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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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 offers 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 worth of purchases per year (then 1%).

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 rewards card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® 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.

For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred Card, click here