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Earny- Basics: The Earny app is a cash-back program with a twist — in addition to cash-back rewards it also offers price protection to users.
- Pros: Earny offers a unique price protection feature other portals do not. If you have a paid membership, you will earn double cash back at eligible retailers.
- Cons: Only the typical cash-back feature is free. If you want to use the Earny price protection and other features, you’ll need to pay an annual or monthly fee.
- NUMBER OF STORES:
5000+
- MINIMUM PAYOUT:
$15
- PAYOUT OPTIONS:
Paypal
- WHAT'S UNIQUE?
Monitors your purchases at select retailers and reimburses you if the price drops.
- Basics: The Earny app is a cash-back program with a twist — in addition to cash-back rewards it also offers price protection to users.
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Earny is a mish-mash of various cash-back options for users that like to do their shopping online. But do all these options add up to a useful app? Our Earny review has all the details.
Table of Contents
What Is Earny?
Like most cash-back apps, Earny offers users cash back at certain retailers when shopping through the provided link.
This can be done in the app or using the Chrome extension.
Unique to Earny is their price drop protection. To use this, you need to be a paid user and provide Earny access to your emails.
Earny At a Glance
| Number of Stores | 5,000+ for cash back, 15 for price protection |
| How to Earn Cash Back | Percentage of purchases rebated in cash, or the price difference of an item from a covered retailer if the price has dropped since your purchase. |
| Fees | Normal cash back is free. Double cash back and price protection is $19.99 per year. |
| Minimum Payout | $15 |
| Payout Timing | 5-10 business days |
| Payout Options | Paypal |
| Payout Bonuses | No |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Desktop Version | Yes, for account management |
| Browser Extension | Yes |
| In-Store Cash Back | No |
| Coupons | No |
| Sign-Up Bonus | No |
| Referral Bonus | Yes |
| Customer Support | Email support only |
How Does Earny Work?
Earny offers cash back through a few different avenues, a few of which are unique to Earny.
Though Earny offers the typical percent back for your purchase, they also offer price protection and money back from delayed Amazon packages.
When you order from Earny’s list of approved retailers (currently about 15), Earny scans your emails and search for price changes in the items you’ve ordered.
If a lower price is found, Earny requests a refund from the retailer.
Earny does not offer price protection for Amazon purchases, but they can earn you money back in a different way.
If you link your Amazon account, Earny tracks your orders and get you money back if your order is delivered late.
Earning cash back is free, but you must pay an annual fee to get the price protection features.
Paying the annual fee also doubles your cash-back rate.
Number of Stores
According to Earny their traditional cash-back model works with over 5,000 retailers.
This is a large number, and is more than both Rakuten and TopCashback.
But if you intend to utilize the price-protection feature of Earny, which we cover in detail below, there are currently only 15 stores that are covered.
At time of writing, these stores are covered under Earny’s price protection plan:
- Athleta
- Banana Republic
- Best Buy
- Bloomingdale’s
- Costco
- Gap
- Home Depot
- J. Crew
- Kohl’s
- Macy’s
- Nike
- Nordstrom
- Old Navy
- Target
- Zappos
Ways to Get Cash Back
Users of Earny can get cash back through three separate avenues.
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- Purchases through Earny
- Price protection
- Amazon late shipping
Purchases Through Earny
Anybody that has previously used other cash-back websites such as Rakuten or TopCashBack will be familiar with this method.
On the Shop tab you can see participating retailers and the cash-back percentages for each one.
Tap a store for more information.
Tap Shop, then browse and buy like you normally would. You’ll see a “Earn Cash Back with Earny” banner at the top of the retailer’s page.
If you complete a purchase you’ll receive whatever the stated percentage was as cash back through Earny.
You can also use the browser extension, which alerts you about potential cash back on websites you visit. Once you’re on a retailer’s website you see a popup with cash back details.
Click the popup to enable the cash back for that store.
Price Protection
Users can also receive cash back using the price protection feature of Earny. That this feature is only available for paid members.
You also must allow full access to your email inbox for price protection to work.
Earny scans your emails for any order confirmations from their list of approved retailers. If Earny sees that the price on your items has dropped, they file a claim with the retailer directly.
