Day: June 6, 2018

One piece of advice that I’ve learned over and over again as a shopper is that there’s more than one way to find what you want. This has especially become true with online shopping. Way back when, in order to find a certain type of electronic device or that absolutely perfect blouse you saw last week on display, you had to go to one specific store that sold it, and if that store didn’t have it, well, you were just out of luck.

Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Because now, I’m able to have my go-to online shopping sites, brick-and-mortar stores, and vintage and consignment shops when I’m looking for the perfect clothes for all seasons and occasions: winter, summer, work, exercise, going out, you name it! This same attitude also applies to savings strategies, like sales, deals, and gift cards. In fact, that last one is what I want to talk about today. There is more than one way to earn a gift card, and today I’d like to share with you how to earn a gift card using free apps.

Gift cards earned through free apps have actually become a cornerstone of my hybrid shopping routine, both online and in my favorite stores. Today, I want to share some of that shopping love with all of you!

How to Earn a Gift Card Using Free Apps for Surveys

One of the most common ways to earn a gift card using free apps is by taking surveys. That’s where Ipsos comes in. The Ipsos app’s mission is to find out what the public thinks, especially when it comes to topics like advertising, politics, and other sources of debate on the national level. The way Ipsos works is that the average user receives about eight survey invitations each month, which they can then accept or deny. For completing each survey, users get points that can later be cashed in for prizes, including gift cards to many different places, which to me are just as good as cash.

There are so many different survey apps out there, with more and more new ones seeming to pop up every week, but Ipsos is certainly one of the most popular. If you are looking for a survey app that will give you gift cards, know that you can use Ipsos via a smartphone app, which gives it a leg up over some other survey platforms that require you to use a desktop computer.

How to Earn a Gift Card Through the Lock Screen on Your Phone

You know the lock screen on your phone, the one you see every time you hit a button on your device without unlocking it first? That screen can give you free gift cards. Well, with the help of an app called Fronto, that is. All you have to do is be willing to swap out whatever photo you have there now, whether it’s stock wallpaper, a photo from your vacation, or a cute snapshot of your kids.

Opt in to receive news and ads selected by Fronto and each time you view one of these of ads, you’ll earn points. Sometimes the app will ask you an interactive question to help you earn extra points. Once you have earned at least $10 worth of points, you can exchange them for free gift cards. A word of advice, though, for those of you who are tethered to your phone all day like I am: Fronto can be a bit rough on your data plan and your battery life, so make sure you have available data—and a full battery—before you download it.

How to Earn a Gift Card for Shopping

Taking surveys and renting out the lock screen space on your phone are both great ways to earn a gift card with a free app, and you should definitely use them—I know I do. However, I think my absolute favorite way to earn a free gift card that helps me save money when I’m shopping is through shopping itself. That’s right, you can literally shop your way to free gift cards with a free app called Shopkick.

How it works is that Shopkick turns every trip to the store into a super fun scavenger hunt for points, which the app calls kicks. It’s also super easy to use, and the tasks that users like us have to complete for kicks are ones we do every time we go shopping anyway. At its core, Shopkick is basically a free app that pays you to shop. For example, if you download the app, then walk into a partner store, you’ll earn kicks. Scan featured item barcodes, get kicks. Buy a featured item, get more kicks! Shop from your sofa using the app, get kicks! Watch videos when you have a little downtime, get kicks! There are also “instant surprises,” kicks you can find when you look around in the app—it’s an in-app treasure hunt, you just have to look around to find them, tap on them, and collect them! Once you’ve earned enough kicks, you can then trade them in for gift cards to a super wide range of stores. One of my favorite things about Shopkick is that you really don’t have to go out of your way at all. It really is that easy!

Now, you should know that these are just my personal favorites and that there are many more out there.

I’m so glad that I got to tell you how to earn a gift card using three of my favorite free apps. Now, you should know that these are just my personal favorites and that there are many more out there. I’m sure now that you’ve learned about the game, you’ll come up with a hybrid shopping routine of your own, involving free gift card-earning apps of course.

If I had to choose just one of these apps, it would definitely be Shopkick! Like my personal shopping routine, it works both online and off, and I just can’t imagine what my budget would look like without all the free gift cards I’ve been earning through Shopkick.

Ready to take your online and brick-and-mortar shopping games to the next level? Start using Shopkick today to earn gift cards for free. Just download Shopkick and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us!

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

Image courtesy Rido81