New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday. I just absolutely love it. The reason is twofold: 1) I’m a well-known party aficionado and there’s no better night for a good party and 2) the next day is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.

A fresh start on what, you might ask? Well, on whatever you can think of! As usual, this year I have a few resolutions. You know, all the regulars like hitting the gym more often, taking more time for myself, starting a new hobby, and, of course, saving more money. What’s a little different this year, though, is how I’m planning to turn that resolution into a reality. My plan is to use shopping apps to get free gift cards. Go ahead, say wow. I know, I had to take a moment when I first learned that I could get paid to shop. You just go shopping, do the tasks or activities the apps award points for, and then trade your points in for gift cards!

So, how does this boost my 2018 budget? Well, as I see it, I have to shop for things like groceries anyway. So, basically, I use my shopping apps when I hit the supermarket, then I get rewarded in gift cards for my purchases, and then I use those gift cards to buy myself something nice. (Ok, I use them to buy something I was going to buy anyway, like my Starbucks fave, a flat white.) But instead of doling out cash for my coffee, I get it for free. All because I bought my daily groceries.

I use my shopping apps when I hit the supermarket, then I get rewarded in gift cards for my purchases, and then I use those gift cards to buy myself something nice.

Still, my New Year’s resolution is a little more complex than just “use shopping apps.” I want to use shopping apps to get free gift cards more often than last year. (And spend less on things I was going to buy anyway.) So, I came up with a plan to help me make that goal, like sharing my successes and keeping myself accountable because, obviously, the more we use these apps, the more gift cards we can earn! So, buckle up, I’m going to share all three parts of my newest New Year’s resolution with you.

Resolution No. 1: Get Social When Using Apps to Get Free Gift Cards

In my experience, the key to getting the biggest possible boost to your budget by using apps to get free gift cards is making sure that you actually have fun when you’re using those apps. The more fun they are, the more you use them. If you aren’t excited to use these shopping apps, you might even quit them altogether.

You know what makes things more fun? Doing them with your friends! That’s why I tell all my ladies about my favorite shopping rewards app. Sometimes, this results in us hitting the aisles together; other times we’ll just get together to swap store stories (kind of like war stories, but about shopping). Sometimes, it even means trading shopping tips via Facebook or Instagram with friends who are far away. It actually doesn’t matter exactly how you’re being social while you’re using one of these shopping apps, it just matters that you’re having fun doing it. Best of all, some of the best shopping rewards apps give you extra points when friends sign up!

Resolution No. 2: Use My Apps to Get Free Gift Cards When Shopping Online

When it comes to my favorite tech trends, having a shopping app to get free gift cards is second only to being able to buy anything I want online. I mean, where I live we recently had a major snowstorm, and when I noticed we were low on dishwasher pods it was Amazon to the rescue.

That’s why it’s important to make sure my shopping app works for online purchases. Why? Because if I’m going to buy my dishwasher soap in the store and get points for it, then I also want to be able to get those points if I buy dishwasher pods online. Just because so much of my shopping has moved to the web—hello kitty litter and toilet paper via delivery—doesn’t mean I should sacrifice rewards points. Otherwise, I’d be missing out on a big chunk of free gift cards!

Resolution No. 3: Use Apps to Get Free Gift Cards, Then Share My Success

On top of always wanting to boost my budget and save more money during the New Year, I’m also trying to go to the gym more. This year, I’m even trying some new fitness classes, like spin and hot yoga.

My favorite part is when I get home after a workout and my family asks how I’m doing, if I rode harder, if I held my poses longer, you name it. It’s a great way to keep myself accountable! So I thought, why have that excitement stop at the gym? Why not find a way to share my successes online with my shopping app as well? And you know what I found? My personal favorite shopping app has a thriving social media community where users share their success stories every day. I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me want to get back out there and use my shopping apps more than hearing about the successes others are having. And, of course, the more I use my apps, the more I save!

Making Resolutions Stick: The Best Shopping Apps to Get Free Gift Cards

Now what you probably want to know is what my favorite shopping rewards app is. Well, there are actually a few different shopping apps to get free gift cards to pick from, but to accomplish each of my three New Year’s resolutions, I think one stands out as working the best. I’m talking about Shopkick! It’s already been really easy to get all my ladies using this one, mostly because how it works is just so easy. In the simplest terms, with Shopkick you get points—called kicks—for walking into the store, for scanning certain products, and for snapping a pic of your receipt. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores. See? Easy!

