How To Save Money Back To School Shopping

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Kick Writers

In a few weeks, summer vacation will be coming to a close, ushering in the fresh start of the year that every mom knows too well: Back To School season. While this can be an exciting time for you and your child, it can also lead to certain stresses, including the dreaded expense of it all. The school supplies shopping list seems to get longer and more specific each year, and that’s all before you factor in clothes, lunch supplies and bulk items for your child’s classroom. Coming in as a new mom to the grade school system (my boy is starting Kindergarten this year), I plan on cutting all the stress and hassle out of the back to school shopping experience by using these methods to save money while having fun.

1. Check Out Sales

The easiest way to begin shopping for Back To School is by first searching for and identifying the biggest back to school deals from retailers. These sales are particularly great when you are looking for school supplies, backpacks and clothing. Some of the best online retailers to check out this season are Walmart.com, Kohls.com, etc.

For the majority of my school supplies products such as crayons, pencils, markers, etc., I relied on rollback prices from Walmart.com. For backpacks and clothing, I shopped Kohls.com deals. I saved a generous amount considering most of their products are on sale.

2. Buy in Bulk

I’ve personally found that one of the biggest ongoing costs of the school year has always been lunch foods and snacks. After going over my budget in the past, I plan on staying on top of my expenses by purchasing lunch supplies and snacks in bulk. My favorite retailers to buy in bulk are Jet and Boxed. Purchasing Ziplocs, chips, Tupperware, drinks and other snack foods in bulk will save a generous amount in the long run.

Another reason I love to buy in bulk is to help provide supplies for my son’s teacher. Teachers often have to pay for all classroom decorations, paper supplies, and cleaning supplies for the whole year! To really show my appreciation, I love to buy a few bulk items to donate to the classroom such as paper towels, paper plates, cleaning supplies, and even some fresh-smelling scents to make the classroom more relaxing. I generally use Boxed for all my bulk items, and it’s great because you can get 2-day shipping.

3. Earn Money Back Through Shopping Apps

The last way I love to save money for back to school shopping is by actually getting money back for my purchases. There are different mobile apps that allow you to scan your receipts to earn gift cards. My favorite shopping app to use is Shopkick because not only do I get points (called kicks) for scanning receipts, I can also get points for just walking into stores, scanning items, and purchasing through online retailers. I generally make my purchases through Walmart, eBay, and Kohl’s. My kicks accumulate while I shop, so I can redeem my points for a Starbucks gift card to refuel after all that shopping!

Back to School shopping doesn’t have to be hard on your bank account. It’s meant to be fun, especially because you’re able to bond with your kids while preparing them to step back into the classroom for another great year of learning. Take the stress out of shopping while saving money by shopping sales, buying in bulk, and using shopping apps to get money back. These money-saving hacks have helped me tremendously as I get ready for my son to start Kindergarten this year. Now, it’s time to relax and soak up these final days of summer vacation and anticipate the exciting school year ahead! I know with just a little prep, he and I will be ready to take on his first day of school together. And, by using these money-saving shopping tips for your children’s school year, you will be too.

Happy shopkicking!

Download Shopkick today to start earning rewards towards a free gift card for the shopping you already do!

The 8 best cash back shopping apps to make every penny count

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Kick Writers

It sounds cliche, but when it comes to maximizing your budget and making sure that you’re saving all the money you can, every penny counts. I realized the truth about this recently because of my youngest son. He’s obsessed with video games (aren’t all kids these days?) and he wanted a Nintendo Switch, which is priced at about $300. That’s a lot of birthday money for a nine-year-old boy to save up, but I told him if he saved his money, maybe we could help him out.

Well, to my surprise he already had been saving his money, dating back to when we first got him a little novelty piggy bank when he was a kid. Honestly, I don’t know where it all came from, but he must have been saving change in it for a while because that thing was filled to the brim with quarters, dimes, nickels, a few silver dollars, and a good deal of pennies. When we counted it all out, our nine-year-old had more than $100! While we counted, he made sure we didn’t miss a penny and with cash back shopping apps, you can make all of your pennies count, too.

These shopping apps work through your phone and other mobile devices and they’re a lot more efficient and complex than stuffing actual pennies into a piggy bank like my son. Let’s take a look at the eight best cash back shopping apps to make every penny count!

CheckOut51

Of all the various apps here on our list today, I think CheckOut51 might be one of the simplest to use. See, with this app you just go out and do your grocery shopping as you normally would, and then once you’re finished, you use Checkout 51 to upload a photograph of your receipt. I like to make sure I do this in the front seat of my car before even leaving the parking lot at the store—that way I don’t forget.

Once you’re done scanning your receipt, Checkout 51 gives you rebates in the form of credit for any eligible items that you may have purchased. The money adds up quickly, which is good because you need to have $20 worth of saved credit in order to cash out. Once you decide to cash out, Checkout 51 will then go ahead and mail you a receipt. See! I told you it was simple.

SavingStar

SavingStar is also a fairly simple cash back shopping app. How it works is that it’s a digital coupon app that pays users to shop at grocery and drugstores. More than 60,000 participating stores are part of SavingStar, and within their ranks you will find more than 100 retail chains.

