# Open Rewards: Shop Local — Shop local. Earn cash back.

> Earn cash back rewards at local businesses by linking cards or uploading receipts. (iPhone/iPad app by Open Rewards Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-rewards-shop-local/id1568128968 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Open Rewards Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568128970)
- Category: Shopping, Food & Drink
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 554 App Store ratings · 103 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 119 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2021-07-27
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-rewards-shop-local/id1568128968/reviews.md

## What is Open Rewards?

Shop local. Earn cash back.
With Open Rewards, you can earn cash back rewards while shopping or dining at your favorite local businesses.

Open Rewards is the official shop local app for:
El Paso, TX
San Joaquin County, CA
Camden, NJ
Midtown Atlantic City, NJ
Lancaster, CA
Glendora, CA
East Aldine Management District (Houston, TX)
Westchase District (Houston, TX)
Diamond Bar, CA
Antioch, CA
Littleton, CO
Edgewater, CO
Hermiston, OR
Cibolo, TX
Goochland County, VA
Arlington County, VA
National Landing Business Improvement District (Arlington, VA)
Port St. Lucie, FL
Miramar, FL

EARN CASH BACK REWARDS BY SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES
Whether you're a resident or a visitor, you can earn cash back rewards on all of your purchases at participating businesses in communities that have Open Rewards. Visiting El Paso for the weekend? Earn cash back at thousands of businesses across the city. In DC for work? Shoot over to Arlington and explore hundreds of vibrant local businesses and earn cash back.
Open Rewards allows you to discover new favorites right from the app, from restaurants to retail shops to gyms to salons—and everything in between.
You can automatically earn rewards by linking your credit or taking a photo of your receipt and uploading it in the app. It's that easy.

CASH OUT YOUR REWARDS VIA PAYPAL, VENMO OR ZELLE

Have $50 sitting in your Open Rewards account? Go visit one of the businesses in the app, make a purchase, upload your receipt and cash out your rewards! And, also, earn additional cash back rewards from that purchase.

SUPPORT THE LIFEFORCE OF YOUR COMMUNITY—LOCAL BUSINESSES

Local businesses are the heart and soul of many communities, but often times don't have the ability to create their own large-scale rewards programs (like a Starbucks or Sephora). But, with Open Rewards, local businesses in a community can join a large network and give shoppers hundreds, if not more, businesses to earn and redeem rewards at. We believe in the power of community and want to help you support your local businesses—and earn some cash back in the process :)

## Key features

- Earn cash back at local businesses
- Discover local restaurants, shops, and services
- Link credit cards for automatic rewards
- Upload receipt photos for rewards
- Cash out rewards via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle
- Supports participating communities nationwide

## What do users think of Open Rewards?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 💰 Legitimate cash-back rewards for local shopping
- 🏪 Supports local businesses and community
- 👍 Easy receipt upload process
- 🎯 Simple concept and straightforward rewards earning
- 🌟 Transparent and user-friendly interface (when working)
- 📱 Helps discover new local restaurants and shops
- 💳 Rewards accumulate quickly
- 🤝 Good customer service (when responsive)

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- ⏳ Extremely slow payout processing (8-20+ days)
- 😤 Unresponsive customer support
- 🚫 Rewards not being approved or processed
- 🔧 Confusing redemption and claim process
- 💸 Rewards expiring without being redeemable
- 🗺️ Inconsistent merchant availability
- 📊 Poor app performance and glitchy interface
- 🔐 Login and account connection issues
- ⚠️ Rewards stuck in pending status indefinitely
- 💔 Payout failures after approval
- 🎯 Annual reward caps limiting utility
- 🌐 Requires WiFi for uploads

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon opening
- App freezes during receipt upload
- Rewards disappear from account
- Cannot connect bank cards to account
- Login fails with 'administrative rights' error
- Redemption button not functional
- Claims stuck in pending indefinitely
- Screen fluttering when viewing reward history
- Update notification appears with no update available
- Merchant information incorrect or missing
- Duplicate account detection errors
- App won't open after recent updates
- Retry function fails repeatedly
- Enrollment process fails at state selection

**Most requested features**

- Automatic rewards claims from linked bank accounts
- Improved search functionality for merchants
- Better map display of participating businesses
- Direct payout without requiring secondary redemption
- Faster processing times (1-2 days as promised)
- Clearer instructions on claim vs redeem distinction
- Mobile data support for uploads (not just WiFi)
- Transaction matching from bank statements
- Removal or increase of annual reward caps
- Better UX design and navigation
- Real-time notification of claim status
- Extended reward expiration deadlines

## Recent user reviews (10 of 103)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-rewards-shop-local/id1568128968/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Rewards

*2026-08-23, version 2.2.1*

Great app shop local and earn rewards super easy to use and definitely influenced me to eat where I can get rewards back

### 5/5 — Great program.

*2026-08-11, version 2.2.0*

Rewards add up fast and we don’t even eat out that much. Highly recommend.

