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Free smartphone coupon apps for fast food connoisseurs

Posted on February 16, 2018 by shopkick

There is one love that’s been with me my entire life: fast food. Whether I’m at the airport or just grabbing a quick bite on the go, fast food for me is comfort food, and it’s convenient and, well, I could go on and on.

Now, over the years my fast food palate has gotten a bit more refined (I realize how that sounds.) When I was a kid I was all about the burgers and fries, but these days I’m pretty open to new things, from burrito bowls to grab-and-go sushi from high-end supermarkets. The only thing is, at a certain point, the fancier stuff starts to add up. Don’t worry, though! There’s a way to keep this from hurting your wallet, and you can easily download it with your smartphone. I am talking, of course, about using a coupon app for fast food.

I’ve talked in the past about how retail shopping apps save money, but today I want to shift gears and apply the same lens to tech that helps you get savings when you purchase fast food. I know I’m not the only one out there who loves to grab a quick bite on the go, just like I know I’m not the only one who would enjoy saving money when I do! So, with all that in mind, let’s take a look at the best free smartphone coupon apps for fast food connoisseurs!

The Basics: Using Coupon Apps for Fast Food

In case you aren’t familiar, coupon apps for fast food are, obviously, apps you download to a mobile device—generally a tablet or a phone because, let’s face it, you’re not going to be hauling your computer out at the drive-thru. The point of fast food is the speed and convenience, and, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much always in a hurry when I eat it.

Anyway, once you have the app, the easiest way for me to explain how to use it is by comparing it to the many apps out there that make it easier to get cash back on groceries or other purchases like electronics or clothing. These apps, the ones I use anyway, are all basically split into two groups: couponing apps and shopping rewards apps.

Coupon Apps for Fast Food Discounts

Apps like Coupon Sherpa, Valpak, or GeoQpons offer discounted prices meant to entice you to go to certain restaurants. The way they distribute these deals may work differently from app to app. Coupon Sherpa, for example, has a list of promo codes or print out coupons for you to browse, while GeoQpons sends you alerts about deals based on your location. Regardless, the basics are the same: these are apps that let you pay lower prices at time of checkout, saving you money on fast food that way.

Rewards-based Apps for Fast Food Discounts

These are apps that generally award you points for doing the things you normally do at a fast food restaurant, like making purchases. Some of them even give you points for walking through the door! Then, when you save up enough points, you can trade them in for gift cards to your favorite restaurants, or even to your favorite retail and electronic stores. What’s really cool about these apps is that you can generally use them in tandem with the couponing apps. You don’t have to know anything about tech to figure out that using multiple apps will net you more savings than using just one.

Making the Most of Your Coupon App for Fast Food

The best way to make the most of your coupon app for fast food is to pair it with one of my favorite rewards apps: Shopkick. Shopkick is one of those apps that I mentioned above that starts giving you points as soon as you step inside a restaurant, or, in the case of some stores, pull up to the drive-thru. How it works is that you get points for doing these things, and then you can trade those points in for gift cards.

The best way to make the most of your coupon app for fast food is to pair it with one of my favorite rewards apps: Shopkick.

This is actually ideal for someone like me, who always feels like he’s somehow cheating or splurging when he buys fast food. To be honest, paying for it with a gift card takes a lot of the sting off. Hey, I’m not saying it makes sense, just that it makes me feel way less guilty, and that’s a good thing! I also like how using Shopkick is like a game. I’m personally a big Xbox and fantasy football guy, so Shopkick’s system of awarding points really helps me to stay engaged. The other coupon apps for fast food are great and all, but a lot of times I’m liable to just forget they exist. Not with Shopkick.

So, there you have it, an informational look at the best coupon apps for fast food, plus a little bit about my personal favorite. Whether you eat fast food often, find it a guilty pleasure, or indulge because you’re in a hurry or it’s the closest options, these coupon apps make fast food even cheaper. Ultimately, that’s money you can turn around on your gym membership, so you can sweat your burrito off!

Get to know one of the best apps for fast food discounts—and for tons of other products, too. 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 a free shopping 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 fun and inspiration.

Photo courtesy Ruslan Sitarchuk.

The top apps for making cash to bolster your budget

Posted on February 14, 2018 by shopkick

There are some things in the world that are mighty and bottomless. Okay, okay, mostly I’m referring to the stomachs of the three growing boys at home. I swear, as soon as I get home with groceries, they pounce and before I know it, half of what I’ve just bought is gone!

Yes, it really is a never-ending battle to keep these awesome little guys fed, whether it be with cereal or sandwiches or even ice cream! This means my need to find ways to save on groceries is also mighty and bottomless, which is why I think I’ve become such an expert on the top apps for making cash to bolster your budget—including some of my all-time faves, like those that pay you to grocery shop.

If I were to graph it, you’d probably see that my knowledge of these apps is directly proportional to my boys’ heights. Too funny! Anyway, thanks to all this research and knowledge, I’ve been saving quite a bit of money on grocery shopping, shopping at other stores, and even on workouts! Today, I’d like to share this knowledge with you. After all, I know I’m not the only one with growing kids at home.

Top Apps for Making Cash No. 1: Pact

To properly make a weekly grocery run that can feed growing kids, you need to be in shape. You need to be able to bend down and get the cereal from the lowest shelves, to carry a near-infinite stack of canned goods, and to haul bag after bag of groceries in from the car. You know, if the guys are really into a video game, they aren’t going to come out and help!

This is part of the reason Pact easily makes my list of top apps for making cash. Pact works by giving you cash for achieving your fitness goals. You just download the app on your device, make a pact with it to exercise more or eat healthily, and then you use the app to track your goals, earning on average between $0.30 and $5.00 every week for achieving your goals. The app also keeps you honest by making you verify your activities through GPS, photos, and other services. It’s really great!

Top Apps for Making Cash No. 2: AppTrailers

A proper grocery trip that brings home enough food to (briefly) satisfy the stomachs of a trio of growing boys tends to take a long time. I, however, have found a way to maximize my efficiency by using one of the top apps for making cash when I’m out in the aisles.

The one I’m talking about now is called AppTrailers, and what it does is pay you to watch trailers about new apps. Each of those trailers takes about 30 seconds. I usually set my phone on my cart next to grocery my list and watch these as I navigate the aisles. I’m also a big fan of watching when I’m at my gym on the treadmill. For each trailer I watch, I get 500 points, which is equivalent to $0.50. I can then redeem points for gift cards or cash via PayPal. We’ve talked about this in the past but using multiple apps really is the best way to up your shopping game!