The claim goes to “pending” while the retailer reviews the request. Not all requests are approved, but if they are, the cash back goes directly to your Earny balance.
Price protection only works for the 15 retailers listed in the previous section.
Amazon Late Shipping
When you order from Amazon, there is a “guaranteed by” date for your shipment.
Earny tracks your packages. If they arrive late, they’ll provide you with all the information you need to file for reimbursement per the Amazon late delivery policy.
This is another feature that requires full access to your accounts. You must link your Amazon account to Earny.
Unlike the rest of the cash back on Earny, these reimbursements go directly to your Amazon account balance.
Fees
Earny has no fees if you only intend to use the traditional cash-back features.
If you want to use the additional features such as price protection and the Amazon late shipping detection, you need to subscribe to Earny+.
While the price has changed throughout the years, as of the time of writing, the annual fee for Earny+ is $19.99.
You also earn double cash back on their traditional percentage-based cash back when you are an Earny+ member.
Payouts (Minimums, Timing, Options, Bonuses)
Payouts through Earny are basic and fairly straightforward.
When earning straight cash back, the timeframe for adding the money to your account balance depends on the retailers, but Earny states that the average is between 30-90 days after your purchase.
For earning cash back on price protection, the process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for approval and adding the money to your account.
Once you have $15 in your account ready to cash out, you can request to be paid.
The only option for payment is Paypal, and the payment should hit your account within 5-10 business days.
Earny does not offer payout bonuses.
Platforms (Mobile App, Desktop Version, Browser Extension)
Earny has an app, a browser extension, and a very bare-bones website.
App
I personally find the app to be the strong point of the Earny ecosystem. It is similar to most other cash-back apps, allowing you to see and search for all of the cash back available on the platform.
You are also able to track your Amazon purchases if you’ve linked your account to Earny, refer friends, see your cash back balance, and edit your account information.
Desktop Version
The Earny website is not functional for earning cash back. It is essentially an account management platform. You can see the available cash back, edit your profile, and refer friends.
Browser Extension
The Earny browser extension is also fairly bare-bones, but it seems to work well.
Unlike some competitors, the extension doesn’t offer any coupons and only offers cash back for certain retailers.
You can also refer friends and see available cash back on the browser extension.
However, stores that offer cash back via the app may not permit it through the browser extension.
We found that while the app showed cash back for Macy’s, the browser extension didn’t.
In-Store Cash Back
Earny does not provide any in-store cash back. The only way to earn cash back is via online shopping.
Coupons
Unlike many other cash-back portals, Earny does not provide coupon codes for any of its retail partners.
Sign-Up Bonus
Earny does not currently offer a sign-up bonus.
Referral Bonus
The referral program for Earny is straightforward. You receive $5 for each referral once they make their first cash back purchase.
The great thing about the referral program is that there is no maximum amount of referrals, so you can feel free to refer as many people as you can.
Sweepstakes
Earny also offers what they call a sweepstakes. The sweepstakes are based on a “ticket” system.
Users earn one ticket for linking their Amazon account with Earny, and another ticket for each Amazon purchase that is made.
The details of the sweepstakes are vague and nearly impossible to find on the app or website.
The terms state that winnings and timeframe may vary and the drawings could be weekly, every few weeks, or other periods of time.
Related: Best Referral Programs to Make Money
How Much Money Can You Make With Earny?
Earny provides straight cash back rather than a points-based system.
With an Earny membership, you can earn up to 20% back on your purchases through their app or browser extension.
If you spend $100 and the cash-back rate is 10%, you receive $10 to your Earny account.
| Retailer | Cash-Back Rate | Exclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Up to 1.9% | Yes, many, including Walmart Grocery |
| Amazon | 0%* | N/A |
| Home Depot | Up to 3% | Only gift cards |
| Target | None | N/A |
| Apple Store | None | N/A |
*Purchases on Amazon do enter you into Sweepstakes drawings.
For the price protection, it all depends on the variation in prices. There isn’t a limit to the price differentiation, and Earny states that the average user saves $75 per year by using the app.
We earn a commission on this offer.
Number of Stores
5,000+Some top retailers aren't partners.Payout Minimum
$15Cash back takes 30-90 days to reach account.Payout Options
PayPalPayout takes 5-10 business days.Is Earny Legit?
