned after five months:
In her review, Justine explains how going for sponsored offers is the best way to get extra points, although she didn't do this too often.
She also likes how gift card rewards start at just $3. And in five months, Justine earned about 9,400 Fetch Rewards points, which is worth $9.40.
This isn't life-changing money. But Justine only uploaded 20-3o receipts, so it's pretty quick money. And again, you earn much more if you go for those featured offers.
The Best Apps Like Fetch Rewards
I think Fetch Rewards is the best grocery rewards app out there. And I like that it adds new ways to earn points and has plenty of gift card rewards.
That said, there are plenty of apps like Fetch Rewards you can use to maximize your points:
- Pogo: An awesome rewards app that pays you with PayPal cash for each purchase.
- Amazon Shopper Panel: Lets you upload receipts to Amazon to get free Amazon gift cards.
- Swagbucks: This site pays you to answer surveys, shop online, watch ads, and upload receipts.
- Receipt Hog: Another receipt scanning app like Fetch Rewards.
- ReceiptPal: Lets you earn PayPal money for uploading shopping receipts.
- Upside: A leading gas rewards app with PayPal and gift card rewards.
- Rakuten: One of my favorite shopping extensions that pays you for shopping at thousands of retailers.
- CoinOut: A Shark-Tank featured rewards app that also helps you save money.
I also made a YouTube video on some ways to get free gift cards if you want even more ideas like Fetch Rewards to test out.
You won't get rich with any of these apps. But if you use them diligently, I think you can realistically earn $10 to $20 a month without much effort.
Extra Reading – The Best $25 Sign Up Bonuses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Stores Work with Fetch Rewards?
Fetch Rewards states you can submit a receipt from almost any store. Here's a list of eligible stores:
- Grocery stores
- Wholesale clubs
- Pet stores
- Home improvement retailers
- Convenience stores
Gas station receipts also work with Fetch Rewards as long as the receipt is from the register and not from the pump.
How Many Receipts Can You Upload?
Fetch Rewards has a limit of 20 receipts per 7 days. You can continue to upload receipts as long as you don’t scan up to the 20 receipt limit.
Example: if you’ve scanned 20 receipts, but 5 of them were on the first day of the week, you’ll be able to continue scanning once that day is no longer included in the last 7 days.
Do Fetch Rewards Points Expire?
Yes, Fetch Rewards points expire after 90 days of inactivity. Being inactive means not uploading any receipts in the last 90 days. If you just use the app to redeem a gift card or look at offers, that will NOT count as being active.
Be sure to scan at least one receipt every 3 months to keep your points!
Receipts also must be uploaded within 14 days of shopping to be eligible for earning points.
Are There Fetch Reward Hacks?
If you search for Fetch Reward hacks, you find websites and videos that promise you can earn unlimited points with fake receipts and other tricks. These are all a scam!
Fetch Reward hacks don't exist. If you find a way to manipulate how many points you earn, you're probably going to get your account banned as well so don't waste your time here.
Why Was My Account Deactivated?
According to Fetch Rewards, people trying to exploit the app is the main reason accounts are deactivated. The app states “In order to provide the maximum amount of points and savings to our wonderful Fetch users, we put systems in place to detect fraudulent behavior.”
Here are reasons your Fetch Rewards account can get deactivated:
- You change non-partne items to partner items.
- You create multiple accounts on one phone.
- You create fake accounts to get extra referral points.
- You scan receipts for a business purchase (I didn't know about this one!)
Bottom line: use the app properly and you won't have issues.
How Does Fetch Rewards Make Money?
Fetch Rewards makes money by receiving small kickbacks from its partner brands for getting customers to buy products from them. It also raised a lot of money over the last few years. For example, it closed $80 million in fundraising in a Series C round in late 2020 according to PR Newswire.
This brings the total fundraising amount to $118 million. So, venture capital funding is helping to fuel Fetch Rewards. But it also makes a lot of money from the brands it promotes.
Final Thoughts
I hope this Fetch Rewards review helps you make the most out of this popular rewards app.
Personally, I think this app is a nice way to make a quick $5 to $10 each month without much effort. And I also think it's the easiest receipt scanning app to use.
If you do most of the shopping for your household, I think Fetch Rewards is worth it. And even if you don't do that much shopping, you can still earn a few free gift cards per year without much effort.
Thanks so much for reading!
Try out Fetch Rewards for IOS or for Android.
Looking For Even More Money-Making Ideas? Checkout:
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