I love Pogo because earning is nearly effortless. I simply linked my banking accounts using Plaid, a totally secure online financial linking service. Then once Pogo tracks my purchases, I just open the app and click “claim” to earn points. Since I can link almost ALL of my banking accounts, I earn on almost every single purchase, even my mortgage and utilities. Earning points on more than retail purchases is rare for most rewards apps.

Point conversion: 1,000 points = $1.00

To try Pogo, click here!

Upside took the consumer world by storm during the COVID-19 Pandemic when gas prices hit an all-time high. Upside is another almost effortless cashback app. Simply link your credit cards, check in at gas stations, restaurants, or other retailers and earn cashback. Some retailers require a receipt upload, but most accept linked credit cards. I only had to enter the last four digits of my credit cards, and I’ve never had any security or privacy issues. To optimize earnings, use multiple cashback apps and a credit card that earns bonus cashback on gas purchases such as the Chase Freedom card.

To try Upside, click here!

Drop is third on my list because this app takes a little more effort than Upside and Pogo. Drop also doesn’t track as many purchases as Pogo. Similarly to Upside and Pogo, I linked my banking accounts to Drop using Plaid. Then I activate offers each week and shop online as I normally would. Drop tracks my purchases and rewards me with points. Often times, there are bonuses, and I earn points on almost all of my Amazon purchases, even my freebates. There are other ways to earn on Drop, as well, such as taking surveys or playing games.

Point conversion: 1,000 points = $1.00

To try Drop, click here!

Dosh is another app that requires almost no effort to earn. Dosh was one of the first apps that I used that simply required credit card linking. Shopkick was probably the first app that I used where I could simply shop and earn points. To earn on Dosh, you need to enter your credit card information. I have been using this app for years with no security or privacy issues. Once your purchases are tracked by Dosh, you need to claim or “deposit” your cashback. Dosh is number 4 on my list due to the lack of retailers and the high cash out amount. You need to earn $20 before you can cash out. You can also only link Visa and Mastercard. Thus, it often takes me a year to be able to cash out. Like the apps above, Dosh is one of many cashback apps that I use. I usually earn on a few other apps for the same purchases.

Shopkick was the first card-linking rewards app that I used. Not all of the retailers in Shopkick have this cashback feature, and you have to shop in store which I don’t do too often for the retailers on Shopkick. In fact, I sometimes forget I have cards linked in Shopkick, and I’ll get a surprise notification that I earned cashback! I’ll take it! You can earn cashback with click-through shopping for online purchases on your mobile device, but other apps usually have better offers. Like Dosh, I can only link Visa and Mastercard . Thus, Shopkick is number 5 on my list. I mostly earn on Shopkick by watching videos as discussed in my other post, Earn Cash for Watching Videos.

Point conversion: 250 points = $1.00 (for Amazon Gift Card)

To try Shopkick, click here!

Brandclub works exclusively with, you guessed it, a variety of brands. When you link your credit cards and purchase specific brands, you earn cashback. You must sync your purchases every so often as the tracking isn’t automatic. When you first sign up, you earn a nice bonus that can be cashed out instantly. This bonus is usually $10, but sometimes there are specials. Keep an eye on my social media, and I’ll post Brandclub bonus specials. Brandclub is lower down on my list because I’ve only been able to cashout twice in about a year. This is because most rewards are locked until you purchase a minimum amount from each brand. I’m not really a brand loyalist. I usually buy the best deals, so I just can’t meet the minimum unlocked cash out bonus of $10 very often with this app. A redeeming quality of Brandclub is that you can earn by posting affiliate links and taking surveys too.

To try Brandclub, click here!

Take me back to the top!

MyPoints and Swagbucks were two of the original sites that offered click-through shopping where you could earn rewards by shopping online and clicking on links posted on their sites. Since then many more click-through shopping sites have popped up with one of the most popular being Ebates or Rakuten. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, I discovered TopCashback. This has become my favorite click-through shopping site because it usually does offer the highest cashback. Plus, I also earn points on my credit-card-linked apps too. You can use TopCashback online through your web browser or on your mobile device through the app.

To try TopCashback and earn your sign-up bonus, click here!

Rakuten quickly rose to popularity over a decade ago as Ebates. Somehow, they had better marketing than the Prodege sites, so most of you already have a Rakuten account. I personally used MyPoints the most often for click-through offers when they all first came out. Since then, Rakuten has improved and they usually have pretty good cashback offers. Rakuten works much like TopCashback, and is often competitive with their offers. I always check both to see who has the best cashback offer before i complete any online purchases. You can use Rakuten on your web browser or through their mobile app.

To try Rakuten, click here!