Is ReceiptPal Legit Or A Scam? (My Honest Review!)
In the good ol' days, you might spend a weekend morning clipping out paper coupons and rebates before hitting the grocery store.
However, these days, cutting up a bunch of coupons simply isn’t as practical. After all, thanks to the rise of reward apps, it's now easy to earn rewards from daily shopping trips without much extra effort.
Of these apps, receipt scanning apps like Checkout 51 and Fetch Rewards have grown in popularity due to how easy they are to use.
ReceiptPal, another popular scanning app, has also created a way to scan your receipts and earn rewards on the go, no matter where you shop!
If you want to earn approximately $1.25 per week just for scanning receipts, this app is worth checking out.
But is ReceiptPal legit? And how much money can you realistically make with this app? Hang around until the end of this ReceiptPal review to see if this receipt scanning app deserves a spot on your homescreen.
Looking for even more easy money-making apps? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys – Share your opinion and earn free PayPal cash and gift cards!
- InboxDollars – Get a free $5 and earn PayPal and gift card rewards with InboxDollars!
What Is ReceiptPal?
ReceiptPal is a receipt scanning app developed by NDP, a massive market research company, in 2013. Like other scanning apps, ReceiptPal lets you shop at various stores and earn rewards by scanning your receipt.
With a company like NDP, which has been around for 50+ years, you’ll be certain that ReceiptPal knows what they’re doing.
So, in a nutshell, an enormous market research company is offering their rewards in exchange for a bit of consumer data.
Now don’t get scared; ReceiptPal doesn't store any of your personal information. They simply want to know where and how consumers are shopping!
How Does ReceiptPal Work?
One of the main drawbacks of receipt scanning apps is their limited earning potential. In reality, ReceiptPal isn't going to make you rich or seriously diversify your income.
However, if you want a simple source of extra income and are willing to add another reward app to your phone, ReceiptPal has some potential.
I downloaded the app to try it out, and it's very easy to use. And there are actually four main ways to earn ReceiptPal rewards on this app to help you make the most out of your shopping.
1. Upload Receipts
As you might have guessed, this is the most common way to earn rewards. Simply scan your receipt after shopping and wait for the earnings to come through.
Now, ReceiptPal uses Point Cards to track how many receipts you’ve uploaded, which is different from most other apps.
Point Cards are worth 100 points (each one allows you to upload 4 receipts). Meaning, each receipt is worth 25 points.
You're allowed to have 5 point cards maximum in your account at all times and you receive 3 new points cards at the beginning of every week.
Apps like Receipt Hog pay you rewards based on the value on your receipt, which can be useful if you have expensive bills.
In contrast, you earn 100 points for completing a Point Card regardless of how much you spent on the receipt. This is useful if you make multiple smaller shopping trips per week and can quickly fill out Point Cards.
2. Connect Your Amazon Account & Email
Another way to earn points is by connecting your Amazon and email account. This allows you to shop online and gives ReceiptPal access to your e-receipts so you can earn rewards without having to do anything but shop.
Connecting your Amazon account will also grant you extra benefits for being connected longer than a month.
If you have an email with AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com, or Yahoo, you are eligible to sign up for e-receipts access on ReceiptPal.
If you already shop more online than you do in stores, you might find that signing up for these accounts will be worth your while.
However, I also suggest checking out the Amazon Shopper Panel program to earn even more free money from your receipts!
3. Enter Sweepstakes
Everytime you submit an eligible receipt, you earn one entry into the sweepstakes to earn a prize!
A ReceiptPal sweepstakes prize is worth $250 and the raffle occurs 3 times a week! That’s pretty often to give away $250, and while your odds aren't great, it's another reason to keep on scanning receipts.
If you’ve completed all your Point Cards, any extra receipts you scan will give you 2 entries per receipt into the sweepstakes (however, you won’t earn any additional points).
Extra Reading – Trivia Apps That Pay Real Money.
4. Play Bonus Games
Everytime you complete a Point Card, you’re also given a bonus game. It will appear on your Receipts tab.
When you play the bonus game, you have a chance to win either extra points, or extra entries into the sweepstakes to earn the $250 prize.
You can receive up to 5 bonus games a week, which can yield a pretty nice boost to your rewards.
Games have on-screen instructions you have to follow, so this is really just a fun add-on for the app to help you earn more points.
Apps that pay you to play games like Mistplay or Rewarded Play are a better option if you want to get paid to game regularly. But I like that ReceiptPal offers a few different ways to earn.
5. Cash Out
Once you have enough points to redeem the ReceiptPal rewards of your choice, you can go on to cash out for various free gift cards.
ReceiptPal's rewards system has 3 different levels:
- Level 1 – $5 gift cards (2,200 points minimum)
- Level 2 – $10-$25 gift cards (4,000 points minimum)
- Level 3 – $50-100 gift cards (17,250 points minimum)
You need to reach that 2,200 point threshold before you can redeem any ReceiptPal rewards. When you first sign up and scan, you should be able to reach half of that fairly quickly.
