There’s a new player in the grocery rebate app game and it goes simply by Fetch, known formerly as Fetch Rewards. While Ibotta is still my favorite go-to app when it comes to saving money on groceries, Fetch is a fantastic compliment. I actually find it easier to use and requires less legwork to earn reward points. So I figured it was time to write a full Fetch Rewards review so you can see exactly how it works and how it can earn you money.

How Do You Get Started with Fetch?

Fetch is available for free download on both iOS and Android.

Get 1,000 Free Bonus Points: When you first open the app and sign-up it’ll ask you for a referral code.

FREE 1,000 POINTS

Simply enter our exclusive referral code RATHER and get your free 1,000 points immediately after you “snap” your first receipt.

See Also: Ibotta Review: The App that Saves You Money on Groceries

Is Fetch Safe?

Yes.

Fetch is absolutely safe and a legit company based in Madison, Wisconsin.

When you sign-up, the only information they ask for is your name and email address.

If you redeem your points for actual stuff, you’ll also need to provide your physical address so they can mail items to you.

So…How Do You Earn Points?

Glad you asked.

There are 3 main ways to earn points with the Fetch app.

1. Special Grocery Offers

This is where the app is similar to Ibotta.

You basically get bonus points for buying specific products at the store.

For example, right now on the app they are offering 1,500 points when you buy Snyder’s Pretzel multi packs.

The cool thing here is that you don’t have to activate the offer before you make the purchase, and you don’t have to scan the barcode of the pretzel box after you buy it.

Unlike Ibotta, which makes you activate the offer first, you’ll get credit for it when you scan your store receipt.

This is great “app technology” because you’ll often get these special offers completely by accident and require nothing of you.

2. Buy Specific Brands

Fetch also offers specific brands that come with “Bonus” points when you buy them.

Again, it is no longer necessary to “activate” brands via the app before you shop.

After you scan your receipt, the app will do the work for you and look for any of these participating brands and credit your account if it finds any.

Some of the top brands include Kraft, Campbell’s, Coors, Heinz, Starbucks, Tropicana, Hershey’s, Pepsi, Knudsen, and Lipton to name a few.

3. Scan ANY Receipt

This is where the magic really happens with this app.

If you literally want to do nothing (like me) and still earn points, you CAN by just scanning ANY store receipt.

Simply open up the Fetch app, tap “Scan”, then take pic of your receipt and submit it.

Literally takes 15 seconds to scan while you’re unpacking your groceries.

Your points earned are based on the amount of stuff purchased.

But I can tell you that if you get in the habit of scanning your receipts regularly you’ll score free gift cards VERY quickly.

So…How Many Reward Points Are Needed to Redeem Gift Cards?

Basically 1,000 reward points equals $1.

So once you grab your free 2,000 bonus points (use referral code RATHER) and scan a receipt, you’ll have close to 2,000 points.

Scan a couple more receipts, maybe accidentally buy a special offer, and you’ll have enough points for a $5 Amazon gift card.

I’ve been using Fetch for a couple short weeks and have already redeemed three $5 Amazon gift cards.

While Amazon is the most popular option, they offer gift cards to dozens of stores and restaurants.

They include American Eagle, Best Buy, Target, Lowe’s, Walmart, Nordstrom, Applebee’s, and Kohl’s to name a few.

The Nitty Gritty Stuff….

Here is some stuff about the app that you’ll definitely want to know.

– You Can Only Submit 14 Receipts in a 7-Day Period: Unless you’re a shopping addict this shouldn’t be a problem for you.

– Scan Receipts from ANY Store: Well, to clarify, any grocery store, supermarket, wholesale club, or convenience store.

– Scan Within 14 Days of Purchase: Don’t let those receipt lay around in a drawer. Get them out and get them scanned via the app.

– Use Ibotta AND Fetch Rewards: Just because you use Ibotta doesn’t mean you can’t use Fetch Rewards too. Use them both and start doubling your grocery rebates and cashback.

– Points Expire if Account is Inactive for 90 days: So if you’ve accrued points be sure to use them before you lose ’em.

Ask the Reader: Have you tried a grocery rebate app like Fetch before? How much money did you make or was it not worth the time?

By Kyle James

I was laying in bed the other night doing some shopping on Amazon via my smartphone when I encountered a price that was SO good that I sat bolt upright. Yes, I may have a problem. I noticed a REALLY good deal on a new coffee maker directly on the Amazon homepage featured as a “Deal of the Day”. What happened next was quite surprising. Here’s how it all went down…

A Screaming Deal on a Coffee Maker

What would you think if you stumbled upon the Gourmia Pour Over coffee maker pictured above on the Amazon homepage?

Would you think the Amazon price was actually $17.99?

For obvious reasons, I definitely did. But then when I clicked on the coffee maker it took me to the product page with a price of $149.99.

I was like, what? They should honor the lower price, this is false advertising.

So I crawled out of bed and started investigating.