Also, every time one of my friends signs up and uses Shopkick, I get 250 free kicks! And, Shopkick gives you points for your online shopping, too, which is another reason it’s the perfect app to help me with my budget resolutions. You get kicks for visiting certain stores online, for viewing select products, and for making mobile purchases and watching certain videos. Again, suuuuper easy. Plus, because Shopkick has a really great online community through Facebook and other social media, there’s a great incentive to keep using it and also to make good on my third and final resolution: sharing my successes!

You get kicks for visiting certain stores online, for viewing select products, and for making mobile purchases and watching certain videos.

I hope this has all been helpful for you, and I hope you have a great New Year, filled with totally dominating each and every one of your own resolutions. And finally, I hope to see you soon on Shopkick’s Facebook page telling me and, the rest of the great crew there, about your many, many, many successes!

Learn how you can start taking action toward your own New Year’s resolution to boost your budget and save some money. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Twitter or Instagram for daily shopping fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy bernardbodo

I love love, love spin class. My preference is generally to go about three times a week but, trust me, I would go waaay more if I could find the time. In fact, I’d be there basically every day if it was practical!

This explains why I recently had a crisis when my favorite spin studio moved to the other side of town after someone bought the old building it was in and decided to turn it into condos. I didn’t want to change studios! I had my favorite instructors, my favorite ladies to ride with, my favorite times to go… I even had a favorite bike! Following my spin-sters to the new location would have added so much drive time that I probably would have started missing sessions. So, I did what we all do when it comes time to find a new anything—I took to Yelp and Google Reviews to find nearby spin classes, then chose the most popular one.

The good news is, I’m really, truly happy at my new spot! The schedule is just as good as my old fave (maybe even better), the music is great and the sound system is fantastic, the instructors are intense but not too intense, and I’m even getting used to a new bike. The reviews also told me that this place is home to some of the friendliest riders around, and, guess what? They were right!

Of course, I miss my crew from my last spin studio, but I’m already making some great new friends here. I’m overall grateful I switched, and I’m super glad I could go online and easily find a place that other people in my community seemed to really like.

This is just one example from my own life of how I’ve recently discovered that popularity can be a good thing. There’s another one that I want to talk about today: retail shopping apps.

Retail shopping apps are incentive programs you use from your phone to get paid for the shopping you do already. I know, amazing right? Specifically, I want to get into which are the most popular free mobile shopping apps for earning rewards fast—maybe even as fast as I ride at my spin class! With that in mind, let’s take a look at what makes an app popular and why, starting with the features of my personal favorites.

Common Features of the Most Popular Mobile Shopping Apps

I admit that when Yelp, Google, and Amazon reviews first became a thing I was a little skeptical. I’ve always liked things that are just a bit outside of the mainstream and off the beaten path. What I quickly learned, though, is that even things outside the mainstream can score high in online reviews. To find them, you just had to know what qualities to search for. With restaurants, for instance, this meant looking out for adjectives like cozy, eclectic, charming, or little mom-and-pop.

In much the same way, I think it’s also important to look for basic features that are inherent to all of the best mobile shopping apps. Here are some common features that these apps simply must have:

• Compatible with both Android and iPhone: This one is a no-brainer. If an app is being ranked as among the most popular, it generally has to be available to users of both iPhones and Androids. It would be pretty hard to make any popularity list without being available to the largest number of users.
• Pays you to grocery shop: It’s no secret that my second favorite hobby (behind spin class, of course) is clothes shopping. But even someone who hits up Nordstrom Rack on a weekly basis like me still does more grocery shopping than anything else. We all have to eat after all, which makes getting paid to grocery shop a vital quality that all the most popular apps share.
• Works with multiple big retailers, both online and off: Any mobile shopping app worth having has to work with the stores that I frequent the most, like Walmart and Target. But, since it’s 2018, it’s also vital that, in addition to giving you points for shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, mobile shopping apps let you earn gift cards for shopping online.

