Food Shopping Apps To Save You Cash
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These food shopping apps save me a fortune each month – why not try them and see for yourself?
Why not try making the cost of your smartphone work for you? There are several free food shopping apps available that can help you cut the cost of your grocery shopping each week. You simply buy the product listed then upload a photo of the receipt for a part or full refund on what you have bought.
Food Shopping Apps To Save You Cash
I usually go through each of these apps before going shopping to see what offers they have and so I can plan meals. Some of the offers are only available at certain supermarkets so I usually make a list of what to buy from where before I go.
I do also get a bit frustrated sometimes as certain items will only be available from say Tesco and I don’t actually have a Tesco near where I live.
It’s also worth making a note of the size/flavour on offers as if you buy the wrong thing you won’t get your money back.
While these apps are brilliant for saving money, the downside is that the majority of these offers involve being reimbursed for what you’ve bought, which is fine if you have the money to do that, but waiting a few days for a refund may not suit everyone.
1. CheckoutSmart
Checkoutsmart is one of my favourites of the free shopping apps as it seems to have the most offers and is one of the easiest to use.
I have recently had the following items FREE from this app; baby food, crisps, yoghurts, dessert pots, cider, sugar, frozen cod and spices. There is also a competition to win a £100 voucher when you upload your receipt so make sure you enter that too!
Payment becomes available when you have £5 in your account for a small fee or is free when you reach £20 or over. The only downside I’ve found is a lot of the best offer will only be available at one supermarket meaning you can end up needing to go several different places if you want to take advantage of all the best offers.
2. Topcashback app
There is also the Topcashback app which is very similar to the two apps above. You can sign up to Topcashback here if you have not done so already.
When on the app you will need to go the ‘Groceries section’ to find the offers which tend to be only for 10p or 20p a product but every couple of months they tend to have an offer for a freebie – usually a box of chocolates – so this is definitely worth looking out for. I also find cashback from this type of transaction pays out much quicker than normal cashback through them.
Payment can be requested on the Topcashback website.
3. Shopmium
Shopmium works in the same way as the other apps listed above. You can use my code KMFUKCCQ for a freebie when you sign up (registration must be via the app and not via the website)
They pay via Paypal once your balance reaches £10 and you’ll need to click to request your cashback once your account meets this threshold (this is a recent update, previously cashback was refunded automatically).
Unlike the other apps, you do need to scan the barcode of each item that you are claiming for so remember not to put your shopping away until you do this.
You can also scan products in-store to make sure you are purchasing the correct thing which is handy!
Shopmium also has a level system where the more you use the app, the higher you go. Rewards include quicker payments and priority customer service.
You can read my Shopmium review here.
4. GreenJinn
GreenJinn is one of the newer free shopping apps on the block and offers are currently only for Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and Tesco although Boots and Ocado have recently been added. They had some fantastic offers over Halloween including a free Pumpkin and a free spooky cake.
My cashback was awarded within minutes of my receipt being uploaded which was excellent. I don’t use this app as frequently as the others as the offers just aren’t as good.
4. 02 Priority
O2 is an app for customers using the O2 network and is great for freebies and treats. You show a code on the app at the till instore and the item is free or discounted. They have lots of great freebies from places including Hotel Chocolat and WH Smiths. If O2 isn’t your current mobile provider you can get a free simcard to use here.
Free weekly drinks at Cafe Nero are a great way to save if you have a bit of a posh coffee habit and in the run-up to Christmas, there are usually free chocolate coins, discounted books and free Christmas cards as well as free craft items like glue and slime
5. Olio Free Food App
Olio is a food sharing app – this means people can upload food they no longer want or need and share it, for free, with their local community. For example, if you grow your own fruit and vegetables and have surpless this would be a great way to share your crop around. It also works if you’re going on holiday and foods like cream or milk that you don’t want to freeze but will expire before you return.
I don’t have much experience of the app myself as there was very few listings near me, however, I would imagine it works much better in a city environment where there are lots more people using the app.
Other ways to use Free Food Shopping Apps
By combining offers from all of these apps I am able to save hundreds of pounds each year on my groceries bill. In 2016 this enabled me to keep my shopping bill to just £50 per month, something you can read all about here.
These apps are also great for collecting free food for donations to local food banks and charities. So when there are free items I don’t like or won’t eat, I’ll donate them instead so they can help someone else.
In the run-up to Christmas, I like to grab as many freebies via these apps as I can to help with the cost. A few years ago I was able to make a huge chocolate hamper for just £3 and a lot of the free items from O2 Priority would make excellent free stocking fillers.
More Supermarket Discounts, Coupons & Vouchers
- Finding Coupons To Save Money On Groceries
- How To Save Money On Groceries Without Coupons
- Awesome Free Food Apps To Save You Cash
- Food Shopping Apps To Save You Cash
- Combining Yellow Stickers & Cashback Apps
- Checkoutsmart Review-How To Use The Checkoutsmart App
- Shopmium Review: Why I Love The Shopmium App
- GreenJinn Review: Using the GreenJinn App
- Coupon Shop: 12 Boxes of Cereal for £4.80+ Free Bananas
- How To Become an Extreme Couponer
Looking for more money-saving advice? My Money Saving Guides cover everything from yellow sticker food and second-hand shopping to cashback, Christmas savings and reducing household bills.
Wow, what a great list. I belong to Top Cashback and Quidco already, but hadn’t realised you could also get discounts via your smartphone. Now all I have to do is decide what apps to remove from my phone so I have room to install all the apps listed above!
Yes, my phone does seem to be full of them. So worth it though – I’ve had around £30 worth of free food in the last week alone – really helps when you’re trying to stick to a tight food budget.
[…] are multitude of shopping apps out there (see this post for more information!) and some of them do offer discounts or freebies for buying online as well as shopping in store. […]