Most of us have a crumpled pile of receipts in our wallet from last week’s grocery store or outing to the mall. Did you know you can make money off your old receipts thanks to mail-in rebates and cashback apps? Old receipts may hide valuable coupons or surveys that you can take to earn freebies and special discounts. Here’s how to turn past shopping trips and purchase receipts into money-making opportunities.
Look for Mail-In rebates
Sometimes manufacturers offer partial or full refunds to customers who purchase a specific product and postage proof of purchase. This motivates consumers to take risks and try an item they might not normally buy. In-store discounts are often advertised with hang tags, which can easily fall off or be removed from products.
Because discounts are sometimes poorly marketed, you never know if a product you purchased in the last two weeks is related to it. Manufacturers offer discounts on all kinds of products from personal care items to home appliances. Doing a quick Google search by the name of the item you purchased plus “Rebate in the mail” can help ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities to earn cash back on old receipts.
This strategy works best if you research mail-in discounts in advance and plan your shopping trips around them. The Krazy Koupon Lady has a page that updates with the latest discounts regularly so you can stay up to date.
Scan receipts with cash back apps
Another way to make money from old receipts is to scan them with cashback apps like Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, and Checkout51. These apps allow you to save money by shopping at your favorite stores and purchasing certain items that qualify for cashback. Once you earn enough cash on qualifying purchases, you can usually redeem it for gift cards from a variety of stores, or cash it out via bank transfer or PayPal.
Some cashback apps may be better for different types of purchases. For example, Ibotta, Checkout51, and Makeena usually offer cash back on many food and household products. These apps are great for scanning old supermarket receipts to see if you’ve purchased any items that qualify for cashback. Other cashback apps like Fetch Rewards and ReceiptHog don’t require you to buy specific products to earn them, allowing you to scan any receipt and get a small amount of money out of it.
Keep in mind, however, that you may only have a certain amount of time to clear your old receipts before they are no longer eligible for rewards (usually two weeks, but time limits may vary depending on which app you’re using). So don’t wait too long or you’ll miss your chance to make some extra cash!
Coupons and surveys
Before you put your old receipts in the trash, be sure to check them carefully for coupons. Retailers often print coupons on the bottom or back of receipts to encourage customers to come back again soon, so watch out. Some receipts may contain a link to a survey instead that you can fill out to earn discounts or freebies. I was able to get a voucher for a free Whopper with my purchase just for sharing my opinions on my experience as a Burger King customer.
Return unwanted items
Most of us hate bringing things back to the store. In a recent survey, two out of three consumers said returning items is the worst part of their shopping experience, and more than half of respondents would do almost anything to avoid it. So you probably have at least a few unwanted items hanging around your house that you’ve been putting off returning to the store.
Even though you don’t technically make money on returns and get back what you spent, getting a refund on unwanted items will still help you save money. Look through your old receipts and ask yourself if you are satisfied with the products you have purchased. If not, you may be able to return it depending on store policy and purchase date.
Most stores allow you to return items for up to 30 days, and some retailers have extended returns periods of 90 days or longer. Even if your receipt is old and you made a purchase two months ago, the store may still be able to process the return or give you store credit. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Do you have any tips and tricks to share on how to make money from old receipts? Share your strategies in the comments below!
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