Top Apps for Making Cash No. 3: Shopkick

The third and final app on my list today also happens to be the most effective—and my all-time favorite among the top apps for making cash. It’s an app called Shopkick and, to be frank, I just absolutely love it! How it works is pretty 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. If you’re shopping online, it also gives you points for visiting certain online stores, watching videos about certain products, and, once again, making purchases.

You can trade these points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores, including places like Target and Walmart, which are both great spots to get your boys food and the school supplies they’re always waiting until the last minute to let you know that they need. I’ve been using Shopkick for a while now, and it’s honestly saved me more than I can even count! Especially given the amount of food it takes to feed my guys.

I’ve been using Shopkick for a while now, and it’s honestly saved me more than I can even count!

Even before I had my kids, I was always looking for ways to squeeze some more bucks out of my budget. Years ago, I did this through things like paper coupons and savings club cards. Nowadays, I can do it just by pressing a few buttons on my phone. So, whether or not you have three boys at home, all of these top apps for making cash are great options for saving money.

The only real challenge, to be perfectly honest, is remembering to use these apps, and sticking with them. This isn’t really a problem when it comes to Shopkick because it turns every trip online or down the aisles into a fun little hunt for points—not unlike the ways my boys scavenge in my cabinets for food. Just kidding … sorta!

Learn how you too can get paid to grocery shop with one of the top apps for making cash. 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 Wavebreak Media Ltd

How to earn money by downloading apps—for free

Posted on February 12, 2018 by shopkick

I was recently in the market for a new piece of art, so I set out to find a bit of extra money in my budget. I love to buy new art, pick it out, and then take my time (usually with a glass of red wine) finding the perfect place to put it. But, of course, I love it all the more when I can buy art with money that I’ve managed to get for free.

So, I went into savings mode, which in this case consisted of me mentioning to my girls at spin class that I’m trying to find the money in my budget to get some new art. One of my friends, Lety, told me she had just the idea: I could earn money by downloading apps—for free. I was enthralled. I mean, for a long time I’ve been using shopping rewards apps that let me get paid to shop, but the idea that there are other apps out there I could also download to save money? Well, it seemed to me like this was one way to get my painting in no time!

Lety and I started swapping ideas, and by the end of our little brainstorming session we’d come up with quite the list! Here are just a few of the best ways we landed on to earn money by downloading apps for free.

Earn Money by Downloading Apps for Surveys

Lety started things off by asking me how I felt about taking surveys. I told her I wasn’t opposed to them, even though I really hadn’t taken very many. She nodded and told me that she had found a way to earn money by downloading apps that simply pays users to take surveys. Lety had started using an app called iPoll, and I too was immediately on board. I was thrilled at how simple iPoll was! With iPoll, you download the app—which is, of course, free—and then you fill out some brief information about yourself so it can match you to surveys that are relevant to you. Each survey takes 15 to 20 minutes, and you can take as many or as few as you’d like. Most surveys pay a few dollars, and once you get $35 in your account, you can cash out! It’s super easy.

Earn Money by Downloading Apps and Swiping on Ads

The next app that Lety told me about is ideal for people like me who sometimes have weeks where they are beyond busy. In fact, to use this app, you don’t have to do much at all. It’s called SlideJoy and it actually pays you just for putting ads on your Android device.

When you use Slidejoy, every time you check your Android phone, you’ll see a card that has a news story on it or an advertisement. From there, you either slide right to ignore the ad and return to using your phone as normal; slide up to see another card; or slide left to learn a bit more, although you don’t get any extra money for clicking on an ad. In other words, you could slide right every single time and still get paid the same as if you slid left or up. In my early experience, using this app has paid between $5 and $15 each month. It’s not that much, but combined with the other apps on our list, it can really add up!

Earn Money by Downloading Apps – Shopkick

After Lety so generously shared her recommendations with me, it was time for me to return the favor. So, I told her about my personal favorite way to earn money by downloading apps: Shopkick! I absolutely love Shopkick, for a few different reasons. How Shopkick works is that it gives you points for all things you do when you’re out shopping already—things like just walking into stores, scanning the barcodes of certain items to learn more about them, and, of course, making purchases. When you’ve accumulated your points, you can trade them in for gift cards to all your favorite stores and start to save serious money!

At this point, Lety had a great question: what about shopping online? Well, with Shopkick you can earn points shopping online, too! You get the points for visiting online stores, watching videos about products, or making purchases.

With Shopkick you can earn points shopping online, too! You get the points for visiting online stores, watching videos about products, or making purchases.

Anyway, between the two of us, we came up with this nice little list, and we both set off to reap our savings. While I’m getting much closer to being able to splurge on some new art for my home, to be totally honest I think I’ll keep using all three of these apps long after I’ve found and framed and hung up my new painting.

Why wouldn’t I? I mean, I’ve already been using Shopkick for a pretty long time now, and the savings just keep piling up! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the way shopping was before. This way is just too much fun.

Learn more about the best ways to earn money by downloading a free app today. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

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

Image courtesy Kasia Bialasiewicz.

Game-like shopping apps for Android you can share with friends

Posted on February 7, 2018 by shopkick

I was at the grocery store recently and happened to run into an old girlfriend I hadn’t seen since, gosh, it must have been high school! We got to talking about what’s going on with us, and pretty soon that turned into talking about old times. It was kind of late at night, and both of us were just barely getting some shopping in, which reminded us of how we used to stay up late cramming for finals. In fact, the only way we got through some of our tougher exams was by studying together, making flash cards, and turning our sessions into a little game.

“Wouldn’t it be fun,” my friend said, “if we could do our shopping that way, too? If we could just turn it into a little game?” I told her that yes it would and that in fact, with some of the new game-like shopping apps for Android, we could make our trips to the store into games!

My friend hadn’t heard of shopping apps for Android which, to be totally honest, took me a bit by surprise. She asked me to explain, which was easy because these apps are just so much more fun with friends. That’s why today I’d like to share the concept with all of you! Before we know it, we can all be out there having fun and saving money together.

