Is Shopkick Legit & Worth Your Time?

How Much Can You Earn with Shopkick?

There is no limit as to how much you can earn with Shopkick and Every reward gives a unique number of kicks that help you to earn the gift card. 

For example, you can earn 80 cents by just walking into a store that you needed to go to anyway. Referring a friend can get you $1 and watching each 10 to 30-second video will earn you 3 kicks.

In general, it takes 250 kicks to earn $1 in gift cards. And you can redeem your gift cards once you hit 500 kicks, which is worth $2.

Who is Shopkick Best For?

Shopkick is best for individuals who want to earn rewards for online and in-store shopping activities such as walking into stores, scanning items, making in-app or in-store purchases, and submitting receipts.

How To Make Money On Shopkick

There are various ways to make money on Shopkick. Typically, you have 2 options to make money on Shopkick – one doesn’t require you to spend money while the other rewards you for making purchases.

Here are the ways you can make money on Shopkick.

Option 1. Earn Shopkick Points Without Spending Money

Walk Into Stores

You can earn between 30 and 100 kicks by just entering eligible stores. Normally you simply have to open your Shopkick app and wait a few seconds at the entrance to earn points.

Scan Items Within the Store

Shopkick also pays you for scanning specific items with your Shopkick app. You can scan multiple items per store and most often, you’ll earn 10 kicks per scan. 

Make sure you check the eligible products to scan in your Shopkick app as not all items will earn you kicks.

Note that these items are usually not so close together within the store, so you’ll need to walk relatively long distances.

Watch Videos

While this may not be the most profitable way to make money, watching videos is another easy way to make money with Shopkick.

Simply navigate to the discover section in Shopkick and find videos that are available for you.

Typically, the videos are around 10 to 30 seconds long and earn you 3 kicks. Not much, but you can use your free time to earn some extra kicks.

Quick Kicks

As the name suggests, quick kicks require little time and are one of the easiest ways to make money with Shopkick. 

To find quick kicks, just go to the Discover section of the app. Once you’re in quick kicks, you’ll see short videos that you need to watch. But unlike the previous way in this section, videos in quick kicks are much shorter and you need to watch 3 at a time to earn 1 kick.

Invite Friends

The last way to earn points on Shopkick without spending money is to invite your friends to join the app. Shopkick lets you earn up to 25,000 kicks from invites, which is equivalent to inviting 100 friends. 

So referring each friend to Shopkick will earn you 250 kicks. Plus, your friend will get 250 kicks as well.

In order for you and your friend to earn points, your friend must complete at least one task – walk into the store or scan an item within 7 days of signing up with your referral link.

Option 2. Earn Shopkick Points with Purchases

Shopkick lets you earn more kicks when you make purchases. And there are multiple ways to earn Shopkick points with your regular purchases.

Buy Stuff & Scan Receipts

If you need to make a purchase, check your Shopkick app to see if the item you want to buy is eligible for earning points. This way, you can make money for things you’re already buying anyway.

Generally, any store that offers points for scanning certain items also offers points for purchasing and scanning your receipt. Just lookout for a receipt logo below the item that’s eligible for earning kicks.

Don’t buy stuff that you don’t need and wouldn’t normally buy. 

To claim kicks for your purchased items, simply check all of the items you’ve purchased and then tap on the ‘Claim’ button on the bottom. Once you click the button, the camera will open prompting you to take a picture of the receipt. Simple as that!

Purchase With Linked Cards

Scrolling through the Shopkick app, you’ll find that not all stores offer points for scanning receipts. 

However, they offer something much more simple and convenient – purchasing with a linked card. All you need to leverage this feature is to navigate to the Settings of your Shopkick app and click the ‘Link card’ section.

When you pay with a linked card, all purchases at the retailer will count for kicks, not just the ones on offer. You will earn kicks for every dollar spent.

Shopkick Online Shopping

The last shopping method that can earn you kicks on your purchase is to shop online via the Shopkick app. 

