b2c Archives - Page 21 of 31

The best grocery apps to earn rewards for shopping

Posted on April 18, 2018 by shopkick

Just like some big city grocery store, the app marketplace is really crowded these days—so crowded that it can sometimes be hard to pick which app is best for a specific task. I swear I spent a year searching for the best grocery app to earn rewards for shopping. Why the dedication? Because I shop a ton—I have three hungry boys at home after all—and quite frankly I like saving money. A lot.

I’ve given many of the contenders for best grocery app a whirl over the past year or two and now, to save you some time and effort, I’d like to share my favorites. These are all apps that let you earn rewards for the shopping you do anyway. They’re all sure to help you save some serious cash, too!

My First Grocery App: Ebates

Ebates was the very first grocery app I tried when my boys were young, and it was another mom who tipped me off to the idea of shopping apps. Ebates is a centralized platform where shoppers can search for deals and coupons from more than 1,800 retailers, saving you money when you shop online. I used Ebates for a few months, and it really did help me start to stretch my budget.

Eventually, though, I started to wish there were cash back apps like Ebates that could do a bit more to bolster my budget. So, I ended up seeking out newer apps, many of which are way more fun to use! Finding a grocery app to earn rewards for shopping that is also fun to use is key because then it’s much easier to remember to use it. At least for me anyway!

Best Grocery App for Couponing: SavingStar

What I liked when I started using SavingStar was how it reminded me of the days when I used to clip coupons. While that’s fun and nostalgic, it’s nice not to be bothered with all that paper anymore! Which is where SavingStar comes in. SavingStar is a digital coupon app that pays users to shop at grocery and drugstores.

More than 60,000 stores are part of SavingStar. For a long time, it was my companion app to another shopping rewards app, Ebates, since I’d use Ebates online and SavingStar in the real store. Some words of warning, though: SavingStar is generally free to use, but if an account is inactive for 180 straight days, they will charge a fee of $3.99.

To take advantage of SavingStar, users either link their existing store loyalty cards to the app or submit receipts after they make purchases. Rewards add up until they can eventually be cashed out through PayPal, Upromise, or in the form of Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theater gift codes.

Best Grocery App to Earn Rewards for Shopping: Shopkick

In the end, I discovered the best grocery app to earn rewards for shopping, one that is also a ton of fun to use—Shopkick. What Shopkick does is give you points—called kicks—for things you’re already doing when you shop, like buying products, scanning the barcodes on featured items for more info, and even just walking into some stores. Then, you can turn those points into gift cards to your favorite stores.

Shopkick essentially turns all of your trips out to the store into a scavenger hunt for points.

Shopkick essentially turns all of your trips out to the store into a scavenger hunt for points. I’ve had a blast challenging myself to maximize points, which has added up to huge savings. I’ve also started to use Shopkick’s social media channels, which is a fun way to meet other Shopkickers. I’ve spent hours upon hours on Shopkick’s Facebook page sharing shopping tips with other moms and funny memes, and just talking about life in general.

Feel free to try out some of the other shopping apps out there, but if you want to avoid endlessly searching the crowded app marketplace, take my word for it and download Shopkick, ASAP. It’s the only shopping rewards app I actually look forward to using when I head to the store!

Get to know one of the best grocery apps to earn rewards for shopping. Download Shopkick 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 Wavebreak Media Ltd

Fun apps where you can make money for shopping

Posted on April 16, 2018 by shopkick

I like to use a spreadsheet on my computer to keep my budget. From talking with my family and friends, I know I’m not alone. In fact, I think most everyone I know is now tracking their finances this way, and why not? It’s super handy, easy to use, and you can access it via your mobile devices from pretty much anywhere!

I’ve also learned, though, that there are ways that my particular budgeting habits stand out. I seem to be the only one who has something on her books called “The Fun Budget.” Basically, The Fun Budget is exactly what it sounds like: the money I allocate each month to having fun. These days for me that tends to be brunches with my besties, happy hour with my crew, or weekend dinners at nice restaurants with—you guessed it—my friends. What can I say? I’m a social gal!

Today, I want to talk about how social butterflies like me who can’t ever seem to get enough time with their friends can make extra money just by using fun apps where you can make money for shopping! Of course, I do have a shopping budget, which is money I set aside for clothes, groceries, household products, and more. It’s money I absolutely have to account for and, to be quite honest, it isn’t always fun to spend. But, with the apps I’m going to talk about today, shopping actually becomes a treat, while also helping me save money—money I can funnel right back into my Fun Budget!

3 Fun Apps Where You Can Make Money For Shopping

There are actually many different kinds of apps where you can make money shopping, including gig apps, rewards apps, and coupon apps that help stretch your budget. They’re generally free—and if they aren’t, I say avoid them! They’re all pretty intuitive, too, and a whole lot of fun to use! Most importantly, these are apps you can use to get money back on your purchases or even to make extra money while you’re doing your weekly shopping!

Gigwalk

Gigwalk can be a blast if you walk a lot, especially around an urban or suburban area. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt for odd jobs. The way Gigwalk works is that the app gives you a map based on your location filled with red pins. When you select these pins, odd jobs pop up. They could be things like verifying product prices at certain stores or taking pictures of retail product displays. All of the gigs can be done quickly while you’re out doing your shopping.

The fun part comes in trying to find the jobs that pay the most. The prices for jobs can range anywhere from $3 up to as much as $100 and the money you make goes directly into your PayPal account. I’ve personally only seen a $100 job on my app once or twice, and, to be totally honest, I didn’t make it in time! But that’s all part of a scavenger hunt, I suppose. Anyway, I’ve had a blast using Gigwalk while I’m out shopping. It’s even given me a chance to practice my amateur photography because most of the tasks that Gigwalk asks you to do have to be verified through photos. So, that’s fun too!