While Earny is legit and hundreds of users haven’t had any issues with the app, there have been a lot of reviewers that seem dissatisfied with the app.
According to reviewers on both Android and Apple, Earny can have trouble with the linking of accounts which defeats the purpose of the additional features.
With that said, users that have received their cash back haven’t had any issues cashing out and most of the standard percent-based cash back seems to work fine.
At time of writing, the app has a solid 4.6 rating on the Apple App Store.
Android users are less happy, rating Earny at 3.2 on Google Play.
Users have reported having to relink the accounts every time they log in and missing potential cash back due to difficulty linking accounts.
Earny Tips and Hacks
1) Link your Amazon account.
By linking your Amazon account to Earny, you can not only receive the late shipping reimbursement, but you earn tickets to the Earny sweepstakes that offer the chance to win thousands of dollars in rewards.
2) Utilize referrals.
With $5 per referral and no limits, there is plenty of earning potential if they are utilized properly.
3) If the browser extension doesn’t offer cash back, check the app.
We found that retailers shown as not offering cash back on the Earny browser extension did offer it via the Earny app.
Earny Pros and Cons
Pros
- Large Selection of Retailers: For standard cash back, Earny has over 5,000 retailers which is much higher than most competitors.
- Price Protection: Unique to Earny is the price protection feature, offering refunds if the prices drop on purchased products.
- Unlimited Referrals: Earny does not limit the amount of referrals users can make. At $5 per referral, there is a high potential for earning.
Cons
- Paid Features: The typical cash-back service is free. If you want to use the price protection or Amazon features, you will need to subscribe.
- Only 15 Price Protection Retailers: The price protection feature only works at 15 retailers, making it hard to justify as a paid feature.
- Privacy Concerns: In order to use the unique features of Earny, users must allow the app access to their emails and Amazon account, which may be too much for some.
Alternatives to Earny
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Is Earny Worth It?
Personally, I would hesitate to use the paid features of Earny.
From what I have read from many other users, the portal has too many issues for it to work effectively.
Using the free cash-back feature is fine, but it doesn’t appear that the percentages offered are any better than competing portals.
Who Earny Is Best For
The free version of Earny simply doesn’t match up with the competition. Other cash-back platforms offer more stores and higher cash-back rates.
A paid Earny membership might be good for you if you are a frequent user of the 15 stores that offer price protection.
It’s a unique feature that could definitely be of use, but the selection of stores is too limited to be used by most of the public.
Who Earny Is Not For
Earny is not for you if you are only going to use the cash-back feature.
The paid membership is also not very useful if you don’t shop at the 15 stores that offer price protection, or at Amazon. You simply won’t earn enough to justify the annual fee.
Earny is also not for someone who is concerned about privacy. To get the most out of Earny, you have to give them access to your emails and Amazon account.
How to Use Earny (Step-by-Step)
Signing up with Earny is quite simple.
Step 1: Download the app and select “sign up”.
Step 2: Sign up with the account where you receive your order confirmations.
On certain platforms, Earny asks for permission to read your emails.
Step 3: Start shopping.
Use the Shop tab to search for retailers.
Final Thoughts on Earny
Earny is a tough sell for me. While the features it offers are unique, it doesn’t seem like the value is there for people that are focusing on cash back.
The normal cash-back feature is nice, but the percentages offered are no better than other portals.
And the price protection feature is not only a paid feature but it is only offered at 15 retailers.
If you do the research and determine that you could get value from these features, then Earny could be worth your time.
But I think that most users will find it difficult to make Earny worth it over the other numerous cash-back portals.
A standard cash-back program that — for an annual fee — also offers price protection and the potential to get cash back from Amazon.
We earn a commission on this offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some short answers to basic questions people often have about Earny.
- How much does Earny cost?
- How does Earny make money?
- How do you cancel Earny?
Author:
Logan is a practicing CPA and founder of Choice Tax Relief and Money Done Right. After spending nearly a decade in the corporate world helping big businesses save money, he launched his blog with the goal of helping everyday Americans earn, save, and invest more money. Learn more about Logan.
Earny app is a scam. They began charging me 10 bucks a month without my say so. When I try to cancel my subscription, they tell me to click on profile and select remove my account. No such tab exists under profile. Stay away from this app!