Simply go to the ‘Kicks Online’ section to see all of the eligible online stores that offer points for online shopping.

Each online store offers different points for your purchases that you’ll see by selecting the store you want to shop with. For example, shopping on eBay can get you 3 kicks for every dollar you spend with them through the Shopkick app.

Shopkick Hacks: Maximize Your Shopkick Earnings

Use the following Shopkick hacks to maximize your earnings:

• Keep yourself updated on the latest offers on products that can earn you kicks. You can do this by regularly checking the app. 
• Enable your notifications so that Shopkick can notify you of the available bonuses or Shopkick stores near you. If you have the information then you can take advantage of the offers. 
• For every friend you refer to Shopkick, you will earn 250 kicks. The app has links and codes that you can use to invite your friends/family and earn points. 
• Walk inside stores that have beacons at the entrance to earn kicks. Sometimes, being in proximity alone is enough, you don’t always have to go inside the store. 
• Familiarize yourself with the Discover tab. On the Discover Tab, you will find videos and bonus kicks that help you score more. 
• You can also post your links and codes on your social media platforms for anyone interested to earn even more kicks.

All About Shopkick Points

There is a range of questions first-time Shopkick users typically have about Shopkick points. So let’s answer all the questions you might have about Shopkick points.

How Much is a Kick Worth?

One kick is worth $0.004.

How Many Shopkicks Make a Dollar?

250 kicks make $1, 500 kicks equal $2, 1,250 kicks = $5 and so on.

How Many Kicks Can You Get for $25?

When you spend $25, most stores will offer you 6,250 kicks, 

Do Shopkick Points Expire?

As long as your account is active, the kicks will not expire. The kicks will only expire if you fail to open the app for 6 months.

Shopkick Partner Stores

Shopkick allows you to access discounts and offers at the retails you visit often, including but not limited to:

• Walmart 
• Target
• Ulta
• Sephora
• Old Navy
• Lowe’s 
• JCPenney
• Starbucks  
• Amazon
• Sephora
• T.J. Maxx
• Best Buy
• Uber
• Nike
• Procter & Gamble
• Kroger
• Gamestop

You can also use coupons and kicks to save even more money while you are shopping at a walk-in store or online. 

Shopkick Geographic Limitations

The obvious disadvantage of Shopkick is that it is only limited to participating stores. If you don’t live or work near these stores, then you will not be able to use the Shopkick app.

The only way to know which stores Shopkick supports in your area is to sign up and check the available stores.

Shopkick Features: What Does Shopkick Offer?

Getting Started is Simple and Easy

Shopkick is a completely free app that once you download, you don’t have to worry about spending anything at all to use it. 

Strong Partnerships

Shopkick’s partners with some of the largest retail stores including Target, CVS, Kroger, Macy’s, Best Buy, and TJ Maxx. As Shopkick grows, more and more retailers are expected to partner with them to attract consumers. 

Several Ways To Earn

Apart from scanning barcodes and visiting partner stores, you can earn kicks by scanning receipts after you’ve made a purchase. You can also get more kicks if you link a credit card and purchase with it.

Discover Tab

Shopkick’s also features a Discover tab that allows you to earn additional free kicks by watching videos and interacting with pieces of content. These kicks refresh daily, so there’s unlimited earning potential.

Is Shopkick Free?

Shopkick is a free app that lets you earn gift cards to major retailers without spending any money.

Shopkick Payout Terms and Options?

To redeem your kicks, you will be asked to verify your phone number first. The minimum number of kicks you can redeem is 500 even though it may be unique for every retailer. 

Shopkick allows you to redeem your points either for gift cards, withdraw your earnings via PayPal or donate your kicks.

To redeem kicks for a gift card:

1. Click on ‘See All Rewards’ at the Kicks Center
2. Select the reward you want to redeem
3. Click on the denomination for the reward and then click the ‘Redeem’ button

While you can also withdraw your kicks via PayPal, each point is worth less than if you’d redeemed them for gift cards. 