SnipSnap

SnipSnap is one of the apps that falls under the designation of coupon app. This one works a lot like paper coupons worked back in the day: you use SnipSnap to take photos of coupons that come in the newspaper or your junk mail and then the app transforms the coupons into digital, mobile-ready versions. The payment here comes in the form of the discounts you get on items you buy, letting you transfer saved money from your Shopping Budget to your Fun Budget!

I have a lot of fun using this app because it reminds me of when I was a little kid and my mom and I used to scour the paper and the mail for coupons together. (Usually while having cookies and tea!) Truth be told, most of the time when I’m using SnipSnap now, I still treat myself to cookies and tea. Anyway, you can also use SnipSnap to browse online directories of coupons your friends have snipped and, you know me, I love that kind of social element!

Shopkick

Last, but by no means least, we have my favorite of the apps where you can make money for shopping—Shopkick! The beauty and fun of Shopkick is that it basically turns the routine shopping you have to do anyway into a game. How it works is that it gives you points—called kicks—for everyday shopping routines, which you can later redeem for gift cards to your favorite stores.

For example, if you walk into featured stores, you get points; if you scan the barcodes of certain items in those stores, you get points; and when you scan your receipts after making purchases of certain items, you get even more points! It turns shopping into a fun quest for points, which add up to more savings.

You really can’t go wrong with any of the fun apps where you can make money for shopping, but, if I had to choose a favorite it would definitely be Shopkick. There are just so many different ways to earn points! And, quite honestly, the scavenger hunt setup is the most fun for me.

You really can’t go wrong with any of the fun apps where you can make money for shopping, but, if I had to choose a favorite it would definitely be Shopkick.

I’ve also had a blast engaging with other users on Shopkick’s Facebook page. There’s a really cool community of like-minded folks on there who love to share things like Shopkick tips and the latest cool meme their friends have sent. Hopefully, you’ll get hooked like I have and soon we’ll be there together, hunting for new deals and sharing ideas on how to earn even more kicks!

Looking for a fun app that lets you make money for shopping? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of Shopkickers who love the rewards of shopping with us!

Or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and check in every day on your phone, no matter where you are, to learn about the hottest, newest deals.

Image courtesy Jirapong Manustrong

Refresh your home for Spring with big kicks from Kohls.com

Posted on April 16, 2018 by shopkick

Spring has sprung, but it’s not too late for a spring refresh. From silky new sheets to plush towels, you’ll find everything you need to make your home feel fresh and new at Kohls.com.

Plus, for a limited time, earn 10 kicks per $1 spent when you shop through the Shopkick app. That’s more than five times the normal kicks!

Spring refresh

Find great deals on home décor, clothing, and more for the whole family online Kohl’s online. Open the Shopkick app and check out some of our favorite finds for fresh bedding, chic furniture, stylish accents, and more!

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

Happy shopkicking!

The 8 best shopping list apps for saving money

Posted on April 13, 2018 by shopkick

A few years back, I thought I knew everything there was to know about how to save money while grocery shopping. I guess you could say I was cocky, but I thought I was a pro at things like clipping coupons, finding the best prices at certain stores, and knowing which grocery items and household products to buy in bulk.

Then, technology caught up with me—and my world turned upside down. I discovered the shopping rewards app, apps that you download to your smartphone and use to save money when you’re out shopping. Some of them function like electronic versions of coupon clipping, others are branded apps offered by retail stores, and then there are the third-party apps that give you points you can trade for rewards when you buy featured products. As someone who has long been interested in saving money on everything from groceries to toiletries to clothes, I have since made it my mission to familiarize myself with shopping rewards apps.

If you’ve never heard of these apps, don’t worry! I’m going to share with you my list of the very best shopping list apps and the ways you can (and should!) use them to save money. Maybe you’re like I used to be—you think you know all there is to know about running a tight shopping budget. Maybe you’ve gotten cocky, too. Well, take it from someone who’s been there: There’s always more to know!

Essential Features of the Top Shopping List Apps

For the uninitiated, a shopping list app is exactly what it sounds like: an app that helps you make a shopping list. These apps also have a number of wide-ranging features but, what’s most important in my opinion, is that any of them can help you save money on your bill—if you learn how to make the most of them.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most valuable features all the best shopping list apps for saving money should have, including:

ChefTap:

If you want to get technical about it, I guess you could call ChefTap a recipe app. However, it also allows you to organize the groceries you need to make the recipes on the app. One of its best features is the ability to save your previous lists. With ChefTap, if you make a recipe and enjoy it, you can then save that list and load it for easy access in the future. If time is indeed money, ChefTap can help you save that way, too. It’s one of the rare shopping list apps that tells you where you can physically find ingredients for its recipes in your local grocery store.

Shopkick:

I try not to play favorites, but when it comes to the best shopping list apps for saving money, there’s definitely one that stands out as my preferred go-to: Shopkick. It’s actually the only app on our list that has all of the features we discussed above. As soon as you open it, there’s list of popular stores there on the homescreen – close by to where you are, or online. Once you find the items you need and tag them in your list, Shopkick shows you how many rewards points you can earn by buying it. It’s so easy to use.

The best part about Shopkick, though, is that it combines your list with opportunities to save and earn free stuff. Shopkick gives you points—called kicks—for the shopping behaviors you do every time you go to the store anyhow, things like buying the products on your list, scanning barcodes of certain items for more info, and even just walking into certain shops. Then, you can turn those kicks into gift cards to your favorite stores! Plus, because it’s kind of like a scavenger hunt for points, Shopkick makes shopping fun, too! How great is that?!

