12 min read · Feb 26, 2023
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Whether it be for groceries, birthday presents, or simply treating oneself to a few (or a few dozen) online purchases, everyone shops. Why not make some of that money back? This review will break down the essential information every user needs to know for three of the most prominent and worthwhile receipt scanning apps: Fetch, Receipt Hog, and Receipt Pal. The only thing needed to start making money on these apps is your physical or digital receipts! The reward system, exchange rate, and other relevant features of each will be discussed, along with a direct comparison to aid you in choosing the best fit for your personal spending style.
Background
Receipt rewards apps work by partnering with eligible stores to collect customer data. The store pays a small commission to the app to receive this data and a share of the commissions is returned to you, the customer. These apps require receipts to be fairly current (read more below), so it is best to scan them in right away to avoid missing out on rewards. I recommend scanning your receipts after each purchase to avoid losing them. These apps can be used in tandem with one another to earn maximum rewards, so don’t feel limited to choosing just one! Using multiple apps can increase the amount of money back you receive dramatically.
Alternative Apps
The three apps I selected do not require any prior action for use — simply scan your receipt and start earning rewards. From my search, Fetch, Receipt Hog, and Receipt Pal were the best three apps of this kind. Other apps require users to add offers prior to shopping or scanning their receipt, rather than earning rewards for every purchase. These bear a resemblance to classic coupon-clipping and are more time-consuming, but may be worth it for those who regularly go grocery shopping and are willing to spend a little time in order to save more. For those interested, look into Ibotta, CheckOut51, Upside, and CoinOut.
Disclaimers
A note on usage: your rewards will vary depending on the frequency with which you use the app, as well as (potentially) items bought and total price spent on each receipt. I used all three apps regularly for six months prior to this review, although I will admit that my uploads dwindled for a few weeks while traveling. I also synced my Amazon account and email to the apps so I could earn rewards for digital purchases. When connected, these apps scan your email for any new receipts which may be redeemable, but do not send any unsolicited emails. No sponsorships are associated with this post. All images used were independently generated screenshots taken on a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G or created using Canva.
Fetch is perhaps the single most well-known receipt scanning app, and there is good reason for that. The aesthetic of Fetch is easy to look at, organized, and visually appealing. The app opens with an animation of a running dog which leaps as the screen loads. The main page clearly lays out current promotions with a clean, white background. At the bottom of the screen is a menu, including options to scan receipts and review rewards. The app runs smoothly and quickly; I have never encountered any notable issues. It also reads every receipt easily, in one scan. The app feels very clean and polished. Bonus rewards are timed in a way that feels exciting and loading screens are minimized, allowing users to quickly and efficiently scan their receipts.
Rewards
Fetch uses a rewards system based on points. Each receipt scanned on Fetch is worth a base value of 25 points. When promotional items are purchased, receipts can earn dozens or even hundreds of extra points. There are often bonuses which provide extra points for the first receipt scanned each week. In addition, there are special offers and promotions featured on the apps home page specifying what products will earn users additional bonus points. When I first signed up in August of 2022, Fetch offered 5 points for ‘old’ receipts, but this feature has since been eliminated and receipts from more than 2 weeks (14 days) ago will no longer earn any rewards. There is a one-time sign-up bonus of 4,000 points. For each friend you refer using the code found in your profile, you can earn an additional 4,000 points and your friend will receive 2,000. If you’d like to use my referral code, enter 7EFYVT when signing up.
Pay-Out Options
Fetch allows you to redeem points at over 200 establishments as of February 2023, including both digital and in-store gift cards, merchandise, and donations to charity. This is a huge improvement from the limited options seen in other apps and can be particularly useful if you intend to redeem your rewards as a gift for someone else. The rate of exchange varies slightly depending on where you choose to redeem your points.
Reward Exchange Rate
Gift cards and other reward options range in value from $10 to $50. It takes between 9,500 and 12,5000 points to redeem a $10 gift card. The highest exchange rate at the time of this post was 53,500 points for a $50 gift card. Note that some stores only offer gift cards in $25 or $50, so you may have to save for longer in order to redeem your points at a specific location. Only counting the 25 base points per receipt and ignoring any bonuses, it would take around 400 receipts to earn a $10 gift card. To get the highest possible reward, it would take around 2,140 receipts. There isn’t any huge incentive to save up for the larger pay-out (a difference of around 28 receipts for every $10), unless you want to redeem at a specific establishment.
