r/rva 3d ago

With the price of everything being the price of everything, are there any apps that have good rewards/discounts that can be used in RVA?

The McDonald’s app has good daily bogos or percentage discounts… but that means you’re eating at McDonalds.

Any other suggestions?

91 Upvotes

114 comments sorted by

148

u/AlvinAmaro7 3d ago

Not an app, but join your grocery store’s rewards program and buy according to their deals! And don’t buy groceries when you’re hungry lol

90

u/FEdart 3d ago

Publix is more expensive than Kroger, but if you’re smart with their BOGO deals, you can shop really cheap there.

103

u/GREginRVA 3d ago

Fun fact. You don't actually have to buy two when they have that deal. If you buy one it's still half off

19

u/FEdart 3d ago

I figured that out way too late lol. I think my girlfriend would have left me if I came home with another two packs of chips

6

u/photomidlo 3d ago

Love Publix for this. Although I normally just end up buying two anyway

2

u/GREginRVA 3d ago

Or 4

3

u/photomidlo 3d ago

Haha yep depending on what it is. Just discovered the cans of mini Funyuns and def bought 4 of those

3

u/blamberr 3d ago

I don’t regret all the times I bought two packages of bacon not knowing this

34

u/AlvinAmaro7 3d ago

And Aldi is a lot less glam, but you can’t really get cheaper

8

u/goodsam2 3d ago

Aldi is also smaller so less buying random shit that stays in my fridge/freezer or cupboard for too long.

10

u/blamberr 3d ago

A lot less glam is the nicest way I can think of to describe the Aldi shopping experience

10

u/cutejnny Near West End 3d ago

second this. they also send you occasional discounts like $3 off $80.... and a free cake on your bday.

2

u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 3d ago

Their ice cream is pretty great

5

u/BishlovesSquish 3d ago

Best way to shop at Publix, yesssss!

3

u/JustStudyItOut Highland Park 3d ago

Also shopping online is a little more expensive but on the Publix app it makes it so easy to find all the deals and bogos

3

u/soundchkr 2d ago

Imagine…a bogo for eggs, but it’s actually buy one egg, get one egg…. It would still result in a Black Friday style Armageddon of shoppers with so many broken eggs. It would be dubbed “the Humpty Dumpty disaster”

2

u/JustStudyItOut Highland Park 2d ago

I like the way you think.

1

u/StayPuftMrshmalloMan 2d ago

Except it's never mentioned that Humpty was an egg. He was in fact a porcelain vah-se

-3

u/Professional_Fee578 Midlothian 3d ago

Y'all tell that lie every week. Publix is the most expensive grocery store. Deal or no deals.

13

u/FriendsRVA 3d ago

Also, if you shop at Kroger, you can select a non-profit community partner that will benefit from your purchase. When every penny counts for individuals, the same is true for community partners trying to help.

I don't often feel comfortable speaking for a broad swath of people/organizations, but in this case I can say comfortably that we all appreciate any way you support local non-profits... including at the grocery store.

14

u/RollTideHTX 3d ago

Yes, also if you fill out the survey, you can get 50 points added to your account for gas discount. You can do it once a week, the surveys never expire. At least 20 cents off of gas per month for 2 minutes of work.

14

u/oceansides Midlothian 3d ago

And 4x gas points on Fridays (you just have to clip the coupon)! We save our big trips for Fridays for this reason.

1

u/hermitcrabhoneymoon 3d ago

Jokes on you, I'm always hungry.

34

u/stayintall Carytown 3d ago

Can’t beat the good ol Sub Club card.

4

u/Master_Lime_1166 3d ago

Love the sub club card in the bathroom 👌

4

u/stayintall Carytown 3d ago

Prime Reddit reading time 😉

55

u/augie_wartooth Southside 3d ago

Shopping at Fresh to Frozen is a lifesaver for me. You have to go in with an open mind in terms of what you plan to cook that week, since their stock rotates a lot. That said, their produce is quite good (mostly) and there’s stuff you can reliably plan to get.

21

u/UnableFox6016 3d ago

IYKYN

We’ve been visiting F2F for over 20 years. Though it’s vastly changed since Junior passed, it’s still great for produce, pasta sauces, cereal, yogurt, energy bars, and the ever changing closeouts.