In terms of gift card options, you have several retails to choose from, including:
- Amazon
- Target
- Lowe's
- The Home Depot
- Prepaid Visa Cards
- Walmart
However, after that initial jump, earning points will get increasingly harder unless you really grind out those receipts.
Also note that you can't redeem PayPal cash, which is a downside worth keeping in mind.
Is ReceiptPal Legit?
Yes, ReceiptPal is legit. NDP, the creators of ReceiptPal, have been around for over 50 years in market research. ReceiptPal also has over 4.7 stars on the app store and doesn't share any personal information. However, you won't get rich by using this app, and it's just a source of extra pocket money, not a high-paying app.
There are plenty of users who report that the app pays out, and it's definitely one of the leading scanning apps around.
How Much Does ReceiptPal Pay?
ReceiptPal requires 2,200 points minimum earns you $5 in gift cards. This means 1 Point = $0.0023 and 100 Points = $0.23 in cash. With a 5 Point Card maximum, you can really only earn a perfect score of 500 points ($1.15) per week.
Realistically, this app isn't going to make you rich. However, it's an easy way to get paid to shop and snag some quick money without much effort.
And if you stack ReceiptPal with other money making apps like Drop and Rakuten, you can maximize how much money you save on your shopping trips.
I also made a YouTube video that covers some other apps and tactics you can use alongside ReceiptPal.
Granted, if you want to make more serious income or don't want another app clogging your phone, you're probably better off using some other passive income apps or gig economy app to supplement the difference.
What Kind Of Receipts Work For ReceiptPal?
Here's an easy list of receipts and retailer types that are eligible to earn rewards with ReceiptPal:
- Convenience stores.
- Travel and entertainment.
- Restaurants.
- Grocery stores.
- Clothing stores.
- Sporting goods stores.
- Electronics stores.
- Gas stations.
- Car dealerships.
- Online retailers.
Essentially, any retailer store for consumer goods will be eligible to scan, which is a good sign for ReceiptPal.
Now, the receipt must be in English and purchased with U.S. dollars from the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, or Guam. It must also include the store name, purchase date, amount spent, and phone number or zip code of the store.
Also note that transactions from online payment platforms don't qualify.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make Money With Your Phone.
How To Sign Up For ReceiptPal
The ReceiptPal app is available on both Android and IOS for free. Here is how you can get started with ReceiptPal:
- Download ReceiptPal from your app store.
- Create an account using your email address. ReceiptPal also requests your date of birth, gender, and some other basic household demographic information.
- Start scanning receipts after shopping to earn rewards.
It’s really that simple! Once you’re past the account creation, you’re completely free to use the app and start earning rewards.
From there you can also connect your email and Amazon account for digital access to rewards (will go into further detail below).
The four tabs at the bottom of the app’s homescreen are labeled as follows:
- Receipts (shows your points).
- Rewards (shows your rewards value from earnings and future goals).
- Messages (shows any notifications from ReceiptPal).
- Account (shows history of points and basic account info).
You will also receive a few welcome bonuses for things like connecting your email or scanning your first receipt.
ReceiptPal vs Receipt Hog
ReceiptHog is another large receipt scanning app that pretty much serves the exact same purpose as ReceiptPal. The stores that are eligible to earn rewards are almost exactly the same along with the earning potential and most other small features.
The main difference you’ll find between the two apps is the way you earn rewards:
- ReceiptPal: Earns rewards through Point Cards (mainly) which goes based on how many receipts you’ve scanned, not how much money was spent on those receipts.
- ReceiptHog: The app calculates the amount of money spent on the receipt to help you maximize your rewards if you spend a lot of money at one place.
If you check out various beermoney communities on Reddit, you'll see it's common for people to use both apps on their phone to maximize receipt rewards.
However, how much effort you put into receipt scanning is ultimately up to you. If you're a big spender, try out Receipt Hog. Otherwise, stick with ReceiptPal.
Also note that Receipt Hog lets you earn free PayPal cash unlike ReceiptPal, so it's a much better app in my opinion.
Extra Reading – The Best Beermoney Apps & Websites.
ReceiptPal Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Ease of use
- Ideal for frequent shoppers
- Simple reward structure
- Most receipts qualify
- Rewards are stackable with other receipt scanning apps like Fetch Rewards
Cons:
- Low earning potential
- Lack of PayPal cash and direct deposit rewards
- Not global
Realistically, the only negative is the extremely low earnings.
However, that’s a big part of using this app and other similar reward apps, so if you're looking to significantly boost your income, other side hustle ideas like driving for DoorDash or trying other driving apps that pay are a better idea.
Other Receipt Pal Reviews
As mentioned, this app has a fairly high rating on both the Google Playstore and IOS store. If we take a look at Reddit, you'll see the consensus is essentially that ReceiptPal pays but takes a while to earn rewards.
