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Stay at home mom Amber Johnson has saved more than $6,750 in rewards from major platforms including Ibotta. The influencer, known as amber.coupons on TikTok, used apps, including Ibotta, to help her family make ends meet after her son was born.
As Americans battle inflation, apps like Ibotta and Fetch offer cash back when users upload receipts after shopping trips and match deals.
She told Newsweek that she has been a part of rebate apps since 2020, and she shares her money-savings tips on the social media platform. Johnson's top four best money-saving apps today Ibotta, Swagbucks, Fetch Rewards and Shopkick.
Those all offer users cash back by completing certain offers at select retailers. Amber's favorite stores to shop at for deals are Target, Walmart, Safeway, and Kroger.
Her lifetime savings through the coupon apps have been more than $6,750, according to Johnson.
While the 29-year-old has nine apps downloaded now in total, she does not use them as frequently as her four go-to apps.
"The advantage to using multiple apps is that you can sometimes stack savings to get more cash back," she said.
For example, some apps may have exclusive deals that others don't. Using multiple apps allows users to maximize and combine savings through grocery trips.
When using digital coupons, Johnson recommends still looking for things you either want to buy or try.
"Ibotta is a great app to get to try new products for free and they offer new freebies weekly," Johnson said.
"I also think that Ibotta is the most user-friendly app in that you can select whatever store you are shopping at and just scan items to look for rebates on things you are already buying or find on clearance."
Johnson told Newsweek the best time to shop is on Sundays or Wednesdays because this is when most grocers refresh their ads. She also noted that she shops more than twice a week because she creates content.
Why she got started
Johnson began using rebate apps in hopes of providing better financial support for her family.
"I started using saving apps after I had my first son in 2020 and we were struggling to make ends meet on one income," she said.
But about a year into using coupon apps, she got inspiration from influencers who were showing off deals including Kiersti Torok, known as torok.coupon.hunter on Instagram, to start making her own content.
Johnson wanted to stand out with something that would make her content unique, and her following has surpassed 77,000.
"I noticed that I didn't see as many influencers talking about grocery deals so I started my account focusing on food that people could grab for cheap or free," she said.
"They are still my favorite deals to post about."
Others who have saved money
When it comes to coupon apps generally, a study posted by CouponFollow shows that the average U.S. household can save $1,465 annually.
It comes in handy, especially with the high inflation consumers have been dealing with in the past couple of years.
The $1,465 in savings would help drop household expenses by 6.4 percent, according to the study.
The exact rewards can of course vary by the app and how often you take advantage of offers.
But some have shared their stories on social media.
X (formally Twitter) user thefoxmatriarch said: "Saved $30 dollars on groceries with coupons/sales and got $5 back on ibotta and a few points on fetch rewards."
"Starting to really get the hang of this which is good because groceries are absolutely outrageous and I can't not do it right now. It's a necessity."
Aside from cash back, people have also gotten rewarded with other assets.
For example, X user kittenfox_55 said that they got four free games on the Nintendo eShop thanks to all the combined savings on Swagbucks, according to a screengrab shared.
User buffalogirl216 shared her experience with Fetch Rewards.
She said: "Saved up for a $50 Starbucks card and a $50 Lowes card. Waiting patiently for them to process."
Newsweek has reached out to coupon apps including Ibotta and Fetch for comment.
Do you have money-saving tips you'd like to share? Newsweek wants to hear from you. Contact us at personalfinance@newsweek.com.
About the writer
Anthony Russo is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. His focus is reporting on consumer and retail news. ... Read more