The Ibotta app works great, unless you forget to use it. So, heed this warning about Ibotta: if you don’t use your account, they will deduct $3.99 from your earnings for an “inactivity fee” until they drain your account.

Ibotta is a popular cashback and rewards app that allows users to earn money on everyday purchases. I used to use it a lot at the grocery store, and enjoyed it, until I forgot to use it for a bit. See below, where they keep removing $3.99 each month:

Watch Out for Ibotta’s Inactivity Fee

1. Definition of Inactivity:
   • An account is considered inactive if no earning activity occurs for six consecutive months. Earning activity includes actions such as redeeming offers or receiving referral bonuses.
2. Fee Amount:
   • If an account remains inactive for six months, Ibotta charges an inactivity fee of $3.99 per month.
3. Fee Deduction:
   • The inactivity fee is deducted from the existing Ibotta account balance.
   • This fee will continue to be deducted each month until the account becomes active again or the balance reaches zero.
4. Avoiding the Fee:
   • To avoid the inactivity fee, simply ensure you perform any earning activity within six months.
   • Even a single redemption or bonus can reset the inactivity period.
5. Account Balance:
   • If your account balance is zero, no fee will be charged. The fee cannot create a negative balance.

Reactivating Your Account

• Resume Activity:
  • You can reactivate your account at any time by logging in and redeeming offers or performing other earning activities.

Being aware of this policy is essential to ensure you don’t lose any of your hard-earned cashback due to inactivity. By regularly using the app and redeeming offers, you can avoid any potential fees.

Just make sure the activity is cleared, as you can see on my record that I tried to use it and it didn’t count, and I still got charged!

They also DO NOT send any notification that they are going to do this or have done it. I was completely unaware it was happening until I logged in and all my money was gone!