Shopkick Review | The Easiest Way To Make Extra Money

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When it comes to making money with your phone, there are a lot of apps that over promise and under deliver.

So when I stumbled upon Shopkick, I proceeded with a level of hesitation.

Too many times have I bought into the hype of a slick marketing video or ad copy only to be left wanting more.

Much more.

But Shopkick quickly pushed my hesitation away and I became an avid user of the app.

I found it easy to earn kicks that I was able to turn into gift cards, and in the few months I’ve been using the app, I’ve earned close to $100!

So today I want to detail to you what the Shopkick app is all about and how you can use it to start making money on the side.

By the end, you will be excited to get started using this app and will be making money in no time.

My Complete Shopkick Review

What Is Shopkick?

Shopkick is an app you download for you phone that allows you to earn kicks for doing various activities.

As you accumulate kicks, you can convert them into gift cards to your favorite retailers or to cash from PayPal.

The app is available on both Android and Apple.

Here is how to enter the promo code after you download the app. Tap on the wheel icon in the upper left to go into settings and then scroll down.

Tap where it says to “Add promo code” and you are set.

Just remember to scan a barcode or walk into a participating store within 30 days to get your bonus kicks!

Getting Started With Shopkick

Using the app is simple, thanks to the smart layout of the app itself.

To get started, simply download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Once you have the app installed, you create your account by filling out a few details like your name, email address, date of birth, etc.

From there, you choose the reward you want to earn. Gift cards are available from many retailers and in various reward amounts, from $2 up to $50.

All that is left for you to do is to start earning kicks.

And just to be clear, don’t spend too much time with picking your reward. You can change this at any time within the app.

This is the main screen you will see when you open the app.

I’ll detail what all this means in the next sections.

How To Earn Kicks

As of this writing, there are 8 ways you can earn kicks using Shopkick. And only a few them include you actually buying something.

Here is a summary of the ways, followed by more details for each.

#1. Store walk ins
#2. Scan barcodes
#3. Submit a receipt
#4. Link a card
#5. Shop online
#6. Visit online stores
#7. View products online
#8. Watch videos

#1. Store Walk Ins

As you browse through all of the stores on the main screen, you will see some with the icon of a person.

This means you can earn kicks for walking into the store.

The stores that offer these kicks and the amount you earn changes all the time.

For example, some days I’ll earn 10 kicks for walking into Walmart. Other days I’ll earn 100 kicks.

Here is a pro tip I’ve learned after using the app.

Make sure you check it out when you visit the mall. With so many stores in one place, you can earn a decent amount of kicks just by walking around.

At one local mall, there are 6 stores that offer kicks for store walk ins.

Most times, I don’t have to actually walk into the store. I just slowly walk past it with the app open and I get credited with kicks.

On a recent visit, I earned close to 300 kicks this way.

Note you can only earn kicks for walking into a store once. You cannot keep walking into the same store and earn kicks multiple times a day.

 
Just remember to enter my referral code EARN591181 to earn 250 free kicks when you download the app!

#2. Scan Barcodes

Next to the store walk in, scanning barcodes is my next favorite way to earn kicks.

Again, from the main screen, you will see the barcode icon followed by a number.

This is the number of kicks you can earn by scanning barcodes.

Just tap on the store and then tap the barcode icon to see the list of products to start scanning.

The amount of kicks you earn per item varies as does the number of items for each store.

I’ve seen some stores with just 20 kicks from scanning barcodes and others with 5,000 kicks.

As with a store walk in, you can only scan the item once to earn kicks. After you scan it, the item is greyed out.

#3. Submit A Receipt

One the main screen, next to the barcode is an icon of a receipt.

If you see this, this is how many kicks you can earn from scanning a receipt.

For this to work, you have to tap on the receipt icon to see what products qualify.

Then you need to buy the item and scan the receipt to be awarded the kicks.

As with scanning barcodes, the number of kicks you earn varies by store, by product, and by day.

I’ve earned 1,000 kicks for buying pull ups for our toddler as well as 25 kicks for buying coffee.

#4. Link A Card

Another easy way to earn kicks is to link your credit card to the Shopkick app.

After you do this and shop at a store that allows you to earn kicks by linking your card, you will earn kicks.

Here is an example from Marshalls.

Most of the stores offer kicks based on the “X kicks per dollar spent” model.

Some do offer bonuses where the more you spend, the more kicks you earn.

#5. Shop Online

You can also earn kicks when you shop online. From the main screen, tap on Kicks Online to see the online stores you can earn kicks from.

These vary by store but basically work on a kick per dollar spent basis.

For example, you could earn 3 kicks per dollar spent at Walmart.com.

There are always specials going on and it’s not uncommon to see 10 kicks per dollar spent or more at some stores.

When you do shop online and earn kicks, it can take up to 5 days for them to be credited to your account.

You will know when the kicks are credited to your account because the next time you open the app after they are credited, you will see this pop up.

#6. Visit Online Stores

This is a new feature on the Shopkick app and I am just starting to explore it.

