Updated June 14, 2026

Originally published June 14, 2026

If you’re anything like me, you are always seeing how your money can work harder and it isn’t always about ways to travel better, cheaper, and more often. Many times it is about finding savings in everyday life and this particular way to save is a personal fave because it’s a win on so many levels!

One of my favorite discoveries has been food rescue apps. Not only can they help you save a surprising amount of money but they also help reduce perfectly good food from ending up in the trash. Food waste is a massive problem and this is such a cool solution to help address this.

The concept is simple: businesses recover some revenue, customers get great deals, and less food goes to waste.

The two apps I’ve been using are Too Good To Go⁠ and Goodie Bag. Both connect customers with restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and cafes that have excess food available at the end of the day.

Here’s how both apps work, what I’ve learned from using them, what I have gotten from them, and whether they’re worth adding to your money-saving toolkit.

Too Good To Go vs Goodie Bag

Both Too Good To Go and Goodie Bag‘s goals are to help local businesses sell excess inventory that might otherwise go to waste. The result is significant savings for customers and less food ending up in landfills.

Feature	Too Good To Go	Goodie Bag
Surprise / Mystery Bags	Primary focus	Available
Specific Food Deals	Limited	Common
Flash Sales	Some locations	Common
Extra Value	Special Rewards – Available at some businesses	Add-On Purchases – Available at some businesses
Local, Independent Businesses	Yes	Strong focus
Ability to Know What You’re Getting	Usually no	Often yes
Locations Operating In	Internationally – currently in 21 countries	USA only – currently in 7 states
Reward Program	No	Yes

While they are similar to one another, there are also significant and important distinctions between the two, lets dive into each program to see how they work.

What Is Too Good To Go?

Too Good To Go⁠ is one of the largest food rescue apps in the world. Seriously their footprint is pretty impressive with Too Good To Go⁠ currently operating in 21 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, the US and Canada.

Surprise Bags/Meals

How does it work? Restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, coffee shops, and other food businesses sell unsold food at steep discounts through Surprise Bags. A bakery bag might contain: pastries, bread, cookies, muffins or other assorted baked goods. A restaurant bag/meal could include prepared meals, sandwiches, salads, and side dishes

Most Too Good To Go bags are priced at roughly one-third of their retail value although actual savings can vary (more on this point in my Too Good To Go Haul section)

The catch? You don’t know exactly what you’ll receive until pickup. For many, that is actually part of the fun and allows them to try a new place.

Special Reward

Also some places will also offer a Special Reward when you claim one of their surprise bags. Notated in the app with a Special Reward tag, it is often a discount off your next in-store purchase and sometimes it may be a free product!

A few things to note is that Special Rewards are redeemed in-store (ie the discount cannot be applied to a future Too Good To Go surprise bag for that store); some Special Rewards have conditions (ie minimum spend amount for a discount) and Special Rewards do have expiration dates so use them before they expire

How Too Good To Go Works

1. Download the app.
2. Browse available Surprise Bags near you.
3. Reserve and pay through the app.
4. Pick up during the designated time window.
5. Enjoy your discounted food haul.

Beautiful Tips: Popular locations often sell out quickly especially Whole Foods so best practice is be on the app when the Too Good To Go surprise bags drop and set up notifications for drops (if someone cancels their bag or some bags don’t have specific drop times)

What Is Goodie Bag?

While Goodie Bag shares the same food-rescue mission as Too Good To Go, there are a few notable differences between the two.

Mystery Bags/Meals

These are similar to the surprise bags offered on Too Good To Go, the mystery bags/end of day specials offers you a chance to buy unsold food from bakeries and restaurants at a great discount.

Special Offers and Flash Deals

Goodie Bag also has special offers and deals ranging from discounted food bundles to bakery and café deals where sometimes the discounts are less than a mystery bag (25 – 40 %) and sometimes they are similar (around 67 – 70% off). But the biggest difference is that these special offers and deals detail exactly what you will be getting before you buy.

This means you may sometimes know exactly what you’re getting before you buy, making the app appealing for shoppers who want more control over their purchase.

Add-On Purchases

Another feature that sets Goodie Bag apart is the ability for some businesses to offer add-ons during checkout.

For example, if you’re picking up a discounted bakery box, you might have the option to add extra pastries, coffee drinks, specialty breads, sandwiches, desserts – sometimes at a discounted rate and sometimes at normal prices.

Not every business offers add-ons, but when they do, it’s a nice way to customize your order while still saving money.

