Earn Archives - Page 14 of 16

Free shopping apps that pay you in Amazon gift cards

Posted on November 22, 2017 by shopkick

Man is it a lot of work trying to stay up with the latest tech! I totally had to have the iPhone X the day it came out, so I called ahead to my local AT&T store. When I found out they would have six of them in stock on a first come, first serve basis, I decided to spend the night camping out in a tent on the sidewalk. I mean, have you seen the iPhone X? It has a face scan you use to unlock your phone! It’s so cool! How could I pass that up?

So, yeah, I’m the guy who gets each new iPhone on the day they come out, but I’ve camped out for other tech, too, everything from Playstations to the Xbox and even Black Friday sales so I could score a major markdown on a new tablet. Yes, it takes dedication—but it’s also really fun!

The thing that starts to catch up with you after a little while, though, is all the money you spend. It’s expensive to be an early adopter! I know that the other techies who camp out in front of AT&T stores love to bemoan the prices as well. What they don’t know, though, is that there are actually ways to use that new phone or tablet to download free apps that pay you to easily earn Amazon gift cards just for shopping!

With these apps, you can haul in Amazon gift cards for things like going to stores, shopping online (my personal favorite), and scanning new or featured products. Pro tip: you can then buy some of your necessities with the Amazon gift cards that the apps pay you, stuff like paper towels and shaving cream, etc., and save your hard-earned cash for new tech—even if you have to camp outside to get it. Here’s what you need to know about my favorite free shopping apps that pay rewards in Amazon gift cards.

Meet Your New Favorite Tech: Shopping Apps That Pay You Amazon Gift Cards

Believe it or not, I’ve made some really great friends camping out waiting for new tech toys. There was Steve from the PS4 line, who’s as big an NBA fan as I am. Then there was Lisa in the iPhone 7 line; we still like all of each other’s photos on Instagram. And, of course, Carlos from all those years ago waiting for the first iPad to go on sale. I just recently went to his wedding!

I think we’re a special breed, those of us who care so much about technology that we’re down to camp outside of stores on shopping center sidewalks. Maybe that’s why they’ve all appreciated it so much when I’ve introduced them to another very good friend of mine: shopping apps that pay you Amazon gift cards.

Shopping rewards apps are actually one of my favorite uses for the new technology I’m always chasing. They’re pretty simple, really. How these apps work is that they let you earn points for shopping. So, let’s say I have to run out and get some stuff at Target. The shopping rewards apps give me points for things like going into the store, points for scanning barcodes of featured products, and then finally for buying household items I always need. Then, when I have saved up enough points, I can trade them in and—boom!—it’s Amazon gift card time. Hello cord extenders for my new Super Nintendo classic edition!

The Best Free Shopping Apps That Pay You in Amazon Gift Cards

Ok, so I’ve gotten so into these apps, that I’ve now transferred them through the cloud to, I think, three new phones (but who’s counting, besides my wife?). Here are a few of the ones I love to use the most:

Mobee: Mobee turns you into a mystery shopper, which means that it gives you secret missions (way rad) at stores and restaurants in your area. These usually last between 10 and 15 minutes and they almost always require you to do something like take a picture of a display in a store or tell them what you thought about shopping there. Then, you get points for the missions you complete, points you can swap for Amazon cards.
Shopkick: Shopkick is my favorite shopping app because its interface is, in my humble techy opinion, the most engaging. Shopkick turns trips to stores like Target or Best Buy into mini scavenger hunts for points, called kicks. You can easily fit hunting down kicks into your normal shopping routine—or spend a little extra time hunting for them. With Shopkick, you get points for just walking into the store, for scanning barcodes, and, of course, making purchases. It’s so much fun that I’ve got most of my tech friends using it, too. We’re always texting each other tips about how to up our weekly point earnings.

Shopkick gets my vote for best shopping app because the tech it uses turns shopping into a game, which makes me so much more likely to actually head out to the stores instead of putting it off and putting it off until I have to—or my kid is actually out of diapers.

So yeah, these days I’m talking my friends’ ears off about the iPhone X I camped out for and how many points I’m earning in my never-ending quest to score free Amazon gift cards just by shopping. What can I say, as any tech nerd will tell you, part of the fun of getting a new toy, app, or device is talking about it!

Ready to use your smartphone to turn shopping into a game where you win Amazon gift cards? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us—and how fun our tech is!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Denys Prykhodov

The best shopping apps to make money fast (for what you buy anyways)

Posted on November 21, 2017 by shopkick

I have a lot of friends these days who I only follow on Facebook and rarely see in person. Life has taken us in different directions, or to different cities, or just to places where we don’t have the time to get together on the regular like we once did.

As much as I miss them, I love seeing all the interesting things that my old friends get up to. I have a friend from high school who went on to become a fashion model on Instagram and another who lives in LA following her passion to become an actress. A college friend, Dan, is actually a motivational speaker; he travels from city to city sharing tips with people looking for advice, mostly on how to improve their finances. His key phrase always sticks in my head: make money while you sleep.

My friend Dan’s big financial advice is to develop passive income streams, like rental properties or investments that help you earn money while you’re focused on your day job. Which of course got me thinking about… shopping.

Hear me out! I’m a big fan of shopping rewards apps to make money fast while buying the things my family needs anyway—and there are plenty of these apps out there to choose from! I can guarantee you’ll find one you love using to easily earn shopping rewards you can cash in. I even have my own version of my friend’s saying now, although I’ve yet to tour the country giving speeches about it. My saying is: find apps to make money fast for what you buy anyways. Pretty good, right? I know my bank account thinks so. Here are a few of my favorites.

Earny: Quickly Earn Money for Online Shopping

One thing I’ve learned from my friend’s posts on Facebook is that a key to financial health these days is to diversify, diversify, diversify. So, the first of my favorite rewards apps that actually works to pay me for online shopping is… drumroll, please…. Earny!