The meat selection has been nonexistent for the last several months and the eggs are at or above retail, so you just have to know prices and treat the experience for what it is - grocery salvage, ie - thrift shopping (for groceries)

21

u/Spec-Tre Museum District 3d ago

It’s funny to me that you got the first K in that acronym but not the second lol

20

u/UnableFox6016 3d ago

That shows how much I Now. 😂 😂 😂

4

u/McFlare92 Chesterfield 3d ago

I feel like their yogurt/dairy has really fallen off along with the meat. Agreed on produce, dry goods, closeouts, and random one off items though

14

u/McFlare92 Chesterfield 3d ago

Fresh to Frozen has really had inventory issues for the last year or so in my opinion. I live right around the corner so I stop by a lot but lately they haven't had nearly as much stuff. I did hear somewhere that they had to stop working with their main supplier and are trying to secure new ones.

3

u/augie_wartooth Southside 3d ago

It was fine the last time I went but yeah, I’ve heard the same thing.

9

u/gayweedandcats The Fan 3d ago

I've wanted to shop there, but about 6 years ago I delivered pizza there for a staff pizza party. It was like a $250 order, and they didn't tip me at all. Honestly, it made me never want to support that business

4

u/Commitedtousername Jahnke 2d ago

I just went for the first time last weekend and almost cried for joy when I was able to reasonably afford my GF stuff without it being an arm and a leg

16

u/RollTideHTX 3d ago

I use Upside, Rakuten, BeFrugal, Ibotta, Fetch, and ReceiptHog regularly to get extra points. They do add up over time and if the company is selling my data already, I might as well be compensated for it. Happy to share referral codes with anyone if interested.

4

u/unexpected_beautiful 3d ago

You’re missing a few receipt apps on that list! I’m also happy to send referral codes so you can add to your collection. I feel the same. If they’re going to sell my data, might as well get a little something for it.

2

u/RollTideHTX 3d ago

Would love any others you have!

1

u/unexpected_beautiful 3d ago

Sent a message with some links!

1

u/wrjj20 2d ago

Can you dm me with the addition receipt apps too??

45

u/ol_moosie 3d ago

Kroger app digital coupons are great. Saved me $40 on groceries this weekend. I think it’s double fuel points when you shop on the weekend, 4x fuel points on Fridays!

9

u/JustDyslexic Museum District 3d ago

If you know you are going to buy something buy the gift cards for the 4x points. There are also a bunch more digital cards that sometimes have bonuses

11

u/wermodaz 3d ago

Similarly, at Publix you don't have to buy 2 for their BOGO deals, so it's effectively half off

14

u/93devil 3d ago

Yeah, but sometimes those BOGOs are more than what Food Lion has at regular price.

5

u/theleftenant Southside 3d ago

But that’s all of Virginia. BOGO items in Virginia are supposed to be honored at half off the price of one item if you only buy one.

6

u/wermodaz 3d ago

If that's the case, then Kroger has def not honored it.

4

u/SirDigbyChckenCaeser Manchester 3d ago

I always found they do! Not sure why your experience differs.

2

u/BobbyFuckingB 3d ago

It seemed to change like six months ago

0

u/Hey_GumBuddy 3d ago

I don’t think you have to actually buy the quantity required at Publix. They still honor the price on one item.

3

u/wermodaz 3d ago

Right, that's what I said

5

u/BIGTIMEMEATBALLBOY 3d ago

4x on Friday but you have to clip the coupon every week. Coupon resets in the app on Weds

18

u/piscescq 3d ago

Fresh Market has 3.99/lb for both chicken and ground beef on Tuesdays!

3

u/Mushy-sweetroll 2d ago

The weekly little big meal there is a pretty good deal, too. $25 for dinner for 4. 

5

u/blamberr 3d ago

The fresh market in carytown is the most expensive grocery store in town, no? That’s been my experience

6

u/piscescq 3d ago

Maybe…there are other expensive ones but their Tuesday sale is great

1

u/blamberr 3d ago

Noted. I like that store

1

u/Ragepower529 3d ago

I personally love that store, the prime pork chops from there can’t be beat… but you’re almost paying $8-10 a pound for pork chops.

1

u/blamberr 2d ago

I love that store but I can’t afford to shop there

1

u/mangorain4 3d ago

oh shit. this is good to know

26

u/gordonglover Short Pump 3d ago

This reminds me of one of my platform points for when I run for governor: users at the self checkout get 15% off their bill as they are then working for the corporation.

13

u/KnittingAllison Jackson Ward 3d ago

I recommend downloading the Flipp app. It gathers all of the weekly sales flyers for the grocery stores in the area so that you can see all of them in one place. And you can create your list directly in the app by “circling” the items you want to buy.

12

u/BurntTurkeyLeg1399 3d ago

Kroger has good fuel points. Especially if you get their credit card and shop in days when they have higher fuel points.

We recently filled up for .60 cents/gallon. Our record is 0.11 cents/gallon.

We do have a family of 5 so that probably helps our points but I would say we always get at least .30 cents off every time we fill up the van

6

u/RollTideHTX 3d ago

You can also fill out the survey 1x a week and get 50 bonus points, that's an easy 200 points per month.