Most Popular Mobile Shopping Apps Statistics

My personal favorite among the most popular mobile shopping apps is called Shopkick, and it has all the common features we mentioned above and then some. Don’t take just my word for it, though. Poking around online recently, I discovered statistics that show that in 2017, Shopkick was one of the most popular mobile shopping apps. When it came to apps you can use to get points at multiple stores, my personal favorite, Shopkick, is the most popular!

It’s easy to see why. If you’re not familiar, how Shopkick works is that it gives you points for shopping online or in-person for the things you already do during your normal shopping trips. If you’re in-person, this means you get points just for walking into a store, and for scanning the barcodes of certain items to get more info, and for taking pictures of your receipt after you’ve made your purchase. It’s a similar system for shopping online, except now you get points for visiting online stores, viewing products, watching informational videos, and for using your mobile phone to buy products. Easy! 

You get points just for walking into a store … and for taking pictures of
your receipt after you’ve made your purchase.

Change can be hard, but knowing what to look for and having crowdsourced info about the most popular options can make trying new and different things easier. Just look at me with all my new spin class ladies. You know how I know that these new ladies are becoming my friends? I’ve already got them using Shopkick! After spin class, we usually start by talking about how tough the day’s session was, then before you know it we’re into what our favorite recent specials on Shopkick have been. It’s a great way to bond!

Start using the most popular free mobile shopping app for earning rewards fast. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free sidekick.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy stokkete.

I have a theory that, years ago, it was easier to pick favorites. At a recent dinner party, we were playing a game where we went around the table naming our favorite songs, favorite movies, favorite books, etc. It was a great way to spark conversation and get to know each other, but everyone had trouble limiting themselves to one favorite anything. Maybe it’s hard because nowadays we have so much access to information. We use music streaming services with thousands of songs, movie streaming apps with thousands of movies, and audiobook services with millions of titles.

I think this was easier before all of these amazing apps! In high school, even shopping came with fewer choices. Back then, I’d go to the local mall every Friday and visit a regular set of stores. We only learned about the sales when we arrived. Now, with the advent of mobile devices, I base my retail routine around shopping apps that give you credits for buying certain products and for going to certain stores. My rotation of stores for electronics, clothes, jewelry, and even grocery has become much broader.

This is a great thing! Variety is the spice of life—and also the best friend of any serious shopper. A teeny tiny problem has arisen, though: There are so many shopping apps that give you credits to choose from! Don’t worry though, today I want to talk about how to choose a shopping app that gives you credit at your favorite stores—one you will be certain to use over and over and over.

5 Qualities That All Shopping Apps That Give You Credits MUST Have

At that dinner party with the fun favorites game, the hardest question for me to answer was the one about my favorite song. I love listening to music and making playlists. In fact, I have a playlist for just about everything I do on a regular basis: driving, writing emails, spin class, unwinding at night on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine.

Luckily, when it comes to picking a favorite among all the shopping apps that give you credits, you can look for a standard set of qualities. Here are the ones I prioritize:

1. It’s free: This seems like a super simple concept, but it’s worth remembering: To save money, you shouldn’t have to pay any money up front. That’s counterintuitive. The best shopping apps are free.
2. It gives you credits at many stores: That dinner party helped me realize that variety is something we all treasure these days, and the best shopping apps are no different. With so many stores and shopping options out there, you want an app that gives you points for shopping at a wide variety of stores, whether that means rewarding you for the clothes you buy or paying you to shop for groceries.
3. It lets you earn points for various shopping activities: There are some apps that only give you points for purchases, but others let you earn points for all the things you do during a typical shopping trip. The best offer points for purchases and also let you get paid for scanning barcodes to learn about products, and even for just walking into a store!
4. It pays out in gift cards: There are many different ways that these apps can pay you for shopping. Some send a paper check in the mail (um, 2001 called, it wants its payment system back) and some go straight to your PayPal account. Personally, I like an app that pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, because it’s just so much more fun that way, which brings me to my next point…
5. It’s f-u-n. Fun, please and thank you: The way to really up your savings with these apps is to use them on a regular and consistent basis.The best way to do that is to make sure the one you use is a ton of fun! My favorite shopping apps not only get me cash back on my shopping but also turn every trip to the store into a fun little scavenger hunt for points. This makes it so easy to remember to use them while I’m out and about.

