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Shopping has brought so many new things into my life. (I mean, bringing new things into my life is literally the point of shopping.) I’ve made friends with gals who like to shop at the same stores I do, for instance, and it has taught me things like the thrills of value hunting and to appreciate the folks who work so hard to make shops and restaurants run smoothly.

Another thing I’ve learned that really stands out is that you can shop your way to free gift cards. That’s right, you can get free gift cards to your favorite stores just by doing the shopping you normally do!

Not to diminish the lessons I’ve learned or the bonds I’ve forged, but getting these free gift cards is about as good as it gets. That’s why today I want to share some of my top tips for how to shop your way to free gift cards. As much as I love the knowledge that my shopping hobby is earning me great rewards, I’d enjoy it even more if you were sharing in the love, too!

How to Shop Your Way to Free Gift Cards by Downloading a Shopping Rewards App

The most important piece of advice I have for those of you who want to shop your way to free gift cards is to download a shopping rewards app. Some of you may be familiar with these, but for those who aren’t, how they work is by giving you points for shopping. Maybe you’ve used an in-house app, like the Walmart Savings Catcher, and that’s great, but I’m talking about a third-party app that you can use at many, many stores, instead.

Shopping apps come in a couple of variations. A few—coupon apps—are basically the digital version of that paper coupon clipping system of old. With these, you can search for and use coupons from your phone. The other type—which is my favorite—is a true shopping rewards app, like Shopkick, and how these work is by giving you points for the things you do while you’re out at the store already. You can then trade those points in later for gift cards.

Shop Your Way to Free Gift Cards with a Shopping Rewards App

You have plenty of choices when it comes to choosing a third-party shopping app, but let me tell you about my personal favorite: It’s called Shopkick and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s the most versatile and the most fun to use of all the options.

I use Shopkick when I’m grocery shopping, clothes shopping—you name it. It’s great because it comes complete with its own shopping list function that helps me stay organized and shows me when a product gives extra points. And, I immediately start to collect points (they call them kicks) just for walking through the door of certain stores. As I browse the aisles, I can rack up even more kicks by scanning barcodes on featured items, all of which turns my trip into a super fun scavenger hunt for points. Finally, once I’ve made my purchases, I simply use the app to scan my receipt, and, voila! even more points. Oh, and as a bonus, you can even score kicks for shopping online!

I use Shopkick when I’m grocery shopping, clothes shopping—you name it.

Shopkick has really changed how I shop. Now, I look forward to busting out my phone before I even hit the store just so I can see which stores are offering points, and which items or brands will give me kicks for scanning. Another great thing about Shopkick is that it has the most fun social media channels. I don’t know how many times I’ve burst out laughing right in the aisle at a funny joke or meme some other Shopkicker has posted.

So, for those of you who want to shop your way to free gift cards (and have fun doing so), I strongly urge you to give Shopkick a try. Not only has it given me an excuse to go shopping with girlfriends, it has actually made even grocery shopping fun again. In fact, my favorite part of shopping these days is how easily I earn gift cards with Shopkick. I’d be willing to wager a gift card or two that you’ll love it as much as I do!

Ready to start shopping your way to more free gift cards than you can handle? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping with us can be!

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

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There’s a learning curve to many things in life. Take my spin class, for example. As a jogger, before I started I was a bit skeptical. How much exercise could you really get while sitting on a bike? Still, I went to my first class determined to sweat, and sweat I did. I pedaled, and pedaled, and pedaled so furiously—even when the instructor told us to slow down—that I just about fainted right out of my seat. Turns out spin class was hard, just as hard as jogging if not harder, and there was a learning curve I had to conquer.

That’s true of many things in life (ahem, dating), even simple things like finding the best cash back apps. That’s what I want to help straighten out today, though: how shoppers can choose the best cash back apps. On the surface, you might assume one is as good as the next, but the more complex truth is that each functions a little differently. Some are like digital versions of old paper coupons, others give you rewards for the shopping you do, anyway. Regardless, it’s essential that you first know what features all of the best cash back apps must have. After all, it literally pays to find the best!

Must-Have Qualities for All the Best Cash Back Apps for Shoppers

While the exact details of how each works varies from app to app, there’s some functionality all the best cash back apps should have. Here are a few features and qualities I consider vital:

• Free to use: This is probably the simplest but most essential quality. You shouldn’t have to pay a monthly fee to use an app to get cash back. You also shouldn’t have to pay if you don’t hit a certain level, and you definitely shouldn’t have to pay just to download the app. After all, the goal here is to save you money on the shopping you do every day!
• Available for iPhones and Androids: In my personal opinion, all of the best cash back apps for shoppers work with both platforms. That’s important not only because you might switch phones someday and you want to take all your rewards with you, but also because usually the more people using the app, the greater the savings.
• Saves you money both online and off: Let’s face it, we’re doing as much shopping these days on our phones and computers as at brick-and-mortar stores. No matter which one you choose, your shopping app should score you points wherever you shop.
• Fun to use: In order to maximize your savings, you have to use a cash back app every time you step into the store. In order to make sure you’re doing that, using that app has to be fun.

