Fetch Rewards Review: 10 Things to Know Before You Sign Up in 2023

Fetch app logo

Ibotta is considered by many to be the best grocery rebate app, but you’re missing out if you haven’t tried Fetch.

Since I first downloaded the Fetch app (formerly Fetch Rewards) in January 2018 and started uploading my grocery receipts every week, I’ve redeemed my points for more than $1,000 in Amazon gift cards.

Before I share my personal strategy for using Fetch, here’s an overview of the shopping app and how it works:

What Is the Fetch App and How Does It Work? Fast Facts

  • What Is Fetch?: Fetch is a consumer loyalty app with more than 17 million monthly active users. It rebranded from Fetch Rewards to Fetch in early 2023. The rewards app is not affiliated with the Fetch package delivery app.
  • How Does Fetch Work?: When you upload any receipt through the Fetch app, you’ll be awarded points that can be used to redeem free gift cards.
  • How Does Fetch Make Money?: Fetch is free to users. It makes money from contracts with major companies that are featured in the app, including KraftHeinz and PepsiCo.
  • What Stores Does Fetch Work With?: Fetch doesn’t care where you shop and accepts receipts from any store. App users frequently upload receipts from retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Target, CVS, Publix and Dollar General.
  • Is Fetch Legit?: Fetch is a legitimate shopping app that awards users with free gift cards for uploading receipts. As of March 2023, it has a 4.8/5 star rating in the App Store and a 4.6/5 star rating in the Google Play Store.
  • Is Fetch Better Than Ibotta?: Fetch is easier to use than Ibotta and takes less time. However, Ibotta has a better welcome bonus, more ways to earn and flexible redemption options.

This Fetch app review includes the strategy that I use to earn the most points. Read on to learn everything you need to know before you sign up to earn rewards with Fetch!


Table of Contents:


1. Get 2,000 Points Just For Signing Up

Fetch typically awards new users at least 2,000 points ($2 value) when they sign up with a referral code. To get started, follow this link and download the app from the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Then, enter referral code MICHAEL before you scan your first receipt to collect a 2,000-point welcome bonus.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Fetch is NOT awarding bonus points for new signups as of March 10, 2023. This is believed to be a temporary pause. I’ll update this article when the bonus returns.


Use referral code MICHAEL before scanning your first Fetch Reward receipt for a 2,000-point bonus.

You can sign up for Fetch in less than two minutes with an email address or an existing Google or Facebook account. You’ll be asked to enter your phone number, state of residence and birthday.

During the sign-up process, create a strong password to keep your Fetch account safe and secure.

The Fetch team recommends creating a password that’s at least 12 characters long and includes at least one capital letter, one number and one special character.

Here are three things to know about Fetch and its security features.

2. Fetch Doesn’t Care Where You Shop

Fetch works with all major grocery retailers. The app doesn’t care whether you’re loyal to Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Whole Foods or a regional supermarket chain.

In addition to your grocery receipts, the Fetch app now accepts physical receipts from any retailer where you dine or shop.

That means receipts from restaurants, clothing stores, warehouse clubs and gas stations are all accepted.

3. 1,000 Points = Up to $1 Value

Every 1,000 points that you earn through Fetch is typically equal to about a dollar, but sometimes the value is less.

Fetch recently adjusted the number of points needed to redeem many popular gift cards. For example, a $25 Amazon gift card now requires 28,000 points. It used to be 25,000 points.

I’ll have more on the best gift card redemption options later on in this article.

4. Uploading a Receipt Takes 10 Seconds

The main reason why I recommend the Fetch app is because it’s so much easier to use than Ibotta.

With Fetch, all you have to do is upload your receipt to the app and you’ll receive points immediately. There are no barcodes to scan or offers that need to be unlocked.

However, you can only scan 35 receipts over a 7-day period. This limit is based on the date that you snap the receipt.

It normally takes about 10 seconds to snap a photo of a receipt and upload it to the Fetch app. I demonstrate how this works in the short YouTube video below:

5. There Are 5 Main Ways to Earn Points

To earn points faster with Fetch, you want to focus on the Special Offers featured on the Discover tab when you open the app. That’s the best way to increase your points balance.