The Best of the Shopping Apps That Give You Credits

Now that we have a wide variety (sensing a theme here?) in the qualities we’re looking for, it’s time to pick the app that does the best job bringing them all together! For me, that app is Shopkick. I just love the way that Shopkick does all the things we mentioned above, like letting me earn credits for shopping for everything from juice to jeans. Best of all, how it works is super simple and easy. You get points for all the things you do when you’re out shopping, like buying products, scanning barcodes, and even just walking into the store!

Another thing I love about Shopkick is that it plays well with others. In other words, if you have trouble picking just one of the shopping apps that give you credits and instead want to use multiple rebate apps to maximize rewards, Shopkick is a great choice! Plus, their social media network is a great place to talk about the app, or about anything else really. Fair warning, you’ll want to spend lots of time on there. I know I have!

I think 2018 is going to be the hardest year yet to pick favorites, but with shopping apps there’s really only one choice for me: Shopkick. Obviously, I highly recommend you give it a try. Of course, as we’ve figured out today, variety is the spice of life. Your favorite doesn’t have to be my favorite, but I’d be happy if it was! That’s because the fun factor really increases when there are other kickers out there to discuss it with.

Ready to get to know your own favorite of the shopping apps that give you credits? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy astremska.

Having three boys who are all pretty close in age can be a lot of fun. They’re always inventing games to play with each other, having loud and crazy video game sessions downstairs, and just making me laugh until my sides literally hurt.

I, of course, love that my boys get along so well, but sometimes wish they weren’t that close to each other, like when it’s cold season and, like clockwork, they all seem to get sick at the same. exact. time. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they plan it! One starts with the sneezing, sniffles, and runny nose and, before I know it, there’s a chain reaction of sick boys curled up in blankets surrounded by Kleenex.

Doctors visits, prescriptions, and jug after jug after jug of Gatorade don’t fit into my regular monthly budget; I never really plan to spend as much as I do each winter at the pharmacy. Luckily, I’ve become quite the expert at which are the best pharmacy rewards program apps—and why!

These pharmacy programs can really help you find products you need on sale and earn rewards points you can trade in later for cash back in the form of gift cards. If your family is anything like mine, believe me, the day will come when you’ll be grateful you downloaded your pharmacy rewards program apps.

The Best Pharmacy Rewards Program Benefits and Mobile Apps

Our town has plenty of pharmacies for me to choose from when my boys get sick, from CVS to Walgreens to Target to our local grocery store—and I think I’ve tried them all. As a result, I’ve enrolled in a pharmacy rewards program at basically every one of the pharmacies within driving distance of my house.

The first step when trying to maximize your savings is to enroll in multiple rewards programs. Let’s start with the branded store-sponsored programs first before we get into shopping apps you can use at multiple locations. Here are the best pharmacy rewards programs available from specific stores:

• Walgreens Balance Rewards: This is a simple program that gives you points for making purchases at Walgreens. When you accumulate enough points, you can trade them in for savings. It doesn’t get much simpler than that! The program is available on an easy-to-use mobile app, too. Another great benefit of this program is that it gives you access to something called Register Rewards, which are coupons you earn at checkout, usually somewhat related to the things you just bought. They won’t save you money on your first stop, but if you’ve ever had three sniffly boys at home, you know that you’ll probably be back at Walgreens in a day or two and can redeem your savings then.
• CVS ExtraCare: We are fortunate enough to live directly across the street from a CVS. So close, in fact, that when one (or all) of the boys are under the weather, I can just buzz on over there and grab them the tissues, juice, or decongestant they need to feel better without even starting up my car. Oh, and with the CVS ExtraCare program, I can take advantage of some fantastic savings while I’m there—2% cash back on most purchases, to be exact. Almost every time you use your CVS ExtraCare card, you rack up rewards points. Then, those reward payouts are issued to you on a quarterly basis, coming as a nice little surprise on the first of January, April, July, and October. Like the Walgreens Balance Rewards program, this one is also available on a mobile app, making it super convenient. Maybe 2% seems small to you now, but, trust me, it really adds up—especially during cold and flu season!
• Target REDcard: This one is a little different than the other two programs because it’s also a credit or debit card, but if you go to Target as much as I do, it really would benefit you to sign up! With this card, you get these great benefits:
  • 5% savings in-store and online
  • Free shipping on most products you buy online
  • Access to an extended return policy
    

How to Pair the Best Pharmacy Rewards Program with a Shopping App

My boys make a really great team—when it’s not cold season anyway—but one team I like just as much is pairing a shopping rewards app with the programs offered directly by my favorite pharmacies. My pick for the best shopping rewards app is Shopkick, which can be paired with any of the best pharmacy rewards programs I described above.

