“Do not save what is left after spending. Spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett
After you have an adequate emergency savings, paid down debt, and have started investing; there are many ways to receive cash back on your spending and keep a little extra money in your pocket. Think of this extra cash as optimizing your spending. Money Cat is continuously searching the web and the app stores for any new opportunities that we feel have monetary value or that can save you money. Here are some ways to potentially earn cash back on your spending and make your overall bill a bit lower. Sometimes rewards can be stacked and can lead to significant amounts of cash back.
Table of contents:
- Paper Coupons
- Rewards Credit Cards
- In-Store Card Linked Offers
- Online Cashback Programs
- Receipt Scanning Apps
- Price Protection & Refund Apps
- Store Rewards & Loyalty Programs
- Saving on your Electric Bill
- Spending Less on your Cell Phone Bill
1. Print Out Paper Coupons:
The old-fashioned way of getting a discount and this still hold true today. Paper coupons come in the mail, can be found in-store and also online! Printable coupons can be found at coupons.com, smartsource.com, Grocery Coupon Network and sometimes at retailmenot.com. Coupons for local businesses that can be printed from valpak.com. There are also sites like Krazy Coupon Lady that do the hard work for you and compile what they find on the web. Check out KCL’s coupon database and use the A-Z sort to find what you are looking for.
2. Get a Rewards Credit Card (or Cards):
Credit card rewards can be a great way to earn cashback or rewards on your spending, that is if you pay the cards off at the end of each month. The risk when not paying cards off each month is a high interest rate.
Cards will be added soon. Hold tight!
3. Card Linked Offers (Cash Back on In-Store Spending):
Going to make an in-store purchase later? Check these apps to see if there are any in-store offers first! These should be activated BEFORE you make your shopping trip. Some apps can be stacked if you find the same offer in multiple apps, although it is rare. Stacking also depends which network is used on the backend.
For In-Store Purchases:
- Go to the app or website
- Add a credit card that you are going to use to make a purchase
- Activate an offer
- Make a purchase with the linked card
- Receive cash back on your spending!
4. Rebate Sites & Apps (Cash Back on Online Spending)
Making a purchase online? Using one of these programs could net you a decent amount of cashback! For online purchases, only one app will work at a time because the website will detect which app is referring you and that company will get a commission for your purchases. The instructions are simple.
For Online Purchases:
- Click an offer in app and get redirected to the merchant’s website
- Make a purchase while in the same window.
- Check the program’s app, website or your email for a cashback confirmation.
5. Receipt Scanning Apps:
On top of credit card rewards and card linked offers, receipts can be a source of additional cash back on spending in-store . There are a few apps that will handle online receipts by scanning your email. For online purchases, only one app will work at a time because the website will detect which app is referring you and that company will get a commission for your purchases.
Money Cat has compiled a list of the receipt apps that offer cash or rewards points here:
6. Price Protection apps:
Some credit cards include purchase price protection for 90 or 120 days. The following apps will track your purchases and give you a refund if the price of the purchased product drops after you have paid.
Paribus – Paribus will monitor your Amazon purchases and alert you when there is a refund for an order arriving late.
 | Earny – Earny will automatically search for refunds and when he finds one will do all of the hard work for you. |
7. Store Rewards & Loyalty Programs:
Store loyalty programs offer a little bonus on top of cash back. These rewards typicaly have no cash value outside of their stores.
List of Grocery Store Rewards Programs
List of Gas Station Rewards Programs
8. Saving on your Electric Bill:
Another place to save on your spending is your electric bill. In certain U.S. States, you can choose an energy supplier and have a choice of multiple options, contract lengths, types of power sources (renewable/non-renewable). Choosing an alternative energy supplier doesn’t always give you a better deal so it’s best to look around from time to time to spot a deal! Energy rates are always changing and can vary based on source.
9. Spending Less on your Cell Phone Bill:
You can save on your wireless bill by switching to Mint Mobile. The carrier uses the T-Mobile network and costs as little as $15/month! New subscribers get a $15 bonus for signing up. So basically, your first month is free!