Ultimately, all of these are great shopping list apps for saving money, but if you could only choose one, I’d say to go with Shopkick. The thing is, it’s not just one of the best shopping list apps for saving money, but it’s also one of the best free smartphone apps that pay you money, period. And, there’s a lot of competition out there for that title! Believe me, I know; I’ve definitely shopped around.

The thing about Shopkick is that not only does it check all of the boxes when it comes to great features, it also has the best rewards programs. With Shopkick, there are so many fun and different ways to earn rewards points that every trip out to the store turns into a little scavenger hunt for savings. You can’t put a price on that! Not even when you’re using one of these apps.

How to Get Free Kicks on Shopkick

Posted on April 11, 2018 by shopkick

For as long as there have been apps, there have been hacks for apps. In fact, my one friend—let’s call him Shady Jay, he’d like that—is always telling me about them. I’m more into tech and apps than anyone else in our friend group, so I’ll bring up an app and Shady Jay will say, “But, hey dude, did you know there’s also a hack for that?” At this point, it’s kind of like our own little comedy routine.

I’m really into this one shopping rewards app called Shopkick. For those who haven’t heard of it before, how it works is that Shopkick gives out points for the things you do already whenever you go shopping. You then redeem those points for gift cards to your favorite stores. I’m kind of obsessed with Shopkick, and I talk about it all the time. So, there I was telling all my friends about it yet again, when Shady Jay said, “But, hey dude, did you know there’s also a hack for that?” I looked at him, rolled my eyes, and told him that, yes, I know plenty of ways to score tons of points with Shopkick.

That’s what I want to talk about today: how to get free kicks on Shopkick. There’s a lot of variety here in how to grab a ton of kicks—which is what Shopkick calls its points—for minimal amounts of energy. Also, if you start to follow some of the advice I’m about to lay out, you may just start talking about Shopkick all the time, too!

How to Get Free Kicks On Shopkick for the Least Effort

The thing about Shopkick is that it gives you points for making purchases—and a lot more. You can also earn kicks for scanning items in a store to get more info, and sometimes even just for walking into a store! In fact, since I’ve started using Shopkick, I think I’ve racked up more points by scanning items and just walking into stores than I have for making actual purchases (though I get quite a few points for that too).

In my experience, the best way to get free kicks on Shopkick is to make a point of planning ahead to figure out which stores and offers give you the most points for the least amount of effort. Sometimes, what I like to do before heading out shopping, is to check which stores have the most scannable items for kicks, and then prioritize going to that store.

How to Get Free Kicks on Shopkick by Shopping Online

One of the things I’ve always loved about Shopkick is that it gives you ways to earn points for both shopping at a brick-and-mortar store and for shopping online. Let me share what I’ve learned about how to get free kicks on Shopkick for shopping online. I’ve been a huge online shopper since online shopping became a thing, so I’m more comfortable shopping there, anyway.

Just like shopping at your local shop, though, there are plenty of ways to earn points quickly for shopping online, and some of them don’t even involve spending money. Here are my favorites:

Watch videos on your phone: Open the Shopkick app each morning and earn kicks while you have your coffee. Simply visit the Discover tab to see what’s playing today. Also, perusing Shopkick’s lookbooks might just inspire your next gift or makeover… as well as contain an “instant surprise” kick for free!
Make purchases on your phone: One of the great things about using Shopkick on your mobile phone for online shopping is that you often don’t even have to buy specific products. Sites such as Etsy, Overstock, Amazon Fashion, Booking, Hotels.com, and many, many more give you kicks for every dollar you spend. Isn’t that a great thing?
Make purchases on your computer: Go to www.shopkick.com and log in using the same credentials you use to log into the app. Here, you’ll find plenty of additional stores, some of which are easier (and more fun) to purchase from via computer rather than phone—like Macy’s and JC Penney.
Shopping on both the computer and your phone means more convenience, more variety, and of course… more kicks!

The All-Time Best Strategy for How to Get Free Kicks on Shopkick

Honestly, though, the all-time best strategy for how to get free kicks on Shopkick is to make sure that you use it each and every time you go shopping. And that’s easy given how easy and how convenient and fun it is to use! You get points for walking into stores, points for scanning certain items for more info, and points, of course, for making purchases. It really does turn every trip into a fun scavenger hunt for points. Consistency is key though: The more you use it, the more the kicks start to add up. And, of course, more kicks equal more gift cards and savings!

So, there you have it, plenty of great ways how to get free kicks on Shopkick, and I didn’t even have to borrow any of them from good old Shady Jay. These are all hacks from my own personal repertoire.

Get to know the many different ways to get free kicks on Shopkick and start collecting gift cards today. 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 Kurhan

How to scan your grocery receipt for cash back

Posted on April 6, 2018 by shopkick

I spent years clipping coupons. They’d come to me two ways: in flyers that came in the mail, and in my Sunday paper. I’d stack them all up, sit down with a cup of tea and a pair of scissors, and go through them methodically, snipping my favorites, which I’d then tuck into a coupon organizer that I kept in my purse.

What can I say? It was a great way to save money during college, and then during my early twenties, and then right up until the present when I have a family of my own and three growing boys. It pains me to say it, but recently I had to retire this old practice. Not because I stopped wanting to save money (never!) but because new technology gave me other ways to save. Now, I’ve moved on to scanning my grocery receipts for cash back.

If you’ve never heard of this marvel, don’t worry. It’s a relatively new way to save, one that’s been made possible largely by shopping rewards apps. Basically, how this all works is that after you’re done shopping you just take a quick second to scan your grocery receipt, and in exchange, you get points you can later trade for cash or gift cards! No coupons necessary. I know it’s a new concept, which is why I’d like to spend a bit of time today explaining how you can scan your own grocery receipts for cash back, too!