How Shopkick works is just so simple: I go to Target or CVS or Walgreens to get my boys their meds (or anything else the house needs) and Shopkick gives me points for the things I do while I’m out shopping, like scanning barcodes for more info on featured products, making purchases, and even just walking into some stores. When I’ve earned enough points, called kicks, I can trade them in for gift cards to my favorite stores. And, I can do all this while enjoying the many benefits of the store-branded rewards programs. It basically doubles my savings!

When I’ve earned enough points, called kicks, I can trade them in for gift cards to my favorite stores. And, I can do all this while enjoying the many benefits of the store-branded rewards programs. It basically doubles my savings!

Obviously, I’m never happy to see my boys start to feel crummy, but having these great rewards program apps on my phone to help lessen the costs has been a real lifesaver for me and my budget. I honestly don’t remember how I used to get by without programs like Walgreens Balance Rewards, CVS ExtraCare, and my shopping sidekick, Shopkick.

I could go on and on about the benefits of the best pharmacy rewards programs out there, but I think I just heard one of my boys sneeze. Now I have to listen for any subsequent coughing or sniffling; it may be time to run to the store again and rack up some more pharmacy savings and rewards.

Ready to combine your favorite pharmacy rewards program with the best all-in-one shopping rewards app? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your local Target, CVS, or Walgreens, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy leaf

The #1 New Year’s resolution among Shopkick users this year was to save money, with almost 65% of people we polled making this a goal in 2018!

But while many of us may still be feeling optimistic about our 2018 resolutions, many have also already dropped them to the curb. In fact, about 80% of us will forget our resolutions by week 6.

Let’s be honest: sometimes willpower is just not enough to stick to our plans in moments of weakness (looking at you, Starbucks!). Let us clue you in on a few secrets that will help you set your savings habits on auto-pilot and end your year with a bit more cash in the bank!

Spend less, save more

See how Shopkick can help users like Adriana M. meet their savings goals in 2018.

1. Buy in Bulk

Sites like Boxed and Jet.com offer amazing deals on everyday products when you buy in bulk, all delivered right to your door – it’s like Costco from home!

Stock up on staples you know you’ll go through like pasta sauce, healthy snacks (the more you have in the house, the more you’ll have to stick to that other healthy eating goal), or…wine, anyone?

Plus, get kicks for every $1 you spend on Boxed or Jet.com when you buy through Shopkick. Saving money for saving money? Inception!

Check out our roundup of some of the best bulk buys in the app this week.

2. Cook at Home

Research shows people spend an average of $2,000 a year on buying lunch alone! Add that to dinner for a family of 4 every night, and you can imagine how much you would be able to add to that piggy bank if you opted to make your meals instead.

Need the tools to get started, or maybe just re-inspired? Check out these great kitchen appliances from Walmart.com, as well as some other at-home sidekicks that will save you money over time when you make things like coffee and seltzer water on your own, too.

3. Make More Money to Save Money!

We know it sounds crazy, but the best way to save more money is to actually to make more money. So hypercharge those kicks and get paid for what you already do – shop!

Shopkick users rack up kicks to cash in for gift cards for everything from checking into stores and scanning products, to making online purchases, or even simply watching videos.

“Shopkick has been like a part-time job for me,” says April Mahoney from Houston, Texas. “It has helped me make money to buy items for myself and my business, as well as Christmas gifts for family.”

The best part? Shopkickers who save don’t have to sacrifice all their little indulgences or take away from their savings to do so!

Sarah Johnson from Bristol, TN, for example, plans to save money without having to give up her love of shopping. “The more I earn in gift cards the easier it will be to stick to a budget, because momma loves to shop.”

We’re with you Sarah!

Many Shopkickers use their gift cards to fund their annual Starbucks budget, while others save up for family vacations to Disney World with little to nothing out of pocket. After all, the third most popular resolution among Shopkickers this year? Enjoy life to the fullest.

