Another month… another round of Ibotta changes. But this one stings a bit. Ibotta updated their Help page… again… under the question, “Can I use coupons or other promotions with Ibotta offers?” And this time, the answer stinks!
In Sept. 2022, the answer at the time was a resounding, “No.” and then they back-peddled a bit. But here we are again in May 2023 with another quiet update regarding coupon stacking. Stacking Ibotta offers with additional coupons at select stores is now a thing of the past — and that includes digital rewards!
If you’re frustrated with all the Ibotta changes lately, you’re not alone. Ibotta’s automatic rebates at Target aren’t happening anymore, with no plans to revive it. (Although we do have some good news with regard to Ibotta and Target.) Plus, Walmart Cash rewards is making us choose between getting their rewards and Ibotta rebates.
So what should you know about Ibotta’s coupon policy after the latest change? We’ll explain all the details.
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At Dollar General, both digital and paper coupons cannot be used with Ibotta offers.
Dollar General is doing what Walmart has done — “white labeled” Ibotta offers within their own app. That means all of the qualifying Ibotta offers for Dollar General are now housed within the Dollar General app and website. We talk all about the Dollar General rebates in a separate article.
Once Ibotta teamed up with Walmart, they enacted a new policy where you couldn’t combine digital coupons with Ibotta offers. Similarly, couponing at Dollar General has changed, too. Now, you can’t combine Ibotta offers with any other types of coupons, whether they are digital or paper ones. So you’ll have to choose whether to use an Ibotta offer or a different coupon for a particular purchase, but not both at the same time. It’s always good to keep this in mind so you can make the best choice for saving money when you shop there.
At least Ibotta is stacking offers with Target coupons again.
Remember when Target was making couponers mad because of their not-fully-fleshed-out coupon verification system? That all seems to be under control now. But back in May, when all of the Target coupon stuff was tricky, Ibotta announced that Target shoppers could no longer combine Ibotta offers with coupons for the same products. But as of September 2023, they’ve reversed their position, removing the policy from their official FAQ section. So… once again, you can stack Ibotta offers with manufacturer coupons and retailer digital rewards — like Target Circle — to get even more savings.
Now, while some Ibotta offers may still allow coupon stacking, you’re going to have to do a lot more homework to find them. So pairing Ibotta with CVS coupons, Walgreens coupons, Dollar General coupons, and Publix coupons — just to name a few — is no longer guaranteed. Read the fine print with each offer, or at each store page on Ibotta, before making a purchase to make sure you can stack.
Check the fine print for all offers — regardless of the store.
It’s always a good idea to read the terms and conditions of each offer to verify that you can stack your savings.
Even though Ibotta specifies a few rules for certain stores, as a rule of thumb, just get in the habit of looking at the terms of each offer:
- Walmart: Paper manufacturer coupons and Ibotta offers can’t be used together.
- Dollar General: Neither paper nor digital manufacturer coupons can be used with Ibotta offers.
- At other retailers: The ability to combine paper manufacturer coupons with Ibotta offers may differ.
TIP: Sales run by stores or discounted items do not affect the ability to use Ibotta offers.
What changed about Ibotta’s coupon stacking policy?
On May 1, 2023, Ibotta added some new terms and conditions to their offers. For select stores, you’ll see “This offer can’t be combined with coupons for the same product.”
The anti-stacking Ibotta changes aren’t new, but adding Kroger and CVS to the list of restricted stores is. In Sept. 2022, Ibotta made a few tweaks to how they address stacking coupons. While generally they say you can stack coupons and Ibotta rebates, there are some specific offers/products that don’t allow it.
Some Ibotta rebates may have restrictions that don’t allow you to pair them with other coupons. And those “other” coupons include manufacturer coupons, paper coupons, digital coupon codes, and digital retailer rewards (like CVS ExtraBucks Rewards or Ulta rewards points).
Ibotta tried to ban stacking altogether last fall, but quickly reversed their decision after an uproar. Now with the latest Ibotta changes you just have to check the fine print to make sure you can stack on your chosen offer.
RELATED: How Does Ibotta Work?
Can I still combine coupons and promotions with Ibotta offers?
Yes and no. With the Ibotta changes, you need to look at each individual offer to see if the fine print allows you to use coupons or other promotions with it. You may see new terms stating, “Offer not eligible for cash back when combined with other coupons and/or promo codes,” or “This offer can’t be combined with coupons for the same product”. Not every offer says this though, so just check out each one you’re trying to use.
So what happens if you try to use coupons anyway on an offer where it says it’s forbidden? If you submit a receipt where they see you used manufacturer coupons, paper coupons, digital coupon codes, or digital retailer rewards, pending offers may get reversed before any cash back is applied.
We’ve seen this type of restriction before with Checkout 51, but it was only on select offers.
Do Walmart rewards let me get around this Ibotta change?
Walmart and Ibotta have teamed up with the release of Walmart Cash rewards. But you can’t double-dip on the two rebates and rewards programs. This means that you have to choose whether you want your rebate to go to your Walmart account or to Ibotta.
You’ll see in the above screenshot that the Orbit gum rebate on Ibotta and Walmart rewards is exactly the same. If you want the cash back to go to your Ibotta earnings, you have to add the offer in Ibotta, not on Walmart. When you submit your receipt to Ibotta, that’s where your earnings will go. If you add an offer for the same product to your Walmart account and to Ibotta, the rebate will only go to your Walmart account.
You’ll only receive cash back for an offer once, even if it’s available on both Walmart and Ibotta.
Which rebate apps will allow coupon stacking?
Ibotta and Fetch Rewards are the only rebate and cash-back apps that allow coupon stacking. (Again, as long as the fine print doesn’t forbid it, of course.)
If you’re looking to stack coupons with Fetch Rewards, bookmark The Krazy Coupon Lady’s Fetch Rewards deal page. You’ll see all the dedicated deals just for that app!
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