Fetch Rewards review: The app that saves you money on groceries
Rating as of based on a review of services January 24, 2023.
Ranking
9/10
Fetch Rewards issues points when you buy from its partner brands. You can earn points by scanning your receipts from purchases at grocery stores, convenience stores, markets, club stores, liquor stores, and select big-box retailers.
Best for:
- Families
- Coupon clippers
- Trying new brands
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to save money on grocery shopping. In the not-too-distant past, I actually went to the trouble of clipping coupons. Thankfully, technology has changed all of that.
Fetch Rewards presents a new way to save money on groceries. Using your receipts, you can save money on your purchases at grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and much more.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Fetch is free to use — The best thing about Fetch is that you’ll pay nothing to sign up, which means there’s nothing to lose.
- One-snap savings — Instead of clipping coupons, you can save by scanning a copy of your receipt.
- Extensive network of partners — Fetch’s brand partners are many, including big names like Ben & Jerry's, Kleenex, Pepsi, etc.
Cons
- Savings aren’t automatic — You have to remember to upload your receipt after every eligible purchase.
- Gift cards only — Your rewards are issued in gift cards, so if you’d prefer funds to be transferred to your account, this app may not be your favorite.
What is Fetch Rewards?
Manufacturers want you to buy their products. To encourage you to do that, they issue special offers, including in-store savings, coupons, and rebates. But the grocery store industry is well aware that apps have become popular with consumers.
Fetch Rewards works with manufacturers to give you rewards for buying specific products. All you have to do is snap a photo of your grocery receipt and monitor your dashboard. Once you have at least 3,000 points, you can trade the points in for gift cards from popular retailers like Target, Amazon, Starbucks, and many more.
How does Fetch Rewards work?
You can sign up for Fetch using an existing account, like Google or Facebook, or your email address. I used my email address. Once you’ve created an account, Fetch has some questions for you. One is your birthday, which the app says is only used for account security purposes. Providing your gender is optional.
You’ll then be required to provide your phone number and your state of residence. I personally like to keep my cell phone number on the down-low, so I have a Google Voice number I use for offers like these. Then, if one of these services sells it off and I start getting excessive robocalls, I have the option of just changing my Google Voice number.
Fetch also gives you the option to agree to receive special offers.
Push notifications are optional. I opted out of this by choosing “Maybe later,” but you may like alerts about ways you can save on your next grocery trip.
Another option is to enable location services for Fetch so that when your device shows as being near a store, you’ll get alerts. This could come in handy if you’re browsing the aisles and there’s an item you’re considering that will get you cash back. I shop online and pick up my groceries, so this feature wouldn’t apply to me. I chose, “Maybe later.”
Once you’re in, you’ll be invited to scan a receipt to receive 750 bonus points. The offer is only good for that day. The main screen also makes it easy to find the brands that qualify for rewards and current special offers that give you even more points.
Pricing for Fetch Rewards
There’s no charge for using Fetch Rewards. You just need to take a few extra seconds to upload a copy of your receipt whenever you shop at an eligible store. You’ll be able to cash in your rewards once you’ve earned at least 3,000 points.
Fetch Rewards features
Fetch Rewards isn’t the only app that helps you earn cash back on your purchases, so here are some features that make Fetch stand out.
Works at most major stores
Wherever you buy your groceries, Fetch has you covered. You’ll just need to scan your receipt and let Fetch do the rest. You can also upload receipts for purchases you make at convenience stores, drugstores, liquor stores, club stores, and even some big-box retailers, like PetSmart.
Hundreds of brand partners
As with many cash back apps, Fetch makes its money by forming partnerships. Fetch has hundreds of partners, including some of the biggest names on grocery store shelves. This increases the savings you’ll enjoy from each shopping trip.
Easy redemption
After you’ve earned 3,000 points you can start searching Fetch’s Rewards section for electronic gift cards you can use at your favorite retailer.
Quick sign-up
Once you’ve downloaded the Fetch app, sign-up is a breeze. You can even use your Facebook or Google account if you don’t want to give your email address. Simply provide some basic information and scan a receipt to start earning.
E-receipts
Get points for your online shopping by connecting to your email account. You can also connect to Amazon to earn rewards for any eligible purchases you make there.
My experience using Fetch Rewards
I hit a bit of a snag when trying to get rewards. Since I only do curbside pickup, I don’t have actual paper receipts. I tried printing out a copy and photographing the receipt on my screen, but both were rejected. You need a physical receipt printed from the register for it to work.
The good news is, Fetch has an e-receipt feature. I just had to link to my email account and my points were already registered. The bad news is that my most often-used grocery store, Kroger, keeps receipts under My Account on their app, and there’s no way to forward them to email. I’ll have to start requesting a paper receipt at curbside for that.
Meanwhile, I was able to try out the e-receipt feature, which was amazingly easy to use. You just click the “E” at the bottom of each screen and get started.
