I have a theory that, years ago, it was easier to pick favorites. At a recent dinner party, we were playing a game where we went around the table naming our favorite songs, favorite movies, favorite books, etc. It was a great way to spark conversation and get to know each other, but everyone had trouble limiting themselves to one favorite anything. Maybe it’s hard because nowadays we have so much access to information. We use music streaming services with thousands of songs, movie streaming apps with thousands of movies, and audiobook services with millions of titles.
I think this was easier before all of these amazing apps! In high school, even shopping came with fewer choices. Back then, I’d go to the local mall every Friday and visit a regular set of stores. We only learned about the sales when we arrived. Now, with the advent of mobile devices, I base my retail routine around shopping apps that give you credits for buying certain products and for going to certain stores. My rotation of stores for electronics, clothes, jewelry, and even grocery has become much broader.
This is a great thing! Variety is the spice of life—and also the best friend of any serious shopper. A teeny tiny problem has arisen, though: There are so many shopping apps that give you credits to choose from! Don’t worry though, today I want to talk about how to choose a shopping app that gives you credit at your favorite stores—one you will be certain to use over and over and over.
5 Qualities That All Shopping Apps That Give You Credits MUST Have
At that dinner party with the fun favorites game, the hardest question for me to answer was the one about my favorite song. I love listening to music and making playlists. In fact, I have a playlist for just about everything I do on a regular basis: driving, writing emails, spin class, unwinding at night on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine.
Luckily, when it comes to picking a favorite among all the shopping apps that give you credits, you can look for a standard set of qualities. Here are the ones I prioritize:
- It’s free: This seems like a super simple concept, but it’s worth remembering: To save money, you shouldn’t have to pay any money up front. That’s counterintuitive. The best shopping apps are free.
- It gives you credits at many stores: That dinner party helped me realize that variety is something we all treasure these days, and the best shopping apps are no different. With so many stores and shopping options out there, you want an app that gives you points for shopping at a wide variety of stores, whether that means rewarding you for the clothes you buy or paying you to shop for groceries.
- It lets you earn points for various shopping activities: There are some apps that only give you points for purchases, but others let you earn points for all the things you do during a typical shopping trip. The best offer points for purchases and also let you get paid for scanning barcodes to learn about products, and even for just walking into a store!
- It pays out in gift cards: There are many different ways that these apps can pay you for shopping. Some send a paper check in the mail (um, 2001 called, it wants its payment system back) and some go straight to your PayPal account. Personally, I like an app that pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, because it’s just so much more fun that way, which brings me to my next point…
- It’s f-u-n. Fun, please and thank you: The way to really up your savings with these apps is to use them on a regular and consistent basis.The best way to do that is to make sure the one you use is a ton of fun! My favorite shopping apps not only get me cash back on my shopping but also turn every trip to the store into a fun little scavenger hunt for points. This makes it so easy to remember to use them while I’m out and about.
The Best of the Shopping Apps That Give You Credits
Now that we have a wide variety (sensing a theme here?) in the qualities we’re looking for, it’s time to pick the app that does the best job bringing them all together! For me, that app is Shopkick. I just love the way that Shopkick does all the things we mentioned above, like letting me earn credits for shopping for everything from juice to jeans. Best of all, how it works is super simple and easy. You get points for all the things you do when you’re out shopping, like buying products, scanning barcodes, and even just walking into the store!
Another thing I love about Shopkick is that it plays well with others. In other words, if you have trouble picking just one of the shopping apps that give you credits and instead want to use multiple rebate apps to maximize rewards, Shopkick is a great choice! Plus, their social media network is a great place to talk about the app, or about anything else really. Fair warning, you’ll want to spend lots of time on there. I know I have!
I think 2018 is going to be the hardest year yet to pick favorites, but with shopping apps there’s really only one choice for me: Shopkick. Obviously, I highly recommend you give it a try. Of course, as we’ve figured out today, variety is the spice of life. Your favorite doesn’t have to be my favorite, but I’d be happy if it was! That’s because the fun factor really increases when there are other kickers out there to discuss it with.
Ready to get to know your own favorite of the shopping apps that give you credits? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.
And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.
Image courtesy astremska.