Earny scans your email archives for receipts from online shopping, then compares whether prices have dropped. If they have, Earny helps you claim the difference in price, either through the retailer or through your credit card company. This is a super cool app to make money fast for what you buy online.

Shopkick: The Best All-Around Shopping App to Make Money Fast

I had a chuckle the other day while I was watching one of my friend’s motivational videos. He said something about how there are certain things in life that you just can’t turn into money-making opportunities, like when you have to run errands all day or when you are getting some of your shopping done on your mobile phone or online. I couldn’t help myself, I had to reply in a comment, “Um, hello? Have you heard of Shopkick?”

Shopkick is my favorite and truly the best of the apps to easily make money fast because with Shopkick there are so many fun and easy ways to earn points, called kicks, that you can then turn into gift cards for Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or tons of other great stores.

With Shopkick, you earn points just for walking into certain stores! Then, it also gives you points for scanning barcodes of featured products, and, of course, for ultimately making your purchases. Shopkick, like the other shopping rewards apps on this list, is a free app that even pays you to grocery shop!

Pro tip: you can use both of these apps together, doubling your points and money back. I know, right? WOW!

Once my money-motivator friend heard about how Shopkick works, he became an immediate fan as well. He even messaged me personally to tell me that he was going to start telling the people he coaches about Shopkick and the other shopping mobile apps.

Yes, I know, I probably spend a little too much time on Facebook, just like everyone else, but little interactions like this are a really easy way to stay in touch with old friends. It’s always nice to catch up with them—and it’s even nicer when you can pass each other tips on how to make the most out of your finances and your next shopping trip!

Get to know one of the best apps to make money fast for the shopping you do anyway. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of our free sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy LightField Studios

How to easily earn free gift cards just for shopping online

Posted on November 20, 2017 by shopkick

I’ve always been sort of old school, at least when it comes to my coffee preferences. While the ladies at work love to rave about spiced this and spiced that, I’ve always preferred just plain old no-frill lattes. Why mess with something so good? This was true, at least, until I discovered the flat white. It was L-O-V-E love at first sight!

A flat white is kind of like a fancy latte, just a little smaller and much, MUCH foamier. It’s amazing, and I thought it was going to be my new favorite coffee drink—until a third surprise contender entered the race at the last minute that is. Winning out for best coffee ever is (drumroll, please): coffee that I pay for with free gift cards for online shopping!

Okay, I know this last one isn’t really a type of coffee drink, per se, but I think you get my meaning. The absolute best coffee is the one you get as a reward, rather than having to pay for it out of your monthly budget, especially when—let’s face it—there are some months when we all have to skip the fancy stuff to save a few bucks by drinking the breakroom coffee at work (read: the holidays).

It’s not just coffee, though. In my personal experience, everything tastes, looks, or wears better when you pay for it with gift cards earned through shopping rewards. Movie theater popcorn? Smells so much better. Lotion from Sephora? Feels aaaa-mazing. Even paper towels ordered from Amazon seem a little more absorbent when you pay for them with a free gift card.

And, once you get the hang of how to earn free gift cards for online shopping, you’ll start having a whole new set of favorite things, too… things you pay for with those gift cards.

Free Gift Cards for Online Shopping: How Rewards Apps Work

Discovering that you can get free gift cards just for shopping online was kind of like discovering the flat white. I’ve always shopped online, but I’ve kept my savings techniques to the basics. I like that what I buy gets delivered right to my house, and I like that I can sometimes save with lower prices. I was content there. I’d known about (and loved) apps that pay you to grocery shop for a while—and these apps are easy to use—but I didn’t know about online rewards options.

Much like how a flat white is just a foamier variation of a latte (a gloriously foamier variation), apps that give you free gift cards for shopping online are basically just a variation of apps that you can use in brick and mortar stores. To take this idea back even further, you can even think of them as a replacement for multiple rewards program cards, if that helps.

There’s really nothing complicated at all about how they work. The best shopping rewards apps give you points for a activities that you probably already do when you’re online shopping anyway, like:

Visiting online stores: This one’s easy, just browse an online store and earn some rewards points. That’s all there is to it.
Viewing select products: Hey, what do you know? This one is also easy! You just look at the listings for select products, and you rack up some points.
Making mobile purchases: Super weird, this one’s easy, too! (Sensing a pattern here?) Buy the things you were going to anyway and easily earn rewards points.
Watching videos: Last but not least, you can also find shopping rewards apps that give you points for watching videos about products online. Easy, easy, easy.

The Best Apps for Earning Free Gift Cards for Online Shopping

Okay, so, at this point, I think I know what you’re thinking: where is the best place for me to go to get one of these bad boys? Well, Starbucks, of course… Oh, wait! You meant where can you get a shopping rewards app that works well for shopping online, didn’t you!

Here are my favorite picks for online shopping rewards apps:

Swagbucks: Swagbucks is a cool program that gives you points for things like using their search engine for web searches, filling out surveys, and—ding, ding, ding—shopping at certain online stores. Once you have 450 points, you can cash them in for a free $5 Amazon gift card or for many other online hotspots, as well.
Ebates: Ebates lets you earn cash back from online stores, too. You get a $5 welcome bonus for signing on, then, with Ebates, you can also easily browse plenty of promo codes and coupons to push your savings even further.
Shopkick: Shopkick is my personal favorite. I just have the most fun with Shopkick. This free app gives me points, called kicks, for all the activities I do online anyway, including visiting online stores, learning about products, buying household items, and even watching videos from various brands—as well as in store. I also love that Shopkick boasts a great sense of community on all of its social media channels; I often find myself on there sharing tips about shopping, enjoying the jokes Shopkick makes, and the funny gifs other Shopkickers post in response—or even just chatting away about my family and how I tackle our budget.

Anything you buy is sure to seem a little bit better when you purchase it with a giftcard you earned for shopping activities you would have been doing anyway, right? I even have more fun doing the actual online shopping—and I can’t recommend apps like Shopkick highly enough. I mean, everyone shops online these days, so why not earn yourself some rewards points while you’re at it?