Here are the five main ways to earn points with the Fetch app:

Special Offers

Fetch is offering more Special Offers than before. More than 100 offers were available to redeem the last time I used the app. Simply upload a receipt with a participating item to receive bonus points.

This is an easy way to score 1,000 to 5,000 points, which is typically equal to $1 to $5.

Lately, I’ve noticed that more of these offers require you to shop at a specific retailer (Walmart, Amazon, etc.) to earn points. In that case, you’ll see a store logo next to the offer.

Check the app before you shop and read the fine print before heading to the store!

Fetch Rewards Special Offers

Participating Brands

You can earn points with Fetch by purchasing select name-brand products. Fetch partners with more than 300 brands, so this is a simple way to earn points for things that you already buy.

I normally don’t plan my purchases based on these brands, but you can find a list of them at the top of the Discover tab.

Access Fetch Rewards participating brands from the Discover tab

It’s hard to say how many points you’ll earn by shopping from the list of participating brands. Sometimes it’s 100 or 200 points, but other times I’ve only received 50 points per item.

Fetch says receipts with at least one participating brand should receive a minimum of 35 points.

Groceries From Any Store

If you don’t buy a lot of products from major national brands, you can still earn points with Fetch. When you shop at any of the following stores, you’ll earn at least 25 points per receipt:

  • Grocery retailers
  • Supermarkets
  • Club stores
  • Home improvement and hardware stores
  • Pet stores
  • Liquor stores
  • Convenience stores
  • Gas station receipts

Of course, 25 points is just the minimum. You’ll earn more if your receipt has a Special Offer or a participating brand item.

You can also earn points with Fetch when you upload shopping or dining receipts from any other retailers. These receipts used to get as few as five points, but the minimum was increased to 25 points.

Unlock Member-Only Offers

Another way to earn points is by joining loyalty programs from specific brands to receive member-only offers. 

There are several programs for you to opt-in to from the Fetch app:

  • Huggies Rewards+ Fetch 
  • General Mills Good Rewards 
  • Pepsico Tasty Rewards 

After you opt-in to these programs, you’ll have the opportunity to earn more points by uploading your receipts on eligible purchases.

In addition, Fetch has partnered with GoodRx for prescription savings. 

When you show your pharmacist the digital GoodRx card from the Fetch app, you’ll save on your prescription and earn at least 1,500 Fetch points. 

I have a separate review and walkthrough of this partnership here.

Earn a Daily Reward

Fetch introduced its Daily Reward feature in December 2022. It’s a new way to earn bonus points when you submit physical receipts.

Here’s how it works:

  • Submit a physical receipt through the Fetch app
  • Spin the Daily Reward prize wheel by clicking “Tap to play”
  • See how many points you earned

So far, I’ve earned up to 250 points from the prize wheel. Most of the time it’s less than 50.

I’ve changed my Fetch strategy since the Daily Reward feature launched.

If I have more than one receipt after running multiple errands in a day, I’ll only upload one of them right away. That’s because you can only spin the prize wheel once every 24 hours.

But don’t let your receipts pile up for too long. They must be scanned within 14 days of the checkout date.

6. Electronic Receipts Are Accepted

If you do a lot of shopping online, Fetch has a Digital Receipt Program called eReceipts.

To participate, you must connect your Amazon or email account to earn points for online purchases. Participating retailers include Walmart, Target, Shipt, Costco, Instacart and many others.

Fetch Rewards eReceipts

Every time you tap the blue eReceipt button from the app, Fetch will scan your account for digital receipts. This never earns me as many points as the physical receipts.

Unfortunately, you can’t scan photos or printouts of eReceipts. Learn more about the eReceipts program here.

7. Upload Your Receipts to Multiple Apps

Fetch is one of only two grocery rebate apps that I use. The other is Ibotta.