Here is a great video that walks you through earning kicks by visiting online stores.

As you can see, earning kicks this way is easy.

Just head into the online stores that are offering kicks based on a visit and earn your kicks.

In most cases, you will earn between 2-5 kicks per visit.

#7. View Products Online

Earning kicks by viewing products online is another new feature of the Shopkick app.

To earn kicks, simply visit an online store and view any of the highlighted offers.

On average, you will earn between 2-5 kicks.

In addition to the above, here is another trick to earning some kicks.

When you go into the Discover Tab, you can view various offers from select partners.

As you scroll through the offers, you will randomly see a special “Tap For A Surprise” icon.

Tap on it and you will earn a kick.

#8. Watch Videos

The laziest way to earn kicks is by watching videos.

To do this you go into the Discovery tab and look for offers that have the play video button.

Tap the image and you will watch a 15 second video and earn 3 kicks in the process.

In some instances I’ve earned 5 kicks, but most videos are just 3 kicks.

Also, there is a limited number of videos to watch. But they do update this section often, so it pays to frequently look for new videos.

Advantages And Drawbacks

If you are short on time, here are the highlights of the things I love about Shopkick and some areas for improvement.

 
Just remember to enter my referral code EARN591181 to earn 250 free kicks when you download the app!

Shopkick FAQs

I get asked a lot of questions about Shopkick.

Here is a frequently asked questions section I continuously update with new questions and answers.

Is Shopkick legit?

Yes.

Since Shopkick was founded in 2009, it has paid out over $88 million in gift cards to users and the app has over 30 million downloads.

It also has an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited since 2017.

What stores participate with Shopkick?

As of this writing, there are more than 80 stores that participate with Shopkick through allowing you to earn kicks and redeem gift cards.

Here is a small sample of some of the stores:

• Walmart
• Best Buy
• Marshalls
• Target
• Kohl’s
• Ulta
• PetSmart
• CVS
• Walgreen’s

Most of the stores are nationwide, though there are some regional stores in the app as well.

Is linking my card to Shopkick safe?

Yes, linking your card to Shopkick is safe.

In fact, Shopkick does not store any of your card information on their servers.

So if they were to get hacked, there is no credit or debit card information for the hacker.

Additionally, when you link your card, none of your card information is saved in the app.

If you lose your phone or it gets stolen, there is no card information that can be used.

Finally, if your account becomes inactive, your linked card automatically unlinks.

What is a kick worth?

A kick is worth $0.004.

Here is the math to see how many kicks you need for various gift card amounts.

While it would be great for the value of a kick to increase, the truth is, with so many ways to earn kicks and the ease at which you can earn them, the value has to be low.

Do kicks expire?

Kicks only expire if you do not use the app for 6 months.

As long as you continuously open the app and earn kicks, your kicks will never expire.

What are the redemption options for kicks?

You can redeem the kicks you earn for gift cards at over 80 stores or cash via PayPal.

The gift cards you can redeem kicks for can be in amounts of $2, $5, $10, $25 or $50.

Redeeming kicks for cash from PayPal requires $25 worth of kicks.

As I mentioned earlier, at any time while using the app, you can change the gift card you want to earn as well as the redemption amount.

Are there any Shopkick cheats?

There are ways to cheat your ways towards kicks, but it will most likely get you banned from the app before you can even redeem your kicks.

Here is how it works.

The website has pictures of the barcodes of products that you can scan and earn kicks.

It sounds great in theory. But there is a catch.

When you are using the Shopkick app, it has access to your location.

Because of this, it knows where the stores are located via GPS and where you are located.

So if you are nowhere near the store and are scanning nonstop, it will throw off a red flag and you will get caught trying to game the system.

In the end, it’s not worth it.

It is so easy to earn kicks that you shouldn’t have to resort to cheating.

How can I earn kick fast?

While I am against the cheat I mentioned above, there are some tricks I do that allow me to earn kicks relatively fast.

Understand this won’t allow you to redeem kicks for gift cards every week, but you will earn them quicker than the average user.

Here is how.

As I find new ways to earn kicks quickly, I’ll add them to this list.

Alternatives To Shopkick

If you are interested in Shopkick, you might be wondering if there are other apps like it.

As of this writing, I have not found an app exactly like Shopkick.

However, if you want to know ways to make money online easily, I have another option for you.

It is called Swagbucks.

With Swagbucks, you can do a variety of things, like take surveys, watch videos, play games, and more. While you do this, you earn points.

Earn enough points and you can redeem them for cash and gift cards.

• Read now: Click here to learn how to make the most out of Swagbucks

Next to Shopkick, it is one of the easiest ways I’ve found to make extra money.

Wrapping Up

At the end of the day, the Shopkick app is a must have if you want to make some money on the side.

I have redeemed my kicks for Walmart gift cards and used them to purchase pool supplies, saving me money in the process.

With the many easy ways there are to earn kicks and the various redemption options, giving Shopkick a try is worth your time.

 
Just remember to enter my referral code EARN591181 to earn 250 free kicks when you download the app!