Let’s say you want to redeem $5 worth of kicks. While the $5 Amazon gift card would cost you 1,250 kicks, you’ll need 1,300 kicks to cash out $5 via PayPal.

You can also donate kicks to non-profit organizations. For example, 500 kicks that earn you $2 can provide 20 meals to the less fortunate through Feeding America.

Shopkick Reviews: Is Shopkick Legit?

Shopkick is 100% legit and super safe for you to install and use. Over 30 million people who have installed the app prove the legitimacy of the Shopkick app. Actually, a 4.7-star rating on App Store and a 4.3-star rating on Google Play is a clear indication of the level of satisfaction shown by Shopkick users.

Some of the most commonly cited issues include low payouts, poor customer support, and a lack of opportunities to earn rewards.

Otherwise, positive reviewers praised the support team for writing detailed responses to many reviews meaning they care about the customer experience.

What are the Shopkick Pros & Cons?

Shopkick Pros

• You can earn money without spending money
• You earn points on your regular purchases, so you don’t have to buy excess stuff
• The app is user-friendly
• A range of popular gift cards are available for you to choose from, including Amazon, Target, and more 

Shopkick Cons

• Shopkick doesn’t support all stores
• PayPal requires more points for the same amount of cash as gift cards

How Good Is Shopkick Support?

Shopkick offers a comprehensive help section on the website and in the app, including a search bar and Technical Issues category. It also has an informative blog and a page of Shopkick tips.

if you can’t find the answers you need, and the company provides email support timely responses to questions and comments 

Shopkick Review Verdict: Is Shopkick Worth it?

Shopkick is a reliable site worth trying. If you are highly motivated, you can earn every time you head into Target and Starbucks or drugstores such as CVS.

And if you’re too busy, you can still earn passively from it by just linking your card to Shopkick and continuing with your everyday shopping like usual.

How to Sign Up with Shopkick?

To get started with Shopkick;

• Download the app from the Apple or Android app store for your phone.
• Tap on “Register” at the bottom of the screen
• enter your name and email address, then choose a password.
• Start using the platform

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Shopkick vs. Swagbucks

Swagbucks Summary

• 18 ways to earn money and e-gift cards
• $5 sign up bonus
• Up to 10% cashback when shopping online
• $1 minimum e-gift card withdrawal

Swagbucks is a shopping application that provides reward points each time you take surveys, watch videos, or shop. Compared to Shopkick, Swagbucks is currently the better option for saving money while shopping. This can be attributed to merchant sites that participate in their program. 

Swagbucks also provides gifting options on some of the country’s largest merchant sites and thus can be said to be more liquid when compared to Shopkick. Overall each platform has its strong points and a valued customer base.

Shopkick vs. Befrugal

BeFrugal Summary

• Guaranteed to have the highest cashback
• More than 5000 stores to get cashback
• Over 5 different ways to get rewards
• 6 different ways to cash out your earnings

Befrugal is a website and app that lets you earn cash when you purchase through its website, mobile app, or browser extension. Like Shopkick, Befruagal offers rewards for shopping online. 

Both platforms are also free to sign up and start using. While Befrugal redeems options include direct deposit, PayPal, check, and eGift card, Shopkick offers gift cards, PayPal, and donations.

Shopkick vs. TopCashback

TopCashback Summary

• Get 100% of all the cash back you earn
• No minimum threshold to cash out
• Earn cash back at over 4400 partner stores
• Earn up to 25% cash back and discounts

TopCashback is a legitimate cashback platform that will pay you a commission for shopping through their website or app. Similar to Shopkick, TopCashback allows you to sign up, browse and shop in some of the most popular online marketplaces.

As for Payouts, TopCashback pays through Amazon credit, ACH, PayPal and Store Gift Cards, while Shopkick offers PayPal, gift cards, and donation redemption options.