How Game-Like Shopping Apps for Android Work

The first thing you need to know about shopping apps for Android is how they work. All my favorites have a pretty simple step-by-step process:

Walk into certain stores, and get points.
Scan the barcodes of select products to get information, and get more points.
Purchase certain items with a linked card, or purchase certain items and use the app to take a picture of your receipt, and get even more points!
Trade those points in for gift cards to your favorite stores.
Savor the savings!

Also—and this is crucial nowadays—many of these shopping apps for Android also let you earn rewards while shopping online. The differences between how these apps work for online shopping versus in-person shopping is minute. Here’s how using a shopping app online works:

Visit certain online stores, and get points.
View select products, and get more points.
Make mobile purchases, and get even more points!
Watch certain videos and score points yet again.
Trade those points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores.
Really savor the savings!

See? Super easy! And, because you can use shopping apps for Android online as well as in-person, it’s easier than ever to get paid to shop.

Having Fun with Shopping Apps for Android

One of the things I stressed to my friend is that in order to get the most money back with these apps, you have to make sure you use them regularly. In my humble opinion, the best way to do this is to make sure you pick a shopping app for Android that is genuinely fun. That way you won’t have to make yourself to use it because you’ll be excited to bust it out each and every time you hit the store.

The ideal app should be one that turns shopping into a scavenger hunt for points by giving you a ton of different ways to score points. Another thing that’s really important is that the app has a vibrant and fun social media community, like a Facebook feed where you can also have a good time chatting with other folks who enjoy using the app too, swapping tips on how to get more points, or even just trading funny memes and jokes about life.

Here’s a list of game-like shopping apps you can share with friends, including ones that work like the savings apps I described above, plus some ideas to broaden your selection:

Shopkick: This one is great because it turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt for points that you can then trade in for gift cards. Share it with your friends so you can get together later to swap tips and advice! This app really is a blast to use as it provides so many cool opportunities to score points.

eBay: As far as I’m concerned, eBay is the original game-like shopping app. With its simple bid system, every purchase can be like a competition! And yeah, it’s no fun to miss out on something you really want, but it’s a ton of fun to win an auction.

The RealReal: This one is sort of like a game because it’s an aggregate site for pre-owned luxury items, meaning you can get really fancy stuff at a discount. But if you’re too slow, you’ll miss out! My friends and I sometimes like to just browse through The RealReal together and check out all the pre-owned luxury items people are looking to sell.
Giftagram: This app is perfect for holiday gift giving games like White Elephant or Secret Santa, especially if you want to play long distance! You can use Giftagram to pick out a present, then you simply enter the recipient’s email and phone number, and the service sends it to them! Plus, you can use it to send gifts from the U.S. to Canada and vice versa, which is very cool.

Of all of these, my personal favorite is Shopkick. That’s because it has more ways to score points than most of the other apps I’ve tried, and it has the most fun social media channels. In fact, I have so much fun looking at Shopkick’s goofy Facebook posts. Oh, and I should note that Shopkick is available for iPhone too, so you can get even more friends in on the fun.

Really though, the main point is that Shopkick is one of the best shopping apps for Android because it turns so much of your shopping time—both online and in person—into a fun game you can share with your friends. As I said above, with an app like Shopkick, you don’t have to remember to use it because you’ll find yourself actually looking forward to breaking it out at the store.

My friend and I actually made tentative plans to get together and do some shopping next week, or at least to get together for a coffee and talk about the deals we’ve been finding with our apps. What a great way to also stay in touch!

Start having more fun with shopping apps for your Android or iPhone by using Shopkick. Download the free shopping rewards app and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the fun of shopping with us!

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Image courtesy Daniel Ernst.

The coolest money making apps for iPhones

Posted on February 2, 2018 by shopkick

I’ve loved apps since I got my first iPhone in 2007. Back then, there was that slogan I’m sure you remember—there’s an app for that—and there really was. There were apps that could do everything from working like a flashlight to letting you check your bank account no matter where are you are. There was even one I used at parties that made my phone look like a beer I was drinking.

Lately, apps have evolved beyond the fun and cool factor to necessity and now there’s a whole group of money making apps for iPhone. You don’t have to write code or design your own apps, you just make money using your phone to do simple things, like watch ads, take surveys—or shop. Seriously, you just going shopping like you normally would, and these apps actually pay you cash money!

Of course, to make as much money as possible with these apps, you have to get into a pattern of using them regularly. Luckily, this is way, way easy with the coolest apps. That’s why today I want to help you pick some of the coolest money making apps for iPhones!

Money Making Apps for iPhone: Get Paid to Take Surveys

Just as I still remember how much I loved apps when I got my first iPhone, I also remember the first money making apps for iPhone I ever downloaded. All of them were survey apps.

There are a lot of these to choose among, but they all generally work the same way. Basically, you download the app, enter some information about yourself, and the app begins sending you surveys to take, which you get paid for! In my experience, the very longest surveys take just 15 to 20 minutes, but those pay the most. In general, you can also expect most survey apps for iPhone to pay roughly $1 each, with the longer ones paying more.

Money Making Apps for iPhone: Get Paid to Watch Ads

One of my all-time favorite apps is Fandango. I’ve always been a big movie guy, and it’s amazing to me that we can now instantly buy movie tickets with our phones. Oh, and we can also use it to watch the latest trailers. Very cool.

What’s even cooler is that there are some apps that pay you to watch trailers and short ads. Basically, with these, you watch a quick 30-second clip and generally earn about $.50. In my experience this adds up quickly—and sometimes the trailers and ads are pretty interesting. It’s always a little bonus when you get paid to watch one that you wouldn’t have minded watching anyway!

Money Making Apps for iPhone: Get Paid to Shop

I’ve talked about this before, but I’m the type of shopper who gets in and out of a store as fast as possible. It’s not that I hate shopping, it’s just that I have about a million other things on my mind, like work and stuff that needs to get done around the house—and fantasy football, of course. Shopping feels like an obstacle between me my priorities (ahem, fantasy football). I can tell you, though, I like shopping a whole lot more now that I’ve discovered I can make money shopping using free iPhone apps.

There are a lot of these to pick from, but I have one I think is the coolest: My favorite is called Shopkick, and it’s great, in my opinion, because of how it works. Basically, you get paid for just walking into a store and buying things.

Not only is Shopkick super easy to use, it also gives you way more points than most of the other money making apps for iPhone that I’ve tried.