Rewards

This will be a shock to exactly no one that my favorite feature that sets Goodie Bag apart is that you also earn rewards when using the app. While I wish that there was more explanation for how I was earning rewards, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that I already had $6 in rewards just from making my four purchases

How Goodie Bag Works

1. Download the app and create an account.
   •  Use code ‎BEAUTLIFEWORLD8‎ when you sign up to get 100 Goodie Bag credits (worth $1)
2. Browse available offers from nearby businesses.
3. Choose the deal that interests you.
   • Remember that you may be reserving a mystery bag, a specific discounted item, or a special end-of-day offer.
4. Pay through the app.
5. Pick up during the designated collection window.

Beautiful Tip: Because businesses create their own offers, inventory can change frequently. I’ve found it’s worthwhile to have notifications enabled and for all businesses within a certain radius instead of checking the app regularly since new deals appear frequently throughout the day and some are snatched up nearly instantaneously!

Too Good To Go & Goodie Bag Hauls AKA What I’ve Personally Purchased

Too Good To Go Surprise Bag

I have actually used Too Good To Go whilst traveling but can’t recall enough to accurately rate/provide details of those bags but will start to document all bags now!

Is Too Good To Go Worth It?

For me, yes. The combination of savings, food waste reduction, and discovering and supporting new local businesses makes it an easy recommendation.

While not every bag will be a home run, the value is usually strong enough that even an average pickup feels worthwhile.

Goodie Bag Mystery Bag

Is Goodie Bag Worth It?

For me, also yes. Availability may be more limited depending on your area, but when you find a good participating business, the savings can be excellent. For those in Colorado, there are many more participating businesses on Goodie Bag

Two things I particularly like about Goodie Bag is the variety of offers available and the unexpected surprise that there are rewards!

For people who are hesitant about the mystery bag concept, Goodie Bag can be an easier introduction to food-rescue apps with their special offers and deals. This means you know what you’re getting before you buy, making the app appealing for shoppers who want more control over their purchase.

Tips for Getting the Best Value/Managing Expectations

• Check the Ratings: Most listings include customer ratings. Higher-rated locations often provide the most consistent value.
• Arrive on Time: Pickup windows can be short. Missing your collection time may result in losing your order without a refund.
• Embrace Novelty: Use this as a way to save and try out next things and/or places and at a discount!
• Be Flexible: The best deals usually go to people who aren’t picky.
• If You’re Picky: Go with places that you have been to and liked or buy from your favorites (ie for me, I should probably stop trying bakeries)
• Remember that you’re rescuing surplus food, not ordering from a menu.
• Too Good To Go is fantastic for scoring surprise bargains but Goodie Bag often gives you a little more visibility into what you’re buying and may provide opportunities to

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you know what you’ll get before pickup? Depends – both apps primarily use surprise/mystery bags so contents depend on what remains unsold.
  • Goodie Bag special offers and deals allow you to know what you are getting before buying
• How much can you save? Savings often range from 50% to 70% off retail pricing though actual value varies by location.
  • Another way of looking at this is are you satisfied with how much you paid vs the quantity and quality of what you got which is a more honest and impactful test for me personally
• Is the food still fresh? Generally yes. The food is typically unsold inventory from the same day that would otherwise go to waste. A few places offer day old items or items that are nearing their best by date.
• Can you choose specific items? Generally no as that is a main part of the surprise bag concept. However Goodie Bag special offers and deals allow you to know what you are getting before buying
• Which app is better? It depends on your location. Goodie Bag is currently operating only in a handful of US states at the moment vs Too Good To Go which is international. I currently use both as there are restaurants/stores/bakeries that are on one but not the other here in Colorado.
• Who would not benefit from these apps? Those with allergies should not opt for surprise or mystery bags and should take care with other deals. And those that are picky or particular about food, need to get bags from establishments they frequent or use Goodie Bag and choose from the special offers and deals (but remember that while you may know what you are getting, you are not able to customize)

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an easy way to save money while helping reduce food waste, both Too Good To Go and Goodie Bag deserve a spot on your phone. I personally use both because there are some businesses that are only on one app and not the other.

I love finding savings opportunities that don’t require much effort. While these are not going to replace your regular grocery shopping, but they’re a fantastic way to stretch your budget, discover new businesses, and score some surprisingly great food at a fraction of the normal price.

I’ve also discovered several local bakeries and independent cafés through the platform that I probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise and got to try a variety of items for a fraction of what they normally cost!

And as someone who’s always trying to travel better, cheaper, and more often, these food rescue apps also offer opportunities to save some cash while I am away from home (especially Too Good To Go with the sheer number of participating business worldwide)

Have you tried either app? I’d love to hear what your best surprise bag haul has been.