Overall
Fetch is perhaps the single most well-known receipt scanning app, and there is good reason for that. Despite having the best aesthetic, function, and feel to their app, Fetch offers comparatively modest rewards. Receipt Hog offers a gamified experience with opportunities for additional rewards, a moderate pay-out, and continual app improvement through updates. Receipt Pal offers the best receipt-to-reward ratio by far, but their app leaves a lot to be desires.
Receipt Hog takes a more gamified approach to earning rewards on top of simply scanning your receipt. Receipt Hog uses a simple white and blue color theme and the app is clearly organized, with everything labeled in a menu at the bottom of the home screen. The app used to be frustratingly slow — so much so that I often contemplated not logging my receipts. Luckily, recent app updates have improved the speed. After scanning each receipt, users are asked to identify who went on the shopping trip, with options including ‘myself’ as well as options for men and women of various age ranges. Users were previously asked to answer a brief one-question survey following each upload, but this feature was very recently redacted, greatly increasing the speed of use. Similarly, recent updates have improved the camera reader, which means less receipts are rejected due to ineligibility. Updates continue to improve the feel of Receipt Hog. The app is largely intuitive, aside from potential confusion on the reward system, and simple to use.
Rewards
The main rewards system Receipt Hog uses is coins, which are directly redeemed for monetary value. Coin rewards are determined based on the total purchase price of the receipt: 5 coins for under $10; 10 coins for receipts up to $50; 15 coins for receipts up to $100; and 20 coins for any purchase larger than $100. However, the app maxes out at 100 coins per week. Once 100 coins are earned, each eligible receipt will only be worth 5 coins, (as well as the standard one ticket). Rather than follow a specific day, this calendar starts on the 1st of the month, which is always a new week. Unique to this app, Receipt Hog also has a function which allows users to answer short surveys (usually between 1 and 10 minutes) in exchange for additional coins (typically 5 to 20). Users also regularly earn spins, which can be used on an in-app slot machine to win more coins. Additionally, the app grants users one sweepstakes entry for every eligible receipt scanned.
Pay-Out Options
Receipt Hog allows you to redeem points as an Amazon gift card, Visa gift card, or directly to one’s PayPal, all for the same exchange rate. This is the only one of the three apps to offer a true cash-back option, making it more versatile to those who prefer having pocket money.
Reward Exchange Rate
Cash and gift cards come in values of $5 for 1,000 coins; $15 for 2,900 coins; $25 for 4,300 coins; and $40 for 6,500 coins. Assuming you earn on average 10 coins for each receipt, it would take 100 receipts to earn $5 and 650 for the maximum pay-out of $40. There is a fairly substantial difference in the amount of receipts needed, so it may be worth saving up for the largest pay-out if you are able to wait.
Overall
Receipt Hog works to make the app fun and finds unique ways to give users rewards while offering a comparable pay-out and continues to address customer complaints through app updates.
Receipt Pal is simple and direct, but offers a surprising cash back value. The app has a white background with blue and green accents. Simplistic in style, Receipt Pal is easy to use after a small learning curve. Most things are clearly labeled, but the receipt log is in an unintuitive location and the method of uploading receipts is unique. Loading screens tend to run a little slow and navigating the app has an initial learning curve, but the app’s simplicity is nice for those who don’t want flashy animations or a gamified experience. One handy feature is a date above the receipt submission clearly indicating eligible entries. Nothing about the feel of this app was particularly enjoyable, but nothing bad enough to make me consider deleting it. It serves its purpose without anything extra, and delays are no more than a few seconds at most.
Rewards
As opposed to having a full 2 weeks to upload receipts, Receipt Pal lets users upload receipts from each calendar week (Sunday — Saturday) until the following Tuesday. Unlike other apps, Receipt Pal utilizes a system called a receipt card. Each ‘card’ has four receipt slots, and a full card is worth 100 points making each receipt worth 25 points. However, a card must be full in order to be allocated the points. You are provided five cards (20 receipt slots) each week and then all future receipts are submitted for a ‘double sweeps’ entry rather than earning points. This means you can only earn a maximum of 500 points a week.