Start earning free gift cards (and flat whites!) today—just for shopping online. Download Shopkick’s free app and join a community of creative Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much they can earn just for shopping online.

If you love social media as much as you love coffee, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Pixabay user HutchRock

Get ready for our Black Friday and Cyber Monday event

Posted on November 18, 2017 by shopkick

Save the date! Our biggest kick event yet is coming up starting Black Friday. Give thanks with family and friends this Thanksgiving, and then let the holiday shopping begin!

You can get thousands of kicks when you walk in, scan, and make purchases in stores like Walmart, Target, and more. Plus, earn double the kicks in store when you use your linked card to purchase at stores, including TJ Maxx.

Looking to shop online? You’ll also be able to earn more kicks than ever when you shop online at stores like Walmart.com, eBay, Groupon, and more through the Shopkick app. Get a head start and begin planning your kicks now!

Happy shopkicking!

Check out the Black Friday & Cyber Monday kick plan!

Take a look at the plan below, or see it here.

How to Easily Earn Money Shopping Online With Mobile Apps

Posted on November 17, 2017 by shopkick

I love racking up rewards using shopping apps, but no matter how fantastic it is to earn money for shopping online, I only have so much time and energy to go around (read: I have toddlers and a teenager). So, I’ve developed a helpful little equation that I use to make decisions about which apps to download and use. I figure out how much money or how many incentives I stand to gain and then divide that by the amount of energy I would be required to expend to make it happen. That way, I can easily decide if it’s worthwhile for me to pursue.

If I wrote out my little equation, it might look something like this:

Money Earned Time and Energy Required = Is it Worth it?

Now, there aren’t usually actual numbers that I jot down in a notebook or turn into a graph. It’s just a little exercise I do in my head to help me instinctively recognize if something would or wouldn’t pass my little “math” test. I mean, over the years I’ve spent all night waiting in a long line for Black Friday doorbuster sales (worth it!), I’ve driven to other cities after hearing rumors about unadvertised specials (definitely worth it and also fun!), and I’ve carefully planned when to buy certain household items so I can take advantage of bulk incentives (worth it, but less glamorous than the other two). Through it all, my instincts, with help from my equation, have rarely been wrong—until recently.

It’s not that my equation suddenly stopped working. Kind of the opposite, actually. I started to find ways to easily earn money shopping online—and they’ve been so productive that I don’t have to think about money saved versus time or energy required of me. It’s that easy.

The mobile shopping apps that I use to earn money shopping online are so effective that I wonder how I ever got by without them. Seriously, they’re that good! And, since it’s all online, the effort you have to expend to use many of them is minimal. Basically, most of these apps reward you for doing the shopping that you would have done anyway! It’s so amazing that I don’t have to do any math to calculate whether or not I should share some of my favorite apps—and fun strategies for using them—with you. I hope this little guide for using mobile apps to earn money while you shop online brings you as much joy, savings, and free time as it has me and my brood!

Let’s keep talking about math just a little while more. I’ve never been exceptionally good at it, but I always managed to get by in algebra and geometry in school. A key piece of advice I got from Mrs. Walsh in seventh grade was to focus on what you know and then build on it. So, multiplying fractions is hard, right? Um, yes. But everyone knows how to multiply numbers. Mrs. Walsh told me that multiplying fractions is just a series of multiplying numbers, and suddenly it didn’t seem so hard anymore.

Starting with what you know is actually good advice for learning how to easily earn money shopping online with mobile apps as well. And one thing I think every shopper knows is….how to use coupons! We’ve all clipped them, we’ve all saved them, and we’ve all used them to save money on purchases. Well, this concept has now evolved to join the online shopping world. Meet: Coupon Cactus.

Coupon Cactus is only slightly different from the old, paper coupons. You still get certain discounts off certain items at certain stores, you just do it online. Your savings sometimes adds up to a percentage of the total price, generally up to 30% (there’s that math popping up again!) or as a flat discount, such as $2 off a featured product. Once your balance of savings hits $10 or more, you can choose to cash in the money you’ve earned through PayPal or have a check issued to you on a quarterly basis.

Coupon Cactus also does this cool thing where you can sort the savings offers on the site by the most popular or the newest, making it easy to find the deals that people like the most or the ones that have been added to the app since your last visit.

I shop… a lot. Between getting things for the kids, my husband, and, sometimes, myself, I’m out shopping quite a bit. Plus, I have to admit, I never shy away from a sale. So, when a shopping rewards app tells me I have to accumulate a certain amount of money spent shopping online before I can cash my rewards out, that’s not really a problem—I know I’ll hit the mark eventually. But, I’m also well aware that not everyone shops as much as I do.

For those who don’t hit the webshops on the daily, it’s possible to earn money shopping online with mobile apps that let you cash your total out without meeting a certain minimum threshold. If that sounds like something that would work well for you, I’d like you to meet my friend, Pennyful.

If you started with Coupon Cactus as I suggested, and you got really good at saving money online with that app, well then, Pennyful should make you happy as well since it actually functions in a pretty similar way. Like Coupon Cactus, you just go online, make purchases at certain stores that are offering coupons for online shopping through the app, and then you start to accumulate savings in an account that you can later cash in. And, they make it easy and fun to discover new products by dividing their offerings up into categories!

Sometimes activities that used to pass my equation change over time. When I was in college, selling my old clothes and textbooks on eBay used to be worth the amount of energy it took me to take a picture, post an item, run an auction, and eventually send out the purchase to the buyer. As I’ve gotten older, it started to take too much of my time to really feel worth it. No big deal. It happens. People change and we move on to new websites (anyone else remember having an old MySpace profile!?!).

I think of eBay everytime I open up one of the shopping rewards apps that pays me for making purchases online: Ebates.

I really do enjoy using Ebates. It has a user-friendly design that makes everything on the page clear and easy to find. It also works a lot like Coupon Cactus and Pennyful, giving you a certain amount of money back on the purchases that you make online, like 6% cash back at Macy’s or 3% cash back for certain categories on Amazon.