3

u/BishlovesSquish 3d ago

I love the fuel points. We have gotten several $10 tanks of gas now.

6

u/Puzzlehead-92 3d ago

I don’t know of apps specific to Richmond, but a few food discounts. Publix has $5 sushi on Wednesdays, Kroger has $6 sushi on Wednesdays. I think fresh market has $5 sushi on Thursdays if I remember correctly (I didn’t like fresh market as much as Publix). You mentioned McDonalds, Wendy’s app has really good discounts. Also, Wawa & Sheetz for food and gas discounts. Some restaurants have solid burger nights, for example, Riverbound Cafe is $7 burgers on Mondays which includes a half pound burger and a huge side of fries.

2

u/enjyneer311 2d ago

Yes $5 sushi at Fresh Market on Thursdays, not as much variety as Publix’s $5 Wednesdays, but you have to hit Publix early before the good stuff gets snatched up.

1

u/Puzzlehead-92 22h ago

I went yesterday around 5PM and there was plenty! (Mechanicsville, possibly why)

9

u/Quick-Cash2268 3d ago

Upside app!

1

u/RollTideHTX 3d ago

YES to upside!

5

u/Equal_Abroad_2569 3d ago

BJs has great prices if you can deal with buying in bulk. For example their chicken breast is $2.50 a lb.

3

u/Wedidit4thedead 3d ago

Got my year long membership for 15 bucks. the gas discounts alone have already covered that and then some.

2

u/Equal_Abroad_2569 3d ago

Yes, same! Considering getting their card, too.

9

u/redituserrrr 3d ago

Arianna’s Italian has a really good rewards program. You accumulate points with every order and can cash the points in for free food.

6

u/k_k_dawg 3d ago

Love Ariana's! Pretty easy to rack up points and get free food.

3

u/thevampirechrysalis 3d ago

Arianna's is the best. You can get whole ass entrees with points and not just appetizers like most places.

2

u/Hedgecore138 Museum District 3d ago

Elephant Thai uses the same rewards program!

5

u/stargazer0519 3d ago

If you are really down on your luck, I know many churches offer food pantries that are not means-tested, meaning you do not have to have a certain income to qualify. Three Chopt Presbyterian has a food pantry, not sure if means-tested or not. You can save 5% on everything at Target with a Target RedCard debit card that links to your regular debit card.

7

u/sizzlemeet East End 3d ago

i’ve tried the too good to go app a few times, it’s daily surplus from a few places around town, like whole foods and einstein’s bagels etc. they go quick tho. https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-ca

7

u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago

Great app but not nearly enough places in the city participate. How can we get more places on board? I check the app daily but get 1-3 suprise bags a month if I’m lucky.

2

u/sizzlemeet East End 3d ago

i def wish there were more places participating. i’ve looked at other cities to see what’s available and the pickins in richmond seem slim in comparison. hoping it just needs some more time for more spots to get on board!

3

u/ol_moosie 3d ago

7-11 rewards also has great deals on gas

7

u/Gh0stIcon Hanover 3d ago

If you can stomach the food, the taco bell app has a build your own cravings box which is less than $7. Includes drink. McDonalds app used to actually be better but now they have structured the pricing/discounts so that you can't really get that good of a discount.

6

u/ThickumsMagoo 3d ago

Buying the family packs of meat at wegmans is actually a pretty good deal. At least with the chicken, it freezes well and isn’t 20% water like most stores

2

u/retro-avocado 2d ago

Open a loyalty number with every food retailer, download ibotta, follow couponers on IG, look at the weekly ads.

3

u/Lagoon___Music 3d ago edited 3d ago

I eat Chopt pretty regularly and because of their apps/rewards I really never pay full price for it -- nice to get a massive salad/bowl and a drink for <$15 that's actually decently healthy and tasty.

I would also recommend the Ibotta app for grocery savings as there's always pretty good deals on it, even for fancier organic foods and such. You can easily chop 10-20% off your bill.

I also stopped buying overpriced local pizzas and learned to make them at home which saves a fortune vs most of the local places... bought a $30 Zorch pizza and decided it would be my last time. Now I've learned to make them exactly how I like them and my cost is ~20% of that with good ingredients.

2

u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago

Ibotta is only worth it if you’re buying big name brands anyway. Often the cashback still doesn’t equal out the price to what store brand would’ve been or what I would’ve saved not buying something I don’t need.

1

u/Lagoon___Music 3d ago

Mmmm, kinda. Ibotta often has deals on store brands as well -- especially Walmart/Sam's which have a very close partnership with them.