The 411: How to Scan Grocery Receipts and Get Cash Back

The single most important thing to know about how to scan your grocery receipt for cash back is that you need an app that turns your receipts into cash back. There are a variety of these apps on the market, but the best are shopping rewards apps, which give you cash back or gift cards for the shopping you do anyway. That includes, of course, scanning your grocery receipts. Also, you want an app that gives you many different opportunities to earn points, that you’re able to use at your favorite stores, and that is a blast to use.

Once you have the app that’s right for you, the rest is quite easy. You just open the app, choose the store receipt you want to scan, and point your smartphone at the receipt. Voila!

To Turn Grocery Receipts Into More Cash Back, Make a Routine

Back in my coupon clipping days, I’d generally save anywhere from $.50 to $10 a week. In and of itself, that doesn’t seem like a lot of money. However, I was not just an occasional coupon clipper, I was a regular, and over a year that can add up. Maybe $52 a year isn’t much, but $520? That can make a huge dent in your budget!

These days, I find the key to scanning grocery receipts for the most cash back is consistency. In order to establish a habit, I just made scanning my grocery receipt a part of my regular shopping routine. Now, whenever I finish shopping, I take a moment in my car to use one of the top retail shopping apps for cash back to scan my receipt right then and there. I make sure I do it before I even leave the parking lot. In the beginning, it took a little patience and remembering, but now I hardly even give it a second thought. I just crank up the tunes and scan away!

For the Most Cash Back From Grocery Receipts, Set Goals

Another tactic from my old couponing days that has proven useful with these news apps is setting savings goals. I remember back when I was sitting down with my stack of ads every Sunday, I’d make a little game out of my savings by setting a goal. Usually, I’d put it at $8, but sometimes if I was busy I’d drop it down to $6, or if I was feeling especially ambitious I’d up it to as much as $20!

I’ve always loved a good challenge, and so setting goals like this was an engaging way to make sure I stuck to my coupon cutting routine. These days I’ve made scanning my grocery receipts for cash back a major part of my shopping routine, but I still like to challenge myself. As I’ll show you in the next section, all my favorite rewards apps give you fun points for your purchases, so what I like to do now is set a goal of a certain amount of points and see if each week I can beat it! Feel free, of course, to develop your own system that works for you.

Make the Most of Scanning Grocery Receipts for Cash Back With the Right App

In my opinion, the absolute best shopping rewards app is called Shopkick, and how it works is 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 and scanning your receipts. You can then trade those points for gift cards to your favorite stores. It’s as simple as that!

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 and scanning your receipts.

It’s quite a bit easier to navigate than the old coupon clipping system was, and I have a ton of fun with Shopkick. I’m always setting points goals for the week, and then beating them, whether I’m doing it by scanning my receipts, by scanning the barcodes of certain items in the store, or by combining the many different ways there are to earn points.

Scanning my grocery receipt for cash back with Shopkick has become just a part of my everyday shopping routine, and I hope that with everything you’ve learned, it becomes part of yours, too. I remember way back when I clipped coupons I’d see other shoppers at the store with their little binders of coupons, too. Now I see them using Shopkick instead and it warms my heart!

Ready to have some fun scanning your grocery receipt for cash back? 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

How to get Shopkick points fast and earn a gift card a month

Posted on April 4, 2018 by shopkick

So you’ve been Shopkicking for a while now, and you’re wondering if there are ways to improve your game. Did you know that some Shopkickers consistently earn enough kicks for a free gift card a month?

Whether you’re saving up for a big payout for the holidays, a birthday, or a family vacation; you want to reduce your Walmart, Target, or Amazon bill each month; or you just like to treat yourself to a fancy Starbucks drink every week, take a hint from some master Shopkickers. Here are there top tips on how to get Shopkick points fast—and earn a gift card a month!

10 Top Pro Tips to Get Shopkick Points Fast and Earn a Gift Card a Month

1: Make A Plan

Go with a mission in mind.

Christy McElwain from Ohio plans her shopping trip around kicks in advance. “I make a plan before I leave the house. I end up doing a big circle and I don’t end up wasting time or additional gas.”

Donna Panelli from California makes a list of scans in the same order as her grocery list, and maps that list out based on their locations in the store.

“If you want to go a step further,” notes Melissa Barker from Dallas, TX, “you can add the kick items to your shopping list with an asterisk* to make sure you don’t miss a thing!”

Becky Kaloczi from Ohio tackles Best Buy by focusing on a few key areas, such as video games, small appliances, and electronics. By doing so, she says she can get in and out with 100 scans in an hour!

2: Team Up to Get Shopkick Points Fast

Go Shopkicking with your friends and family to rack up kicks more quickly.

Virginia Doyle-Diamond from Navarre, FL says, “Go Shopkicking with a friend who also has Shopkick. You can find kicks faster by telling each other which aisle certain products are on.”

Cheryl Avery Bigelow from Las Vegas, NV recruits her kids to help track down where products are located in the store as a scavenger hunt. “Not only do I get kicks,” she says, “but it makes shopping fun for my kids.”

Shopkicker Doug Miller from West Palm Beach, FL has even teamed up with other Shopkickers he’s met in the aisle! “The most fun I ever had Shopkicking was at a Target in Palm Beach,” he says. “We met another couple doing the same thing, teamed up, and got through several hundred kicks in record time. The four of us went out for drinks afterward and laughed ourselves silly comparing each other’s Shopkick stories.”

3: Get Your Invite Kicks

You can get Shopkick points fast kicks by inviting friends, making it one of the speediest ways to earn a gift card a month. If you’re going to recruit friends and family to go kicking together, don’t forget to have them download using your referral code—and get your kicks for inviting them!