The All-Time Best Cash Back App for Shoppers

My personal all-time favorite cash back app for shopping hits all these marks and is ridiculously fun to use. It’s called Shopkick, and how it works is that it turns your shopping trips into a fun scavenger hunt for points. Shopkick gives you points for all the things you do anyway while shopping, like scanning products for more information, scanning your receipt, and even just for walking into certain stores. The best part is, once you’ve earned those points you can trade them in for gift cards to your favorite stores, which can seriously boost your budget!

Take it from me: Shopkick really is as good as it gets.

So, while learning curves may be part of life, the road to finding the best cash back apps for shoppers should have very few twists and turns. Take it from me: Shopkick really is as good as it gets. It’s a ton of fun and has made my trips down the aisles way more engaging. With Shopkick, every last trip to the store is less like a chore. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even be thinking about all the money you’re saving. Won’t that add up to a happy surprise?

Conquer the learning curve and see for yourself why Shopkick is the best cash back app for shoppers. 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.

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I’ve learned a lot over my years as a shopper. I’ve learned not to beat myself up for missing a sale: there’s always another one on the horizon. I’ve learned to share my shopping tips with friends because they’re likely to return the favor. And, I’ve learned that while some savings are good, more savings are better. Or, more precisely, I’ve learned how to use two different apps to double my rewards and savings. Cha-ching!

I’m talking about pairing store-specific apps, like Walmart’s Savings Catcher app, with shopping apps that work at many stores to collect even more Walmart rewards. Shopping apps, for those who don’t already know, are apps that give you rewards and points for things you already do while shopping, like walking into certain stores or scanning the barcodes on featured items. You can then trade these points in for cash back or for gift cards at your favorite stores.

Much like how I share shopping tips with friends and assume the good karma will come back my way eventually, I want to share how I earn Walmart rewards with shopping apps with you all as well.

Earn Walmart Rewards with the Savings Catcher App

To really maximize your Walmart rewards, it’s important to make sure you’re using the Walmart Savings Catcher app regularly. Savings Catcher rewards you by cross-referencing your Walmart purchases with the advertised prices of the same item at other local retailers. Then, if any of those other stores have a lower price, Walmart delivers the difference back to you. It’s a great app because it gives you peace of mind that you got the best deal.

It’s also super easy to use. Here’s how it works:

• Scan your store receipt after you go shopping at Walmart: This is as easy as it sounds. Once you finish shopping, take out your phone, open the app, and scan your receipt.
• Let Walmart compare the prices: You don’t actually have to do anything; Walmart will compare what you paid to the advertised prices at all local competitors.
• Enjoy your savings: If Walmart finds the same product someplace else for a lower advertised price, it will deliver the difference back to you in the form of a gift card.

To me, it’s really this simplicity that makes the Walmart Savings Catcher one of the best apps around for making cash to bolster your budget. But to really push your savings, you should combine it with a third-party shopping app.

How to Add More Walmart Rewards with a Shopping App

When I first discovered shopping rewards apps, I didn’t realize you can use them to double dip on the rewards and discounts you get with apps like Savings Catcher. Boy am I glad I figured that out. Simply by combining my favorite shopping rewards app, Shopkick, with apps like Savings Catcher I’ve saved a lot of money!

How Shopkick works is that it gives you points just for walking into a Walmart (and other stores), for scanning barcodes on certain products, and for scanning your receipt—which you’re going to be doing anyway at Walmart. While the Savings Catcher app is busy making sure you got the lowest price on everything, Shopkick is giving you rewards points you can later turn into gift cards to buy more of the things you love, at places like Walmart!

Put simply, the Walmart Savings Catcher app and its competitors are great, but they’re all even better when combined with Shopkick!

One important thing to note, though, is that Shopkick isn’t limited to Walmart. You can combine with apps from stores like Whole Foods and Target, too. Put simply, the Walmart Savings Catcher app and its competitors are great, but they’re all even better when combined with Shopkick!

I hope this all helps you rake in the Walmart rewards. If I had one last piece of advice, though, it would be not to limit yourself to Walmart. Open up that Shopkick app wherever you go. You never know what secret scans and special deals are hiding in the aisles! Plus, now that you can pair store apps with Shopkick it has never been easier to get more for less.