Here's what some other users are saying:
- elpsycongro says: “It is legit, slow but it takes just about every receipt I throw at it.”
- quazaat says: “I've redeemed a couple times. They send the gift pretty quickly. It's not much but every little bit helps.”
- itzTHATgai says: “Just did my first week's worth of receipts into ReceiptPal. Filled up all the cards for a total of 500 points. Basically, $1.25 a week. Not quite worth it for me.”
As you can see, users think ReceiptPal are legit and have cashed out with it. But one user complains that it doesn't pay very much and isn't worth the time.
Overall, your best bet is to stack ReceiptPal with various gpt sites and reward apps to maximize your earnings.
This is a decent amount of work, but if you're serious about this sort of thing, it's probably the best way to use ReceiptPal.
Ultimately, ReceiptPal is a fairly popular app, and it's an effective way to make $5 or a bit of pocket money in your spare time. But, don't expect to get rich from this app!
This ReceiptPal app review from YouTuber Ryan Scribner also provides a great overview of how the app works and its pros and cons.
If you want more scanning apps, checkout out CoinOut app review and Shopkick review!
Other Apps Like ReceiptPal
If you like the idea of earning rewards for scanning receipts and want some ReceiptPal alternatives, you can also checkout:
- Swagbucks
- Checkout 51
- NCP Mobile
- Fetch Rewards
- Pogo
- Ibotta
- Caddle (for Canadians)
- Receipt Hog
- ReceiptJar
- Upside (a popular gas cash-back app)
- CoinOut
- Ampli (a passive income app for Canadians)
None of these apps like ReceiptPal will transform your finances, but hey, it's never a bad idea to save more money when it's easy to do so!
Extra Reading – How To Make Money In One Hour.
Who Should Use ReceiptPal?
ReceiptPal is one of many receipt scanning apps you can use to earn free gift cards for your everyday shopping.
And, unlike many receipt scanning apps like Ibotta or Fetch Rewards that require buying specific products, ReceiptPal works with almost any receipt.
This makes apps like ReceiptPal, Receipt Hog, and CoinOut incredibly beginner friendly…you can just upload your receipts when you're done shopping and you should earn something for your efforts.
So, if you do most of the shopping for your household, I think this app deserves a spot on your smartphone, alongside other apps.
If you frequently upload receipts, you will earn free gift cards over time, and it's easier to get started with than most other receipt scanning apps.
Just remember, the earning potential is very low, so don't use ReceiptPal if you're looking for a side hustle idea that can pay off your bills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Was My Receipt Rejected?
Your receipt may be rejected if it does not include the purchase date, store name and total price.
A receipt could also be rejected if it's not from an eligible retailer store type such as bills, gambling receipts, payment processors (ex: Paypal), or business related purchases.
Is ReceiptPal Safe?
Yes, ReceiptPal is safe. The app doesn't require much personal information or any payment information. It only analyzes data from your receipts and what you purchase. And there's plenty of payment proof and positive reviews online for this app.
Again, you need to be comfortable sharing this data, but ReceiptPal is safe and a legit company.
Is There a Referral Program?
Yes, there is a ReceiptPal referral program. You can invite friends to download and use the app and you will earn 250 points for every referral with a maximum of 6,250 points per month.
Note that your referral has to sign up with your ReceiptPal referral code for these points to credit.
Where Does ReceiptPal Work?
Currently, ReceiptPal works in the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam as long as you spend U.S. dollars when you shop.
Is ReceiptPal A Scam?
ReceiptPal isn't a high-paying app or lucrative side hustle by any stretch of the imagination. But this app isn't a scam. If you upload eligible receipts, you earn points, and your points are redeemable for various free gift cards.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, this app isn't going to earn you much more than $5/month.
If you’re already shopping at retailer stores often and you don’t mind scanning your receipts every time, then ReceiptPal will help you earn a few free gift cards each year.
If you do most of your shopping online or simply feel that the earning potential isn’t worth your time, you’ll probably find better use in other apps that pay you.
Ultimately, it all boils down to how you decide to spend your time and how willing you are to work to earn free gift cards.
However, this wouldn’t be a genuine ReceiptPal review without my opinion, so here goes…
I can find plenty of other ways to supplement that potential $5/month with other apps or side hustles that will be more worth it for me!
But, will it be worth it for you? Give it a try and let us know!
Looking for even more money-making ideas? Checkout:
ReceiptPal App Review
Name: ReceiptPal
Description: ReceiptPal is a reward app that pays you for scanning pictures of almost any receipt. Reward options include a variety of free gift cards!
Operating System: Android, IOS
Application Category: Reward Apps
Author: Daniel Friedman
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Earning Potential
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Ease of Use
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Earning Options
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Reward Options
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Cashing Out
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Customer Service