I used to think there was nothing more fun than shopping. I loved going to stores, browsing for hours for new clothes, finding crazy deals on electronics—I loved the entire experience. I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve become such a dedicated shopper over the years. Though, I must admit, that my love for shopping has taken a toll on my budget now that I have more responsibilities as an adult. Thankfully, I recently discovered how to turn my love for shopping into a way to earn cashback. That’s right! There’s a way to earn cashback when you shop!
Admittedly, this is an easy concept to love. It’s the same as shopping, but when you’re done, you earn cashback, or you earn rewards points towards things like gift cards—which are just as good as cash if you ask me.
If you’re a dedicated shopper like me, wanting to shop without destroying your budget, you’re definitely want to read on to discover how to earn cashback when you shop!
How to Earn Cashback When You Shop
There are many ways to earn cashback when you shop. In fact, you’ve probably been doing it for years without even realizing it. Specials and promotions such as buy-one-get-one sales, rebates on electronics, or even customer loyalty programs all qualify as ways to earn cashback when you shop. The problem for me, however, is that these all occur too sporadically for my tastes. Luckily, there is a new way to earn cashback when you walk into a store to shop or even if you make an online purchase; it’s called a shopping rewards app.
Learn About Shopping Rewards Apps
If you’re wondering what exactly is a shopping rewards app, the answer is simple—it’s an app that gives you rewards for shopping. The way a shopping rewards app generally works is that you download the app on your phone and use it every time you go shopping. There are several different types of shopping rewards apps—including store-specific apps and apps you can use at any participating store—which is why it’s so important to understand how they work.
The more you know about shopping rewards apps, the better job you can do selecting the perfect choice for your lifestyle. My personal favorite type of shopping rewards app is one that operates on a point-based system and can be used at many different stores—both online and physical stores. I also prefer a system that’s fun to use and doesn’t feel like work. I absolutely love shopping, and I don’t want my desire to earn cashback to change the experience for me in a way that leaves me less excited to shop.
Use Shopkick to Earn Cashback When You Shop
My personal favorite way to earn cashback while shopping is with an app called Shopkick. Shopkick is one of those apps that I described above; you can use it when you shop online as well as when you go into your favorite stores. Shopkick rewards you in “kicks” (points) for the things you already do while shopping such as walking into stores, scanning barcodes, watching promotional videos, and making purchases.
I’ve tried other shopping rewards apps, and I can honestly say that Shopkick is by far my favorite. What I like most about Shopkick is that it turns the shopping experience into a fun scavenger hunt for kicks. You can invite friends to download the app and get in on the fun, too—earning you even more kicks. Once you’ve earned enough kicks, you can trade them in for gift cards, which are just as good as cash. Doesn’t that sound fun?
I’ve tried other shopping rewards apps, and I can honestly say that Shopkick is by far my favorite.
So, there you have it, my own personal fun and secret way to earn cashback when you shop. It’s especially useful for me since I love to refresh my wardrobe each season. And, what better way to shop than to do it to earn cashback? Earning cashback makes every trip to the store so worth it!
If you’re looking for a fun way to earn cashback when you shop, check out Shopkick. I promise you’re going to love it so you should download the app today and start earning kicks!
Image courtesy of Syda Productions
Another great online shopping rewards program comes in the form of airline shopping portals. Sounds futuristic, right? You see, there are several major airlines that award you with frequent flier miles when you make purchases through their online shopping portals. And, I probably don’t have to tell you, especially if you’re as budget-conscious as I am, that those miles add up over time.
If you prefer to have your shopping rewards directly linked to your method of payment, this one is for you. Many credit card companies offer you rewards in the forms of cashback, percentages back, and points when you use them to shop at participating stores.
Speaking of versatility, 
Rakuten, which used to be an app called Ebates, is an app that I like to use to get cashback on the purchases that I make online, and only online because this one doesn’t work in stores. The way it works is pretty simple, too. You just download the Rakuen app, and then instead of doing your online shopping through another app or website, you do it through the Rakuten app instead. 
FlipGive is awesome because it doesn’t help you just save, it helps you save for a good cause. The way it works is that the online deals you find through FlipGive channels the money you are saving to a charitable cause. It takes your savings and it flips it to giving toward causes such a child’s doctor bills or to a local youth sports league.
In order to make sure that you maximize your potential for earning shopping app rewards, you need to find a shopping app that you can 
Simply put, the best shopping app is one you’ll like using. Because to really rake in the rewards for grocery shopping, you’ll need to frequently use the app—like physically open it on your phone and use it in the store or as you shop online. Once you get the hang of it, you’re likely to not want to do any shopping without first checking out the ways to earn rewards. 
There are a few reasons that I absolutely recommend getting a rewards app that pays you to shop. Chief among them, of course, is that it’s a way to increase your savings. See, if you get the right rewards app, you can regularly get rewarded for the 
A rewards app for students is a pretty simple concept. Students can use a particular app when shopping for their essentials, whether it’s for groceries, clothes, electronics, or school supplies. This app will give you rewards for shopping. That’s right! With a rewards app, you can earn perks for the shopping you already do. 
Over the years more and more of my shopping has moved online. At first, online shopping felt like a novelty. It was a fun thing I did when I was looking for a rare item or something new I hadn’t tried before. Now, it’s a key part of my daily shopping routine. In fact, I think my so-called everyday purchases are probably split evenly between online and in-store shopping! 
For those who don’t prefer to shop online, there’s GetUpside. This app rewards shoppers for making in-person purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Depending on the location, shoppers are given a percentage of cash back for their purchase. It’s pretty simple, especially since we need gas to get around each day—that’s an easy way to earn cash back. 
What if I told you that in the future, you could push a few buttons on your smartphone, and then before you know it, all of the groceries that you need for the week will be delivered right to your door? The future is closer than you think! This has been a reality for some time with Instacart and you don’t have to just use it to shop for yourself. You can also use it to get paid to shop for others, too. When used on its own, Instacart isn’t a cash back app, but when used in conjunction with the next app on the list, you’re well on your way to getting funds back for shopping! 
I prefer to use Survey Junkie when I have a little downtime. Once you download the app you can start earning cash to take surveys. Like any research company, it’s free for you to sign up and participate. The more surveys you take, the more points you get, and you can later trade those points in for cash. I’ve been told that the surveys pay anywhere from $2 to $75. If I’m out shopping and there’s a long line, I will log on to Survey Junkie and take a few surveys—it’s a quick and convenient way to earn cash back!
Remember years ago when stores would advertise that they would match a price at a competing store? Basically, if you bought something at one price and then found it somewhere else cheaper, you could get some of your money back for it. Well, Paribus has modernized that concept.
Acorns makes it easy to invest the spare change you’re left with after making everyday purchases. Let’s say you buy something for $2.75, Acorns will round that purchase up to $3, and then take the $0.25 differential and invest it into the stock market for you, which in ideal circumstances will ultimately yield cash back for you at some point in the future.
My favorite types of grocery shopping apps are those that give you rewards you can trade in later for cash or gift cards. The main benefit of these apps is that you save money. There are different ways these apps work, but the best of the bunch gives you rewards for the shopping you already do. You can then trade those awards in for savings. The best shopping apps for groceries change the shopping experience altogether by adding a new layer of fun that actually makes you look forward to going to the store, as crazy as that sounds.
Now that you’re using your first rewards app hack, and collecting your rewards both online and offline, it’s time to move on to our next rewards app hack. This is one that I’ve been using for years. What you do is basically use two rewards apps at once. So, let’s think about the different types of rewards apps.