See Also: Stores That’ll Give You the Lower Price If Item is Stocked in Wrong Spot

It Was Late…So I Hit Up Amazon Live Chat

Seeing that it was almost midnight I went on my laptop and started a Live Chat with Amazon.

In retrospect, I should have called Amazon as live chat operators have ZERO authority to give me the lower price.

I politely explained the situation and even sent the operator a screenshot of the coffee maker with the $17.99 price tag.

The first operator I chatted with said the $17.99 was simply a reference to “some items in the coffee category being priced as low as $17.99”.

I called BS and asked for his supervisor.

The next 2 chat operators told me basically the same thing and neither one admitted to any mistake by Amazon.

They also stated that they had no authority to change the price from $149.99 to $17.99.

The “Wrong” Price Quickly Disappeared

While I’m chatting with Amazon guess what happened?

Yep, the powers-that-be removed the “Deal of the Day” coffee maker at $17.99 and replaced it with another item.

They clearly realized their mistake but were not about to admit it OR give me the lower advertised price.

What Does the Law State About This Situation?

Is a company obligated to sell a product for their lower advertised price, even when it’s an honest mistake?

I took this question to the Internet and discovered some interesting information.

From the San Francisco chronicle, “In general, there’s no law that requires companies to honor an advertised price if that price is wrong. But don’t expect customers to be happy about it.”

In other words, if it’s a simple mistake it is NOT false advertising.

This makes sense as a pricing error could be disastrous for a small business struggling to get by.

But I know for a fact that many big box stores and websites will give you the lower price if the price difference is not enormous.

Ask the Reader: What say you, should Amazon have given me the lower price?

Have you ever spotted a price, either online or in-store, that was clearly wrong? Did the store or website give you the lower price? Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James

There are many clever ways to save money when shopping at Costco and I have detailed them on this blog in the past. But I’ve never really talked about the Costco website and some of the nuances within their online shopping portal. Costco has invested a lot of resources in their online presence in recent months and it may be time to price compare their website before making a significant purchase on Amazon. Here are 6 ways the Costco online shopping experience differs from walking into their warehouse with your Costco membership card in-hand.

Anyone Can Shop the Costco Online Website

While a Costco membership is required to enter their warehouse, anyone can shop the Costco website.

The only caveat is that non-members will be hit with a 5% surcharge during the online checkout process.

But the Costco online price is still often cheaper than Amazon making it worth paying the extra 5%.

Bottom line: I recommend price comparing and doing the math to see if shopping the Costco website (without a membership) makes sense for you.

See Also: Costco Gas Prices: Insider Tips To Save BIG at the Pump

Online Inventory Differs from the Warehouse

If you visit your local Costco, and see an item that you might want to purchase, be aware that if you go home and try to purchase it from the Costco website it may not be available.

This comes down to the fact that every Costco warehouse has slightly different inventory.

Sure they’ll all have the same toilet paper and dog food, but the seasonal items that you often find in the center aisles of the warehouse typically differ.

Bottom line: If you see an item in the warehouse that you can’t live without, go ahead and purchase it and don’t count on the Costco website having it.

Online Prices Can Be Higher than Warehouse

This one will come as a bit of surprise to many of you.

If both the Costco website and warehouse stock the same product, it’s often going to be more expensive online.

This price discrepancy typically comes down to the extra shipping and handling costs associated with online purchases.

This seems to be especially true if the item is seasonal in nature.

See Also: No Costco Membership? Here Are 8 Things You Can Still Do at Costco

Costco Offers More Products Online

To be specific, 10,000 online items compared to 4,000 items in the Costco warehouse, according to Bloomberg.

This makes sense as Costco warehouses are limited by their 4 walls while their online distribution centers are quite vast.

Even though the selection may be better online, Costco still prefers you to walk into their warehouse as they know you’ll spend more money in the long run.

“Costco Grocery” is Only Available Online

Costco currently offers a home-delivery service for grocery items appropriately called Costco Grocery.

The only way to sign-up and start getting deliveries is via their online portal.

They currently have 2 delivery options:

• Same Day Delivery: Requires a minimum order of $35 and is available in most metropolitan areas. Expect to pay more for items than you would at their warehouse. With this option you can get fresh produce and perishable household items delivered. You must be present for delivery.
• 2-Day Delivery: This option requires at least a $75 spend to qualify for free delivery. You can only select non-perishable items and household supplies.

Costco Grocery has been quite successful in recent months and is worth a look for the convenience factor alone.

See Also: The Costco Return Policy: 7 Ways To Make It Work For You

Be Aware of “Member Only Items” on Costco.com

To try and entice consumers to join Costco they offer some items on their website to “Members Only”.

They call them “Member Only Items” and they actually hide the item’s price from non-members.

You’ll see these items most commonly in these departments: Electronics, appliances, and computers.

Ask the Reader: What has been your experience with Costco online shopping? Do you find their website easy to use and the pricing to be competitive?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.