Not only is Shopkick super easy to use, it also gives you way more points than most of the other money making apps for iPhone that I’ve tried. With Shopkick, the points you get can easily and quickly pay out in gift cards to your favorite stores, so you can get new electronics at Best Buy, for example, or that coffee fix from Starbucks on the way to work. Plus, Shopkick gives you points for stuff like scanning barcodes on certain items, watching product videos, and even shopping online. It has everything I’m looking for in a money making app: It’s easy to use, generous with points, and actually fun because it turns trips to the store into scavenger hunts!

Another thing that makes a lot of these apps so cool is that they can also be used for Android, too. I’ve always been an iPhone guy myself, but it’s nice that my Android friends can also get in on some of this action.

So those are all my favorite money making apps for iPhones. My last piece of advice is to get out there and start using these right away. And, if you have any cool money making apps of your own, be sure to let me know about them! I think that’s one of the things that made apps so popular in the early days: savvy users like us sharing and comparing notes. So, let’s do it!

Ready to get in on some of the coolest shopping apps for iPhone and Android? 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 using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Rawf8

Popular stores with customer loyalty programs you didn’t know about

Posted on January 31, 2018 by shopkick

I’ve never enjoyed working out. At least not going to the gym or using a treadmill or lifting weights. I do, however, like fitness classes. That’s why my two favorite types of exercise classes are definitely yoga and spin, and I love how different they are. Yoga is all about slowing down, focusing on breathing, and balance, while spin is super intense. It’s just go, go, go!

Shopping can be this way, too. There’s your hurried shopping when you just need to get in, get out, and get home. Then, there’s the kind of shopping where you slow down, relax and enjoy the hunt. While I could never pick a favorite between yoga and spin class, I can easily say my favorite shopping is the slower variety, especially when it means I get to make the most of it at stores with customer loyalty programs. For years, I was power shopping—and trying to find discounts and sales in a hurry—and in the process missing out on the real savings built-in to customer loyalty programs. That’s why today I’m here to help you slow down, breathe like you’re doing yoga, and learn more about some popular stores with customer loyalty programs (that you’ve likely been shopping at for years) and how they can save you money.

Grocery Stores with Customer Loyalty Programs

Of all the stores I’ve power shopped over the years, grocery stores are where I rush the most. In fact, I’ve even found myself heading home from yoga, feeling super at peace and relaxed, and still rushing through the grocery aisles.

That can be a problem, though, because there are tons and tons of grocery stores with customer loyalty programs. Most feature a grocery store rewards cards which you swipe at checkout and lowers your bill. If you’re not using these, you’re leaving money on the table.

There are also some larger chain grocery stores that have loyalty programs that are a bit less well known, especially if you’re always rushing through the aisles. The Walmart Savings Catcher, for example, helps loyal Walmart shoppers ensure they’re always getting the lowest possible price. With this program, you just scan your Walmart receipt after a visit, and it compares what you paid to the prices at top competitors in the area. If there’s a difference, the program rewards it back to you.

That’s just one example, though. Target, as well as regional grocery stores such as Safeway and H-E-B, also offer similar loyalty rewards. It’s just up to you to take the time to slow down and ask. Oh, and there are also ways to use third-party shopping apps to get paid to grocery shop, but more on that later!

Department Stores with Customer Loyalty Programs

It’s way easier for me to take it slow with my shopping at department stores, kind of like how it’s way easier to relax with the yoga instructor at my studio that doesn’t make us do as many of the one-legged flying poses! The wide selection and the great deals at stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s just lend themselves to a nice, leisurely stroll through the racks.

While the details vary by store, all the most common department stores, including Sears, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Saks have their own variation of a customer loyalty program. Macy’s, for example, has a program that basically ensures you get a discount on everything you buy there, while Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack have one that gives you a gift card after you spend a certain amount. That one is also nice because it entitles you to free tailoring!

They, of course, don’t publicize them as well as the grocery stores do, but that’s okay. Because if you’ve learned anything from me today, it’s that the next time you’re out shopping, you’re going to take your time, breath like you’re in yoga, and ask the clerks at the stores about customer loyalty programs so you don’t miss out!

DIY Customer Loyalty Programs

These programs at department stores and grocery stores are all well and good, and you should definitely be using them to get deals and save money, but there’s one method I think is a cut above all the rest: making your own customer loyalty program.

It sounds impossible, I know, but you can actually do it by using an app that makes you money while you shop. There are many of these types of apps to choose from, believe it or not, and they tend to work at most (if not all) of my favorite stores. How they work is simple: they give you points for shopping activities you do anyway (think scanning barcodes for more info or buying certain products) which you trade for gift cards you can use on your next visit.

One of the best parts is that you can actually combine these apps with the other store loyalty programs

There’s seriously no better loyalty program than that. One of the best parts is that you can actually combine these apps with the other store loyalty programs I just told you about. My personal favorite is an app called Shopkick, which I like because it gives you the most opportunities to win points. In fact, with Shopkick, you get points just for walking into the store! Plus, it has a really fun social media community if you’re into Instagram of Facebook (and, these days, who isn’t?).

So, there you have it, a great list of stores with customer loyalty programs, plus a great way to augment those programs by also using one of my very favorite shopping apps. That combination approach really is key, much like the focus of my exercise routine is doing both spin class and yoga. Sure, I could stick to just one, but the benefits are even greater when I do both!

Learn how you can start getting paid to grocery shop before your next trip down the aisle. 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

The best apps for shopping deals that are fun to use

Posted on January 29, 2018 by shopkick

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’m the mother of three beautiful (and rambunctious) boys, and I do my best to teach them all that I can. Sometimes, though, my boys also teach me lessons.

Recently, for example, they reminded me of something I’d forgotten about as a busy adult: the importance of having fun! While sometimes it doesn’t seem like my boys can keep their attention on any one thing for more than a few minutes, when it comes playing, they can spend hours at it and not even blink!

Fun is important when it comes to sustaining interest, and I think we as adults don’t remember just how time can fly by when you’re engaged in something that’s actually fun. This, in my opinion, is a great lesson when it comes to figuring out the best apps for shopping deals. After all, you can get paid to shop with certain apps, but in order for that to happen, you have to actually use these apps. The more you use these apps, the more you can get paid, and the more fun you have when you’re using the apps, the more you’ll want to use them! So basically, more fun equals more money…and I think we can all get excited about that! That’s why today I want to talk about the best apps for shopping deals, as well as some of the top features you should look for when picking an app that’s actually going to be fun!

