Earny

What is Earny

Earny is an automated personal finance assistant designed to help consumers get money back on their purchases. The core purpose of the tool is to track the prices of items you have already bought. If the price drops after your purchase, Earny automatically files a claim on your behalf to get you a refund for the difference. It works by securely scanning your email inbox for receipts from online retailers. Once it finds a receipt, it monitors the item's price at the retailer and also checks for price protection benefits offered by your credit card. Founded in 2016, the company is based in Santa Monica, California, and aims to ensure users never overpay for their online shopping.

Earny Features

Earny offers several features to maximize your savings with minimal effort.

• Automatic Price Protection: This is the main feature. Earny scans your email receipts and continuously monitors for price drops on the items you've purchased. When a lower price is found, it automatically contacts the retailer or credit card company to claim a refund for you.
• Late Shipment Refunds: For retailers like Amazon, Earny tracks your shipments. If a delivery is late, it can help you claim compensation or a refund on shipping fees, as per the retailer's policy.
• Hotel Price Tracking: Beyond retail products, Earny also monitors hotel bookings made through various travel sites. If the price of your booked room drops before your stay, Earny will notify you so you can rebook at the lower rate.
• Credit Card Benefit Utilization: Many credit cards offer price protection as a perk. Earny identifies which of your cards have this benefit and uses it to claim refunds, even if the retailer itself does not offer price adjustments.
• ShopRunner Partnership: Earny integrates with ShopRunner to provide users with benefits like free 2-day shipping and free returns at dozens of online stores.

Earny Pricing Plans

Earny operates on a subscription-based model. Instead of taking a percentage of the refunds it finds, the service charges a recurring fee for full access to its features. There is typically one main subscription plan that unlocks all the tool's capabilities, including unlimited price tracking, refund claims for price drops, and late shipment monitoring. This plan is designed for individuals who shop online regularly and want to automate the process of saving money without sharing a commission on every refund.

Earny Free Plan

Earny allows users to sign up for free to connect their email and see potential savings. The free access lets you see how much money Earny could potentially recover for you. However, to actually claim the refunds and use the full suite of automated features, you must subscribe to their paid plan. This model lets you evaluate the service's potential value before committing to a subscription.

How to use Earny

Getting started with Earny is a straightforward process designed to be set up once and then run automatically.

1. Sign Up: Create an account on the Earny website or by downloading the mobile app.
2. Connect Your Email: Link the email account where you receive your online shopping receipts (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo). This is essential for Earny to find your purchases.
3. Link Your Amazon Account: For late delivery refunds, you need to connect your Amazon account to allow Earny to track your order history and delivery dates.
4. Add Credit Cards: Add the credit cards you use for shopping. Earny will check their price protection policies to find more refund opportunities.
5. Let It Run: Once set up, Earny works in the background. You do not need to do anything else. It will automatically scan new receipts and monitor prices.
6. Get Notified: When Earny finds and successfully claims a refund for you, you will receive a notification, and the money will be credited back to you through the original payment method or as store credit, depending on the retailer's policy.

Pros and Cons of Earny

Pros:

• Effortless Savings: The process is almost entirely automated after the initial setup.
• Finds Hidden Money: It discovers refund opportunities that most people would never find on their own.
• Broad Retailer Support: Works with many popular online retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.
• Leverages Credit Card Perks: Maximizes benefits you might not even know your credit card has.

Cons:

• Requires Email Access: You must be comfortable giving a third-party service access to your email inbox.
• Subscription Fee: For infrequent shoppers, the annual subscription cost might be more than the refunds they receive.
• Success Varies: The amount of money you get back depends heavily on retailer policies and price fluctuations, which are not guaranteed.

Earny integrations

Earny's core functionality is built on its ability to integrate with email providers and major online retailers. It does not have a wide range of third-party app integrations in the traditional sense. Its primary connections include:

• Email Providers: Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook. This integration allows Earny to scan for purchase receipts.
• Online Retailers: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and many others. This connection is made by reading receipts from these stores.
• Credit Card Issuers: Visa, Mastercard, and others. Earny connects with their price protection programs to file claims.

Earny Alternatives

• Capital One Shopping (formerly Paribus): This is the most direct competitor. It also scans your email for receipts to find price drop refunds and late delivery compensation. It is free to use and is part of the larger Capital One Shopping ecosystem.
• Honey: While primarily known for finding coupon codes at checkout, Honey's 'Droplist' feature allows you to track prices on specific items and get notified when they drop. It is more manual than Earny but is a free browser extension.
• Rakuten: This service focuses on providing cashback on purchases made through its portal. It does not automate price drop refunds, but it is a popular way to save money on online shopping.
• Slickdeals: A community-based platform for finding and sharing deals. It requires you to proactively look for discounts before you buy, rather than getting money back after the purchase.

Earny API

Earny does not currently offer a public API for developers. The service is designed as a consumer-facing application, and there is no documentation available for third-party integrations or custom development. Businesses or developers interested in potential partnerships would need to contact the company directly through their official support channels.

Earny Affiliate program

Earny does not have a traditional affiliate program for marketers. Instead, it focuses on a user-based referral program. Existing users can invite friends to join Earny using a unique referral link. When a friend signs up and becomes an active user, the referrer typically receives a cash bonus or credit toward their subscription. This encourages word-of-mouth growth. If you are an influencer or business interested in a partnership, it is best to contact their support or marketing team directly to inquire about potential collaboration opportunities.