We’re proud to say Ibotta has been giving you real cash back for 10 years!
What’s Ibotta? Ibotta is an American – a Denver, Colorado headquartered – company dedicated to helping families save money on everyday purchases. Ibotta is for earning real cash back on grocery and non-grocery purchases! The Ibotta mission is to make every purchase rewarding, and we’re well on the way to keep giving you real cash back – with offers available on the app and across the internet with the website and browser extension – for years to come.
To celebrate a decade of cash back, we’re walking down memory lane with 10 Ibotta milestones and moments with our Savers!
1. From humble beginnings in the basement of a firehouse, Ibotta launched in October of 2012 as a mobile app from the efforts of founder and CEO, Bryan Leach.
Within this single mobile app, we’ve been able to launch a line of money-saving tools – But you don’t need to just take it from us. Rebecca S. says, “I love Ibotta! No one believes me at first when I tell them I’ve saved almost $1000 in 14 months. I use the app for all of my grocery shopping!”
2. Ibotta gets 1 million user registrations in 2013. In just one short year, the Ibotta user community of people who love – and need to save money grows.
This huge registration count in a single year shows how a mobile app that gives back real cash is important to so many individuals. Lakisha A. told us, “I love this Ibotta app because I can earn money back on my everyday purchases. In these days of inflation we need this type of thing in our lives.”
3. In 2016 Ibotta establishes its official HQ on an entire floor of a city skyscraper in downtown Denver, CO. The Denver tech community has grown alongside us, giving back to the planet and each other – which has helped nourish and strengthen the Ibotta community. As Denverites, we love that Savers like Shamra W. “use my cash back from Ibotta to go on adventures to see the back country and state parks. And also, to get my pups the treats they love so much!”
4. Ibotta officially pays out $100 million in cash back to our Savers in 2016! And that cash back has helped to fuel a rewarded lifestyle – like for Kim B., “… My favorite way to spend cash back? Self care! Nails, earrings, manicures, pedicures. Self care is the way to go.”
5. Ibotta launches mobile commerce in 2017, opening endless opportunities to earn real cash back across the online shopping space, and partners with the online shopping mega marketplace, Amazon.
With so many ways to earn in-store and online, the savings really start to add up! Ibotta Saver, Ashley R., has a great tip on when to withdraw all your earnings: “I have been using Ibotta for a few years now. I have found that I like to save up my cash back throughout the year and cash it out right before christmas. That way, I have an account full of free money that I didn’t have. It helps make Christmas a lot more magical!”
6. For Earth Month 2020, Ibotta partners with Trees for the Future and helps plant 1 million new trees as a part of a Cash Back Now, Trees for the Future campaign where every category offer redeemed by Savers like you went toward Trees for the Future.
And while Ibotta has found ways with Saver help to give back to the community, we’ve taken a page out of our Savers’ books. The charity provided from Savers like you inspires us to keep giving back. Lois R. shows how she’s used earning for her family and her community, sharing, “…I use my $$ for vacations and Christmas. So many new things I’ve tried through the years that I still buy, and I’ve been able to donate to the food bank and local shelters too. Keep the deals coming.”
7. In 2020 Ibotta tackled the changes of the current landscape and launched a browser extension to make earning online even easier, introducing the ability to earn cash back on online grocery pickup & delivery purchases.
Being able to earn without going into the store and getting a receipt is huge for so many reasons – health and safety measures being a big one, but also the time that’s saved for busy families (by avoiding the grocery aisles all together), like for Shanice B. who let us know, “My total earnings are $1,067! I am a stay at home mom and homeschool my son, and use my cash back for school supplies, diapers, and activities for my kids!”
8. Ibotta launched the first annual Free Thanksgiving campaign in November 2020, and over the next two years helps feed 8.5M Americans with this program.
Between holidays and every day, Ibotta has flexible ways for you to earn! Robin S. mentioned, “I like to save on things I already buy – like Go Gurt! Every little bit helps.”
9. In 2021, Ibotta partners with the New Orleans Pelicans through a jersey patch sponsorship, spreading its community reach beyond Denver and into the American South.
10. Ibotta makes 2021 a great year for Savers by officially paying out $1 billion in cash back! Ibotta also amplifies the generosity of Savers to donate more than $100,000 to AdoptAClassroom.org to help support underserved classrooms across the country.
This leads us to the 10th anniversary today. In the last 10 years, we’ve paid Savers more than $1.2 billion in cash back, to Savers like Carey C., whose favorite way to spend Ibotta cash back is by “… buying gift cards for different stores so I can treat my family. And it’s free – just from scanning receipts!”
With years of Ibotta paying out real cash (not points, no checks needed), we’ve been able to help families in many ways – like Lin P., who shared: “My family has used Ibotta for years, we love the cash back! We like to use it for things each day, ice cream on a hot day, and a little toy for the kids. My favorite thing to do is spend it making memories with my family. We have used it on apple picking, a hay ride in the fall, and a corn maze. Making new memories with the money I save is definitely my favorite part.”