Most of the time, this app is free to use, but beware. If you get busy and leave your account inactive for 180 straight days, SavingStar will actually charge you a fee of $3.99. To take advantage of SavingStar, all you have to do is either link the app to an existing store loyalty card or submit receipts after you make purchases just like you do with CheckOut51. Again, these savings add up until you can eventually cash out through PayPal, Upromise, or in the form of Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theater gift codes.

SnipSnap

The way this one works is slightly different, in that it lets its users take pictures of printed coupons, which it transforms into digital, mobile-ready ones, thereby making them far more convenient to carry around and use. Users can also browse online directories and take advantage of coupons their friends have “snipped” as well.

This app doesn’t exactly pay, though. Instead, users save money like a traditional coupon. The idea is that coupons can all be easily kept in one digital space, instead of having an overflowing little billfold stuffed with paper cutouts.

CamelCamelCamel

If you’re anything like me, the online store that you frequent most is Amazon. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with this app, which is called CamelCamelCamel. It doesn’t have much to do with riding through deserts, though. It’s actually a website and browser extension that shoppers can use to save money by tracking prices on Amazon. It’s really a pretty incredible resource, given the changing nature of prices on Amazon.

With CamelCamelCamel, you get access to charts and details for extensive price histories to almost every product listed for sale on Amazon. You can see the fluctuations and know when you should buy an item or when you should hold off until the price is reduced in the future. I’ve never tracked it enough to be able to tabulate an exact amount, but I know that over a long enough timeline, I’ve saved quite a bit of money shopping online at Amazon with the help of information from CamelCamelCamel. Just be warned that you can find yourself spending way more time than you expected looking through the charts!

Coupon Cactus

With Coupon Cactus, you can get discounts on certain items when you shop online. Your savings sometimes add up to a percentage of the total price, generally up to 30% or as a flat discount, such as $2 off a featured product. Once your savings balance hits $10 or more, you can then make a decision to cash out the money you’ve earned through PayPal or even to have a check issued to you on a quarterly basis.

Coupon Cactus also does this cool thing that I find really helpful where you can sort the savings offers on the site by the most popular or the newest, making it easy to find the deals that people like the most or the ones that have been added to the app since your last visit.

Ebates

You’d be crazy not to download this coupon app for groceries because of how much you can save with it through rebates. Ebates is a cash back shopping app that lets you save by giving you shopping rewards. Full disclosure, this one actually has a special place in my heart because it was the first one I used when I first started using apps that give you rewards.

Ebates is a centralized platform where shoppers can search for deals and coupons that are offered by nearly 2,000 retailers. It’s pretty awesome when it comes to shopping online, which is something I’d guess that we have all done much more of in recent years. To be totally honest, I haven’t used Ebates as much as of late because I’ve moved on to more comprehensive apps to bolster my budget. I’ve actually ended up seeking out newer apps, many of which are way more fun to use!

Pennyful

With three growing boys at home, I shop a lot. Between getting things for the kids, my husband, and on rare occasions even for myself, I’m always out shopping. Plus, I have to admit, I’ve always been one for a good sale. That’s why I use Pennyful, which requires that you hit a certain amount of savings or cash back before you can get paid. With my shopping habits, it’s easy to hit the mark. But, I’m also well aware that not everyone shops online as much as I do. For those who don’t, it’s possible to earn money shopping online with mobile apps that let you cash your total out without meeting a certain minimum threshold.

If this sounds like something that would work well for you, I highly recommend checking out Pennyful. Like Coupon Cactus, you just go online, make purchases at certain stores that are offering online coupons, and then you start to accumulate savings in an account that you can later cash out. And, they make it easy and fun to discover new products by dividing their offerings up into categories!

Shopkick

I don’t know about you, but in 2018 my shopping habits have become a hybrid of both online and in-store shopping. There are some items that I just need to be able to get anywhere at any time with a quick click at my computer or mobile device, and there are others that I like to browse or see in person before making a final decision. That’s really where this last app comes in handy.

The beauty of Shopkick is that you can use it to get cash back on both your online and in-store shopping. You can even pair it with some of the other apps on my list because Shopkick rewards you for shopping through points (called kicks) for making purchases—or even watching product videos online. When I save up enough of these points, I can cash them in for gift cards. Shopkick even pays you to grocery shop, which is something I’m yet to figure out how to do online. Of all the mobile apps that allow you to earn money shopping online, Shopkick is the one you must have to take your shopping game to new levels.

So, there you have it, the eight best cash back shopping apps that you should use to make every single penny count. While you’re probably not saving up all the change you can find to get a Nintendo Switch, a few dollars of savings both online and in-store really does add up and make a significant difference in your budget.

I think that’s why my favorite on the list is Shopkick. You can use it when you go out shopping, or anywhere else for that matter. Simply put, there are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon and Walmart. I highly recommend it!

