Checkout 51 Review: Simple Cash Back Rewards for Gas, Grocery, and Online Purchases

Bottom line: Checkout 51 is a simple cash back app that rewards users for grocery shopping, gas purchases, and online purchases.

At a glance

What is Checkout 51 and how does it work?

Checkout 51 is a cash back app that rewards users for grocery shopping, gas purchases, and online shopping. This is a simple, easy-to-use, free app. You can browse and select offers within the app and then upload a photo of your receipt to verify your purchase. You'll earn cash back rebates after verifying your purchase. Each offer has terms that outline restrictions -- whether you can use the offer with coupons, how many times you can claim the offer, and so on.

Every Thursday at midnight local time, new offers are added to the app; offers expire on Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. local time. Some offers can only be claimed by a certain number of users. When you reach $20 in cash back, you can request a paper check in the mail, or get paid via PayPal or get paid via electronic gift card.

Where can you earn rewards?

Unlike some other cash back apps, Checkout 51 features grocery offers that aren't store-specific. You can fulfill an offer at any grocery store, drugstore, big-box store, or convenience store. There are sometimes store-specific offers, but they're marked as such.

Unlike many competitor apps, Checkout 51 offers cash back for gas purchases. All gas station offers are store-specific. You can browse gas stations in your area and choose an offer that works well for you, add the offer to your account, and then upload your receipt. Gas station offers are only available to users in the United States.

You can also earn cash back on online purchases. To get credit for online purchases, you must upload a photo of the packing slip once your order arrives.

Cash back apps provide an excellent way to save extra money, so you may want to make using these apps part of your personal finance routine. Our Checkout 51 review will help you decide if it's the right app for you.

Top perks

Free and easy to use

Checkout 51 is free to download and use. The interface is simple to navigate, no matter your tech skill level.

Most grocery offers aren't store-specific

One significant benefit of this app is that most grocery offers aren't store-specific. This makes staying loyal to stores you already know and love easier. There are some store-specific offers, but they're marked as such.

Both Americans and Canadians can use this app

You can use Checkout 51 in Canada or the U.S. Other cash back apps like Ibotta and Dosh are currently only available in the U.S.

You can claim some offers multiple times

If allowed, you can maximize your earnings by using offers repeatedly. Check out the terms of each offer to verify the rules.

You can use coupons

You can use Checkout 51 to earn cash back rebates on your spending, and you can use coupons for many (but not all) offers. When it's allowed, doubling up is a great way to increase your savings.

You can link your loyalty cards

To save time, you can link your store loyalty cards. You still need to add offers before you shop, but you don't have to upload receipts for purchases made at stores with a linked loyalty card.

You can cash out at $20

Some cash back apps limit how often you can cash out. For example, Rakuten pays out every quarter. With Checkout 51, you can cash out as soon as you reach $20.

What could be improved

Offers only last a week

Checkout 51 presents you with new offers every Thursday. They're only valid for a week before new ones populate. If you do not like the offers you see, you have to wait another week for new ones to show up.

Most offers are for name-brand products

Checkout 51 features a variety of offers, but most are for name-brand products. The app may not work well for you if you typically purchase store brands.

Limited payment options

When you collect cash back, you only have three options:

• Paper check
• PayPal
• Electronic gift card

There are no fees for a paper check, but it typically takes 15 to 30 days to receive it.

You must add offers to earn

As with many other cash back apps, you must add offers to your account to earn. The app doesn't automatically detect qualifying purchases by reading your receipt. Fortunately, adding offers is easy and fast.

Receipts must be uploaded by the weekly deadline

Since offers are only valid for a week, you must upload your receipts before the next week's offers go live. All offers expire on Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Online redemptions require you to upload a packing slip

You must submit a photo of the itemized packing slip when redeeming cash back for your online purchases. It's worth noting that the weekly Wednesday deadline of 11:59 p.m. applies to online orders, too. You must shop, receive your order, and upload the packing slip by the deadline. That makes earning cash back for online purchases more challenging -- especially if shipping is delayed.

Offers run out

Checkout 51 offers sometimes run out. Brands can limit how many users can claim an offer before it disappears from the app. It's important to check offer availability right before you buy and submit receipts as soon as possible.

If you want an app that offers rewards in the form of gift cards: Fetch is even easier to use because it doesn't require you to add or activate offers. You shop as you usually would, then scan your receipt. Instead of cash back, Fetch provides its users with gift cards. You can choose from a variety of retailers, and the minimum cash-out amount is $3 for most rewards. But you may want to use Checkout 51 if you want to earn actual cash.

If you want an app with more offers: Ibotta is a cash back app that rewards you for grocery purchases and purchases at popular retailers. Just like with Checkout 51, you need to activate offers and scan a receipt or link a store loyalty card. Ibotta features more than 500,000 participating retail chains and stores and lists many offers. If you tend to shop at a certain store and want access to store-specific offers, Ibotta may be the best bet for you. But you may want to use Checkout 51 if you prefer to redeem offers at any store.

Checkout 51 is free to use.

This app is a good option for people who typically purchase name-brand items and want to earn cash back on grocery, gas, and online purchases. Checkout 51 is simple to use, and many offers don't require that users shop at a specific store to earn rewards.