Shopkick Review – Getting Kickbacks From Shopping
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If you’re like me, you dread going to the grocery store. I dread going to just about any store at all. But with a little bit of an incentive, I might just look forward to it. Fortunately, some apps can help you earn money just by going about your everyday life. I think Shopkick might inspire me to go to the store even when I don’t need anything.
In this article
What is Shopkick?
Shopkick is an app that makes it easy for any shopper with an iOS or Android device to earn extra money. By performing activities using the app, shoppers can earn Kicks (what Shopkick calls Points) that will be stored in their account. Then, when you have built up enough Kicks, you can redeem them for gift cards to major retailers such as Amazon and Target.
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- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
How does Shopkick work?
Signing up for Shopkick is simple. When you go to the Shopkick website, you’ll see a few ways to download the Shopkick app on your device. Some buttons lead you to either Google Play or the App Store.
If you click on the “Download” buttons, you’ll also be given a QR code to scan with your phone or tablet to be brought to the app.
I scanned the QR code with my iPhone camera to get started.
After downloading and opening the app, I received a pop-up asking if I wanted to allow Shopkick to track my activity across other companies’ websites and apps. I allowed it to make sure Shopkick would be able to access everything it needed for me to get the most rewards possible.
You’ll be on the sign-in page now, but if you don’t have an account yet, you can click the Sign-Up button below the sign-in fields. Then, enter the email address you want to be associated with your Shopkick account and create a password. Shopkick will ask you to verify your date of birth at this point. Shopkick will also ask permission to use Bluetooth to find you and grant you kicks. I allowed this as well. You’ll also need to turn on location permissions for the Shopkick app.
After that, you’re done signing up! Shopkick will bring you right to your dashboard. You can explore the app, and Shopkick will show you how to gain kicks using the app.
How much does Shopkick cost?
Shopkick is completely free to use. The app is also free to download using Google Play or the App Store.
That said, you should know that some opportunities to earn money using Shopkick involve shopping at partner stores. For most people, it’s a good idea to use Shopkick only when making a purchase anyway, not just to earn points.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Shopkick features
Shopkick offers a few different ways for anyone to earn kicks. As long as you keep the app downloaded on your phone and allow it to use your location, you can take advantage of these features without much effort.
Walking into stores
One of the easiest ways to earn kicks is simply by visiting stores. The Shopkick app allows you to view participating stores in your area. You'll automatically get kicks if you walk into these stores with your device. You’ll also see what other earning opportunities each of those stores offers.
Scanning products in stores
Shopkick allows you to earn kicks on products even if you don’t buy them! Each store has a list of participating products that you can look through. Then, you only need to walk around the store and scan barcodes for those items to earn kicks.
Buying featured items
Most products that offer kicks just for scanning them also offer kicks for purchasing them. So if you see anything on the list that you need or want to try out, pick up the item at the participating store. When you’re done shopping, scan your receipt to show proof of purchase.
Linking your card
To earn even more kicks just by shopping, you can link your credit card or debit card to your Shopkick account. Shopkick says that Visa and MasterCard consumer and business cards are eligible.
Once your card is linked to your Shopkick account, you can earn kicks just for using your card at participating retailers. Participating retailers can be found within the app alongside other earning opportunities.
Shopping online
Some retailers also participate in Shopkick through online shopping. Shopkick has a list of retailers that can help you earn kicks from shopping online. To earn kicks, go through the Shopkick app and click on the retailer from which you want to shop. Shopkick will then redirect you to the retailer’s website so you can complete your shopping.
Inviting friends
You can also help your friends by earning kicks by sending them an invite link. When someone signs up for Shopkick using your promo code and then earns 10 kicks in 14 days, you’ll earn 500 kicks. Your invite code can be found in the Shopkick app, and you can share it directly.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Who is Shopkick best for?
Shopkick can be a great (and fun) resource for anybody with Bluetooth access to an Apple or Android device. Some people may get more out of it than others, though.
People with free time
Who hasn’t gone to Target to kill some time before a movie, a class, or even just for fun? Shopkick gives you something to do during those times that can help you earn money towards gift cards. As long as you’re near a store that can earn kicks by scanning items (the Target near my house does), you’re good to go!
People who like to do online shopping
From what I’ve seen based on my location, Shopkick seems to offer several more opportunities to earn from shopping online than it does in-store. So, if you’re the type of person who does a lot of their shopping online, it might be worth checking out. I looked through the online stores listed in my Shopkick app, including Walmart, Ace Hardware, Advance Auto Parts, BarkBox, clothing stores, and more.
People who have good memories
I’m going to get real with you here. If you want to get the most out of Shopkick, you have to remember to use it. There are some ways that you can earn without thinking about it, such as using a linked card or walking into stores. However, most of the earning opportunities require you to engage with the app by using it to visit online stores and scan receipts and products. If you can find a way to remember to use Shopkick as part of your routine, you’ll be able to get the most out of using the app.
Who shouldn’t use Shopkick?
Using Shopkick might seem like a no-brainer to some people, but it may not be worthwhile for others.
People who don’t like using their phones
I think we all know somebody who doesn’t care about having their phone on them all the time, and that’s okay. But if you don’t want to use your phone for anything more than making calls or looking up directions now and then, Shopkick isn’t for you.
People who don’t feel comfortable sharing their location
Most of Shopkick’s earning opportunities rely on you allowing the app to follow your location. To make sure you don’t miss out on any earning opportunities, it’s best to let the app know your location at all times. Shopkick might not be a good option if you are uncomfortable with this.