Lara Gonzaga from Fort Worth, TX even earns an extra 250 kicks when she’s out Shopkicking by telling others about it in the aisle. “While you’re out Shopkicking, start asking people close by if they have the app,” she says. “If they say no, tell them briefly about it and send them an invite to join right there in person!”

4: Make It a Habit

Nicole Cribbs from North Carolina says, “It only takes 21 days to form a new habit. You just have to get in the habit of checking Shopkick every time you walk into a store!”

Shopkicker Diane Kesel from Syracuse, NY starts her morning by checking Shopkick alongside her coffee.

Carolyn Brown from North Carolina recommends checking the app wherever you are. You never know when there could be a store close to the gym, office, or whatever, and “you never know when you might land those jumbo kicks,” she says.

5: Make Shopkick Part of Your Workout

The best way to make Shopkicking part of your routine? Make it part of your fitness routine!

Susie from Sarasota is walking her way to 10,000 steps and kicks on the weekends. “Shopkick is my cardio” is her mantra, and she loves to get rewarded with free gift cards for all the steps she puts in while on scan missions.

Got a full day planned for getting those steps in alongside your kicks? Kyle Jackson from Ocoee, FL says don’t forget to “wear comfortable walking or running shoes!” 😉

6: Create a Date Night

We know of at least one husband and wife team that makes every Friday night a shopkicking date night.

Suzanne McLaughlin Reil from Titusville, FL and her husband even make a full day of it. “We first hit our local stores to grab everything we can, then head to East Orlando (about 30 minutes away) to do a movie, meal, and Shopkick some more,” she says. Suzanne and her husband often finish their date off with a treat at Starbucks using their kicks for a gift card.

7: Go for the Big Kicks

If you haven’t linked your card or aren’t doing your online shopping through Shopkick yet, you could be missing out on major kicks every time you make a purchase.

Michele Carrera Patterson from San Diego says, “make sure all your cards are linked. I get a lot of kicks by using my debit and credit cards!”

Susan Perryman from Los Angeles, CA (she even works at Shopkick) also scores major kicks when booking her travel on Hotels.com and Booking.com through Shopkick.

It’s no surprise—travel can often account for some of your biggest purchases, so why not get kicks every time you book?

8: Don’t Forget the Discover Tab

Pro Shopkickers know never to miss new kicks in the Discover tab.

“Check your app daily and use the Discover section to gain a few kicks,” says Surbhi Kasbaum from Orange County, CA.

As a bonus, Shopkicker Wendy Chan from California says that while scrolling through Shopkick for surprise kicks she often learns about latest trends. “I find some awesome products that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.”

9: Make Sure Your Alerts Are On

Don’t you hate it when you leave a store and realize you forgot to take your app out? Make sure your Shopkick notifications are on so you receive handy reminders to open the app when there are kicks nearby!

“I always have my notifications on so I can be notified that I’m able to get kicks while shopping,” says one Shopkicker.

10: Have Fun

Finally, a Shopkicker from Brooklyn, NY says: “The best tip I can give is to just HAVE FUN while Shopkicking!”

We couldn’t agree more!

Want to jumpstart your plan to earn a gift card a month? Login now, refer a friend, and start getting Shopkick points fast!

Image courtesy Ivanko80

Celebrate National Walking Day and get free stuff

Posted on April 2, 2018 by shopkick

Everyone knows the big holidays, days like Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and Halloween, but did you know that almost every single day on the calendar has a themed celebration to go along with it? I know at my house we certainly do. In fact, we’ve even made it a point to start celebrating some of these more obscure holidays!

March 3, for example, was National Cold Cuts Day, so we went out and made ourselves some deluxe cold cut sandwiches. Another good one: October 7 is National Inner Beauty Day, which we honor at our house by celebrating the personal qualities that make each member of our family special.

One of our favorite days, however, is actually National Walking Day! It happens during the first Wednesday in April each year, and it’s just such a wonderful chance to get out of the house and into the spring weather to enjoy one of my favorite simple activities: walking! From the store, around the neighborhood, on a hike—you name it.

At my house, we like to celebrate National Walking Day while also earning some free stuff, whether that’s a T-shirt for completing a 5K (walk, not run!), cash for a task done for a stranger, or—my favorite—gift cards just for walking into certain stores! There are plenty of ways to celebrate National Walking Day and get free stuff, and today we have a helpful little guide to some of the best.

Celebrate National Walking Day and Get Free Ts

One of the cool aspects of National Walking Day is how charity groups use it as an occasion to host 5K events to raise money for worthy causes. Walks tend to vary by geographic region, but in the past, my friends and I have participated in National Walking Day 5Ks that raised money for everything from the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society to some more localized, grassroots causes.

I’m pretty tuned in to the events in my area, but you can easily hunt down a great event (and, of course, a free t-shirt that comes with it) by searching online for “National Walking Day 5K” plus the name of your area or by going to an event site like Eventbrite. And hey, if you participate you’ll not only help others and collect a prize, you’ll also get your steps in—and then some.

Step It Up on National Walking Day and Get Paid

We’ve talked quite a bit in the past about the best free smartphone apps that pay you cash, and it just so happens that one of those apps has the word walk right in the title. I’m talking here about Gigwalk, which is a great fit for users who do a lot of walking in a city or even a suburban setting, especially one that has lots of shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

Gigwalk is free to use, and how it works is that you open the app and see gigs—short projects or jobs or tasks people are paying to have done—posted on a map. These gigs will be represented by red pins, and when you click a pin you get details and specific instructions about what you have to do to complete the gig. This usually includes something random like taking a photograph of a display in a certain store. These gigs can take anywhere from just a few minutes to up to a few hours and pay ranges from $3 up to $100. That’s right, $100! In my experience, though, those lucrative gigs are highly sought after and usually rare. The money goes into your PayPal account after you’ve completed a gig.

