If you're the sort of person who enjoys earning extra money with rewards apps, you've probably already seen some of the popular services like Ibotta that let you earn money for shopping. Today we're going to talk about ReceiptPal, another major contender in this category.
RecieptPal was created by the NPD group, one of the oldest and most revered market research companies.
They use ReceiptPal to study your purchasing habits so they can provide major companies with data that will help in the development and marketing of new products.
In return for sharing your data, you'll get points that can be used to purchase gift cards, along with a chance to earn cash rewards.
How does ReceiptPal work?
There are a few different ways to earn points with ReceiptPal. The primary method you'll probably use in most situations is to save your physical receipts when you go shopping, and then use the app to snap pictures of them.
NPD Group will then validate the receipt to make sure it's legit (a process that usually takes less than 24 hours) and if everything checks out, you'll get points credited to your account.
You can also connect an email address to your ReceiptPal profile to have E-Receipts automatically added to your tally. And if you shop frequently on Amazon, you might find it beneficial to connect your Amazon account as well so that all those purchases are automatically logged.
Are there any restrictions about which receipts I can use?
Yes, there are a few rules you'll need to keep in mind when using ReceiptPal. First and foremost, you have to make sure the pictures you take are sharply focused with decent lighting. If they can't read the receipt, you won't get any credit for it.
Second, the receipt needs to have certain information listed, including the store name, the purchase date, the total amount of money spent, and a phone number or zip code. If any of those is missing, the receipt will be ruled invalid.
Third, they don't take every kind of receipt. Just about any store or restaurant purchase should work, but you can't submit a receipt for something like a cable bill, or a doctor's visit.
Also, you can only use receipts for purchases made within the last 30 days, and you're not supposed to submit receipts you received from someone outside your household.
How much can you earn with ReceiptPal?
I did a bit of research around the web to get a sense for how much money you can make with this app.
From what I can gather, it's very possible to earn in the neighborhood of $80 to $100 per year with ReceiptPal, paid out via gift cards, which doesn't seem too bad.
It would probably be possible to earn more if there weren't restrictions on the number of receipts you can submit in a given time period.
According to the FAQ, the current number is 12 per week, which will net you about 300 points. You can submit additional receipts beyond that number for cash-sweepstakes entries, but your chances of winning anything substantial in a big drawing like that are pretty low.
What are the technical requirements for ReceiptPal?
This app won't work with tablets, so you'll need a smart phone (either Android or Apple) with a functional camera.
What are people saying about the app?
Based on my research, the reception for ReceiptPal has been pretty mixed. Some people find it very easy to use, and are quite happy with the rewards.
Others feel like the company is beginning to clamp down, adding new restrictions that make it harder and harder to earn anything substantial.
From what I've read, it sounds like NPD Group has been changing the rules constantly since the app launched, and most of the changes have made things slightly worse (from a user perspective) instead of better, which has gradually turned off a lot of early adopters.
Some people are also bothered by the increased emphasis on email monitoring, which naturally raises privacy concerns.
It's very clear from reading user comments that the rules are still very much in flux, and by the time you read this review it's possible that the situation might've completely reversed.
It seems like the company is testing different approaches to see how users respond, so it's possible they might decide to change their tactics for the better.
Even with the current state of affairs, I think it's safe to say that the app is not a scam. You can use your points to buy gift cards, and as long as you take good pictures, it's usually possible to get your receipts validated.
You probably won't be able to earn a lot of money in a hurry, but it's not really that hard to take pictures of receipts. There are plenty of people who swear by this app and have a great time using it, so it shouldn't hurt anything to give it a try.
How do you get started with ReceiptPal?
If you think ReceiptPal sounds interesting enough to warrant further investigation, you can go here to read more about the app and download it on your phone.
We also have a big list of other sites you can use to make money/save money all at the same time if you want to try some others!
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