For as much as I like to shop, there used to be some things that I could never remember to buy on time: shampoo, the Clif Bars my husband and I depend on for quick snacks, or those little pods for our dishwasher. It seemed like I was never remembering to buy any of them until the exact moment I ran out. But that all changed when I discovered monthly subscriptions from Amazon. Now, Amazon automatically sends me certain products I have to buy every month, right to my door.

I’ve been using Amazon subscriptions for at least a year and a half now, and in that time I’ve actually gotten better at using it. Weird to say about an automated service, right? But these days, I’ve started getting rewarded—and paid—for my shopping.

When I first signed up, Amazon would just charge my credit card for my subscription items. But now, I’ve discovered free apps to earn money for Amazon gift cards. I can use these apps to earn points while I shop at my favorite stores like Target, Walmart, and Walgreens—points I can later cash in for Amazon gift cards to use toward my monthly subscriptions. In fact, I’ve gotten my system down so well that it’s been months now since Amazon had to charge them to my credit card.

Now, I don’t have to actively buy things like paper towels, hand soap, or laundry detergent—and I don’t have to pay for them either! What a beautiful concept. Here are my personal rankings for apps that help you earn Amazon gift cards—for free!

Good Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

Amazon’s subscription system is just one small way that shopping has gotten better in recent years. New technology has made shopping both more efficient and more fun! I don’t know about you, but for me, the combination of phones with high-quality cameras and the rise of Instagram has made it a blast to take pictures.

In those pictures, of course, are so many of the things my ladies and I buy when we’re out shopping: jeans, handbags, sunglasses, cute shoes, etc. Would you believe me if I said I recently found an app that made Instagram officially a member of my shopping crew? If it seems too fun to be true, pay attention because I’m about to blow you away:

• CoSign: With CoSign, whenever you upload an image to any social networking site (Facebook, Instagram, you name it), you can tag certain items that you and your friends are wearing, and include the price, brand, and other product info. Then, if any of your followers go online to actually buy select items in those pictures, you earn a 35% commission on the product’s price! And, it’s not just fashion. You can use this app to take photos of other featured items: furniture, books, food, and even movies! Once you rack up $40 in savings, you can then cash it out for what? Ding, ding, ding! Amazon gift cards to keep your subscription service running smoothly!

• Other apps that fit this category:
  • Stylinity
  • Iconzoomer

Better Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

When I was growing up, one of my best friends worked at our local grocery store. She told me a story about something called a mystery shopper, who was actually someone the manager sent in to pose as a customer and then write a review of the service they received. It was a way to keep employees, like my friend, on their toes.

Well, technology has changed the way that mystery shoppers work too. With free apps on your phone, you can become a mystery shopper. These apps will assign you to go out and investigate a store’s service, then report back to the app. It’s a really cool system, especially if you happen to be heading out to that exact store in the first place because then you can make money for what you buy anyway!

• Mobee: In terms of mystery shopper apps, my all time favorite of the bunch is Mobee. Mobee works exactly as I just described above, but it’s my favorite because you can get rewarded for your mystery shopper reports within 24 hours, redeeming the points you earn for gift cards or tickets to events. I, of course, always go with the Amazon gift cards so I don’t even have to think about paying for my monthly subscription service items anymore.

• Other apps that fit this category:
  • Gigwalk
  • Zapiddy

The Best Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

This final app, in a class of its own, is Shopkick. You know what they say: save the best for last!

What I love about this app is that it rewards me for every part of my shopping experience. How Shopkick works is that you earn points, called kicks, for every aspect of your shopping routine: walking into the store, scanning the barcodes of certain products to get more info, and, of course, making purchases. Then, when you save enough of these points up, you can trade them in for Amazon gift cards! It has all the efficiency of the mystery shopper apps, plus all the fun of the photo apps, but also turns every trip to the store into a game that feels like a scavenger hunt. I even use it to get paid for shopping for groceries.

I mean, the Amazon subscription model has made my life so breezy, at least when it comes to keeping the house stocked

It really makes me wonder what kind of shopping tech is just around the corner that will make our lives even easier. I mean, the Amazon subscription model has made my life so breezy, at least when it comes to keeping the house stocked. And Shopkick has made all my other shopping trips so much more fun! It’s a win-win combo kick from shopping buddy, Shopkick.

Ready to start using free apps to earn money for Amazon gift cards while you shop? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding it is to shop with us!

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 elenathewise

I hate to admit this, but I think you can tell my age by the type of shopping sprees I’m always fantasizing over. When I was growing up, I used to fantasize about being one of those kids that got to run through Toys R Us stuffing as many things into their cart as they could as fast as possible. Then, when I was in my teens, I used to imagine a wealthy relative coming from overseas to fly me out to Beverly Hills to shop on Rodeo Drive. Now, I reminisce about old episodes of the game show Supermarket Sweep.

As I’ve gotten older, my fantasies have gotten a bit more mundane; they’ve also become more real. In fact, I’ve found a way to earn and redeem points for cash to fund shopping sprees. That’s right, and I’d like to share this magical way to redeem points for cash to fund your next shopping spree with you.

So stick with me today, because I’m about to let you in on the different ways you can earn and redeem points for cash to fund your next shopping spree. If you really want to get prepared, maybe go out and buy some comfortable shoes? You won’t necessarily be running through the aisles like I used to do in my fantasies, but, hey, it’s nice to have the option!

Earn and Redeem Points for Cash with Survey Apps

Let’s get the least exciting option to earn and redeem points for cash out of the way first: survey apps. Yes, I really think of all the ways you can make money from home with your phone, this one is my least favorite, but it still works so I find myself using it from time to time, even though I don’t like it as much as the other options on my list.