Fun Factor No. 1: The Best Apps for Shopping Deals Let You Earn Points

I swear, my boys can turn everything they do into some kind of competition. A storm recently knocked down a big tree branch in our backyard, and they spent an entire afternoon playing a game where they awarded each other points for jumping over it. This sounds silly, but it’s actually a great lesson for us.

There are a few different ways that shopping apps work—some give a discount at the register, others give you percentages off certain products—but in my experience, the best apps for shopping deals are the ones that award you points. That’s because you use those points however you choose. And, the ones that are the most fun of all give you points for completing different activities in the store and for shopping online at home, which turns your whole shopping experience into a game!

In my experience, the best apps for shopping deals are the ones that award you points.

Actually, the way my favorite works is that it turns each trip into a scavenger hunt for those points. I get points for going into certain stores, points for scanning barcodes to learn more about certain items, and, of course, points for making my purchases. I’m at the point now where I actually look forward to going out for groceries, clothes, or toiletries. It’s seriously that fun.

Fun Factor No. 2: The Best Apps for Shopping Deals Offer You Gift Cards

Birthdays and Christmas gifts are a source of all kinds of excitement for kids, and while we as adults don’t generally get as excited about gifts, there’s still something nice about getting a gift card. Well, in my opinion, the best apps for shopping deals are the ones that let you earn gift cards.

Those points we talked about in the last section are all well and good, but in order for you to really save money and get the most out of those shopping apps, you have to be able to trade those points in. I think it’s a lot of fun to earn gift cards to all your favorite stores, so you can give yourself a little Starbucks spontaneously as a treat for shopping. It’s fun to get paid in gift cards!

Fun Factor No. 3: The Best Apps for Shopping Deals Give Great Social Media

Another way my boys have fun is by sharing goofy memes and gifs with their friends on social media. And you know what? This is actually a way that I have fun, too. I just can’t get enough of the goofy jokes online.

I think that’s why it’s no coincidence that the shopping app I use the most is also the one that has the best and most active social media community. My personal favorite shopping app is called Shopkick, and it has one of the most fun social media channels on the Internet. I’ve shared so many laughs on their Facebook page, as well as practical shopping tips for using the app. The best apps for shopping deals seamlessly blend in fun, so you actually want to use them again and again, without having to force yourself to remember.

The best apps for shopping deals seamlessly blend in fun

Much like nobody has to remind my boys to play their Nintendo Switch, nobody has to remind me to use Shopkick when I go out to the store. I look forward to it because of all the factors we mentioned today.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been having fun using Shopkick and not even realized that I earned tons of points I could redeem for gift cards. I just look at my total points—or as the app calls them: kicks—and I often have way more than I thought. How fun is that!

Ready to have some fun using one of the best apps for shopping deals? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us—and how fun trips to the store 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 mimagephotography

Apps to get free gift cards: A genius New Year budget booster

Posted on January 24, 2018 by shopkick

New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday. I just absolutely love it. The reason is twofold: 1) I’m a well-known party aficionado and there’s no better night for a good party and 2) the next day is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.

A fresh start on what, you might ask? Well, on whatever you can think of! As usual, this year I have a few resolutions. You know, all the regulars like hitting the gym more often, taking more time for myself, starting a new hobby, and, of course, saving more money. What’s a little different this year, though, is how I’m planning to turn that resolution into a reality. My plan is to use shopping apps to get free gift cards. Go ahead, say wow. I know, I had to take a moment when I first learned that I could get paid to shop. You just go shopping, do the tasks or activities the apps award points for, and then trade your points in for gift cards!

So, how does this boost my 2018 budget? Well, as I see it, I have to shop for things like groceries anyway. So, basically, I use my shopping apps when I hit the supermarket, then I get rewarded in gift cards for my purchases, and then I use those gift cards to buy myself something nice. (Ok, I use them to buy something I was going to buy anyway, like my Starbucks fave, a flat white.) But instead of doling out cash for my coffee, I get it for free. All because I bought my daily groceries.

I use my shopping apps when I hit the supermarket, then I get rewarded in gift cards for my purchases, and then I use those gift cards to buy myself something nice.

Still, my New Year’s resolution is a little more complex than just “use shopping apps.” I want to use shopping apps to get free gift cards more often than last year. (And spend less on things I was going to buy anyway.) So, I came up with a plan to help me make that goal, like sharing my successes and keeping myself accountable because, obviously, the more we use these apps, the more gift cards we can earn! So, buckle up, I’m going to share all three parts of my newest New Year’s resolution with you.

Resolution No. 1: Get Social When Using Apps to Get Free Gift Cards

In my experience, the key to getting the biggest possible boost to your budget by using apps to get free gift cards is making sure that you actually have fun when you’re using those apps. The more fun they are, the more you use them. If you aren’t excited to use these shopping apps, you might even quit them altogether.

You know what makes things more fun? Doing them with your friends! That’s why I tell all my ladies about my favorite shopping rewards app. Sometimes, this results in us hitting the aisles together; other times we’ll just get together to swap store stories (kind of like war stories, but about shopping). Sometimes, it even means trading shopping tips via Facebook or Instagram with friends who are far away. It actually doesn’t matter exactly how you’re being social while you’re using one of these shopping apps, it just matters that you’re having fun doing it. Best of all, some of the best shopping rewards apps give you extra points when friends sign up!

Resolution No. 2: Use My Apps to Get Free Gift Cards When Shopping Online

When it comes to my favorite tech trends, having a shopping app to get free gift cards is second only to being able to buy anything I want online. I mean, where I live we recently had a major snowstorm, and when I noticed we were low on dishwasher pods it was Amazon to the rescue.

That’s why it’s important to make sure my shopping app works for online purchases. Why? Because if I’m going to buy my dishwasher soap in the store and get points for it, then I also want to be able to get those points if I buy dishwasher pods online. Just because so much of my shopping has moved to the web—hello kitty litter and toilet paper via delivery—doesn’t mean I should sacrifice rewards points. Otherwise, I’d be missing out on a big chunk of free gift cards!

Resolution No. 3: Use Apps to Get Free Gift Cards, Then Share My Success

On top of always wanting to boost my budget and save more money during the New Year, I’m also trying to go to the gym more. This year, I’m even trying some new fitness classes, like spin and hot yoga.