Fortunately, you can upload the same receipt to Fetch and Ibotta or other shopping apps. In some cases, the Fetch and Ibotta apps feature offers for the exact same items.

This is a great way to stack your earnings. You can take it even further by clipping digital or paper coupons.


IMPORTANT: Although you can upload the same grocery receipt to different apps, you never want to upload the same receipt to Fetch twice. That’s a violation of the terms and conditions.


8. Redeem Your Points for Gift Cards

Fetch allows you to request a gift card starting at 3,000 points, which is equivalent to up to $3. However, there are more gift card options available if you wait until you reach 10,000 or more points.

Here are some of the popular gift card redemption options:

  • Amazon
  • American Cancer Society
  • Best Buy
  • Delta
  • Hotels.com
  • Hulu
  • Marshalls & T.J Maxx
  • Southwest
  • Target
  • The Home Depot
  • Uber
  • Visa Prepaid
  • Walmart
  • Whole Foods Market

Unlike Ibotta, cash back is not an option with Fetch. However, a Visa Prepaid card is available.

Fetch Rewards gift card redemption starts at 3,000 points

After selecting a reward to redeem, your electronic gift card will be available through the app.

Fetch says it can take up to three days for you to receive your gift card, but typically rewards are available to use immediately or a few minutes after redemption.

If your reward is still processing, you have the option to cancel it and your points will be added back to your balance.

9. Use Your Gift Cards Promptly

When you’ve earned enough points for a $10 or $25 gift card, that’s the best time to redeem because there are plenty of gift card options available.

I do not recommend that you keep a large balance with Fetch or any shopping app.

Although my Fetch account has never been hacked and I follow the password recommendations, there’s no way to 100% guarantee that my points will always be there.

Think about it this way: Your bank deposits are FDIC-insured, but your Fetch points are not.

My advice is to earn your points, redeem them when you reach $10 or $25 and use the gift cards quickly before you forget that you have them!

10. Refer Your Family and Friends

If you get started with Fetch and enjoy the app, you can score extra points by recommending it to your family and friends. Click on the Me tab from the app to find your referral code. Mine is MICHAEL.

You can earn points for every friend who signs up and scans at least one receipt with the app.

Fetch Rewards referral code Michael for 2,000 point sign-up bonus

When you connect with friends and family through Fetch, you’ll be able to see their activity on the Social tab. They’ll also be able to see your activity, including points earned from submitting receipts.

To stop sharing this information, you can manually remove friends from the app:

  • Go to the Social tab
  • Tap your friend’s name/picture
  • Select the three dots and Remove Friend
Fetch App How to Remove a Friend

This is the only workaround as of this update. Ideally, Fetch would add a privacy feature to allow users to hide their activity.

Pros and Cons of Fetch Rewards App

ProsCons
Easy to use: No offers to unlock or barcodes to scan Fewer offers than Ibotta
Takes 10 seconds to upload a receiptLimited points awarded for receipts with no Special Offers
Daily Reward feature to earn more points No cash back redemption option
Gift cards delivered quickly after redemption

If you’re already earning cash back with Ibotta, adding Fetch to the mix makes a lot of sense. I still earn a lot more with Ibotta, but the Fetch app is faster and easier to use.

To get free gift cards with Fetch on a regular basis, take advantage of Special Offers as much as possible.

If you don’t scan receipts with those Special Offers or participating brand items, Fetch may not be worth it for you. Your balance will increase by only 25 points per grocery receipt.

Good luck with the app and feel free to add to my Fetch Rewards review in the comments below!

To get started, download Fetch from the App Store or the Google Play Store and use referral code MICHAEL.