There are actually a number of different apps you can choose from that you can use to eventually redeem points for cash by first taking surveys at home on your smartphone. I personally find surveys a little tedious, but maybe you can try a few and find one that works for you. They all work pretty much the same: just download a survey app, enter your demographic information, and the app sends you surveys. The more surveys you take, the more points you can earn; it’s that simple.

Earn and Redeem Points for Cash with Couponing Apps

The second way to earn and redeem points for cash is kind of old-school. There are these apps I like to call couponing apps, and they work a whole lot like how cutout paper coupons used to work way back in the day. Thankfully, there a few different types of coupon apps to choose from.

The first type lets you select from a whole bunch of different coupons online that give you points when you go in to buy certain items. You can, of course, use these points later to get cash back to use on your future shopping sprees. The other kind of coupon app is even more like clipping physical coupons. You use your device to scan certain coupons, and then you use them at the store as if they were paper, which gives you money off your bill right then and there. Either way, you’re clearing space in your budget, and I’m sure we all agree that’s a very good thing!

Earn and Redeem Points for Cash with Shopkick

Of all the options on our list that you can use to earn and redeem points for cash, my absolute favorite is this app called Shopkick. How it works is super simple, too. Basically, Shopkick gives you points for the things you do when you go out shopping anyway, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then redeem the points you earn for gift cards to all your favorite stores. Save up enough of those gift cards, and it’s shopping spree time!

That’s not even the best part, though. There are even other ways to earn points with Shopkick, too. There are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more!

I can barely even remember what it’s like to go shopping without it!

Yes, all three of those types of apps are great ways for you to earn and redeem points for cash to fund your next shopping spree, but, truth be told, I like Shopkick the best because it’s just so much fun and it also has the most ways to earn points. I can barely even remember what it’s like to go shopping without it!

I love the steady stream of gift cards I’ve been earning with Shopkick in recent years. It’s fun to fantasize about sprees, but this really has become an integral part of my budget. I earn points while shopping for everything from groceries at Walmart to subscriptions on Amazon, and I love all the money I’m able to save with Shopkick gift cards!

Start using one of the best ways to earn and redeem points for cash to fund your next shopping spree. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free, smartphone app sidekick.

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

Image courtesy ESB Professional

My oldest son recently wanted to buy a pair of high top sneakers even though he hadn’t yet grown out of his current pair, which basically looked brand new. On one hand, I was really proud of him for taking such great care of the nice shoes my husband and I bought for him. On the other hand, I realized he was long overdue for the speech about getting the most out of your things; and, since I could give him so many examples of how I get the most out of my budget, I was in a great position to give it.

I’ve really become a budget wizard. Yes, I know that’s not exactly the same as taking good care of your shoes so they last, but both jobs take a little bit of hard work, dedication, and a special touch. I actually think these days it might be easier for a mom like me to get more out of a budget than it is for a kid, like my son, to take great care of his shoes. You’re probably wondering why, and the answer is tons of great apps that save you money at our disposal.

That’s also what I want to talk about here today: how to get the most out of your budget with apps that save you money. I’ll start by talking about what these apps are and how they work before giving you a couple examples of the type of app I like the best, as well as some details about my all-time favorite. Just like I was happy to give my son a speech about his cool shoes, I’m happy to tell you about apps that save you money.

Types of Apps That Save You Money

The first thing you need to know when it comes to apps that save you money is there are several different types of apps that save you money. There are so many, in fact, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out where to start. Well, don’t worry because I’m here to help!

My general sense is the most common of the apps that save you money are survey apps, which are exactly what they sound like—apps that pay you to take surveys. Now, I’m not a big fan of these myself, but I might use them from time to time. Another common type is an app that pays you money to do small errands, like taking pictures and straightening displays. These are a little better, but still not my favorite. My favorites are the shopping rewards apps, which I’m going to talk much more about in the next section.  

Shopping Rewards Apps That Save You Money

Shopping rewards apps, for those of you who have never heard of them, are apps that pay you to go shopping. Chances are, you go shopping all the time, both online and in person. Well, how these apps work is pretty simple: they give you rewards for doing certain things or buying certain products while you’re out shopping.

I should also tell you there are essentially two types of shopping rewards apps. One kind works like old-school coupon clipping. In fact, there’s even an app out there that has you use your phone to scan coupons that you can use later at the store. My favorites, however, are the shopping rewards apps that give you points for the things you do while you’re out shopping. Yes, these really exist!

My All-Time Favorite of the Apps that Save You Money

Of all the excellent shopping rewards apps that save you money, my all-time favorite is an app called Shopkick. How it works is a lot like what I described in the section above. Basically, Shopkick gives you points for all the things you do while you’re out shopping already, making it so you can get paid for buying groceries, for example. You can earn points (“kicks”) with Shopkick for things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to many of your favorite stores.

Physically going out shopping isn’t the only way to get points with Shopkick, though. You can make money right from your phone. There are tons of ways Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more!

There are tons of ways Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere.

Now you know my secrets for using apps that save you money. I hope you’re already thinking of ways to put them to use getting the most out of your own budget. It really makes things so much easier on both you and your household—I know it definitely has for me.

I think everyone who goes shopping (and isn’t that all of us?) should be using Shopkick. I mean, it essentially turns each and every trip you make out to the store into a fun scavenger hunt for points, points you can trade in later for gift cards to your favorite stores. Trust me, once you start using Shopkick on the regular, you won’t be able to remember how you used to get by without it!

Are you ready to start getting the most out of your own budget with these apps that save you money, too? Well, simply download Shopkick and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us!

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 Dean Drobot