Mom-approved cash back apps for groceries

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Kick Writers

For most of my life, I’ve considered shopping to be one of my favorite hobbies, although I think it’s important to note that not all shopping is created equal. There are, as far as I’m concerned, two main types of shopping. There’s the shopping I love to do for fun, which includes trips to boutiques, gallerias, and malls. Then there’s the shopping that I’m obligated to do for what I like to call life reasons. This involves trips to places like Walmart, Target, and, of course, out for groceries.

As a mom these days, I’ve found myself having to make far more of the second type of shopping trips than I get to of the first. And I’m happy to do it. I love my kids, and it actually makes the time I do get to spend shopping for clothes and the finer things all the more enjoyable. One battle I continually find myself having to wage, however, is with my budget. I just don’t have the money to spend on fancy shoes that I once did. I have, however, recently found a great ally in this fight, and today I want to share my new ally with you. That’s why today I want to tell you all about some mom-approved cash back apps for groceries.

With these apps, I’ve been able to earn quite a bit of cash back on my grocery shopping. That’s extra money that I’ve been able to put toward my old shopping hobby, making the most of my trips out searching for clothes. There are three main apps I use to do this, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Mom-Approved Cash Back Apps for Groceries

#1: Checkout 51

Checkout 51 is a cash back app for groceries that you can use to plan your shopping trip before you ever set foot in the store. You just download the app and you can start to browse hundreds of listed offers. When you find one for a product you plan to buy, you simply select that offer, head out shopping, upload your receipt when you’re done, and enjoy your cash back! It really is that simple.

I especially like Checkout 51 because I’m able to have a nice little grocery shopping routine each Friday morning. Checkout 51 updates the offers it lists every Thursday night. This has made it easy for me to include the app into my weekly schedule. I just take a few moments before I get in my Jeep and head out to the store to find the best deals. The only catch is that with Checkout 51 you have to earn at least $20 before you can redeem your savings for cash back.

#2: SnipSnap

Do you remember those old-school paper coupons that we used to have to use if we ever wanted to save some money when we were shopping for groceries? I sure do. In fact, I still get them fairly regularly through junk mail and my Sunday newspaper, and with this app called SnipSnap, I’ve also found a way to start using them to get cash back on my shopping. SnipSnap is what’s known as a mobile coupon app, and you basically just use it to take pictures of printed coupons. SnipSnap then goes ahead and transforms them into digital, mobile-ready coupons that you can use when you go out to the store.

Like with Checkout 51, I’ve made SnipSnap part of my regular shopping routine. Every Sunday, I sit down with the advertisements that came during the week as well as with the stack from my Sunday paper, and I use SnipSnap to start scanning and storing coupons. It’s such an easy and efficient way to store coupons. I don’t know if I’d turn to coupons nearly as often if I still had to stuff the actual paper copies in my purse.

#3: Shopkick

The last mom-approved cash back app for groceries on our list today is called Shopkick, and it just so happens to be my favorite. How it works is that when you go out shopping for groceries, it gives you points for your normal shopping trip activities, including going down aisles browsing products, making purchases, and even just walking into the store. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to your favorite stores, which are just as good as cash back to me.

What’s especially great about Shopkick is that you can easily use it in tandem with the other two apps on our list. Basically, every week I get my deals from Checkout 51 and I scan my coupons with SnipSnap, and then I use Shopkick to get points on all my purchases. That kind of triple savings really adds up to a nice amount of extra money.

What’s especially great about Shopkick is that you can easily use it in tandem with the other two apps on our list.

Like I said at the start, I really do believe there are two specific types of shopping: utilitarian shopping and fun shopping. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive though. In fact, as I’ve seen in my life, money that you save on your groceries can be put to good use later when you go out shopping for fun.

You just have to have the right apps, apps like Checkout 51, SnipSnap, and—my personal favorite—Shopkick. They fit so easily into your daily routine, that if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon have trouble remembering what it was like before you started to use them!

Ready to start shopping with one of the best mom-approved cash back apps for groceries? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping with us can be!

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

Image courtesy GeorgeRudy

Prime Day starts now!

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Kick Writers

The biggest shopping event of the year for Amazon Prime members is here! Prime Day starts now and runs through 7/17/18. Get amazing kicks on eligible Amazon purchases made through the Shopkick app, and discover incredible deals on hundreds of thousands of items.

Don’t have an Amazon Prime membership yet? It’s not too late to sign up and take advantage of these instant savings!

Get AMAZING kicks through 7/17

Amazon Fashion

25 kicks per $1

was 5 kicks

Amazon Devices

25 kicks per $1

was 5 kicks

Amazon Home

25 kicks per $1

was 7 kicks

Check out the deals and big kicks now!

Happy shopkicking!

Don’t have Shopkick yet? Download and start earning your free gift card today!

How to save money on groceries: Apps that milk your budget

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Kick Writers

As you probably know by now, I’m the mother of three rambunctious but awesome young boys. They live life at a pretty fast pace, whether they’re running around our backyard or going from this month’s hot new video game to whatever the big fad at school is next month. My little guys are almost always in a big hurry for something. Lately, they’ve all been in a major rush to grow up. Not to take on adult responsibilities (none of them are at all interested in that, not yet, anyway), but to get taller.