Pay-Out Options
Receipt Pal offers pay-outs in the form of electronic gift cards. The options are listed as Amazon and ‘retail’ in the app, but once ‘retail’ has been selected, users will have the option to choose from a small selection of establishments such as Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, or a Visa gift card. Receipt Pal requires users to have their email connected for 30 days prior to redeeming their rewards, which may be a turn-off for some.
Reward Exchange Rate
Amazon e-gift cards range in value from $5 to $100, while retail gift cards are available up to $25. A $5 gift card costs 2,200 points, or approximately 88 receipts. A $10 gift card is 4,000; $25 for 9,250 points; $50 for 17,250 points, and $100 for 32,250 points, or around 1,290 receipts. The difference here is small (16 receipts for every $10) so it is worth saving for a larger pay-out if you can, but don’t stress over reaching the maximum reward.
Overall
Receipt Pal is simple and direct, though the app has room for improvement. The rewards program is unique and offers a great value for each receipt.
All three apps require receipts to be scanned within a certain number of days from the purchase date, or they will be ineligible for any rewards. Fetch most certainly has the nicest aesthetics, function, and feel of the three apps, while Receipt Pal has the worst. Receipt Hog has significantly improved in the 6 months I have been using it, but does not look like it will catch up to Fetch in these features anytime soon.
Rewards
Both Receipt Hog and Receipt Pal cap the amount of rewards earned weekly, while Fetch has no upload limit. Receipt Pal awards the same number of points for all receipts, while Receipt Hog bases rewards on the total purchase price and Fetch gives a base reward in addition to bonuses for promotional items.
My Rewards
My point/coin total at the one month, two month, three month, and six month marks are recorded in the image above.
20,227 points on Fetch is enough to get any $10 gift card, but not quite enough for a $25 reward. 3,254 coins on Receipt Hog equates to a $15 reward. 8,685 points on Receipt Pal is enough for two $10 pay-outs, but just shy of a single $25 reward.
Cash Back Earned Per Receipt
The Juicy Stuff…
For this comparison, I will assume each receipt scanned is worth 25 points on Fetch, 10 coins on Receipt Hog, and 25 points on Receipt Pal. As Fetch and Receipt Pal award the same number of points per receipt, we can easily compare them directly. Both offer a $10, $25, and $50 gift card. A $10 gift card at Fetch costs on average 10,000 points or 400 receipts while on Receipt Pal it is only 4,000 points or 160 receipts. Fetch charges on average 25,000 points or 1,000 receipts for a $25 gift card, and 50,000 points or 2,000 receipts for a $50 reward. Receipt Pal is significantly cheaper at 9,250 points or 370 receipts for a $25 gift card, and 17,250 points or 690 receipts for $100. As you can see, you can earn 2–3 times as many rewards using Rewards Pal as you can with Fetch. Receipt Hog falls in the middle, with 1,000 points or 100 receipts earning $5; 290 receipts earning $15; 430 receipts earning $25; and 650 receipts earning $40.
Pay-Out Options
Receipt Hog is best for those who prefer to spend cash, Receipt Pal is optimal for online shoppers, and Fetch is wonderful for those who enjoy a wide-variety of establishments or frequently give gifts. Fetch has by far the largest variety of pay-out options, so you should consider this if you want to reward yourself with something specific or utilize the gift cards as presents for another when the holidays roll around. However, the lowest pay-out option is $10 as opposed to the $5 minimum on the other two apps, which means it may take longer before you can redeem your rewards. Receipt Pal has a modest, yet effective selection of electronic gift card options, but can’t be redeemed for physical cards. It does offer the largest payout, going up to $100. Receipt Hog has the smallest selection of payment options, but is the only one of the three apps to offer a way to get the cash back directly, so it can truly be used for anything.
Despite having the best aesthetic, function, and feel to their app, Fetch offers comparatively modest rewards. Receipt Hog offers a gamified experience with opportunities for additional rewards, a moderate pay-out, and continual app improvement through updates. Receipt Pal offers the best receipt-to-reward ratio by far, but their app leaves a lot to be desired. In addition, you get less time to upload your receipts than you do with the other two rewards apps. Ultimately, this choice will come down to personal preference, and I urge you to try them all for yourself!
Posted February 25th, 2023. Last updated March 17th, 2023.