My favorite part is when I get home after a workout and my family asks how I’m doing, if I rode harder, if I held my poses longer, you name it. It’s a great way to keep myself accountable! So I thought, why have that excitement stop at the gym? Why not find a way to share my successes online with my shopping app as well? And you know what I found? My personal favorite shopping app has a thriving social media community where users share their success stories every day. I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me want to get back out there and use my shopping apps more than hearing about the successes others are having. And, of course, the more I use my apps, the more I save!

Making Resolutions Stick: The Best Shopping Apps to Get Free Gift Cards

Now what you probably want to know is what my favorite shopping rewards app is. Well, there are actually a few different shopping apps to get free gift cards to pick from, but to accomplish each of my three New Year’s resolutions, I think one stands out as working the best. I’m talking about Shopkick! It’s already been really easy to get all my ladies using this one, mostly because how it works is just so easy. In the simplest terms, with Shopkick you get points—called kicks—for walking into the store, for scanning certain products, and for snapping a pic of your receipt. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores. See? Easy!

Also, every time one of my friends signs up and uses Shopkick, I get 250 free kicks! And, Shopkick gives you points for your online shopping, too, which is another reason it’s the perfect app to help me with my budget resolutions. You get kicks for visiting certain stores online, for viewing select products, and for making mobile purchases and watching certain videos. Again, suuuuper easy. Plus, because Shopkick has a really great online community through Facebook and other social media, there’s a great incentive to keep using it and also to make good on my third and final resolution: sharing my successes!

You get kicks for visiting certain stores online, for viewing select products, and for making mobile purchases and watching certain videos.

I hope this has all been helpful for you, and I hope you have a great New Year, filled with totally dominating each and every one of your own resolutions. And finally, I hope to see you soon on Shopkick’s Facebook page telling me and, the rest of the great crew there, about your many, many, many successes!

Learn how you can start taking action toward your own New Year’s resolution to boost your budget and save some money. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

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

Image courtesy bernardbodo

How to quickly earn rewards for shopping online

Posted on January 19, 2018 by shopkick

I love my kids, and it shows, which is why people are always asking how I find time to do things for myself. I tell them the key is speed! When you have three boys, like I do, you have to be fast to get them ready for school, to their soccer practices, and to their friends’ houses and back. It’s always run, run, run. I feed off my kids’ energy for speed cleaning, powering through workout videos, and shopping for groceries. Lately I’ve been applying my need for speed to other stuff, too—like getting rewarded for shopping online.

I’ve talked about this a lot recently, but I’m a huge devotee of free mobile shopping apps to make money for what you buy anyway. If you’re not familiar, how it works is easy: you do your normal shopping stuff—go to the store, scan barcodes of certain products to get more info, check out—and these apps give you points which you can then trade in for gift cards. There’s a huge list of free apps that give you gift cards to choose from, and the best apps can be used online, too.

It’s probably because of my go, go, go boys, but I’ve found that my favorite apps that give rewards for shopping online are the ones that give you rewards fast! (Maybe you didn’t know there were even different speeds to collect your rewards, but trust me there are.) That’s why I’m here today to help you learn more about how to quickly earn rewards for shopping online. So, let’s hurry up and get to it!

Time Frames for Rewards for Shopping Online

One holiday season, I took a hard look at my budget and decided we could use some extra breathing room. So, I got a part-time job in the mobile devices department at Best Buy. This was great because the extra money and the excellent employee discount meant that I got good deals on everything on my holiday shopping list. It was one of those win-win situations!

On the phones and tablets we sold, we basically had two types of rebates that helped customers save money. One let us take an instant discount at the register; the other—and this was a while back now—required customers to send in proof of purchase, then wait for a rebate check. Well, guess which one was more popular? That’s right, the one that got customers their money fast. No shocker.

My personal opinion is that’s how rewards for shopping online should work—the faster you can collect points, the better.

Here’s a list of the things I firmly believe should happen fast with the ideal app:

Learning to use it: You shouldn’t have to crack a code or be a tech genius to learn how to use the ideal shopping rewards app. It should be simple, intuitive, and a ton of fun!
Collecting points: The ideal app should start giving you points quickly during any trip to the store. The best apps give you points just for walking inside!
Payouts: Almost every one of these apps has a minimum award amount you have to accrue before you can cash out, ranging from $2 on the low end to $20 on the super high end. That’s an extreme example, and most of them are in the $5 to $10 range, but I personally prefer one that gives me the option to cash out ASAP because then I can do it quickly and on my schedule!

The Best App to Quickly Earn Rewards for Shopping Online

Which shopping app is the best, and quickest, in my humble opinion? For me, that would be Shopkick. Shopkick pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, including Amazon, Target, and Starbucks, and its minimum to cash out is only $2. That means I can get (another) Starbucks gift card to spend on my all-time guilty pleasure—the flat white—super fast, just the way I like it!

But Shopkick has tons of other things to love as well. It’s great because you can get points for shopping online and you can get cash back quickly on in-person receipts. They are always adding new products and stores, and it has one of the most active and fun social media presences anywhere. I’m always laughing at the fun jokes they put on there and sharing tips with other kickers (as we call ourselves) about ways to get rewards for shopping online even faster! It’s just so fun.

Speed is important, but so is making sure you’re up-to-date on the most effective apps for shopping online and off.

I’m glad I had a chance to slow down just a tiny bit today so that I could share all of this with you. Speed is important, but so is making sure you’re up-to-date on the most effective apps for shopping online and off. You really have to make sure you get an app that you love to use and that will give you your benefits quickly.

I don’t mean to end this briefly, but I think I hear one of the boys. I’m sure there’s a soccer game or a cub scout outing or a crisis in the backyard that needs my attention. And, if it hasn’t happened yet, it’s about to happen—fast.

Learn how you can earn big rewards and get them fast for shopping online. 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 fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy Rawpixel.com.

The most popular free mobile shopping apps for earning rewards fast

Posted on January 17, 2018 by shopkick

I love love, love spin class. My preference is generally to go about three times a week but, trust me, I would go waaay more if I could find the time. In fact, I’d be there basically every day if it was practical!

This explains why I recently had a crisis when my favorite spin studio moved to the other side of town after someone bought the old building it was in and decided to turn it into condos. I didn’t want to change studios! I had my favorite instructors, my favorite ladies to ride with, my favorite times to go… I even had a favorite bike! Following my spin-sters to the new location would have added so much drive time that I probably would have started missing sessions. So, I did what we all do when it comes time to find a new anything—I took to Yelp and Google Reviews to find nearby spin classes, then chose the most popular one.