Learn how you can earn even more Walmart rewards by combining the Savings Catcher app with a great third party shopping app. Download Shopkick now 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 fun and inspiration.

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I spent years clipping coupons. They’d come to me two ways: in flyers that came in the mail, and in my Sunday paper. I’d stack them all up, sit down with a cup of tea and a pair of scissors, and go through them methodically, snipping my favorites, which I’d then tuck into a coupon organizer that I kept in my purse.

What can I say? It was a great way to save money during college, and then during my early twenties, and then right up until the present when I have a family of my own and three growing boys. It pains me to say it, but recently I had to retire this old practice. Not because I stopped wanting to save money (never!) but because new technology gave me other ways to save. Now, I’ve moved on to scanning my grocery receipts for cash back.

If you’ve never heard of this marvel, don’t worry. It’s a relatively new way to save, one that’s been made possible largely by shopping rewards apps. Basically, how this all works is that after you’re done shopping you just take a quick second to scan your grocery receipt, and in exchange, you get points you can later trade for cash or gift cards! No coupons necessary. I know it’s a new concept, which is why I’d like to spend a bit of time today explaining how you can scan your own grocery receipts for cash back, too!

The 411: How to Scan Grocery Receipts and Get Cash Back

The single most important thing to know about how to scan your grocery receipt for cash back is that you need an app that turns your receipts into cash back. There are a variety of these apps on the market, but the best are shopping rewards apps, which give you cash back or gift cards for the shopping you do anyway. That includes, of course, scanning your grocery receipts. Also, you want an app that gives you many different opportunities to earn points, that you’re able to use at your favorite stores, and that is a blast to use.

Once you have the app that’s right for you, the rest is quite easy. You just open the app, choose the store receipt you want to scan, and point your smartphone at the receipt. Voila!

To Turn Grocery Receipts Into More Cash Back, Make a Routine

Back in my coupon clipping days, I’d generally save anywhere from $.50 to $10 a week. In and of itself, that doesn’t seem like a lot of money. However, I was not just an occasional coupon clipper, I was a regular, and over a year that can add up. Maybe $52 a year isn’t much, but $520? That can make a huge dent in your budget!

These days, I find the key to scanning grocery receipts for the most cash back is consistency. In order to establish a habit, I just made scanning my grocery receipt a part of my regular shopping routine. Now, whenever I finish shopping, I take a moment in my car to use one of the top retail shopping apps for cash back to scan my receipt right then and there. I make sure I do it before I even leave the parking lot. In the beginning, it took a little patience and remembering, but now I hardly even give it a second thought. I just crank up the tunes and scan away!

For the Most Cash Back From Grocery Receipts, Set Goals

Another tactic from my old couponing days that has proven useful with these news apps is setting savings goals. I remember back when I was sitting down with my stack of ads every Sunday, I’d make a little game out of my savings by setting a goal. Usually, I’d put it at $8, but sometimes if I was busy I’d drop it down to $6, or if I was feeling especially ambitious I’d up it to as much as $20!

I’ve always loved a good challenge, and so setting goals like this was an engaging way to make sure I stuck to my coupon cutting routine. These days I’ve made scanning my grocery receipts for cash back a major part of my shopping routine, but I still like to challenge myself. As I’ll show you in the next section, all my favorite rewards apps give you fun points for your purchases, so what I like to do now is set a goal of a certain amount of points and see if each week I can beat it! Feel free, of course, to develop your own system that works for you.

Make the Most of Scanning Grocery Receipts for Cash Back With the Right App

In my opinion, the absolute best shopping rewards app is called Shopkick, and how it works is simple: Shopkick gives you points for your normal everyday shopping activities, including walking into stores, scanning the barcodes on certain items for more information and—of course!—making purchases and scanning your receipts. You can then trade those points for gift cards to your favorite stores. It’s as simple as that!

Shopkick gives you points for your normal everyday shopping activities, including walking into stores, scanning the barcodes on certain items for more information and—of course!—making purchases and scanning your receipts.

It’s quite a bit easier to navigate than the old coupon clipping system was, and I have a ton of fun with Shopkick. I’m always setting points goals for the week, and then beating them, whether I’m doing it by scanning my receipts, by scanning the barcodes of certain items in the store, or by combining the many different ways there are to earn points.

Scanning my grocery receipt for cash back with Shopkick has become just a part of my everyday shopping routine, and I hope that with everything you’ve learned, it becomes part of yours, too. I remember way back when I clipped coupons I’d see other shoppers at the store with their little binders of coupons, too. Now I see them using Shopkick instead and it warms my heart!

Ready to have some fun scanning your grocery receipt for cash back? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping with us can be!

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 stokkete