One of my favorite things about Ebates is how fast you get your earnings. In fact, Ebates can give you money back within 48 hours. I know, super fast! Or, you can get your earnings back each quarter in the form of a paper check. It’s your choice with Ebates.

One other thing I really think helps Ebates stand out is that it offers seasonal pages that list the best deals for two of my favorite days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These pages are great references for some of the best shopping deals offered online!

I love love love online shopping and that it lets me buy my favorite items from anywhere at any time, like via my computer, tablet, or phone. If I run out of my facial cream (eek!), I don’t have to write it down on a list on the fridge anymore. No, I can just take out my phone and, with a few clicks, have a new bottle on its way to my bathroom cabinet.

As convenient as online shopping is, I don’t get everything I need online. In fact, far from it. I like to mix things up, using online shopping when it’s necessary while also sticking with one of my all-time favorite pastimes: going out to actual stores, browsing, talking to salespeople, and making purchases. You know, shopping shopping.

What I like about the last entry on my list of favorites—Shopkick—is that I can use it to get rewards for both shopping online and in person. I can even pair it with some of the other apps on my list, especially the ones that use promo codes, because how Shopkick rewards you for shopping is, rather than saving me on the price of the item up front, it gives me points (called kicks) for making purchases—or even watching product videos online. When I save up enough of these points, I can cash them in for gift cards.

Shopkick even pays you to grocery shop, which is something I’m yet to figure out how to do online (although now that Amazon owns Whole Foods, my guess is that will only be a matter of time). Of all the mobile apps that earn money shopping online, in my opinion, Shopkick is the one you must have to really up your shopping game to new levels.

As you can tell, I’m a big believer in all of these apps because the amount of time and energy you have to spend to use them is well worth the savings you get in return. I, of course, like some more than others, and maybe you’ll have your favorites, too. I encourage you to download some or all of them, play around, and pick your favorites. Just don’t overlook combining Shopkick with some of the more traditional coupons and savings apps. Imagine what it would do to my equation if you doubled your savings. You would pass my little test with flying colors!

3 free iPhone and Android apps that pay you money to shop

Posted on November 15, 2017 by shopkick

I’ve been a dedicated shopper since I was a teenager. Okay, so maybe dedicated is just a nice way of saying that when I was in high school, I wanted to spend as much time as I possibly could at my favorite stores, looking at new tops, trying on jeans, and chatting with the sales associates about which season I am (I’m an Autumn, BTW).

It’s hard to imagine now that I have kiddos and a career, but I spent a lot of time at malls, often just to be seen and hang out. My girlfriends and I would start most weekends with our regular Friday trip to the food court, then we’d hit up American Eagle, Forever 21, PacSun—you know, the teen classics. Occasionally we’d buy something. but usually we’d just browse—that was the joy of shopping! A joy that has now become a lifelong dedication to having fun while I survey the racks—although not nearly as often as I used to.

These days, while I still like to get together with my BFFs and go for a Sunday browse through the mall, my shopping sidekick is usually my smartphone, a few favorite apps, and a toddler. If someone would have said to my teenage self, “Someday, there will be iPhone and Android apps that pay you money to shop your favorite stores,” first, I would have asked, “What’s an Android?” But, once I wrapped my head around the future of technology, I would have said, “Pinch me, I must be dreaming!”

I mean, getting paid to go to stores I love to go to anyway…could there be anything better? In my opinion, not really—except maybe sharing my three favorite free iPhone and Android apps that pay money with you, so we can all spend more time out in the stores having fun and earning rewards together! Before I get started with my list, though, maybe you should pinch yourself so you know you’re not dreaming!

Receipt Hog: An Easy iPhone and Android App That Pays

I was drawn to this app right away because of the name. I pictured a cute little pig carrying a purse brimming with receipts, trying to collect as many as she can. That’s not exactly how this apps works, although gathering receipts is part of it. You don’t have to hold onto them and keep them all to yourself, though.

Instead, like all my favorite shopping rewards apps, you can use Receipt Hog when you go out shopping with your ladies. All you have to do is take a photo of your receipt after making a purchase. It could be for groceries, new clothes, makeup at Target, light bulbs at Home Depot—everything is eligible.

Also, like all the best free shopping apps that pay, this one makes earning rewards fun. After you take a picture of your receipts, you get to take a paid survey or play a cool little slot machine game for prizes or coins. These are then traded in for cash or Amazon gift cards. Fun and easy!

Ebates: Get Paid Money From an iPhone or Android App

The name for this one makes me think back to my shopping days in high school, specifically to the times that my friends and I couldn’t find something we wanted at our favorite stores so we had to fire up AOL and look online instead. When we still couldn’t find something at a traditional web store, we looked for it on eBay!

Except for the name—Ebates—this app doesn’t have much in common with eBay, but my ladies and I like to use it just as much. With Ebates, you can get up to 25 percent cash back on things you buy from your favorite stores. Oh, and, coincidentally, you can also get cash back on some eBay purchases, too! I guess I’m not the only one who thinks about eBay when she hears Ebates.

Shopkick: The Best iPhone and Android App That Pays You Money to Shop

The name Shopkick makes me think about myself out shopping, wearing a karate suit and kicking items into my cart as I go like some kind of shopping ninja. Shopkick is another great iPhone and Android app that pays you money to shop at your favorite stores—and even pays you to grocery shop.

It’s a little different than the other two I like to use, though. With my other two apps, the rewards only add up once I’ve made a purchase (or ten). With Shopkick, I get points (called kicks, hi-ya!) for the shopping activities I do every day, like walking into my favorite stores, scanning barcodes of featured items, and, of course, buying and trying out new brands and products. It’s my high school self’s dream come true!

Here’s a pro tip if you just can’t decide which app to pick: you can use multiple rebate apps to maximize rewards. For example, I like to use Shopkick while I’m in the store, racking up points that I can cash in for gift cards later. Then, when I get home, I like to take pictures of my receipts and double my rewards by claiming them both on Shopkick and Receipt Hog. It’s a win-win!