The good news is, I’m really, truly happy at my new spot! The schedule is just as good as my old fave (maybe even better), the music is great and the sound system is fantastic, the instructors are intense but not too intense, and I’m even getting used to a new bike. The reviews also told me that this place is home to some of the friendliest riders around, and, guess what? They were right!

Of course, I miss my crew from my last spin studio, but I’m already making some great new friends here. I’m overall grateful I switched, and I’m super glad I could go online and easily find a place that other people in my community seemed to really like.

This is just one example from my own life of how I’ve recently discovered that popularity can be a good thing. There’s another one that I want to talk about today: retail shopping apps.

Retail shopping apps are incentive programs you use from your phone to get paid for the shopping you do already. I know, amazing right? Specifically, I want to get into which are the most popular free mobile shopping apps for earning rewards fast—maybe even as fast as I ride at my spin class! With that in mind, let’s take a look at what makes an app popular and why, starting with the features of my personal favorites.

Common Features of the Most Popular Mobile Shopping Apps

I admit that when Yelp, Google, and Amazon reviews first became a thing I was a little skeptical. I’ve always liked things that are just a bit outside of the mainstream and off the beaten path. What I quickly learned, though, is that even things outside the mainstream can score high in online reviews. To find them, you just had to know what qualities to search for. With restaurants, for instance, this meant looking out for adjectives like cozy, eclectic, charming, or little mom-and-pop.

In much the same way, I think it’s also important to look for basic features that are inherent to all of the best mobile shopping apps. Here are some common features that these apps simply must have:

Compatible with both Android and iPhone: This one is a no-brainer. If an app is being ranked as among the most popular, it generally has to be available to users of both iPhones and Androids. It would be pretty hard to make any popularity list without being available to the largest number of users.
Pays you to grocery shop: It’s no secret that my second favorite hobby (behind spin class, of course) is clothes shopping. But even someone who hits up Nordstrom Rack on a weekly basis like me still does more grocery shopping than anything else. We all have to eat after all, which makes getting paid to grocery shop a vital quality that all the most popular apps share.
Works with multiple big retailers, both online and off: Any mobile shopping app worth having has to work with the stores that I frequent the most, like Walmart and Target. But, since it’s 2018, it’s also vital that, in addition to giving you points for shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, mobile shopping apps let you earn gift cards for shopping online.

Most Popular Mobile Shopping Apps Statistics

My personal favorite among the most popular mobile shopping apps is called Shopkick, and it has all the common features we mentioned above and then some. Don’t take just my word for it, though. Poking around online recently, I discovered statistics that show that in 2017, Shopkick was one of the most popular mobile shopping apps. When it came to apps you can use to get points at multiple stores, my personal favorite, Shopkick, is the most popular!

It’s easy to see why. If you’re not familiar, how Shopkick works is that it gives you points for shopping online or in-person for the things you already do during your normal shopping trips. If you’re in-person, this means you get points just for walking into a store, and for scanning the barcodes of certain items to get more info, and for taking pictures of your receipt after you’ve made your purchase. It’s a similar system for shopping online, except now you get points for visiting online stores, viewing products, watching informational videos, and for using your mobile phone to buy products. Easy!

You get points just for walking into a store … and for taking pictures of
your receipt after you’ve made your purchase.

Change can be hard, but knowing what to look for and having crowdsourced info about the most popular options can make trying new and different things easier. Just look at me with all my new spin class ladies. You know how I know that these new ladies are becoming my friends? I’ve already got them using Shopkick! After spin class, we usually start by talking about how tough the day’s session was, then before you know it we’re into what our favorite recent specials on Shopkick have been. It’s a great way to bond!

Start using the most popular free mobile shopping app for earning rewards fast. 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 stokkete.

How to choose a shopping app that gives you credit at your favorite stores

Posted on January 15, 2018 by shopkick

I have a theory that, years ago, it was easier to pick favorites. At a recent dinner party, we were playing a game where we went around the table naming our favorite songs, favorite movies, favorite books, etc. It was a great way to spark conversation and get to know each other, but everyone had trouble limiting themselves to one favorite anything. Maybe it’s hard because nowadays we have so much access to information. We use music streaming services with thousands of songs, movie streaming apps with thousands of movies, and audiobook services with millions of titles.

I think this was easier before all of these amazing apps! In high school, even shopping came with fewer choices. Back then, I’d go to the local mall every Friday and visit a regular set of stores. We only learned about the sales when we arrived. Now, with the advent of mobile devices, I base my retail routine around shopping apps that give you credits for buying certain products and for going to certain stores. My rotation of stores for electronics, clothes, jewelry, and even grocery has become much broader.

This is a great thing! Variety is the spice of life—and also the best friend of any serious shopper. A teeny tiny problem has arisen, though: There are so many shopping apps that give you credits to choose from! Don’t worry though, today I want to talk about how to choose a shopping app that gives you credit at your favorite stores—one you will be certain to use over and over and over.

5 Qualities That All Shopping Apps That Give You Credits MUST Have

At that dinner party with the fun favorites game, the hardest question for me to answer was the one about my favorite song. I love listening to music and making playlists. In fact, I have a playlist for just about everything I do on a regular basis: driving, writing emails, spin class, unwinding at night on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine.

Luckily, when it comes to picking a favorite among all the shopping apps that give you credits, you can look for a standard set of qualities. Here are the ones I prioritize:

It’s free: This seems like a super simple concept, but it’s worth remembering: To save money, you shouldn’t have to pay any money up front. That’s counterintuitive. The best shopping apps are free.
It gives you credits at many stores: That dinner party helped me realize that variety is something we all treasure these days, and the best shopping apps are no different. With so many stores and shopping options out there, you want an app that gives you points for shopping at a wide variety of stores, whether that means rewarding you for the clothes you buy or paying you to shop for groceries.
It lets you earn points for various shopping activities: There are some apps that only give you points for purchases, but others let you earn points for all the things you do during a typical shopping trip. The best offer points for purchases and also let you get paid for scanning barcodes to learn about products, and even for just walking into a store!
It pays out in gift cards: There are many different ways that these apps can pay you for shopping. Some send a paper check in the mail (um, 2001 called, it wants its payment system back) and some go straight to your PayPal account. Personally, I like an app that pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, because it’s just so much more fun that way, which brings me to my next point…
It’s f-u-n. Fun, please and thank you: The way to really up your savings with these apps is to use them on a regular and consistent basis.The best way to do that is to make sure the one you use is a ton of fun! My favorite shopping apps not only get me cash back on my shopping but also turn every trip to the store into a fun little scavenger hunt for points. This makes it so easy to remember to use them while I’m out and about.