Celebrate National Walking Day and Get Free Gift Cards

The app I really like to use for getting free stuff on National Walking Day is called Shopkick. It’s a shopping rewards app that lets users earn points—called kicks—for the shopping they do normally. It rewards you for things like making purchases, scanning barcodes of items, and even for just walking into some stores! Once users accumulate enough kicks they trade them in for gift cards.

To get some kicks this National Walking Day all you have to do when you’re out walking is open up your Shopkick app, go to the “earn” tab, and look at the list of kicks that are nearby. Now, these will vary by location, but in my area, there are plenty of stores like as 7-Eleven, Walgreens, and Target that offer kicks. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to using Shopkick on National Walking Day—you can earn kicks by walking into stores 365 days a year. You can also earn kicks by scanning certain items within that store for more info and by making purchases as well. Shopkick has been such an incredible boost for my budget!

The real point of the day is to just get out of your house and enjoy a nice walk of course, but that shouldn’t stop you from raking in some savings, too.

So, there you have it, three great ways to celebrate National Walking Day and to get free stuff while you do. The real point of the day is to just get out of your house and enjoy a nice walk of course, but that shouldn’t stop you from raking in some savings, too.

Who knows, maybe you’ll get hooked on using Shopkick like I am? And maybe you’ll also get hooked on celebrating these silly and fun obscure holidays. Why not, right? There’s no day that can’t be brightened with a little bit of fun!

Learn all the ways you can use Shopkick to get free gift cards while celebrating National Walking Day. 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 djoronimo

The top 5 money saving apps for college students

Posted on March 28, 2018 by shopkick

I’m a really cheery person, and I have fond memories of pretty much all eras of my life, but if I was pressed, I might have to admit that my absolute favorite era was my college years. From the friends in the dorms to the stimulating classes to the late nights walking home after long hours studying in the library—I love, love, loved it all!

I even loved being a broke college student, as the stereotype goes. While I know there’s nothing fun about being broke, it did force me to find creative ways to make the most out of the part-time job I worked on campus! I think about those days a lot—about all the times I ate ramen for lunch or went shopping for something that I had a coupon for. The thing I think about most, though, is that these days there are so many glorious money saving apps!

Pretty much everyone in college these days has a smartphone, but what they might be missing out on between Snapchats and WhatsApp is the fact that that very smartphone could actually help them save money. All they need to do is download certain apps. So, that’s what I’d like to talk about today: the top 5 money saving apps for college students!

Money Saving Apps for College Students #1: The University Network (TUN)

I may not be a college student myself, but I talk about shopping rewards apps so much that I’ve gained a reputation for wanting to hear about all the latest money saving apps my friends and colleagues are into. I think this is why the interns in my office always like to share info about their favorite apps with me!

Anyway, the first on my list is one the young people turned me on to recently, TUN, which stands for The University Network. What it does is connect the intrepid college students who download it with discounts exclusively for local students, textbook savings, and rewards that are available on purchases around town. Oh, and because everyone knows that college is all about studying, it also points users toward free activities, like concerts and sporting events, in their area, too.

Money Saving Apps for College Students #2: UConnection

Speaking of how college can’t just be all about the studying, the next app on my list today, UConnection, works a bit like TUN in that it connects users to local opportunities for savings. This app, however, has a bit more of a local feel to it.

UConnection ranks as number one in food and drinks apps for college students because it offers exclusive deals at local hot spots and also allows users to network with one another. Nightlife is a big part of college, after all. It’s literally where the phrase “beer money,” comes from. This app gets that, pointing students toward the best ways to save money on the nightlife activities they engage in.

Money Saving Apps for College Students #3: College Foodz

This app is specifically tailored for college students—folks who are looking to take a break from their dorm cafeteria and go out to eat. We talked about it recently when we talked about the best smartphone coupon apps for fast food connoisseurs, and it’s still a great choice for users who want to save money on fast food.

Students can use College Foodz to find new dining spots near their school and to discover exciting local food deals. Plus, if they indicate their favorite dining spots, they can get notifications about deals as they are being offered or earn rewards that come in the form of coupons whenever they rate their dining experiences within the app.

Money Saving Apps for College Students #4: Epicurious

So, yes, while some of the apps on this list are great ways to save money while going out to eat, this one takes a different approach to food-based savings. Epicurious makes it easier for everyone and anyone—from a busy mom to a business exec to a coed—to save money by preparing meals at home.

With Epicurious, users can search more than 28,000 recipes, basing their searches off of customizable fields including what’s already in the kitchen, recipe difficulty, and more. I’ve actually used this one at my house and I can honestly say that it’s a great way to save money and to broaden your cooking repertoire.

Money Saving Apps for College Students #5: Shopkick

I’ve saved my favorite app for last! It’s called Shopkick and it helps you save on all the shopping you do already, whether you’re in college or many, many (ahem, many) years removed. Basically, how it works is that it gives you points for various aspects of shopping, all of which are things you do whenever you go out to store, anyway. These include walking into the store, scanning barcodes on certain products to get more info, and, of course, making purchases.

I should also point out it’s a game-like app you can share with your friends, too! Think of it as a scavenger hunt for savings and points.