I might be dating myself but, when I was in high school, spending hours looking at every rack in Forever 21, apps weren’t quite yet a thing. Little did I realize then that iPhone and Android apps that pay you money to shop at your favorite stores would become a reality, one that would help me take my shopping game to the next level.

It’s a lot of fun to use these apps, too. Shopkick is my favorite, though, because you can literally earn rewards for shopping anytime, anywhere; it turns every trip to the store into a little scavenger hunt for points. It also has a really active social networking scene; you can go on Shopkick’s Facebook page to share tips about shopping or other daily mom stuff (like what the heck to feed your picky eaters). In fact, I’ve never thought about this before, but it feels a little bit like it used to back in the day hanging out at the mall with my girls!

Ready to explore the best iPhone and Android apps that pay you money for shopping—and have fun doing it? 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 being a rack hound, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy monkeybusinessimages

Free Android and iPhone Apps That Make You Money While You Shop

Posted on November 10, 2017 by shopkick

I would say I’m a pretty decent shopper. In fact, I’m really good when it comes to getting in and out of stores as quickly as possible. Once a week or so, it’s my turn to run out to Target or to get groceries for the family. I always imagine myself being timed, weaving through the other shoppers, making sure I snag everything I need, then speeding back to the register while racing against the clock.

It’s not that I don’t like shopping, it’s just that I usually have other things on my mind, things like work and stuff that needs to get done around the house—and fantasy football, of course. Shopping feels like an obstacle between me and the more important things I want and have to do (see: fantasy football).

Recently, though, I’ve gotten into a new sort of game: Android and iPhone apps that make you money while you shop. It’s really changed shopping for me. These apps—which mostly involve completing tasks while you’re out at the store—are engaging, both because they turn shopping into the sport I’ve always kind of imagined it to be and because they let me save money that I can spend elsewhere.

I’ve actually been toying with a few different apps, getting a feel for how they work, the tech involved, the amount of savings that are possible with each, and whether or not I actually like to use them, which is probably the most important factor. Now, I’m ready to share with you what I’ve learned. My wife has also picked up the habit, and we’ve become a can’t-be-beat point-getting team, making money while we shop with these apps. Here are a few of my favorite recommendations. Go, team!

Slidejoy: A Simple App That Pays to Replace Your Pics

I have the coolest picture on the home screen of my phone. It’s my wife and me on our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, tanned (and relieved the wedding went well), knee deep in bright blue water. I’m sure you have a cool picture on your home screen as well, either of your kids, a vacation, or your favorite team. There is, however, a way you can use your home screen to make money while you shop, if you’re willing to sideline that family pic, via smartphone apps.

I tried this app for myself for a while before ultimately going back to my honeymoon photo. Slidejoy isn’t the only app that pays you to have ads on your home screen while you shop, but it is the one I used longest and liked the best.

How Slidejoy works: With Slidejoy, I was making about $10 a month, although there were some months I only made $5 and others where I made $15. All I had to do was check my phone, then swipe left to learn more about a news story or promotion or swipe right to use my phone. I made the same amount of money regardless of whether or not I clicked on the ads, so I basically got paid just to have it on my phone.
The tech: The only problem I found was that this app is only available on Androids. When I switched to a new iPhone recently, I had to give it up.

Mobee: An Android and iPhone App That Makes You Money

When I was a kid, I used to watch Inspector Gadget. Each time he was assigned to a new mission, the message would self-destruct, even though it was just a piece of paper. Sometimes I think about that when I’m using one of my rewards apps because it shows me missions on my phone that are nearby, missions you can make part of your routine when you go out shopping, and it makes me laugh a little.

I’ve tried quite a few of these apps. Some have more missions than others, and some have super simple missions, like going to Starbucks and answering some questions about the quality of the service and of the coffee, while others have harder missions like straightening up a product display and taking a picture. Mobee is the app I enjoyed the most, though.

How Mobee works: There’s nothing super unusual about Mobee that sets it apart. Where I live, it just seems to have the most missions with the simplest objectives and the highest amount of cash back. Most missions on Mobee give you between 250 and 750 points. Once you earn about 500 points, you can cash it in for a gift card to Starbucks or any other places. I usually go with Starbucks, so the way I see it, doing a mission or two every time I go out shopping earns me a free cup of morning coffee that’s much better than the burned stuff they have in the breakroom at my office. Not too shabby.
The tech: Mobee is available for both iPhone and Android.

Shopkick: The Best Android and iPhone App to Make Money While You Shop

Growing up, I was a Cub Scout. I never quite made it to Boy Scouts because I got into video games and that was that, but I did go on a few camping trips with the Cubs. My favorite part was always the troop scavenger hunt, where I’d get to run around the woods with my friends looking for clues to find some special item.

This last app on my list basically turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt for points, called kicks, which you can then redeem for gift cards. It’s like making money while you shop. It’s probably my favorite of the bunch, and it’s definitely the one I use the most.

How Shopkick works: Shopkick is a shopping rewards app that gives you kicks for going to the store, scanning barcodes on certain items, and making purchases. I have Shopkick open on my phone all the time because it sends me push notifications whenever I get within proximity of a chance to score more points. That’s what makes it like a scavenger hunt. How it works is pretty simple, too. Sometimes I’ll be out—alone or with the family—and I’ll see a notification. I’ll make a quick stop into a store just to score points. Other times, I’ll get points from Shopkick for finding certain items while I’m in Target or any other store where I was already going anyway. It’s essentially a free app that pays you to grocery shop, among other things. In my opinion Shopkick’s notifications and points system makes it both the coolest tech and the platform I engage with the most when it comes to both Android and iPhone apps that make you money while you shop.
The tech: Shopkick is available for both iPhone and Android.