In fact, I recently went down into our basement and found them trying to stretch to make themselves taller. It was so cute, but it also got me thinking about how fast they’d be growing up, which then got me thinking about their increasingly gigantic appetites, which then got me thinking about something else: ways to save money on groceries, and more specifically to save money on groceries with an app. These days there so many great shopping rewards apps out there, some of which are offered by the stores themselves, others that modernize the old coupon clipping experience, and—my personal favorite—those that give you gift cards for shopping habits you already have.

All of this can be a little overwhelming to the uninitiated shopper who’s trying to stretch her budget, which is why today I want to talk about my own strategies for how to save money on groceries with an app. Hopefully, you’ll find them to be just as helpful as I do!

How to Save Money on Groceries with an App

Tip No. 1: Consistency is Key

One of my most important tips for how to save money on groceries with an app is to find a way to do it that is consistent. This ties into a lesson I’m always trying to teach my boys. They’re always in such a hurry to do new things, to try out for the basketball team, to advance to the next grade, or even to beat this month’s hot new video game as soon as possible. Sometimes they get frustrated when these things take longer than they expect.

So, what I preach to them is to remain consistent. The same is true for stretching your budget with a great shopping app. If you don’t use it consistently, you won’t maximize the amount of rewards that you can earn with it. It’s as simple as that.

Tip No. 2: Online and Offline Points Are a Must

Another little tip when trying to save money on groceries with an app that I’ve learned from my boys is to make sure you find an app that helps you save money both online and off. My little guys get lost in their digital worlds so easily, that it always makes me think about how in 20 years even more of our lives will start to be lived online, and that includes grocery shopping.

I’ve started to do even more of my grocery shopping online, using programs like Amazon Pantry. This is especially the case when there are three soccer practices in a week, and I just can’t eke out the time I need to run to the store. A few clicks on Amazon and I can have chips for their lunches, Clif bars or breakfast cereals sent straight to our door. That’s why I need an app that also helps me save money when I’m shopping online. It’s absolutely vital.

Tip No. 3: Find the Perfect App

The last tip that I have for you today is also maybe the most obvious, but you simply must make sure that you find the perfect app. For me, that app is called Shopkick, and how it works is that it gives you points for the shopping activities that you already do every day, things like looking at products online, going down the aisle browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for free gift cards.

What’s great about Shopkick is that it’s super easy to use, which makes it no problem to use it consistently.

What’s great about Shopkick is that it’s super easy to use, which makes it no problem to use it consistently. It also turns every trip to the grocery store into a fun little scavenger hunt for points. In other words, I enjoy using Shopkick so much, that it’s not even a chore to make sure I use it consistently. Oh, and it’s one of the best shopping apps out there for rewarding you for the grocery shopping that you do online. It’s just so versatile and fun! I highly recommend it!

With three growing boys at home, correctly managing my grocery shopping budget tends to be a never-ending battle, much like satisfying their appetites. However, with a great app like Shopkick, it all becomes so much easier.

The guys can’t wait to be taller, and I get that. I also know that there are going to be so many more grocery bills between where they are now and the day they reach their maximum heights. This can bring on a bit of anxiety sometimes, but with an app like Shopkick to help me save money, you know what? I think I’m ready to handle it.

Ready to start finding your own ways to save money on groceries with an app? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping with us can be!

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

Image courtesy stokkete

Everything you need to know about Prime Day

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Kick Writers

Prime Day is on the horizon! Whether you’re an Amazon addict or opportunist, you won’t want to miss these 36 hours of enormous savings.

Find all you need to know about this year’s legendary savings

Amazon’s annual Prime Day is one of the best shopping events of the year. Amazon Prime day starts at 12pm PT on July 16 and runs through 11:50pm PT on July 17. This year, Amazon Prime Day is bigger than ever with hundreds of thousands of unbeatable deals sitewide for all Prime members. New savings will be announced every day, and Prime members can shop new deals as often as every five minutes.

But remember! You need to be a Prime member to take advantage of these amazing deals.

Get a front row seat to the best deals of the year

Don’t miss out on Prime Day 2018. Sign up for Amazon Prime to get exclusive access to deals on Prime Day, along with great year-long perks. As a bonus, get a $20 Amazon.com gift card when you register for your first 12-month Amazon Prime membership through Shopkick.

How to get a free Starbucks eGift card for your next bestie coffee date

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Kick Writers

I must admit that I am a creature of habit. I know, it sounds so boring! But that’s just the way I’m wired. Anyway, because of this, I have a standing monthly coffee date with one of my oldest and dearest friends. Her name is Jeanette and we’ve actually known one another since grade school! Can you believe that? I pride myself on keeping in touch with my besties.

Anyway, Jeanette and I both just so happen to love Starbucks, from a plain cup of the blonde roast right on down to fancier things like mochas and—my personal favorite—flat whites. We’re also both in fun places in our lives now where we’re raising our families…while also managing the complicated budgets that go along with that. Long story short, the last time we met up, one of the main topics of conversation was whether or not we could find a way to earn a free Starbucks eGift card for our next bestie coffee date. And I’m happy to report that yes, I have found a great way to do just that!