So set a goal, earn more kicks, and save your paycheck for the important things.

Get Started

Visit the app to check out the latest kicks and start working toward your savings goal this year. Don’t have the app? Download it here to join the fun and start earning your free gift cards!

How are you using Shopkick to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions this year? Follow us on Facebook and let us know!

Without realizing what I was doing, I’ve apparently gotten most of the people in my life hooked on using retail store apps for their Android or iPhone. I mean, I’m well aware that I love using these apps, but I guess I hadn’t realized I’d been selling their greatness to anyone and everyone who would listen. You see, I’m a business major and, to me, shopping is serious business.

How most retail store apps work, whether for Android or iPhone, is pretty simple: shop, earn, and redeem. But what I wanted to know was how to make the most of them to really up my shopping game with a free app. I wanted to pinpoint what my college business professors might call a set of best practices for using free shopping rewards apps on my smartphone.

Let’s take a look at some of my personal recommendations for getting the most out of retail store apps—because you don’t have to be a business major to get down to the business of savings and rewards.

Free Is the Way to Be for Retail Store Apps for Androids and iPhones

Here’s a definition of what best practices are, taken straight out of my old college notes: Commercial or professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective. And here’s the definition of them that we’re going to use today: retail app usage procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective.

Now that we have that clear, let’s start with the most obvious tip I can offer when it comes to retail store apps for both Androids and iPhones: free is the way to be.

You simply shouldn’t have to pay a cent to use a great retail store app, whether it’s for a specific store or one you can use at all the spots you shop.

This is more than just a catchy little rhyme, it’s also vital to understand. You simply shouldn’t have to pay a cent to use a great retail store app, whether it’s for a specific store or one you can use at all the spots you shop. The point, after all, is to save not to spend. Or maybe I should say save while you spend in 2018.

Retail Store Apps Should Be Versatile

Since I started urging all my friends to use retail store apps for their iPhone and Android smartphones, I have, on rare occasions, encountered some hesitation. Like most of us these days, many of them have started to do the bulk of their shopping online.

They understandably worry that taking the time to download and start using a retail store app won’t be worth it to them, since they find themselves going online to buy almost everything, from paper towels to books to clothes to electronics. Hey, I’ve been there. I get more and more things online every year, too!

That’s why our second best practice for using these apps is to make sure the one you choose will also help you earn points for shopping online. My favorites are the ones that let you get paid to shop online, even if you’re making purchases from your mobile device. It’s generally pretty simple to use them when you shop from a desktop, too—as simple as it is to use them in person at brick and mortar stores. You get points for plenty of online shopping activities, including:

• Visiting online stores
• Viewing select products
• Making mobile purchases
• Watching featured videos

These are all things you’d probably be doing anyway, so why not earn while you do? This is why making sure you get an app you can use when you shop online ranks second on our list of best practices.

Go for the Best Retail Store App

When I went back to look for an exact definition of best practices in my old college notes, I noticed something else I’d underlined: always collaborate with the best and brightest. I think this is also true of using retail store apps. While using multiple apps to maximize rewards is definitely a great strategy, my advice is to never lose sight of which app is the best. To me, that means the app that is both the most fun and gives you the most chances for savings.

While using multiple apps to maximize rewards is definitely a great strategy, my advice is to never lose sight of which app is the best.

Since shopping is a thing we all have to do all of the time, it’s vital to get an app that gives you reasons to look forward to using it, like turning every trip to the store into a fun scavenger hunt for points. For me, the app that does this best is Shopkick.

How Shopkick works is cool because when you use it, you literally start scoring points, called kicks, the moment you walk into the store. Then it becomes a hunt to find featured products and scan their barcodes for prices and info. Finally, it also gives you points once you make your purchases. Plus, it fits in with the first two best practices for shopping apps we established above.

You may have your own school of thought on these apps, but for me, the choice is easier than Business 101: Shopkick is not only at the top of the class, but in a class of its own.

Start making the most of retail store apps for your Android or iPhone by using Shopkick. Download the free shopping rewards app and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the fun of shopping with us!

