Receipt Hog works by rewarding you with coins, spins and sweepstakes entries for photographing your paper shopping receipts, because its owner Numerator turns that shopping data into market research for brands and retailers. The rule most people miss is the 14-day limit: a receipt uploaded more than exactly 14 days after its date earns nothing.
Receipt Hog is a receipt-scanning app with a twist: not every receipt earns the same kind of reward, and once you understand its three receipt types, the app makes much more sense. Here's how it works, straight from Receipt Hog's help centre.
Why Receipt Hog pays for receipts
Receipt Hog is part of Numerator, a data and technology company that works with consumer goods brands and retailers. You share your receipts and, if you like, answer surveys; Numerator turns that purchase data into market research for its clients, and you get coins in return. That's why the app cares so much about whose receipts you submit.
Coin, Spin and Sweepstakes receipts
| Receipt type | Where it comes from | What it earns |
|---|---|---|
| Coin-Receipt | Grocery stores, supercenters, club stores, pharmacies, dollar stores, convenience stores, beauty and pet supply | Coins based on the receipt total |
| Spin-Receipt | Most other retailers, such as apparel, department, home improvement, electronics and office supply | A spin on the Hog Slots for a chance at extra coins, plus a sweepstakes entry |
| Sweepstakes-Receipt | Gas-only receipts, restaurants and bars, bakeries, delis and cafes | An entry into the monthly sweepstakes drawing |
Every receipt earns a monthly sweepstakes entry, and Receipt Hog says prizes in that drawing go up to 50,000 coins. Businesses inside hotels or entertainment venues, such as theatres and stadiums, don't qualify at all.
Online orders and surveys
Paper receipts aren't the only route. Receipt Hog's Connect programme lets you sign in to retailers such as Amazon, Kroger and Instacart so your online orders are rewarded too, with the available stores varying by country. Surveys add more coins, and after the introductory ones, most are triggered by what you buy and where. Receipt Hog's own advice is that snapping receipts consistently is the best way to be offered more of them.
Weekly limits and the 100-coin rule
Receipt Hog caps uploads at 60 paper receipts a week: 20 Coin-Receipts, 20 Spin-Receipts and 20 Sweepstakes-Receipts. Go over 20 in any category and the extras aren't accepted or rewarded.
There's a second limit that's easy to miss. Once you've earned 100 coins from Coin-Receipts in a week, each extra receipt that week earns just 5 coins plus a sweepstakes entry, whatever the total. The reward weeks run from the 1st to the 7th, the 8th to the 14th, the 15th to the 21st, and the 22nd to the end of the month, all in UTC.
Receipts that don't count
Receipt Hog lists these as ineligible:
- Ticket stubs and credit card slips
- Hand-written receipts
- Non-English or foreign receipts
- Refund and return slips
- E-receipts uploaded as if they were printed
- Service invoices and receipts not printed from a cash register
And the timing rule: receipts must be uploaded within exactly 14 days of the receipt's date. The database records upload time in UTC, so leaving it to day 14 risks a receipt being flagged as old.
Household rules and fraud
- You can submit your own receipts and your household's, but not friends' receipts.
- Only one account is permitted per household.
- Doctored receipts, photos of screens and altered dates aren't valid and can lead to deactivation.
- Receipt Hog is only for residents of the United States and Canada, and uploading receipts from other countries leads to account termination.
Cashing out your coins
Once you've earned at least 1,000 coins, Receipt Hog lets you redeem for a direct PayPal payment, an Amazon e-gift card or a Visa e-gift card. All payments are digital, never posted, and paid in the currency of your account's country. Redemption requests are reviewed and approved within 7 days. If you choose the Visa card, note that you have three months to activate it and six months to use it.
Receipts themselves usually process in less than 24 hours, occasionally a few days, and a Report a Mistake button appears once processing is finished if something looks wrong.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Levels and the inactivity rule
Receipt Hog has 40 levels. Each week you submit a qualifying receipt earns one XP, and each new level gives a one-time bonus of spins, or coins at the higher levels. Consistency beats volume.
The rule that wipes balances: accounts become inactive after three months without a paper receipt upload, and your coins, sweepstakes entries and spins then expire. Upload at least one receipt every few weeks if you want to keep what you've built.
My verdict on how Receipt Hog works
Receipt Hog suits US and Canadian households who already keep grocery receipts and don't mind snapping them weekly. Coin-Receipts are where the steady coins come from; spins and sweepstakes are lucky extras. Upload within 14 days, stay under the weekly limits, and don't go three months without a receipt. For more ways to save on routine spending, see my guide to apps that pay you to drive and my tips to save money and avoid a loan.
Frequently asked questions
How old can a receipt be on Receipt Hog?
Receipt Hog says receipts must be uploaded within exactly 14 days of the receipt's date to qualify for rewards.
How many receipts can I upload to Receipt Hog each week?
Up to 60 paper receipts a week: 20 Coin-Receipts, 20 Spin-Receipts and 20 Sweepstakes-Receipts.
When can I cash out on Receipt Hog?
Once you have at least 1,000 coins, you can redeem for PayPal, an Amazon e-gift card or a Visa e-gift card. Requests are approved within 7 days.
Is Receipt Hog available outside the US?
Receipt Hog is only for residents of the United States and Canada, and only American and Canadian receipts are accepted.
Do Receipt Hog coins expire?
Yes. Accounts become inactive after three months without a paper receipt upload, and coins, spins and sweepstakes entries then expire.