In fact, this discovery has been so great for me, that I’m now using it to earn free Starbucks eGift cards, as well as gift cards to many of my other favorite stores. It’s been so great that I just have to share my discovery with all of you! So, get ready to be caffeinated, because I’m about to tell you about a fantastic and foolproof way that you can earn a free Starbucks eGift card for your next bestie coffee date, too!

How to Get a Free Starbucks eGift Card Through Shopping Rewards Apps

I haven’t even told my old friend Jeanette about this yet (I’m going to surprise her!), but I’m happy to share it with all of you because that’s how helpful it’s been for me. My secret for how to earn a free Starbucks eGift card is this simple new concept called a shopping rewards app, and how it works is that it gives you rewards for shopping. What kind of shopping? Basically, all of them! From clothes shopping to shopping for groceries!

There are a few different ways these apps work. Some of them are what I like to call coupon apps, and what they do is re-create the old clipping paper coupons experience, either by offering you a number of coupons to pick from online or letting you use the app to scan and store actual paper coupons that you come across on your own. The other type is a lot more fun because it rewards you for real-life activities that you do anyway when you’re shopping. I’ll go into more detail later, but essentially you just download the app, shop, and collect points that you can trade for free Starbucks eGift cards. Yes, it really is that easy!

The Best Shopping Rewards App to Earn Free Starbucks eGift Card

While there are quite a few shopping rewards apps to pick from, my absolute favorite one to use to earn free Starbucks eGift cards is Shopkick. How it works is that Shopkick gives you points for things like going into certain stores, scanning barcodes to learn more about certain products, and scanning your receipt once you’ve made your purchases. If it sounds like it turns all of your shopping trips to the store into a super fun scavenger hunt for points, that’s because it really does!

One other reason that Shopkick is my absolute favorite of all the various shopping rewards apps is that Shopkick also lets you earn points toward more free Starbucks eGift cards when you do your shopping online. I don’t know about you, but these days my shopping routine has turned into a hybrid between actual old-school, physical shopping and shopping online. What’s great about Shopkick is that it also rewards you for things like making purchases online, visiting certain online stores, and watching videos about certain products. I just love that kind of versatility!

Jeanette and I have been old friends for so long that we always have a million things to talk about when we see each other for coffee, but this time I have our first conversation topic all planned out. I’m going to smoothly and slyly offer to pay for the coffee with my eGift card, and then I’m going to mention how I earned it. That should get us off to the races and talking about shopping rewards apps.

And when it comes to shopping rewards apps, I just can’t stress enough that I highly recommend Shopkick. It’s super versatile, it works at almost all of my favorite stores that I frequent, and it turns every trip down those aisles into a super fun scavenger hunt for points. In fact, I’ve started to like my time with Shopkick so much that I can barely remember what life was like before I had it, much like my long-time friendship with Jeanette! I really hope that you heed my advice here and give Shopkick a spin for yourself. I just know that you’re going to love it as much as I do!

Get to know one of the best shopping rewards apps that you can use to get a free Starbucks eGift card for your next coffee date, as well as one of the best shopping apps, period. 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.

Image courtesy photoCD

3 ways to earn free Fandango tickets for a summer blockbuster bonanza

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Kick Writers

I have a secret to share today: I was kind of a nerd growing up. I was really into Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel comics—you name it. If it had capes or spaceships or crazy sci-fi ideas in it, I was a big fan. I remember back then my friends and I used to read a lot of comic books, and one thing we always talked about was how cool it would be if Hollywood started turning these stories and characters into movies. Well, as I’m sure you’ve probably noticed, that dream of ours has come true.

This summer has been a crazy one for blockbuster movies based on the nerdy stuff that I used to like as a kid. It started in the spring with Black Panther (which I loved!), and then it kept going with Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. In fact, there were so many cool comic book movies early this year, that I started to get a little behind. I’m not even ready for the next movie Ant-Man and the Wasp, but you know what would help me keep up a little better with all of this? Free Fandango tickets to the movies so I could see all these nerdy summer blockbusters without having to worry about my budget.

Thankfully, I’ve found some great ways to earn free Fandango tickets—three of them to be exact—and that’s what I want to share with all of you. Another thing that’s really surprised me about all these comic book movies is how much mainstream success they’ve had. I love that I can talk about Iron Man with my aunt, my neighbors, and my co-workers when 12 years ago none of them would have known Tony Stark from Adam. So, let’s get you all some free tickets so you can join me at the movies!

Earn Free Fandango Tickets by Signing Up for Fandango VIP+

My first suggestion for earning free Fandango tickets is to sign up for the Fandango VIP+ program, which you can do right on Fandango’s website. This is a pretty simple, tried-and-true customer loyalty points program. For every ticket you buy to a movie like Deadpool 2, you get 150 VIP+ points. Once you earn 600 points, you can unlock a new reward from Fandango.

My favorite reward for summers that are as full of blockbuster comic book movies as this one is, of course, free tickets, but there are other prizes too. Some of the other things that you can earn from Fandango VIP+ include movie gear, movies that you can stream at home, and other discounts on tickets through Fandango. If you use Fandango as often as I do (which is a lot), you’ll be earning these rewards in no time!