### 5/5 — East to you

*2026-08-09, version 2.2.0*

This is easy to you once you get it set up. I like the feature of looking up businesses who use Open Rewards in my area. I’ve learned more about businesses in my area.

### 5/5 — Starbucks

*2026-08-08, version 2.2.0*

Great service. Like their selections. It’s soooo hot out there.  Cool drinks

### 5/5 — Great bonus for shopping local

*2026-08-05, version 2.2.0*

I have been using the open app for just over a year now.  I now try to shop closer to home to take advantage of the rewards offered.  It does add up since I have redeemed over $300!  Easy to use - just have to get in the habit of submitting receipts.

### 1/5 — Does Not Work!

*2026-07-23, version 2.1.48*

After downloading I tried to create an account. With phone or email it gives the error “failed to send the verification code”. Also, the website has dead end links when trying to troubleshoot. I would not recommend this app since you cannot even sign in.

### 1/5 — Cant reset paswword

*2026-07-14, version 2.1.46*

I continue to get an error when attempting to reset my password.

### 3/5 — App clearly has “business hours”..

*2026-06-16, version 2.1.46*

Do not try to open this app on weekends or before 10am on weekday- I’m struggling to understand WHY this app won’t open at ANYTIME???

### 2/5 — Fun program!

*2026-05-01, version 2.1.44*

I appreciate our local Littleton CO businesses, and this Open Rewards program is a great way to encourage and acknowledge our efforts to shop locally. Thanks everyone! I'm sad to have to report, that I submitted my first redeem request over a month ago, and have seen no sign of it, and I don't see a way to get status of our redeem requests in the app. That doesn't bode well for this program.

### 1/5 — Scam

*2026-04-13, version 2.1.42*

I got scammed out of $118. App froze up and when I got back in it wouldn’t let me finish. I emailed customer service and received no reply. I no longer use the app

## Frequently asked questions about Open Rewards

### What does Open Rewards do?

Open Rewards allows users to earn cash back rewards when shopping or dining at participating local businesses. It helps users discover new local favorites and provides a way for communities to support their local economies.

### How do I earn cash back with Open Rewards?

You can earn cash back by linking your credit or debit card to the app for automatic reward tracking, or by taking a photo of your receipt and uploading it. This makes earning rewards simple and convenient.

### How can I cash out my rewards?

Once you have accumulated a minimum of $50 in your Open Rewards account, you can cash out your earnings via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. You can also earn additional cash back on purchases made when cashing out.

### Is Open Rewards available in my area?

Open Rewards is available in numerous participating communities across the United States, including cities and counties in Texas, California, New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, and Florida. Check the app for a full list of supported locations.

### What kind of businesses can I earn rewards at?

You can earn cash back at a wide variety of local businesses, including restaurants, retail shops, gyms, salons, and many other services. The app helps you discover new local establishments to support.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.2.1 — 2026-08-12

Improve and modernize the UI/UX for the Claim & Redeem flow.
Fix minor bugs and UI inconsistencies.
Improve overall usability and interaction experience.

### 2.2.0 — 2026-08-03

Whats New:-
* Added voting system
* Improved Discovery scroll animations
* Added native feedback flow
* Performance improvements and bug fixes

### 2.1.48 — 2026-07-21

Release note:
* New Login flow with SSO
* optimize discovery list
* home screen data refresh issue fix
* redeem distribution logic improve
* minor UI fixes.

### 2.1.46 — 2026-06-08

New Activity Sections Introduced 
UI Changes 
Bug fixes

### 2.1.45 — 2026-05-21

- UX improvements
- Minor bug fixes

## Apps similar to Open Rewards

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Fetch: Receipts for Gift Cards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fetch-receipts-for-gift-cards/id1182474649) | 4.9 (7,573,020) | Free | Shopping |
| [Ibotta: Save & Earn Cash Back](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibotta-save-and-earn-cash-back/id559887125) | 4.8 (1,962,242) | Free | Shopping |
| [Shopkick: Rewards Sidekick](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shopkick-rewards-sidekick/id383298204) | 4.6 (86,740) | Free | Shopping |
| [Central Market by H-E-B](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-market-by-h-e-b/id1527554431) | 4.9 (3,250) | Free | Shopping |
| [Smart & Final](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-and-final/id1476069363) | 4.6 (8,319) | Free | Shopping |
| [Food King Cost Plus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/food-king-cost-plus/id1638328909) | 4.2 (176) | Free | Shopping |

## More apps by Open Rewards Inc.

- [Open Rewards - Merchant](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-rewards-merchant/id6757211229)

All apps by Open Rewards Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/1568128970

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*