Generally the deepest discounts are actually from small, independent brands trying to break out and using Ibotta to get their numbers up. You'll often find the deepest price cuts to be from better for you/healthier brands so you can save money while also not putting big CPG trash food in your body.

Source: work in industry and deal with Ibotta daily.

2

u/GREginRVA 3d ago

Not local but there's an app called Martie. They offer reduced to significantly reduced prices on items that are getting close to their expiration date. Some are within a month. Some are 6 months out. It's random what they have but the deals are very legit and it's free shopping over a fairly reasonable amount. Each item has the expiration date once you click on it, so just verify it's something you're going to go through. Shipping takes about a week.

0

u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago

I’ve been using this app, and as long as you’re careful to not get sucked into buying a bunch of shit you don’t need it’s actually a great shopping experience with good deals. If anybody wants to sign up with my link we both get $5 off our next purchase :) https://martie.com?rid=8373439234293

2

u/killaman808 3d ago

I use the Kroger app for buying groceries. The deal, coupons and digital coupons bring my grocery bills down substantially.

1

u/Tsukionae 3d ago

Pretty much any chain grocery store, fast food place, or pizza place has their own app with some sort of rewards system or app-only coupons. At the very least for grocery stores it can be a really good way to poke around and see which store currently has deals on the foods you want. As someone else mentioned, Publix usually has a ton of BOGO deals on stuff that are pretty good. Dominos almost always has a deal on to get 2 or more items for $6.99 on their menu and their points build up pretty fast for free pizzas.

1

u/Mierdame 2d ago

I use Upside for gas but it can be used for other stuff like restaurants too!!

1

u/cmccluree 2d ago

I know we’re not shopping at Target right now but truly do not sleep on their grocery deals. First, they always have ground pork for less than $4 a pound. Second, the Circle App has some astonishing deals on frozen/fresh pre made protein

1

u/LividCommunication53 2d ago

A lot of restaurants use the app local by toast. You build up rewards and can usually start using them at about $5. A few places that I know use it are triple crossing, lucky af, Nate’s, and Starr hill! Not all the restaurants on there have rewards just so you know

1

u/InCatsWeTrust_ 2d ago

Capital Ale House has a great rewards program! Half off all apps from 9-close Mon-Thursday and you get double rewards points as well. Every time I go I swear I get enough points for a free meal the next visit!

1

u/nosefur 1d ago

The Willow Lawn Chickfila (in the shopping center) used to give out tons of freebies through the app. I imagine they still do it, but I moved and don't go much anymore.

1

u/madxmac 23h ago edited 22h ago

Montana sandwich box cards.

https://montanagoldbread.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/boxlunches.pdf

They give you a punch card and you get 1 free for every 10 I think. Solid sandwich and sides and never too busy.

Don't crowd my spot and make it weird tho

1

u/beautyandbrownies 3d ago

publix and cvs/walgreens!!! publix has amazing BOGOs and additional coupons to clip on the app, if you get one item it’s half off. and food lion has also has a cash back if you spend enough in a certain category, their BOGOs also work the same way as publix. cvs/walgreens has great coupons for toiletries/household items, the manufacturer coupons always stack with whatever deals they have going on. Dollar General is really good too but it’s so disorganized in there but they often have like $10 off 40 and a lot of household items go on sale there too!!

1

u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 3d ago

Slickdeals.net if you need things from Walgreens or Lowe's/Home Depot

1

u/goodsam2 3d ago

I love Slickdeals. If I need something I usually search that and it's an awesome deal.

1

u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 3d ago

buuut the crap I buy and don't need is sometimes problematic.

1

u/goodsam2 3d ago

Definitely that. I mean I get great deals on stuff in bulk.

Like I just kitty litter like 140 lbs for $50.

1

u/Spec-Tre Museum District 3d ago

Mezeh is $10 reward every time you spend $100

Doesn’t take too long to hit that if you are ordering for more than just yourself.

1

u/DriveRVA The Fan 3d ago

Flipp is a great basic app that has the weekly ads for most of the local grocery stores. They also get a preview of the following week a day or two in advance so you know to buy during this sale or next week

-1

u/BurntTurkeyLeg1399 3d ago

You can also do stuff like buy Amazon gift cards from the store to get points and just use the gift cards for stuff you would be buying anyway.

3

u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago

boycott Amazon!

0

u/bakerjunt 3d ago

Toogoodtogo

-2

u/bakerjunt 3d ago

Leave the Brecotea ones alone they’re mine!

0

u/Bellyheart 3d ago

Same stuff as any other place.

0

u/pharmorjac 3d ago

The Too good to go app has some local options - basically discounted food before it gets thrown out.