Side hustle seekers
Shopkick can be a fun way to earn free money via free gift cards, but it shouldn’t be used as part of your personal finance strategy. There are limited earning opportunities when you use Shopkick, especially because it can only be used at partner stores. The app is not a scam by any means and can help you save money by allowing you to cash out your reward points for gift cards to major retailers. However, it cannot be used as a reliable source of income.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Shopkick offers several ways to earn kicks that can be redeemed for gift cards.
- There are ways to earn kicks even if you don’t visit stores in person very often.
- Shopkick’s mobile app functions well and is easy to use.
Cons
- Shopkick’s earning opportunities take up more time than some of its competitors.
- Shopkick can only be used on a mobile device.
- You can only earn kicks from participating stores, so the availability may vary depending on where you live.
Shopkick vs. competitors
App | Cost | How to earn rewards | Rewards |
Shopkick | Free | Walking into stores, scanning products, in-store and online shopping, linking eligible cards, inviting friends | Gift cards or cash credit to your PayPal account |
Ibotta | Free (fees may apply to inactive accounts) | In-store and online shopping through partnering retailers | Gift cards or money transferred to your bank account through PayPal |
Fetch Rewards | Free | Scanning and submitting physical receipts, submitting eReceipts, sign-up bonus from referrals, purchasing products with special offers from partner brands | Gift cards |
Swagbucks | Free | Watching videos, taking surveys and polls, performing website searches, playing games, shopping online and in-stores | Gift cards or cashback with PayPal |
Ibotta
Ibotta is a cashback app that is fairly straightforward to use. You can use the app to browse offers from different stores and add the ones you want to your list. Some offers may require you to answer a survey or watch videos to add the offer to your list, but not all of them do.
Some stores with rewards programs allow you to connect your store rewards account to Ibotta and allow the app to track your purchases that way. By doing this, you only need to add offers to your list to receive rewards for your eligible purchases. Other stores may not participate in this feature, and for those stores, you need to upload receipts for in-store purchases to receive your rewards.
Ibotta might not require you to engage with the app quite as much as Shopkick does, but you still need to remember to keep checking in on it. If you create an Ibotta account and leave it inactive for over six months, Ibotta might charge an account maintenance fee. This fee comes out of your total Ibotta account balance.
Read a full review on Ibotta.
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards allows you to earn points in many of the same ways that Shopkick does. You can download the app on Apple devices from the App Store or on Android devices from Google Play. However, there is one key difference — Fetch Rewards allows you to earn points on any receipt from any store or restaurant.
To earn points from your shopping trips, remember to upload photos of your receipt to the Fetch Rewards app. Some retailers partner with Fetch to offer additional earning opportunities, including extra points for buying certain items or completing special offers.
The only other way to earn points from Fetch Rewards is to share your referral code with friends. Similarly, using a friend’s referral link to sign up for an account can earn 2,000 points after submitting your first receipt.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a rewards program that offers opportunities to earn rewards even if you aren’t going shopping. You can use Swagbucks through the mobile app or desktop browsers. There is even a Swagbucks toolbar that you can add to your browser for even more earning opportunities.
Swagbucks’s shopping offers are similar to those of its competitors. The company partners with select stores and allows you to earn points (SBs) by shopping online or in-store from those retailers. To earn points from shopping in-store, you need to link your card to your Swagbucks account and then use that card to make your purchases. You can also earn points from online purchases by visiting Swagbucks and letting it take you to the retailer’s website.
In addition to shopping, you can earn points from Swagbucks by performing other tasks. Some trial offers and subscriptions partner with Swagbucks just like retailers do; you can earn by signing up for those. You can also earn points by playing games through Swagbucks Play or watching videos through Swagbucks Watch. Other earning opportunities include paid surveys and daily polls.
Read a full review on Swagbucks.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
FAQs
How do you redeem Shopkick points?
When you’re signed in to the Shopkick app, you’ll see the number of kicks that you have earned at the top of the screen. If you tap on the number, you’ll be brought to the Kicks Center. From there, you can view all of the available rewards. Then, all you do is select the reward you want and the number of kicks you want to use for it and tap the redeem button.
What are kicks worth?
You have to collect quite a few kicks before you can redeem them for a reward. To give you an idea of what that looks like, 500 kicks are equal to $2 and you can cash out as soon as you earn that amount. Each activity you perform in the app will have a number of kicks assigned to it and you’ll be able to see how many you’ll earn before you complete any activity.
How does Shopkick make money?
A free app that allows you to earn gift cards seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? It’s true that Shopkick doesn’t cost anything to the consumer, but companies pay for Shopkick’s services. All of the partner stores within the app pay Shopkick based on specific performance metrics. Shopkick offers the app for free to consumers because the activities that consumers take using the app help the company earn money too.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
The bottom line
Shopkick is a free app that allows shoppers to earn money by visiting stores or buying from partner retailers. Unlike other shopping apps, you can earn points using Shopkick without making a single purchase. All you need to do is enter a participating store and scan the items listed within the app. The companies behind the products probably hope this will inspire you to purchase the product — and you’ll likely earn more points for doing so — but it’s unnecessary.
Of course, Shopkick isn’t the only app that allows you to earn points redeemed for money or gift cards. This app doesn’t offer as many earning opportunities as competitors, but it is a good option for online and in-store shoppers. That being said, Shopkick should not be used as a side hustle strategy because, like any rewards app, there is limited earning potential.
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Writer
Ashley Hart is a lead copywriter and digital marketing expert covering finance, law, real estate, music, entertainment, health and wellness.
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