Now that I’m using apps that pay me to shop, I’m definitely kicking butt with the budget and also having way more fun when I’m out. I mean, it’s a natural fit for me because I use apps to do basically everything these days, from booking flights to keeping my work calendar to checking my fantasy football scores every Sunday (and Thursday and Monday…) Now, I’ve been able to integrate the app life I live into my weekly shopping. It’s easy and not a bad way to spend an hour, which are two things I never expected to say about running out for diapers.

Learn how you can start getting paid to shop before the next time you have to make a Target run. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun, Shopkicker!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun.

Image courtesy pressmaster

Rewards Sites That Actually Work (Online and In-Store)

Posted on November 8, 2017 by shopkick

One of my ladies, Janette, is the absolute best at telling you what you need to hear. She prides herself on being upfront and telling the truth. For that reason, she’s always been a great person to know, especially when you need a second opinion. I’ve known Janette since college, and she’s given me great advice about everything from shades of eyeshadow to guys I was dating. And she was convinced my husband was The One even before I was!

When another of our gal pals asked us over for brunch recently, she asked Janette and me if we had any ideas about how she could earn some extra money. “Well, I have one really fun technique up my sleeve,” I told her. “I use reward sites to earn money and, in my experience, these reward sites actually work.”

I spent the rest of brunch sharing notes about my personal favorite sites, from ones that pay you to take surveys after you shop to others that offer rebates once you’ve made purchases to the apps that turn each trip to the store into a fun little scavenger hunt for points and savings.

I told them about all my favorite ways to take shopping to the next level, and then I waited to see if they received the extra special accreditation that I’m now calling The Janette Test. In other words, did they meet with Janette’s approval? I’m excited to tell you that all my favorites did! I now have a finely-honed and Janette-approved killer list of reward sites that actually work, and it’s my pleasure to share them with you today.

Reward Sites That Actually Work: The Good

I was happy to see that none of the sites that I told my ladies about over brunch totally failed the Janette Test. In fact, they all landed in one of three Janette-given designations: good, better, best.

The site I like to use that landed the good rating was a survey reward sites, which is exactly what it sounds like—a website that gives you rewards for taking surveys online.

Survey Junkie: I think there are about 2 billion survey reward sites on the Internet these days (small exaggeration), but I like Survey Junkie because it makes me feel like I’m contributing to companies and brands I love by giving them my important opinions and useful feedback, which, as a devoted shopper makes me feel pretty good! What Survey Junkie does is match you up with surveys from companies based on the demographics you belong to. I don’t get many questions about the best tractors to use for plowing a field, but I am a prime target for questions about finding the ultimate deal on shoes. You have to wait for the site to make you eligible for new surveys, and, to be totally honest, I often run out. You can complete surveys on multiple devices, and you can redeem your points for either gift cards or PayPal, whichever you prefer. Most surveys give you between 20 and 200 points. When you’ve accrued 1,000 points, you can cash them out for a $10 gift card.

Janette Test Says: “Hmm, sounds legit, but I bet I’d get bored with it fast. I could see myself running out of surveys and then forgetting all about it. Still, this one sounds pretty good.”

Location: Online

Reward Sites That Actually Work: The Better

I’m not sure I would ever admit this directly to my ladies over brunch—I do have my shopping reputation to maintain, after all—but there are days when the instructor pushes us extra hard at spin class and even I don’t have the energy I usually do for hitting the aisles.

That’s okay, though. There are some rewards apps out there that reward you for the type of stuff you always do online, like playing games, watching videos, and just surfing the web. Here’s a little bit about my favorite…

InboxDollars: InboxDollars goes a bit beyond your normal survey rewards site because, like I mentioned above, in addition to taking surveys you can also earn free money for playing games, watching videos, and just straight up searching the web. Let me take a cue from Janette and be totally honest here: the videos you get points for watching are totally picked at random and they aren’t ever popular shows that you’ve heard of. In other words, get ready for random videos about how to make maple-glazed butternut squash. Anyway, this site doesn’t pay you in gift cards, instead only paying you in cash. And, you have to earn $30 before you can cash out.

Janette Test Says: “I like the flexibility in being able to earn gift cards with a free app, instead of just cash. I mean, you can do what the name implies and use them as a gift, plus they’re also just as good as cash. Oh, and $30 sounds like a lot for a minimum cash out. The videos and web surfing part is good, though, so I think I like this one better than the first. Next?”

Location: Online

Reward Sites That Actually Work: The Best

As someone who knows how thorough the Janette test can be, I was a little nervous to share what I knew about my favorite rewards site that I use. As it turns out, though, I didn’t have anything to worry about!

Shopkick: Shopkick is a mobile shopping app that you simply must have to up your shopping game. I know it’s done wonders for mine. How Shopkick works is that it gives you points (called kicks) for shopping behaviors you already do, things like scanning barcodes, making purchases, and even walking into your favorite stores. You just keep the app open and it will alert you to chances for scoring kicks nearby, an added layer of fun that turns the normal shopping experience into a cool scavenger hunt. Once you get a certain number of kicks, you can then cash them in for gift cards to all your favorite stores. Like the other apps on this list, it’s also totally free to download.

Janette Test Says: I think I’m all in on this one. I mean, I don’t really have to go out of my way much, or even at all, to use it. Plus, unlike the survey apps, I can see myself using this almost every day because of the scavenger hunt point scoring system. You’re right, I like this one the best!

Location: Online and In-store

As you can imagine, I was thrilled that all three of my favorite free smartphone apps that pay you money scored so high on the Janette Test, and I was especially happy that she’d liked my personal favorite, Shopkick, the best.

So, yes, it can be difficult to find killer reward sites that actually work out there, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. I obviously recommend starting with Shopkick, which is my personal favorite—and Janette tested and approved. You can’t go wrong with that!

Get to know one of the best reward sites that actually works—and even passes the Janette Test with flying colors! Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free sidekick.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Rawpixel.com

Celebrate Walmart.com with a $75 gift card. Enter to win now!

Posted on November 7, 2017 by shopkick

Need another reason to be excited about Walmart.com coming to Shopkick? Now you can earn kicks for your Walmart.com purchases through the Shopkick app AND get a chance to win a $75 Walmart.com gift card! Shopkick will choose two winners every day between November 7 and November 15. Think about what you could do with YOUR $75 gift card!