Frequently Asked Questions

  • What do I do if I don’t get my points?: Find the submitted receipt, tap “Correct receipt” and follow the prompts. Here’s my step-by-step guide.
  • Do my points expire?: If your account is inactive for 90 days, your points will expire. Gift cards that you’ve already redeemed should not expire, but check the retailer’s terms and conditions to be sure.
  • How many receipts can I upload?: Over a rolling 7-day period, you can upload up to 35 receipts. Digital receipts do not count toward this limit.
  • Is there a time limit for submitting receipts?: Receipts must be scanned within 14 days of the checkout date.
  • Can long receipts be processed?: Yes, you can submit more than four images for a single receipt.
  • Why did I receive a Fetch security audit?: On occasion, your account may be subjected to a temporary security audit. This is an additional security measure. If you can’t log in for more than 48 hours, email support@fetch.com.
  • How do I contact Fetch?: The easiest way to contact Fetch is through the Help Center in the app. If you’re unable to access your account, email support@fetch.com. There is no phone number available for Fetch customer service.

Best Credit Cards to Use With Ibotta & Fetch

Want to save even more on groceries? I like to pair Ibotta and Fetch with rewards credit cards to lower my grocery bill. The top card awards up to 6% back at U.S. supermarkets. Learn more about my strategy here!


More Michael Saves Stories You May Like:

About The Author

67 thoughts on “Fetch Rewards Review: 10 Things to Know Before You Sign Up in 2023”

  1. I stumbled across this post while looking for info about Ibotta. I’ve never heard of Fetch Rewards before. I’m going to download it and check it out.

  2. I’m wondering if I can scan my sister’s receipts that she’s not interested in doing the fetch app for? Or a receipt I find on the ground, for that matter as long as it’s not more than 14 days old??

    1. I think you probably could, but I haven’t done it. I have read that some people who work for services like Instacart and Shipt will use the coupon apps since the customer doesn’t get the real receipt.

      One thing to keep in mind: You can only submit up to 14 Fetch Rewards receipts per week.

  3. This may seem obvious but I’m confused …. Should I scan ALL my grocery receipts (up to 14 a week, I know) or only those that have items on them that I see the brand logos on Fetch?

  4. You should update this to show that you can upload electronic receipts now as long as they are connected to the email associated with your fetch account

  5. Great information on this app! I just downloaded it Tuesday and after sending a few of my friends referrals and uploading my receipts I already have 25000 points ($25.00). I’ve tried other apps and do use Ibotta as well, but this one is the easiest. I spend so much on groceries, so I’m glad these apps exists. Wish I’d known about it sooner!

  6. No fetch does not have a PayPal option..BUT…I redeem for the virtual visa card and then send it from my boyfriend’s PayPal using that card to my PayPal which gives me the cash 🙂

  7. I’ve been a member of Fetch for a couple of years and love it! This week I bought Dove antiperspirant, it’s offering 1250 points in the

    special offer section. I scanned my receipt and didn’t get the bonus points? So I sent a message got an auto reply saying that they

    would look into it. That was three days ago, so I sent another message yesterday still nothing?

    Have you ever had this problem? Is there a direct number to call?

  8. I’m just confused about one thing. How does this company make money? I’m having trouble wrapping my head around why they want/what they do with your receipt information? It’s not explained on their website.

  9. Hey there, just curious if anyone knows if Fetch rewards is no longer available for android. I have had it for months but it says to update and google play can no longer find it. I had rewards to cash in.

  10. This may seem like an obvious question, but I was wondering, how do you use the gift cards in store? If they email it to you, how does that work?

    1. Good question. You redeem through the app, then you get an email. But for gift cards that can be used in stores (not all can — check the app), you open the gift card through the app and there’s a barcode that the cashier will scan. I have used this with no problem at Whole Foods and Target. In fact, at Target you don’t need a cashier. You can use self-checkout and just scan the gift card barcode yourself.

  11. I like fetch app but I purchased the required $ amount for the Birds eye bonus but didn’t remind the 4000 pts and I can’t find a customer service email or comment area.

  12. I was suggested this blog via my cousin. I’m not sure whether this publish is written through him as no one else know such precise about my trouble. You’re incredible! Thanks!

  13. Jan DePauw/Coinstretcher

    Really good article. Lots of good sides to consider about using Fetch instead of others.

    I also appreciated that you put the terms of using Fetch in the comment section.

    One bit of concern: Is it ethical by only hinting at the end of your post that using service code “MICHAEL” benefits you directly as the referring source?

