Reward apps in the US: Trends & Insights for 2025

With inflation reshaping spending habits in the US, consumers are more focused than ever on maximizing their savings 📈—and Reward apps are emerging as a valuable ally, offering cashback, discounts, and other exclusive perks. 

In this article, we’ll dive into the world of Reward & Cashback apps and how they’re changing the way users shop and engage with brands. Here are some of the points we’ll be covering:

1️⃣ Why Reward apps are booming in the US

2️⃣ The State of Reward apps in 2025

3️⃣ How leading Reward apps are driving mobile growth

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The rise of Reward apps in the US

Reward & Cashback apps give users real benefits for everyday actions—whether it’s shopping, watching ads, or answering surveys, users get cashback, points, or discounts. It’s a win-win: users save money, and brands drive engagement and loyalty.

In recent years, Reward apps in the US have seen significant growth, largely fueled by rising inflation and shifting consumer priorities. Since 2021, the US has faced its highest inflation rates of the 21st century [1], reshaping consumer behavior and reinforcing a savings-first mindset. 

As the cost of living rises, more Americans are turning to cashback and special deals to stretch their budgets, save on everyday purchases, and earn loyalty perks. This trend is driving impressive growth for Reward apps: downloads surged by 64% in the past three years, rising from 18.6 million in Q1 2021 to 27.3 million in Q4 2024 [2].

Leading Reward & Cashback apps in the US

While Rewards & Cashback apps have been gaining momentum as a result of high inflation in the past years, the top apps in this space aren’t newcomers—most have been around since at least 2016. 

When looking at data from the past 12 months, Capital One Shopping leads the pack with 21.09M downloads and a 4.9 App Store rating, followed by Fetch with 14.87M downloads and a 4.8 rating [3]. The sustained growth across the category shows that demand for mobile savings solutions—whether for shopping, receipts, or fuel—remains strong.

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How the leading Reward apps in the US are driving long-term growth 

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Incorporating new growth channels

Reward apps are leveling up their media mix by tapping into fast-growing channels like CTV to boost mobile installs and conversions. Driving cross-screen growth has never been easier: a user sees an ad on CTV, grabs their phone, and either downloads the app or scans a QR code for instant access. Integrated with MMPs, growth partners can track every conversion in real-time, combining the scale of programmatic advertising with the impact of TV. 

Fetch's recent Super Bowl ad, featuring a QR code that led users to the most relevant app store or app section, is a great example of how to turn primetime into a direct path to app engagement.

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Turning installs into active users

For Reward apps, the real value comes from high-impact actions—like scanning receipts or redeeming rewards—that allow users to access discounts or prizes and motivate them to keep coming back to the app. A robust growth strategy needs to focus on those key activation events that happen immediately after the install, like logins and first transactions, to keep users engaged and active over time (after all, 87.8% of Reward app users churn just 5 days after install unless re-engaged) [4].

Fetch is a great example of how to approach this strategy. Their growth-savvy team always prioritizes attracting high-quality users who are more likely to stay engaged long-term—going beyond the install to secure sustainable growth. To make it happen, Fetch focuses on getting new users to finish the signup process and start earning rewards right away—setting the stage for strong, ongoing engagement.

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Boosting conversions with high-performing creatives

In performance campaigns, creatives are the visible face of your brand. That’s why understanding which ad formats resonate most with your audience is key to driving engagement and conversions. Here’s a closer look at the strategies Reward apps are using to maximize impact.

Ibotta is focusing on creative variation, using similar templates with different products to streamline A/B testing. This approach ensures a true apples-to-apples comparison, making it easier to refine performance.

💡Pro tip: Automate this process with high-performing ad formats such as Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) and Carousel ads.

• Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) allow you to automatically generate 100s of creative variations promoting different products or services, saving time for design teams while turning every ad element into a data point for deeper insights.‍
• Carousel ads help you showcase multiple discount or partner brand options in a single interactive ad to drive engagement.

Not all Reward & Cashback apps work the same way, so it’s always helpful to show a step-by-step guide on how to start earning rewards. This Shopkick clearly explains how easy it is to start using the app while casually dropping in a promo code to encourage users to earn a gift card.

💡Pro tip: Try animated Tutorial ads to present information in a clear, structured sequence, making it even easier for users to follow along.

A common strategy among Reward apps is highlighting tangible benefits users can earn—such as showcasing products or brands that help them save money. In these Ibotta and Shopkick examples, we see brands featured as partners that help users earn points or cashback on specific products.

💡Pro tip: Use Multiproduct ads to promote up to three partner brands or products in a single impression, giving users a clear overview of their potential savings at a glance.

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Keeping up with the growth of Rewards & Cashback apps

As Reward & Cashback apps become a bigger part of Americans' everyday life, the top industry players in this vertical aren’t just keeping up—they’re scaling fast. While leading advertisers leverage cross-device strategies like CTV to diversify their reach, mobile growth is their ultimate goal: mobile is where users will scan receipts, hunt for deals, and cash in on rewards. Winning in this space means focusing on high-intent actions, doubling down on engaging creatives, and working with growth partners that help you turn installs into long-term engagement.

Ready to take your Reward app to the next level? Talk to our experts or check out our case studies to see how leading apps are leveraging Jampp to scale efficiently and drive incremental growth.

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References

[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024.

[2] Sensor Tower, 2025. 

[3] Apptopia (last 365 days, calculated on March 2025).

[4] Apptopia (retention across key Reward apps, February 2025, average across Android & iOS).