Kick back, shop, and enjoy free two-day shipping on this season’s hottest items. Even better, take advantage of free same-day pickup, online grocery ordering, and everyday low prices at Walmart.com while entering for your chance to win!

Here’s how to enter to win your Walmart.com gift card:

1. Open Shopkick and find Walmart.com under the Stores tab

2. Tap “Shop” to open Walmart.com through the Shopkick app

3. Make a purchase! Each purchase grants you 6 kicks per $1 spent and one entry to win

See the official rules here.

Did you know you can earn kicks with online shopping on Shopkick? Watch this video to see how it’s done.

Don’t have Shopkick yet? Download it here and get started earning rewards today!

You asked, we delivered! Walmart.com arrives on Shopkick

Posted on November 7, 2017 by shopkick

Brace yourself: Walmart.com is here just in time to help you get extra kicks for your holiday shopping. Starting today, you’ll earn kicks when you purchase online at Walmart.com through the Shopkick app. You’re about to be that much closer to earning your next gift card!

Here’s the scoop on Walmart.com

Walmart.com is the online version of your neighborhood Walmart store. You’ll find more than 1,000,000 products and Walmart’s same “Always Low Prices” philosophy, all from the comfort of your couch. Shop online for everything on your normal Walmart shopping list, including things like gifts, clothing, electronics, photos and groceries!

Get great deals with Walmart.com and Shopkick

Follow these steps to start earning your free gift cards while getting the best deals on Walmart.com:

1. Download the Shopkick app
2. Find Walmart.com under online stores
3. Shop to your heart’s content

Order your favorite products online and pick them up at your local store, or get them delivered right to your door. You can even order photo prints and pick them up in as early as one hour! No time to pick up your order? Walmart.com offers free 2 day shipping on tons of awesome items.

Love finding a good deal? Walmart.com is so committed to low prices that if you find a lower price from an online retailer they will match the price!

Happy Shopkicking!

Have you earned kicks by shopping online on Shopkick yet? Watch this video to see how it’s done.

Don’t have Shopkick yet? Download it here and get started earning rewards today!

The Best Gift Card Deals to Earn Holiday Shopping Rewards

Posted on November 6, 2017 by shopkick

When I sit down and make my Christmas gift list each holiday season, I usually make two categories. The first one is for family and friends: my kids, my husband, my sister in Chicago, my BFF from college. Everyone on this list gets a thoughtful, individualized present that I spend hours picking out while sipping hot cocoa in front of my laptop.

The second list, though, is what I like to call my gift card list. This list is usually for acquaintances, like my co-workers, neighbors, teachers at my boys’ school. I want to express my thanks for them being in my life, of course, but I don’t have the time to really dive deep and get them personalized presents. So, gift cards it is!

During the holidays, the gift card list can be a wonderful thing for those of us on a budget because most of my favorite stores (and I’m guessing yours, too), offer gift card deals this time of year. You know the type: buy $100 in gift cards and get $25 free. In my world, you don’t look a free gift card horse in the mouth; I take advantage of these deals whenever and wherever I can! That particular free gift card deal isn’t the only one out there, though! And, if you’re on a budget like I am, it literally pays for you to know about all of them.

Christmas is a time of togetherness and sharing; when it comes to saving money on our holiday shopping, we’re all in this together! That’s why I want to share some of the best free gift card deals for the holidays with you so that you and yours can have as merry a time gifting everyone special in your lives as me and mine.

Gift Card Granny: One of the Best Gift Card Holiday Deals

Last year, my gift card holiday shopping list reached a record high of 17 people. My boys are growing up, which means their world now includes soccer coaches, multiple teachers, tutors, and carpool moms. And my sweet kiddos want to make sure our family shows all of those people how much we appreciate them.

While gift cards may not be the most personal gift, with a little thought, you can still make the recipient feel extra special—and stay on budget. My favorite way to do this is through a site called Gift Card Granny. Gift Card Granny actually buys unwanted gift cards from people and then sells them online at a discounted price.

Here are some of the deals I found the last time I looked, although the available deals do vary as cards are sold and new ones purchased:

TJ Maxx: 8% off
Whole Foods: 9% off
Olive Garden: 14% off
Sephora: 17% off
Fandango: A whopping 21% off

That’s a pretty diverse set of offerings—and a diverse range of discounts. But, if you have 17 people on your gift card list like I do, saving those little percentages really adds up to big savings!

Costco and Sam’s Club for Deals on Christmas Gift Cards

I’ve heard rumors about other boy moms who are somehow raising three strapping young men without a membership to a warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s Club, but I’m still kind of skeptical that it’s possible. I know those types of stores are invaluable for our family, especially when it comes to making sure we have the mountains of snack foods we need to satisfy their infinite appetites!

Another area where our membership to a warehouse store helps out is during the holidays when it’s time to start checking people off of the gift card list. Costco and Sam’s Club sell gift cards in bulk at a discount rate the same way they sell cheese poofs in giant containers or 100-roll packs of toilet paper. In other words, you have to buy a lot of gift cards, sure, but you get them all at a discount. Think two $100 gift cards for $149.99. Deals like that are pretty common at warehouse stores.

Why Shopping Rewards Apps Offer the Best Deals to Earn Holiday Gift Cards

There comes a day each holiday shopping season when I look at my list and then at my budget and then back at my list in disbelief. It’s just part of the process; I’m sure you’ve been there, too! Luckily, there’s actually a way to get free gift card deals without spending any money at all or, at least, not more than you normally do when you go shopping.

Luckily, there’s actually a way to get free gift card deals without spending any money at all or, at least, not more than you normally do when you go shopping.

I’m talking about how Christmas shopping with smartphone apps can brighten your holidays. There are plenty of shopping rewards apps out there that will help you earn free gift cards for a wide range of activities, including taking surveys about your shopping experience, completing tasks such as taking photos of displays in stores, or for behaviors you do all the time, like buying products or even just walking into stores. You can even find free apps that pay you to grocery shop, which in my house means the never-ending work of feeding three hungry boys can add up to free gift cards for people on my holiday shopping list.