For the paper receipt process, you just click on the symbol for the camera that’s at the bottom of the screen on your main dashboard. You’ll then be asked to allow Fetch to access your camera.
Once I chose “OK,” I just had to aim my phone’s camera at my computer monitor and line the receipt up.
You might not be able to capture an entire receipt in one snap. That’s okay. Once your first image is captured, simply click the plus sign at the bottom to add another section.
Once your receipt is uploaded, your dashboard will show that you have pending receipts. You can click on any of your pending receipts to view the status.
Of course, my receipt was rejected, so I skipped to the e-receipt process. Simply click the “E” next to the camera at the bottom of the screen to get started. You’ll be invited to connect to your email account.
Choose the email account or phone number where you receive electronic receipts.
Once your account is connected, you can click on the “E” button at any time to scan your email for receipts. When one is found, your points will be updated.
Your new points will be confirmed and you can see a summary of the items you purchased that were eligible for rewards. Fetch pulled two of my most recent Walmart receipts and awarded points for both of them.
Now that I’ve been through both methods, I highly recommend e-receipts. It’s much easier than snapping photos of paper receipts. Even if you shop in stores, you can often request an e-receipt. At Walmart, you just need to input your phone number at checkout and your receipts will be texted to you rather than printed.
Who is Fetch Rewards best for?
High-volume grocery shoppers
If you’re buying groceries each week for a full household, this app will be well worth it. The number of points you get for repeatedly scanning grocery receipts in the hundreds of dollars will more than justify the minimal effort expended to use the app. But it’s less of a boon for someone who lives alone and has lower grocery bills.
Those with brand flexibility
Fetch partners with specific brands, so you’ll need to buy from those brands to save money. If you want to maximize your savings, you can regularly scan the list of those brands and steer your spending in that direction.
Who shouldn’t use Fetch Rewards?
Frequent restaurant-goers
Fetch Rewards is designed specifically for grocery stores, although you can also use it at convenience stores, liquor stores, and a select group of big-box retailers. If you find most of your weekly budget goes to dining out, there are better ways to earn back for your spending.
Read more: Best credit cards for restaurants and dining
Frequent travelers
Fetch Rewards currently does not work outside the United States. If you’re often overseas, you won’t have as many opportunities to benefit from Fetch, and you should look for other options to maximize your foreign purchases.
Read more: Best travel rewards credit cards
Disorganized shoppers
The truth is, you’ll have to remember to scan your receipts on a regular basis to get the benefits of this app. If you have a tough time keeping up with your receipts or you know you won’t take the time to upload them, this probably won’t be the right app for you.
Fetch Rewards vs. competitors
If you’re interested in apps that save money, there are several to consider. Since most serve different purposes, you can even use a couple of them to increase your savings.
Dosh
- Types of purchases: Retailers, restaurants, and hotels
- Cash-in method: Direct transfer to bank
- Minimum redemption amount: $15
Dosh connects to your credit card to automatically track your spending for opportunities to save you money. Dosh’s partners include top retailers and restaurants, like Walmart, Sephora, and Pizza Hut.
With Dosh, you don’t deal with scanning receipts or choosing gift cards. Just link up your credit card, spend as you normally would, then wait to accumulate at least $15. Once you have that minimum amount, you can transfer it directly to your bank, PayPal, or Venmo account.
Download Dosh now or learn more by reading our full Dosh review.
Capital One Shopping
- Types of purchases: Online
- Cash-in method: Gift cards to major retailers
- Minimum redemption amount: $5
Online shoppers will benefit from Capital One Shopping, which is a browser extension that finds savings for you. Once installed, Capital One Shopping automatically applies coupon codes at checkout, based on the codes that have saved its other users money.
But you don’t have to wait until checkout to see what you’ll save. As you’re browsing various sites, Capital One Shopping will pop up an alert letting you know how much you can save if you choose to buy something. When you’re out and about, you can even use the Capital One Shopping app to scan barcodes and see what you can save by purchasing online.
Disclaimer - Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the browser extension using the links we provided.
Install Capital One Shopping now or learn more by reading our full Capital One Shopping review.
Earny
- Types of purchases: Online
- Cash-in method: Direct transfer to bank
- Minimum redemption amount: $15
Earny connects to your email account and searches for receipts, finding items you’ve purchased that subsequently dropped in price. If an eligible product sees a price cut after you’ve purchased it, Earny issues you a credit that you can later transfer to your bank account.
In addition to scanning your email, Earny also operates within your browser, alerting you to opportunities to save money. The site has more than 5,000 partner brands, so the chances you’ll save money are fairly decent.
Download Earny now or learn more by reading our full Earny review.
Summary
If you want to save on the purchases you’re already making, Fetch Rewards is a great option. You’ll get credit for the products you buy every time you go to the grocery store, as well as purchases at liquor stores and convenience stores. If you have a smartphone with a camera and the patience to keep up with receipts, you’ll be able to save big with this app.
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