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Image courtesy Wayhome Studio

There’s a cashier at my local grocery store, Maya, whose lane I always, always, always insist on going down. We’re super friendly, she does the best job bagging groceries that I’ve ever seen, and she always gives me tips about what’s on sale.

I haven’t kept track of how many deals Maya has helped me take advantage of over the years (or, for that matter, how many inside jokes the two of us have had), but I know if I added up all those savings, it would be massive! She calls herself my personal coupon clipper. She even mentioned she wishes she could just walk around with her favorite customers, like yours truly, helping them find the best deals and rewards for buying their favorite products. That’s when a lightbulb went off.

Actually, I told her, I do have an amazing shopping helper, I’m using it right now—and you can too! I get paid to shop by using a free app that’s fun and easy. She was intrigued, of course, and I even held up the line explaining it to her, but once the guy behind me heard what I was saying, his annoyance turned to awe. He and the cashier both downloaded my favorite app on the spot.

If you want to get in on our shopping savings as well, read on. Then, next time you’re in line, pass this onto your favorite cashier.

Learn How You Can Get Paid to Shop With a Smartphone App

While Maya, my favorite cashier, may be an expert at when to take advantage of sales at our local grocery store, I was able to fill her in on the concept of free apps that pay you to grocery shop. Now, she and I have had some really long conversations in the past, but this informative talk about how to use my favorite apps was not one of those. It’s not that we rushed it or anything, but how these apps work is just so simple:

• #1: Earn points. Depending on the app you use to get paid to shop, how you earn your points may vary, but all of my favorites give you rewards points for multiple tasks, most or all of which are things you tend to do while you’re out shopping anyway, like scanning barcodes to get prices or product info, and, of course, for actually making a purchase. Some of these apps even give you points just for walking into a store!
• #2: Cash in your points. Once you’ve earned enough points, it then becomes as simple as trading them in for cash back in the form of gift cards at all your favorite stores. Basically, these apps quickly get you cash back on your receipts, kind of like those old mail-in rebate form, only so much quicker.

It’s that simple. Seriously.

Get Paid to Shop With My All-Time Favorite App

Maya, the cashier extraordinaire, was basically sold at this point, and then we found ourselves in this weird reverse position of her thanking me for finding new ways to save. The app I recommended she use to get paid to shop? Shopkick, of course.

The app I recommended she use to get paid to shop? Shopkick, of course.

There are other shopping rewards and cash back apps out there that you can use, but Shopkick just simply does it all! It even has a kicking (sorry for the pun!) social media community of likeminded Shopkickers who are truly awesome about sharing their own tips for savvy shopping, as well as jokes, recipes, and mommy stories. I came to Shopkick for the savings, but I’ve stayed for all the fun I’ve had hunting for points—and for the friends I’ve made commenting on the funny things Shopkick shares on its Facebook page.

It really felt good to help Maya out with her own shopping game for once. She told me she’d been using old-school methods like cutting out coupons and in-store rebate savings programs, but she was excited to upgrade her shopping rewards repertoire to the easy-to-use Shopkick app. It was even the first thing she mentioned to me the next time I came through her line! In fact, she said she’d been telling her other customers all about it, too, which probably means there will be even more of us using it soon. So, see you in the aisle, Shopkickers!

Learn how you can start getting paid to shop before your next trip out to the aisles. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy: Dean Drobot

I’m a huge fan of playing fantasy football on my iPhone. I’m in a league with my old college buddies and we offer our yearly champion a little reward: we all pitch in to buy the winner a gift card to his or her favorite store. It’s a nice little incentive, but let me tell you, if you break it down by the many, many, many hours you have to spend making roster moves and setting your lineup, the reward is relatively small compared to the time investment.

Hey, that’s okay! Win or lose, fantasy football is just plain fun. Plus, these days I’ve discovered other apps for my phone that can help me earn bigger and better rewards with much less time and energy (not to mention nail-biting anxiety) than it takes to capture first place in my super competitive fantasy football league. I’m talking about an awesome concept we can all root for: retail shopping apps for iPhone and Android that help you get paid to shop.

Now I’m hauling in rewards for all kinds of stuff I’ve been doing forever, like buying all the latest electronics, getting new clothes, and even shopping for paper towels. These retail shopping apps for my iPhone even pay me for buying groceries. Crazy. Crazy but true. And now I want to share my favorite shopping rewards apps with you, because, unlike a super competitive fantasy football league, we’re all on the same team here!