Earn Free Fandango Tickets by Finding Promotions

This one takes a little bit more effort, but it’s still very much worth it. You know when you’re out shopping at Target and they have all those movies for $12 or less near checkout? Well, keep an eye on the label of those because a lot of them have feature stickers advertising promotions that allow you to earn free Fandango tickets or discounted movies.

And it’s not just with the movies at Target. In fact, recently I’ve been keeping an eye out when I go grocery shopping and I’ve noticed chances to earn free Fandango tickets through promotions that come along with the purchase of different products. Some of the ones I’ve seen as of late include cereal, freezer bags, and yogurt. Just make sure to keep an eye out for them the next time you go shopping.

Earn Free Fandango Tickets With Shopkick

This last one, though, is my favorite way to earn free Fandango tickets. It’s called Shopkick, and how it works is that it’s an app that gives you points for things you do whenever you go out shopping, things like walking into the store, scanning barcodes to get more information about certain products, and scanning your receipts once you’ve made your purchases. There are also tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more!

Now, instead of dreading my trips, I get excited about hunting through the aisles to maximize my points. It’s really cool!

Once you get enough of these points—which the app calls kicks—you can then trade them in for Fandango gift cards, or for gift cards to plenty of other stores. It’s entirely your choice. There are two main things that I like most about Shopkick. The first is versatility. Shopkick works at so many of my favorite stores, including my all-time favorite, Best Buy. The second is that Shopkick turns going into the store—something that used to feel like a total chore—into a fun scavenger hunt for points. Now, instead of dreading my trips, I get excited about hunting through the aisles to maximize my points. It’s really cool!

So there you have it. Based on the success of these movies, I don’t think this trend of summer comic book blockbusters and old sci-fi is going anywhere soon, which means we’re all going to have to keep looking for new ways to score tickets. Unless we want to start missing some of them instead, which for me isn’t really an option.

While there are a few different ways to score free Fandango tickets I would highly recommend using Shopkick. It really is a great way to not only earn free Fandango tickets but to turn shopping into something that you actually look forward to, which in itself is totally worth it!

Ready to start having fun with your shopping while at the same time earning free Fandango tickets for your own summer blockbuster bonanza? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping 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 LightField Studios

3 apps that help you save money when shopping with friends

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Kick Writers

One of my favorite activities to do with my girlfriends has always been shopping. I guess it started way back when I was just a little girl when my mom and aunt would take me and my cousins out shopping to our local mall. Then it continued when I went to high school, and a fun Friday night was all about searching for the best new tops at the mall. So many memories! The tradition of shopping with my friends has even followed me into adulthood.

These days, everyone in my circle seems to be living busy lives, and we can’t always find time to catch up over drinks, or brunch, or coffee like we used to. So what do we do? We find ourselves once again going shopping together! Even if it’s just out for groceries or for a quick run to Walmart or Target. We even shop together online. Oh, and like time, another thing that’s more limited these days than it once was is our budget. So, we obviously spend a lot of time trying to save as much money as we can once we hit those aisles, and, believe it or not, we’ve actually found some new technology to be helpful. That’s why today I want to talk about three apps that help you save money when shopping with friends.

I’ve always loved shopping with my friends. It’s just so much more fun when you have someone to help you decide if you should purchase that cute top, or even to brag a little bit about the deal you got on shampoo last week. I also, of course, love saving money with helpful apps, I mean, who doesn’t? That’s why combining the two is such a no-brainer for me, and I’m 100 percent sure that you’ll love these apps, too!

Apps That Help You Save Money With Friends

#1: Bestie Shopping

I’m not quite from the generation that calls all of their friends “besties,” but I definitely know what the word means, which is why I want to talk about an app called Bestie Shopping. This app is basically a social media app for shoppers, and with it, you can follow stores you love, view products posted in many different categories, and—this is my favorite part—share your favorite items and deals with your friends.

The best part of Bestie Shopping is that it’s so easy to fit it into your schedule since it’s basically all online based. Like I mentioned above, one of the biggest challenges these days is to find time to actually go out shopping with your friends. Well, with Bestie Shopping you can recreate that old experience of going to the mall with your besties whenever and wherever with your phone. Plus, I don’t know how many times one of my friends has pointed me in the direction of a great deal that helps me save money. This app helps you really save money and that’s a win-win!

#2: SnipSnap

The next entry on our list is an app that I like to use for shopping with my friends when we all have a little bit more time. It’s called SnipSnap, and the way that it works is you take photos of coupons from newspapers, junk mail, or circular ads, and the app converts those coupons into mobile, digital versions that you can redeem when you’re actually in the store with your phone or tablet.

What my friends and I like to do sometimes is set aside a whole afternoon (time permitting, of course), and meet up at one of our houses with all the coupons that we can find, usually also with coffee or wine, depending on the time of day. Then we pass around our coupons and start using SnipSnap to log them in our phones. Sometimes we head out shopping together afterward, but sometimes we also go our separate ways and use them later. It gives you that flexibility, which is also quite nice!

