I have a bit of a reputation amongst my friends. Nothing scandalous, mind you. My reputation is for being a bargain hunter. I’m always in the know about unadvertised sales—and when you should buy that little extra that feels a bit overpriced.

Recently, after a particularly grueling spin class, my friend Lisa came to me for advice. Now, she’s never had what I would call a love for shopping, so I was a little bowled over when she told me she wanted to up her shopping game (or maybe that was just the wobbles from racing the spin instructor for 60 minutes).

I was, of course, happy to help. Lisa said she’d been hearing a lot about incentives and apps that pay you to shop, not like a part-time job, but definitely enough to get a bottle of wine and some fancy cheese for a date night in after the kids have hit the hay.

I had to think for less than half a second before I paused for theatrics and held up a finger. “One word,” I said. “Barcodes.”

“Barcodes?” she replied.

“Barcodes,” I repeated.

Then, I proceeded to fill Lisa in on exactly what I was talking about. I explained that there are apps that pay you for scanning barcodes. Can’t you just taste that first sip of crisp pinot gris (or craft beer—you do you, friend!)? If you’re anything like Lisa, you’re probably anxious to hear more right now so you can get to scanning and earning extra money of your own—and I don’t blame you. Date night awaits!

How Apps That Pay You for Scanning Barcodes Work

The day of that spin class was one of the rare afternoons that Lisa and I had extra time to spend together. So, we went to this new outdoor mall that I’d been dying to visit, which was great because a) shopping and b) I got to show her firsthand how apps that pay you for scanning barcodes work.
I made sure to point out to her that there are actually a few different styles of these apps but they all have several things in common:

• Download the app: Of course, one cannot use an app that one has not downloaded. So, start there.
• Go shopping: Go to your favorite mall, grocery store, or retail outlet—almost all of these apps work at multiple retailers.
• Scan product barcodes with your app: Open the app. It will tell you how to scan the barcodes of featured products.
• Get info about the product: Most of these apps give you some insights into the products they feature, including its price, how many points you’ll get from the app if you decide to buy the featured item, and more.
• Earn points: Get rewarded with points just for scanning a product, regardless of whether you decide to ultimately buy it or not.
• Redeem points for cash rewards: Once you’ve earned enough points on your app, you get paid! Generally, your cash rewards come in the form of gift cards. My app even lets me pick out which of my favorite shops I want to apply my rewards to (cough, cough, Target, cough).

Ways to Make Apps That Pay You for Scanning Barcodes Even More Fun

I absolutely loved the excited look on Lisa’s face when she saw how easy it was for me to earn points and get paid for using my favorite app—just by scanning barcodes! More than that, though, I loved all the ideas she immediately started brainstorming about ways to have more fun doing it! If my reputation is for being a savvy shopper, Lisa’s reputation is for knowing how to make absolutely anything more fun.

Here are some inspired ideas for making shopping rewards apps even more fun:

• Set personal bests: As our group’s designated bargain hunter, this one was my favorite. Keep track of how many points you rack up from scanning barcodes in any given week and then try to top it the next. Simple, but fun—especially for someone like me who is just a little obsessed with stretching her savings and becoming the ultimate shopping machine.
• Scan with friends: Go shopping together so you can clue each other in when you find big points. Rinse and repeat week after week.

I think I can speak for both Lisa and myself when I say the best shopping rewards app out there is Shopkick. It’s my personal favorite because it’s so easy to use—and even Lisa, who I wouldn’t exactly call a shopaholic, thinks it’s fun since it turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt for points (called kicks). How Shopkick works is simple, too. And, it gives you points for more than just scanning barcodes!

With Shopkick, you can get rewarded for all kinds of activities, from purchasing that new product you’ve been tempted to try out to simply walking into some of your favorite stores! When you’ve earned enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards to a ton of stores, like Best Buy, Amazon, and Target. You know, places you shop all the time that can easily free up extra cash for the wine weekend getaway of your dreams—even if the destination is your own sofa.

Get to know one of the best apps that pays you for scanning barcodes. 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.