Ibotta has paid out over $860 million in cash rewards to date—here’s how to start saving

Cutting costs can be hard, but what if you could save money without spending less?

Apps like Ibotta help you earn cash back on everyday purchases ranging from groceries to food delivery. Signing up for Ibotta lets you activate offers on your phone or desktop before shopping at participating merchants, then watch your cash back add up.

The average active Ibotta user earns between $10 to $20 a month, and more active users earn as much as $100 to $300 a month, a spokesperson for Ibotta told CNBC Select. You can ultimately earn hundreds or thousands of dollars a year just by logging your purchases with the free tool.

Ibotta ranks as one of CNBC Select's top browser extensions for saving money and can easily do just that — all without requiring you to cut back on spending. Here's an overview of how to use Ibotta.

1. Download Ibotta and create an account: Get the app on your phone or the browser extension on your computer.
2. Link your loyalty accounts to Ibotta: This makes the cash-back process easier. Link your grocery or delivery accounts, like Walmart or Target, to Ibotta. When it's time to scan your digital receipt and match your purchases to your active offers, the work will be done for you. (This is optional for all purchases except online grocery.)
3. Add offers: Search for offers by retailer (i.e. Walmart, Target), item type (i.e. coffee, cheese) or brand (i.e. Chobani, Kraft). There will also be featured offers displayed on the homepage. Click the plus sign to add offers to your Ibotta account.
4. Shop: Shop for eligible items at participating retailers, either in person or online.
5. Get cash back: After you shop, expect to receive cash back within 24 hours after your order is completed, picked up or delivered. If you linked a loyalty account, this process will be automatic. If not, simply upload a photo of your receipt so Ibotta’s algorithm can work its magic.
6. Redeem cash back: Once you accrue $20 in cash back, you can redeem it as a deposit into your bank account or PayPal account, or use it for gift cards.

Ibotta partners with hundreds of retailers in a variety of categories. Here are some examples:

• Grocery: Whole Foods Market, Costco, and Target
• Grocery pickup and delivery: Food Lion, Shipt and Walmart.com
• Online shopping: Amazon, 1800Flowers.com and eBay
• Hot deals: Amazon, Groupon and Overstock
• Beer, wine and spirits: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Total Wine & More, BevMo!
• Clothing: Athleta, Bloomingdale’s and Nike.com
• Health and beauty: GNC, Rite Aid and Warby Parker
• Specialty: Fandango, Harry and David and TurboTax
• Restaurants and bars: Any bar or restaurant, Grubhub, Seamless and Uber Eats
• Convenience: Any convenience store or gas station, 7-Eleven and Wawa
• Travel: Best Western, Expedia and Hotels.com
• Home and auto: BedBathandBeyond.com, Lowes.com, HomeDepot.com
• Kids and baby: Amazon, Gap and Walmart
• Pet supply: Petco.com, PetSmart, Zulily
• Sports and outdoors: Backcountry, Finish Line and Zappos
• Subscription and delivery: ESPN+, BloomsyBox and Postmates
• Entertainment: Vivid Seats, Ticketmaster and QVC