The Best of the Shopping Apps That Give You Credits

Now that we have a wide variety (sensing a theme here?) in the qualities we’re looking for, it’s time to pick the app that does the best job bringing them all together! For me, that app is Shopkick. I just love the way that Shopkick does all the things we mentioned above, like letting me earn credits for shopping for everything from juice to jeans. Best of all, how it works is super simple and easy. You get points for all the things you do when you’re out shopping, like buying products, scanning barcodes, and even just walking into the store!

Another thing I love about Shopkick is that it plays well with others. In other words, if you have trouble picking just one of the shopping apps that give you credits and instead want to use multiple rebate apps to maximize rewards, Shopkick is a great choice! Plus, their social media network is a great place to talk about the app, or about anything else really. Fair warning, you’ll want to spend lots of time on there. I know I have!

I think 2018 is going to be the hardest year yet to pick favorites, but with shopping apps there’s really only one choice for me: Shopkick. Obviously, I highly recommend you give it a try. Of course, as we’ve figured out today, variety is the spice of life. Your favorite doesn’t have to be my favorite, but I’d be happy if it was! That’s because the fun factor really increases when there are other kickers out there to discuss it with.

Ready to get to know your own favorite of the shopping apps that give you credits? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy astremska.

The best pharmacy rewards program apps for your smartphone

Posted on January 10, 2018 by shopkick

Having three boys who are all pretty close in age can be a lot of fun. They’re always inventing games to play with each other, having loud and crazy video game sessions downstairs, and just making me laugh until my sides literally hurt.

I, of course, love that my boys get along so well, but sometimes wish they weren’t that close to each other, like when it’s cold season and, like clockwork, they all seem to get sick at the same. exact. time. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they plan it! One starts with the sneezing, sniffles, and runny nose and, before I know it, there’s a chain reaction of sick boys curled up in blankets surrounded by Kleenex.

Doctors visits, prescriptions, and jug after jug after jug of Gatorade don’t fit into my regular monthly budget; I never really plan to spend as much as I do each winter at the pharmacy. Luckily, I’ve become quite the expert at which are the best pharmacy rewards program apps—and why!

These pharmacy programs can really help you find products you need on sale and earn rewards points you can trade in later for cash back in the form of gift cards. If your family is anything like mine, believe me, the day will come when you’ll be grateful you downloaded your pharmacy rewards program apps.

The Best Pharmacy Rewards Program Benefits and Mobile Apps

Our town has plenty of pharmacies for me to choose from when my boys get sick, from CVS to Walgreens to Target to our local grocery store—and I think I’ve tried them all. As a result, I’ve enrolled in a pharmacy rewards program at basically every one of the pharmacies within driving distance of my house.

The first step when trying to maximize your savings is to enroll in multiple rewards programs. Let’s start with the branded store-sponsored programs first before we get into shopping apps you can use at multiple locations. Here are the best pharmacy rewards programs available from specific stores:

Walgreens Balance Rewards: This is a simple program that gives you points for making purchases at Walgreens. When you accumulate enough points, you can trade them in for savings. It doesn’t get much simpler than that! The program is available on an easy-to-use mobile app, too. Another great benefit of this program is that it gives you access to something called Register Rewards, which are coupons you earn at checkout, usually somewhat related to the things you just bought. They won’t save you money on your first stop, but if you’ve ever had three sniffly boys at home, you know that you’ll probably be back at Walgreens in a day or two and can redeem your savings then.
CVS ExtraCare: We are fortunate enough to live directly across the street from a CVS. So close, in fact, that when one (or all) of the boys are under the weather, I can just buzz on over there and grab them the tissues, juice, or decongestant they need to feel better without even starting up my car. Oh, and with the CVS ExtraCare program, I can take advantage of some fantastic savings while I’m there—2% cash back on most purchases, to be exact. Almost every time you use your CVS ExtraCare card, you rack up rewards points. Then, those reward payouts are issued to you on a quarterly basis, coming as a nice little surprise on the first of January, April, July, and October. Like the Walgreens Balance Rewards program, this one is also available on a mobile app, making it super convenient. Maybe 2% seems small to you now, but, trust me, it really adds up—especially during cold and flu season!
Target REDcard: This one is a little different than the other two programs because it’s also a credit or debit card, but if you go to Target as much as I do, it really would benefit you to sign up! With this card, you get these great benefits:
- 5% savings in-store and online
- Free shipping on most products you buy online
- Access to an extended return policy

How to Pair the Best Pharmacy Rewards Program with a Shopping App

My boys make a really great team—when it’s not cold season anyway—but one team I like just as much is pairing a shopping rewards app with the programs offered directly by my favorite pharmacies. My pick for the best shopping rewards app is Shopkick, which can be paired with any of the best pharmacy rewards programs I described above.

How Shopkick works is just so simple: I go to Target or CVS or Walgreens to get my boys their meds (or anything else the house needs) and Shopkick gives me points for the things I do while I’m out shopping, like scanning barcodes for more info on featured products, making purchases, and even just walking into some stores. When I’ve earned enough points, called kicks, I can trade them in for gift cards to my favorite stores. And, I can do all this while enjoying the many benefits of the store-branded rewards programs. It basically doubles my savings!

When I’ve earned enough points, called kicks, I can trade them in for gift cards to my favorite stores. And, I can do all this while enjoying the many benefits of the store-branded rewards programs. It basically doubles my savings!

Obviously, I’m never happy to see my boys start to feel crummy, but having these great rewards program apps on my phone to help lessen the costs has been a real lifesaver for me and my budget. I honestly don’t remember how I used to get by without programs like Walgreens Balance Rewards, CVS ExtraCare, and my shopping sidekick, Shopkick.

I could go on and on about the benefits of the best pharmacy rewards programs out there, but I think I just heard one of my boys sneeze. Now I have to listen for any subsequent coughing or sniffling; it may be time to run to the store again and rack up some more pharmacy savings and rewards.

Ready to combine your favorite pharmacy rewards program with the best all-in-one shopping rewards app? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, CVS, or Walgreens, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy leaf