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

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

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

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

Receipt Hog: An Easy iPhone and Android App That Pays

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

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

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

Ebates: Get Paid Money From an iPhone or Android App

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ready to explore the best iPhone and Android apps that pay you money for shopping—and have fun doing it? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love being a rack hound, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy monkeybusinessimages

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

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

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

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

Slidejoy: A Simple App That Pays to Replace Your Pics

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

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

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

Mobee: An Android and iPhone App That Makes You Money

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Image courtesy pressmaster