Dosh vs Ibotta – Which Cashback App Suits You Best?

If you’re trying to find ways to make passive income, look no further than your shopping habits. Cashback apps make it easy to earn money back on your purchase. Talk about a great source of passive income!

Here’s the problem. There are hundreds of cashback apps available today. How do you know which one is best?

While you have many options, most people compare Dosh vs Ibotta. You earn cash for shopping using both apps, but they do it in different ways. Here’s what you must know about Dosh vs Ibotta.

What is Dosh?

Dosh is a cashback app that offers a hands-free way to earn money back. There aren’t any receipts to upload or offers to activate. You just link your most used debit or credit card to the app and every time you shop using that card, you earn cash back.

Please note, if you use a debit card, you must run it through as credit to earn cashback. If you choose debit, you won’t earn the money back.

How Does it Work?

Like most cashback apps, Dosh trakcs your purchases. That’s how they pay you back. You earn cashback based on what you stores you shopped at and what products you bought.

You won’t strike it rich using Dosh since most stores pay between 2% – 3% of your purchase, but you may find better deals at restaurants or certain stores running bonuses. I’ve been lucky enough to find deals for 10% – 15% cashback quite often.

When you earn cashback, Dosh holds it in your Dosh account. They have a $25 threshold before you can cash out. Once you reach that level, you can request it via PayPal, Venmo, direct deposit or to use it to make a charitable contribution.

Dosh also pays members to shop online through their app. You locate the store in the app, click on the link to earn cashback and you’re on your way to earning money back on your purchases.

As if that’s not enough, Dosh also pays as much as 40% cashback when you book your hotel stay through the Dosh app. Dosh also pays cashback for hotel stays with a huge cashback bonus of up to 40%. You must book through the Dosh app to get the cashback though.

Where Does Dosh Work?

Something I love about Dosh is that it works at all my favorite stores. I don’t have to shop at stores I’ve never heard of or wouldn’t normally shop at to get money back. If you shop at any of these stores (and it’s just a sample), you’ll love Dosh too:

The Advantages of Dosh

The largest advantage of using Dosh is that you can earn cashback, but what other benefits does Dosh offer? Here are the top benefits.

Easy to Use

I love simplicity since my life is so busy already and Dosh delivers. You don’t have to activate offers or clip coupons. You don’t even have to save receipts. As long as you link your debit or credit card, it tracks your purchases and automatically awards you cashback.

Dosh keeps track of your earnings too. All I have to do is log into the dashboard to see my progress to determine when I can cash out.

Restaurants and Hotels Pay Well

Typically, cashback apps pay you to shop at stores, but not so much at restaurants or hotels. The Dosh app pays for all activities, but especially eating at restaurants and staying at hotels. You’ll see a larger percentage of cashback with these activities, making it easy to reach the $25 payout.

You Earn Money for Referring Friends and Family

Dosh thrives on referrals. It’s how they make more money, so they turn around and pay their members for referring friends and family to the program too. It’s a great way to increase your earnings without doing anything except spreading your good fortune.

The Downsides of Dosh

Like any good thing, there are downsides to Dosh that you should understand.

You Must Share Private Information

You can’t earn cashback using Dosh if you don’t link your debit or credit card. To some this feels like an invasion of privacy or even a risky situation. It’s the only way to earn cashback through Dosh, though.

You Can’t Pay Cash

If you like to pay cash for some things, you won’t earn cashback on your purchases. Since there isn’t a way to upload receipts, all purchases must be electronic (debit or credit card) to get credit for it.

Understanding the Dosh Referral Program

The Dosh referral plan is a great way to increase your earnings fast. For every person you share your Dosh code with, you earn $5 if they use it to sign up and link their credit or debit card to their account.

Dosh makes it simple to share your code via text, email, or even social media. Don’t be shy about sharing your code – the more people that sign up, the more money you earn. Dosh also pays you to refer businesses to their program. Any business that signs up using your referral code will earn you 20% of their Dosh fees for two years.

What is Ibotta?

Ibotta is another cashback app that pays you to shop online, in-store, or on your phone. Unlike the Dosh app, though, you must upload your receipts to get credit for your in-store purchases. You don’t have to link a debit or credit card to the app, but you must upload your receipts or shop via the app to earn your cashback.

How Does it Work?

Ibotta offers several ways to earn cashback. The original way to use Ibotta was to download the app, activate the offers you would use, buy the product, and upload your receipt. This method still exists, but there are other ways to earn cashback using Ibotta too.

The Advantages of Ibotta

Besides paying you cashback, what other advantages are there to using Ibotta? Here’s my favorite.

Low Payout Threshold

Ibotta lets you cash out once you hit $20. If you use it for your regular grocery shopping plus other miscellaneous shopping trips, it’s not hard to hit $20 quickly. You can use that money to buy gift cards through Ibotta and it’s like saving even more money on your everyday purchases.

Works at Most Major Retailers

Ibotta has been around since 2012, and most retailers work with it. Chances are if you download the app, you’ll recognize most of the stores they work with, making it easy to earn cashback on your most common purchases.

You can Upload Receipts if you aren’t Comfortable Shopping Through an App

If you worry about privacy (Ibotta is completely safe), you can upload receipts to Ibotta from your in-store purchases and earn cashback. Some people are more comfortable with this option versus linking loyalty accounts or shopping through the app.

The Downsides of Ibotta

Ibotta, like most cashback apps, has some downsides you should understand too.

You Must Add Offers Before Shopping

If you shop in-store, you must activate offers before buying them. When you get home, you must then upload the receipts that have those purchases on them. If you forget to activate the offer, you won’t earn the cashback.

Your Online Purchases must be Through the App

You can’t buy something online and then submit your receipt. You must shop through the app, providing your personal information through it. While they take security seriously, not everyone is comfortable with this.

Understanding the Ibotta Referral Program

With the Ibotta referral program, you get $10 for every new user that signs up with your  Ibotta referral code and redeems an offer. An offer can include any brand purchase, any receipt, and any item offered. Also, when you sign-up using an Ibotta referral code, you get $20 for free. Read more about the Ibotta Referral and learn about the guidelines of the program.

Which is Better – Dosh or Ibotta?

Comparing Dosh vs Ibotta isn’t a matter of which one is better. It comes down to what you’re most comfortable with and how you want to earn cashback. If you don’t mind linking your debit or credit card to the app, Dosh is great. It’s hands-free and offers high cashback amounts for restaurant and hotel purchases.

If you’d rather not share your credit or debit card information, Ibotta may be better because you can shop in-store and upload your receipt or shop online through the app. Typically, you can use both apps and get the best of both worlds. Since Dosh is hands-free, you can easily get those deals and the deals through Ibotta by uploading your receipt to maximize your cashback.

Final Thoughts

If you’re not using a cashback app, it’s time. You’re throwing money out the window by not utilizing technology to earn a passive income from buying the things you need every day. Dosh and Ibotta are both great cashback apps that provide you with a little side cash just for shopping.