#3: Shopkick

The final app on our list today is also my favorite. It’s called Shopkick, and one of the main reasons that I love it so much is that you can basically use it to shop your way to free gift cards! How it works is pretty easy too. Basically, you just do the normal things you do when you go shopping, things like walking into the store, scanning certain items to get more information about them, and scanning your receipt after making purchases. In exchange, Shopkick gives you points that you can redeem later for free gift cards!

Shopkick is also a ton of fun to use with your friends. It basically turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt for points. Me and my ladies love to go out to the store together and share tips on where to find the items to scan that give you the most points. We also like to use Shopkick’s social media channels, where we can jump into threads that are filled with more tips about using the app, as well as a bunch of super fun memes and jokes. I just can’t recommend this one enough!

Those are just a few of the apps that help you save money with friends that I’ve found to be worthwhile. There are, of course, a ton more out there, and I’d encourage you to give some of them a shot! I really hope you’re able to gain the same experiences as I have.

Oh yeah, plus you can start earning gift cards that are just as good as cash. And I don’t know a shopper alive who’s not interested in doing that!

I’d also strongly suggest using Shopkick. It really does turn every trip out to the store these days into fun, whether you end up going with your friends or all on your lonesome. Oh yeah, plus you can start earning gift cards that are just as good as cash. And I don’t know a shopper alive who’s not interested in doing that!

Ready to start taking advantage of the best of these apps that help you save money the next time you’re out shopping with your friends? 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 stokkete

Stay entertained with kicks this summer from Fandango and Hulu

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Kick Writers

Check out two new places to earn kicks online through the Shopkick app! Get access to binge-worthy TV series and hit movies with a Hulu membership. Use Fandango to discover the hottest new movies this summer. Plus, earn kicks!

Lights, cameras, kicks!

Check out three new places to earn kicks online through the Shopkick app. Snag cutting-edge fashion on ASOS, discover hundreds of brands online on HSN, and find the latest looks for all women on Lane Bryant, all while earning kicks for your purchases. What’s not to love about getting rewarded for being fashionable?

Fandango – 3 kicks per $1

Check out the summer’s biggest blockbusters on Fandango! Plan your whole movie night from watching trailers, reading reviews, finding movie times, to buying tickets online. What’s more, you’ll earn kicks for every dollar spent when you shop through the Shopkick app.

Hulu – 1980 kicks

Hulu brings all your TV to one central place. Hulu offers thousands of movies and TV shows, allowing you to watch your favorites anytime, anywhere. Plus, you can earn a whopping 1980 kicks when you join Hulu through the Shopkick app. What’s not to love about getting rewarded for getting entertained?

Happy shopkicking!

How it works

Shopkick rewards you for the shopping you already do. There are many easy ways to earn reward points (we call them kicks). Redeem your kicks for free gift cards and enjoy. It’s that easy! With a wide selection of gift cards available from Starbucks to Target, Sephora to Amazon, you can be sure to find the perfect gift card to treat yourself.

Don’t have Shopkick yet? Download it now and to start earning rewards today!

The Top Cash Back Apps for Techies in 2018

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Kick Writers

Part of being a techie is not just keeping up with all of the latest and greatest devices. That’s important, of course, but it’s also about following major tech companies, social media platforms, and app developers in the news. I kind of follow these companies like I do sports, looking out for the rookies that I think are going to become stars someday. I’ve even noticed that there’s a trajectory those companies tend to go through: they start with an idea, then they get funding, then they start developing their idea so that it also incorporates a public-facing component, and finally they find a way to generate revenue.

It’s a kind of tried and true trajectory of the tech development world at this point. What’s funny to me though, is that I recently realized that I’ve started to take a similar path as a technology and app user. Crazy, but true. This is my path: I discover or hear about a new app or device, I spend money to get it, I play around with it, and finally, I start to use it to make money. Sometimes that means using it to make my work day or my personal life more efficient, and other times it means exactly what it sounds like. This is especially true of cash back apps.

Now, you might just happen to be totally unfamiliar with the concept of cash back apps, and, believe me, that’s okay because that’s exactly what I’m going to talk about today. Cash back apps are exactly what they sound like: apps you can use to get cash back for certain activities. In fact, today I’m going to do you one better than simply sharing the definition with you. Today I’m going to be talking about some of the top cash back apps for techies in 2018. When you’re done, hopefully, you’ll find yourself on a path to earning some of your cash back.

The Top Cash Back Apps for Techies 2018: CoSign

One of the most common and classic tech success stories has to do with social media platforms. As the storyline goes, someone starts a website in a garage or on a college campus. At first, they think it’s just going to be for a certain group or type of person, and then all of a sudden it explodes and ends up being worth A TON of money. At various points, we saw this happen with Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram to name a few. I have to say though, my all-time personal favorite just so happens to be Instagram, because I love sharing my photos with friends. This is also why I like using CoSign because it is an app that offers rewards.

CoSign lets me get rewarded for upgrading pictures to social media, which, let’s face it, is something that I would be doing anyway. Using CoSign, I just tag images that I put up on Instagram (or on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) with information about any products that just so happen to be in my pictures—stuff like my sweet new laptop bag for work, or my cool new sneakers that I only wear sometimes because I’m not trying to get them scuffed. With CoSign, you can tag tech products, books, movies, clothes—even food. Then, if your followers and friends happen to buy any of the items that you post, you get a commission of up to 35 percent, depending on the product, which CoSign then pays you out through PayPal or gift cards, which are as good as cash at stores.