    JdP

  14. I am new to fetch. I just was able to get a 25 dollar reward. I picked taco bell but have no clue how to use it. I have been trying for days to gets answers but still nothing. Can you explain it to me please.

    1. They did that to me once but I kinda deserved it.. got 3 referrals..one was my nephew who’s 19.. the other was a dup account. During a 4k bonus event.. they took points from both…even tho one was legit.

  15. I cash out for Amazon gift cards. Than just add the gift card to my gift card balance in my Amazon Prime account. My gift card balance keeps going up as I add more to it. Plus, by doing this, I can add gift cards from multiple sites to my Amazon account. Currently building it up for Christmas shopping. Solves the problem of not letting points build up, but I can still save them until I have enough to buy something big.

  16. I bought the Klondike Reese’s Bars and was only given 25 for the receipt and 25 for Klondike? How do you get 100% back offer?

  17. Are the pics stored in my phone, and if so, how do I delete them? Are the receipts using my memory in my phone? Thanks for your help!

  18. They do have in the terms of service. They won’t erase you data upon request. Due to duplicate accounts.. just throwing that out there.

  19. Fetch sounds interesting & your article is very helpful. However, I’m not sure… do you scan the entire receipt, or just the area with the computer “bar code” if it has one?

    1. You need to be able to get certain data. Sometimes you scan the top and sometimes the whole receipt. The app will let you know once you have scanned enough data (there are check boxes next to the info it needs to collect like store name, amount, etc.) It takes literally a few seconds.

  20. I’ve linked my Amazon account but confused as to how these additions work. I got a bunch of points when it did the initial scan but how do I get them going forward? It it automatic or do I need to do something to scan my Amazon purchases every so often?
    Thanks!

  21. My friend says that she downloaded the app, but never used it. “When I deleted it, they hit my bank for –I think–$100. Small print. Free until you delete the app. I was pissed. Lucky to get my $$ back.” Is these something in the contract that says that Fetch can claim money from your bank account if you don’t use the app??

  22. At the grocery store, I try to buy store brands. Does that mean I’ll get only 25 pts per grocery store receipt scanned, if there are no matching brands on the receipt? Assume that I could spread my shopping, gas, cheap restaurant, online purchases (Amazon) out over 4 days a week, making 100 points a week just on no-matching-brand receipts. Is that worth spending a few minutes a day on the app? (Ten such weeks for $1000, or 30 such weeks for 3,000 points, $3, minimum gift card amount.) I might spend five cents more for a matching brand if I see better results.

      1. There’s a receipt limit per week. If there’s a name brand that has a special offer, I’ll usually get it if that makes it cheaper than the store brand. Otherwise, store brands are fewer points — like 25.

  23. Interesting concept… But…
    I get it that Fetch makes money from companies advertising with them, but I’m curious who Fetch then sells all that consumer data to? Seems to me that Fetch can associate every product purchased with every Fetch account holder, and in data mining circles… that’s a true gold mine. I have to believe that since Fetch requires your name, birth date, email address, phone number, etc., then spam calls and emails must start seriously increasing. (worth the risk? Maybe…)

  24. Do you know of a way to add a second email address? I have one that is connected to Amazon, and another that I use for other shopping.

  25. I recently referred my mom and daughter in law and now they can see everything i scan. I buy gifts on amazon and now it literally shows everything i bought. is there a way to make my purchases private?

    1. You can remove “Friends” from Social. Click on Beta/Social, tap on the face of the person you want to remove, on their profile page click the three dots, then Remove Friend. After you remove a Friend, they won’t be able to see your activity.

  26. I use Instacart and Amazon a lot. Can I just print the receipts from purchases and then scan them like any other store receipt? I ask because I’m not comfortable with Fetch scanning my email account or Amazon account, there’s much more info available in email and Amazon accounts that they don’t need access to.

  27. I need a way to keep all of my receipts for tax purposes. How long does FETCH maintain the uploaded receipts for viewing? Do they disappear after a few weeks, months or years?

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