Of all the best gift card deals for the holidays, my personal favorite falls into this last category. It’s a shopping rewards app called Shopkick, and I actually use it year round to earn points, called kicks, cash them out, and start accumulating gift cards for Christmas presents. What’s especially nice about Shopkick is that it’s very user-friendly and fun. When you get awarded points for going to certain stores, scanning certain items, and making purchases, every shopping trip turns into a fun scavenger hunt that makes it easy to stick with Shopkick year round. Take it from me, there’s no better gift to give your budget this year!

Learn how you can start earning free gift cards for the holidays before your next trip down the grocery aisles. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun, Shopkicker!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun.

Image courtesy Milkos

How Christmas Shopping With Your Smartphone Apps Can Brighten Your Holidays

Posted on November 1, 2017 by shopkick

When I was a kid, my parents made sure that each and every Christmas was memorable for my siblings and me by going all out with gifts, decorations, and cookie baking parties, really stretching their budget to put smiles on our little faces. Now, as a mom to three beautiful boys of my own, I know the joys, and the challenges, that come with creating a Christmas my kids will never forget—and can fully appreciate everything my mom and dad did for us kids each year.

Even Santa has been known to Shopkick | Image courtesy stokkete

My boys’ excitement for the season each December brings my husband and me an incredible amount of joy, but there’s no denying we have to keep a careful eye on our budget. Luckily, though, the shopping powers that be have given me my own Christmas gift in recent years: smartphone apps that reward budget stretching Christmas shoppers with gift cards to their favorite stores. These shopping rewards smartphone apps have helped me make my family’s holidays brighter than the giant Rockefeller Center Christmas tree!

And now here’s my gift to you: sharing what I’ve learned about how Christmas shopping with smartphone apps can make it feel like you have your very own little Santa’s elves helping you gear up for the most wonderful time of the year! Make sure not to hoard these tips to yourself, though (like you do the last frosted sugar cookie). Here’s to spreading some digital yuletide cheer!

Christmas Shopping Smartphone Apps: A Perfect Gift for Budget Shoppers

You always remember your oldest child’s first Christmas: the happy giggles as he plays with all the toys, the pictures you take together in front of the lighted tree, the adorable, tiny sweater with a reindeer knitted on the front. What you might also remember is how many times you went out to a store to pull that merry little memory off. My rough estimate is about a bajillion trips to my local Target.

While I’ve gotten more efficient in the aisles since then (have you ever tried to control three toddler boys in a Walmart?), the number of trips I make to stores during the holiday season is still pretty high. But these days, I’m getting rewarded for my frequent trips down the aisle because my shopping rewards smartphone apps are helping me to deck the halls (and my wallet) with savings!

When I go out to get blank Christmas cards for all the cousins at any of my favorite shops, I get points for simple things like entering the store, finding and scanning barcodes of featured products, and making purchases. Then, I redeem the points for gift cards that I can give as gifts or use to boost my own budget. I rack up so many points this time of year that I start to imagine I hear a ring jing jingling, and it isn’t silver bells—it’s extra change in my wallet! It’s kind of like the old days of having multiple rewards program cards, except all wrapped up like a gift inside of one easy-to-use app!

3 Ways to Shop Outside the (Gift) Box with Smartphone Apps

Every Christmas, my boys get pretty ambitious with their lists to Santa. I’ve seen it all, from a basketball stadium to pet elephant. As a creative mommy, I do my best to find little things that fit the descriptions (and my budget), like a basketball game for their Xbox or a stuffed elephant that roars when you lift up its trunk. So, when it comes to my favorite advice on how to best use your smartphone apps while doing your Christmas shopping, I suggest flexing those creative muscles yet again.

Since all of my favorite shopping apps are based on points and incentives, it’s important for you to find one that goes above and beyond just helping you earn rewards. Look for an app that motivates you to use it by turning Christmas shopping into a game, like a scavenger hunt! Once you’ve downloaded your app, here are some ways to shop outside the box—the gift box that is!

Plan ahead (waaaaay ahead): Honestly, I start cashing in my points for holiday gift cards in July. You can never have too many free gift cards to Target; in my experience, you’ll need them for last minute gifts (think neighbors, bosses, your kid’s soccer coach). Earning points for gift cards is always fun, but there’s an added excitement to it (which equals added motivation) when you know you’re doing it with Christmas in mind, even if it’s 90 degrees out!
Give the gift of gift cards: What I like to do during the holidays is make a list of all the people I want to earn free gift cards for, as well as how many points I need to earn all those cards. Then I check them off as I meet my goals, making sure to pause in my gift collecting once in awhile to slip in a few Starbucks treat cards for myself. If I score tons of points buying featured products over the course of a few weeks, I might redeem a few of them for a Peppermint Mocha for myself and then the rest for a Best Buy gift card for my brother-in-law.
Set weekly points goals: My favorite thing to do, though, is to set weekly points goals to help make my Christmas even merrier. Like I said above, I start this in July and I do everything I can to stick with it. The only thing that’s more fun than meeting the points goals that you set is breaking them because it’s so darn easy to earn points with the right shopping rewards app!

I love, love, LOVE Christmas but if my budget could talk, I’m sure it would say that it’s happy the holidays only come once a year. That’s why finding my favorite Christmas shopping smartphone apps has been such a gift. My personal favorite is Shopkick, which I can use to accumulate and track rewards, then get paid for shopping I already do by trading in my points (called kicks) for gift cards to big name stores like Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Starbucks. Shopkick turns holiday hassles into a fun scavenger hunt for big-time rewards. I really ho-ho-hope you love it as much as I do!

This Christmas, get your savings all in one place. Download Shopkick’s free app and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the gift of shopping with a free shopping rewards smartphone app.

Want to share your own helpful holiday tips? Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.