The actual gigs on Gigwalk are pretty varied in terms of what they entail, but they basically all have to do with helping brands make sure that their products are visible. It’s kind of like the app is briefly contracting you as a field marketing rep. So, as a user, you might get asked to go out to a store and take pictures of how a certain company’s branded displays look, or you might be asked to go out and verify that certain prices are still clearly listed on retail shelves. For your troubles, you get rewarded by getting cash back. I don’t usually get up and leave my home to do any of these gigs, but I do glance at the available tasks whenever I happen to be out and about running errands or getting some quick exercise at work by going for a walk.

#3 Ipsos

When I was younger, I used to have a reputation around my house for having strong opinions. It didn’t really matter what we were talking about—dinner, movies, toys, cartoons—I usually had something to say to my mom and my sister about it. I guess that’s why I like the next cash back app for techies on the list so much. This one is called Ipsos, and it is focused on gauging public opinion, especially when it comes to finding out what the population thinks about some weightier topics such as advertising, politics, and other things that often tend to be hot sources of debate on the national level, you know, the things that your parents maybe told you not to discuss in mixed company.

The average user of Ipsos gets about eight survey invitations a month, which can be accepted or declined. Like I said, someone like me who has a long history of voicing his feelings is probably going to accept all eight, but how many you do in a given month is really left up to your discretion. Users can earn points for completing each survey, and those points can then be cashed in for prizes, including gift cards that are 100 percent as good as cash, especially seeing as you get to pick which store the gift cards are from. The number of points earned per survey depends on its length, difficulty, and other factors, such as what demographics you belong to. I guess Ipsos can tell what I like to talk about because I often find myself getting a lot of surveys about one of my favorite things: technology.

#4 Shopkick

I don’t try to play favorites with my devices and apps—mostly because I have way too many and that would be really hard—but I think of all the top cash back apps that I’ve been using to make money in 2018, my favorite is this app called Shopkick. I don’t hate shopping, but it’s also not my favorite thing in the world. The reason that Shopkick has become one of my favorite cash back apps is that it has actually helped me look forward to my trips out to the store. If you would have asked me if I thought something could ever make me excited to go out to the store a few years ago, I probably would have laughed. I just always used to see shopping as a hassle, something that takes up too much of my valuable time.

How this app works is actually pretty simple: you go out and you do all of the same things that you do whenever you go to the store, things like physically walking into the store, scanning the barcodes on certain products for more information, and, of course, making your purchases. Once you’re finished, just use the app to scan your receipt, and Shopkick then dishes out all the points that you earned that day for your efforts. You can then trade in your points for gift cards to many of your favorite stores, and, as I’m sure you are well aware of, those gift cards are just as good as cash. Another really cool thing about Shopkick is that it also just so happens to have a grocery list functionality, which is really helpful for someone like me, who hardly ever uses pencil and paper these days to make lists. Without a grocery list app on my phone, I’d be a million times more likely to forget all the things I needed.

Finally, one last thing that I really like about Shopkick is that I can use it to get rewards for both shopping online and in person. In those cases, instead of getting points for walking into a store or for scanning the barcodes on a certain item, I instead get my points for watching product videos online, and, of course, for also making purchases. There’s just so many ways to get cash back with Shopkick.

#5 Swagbucks

It’s not quite as good as Shopkick, but another cool cash back app for techies that I’ve been using a lot in 2018 is Swagbucks. Most of the ways to earn your cash back through Swagbucks are things that techies like me (and I’m guessing you too if you’re reading this) do online already, including searching, playing games, watching videos, and taking surveys. All you have to do is incorporate Swagbucks into your daily digital routine. It’s that easy.

For example, I open up the Swagbucks app, just as I would any of my social media apps, and check out the many ways to earn points. I might take a survey, watch an informational video, or do whatever else the app is awarding points for. Swagbucks doesn’t pay that great—usually just $0.01 to $0.36 per task—but if you’re always on your device, like me, that can add up. Once you get at least $3 you can cash out via PayPal or gift cards.

It’s amazing how much we can do from the palms of our hands with smartphones. In the early days of smartphones, I can remember being excited because I was able to check and send emails for work from anywhere. Nowadays, there’s so much more I can do, including using a wide array of cash back apps.

I like using all of them, and they’re all a valuable part of my efforts to get cash back from using my smartphone, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be Shopkick. Not only is it the most effective, but it helped me—that’s right, me—start to look forward to going out to the store. Now that’s a piece of technology that I can get behind.

The highest kicks of the season are HERE!

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Kick Writers

Don’t miss HUGE upcoming kicks in stores and online! Our Blue Weekend event runs from June 8, 2018 through June 10, 2018. Check out the kick plan below to see how to earn your kicks during the biggest kick event of the season, or open the app to start earning kicks now!

BIG KICKS IN-STORE

June 8 – 10