How Retail Shopping Apps for iPhone and Android Work

I think the biggest learning curve when it comes to fantasy football is how the apps work. I mean, I already knew a ton about football and which players are the best, but learning the ins and outs of how the fantasy football app itself worked took some time. The first season I played, I was shocked when my lineup locked at game time and I couldn’t acquire any new players until the following Wednesday.

So, let’s start by going over how retail shopping apps work. A lot of stores have branded apps as well, but we’re going to focus today on shopping rewards apps you can use at lots of different stores because those are the ones I use the most—and the good news is that they’re all incredibly easy to use!

The exact mechanics of how they work can sometimes vary depending on which one you decide to use, but all my favorites basically function like this: you get points for the shopping that you already do and then you trade those points in for rewards, usually in the form of gift cards. The app I use gives me points for buying featured products and taking a picture of my receipt, for scanning barcodes, and even for just walking into some of my favorite stores. It’s even more awesome than my Seahawks winning the Superbowl a few years ago (maybe).

The Top Benefits of Retail Shopping Apps for iPhones and Androids

I still remember the day when my buddy in college recruited me into his fantasy football league. I was skeptical—super skeptical. It just seemed like it would be a lot of hassle and take up way too much of my time. I was there to meet people and study, after all (mostly study, I swear!). My buddy laid it on pretty thick, though, by emphasizing how much fun it would make watching football every week, something I knew I was going to do either way. That was a really convincing argument. I mean, how can you say no to something that improves and enhances something you’re already doing?

Well, that all pretty much sums up my case for why you should embrace using retail shopping apps for your iPhone or Android: it enhances something you know you’re going to be doing already. I’m talking about shopping. You can’t avoid it, so you might as well get rewarded for doing it.

I touched on some of my favorite benefits of using a shopping rewards app above, but like the details of any epic fantasy football win, I don’t mind talking about them again:

• #1: You’ll get paid to shop. Using a shopping rewards app scores me points for my budget while I’m at Target, Best Buy, or the grocery store—even online. It’s as simple as this: I have to shop for essentials (and tech accessories, of course) anyway, so why not haul in some big rewards for doing it?
• #2: You’ll earn gift cards to your favorite stores: I love having gift cards to my favorite stores because, believe it or not, I actually keep a pretty careful budget. Having a gift card feels like I’m getting things for free. That’s why my second favorite benefit for retail shopping apps is that all the best ones let you trade your points in for free gift cards to stores like Amazon, Starbucks, and Walmart.
• #3: You’ll feel like shopping is a game: I don’t mind shopping, but I also don’t love it—not until recently, at least. Now that I use retail shopping apps, there’s a challenge involved, though: how many points can I accumulate in one trip? It turns everyday shopping trips into a scavenger hunt. I’m a fan.

The Best Retail Shopping Apps for iPhone and Android

I think my long-time fantasy football league has now used three different platforms over the years to keep track of our rosters: Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS Sports. They all have different features, so it was kind of confusing each time we switched; in retrospect, I kind of wish we’d just picked one and stuck with it. That’s actually what my advice is to you with retail shopping apps: find one you love and stick with it (although you can also use multiple rewards apps to maximize your rewards, but that’s a different ballgame).

My personal favorite is an app called Shopkick. I’ve tried a few others, but I love this one because it’s super simple, it pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, and it gives me chances to score points, called kicks, at almost every turn, starting when I walk into the store. Shopkick has really maximized my shopping game with a single mobile app, kind of like how the Patriots would be nothing without a certain QB. One major difference between Shopkick and fantasy football, though, is that there are rarely heartbreaking defeats or subsequent trash talk.

Shopkick is super simple, pays out in gift cards to all my favorite stores, and gives me chances to score points

So yeah, I highly recommend taking out your iPhone or Android and downloading Shopkick. And fantasy football season is the perfect time to do it. There have been a ton of weekends when I’ve scored serious shopping points by stocking up on snacks before having my old buddies over to watch a game. Shopkick will definitely help you kick off your next shopping trip—and that’s no fantasy.

Ready to put down the fantasy football and pickup retail shopping apps for iPhone and Android? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us!

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

Image courtesy Rido81