In August 2025, the consumer price index rose 2.9%, with food and beverages like coffee, beef, eggs, and apples seeing large jumps.
Prices for many non-food items, such as audio equipment and furniture, also increased.
Rising prices, challenging job markets, and heightened focus on saving are driving increasing coupon use in American households.
CivicScience asked consumers whether they used coupons for food and groceries often, occasionally, or never and tracked the results from 2015 through 2025. Here’s how the answers changed over the past decade:
You can see a clear shift in coupon users turning to this money-saving habit more often.
And the non-coupon users? Around 40% say they only don’t use coupons because it takes too long to find them, and 36% said they forget to look for coupons.
Coupon and rewards apps vary in value — some stick to digital codes, others to grocery rebates or cash-back, often only scratching the surface of potential savings.
To help you cut through the coupon clutter, we’ve rounded up five of the best couponing and rewards apps of 2025:
- Sezzle
- Honey
- Rakuten
- Ibotta
- RetailMeNot
Each offers unique options for smarter savings, as explored below.
1. Sezzle
Great for: Finding savings and spreading out payments responsibly when you make purchases.
Sezzle is more than a buy now, pay later app. It’s also a growing hub for everyday savings. The platform combines flexible payment options with tools that surface deals while you shop, helping you keep more money in your wallet and manage your budget effectively.
Ways the Sezzle app helps you save:
- A browser extension. Sezzle’s Instant Deal Finder shows you coupon codes, cash-back offers, and other savings opportunities as you shop online — without any added searching on your part.
- The Earn tab. The app consolidates local offers on gas, groceries and other products in one location, so you can activate them to earn spend on purchases.
- Convenient price comparison and price tracking. Easily compare prices across different stores and get instant alerts when deals drop. Close to half of consumers who saw more than one option said they saved $5 or more by purchasing the lower-priced option.
Sezzle doesn’t just help you save money; it also helps you manage your budget and, potentially, build credit:
- You can split purchases up responsibly into more manageable installments at checkout (without interest for short-term payment plans).
- Users can opt to have their accounts reported to the major credit bureaus via Sezzle Up to build credit histories by making (and paying for) everyday purchases.
2. Honey
Great for: Automating the digital coupon hunt to save more with less work.
Honey takes the effort out of online couponing. It runs as a browser extension automatically, searching for promo codes and applying them at checkout. No wasted time clipping coupons, even metaphorically.
Ways Honey helps you save:
- Automatic coupons. The app finds and tests coupon codes automatically, adding the code with the most savings when you check out online.
- Cash-back rewards. Honey loyalists can rack up a lot of Honey Gold points when they make purchases. These are redeemable for gift cards, which makes them a type of cash back.
- Price tracking. You can add items to your Droplist and get alerts from Honey when prices drop.
Honey is ideal for online shoppers who want to maximize savings with minimal effort and don’t need add-on payment flexibility.
3. Rakuten
Great for: Earning cash back with online brands you already shop with.
Rakuten is a leading cash-back platform that rewards you for shopping with your favorite retailers. After activating offers via Rakuten, you earn a percentage of your purchase amount back. Rakuten sends payouts via PayPal or check.
Ways Rakuten helps you save:
- A cash-back portal. When you start shopping via the portal, you can earn rewards at thousands of online stores.
- A browser extension. The extension activates cash-back opportunities automatically as you shop, so you don’t have to remember to start at the portal.
- Special promotions. Rakuten offers periodic bonuses and double cash-back events.
Rakuten is a simple way to turn routine online shopping into rewards you can cash out quarterly.
4. Ibotta
Great for: Maximizing savings at the grocery store
Ibotta specializes in grocery-related rebates, helping you earn cash back on grocery and household essentials. You activate offers in the Ibotta app, shop for those items and scan your receipt to collect rewards.
Ways Ibotta helps you save:
- Cash-back offers. You can redeem deals on groceries, personal care products and other items usually found in supermarkets.
- In-store or online savings. Ibotta’s retail partnerships let you earn rewards in-store or online with major retailers and grocery chains.
- Bonus savings. Seasonal promotions and bonus opportunities are sometimes offered in the app.
Ibotta is great for those who want to turn weekly grocery runs into steady savings opportunities.
5. RetailMeNot
Great for: Unlocking promo codes and limited-time deals online and in-store
RetailMeNot is a coupon aggregator that makes it easy to find codes and discounts for a wide range of retailers.
Ways RetailMeNot helps you save:
- A coupon database. The site lets you access thousands of promo codes for use when you shop online.
- Cash-back offers. You can activate deals and shop via RetailMeNot to earn cash back on eligible purchases.
- In-store savings. By activating offers in the mobile app and paying for matching items in a physical store with a linked debit or credit card, you can get cash-back benefits when shopping locally.
RetailMeNot is a versatile option that works well when you want to save online and off.
The Importance of Budgeting and Saving With Apps
The holiday season can lead to extra spending as you travel, participate in celebrations, or splurge on gifts for others, making it an ideal time to lean on budgeting and coupon apps. Tools like Sezzle and Honey can streamline the hunt for deals, help you stay in control of your finances and cut costs during the holiday season and throughout the year.
Using digital tools like these consistently helps you stretch your budget and adopt smarter shopping habits you can carry into the New Year.