How to Save Money on Organic Food with the Ibotta Cash Back App

There’s no denying that organic foods tend to cost more than non organic foods. Sometimes you can find yourself paying double the amount of for non-organic variety.

I would say that more than half of my food purchase are organic foods. The foods I typically buy organic or natural varieties of are these:

• Produce from the dirty dozen list
• Dairy products – yogurt, milk, cheese
• Meats and fish – red meat, pork, and wild caught salmon
• Canned tomatoes, coffee, mac n cheese, whole what dry pasta products

The items on my list are often quite hard to find any discounts on whether it’s from manufacturers or store coupons. I’ve tried clipping coupons, but find it hard to stick to the foods I enjoy, and it just feels like more work than it’s worth.

While searching on reddit to look for ways to save money on organic foods, I read someone saying there was a $1.00 off a half gallon of Organic Valley whole milk on Ibotta. If you’re not familiar with this brand, it’s a VERY good savings!

I had one problem.

What is the Ibotta App?

Ibotta is a money saving cash back app that allows you to select from different “offers” available from various retailers. Here’s how it all works once you setup an account:

1. Add an “offer” to your Ibotta account.
2. Purchase the item in store at a participating retailer.
3. Submit an image via their app of your receipt with the item listed.

That’s it! Money is then deposited into your account. Once you reach $20, you can withdraw it.

Using my organic milk purchase as an example. Here’s exactly how it worked:

1. I opened the Ibotta app on my Android phone.
2. I selected “Price Chopper” from the recommended in-store retailers.
3. I scrolled through the rebate offers, tapped the “+” symbol to add the milk offer.
4. I went to the grocery shopping and purchased a half gallon of milk.
5. I selected “Redeem” from the Ibotta app.
6. I took a picture of my Price Chopper receipt showing the purchase.

The money earned from the rebate was instantly added to my account once the recipt image was processed, which literally took 5 seconds.

Now, here is how to save some serious money on organic groceries.

7 Tips to Save the Most Money with Ibotta

Below are my seven best Ibotta money saving hacks to get you started. Just remember the more you use Ibotta, the quicker the savings add up. One thing I really pay attention to is trying to not buy stuff just for the sake of getting a great deal on something I don’t use or need.

Here they are.

1. Take Advantage of the Ibotta Welcome Bonus

If you’re a new user to Ibotta, then you don’t want to miss out on the up to a $10 “welcome bonus” Ibotta gives out. Signing up via a referral link, like this one or by using an Ibotta referral link or enter a code in the app (referral code: sfliqrp) – automatically entitles you to the welcome bonus.

Just remember the “welcome bonus” is for new Ibotta users only. You must have your own smartphone device.

The bonus is applied to your account after meeting the “welcome bonus” requirement, which is typically to claim a specific brand and item like the Stony field milk example I gave above.

You can use the link above with email on your desktop computer or the code when joining through the Ibotta app.

2. Work with a Team for Level Bonuses

When join Ibotta from a referral link like I posted above, you are put on a team. That team is comprised of the person who referred you (me!) and if you connect the Ibotta app to Facebook (optional), then your “friends” who are also using the Ibotta app will also be added.

When you’re part of a team, Ibotta gives different levels of teamwork bonuses. The more members you have actively using the Ibotta app, the easier it is to clear these bonuses. The bonuses go up incrementally and four can be earned each month.

Be sure to use this next feature.

3. Use the Search Function

Instead of having to scroll through every single offer available at all the different stores, an easy way to look up offers is to use the Ibotta search function. What I really like about the Ibotta search feature is that the results will include partial and relevant results.

My favorite keyword ideas to find healthy and organic food rebates on Ibotta:

• organic
• natural
• protein
• salad
• wheat
• healthy

Hopefully that gives you some ideas on how to get started with Ibotta search function to find healthy, whole foods.

4. Look Out for Any Store & Any Brand Offers

The first purchase I received a rebate for $.25 off a bunch of bananas. That might not seem like a lot of money, but the best part was I was able to buy any brand from any store to get credit.

Ibotta has many different “Any Store” & “Any Brand” rebates you can take advantage of. In my short time using the app, I’ve seen these offers:

• $.10, $.25 , and $.50 rebates on any grocery item
• $.50 off a half gallon of milk of your choice
• $.25 off any dozen eggs
• $.25 off any bananas

Just note that the “Any Store” & “Any Brand” item offers typically do not count toward bonuses.

5. Check the App Before You Shop

Ibotta allows you to upload receipts unto seven days after your purchase to claim offers. This means if you went shopping Monday, you have until the following Monday to claim a rebate and upload a receipt. The receipt must show the date and time.

I don’t know about you, but I have way too much going on to remember what I purchased and what receipts I need to upload. A better way is go through the Ibotta app on your phone and look for offers right before you go into the store. Then I leave the Ibotta app up on my home screen while shopping to make sure to cash in on the rebates.

Like always recommended, it is always best to shop with a list when shopping as to not buy things you might not need otherwise.

show savings exapmple

6. Purchase in Bulk When You Can

If you have the space and the budget for it, one of the best ways I’ve found to save with the Ibotta app is to claim multiples of the same rebate for the same offer. I’ve seen as many as five offers being able to be claimed on the same item. This just means if you purchase five of the same item, you may claim the offer five times on one receipt.

• Redeem up to five offers per receipt when noted.
• Offers are often re-added to your account after a couple days.

I shut most notifications on my phone off, but I have found Ibotta is one to keep on to see updates to my account. If you do shut off updates, you can click the bell symbol in the upper right of the app to see all new notifications.

7. Keep an Eye on Your Email for Special Promotions

Just like phone notifications, I almost always opt out of email lists unless they provide significant value like I’ve seen from Ibotta.

Be sure to keep the email notifications on your app

• Blue apron save $50
• Summer sizzler 10 bonus dollars
• Earn 1% cashback online shopping
• $5 off any beer from any store or restaurant

Ibotta will send a daily email when your account has been credited. If you prefer to get less emails and account alerts, you can adjust the amount of emails you get under “email preferences” from your Account.

How Much I Saved in My First 14 Days

I’m not sure if my results are typical or not, but I earned $19.45 in my first 14-days using the app. Most of the rebates I received were the “Any Brand” grocery offers. I also received a $10 welcome bonus for claiming 10 offers when joined.

Ibotta allows you to withdraw once your account balance reaches $20. You can use these two online processors for account withdrawals or redeem a gift card:

1. Venmo
2. Verified PayPal account
3. Gift card to a retailer they work with

What really surprised me about withdrawing funds from Ibotta was my withdrawal request was processed immediately. I connected it with my Paypal account, requested a withdrawal, and the funds were transferred immediately.

Bonus Tip: Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is another trusted mobile savings app that works similarly to Ibotta but is a little different. With Fetch Rewards, you receive points that you can cash out for gift cards. Purchasing different items gets you different amounts of points.

As an example, a 12 pack or more of Scott Paper towels will earn you 1,000 points. Points are accumulated in your account. Then you can redeem the points for gift cards to different retailers. Each 1,000 points can be claimed in gift cards, which is typically 1,000 points per one dollar.

I’ve found uploading a receipt to Fetch Rewards takes just a few seconds. I will upload my receipts to Ibotta, and then take a quick picture for Fetch Rewards at the same time. Fetch Rewards also offers a sign-up bonus of 2,000 points when referred (referral code: F5606).

Questions about saving with Ibotta? Please leave a comment below.