You can then trade these points in for gift cards to a ton of stores. I personally like to use this app to get gift cards for groceries and other household items in order to bolster my budget, but I can definitely see college students using it to get gift cards they can save for late night Starbucks runs during finals! That’s another benefit of this app: the number of places you can get gift cards for means that with Shopkick you always have a ton of options! Oh, and since I know college students like to have fun, I should also point out it’s a game-like app you can share with your friends, too! Think of it as a scavenger hunt for savings and points.

I wish I’d had Shopkick in college. Who can say for sure, but my guess is it would have meant fewer dinners of ramen and soda. I mean, I wouldn’t trade the memories of those nights for anything, but I also wouldn’t want to have to do them again!

So, there you have it. All five of these apps are great options for college students looking to save money, and some of them—especially Shopkick—are also wonderful ways to save money as an adult, too. I highly recommend checking out Shopkick, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

Get in on one of the best money saving apps for students—and for tons of other shoppers, 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.

Image courtesy SeventyFour

Free grocery list apps with prices and rebates

Posted on March 26, 2018 by shopkick

When I was growing up, my mom had this fancy notepad mounted on the wall beside our old-school green refrigerator, just below the landline phone. (Remember those?) This notepad was where she kept the always-changing grocery list where she would write down anything she ran out of midweek and any ingredients she needed for a special recipe. My mother was—and still is—really conscientious. She plans everything and I seriously doubt she ever went shopping for groceries without one of these lists. Not once in her entire life.

Times have, obviously, changed since then. For starters, my house doesn’t have a landline and we certainly don’t have a giant lime-green refrigerator. I also don’t have a notepad pinned to the wall. But, like my mother, I never go to the store without a list. I simply use my smartphone, specifically a grocery list app with prices, instead.

These sort of apps are great for several reasons. First, you have them with you wherever you take your phone, which, let’s face it, is everywhere these days. The second is that they make managing your budget easier because they feature prices for the items you buy. And that’s what I want to talk about today: the features that all good grocery list apps should have, and, of course, which free grocery list app with prices (and also rebates) is my all-time favorite!

The Must-Have Features for Every Grocery List App with Prices

Because there are a ton of different free grocery list apps with prices out there to choose from, it behooves shoppers like us to know which ones are the best, the easiest to use, and, of course, the most effective at creating extra space in our budgets!

Here are some of the features ideal free grocery list apps with prices should have:

Shows Prices and Saves Money: Obviously, any good grocery list app should have these two things. When you add an item to your list, you should be able to see how much it will cost; otherwise, you’re essentially just using a fancier version of a notepad. But, the best of these apps should have a means of saving you money, too, whether it’s through some sort of reward point system that ultimately gives you credit at your favorite stores or through online couponing. Either one works!
Search Function: The ability to search for various items is also key. Instead of wandering the aisles of your favorite local grocer in search of whatever you need, you open your app whenever you think of something you need, do a quick search, and add the item to your list. Some apps even let you order your list by area of the store—beauty and personal care, household supplies, frozen foods, for example—so you’re not doubling back all the time. I mean, we all need our exercise, but c’mon!
Popular Items Reminders: Even the most conscientious shopper out there (which I honestly think might be my mom) tends to forget items from time to time. That’s why it’s necessary to find a free grocery list app that can remind you of the most popular items that other shoppers are hunting for as well. Basically, it gives you a little nudge in case you happen to regularly forget things like toilet paper.

The Best Grocery List App with Prices

Now we get to the best part, the free grocery list app with prices and rebates that just so happens to be my very own personal favorite. It’s called Shopkick, and it has all three of the features I mentioned above, but it especially wins the rebates and money-saving category. In the big picture, Shopkick gives you points—called kicks—for things you already do, like buying products, scanning the barcodes on certain items for more info, and even just walking into some stores. Then, you can turn those points into gift cards to your favorite stores.

Shopkick also has a great shopping list app that you can use for everything from keeping your groceries organized to making a list of the kids’ summer clothes. As soon as you open the app it shows you all the nearby stores offering kicks, which can help you decide that it might be better to get your razors at Rite-Aid than Kroger’s, say. When you add certain items to your list—like pasta sauce, for instance—Shopkick will also show you which brands or products are offering extra points for purchase (or even just for scanning the item), and at what stores. You can use this to really rack up the kicks and earn lots of rewards fast. Once you find the items you need and tag them in your list, it even organizes your items by department so you’re not running back and forth between aisles while you’re shopping.

Another cool aspect of the app is that it lets you discover sales and cool trending items. And, the app even shows you deals for a lot of the things you discover and add to your shopping list. Super cool!

I would never criticize my mama’s old-timey-notepad-beside-the-fridge system, but I must say that I think using my favorite free grocery list app with prices and rebates is a way better system.

I may be a good daughter, and I would never criticize my mama’s old-timey-notepad-beside-the-fridge system, but I must say that I think using my favorite free grocery list app with prices and rebates is a way better system. It’s fun to use, and basically makes every trip to the store into a fun game to save money. Plus, it literally helps me find points that will save money in my budget in the future. I’ve never seen a notepad do that!

I highly recommend giving Shopkick a chance, if not for the list functionality then for all the savings it offers. Added plus: Shopkick hosts some really cool social media channels where I’ve personally found oodles of great recipes (and hilarious memes) through all my Shopkicking friends. Give it a chance and see for yourself, friends!

Learn how you too can benefit from the best free grocery list app with prices and rebates. 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 HighwayStarz

The best apps to save money on groceries

Posted on March 23, 2018 by shopkick

When you’re raising three young boys who are only a few years apart, you have to reconcile yourself to a few truths: Your house is always going to be loud, you’re going to need plenty of Band-Aids, and someone will always, always, always be hungry. Seriously, grocery shopping for me these days feels like trying to satisfy never-ending appetites! I love my boys more than anything, but buying as much food as I do on a weekly basis can be a challenge for the budget.

