Categories: Grocery

3 secret ways to save even more money at Aldi

All year long, Clark.com‘s Michael Timmermann is sharing quick and easy ways to save money as part of our Michael Saves series. Check in every Monday as he puts new and familiar savings strategies to the test. Sign up for our newsletter to have these stories delivered to your inbox!

Thousands of Clark’s fans are already saving up to 50% on groceries after making the switch to Aldi, a no-frills food chain with more than 1,700 U.S. locations in 35 states.

Those shoppers know that most of the items sold at Aldi are private label, which keeps prices so low.

3 apps to save even more money at Aldi

Although you’ll find some brand name products at Aldi, bargain hunters may be disappointed to learn that the discount grocer won’t accept a manufacturer’s coupon for those things.

However, there are ways to maximize your savings using popular cash back grocery apps.

If you’re not familiar, there are quite a few apps that will reward you for buying various items and uploading a receipt using your smartphone.

The king of these apps is Ibotta, which unfortunately doesn’t partner with Aldi.

The good news is that I’ve found three other legitimate apps — available for download on Google Play or the App Store — that will give you cash back for items that are probably already on your list!

1. Checkout 51

Checkout 51 updates with a new list of offers every Thursday morning. You simply select your grocery store and see what’s available that week.

Most of the rebates are for products from the big national brands, but I’ve taken advantage of “Pick Your Own Offers” in the past.

For example, I once received $0.25 cash back by uploading a receipt that included the purchase of oranges, raspberries, grapefruit, bell peppers or cucumbers.

Checkout 51 will send you a check in the mail once you reach $20.

2. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is an app that I just recently discovered. Here’s how it works: Scan your receipt from any grocery store and you’ll receive points based on the brands and products you buy.

Special offers will earn you the most points — 250 points if you buy a 12-pack of Pepsi, for example.

I recently stopped by my local Aldi and picked up a brand name household cleaner that was in the store’s special buys section. It earned me a quick and easy 25 points:

When you reach 3,000 points, you can redeem them for gift cards to retailers like Panera Bread, Amazon, Best Buy and more.

3. Receipt Hog

The third and final app that I want to tell you about is called Receipt Hog, which is a little bit different from the other two.

By uploading receipts from any store, you earn coins, spins and sweepstakes entries. Once you’ve collected enough coins, you can redeem them for a PayPal credit, an Amazon gift card or a magazine subscription.

Owned by a market research company, the app anonymously shares receipt data that brands purchase.

I’ve only redeemed $20 worth of rewards with this app so far, but I continue to use it because it only takes a few seconds to upload my receipts when I get home.

Don’t forget about credit card rewards!

In addition to downloading these apps, Aldi now accepts credit cards, so you may want to use a card that gives you some cash back for grocery purchases.

What’s your favorite app to save more at Aldi? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter.