How I've Earned $2300 With Ibotta (And How You Can Boost Your Earnings Too!)

I looked at my Ibotta account today and got a big old cheesy grin -- and I bet you would too if you saw lifetime earnings of $2,323.25!

Yep, that's how much I've made off this single rebate app since it launched a couple of years ago.

It is hands-down one of the most effective couponing tools I use -- right up there with the HEB mobile app and stockpiling!

If you're not familiar with the Ibotta app at all, my friend Emily has an awesome video tutorial available to check out here.

But if you already have the app and are just looking to earn even more with it, check out the following tips (plus one mistake I see couponers make ALL the time with this app!)


How To Boost Your Earnings On Ibotta Fast


Reach out to non-couponers or new couponers you personally know.

Ibotta is very easy to use, even for folks who have never clipped a coupon in their life.  And since you score a referral bonus whenever someone new signs up using their link, it's a great way to add extra $$ into your account.

For example, think about your family members you see often.  If you add the app onto, say, your parents' phones, your in-laws phones, and your siblings' phones, using your referral link, you could probably rack up to $20 or even more just with them!  And as a bonus, they also earn $2 when they sign up and use the app for the first time, which means free money all the way around.

NOTE: In order to score a referral bonus, your newbie has to a) sign up using your referral code and then b) submit for their first rebate within 10 days of download.

So I think it helps if you come prepared with a rebate scenario you recommend they use (like the upcoming $2 money-maker that's going to kick off at CVS on Sunday, June 14, or the current Starbucks freebie available at Target right now!)

And let's be honest -- if you've been couponing for any length of time at all, you probably have LOADS of people in your life or on your Facebook page begging for you to help teach them.

Make teaching them Ibotta your first project (and then move onto other rebate apps that also offer referral bonuses, like Snap by Groupon, Checkout 51, or Shrink too!)




Build up your Ibotta team.  

The more friends you connect with on Ibotta, the easier it is to unlock monthly team-work bonuses, which sometimes can be up to an additional $30 per month!

As you can see, I have over 2000 teammates, which means I pretty much never have to worry about hitting those bonuses -- my team always has those unlocked on the first or second day of the month.

Any Facebook friend of yours who also uses the Ibotta app will automatically join your Ibotta team.  Your friends and family members that you refer to the app will all also automatically join your Ibotta team.  And if you want to build your team FAST, you can always check out the Ibotta thread in my Facebook coupon group (it's a closed group, so you'll have to request admission first.)

Please note that I don't usually accept Facebook friend requests from Ibotta users on my personal profile -- it would mean spending a few hours each week keeping up with my settings so that my personal FB news feed doesn't become totally unusable.

Frankly, I prefer to spend those hours finding you guys more deals!



Pay attention to your bonus offers!

Ibotta rotates out brand-based bonus offers all the time, that hook you up with additional cash for redeeming rebates multiple times across multiple transactions.

In fact, I just looked in my app and I see a whopping $46 worth of bonuses available today -- and that doesn't count the cash you'd earn for actually redeeming the individual rebates.

I don't recommend buying items you wouldn't actually use just to trigger the rebates -- unless of course they are free or money-makers, in which case you can probably find somewhere to donate them.

But it definitely pays (literally!) to stay on top of these, and earn the ones that work for you and your family.


Keep yourself organized with the in-app shopping list.

For me personally, the hardest thing about the Ibotta app is remembering which offers I want to redeem and when they all expire.

So it's a good thing the app actually has a shopping list function that tells you all that stuff!  If you log into your account on your desktop or laptop, you can even print the shopping list to use on your shopping list.

I really like doing that, because that way I can also pull any matching coupons at the same time and keep myself from pulling my hair out in the store.

And here's the one mistake I want you guys to avoid with Ibotta:

Don't share your referral links in coupon groups.

I see this happen pretty routinely (and expect to see it happen in the comments or when I post this article in various Facebook groups this evening) and guys, it's a complete waste of time.

In my personal experience, the couponers savvy enough to have joined coupon groups online are already using the app, and are going to scroll right past your referral link.

The other thing I see happen is that couponers start commenting on your referral post with their OWN referral links, and then the whole post turns into just a text wall of spam!

Now, if you find a coupon group that's specifically dedicated to new couponers, that could potentially be a useful venue for you to share your Ibotta referral code or link.

But those newbie coupon groups are usually run by folks who are donating a lot of time and expertise to the group -- so that admin should really be the one referring their group members, unless they specifically invite you to share referral codes and links.

So be sure to read through the group rules and/or message the admin to ask before you post!

Again, social media can be a great way to build your referral earnings -- but you're going to have a lot more success connecting with non-couponers you personally know, whether it's face to face or online.


What other questions do you have about earning more $$ on Ibotta? Let me know in the comments section below!

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