Over the years I’ve had to get creative with how I save money on groceries. There was a time when that meant endlessly clipping coupons. But as my boys have grown, so has the technology available to help with your budget. I’m talking specifically about some of the best apps to save money on groceries.

There’s actually a wide variety of these apps, many even make it feel like you’re getting paid to shop, and I think that I’ve tried them all. What can I say? Having three hungry boys at home calls for desperate measures. Today I want to share what I’ve learned about these apps, go over what features the best apps to save money on groceries should have, and give you a list of my personal favorites.

Gets social:

One of the key ways to maximize your savings with the best apps to save money on groceries is to actually use the app as much as possible. I find that if an app has a supportive social media community attached to it, then I’m more likely to get excited about using it. It also helps me to never forget it when I’m at the store. The best shopping apps have super fun social media channels where you share tips, jokes, and stories about being a shopper and a mom with fellow users.

Coupon Cactus:

Coupon Cactus is a lot like those old paper coupons as it gives you certain discounts on certain items at certain stores. The big difference is that with this app you can use those coupons online, too. Sometimes your savings come in a set amount, like $2 off a featured product; other times you get a percentage off, generally up to 30%. Once you’ve gotten your savings up to $10 or more, you can cash out via PayPal or get a check issued on a quarterly basis. It’s always a great day when that check comes in the mail.

SavingStar:

SavingStar is another digital coupon app that pays users to shop at grocery and drugstores. What’s really cool is that more than 60,000 stores are part of SavingStar, and those stores actually represent more than 100 retail chains. So, chances are good that your favorite grocery store will be on there. It’s generally free to use but beware: If an account is inactive for 180 straight days SavingStar will charge a fee of $3.99.

To take advantage of SavingStar, users either link their existing store loyalty cards to the app or submit receipts after they make a purchase. The savings add up until the user can eventually cash out through PayPal, Upromise, or in the form of Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theatre gift codes. Again, I’m most likely to use PayPal because I can put the money right back into my budget, although sometimes I’ll go with AMC Theatre if there’s a new Star Wars movie coming out that the boys really want to catch.

SnipSnap:

The last coupon app on my list is actually the most traditional in that this is one lets users take pictures of actual physical printed coupons, which it then transforms into digital, mobile-ready ones. Users can browse online directories and take advantage of coupons their friends have “snipped” as well, which is a really cool social function that I use quite a bit. This one doesn’t exactly pay, though. Instead, users save money, like with a traditional coupon, at the register.

The best part about SnipSnap is that your coupons can all be easily kept in one digital space, instead of having an overflowing little billfold stuff with paper, or a junk drawer brimming with coupons you’re sure to forget about until after you get home from your grocery run.

The Best Shopping Rewards Apps to Save Money on Groceries

How shopping rewards apps work is pretty simple: you go to your grocery store, do your shopping like normal, and you get a certain amount of points for the shopping behaviors you would be doing anyway. Then—and here comes my favorite part—you can trade those points for gift cards to your favorite stores, which can open up some serious space in your budget! Best of all, and I’ve talked about this in the past, you can maximize your savings by combining shopping rewards apps with the coupon apps!

Here are my two favorite shopping rewards apps:

Ebates:

I enjoy Ebates because it has a user-friendly design that makes everything on the page clear and easy to find. It also gives you a certain amount of money back on purchases, like 3% cash back at Amazon, which is where I often order non-perishable groceries for the boys in bulk—like six boxes of Cheerios or four boxes of Clif Bars for those soccer weekends. One of my favorite things about Ebates is how fast you get your earnings. In fact, Ebates gives you money back within 48 hours. Or, you can get your earnings back each quarter in the form of a paper check. It’s your choice with Ebates.

Shopkick:

I’ve used all the best apps to save money on groceries, and I can safely say that Shopkick is my favorite. It also just so happens to be a total blast. The app gives users points, called kicks, for doing the grocery shopping they would be doing anyway, like making purchases, scanning barcodes of items, and even just walking into some favorite stores. How it works is incredibly simple, and it basically turns shopping into a game, like a scavenger hunt.

As an added plus, Shopkick is also really social. Their social media has a great community vibe, and users get awarded kicks when they refer friends who sign up. Users trade in kicks to get paid in gift cards to the stores they love to shop (or to splurge on a quick Starbucks treat, which is something I love to do).

Best if all, Shopkick lets you maximize all your savings because it can be combined with the best coupon apps. So, you can use coupons to take money off at the register, and then get kicks for the money you spent, which you can then turn into gift cards!

Last but not least, I want to note that many of my favorite places to get groceries—Walmart, Target, and even Whole Foods—have their own savings apps with all kinds of great features. And, I’m able to combine these internal savings apps with my personal favorite, Shopkick, in order to save even more on groceries!

While I could take all the money I’m saving using these apps and spend it on a nice vacation right now, until then I’m super happy to have the extra space in my budget. After all, you never know when one of the boys will come home from school and need new gym clothes or extra school supplies for a project he just happened to forget to mention was due.

Gather huge kicks over Blue Weekend

Posted on March 21, 2018 by shopkick

It’s time for Shopkick‘s largest kick event of the season: Blue Weekend! But hurry — these major kicks are only available March 23, 2018 through March 25, 2018!

It’s Blue Weekend!

The hunt is on for huge kicks! Gather up kicks in stores and online March 23 through March 25. Snag over 8,000 kicks by walking in, scanning, submitting receipts, and purchasing with your linked card in stores all weekend long. Plus, earn up to 15 kicks for every dollar spent online through the Shopkick app March 24 – March 25 at stores like eBags, Jet, Overstock, and many more!

Happy shopkicking!