Shopkick vs. Drop App

Drop App Summary

• Earn $10 from Drop Flash Deal offers
• Get your reward within 3 days of redeeming
• Earn up to $50 from referring friends
• 5 different ways to earn rewards

Just like Shopkick, the Drop app is one of the largest shopping apps that lets you earn points on your regular purchases. However, when it comes to ways to make money with the 2 apps, Shopkick offers more variety of options like scanning items without buying them, walking in the store, or watching videos. On the other hand, the Drop app only rewards you when you make a purchase with your Drop app linked card.

Shopkick vs. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards Summary

• Easy to use – you don’t have to activate any special offers to get increased points
• You can earn points with any grocery store receipt
• You can earn points on over 300 product brands
• Variety of options to use your Fetch Rewards points – gift cards, Visa and Mastercard gift cards, sweepstakes and charity donations

Fetch Reward is an app that rewards you when you upload receipts of your grocery shopping. The main difference between the 2 apps is the ways you can earn money. While Shopkick offers various ways to earn points, Fetch Rewards only rewards you for uploading your receipts. Plus, Fetch Rewards doesn’t allow you to withdraw your earnings via PayPal.

Shopkick vs. Rakuten

Rakuten Summary

• High cashback potential of up to 40%
• Earn cashback at over 2500 online stores
• 6 different ways to earn cashback
• Get $10 for free just for signing up

While Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is one of the leading shopping rewards apps, it’s more focused on online shopping. Moreover, unlike Shopkick, Rakuten releases your earnings quarterly to your PayPal account and it’s quite inconvenient to wait for your funds for months.

You can use Shopkick along with other rewarding shopping apps to maximize your earnings.

Other Sites Like Shopkick

How Does Shopkick Make Money?

Since the Shopkick app is free to use and it actually rewards you for fairly simple tasks like entering the store or scanning the items, you’re probably wondering how it makes money.

The answer is simple. Shopkick gets paid by its partner merchants for bringing users like you into their stores.

So, for instance, Shopkick nudges you to go into Target and scan an item by rewarding you. Once you’re there, there’s a huge chance that you’ll buy something or even some things out of there. And Target rewards Shopkick for bringing you (and other shoppers) to their store. It’s that simple!

Shopkick FAQ

What is Shopkick?

Founded in 2009, Shopkick is one of the leading shopping rewards apps allowing you to earn points that are redeemable for gift cards.

The app rewards you with points for:

• Watching videos
• Walking into stores
• Scanning items
• Submitting receipts of in-store or in-app purchases
• Shopping 
• And more

These are tasks you’d likely do anyway, so why not get paid for doing them? 

Reports show that Shopkick has rewarded its users with more than $85 million in gift cards since its foundation in 2009.

Just recently, Trax purchased Shopkick. Trax is a self-proclaimed world number one provider of retail analytic solutions and computer vision. 

The partnership between Trax and Shopkick is expected to enhance engagement solutions for you as a shopper. Huge innovations are also expected to be part of Shopkick’s future as a result of this partnership. 

More so, the company has positive feedback from Forbes, Inc. Magazine, World Economic Forum, and Huffington Post. It’s also been featured on Oprah.com and About.com

How often do Shopkick scans reset?

Shopkick scans typically reset daily.

How many Kicks do you need to get a gift card?

In general, 250 kicks equal $1 in gift cards, and 1,250 points are required to redeem for a $5 gift card.

Do Shopkick Kicks expire?

Your kicks don’t expire if you use the app regularly. Kicks will only expire if you haven’t used Shopkick at least once within the last 6 months.

Can I update my registered information?

You can change all of your registered information except your Facebook/Google+ account. 

Do I have to spend money to earn points with Shopkick?

While you don’t have to spend money to earn points, you’ll earn gift cards faster if you make purchases through the app.

For Shopkick to match you with partner stores, you have to enable GPS and Bluetooth tracking.