How to get $20 worth of free school supplies with Ibotta - CNBC

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With the beginning of the school year inching closer, you might be starting back-to-school shopping in advance as school districts across the country resume in-person learning. Ibotta, the free cash-back-rewards app and browser extension can give you a head start on shopping: for a limited time, you can get up to $20 worth of school supplies for free.

Ibotta has partnered up with Five Star, Kleenex, Skippy and Nature's Own to launch the "Back to School FREE for All" program for the 2021/2022 school year. When you purchase eight items, ranging from ingredients for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to notebooks, Ibotta will provide you with a rebate for those items. You can purchase these items through an eligible online retailer, in-person or for delivery at Walmart.

Ibotta is not only providing school supplies for customers, they're also giving back to teachers. In July, they announced a partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, a national nonprofit that provides funding for school supplies to families and schools. The $100,000 donation will go to teachers who will be given $200 to spend on classroom supplies.

This isn't Ibotta's first cash-back promotional offer either. In November, they gave customers up to $20 cash back on ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner such as cranberry sauce and stuffing.

What items qualify for cash back?

In order to earn the back-to-school cash-back offer you'll need to buy your items in-store or delivery at Walmart (not walmart.com) and online retailers like Target Online, Instacart, Shipt and HEB Online.

1. Five Star three-subject notebook, $4.30 cash back
2. Del Monte Fruit Cups, $2.50 cash back
3. 12-pack Ticonderoga pencils, $2.39 cash back
4. 110-count box Kleenex, $1.89 cash back
5. Loaf of Nature's Own Bread, $2.84 cash back
6. Jar Skippy Peanut Butter, $2.53 cash back
7. Three-pack Paper Mate Erasers, $1.39 cash back
8. Smucker's Fruit Spread Squeeze Bottle, $2.54 cash back

Ibotta decides the value of cash back on each item based on a retailer's suggested price, so if all of your items cost more than $20.38, you might end up having to cover some of the cost.

How do you earn cash back with Ibotta?

1. Download Ibotta: You can get the app, available in the Apple Store and the Google Play store, on your phone or the browser extension on your computer.
2. Add items: Make sure to purchase the correct rebate items by using the app to scan the barcodes on items when shopping in-person. If you're shopping online, you'll have to manually compare your items to the offer.
3. Shop and earn: If you're shopping at Walmart in-person, you can redeem your cash back by just scanning the receipt bar code using the Ibotta app. If you're shopping at an online retailer, make sure your Ibotta account is linked with your retailer before adding items to your cart and checking out.
4. Redeem rewards: Once your rebates have been confirmed either through the app or the browser extension, you can redeem cash back through PayPal, direct deposit or a gift card. Gift card options include Amazon, Best Buy, Lowe's, Starbucks, Walmart, Sephora, Panera Bread and Victoria's Secret.

You can read Ibotta's blog post for more details on how to complete the promotion.

Earn more savings and cash back with a rewards credit card

If you're looking to earn cash back on other school supplies, you might consider getting a grocery rewards card or a flat rate cash-back card that will earn you money on all of your purchases. Many credit cards exclude Walmart for higher rewards or cash-back rates, but many still offer generous rates for other grocery stores.

Currently, the Chase Freedom Flex^SM Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card are offering a grocery benefit that gives cardholders 5% cash back on up to $12,000 worth of grocery purchases in the first year of card membership (though this excludes Target® or Walmart® purchases). If you just maximized grocery earnings, you could earn $600 in addition to the $200 welcome bonus, which you earn if you spend $500 within three months of account opening. That's $800 total in cash back.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

On Chase's secure site

• Rewards

  Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining (including takeout) and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

• Annual fee

• Intro APR

  0% for the first 15 months on purchases

• Regular APR

  14.99% to 23.74% variable on purchases and balance transfers

• Balance transfer fee

  Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

• Foreign transaction fee

  3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

Terms apply.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

On Chase's secure site

• Rewards

  Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1%), 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on dining and at drug stores, 1% cash back on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening

• Annual fee

• Intro APR

  0% for the first 15 months on purchases

• Regular APR

  14.99% to 23.74% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

• Foreign transaction fee

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

Terms apply.

If you want grocery rewards after the first year of card membership, you might opt for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which gives 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 worth of purchases (then 1%).

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

On the American Express secure site

• Rewards

  6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, 3% cash back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.

• Welcome bonus

  Earn 20% back on Amazon.com purchases on the card within the first six months of membership, up to $200 back. Plus, earn a $150 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months from account opening

• Annual fee

  $0 introductory annual fee for one year, then $95

• Intro APR

  0% for the first 12 months on purchases, N/A for balance transfers

• Regular APR

  13.99% to 23.99% variable

• Balance transfer fee

• Foreign transaction fee

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

If you're doing most of your shopping at Walmart, you could go for the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card which gives cardholders 5% cash back on Walmart.com on pickup and delivery; 2% at Walmart stores, restaurants and travel; and 1% on all other purchases.

However, if you're looking to splurge on back-to-school items beyond groceries and food, a flat cash-back card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash^SM Card can also be a good choice because it'll earn you 2% cash rewards on eligible purchases — meaning you'll get 2 cents back for every dollar you spend on mechanical pencils or a new backpack.

Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card

Information about the Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

• Rewards

  5% cash back at Walmart.com; 2% cash back on Walmart in-store purchases, at restaurants and on travel; 1% cash back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted

• Welcome bonus

  5% back on in-store purchases when using Walmart Pay for the first 12 months after approval (after, earn 2%)

• Annual fee

• Intro APR

• Regular APR

  17.99% to 26.99% variable

• Balance transfer fee

• Foreign transaction fee

• Credit needed

  Good/Excellent

Terms apply.

Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card

• Rewards

  Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $200 cash rewards bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

• Annual fee

• Intro APR

  0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 15 months from account opening

• Regular APR

  14.99% to 24.99% variable on purchases and balance transfers

• Balance transfer fee

  Introductory fee of 3% ($5 minimum) for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5% ($5 minimum)

• Foreign transaction fee

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

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How to get $20 worth of free school supplies with Ibotta - CNBC
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