Get Started

Learn more about Credit Cards, Travel Programs, Deals, and more.

If You Aren’t Using Shopkick You Should Be!

This post may contain affiliate links - Advertiser Disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Shopkick App Overview and Review

Shopkick App Overview and Review

Shopkick is an app available on Apple or Android phones.  This app has been around for a while, but I think there are a lot of people that are not aware of it.  If you are one of those people then I am about to make your day!

Shopkick allows you to earn points for various activities that you turn into gift cards.  There are a slew of gift cards available including Walmart, Target and Amazon.

For this article I will go over the ins and outs of Shopkick and give you my thoughts on the program.

If interested in the app you can use our referral link.

Earning Points

There are four main ways to earn points.  There are walk ins, in store scans, purchases and a shopping portal. I am going to focus on the first three since the shopping portal is an inferior product.  Always check cashbackmonitor for the best portal payouts.

Shopkick App Overview and Review

Walk Ins

Walk ins are the easiest way to earn shopkicks or “kicks”.  Basically you earn kicks for walking into a store.  You need to have the Shopkick app open and your Bluetooth on (to connect with the store’s system).  Then the kicks are registered and added to your account.  It usually doesn’t work when the store is closed (most of the time you don’t need to actually enter the store to earn them).

Shopkick usually offers increased walk in payouts on the weekend.  Many stores will be worth 150-200 kicks and I have seen them as high as 350 kicks solely for entering the store.  Kicks are worth $0.004 a piece so just walking into a store you were going to anyways can get you 80 cents or more.

There is a limit to how many times you can earn walk in kicks for each store before they give you a “cool down” period.  You usually have to take a few days off from that store and then the offers will come back.

Pro Tip: My wife and I like to do a thing we call slow rolling for kicks.  Most stores will give you kicks if you open the app and slowly drive by the front of the store.  I earned walk in kicks at CVS while I was sitting at a red light once too.

 

Shopkick App Overview and Review

Store Scans

The kicks earning doesn’t stop once you walk into the store.  Once you are inside you can earn more kicks for scanning items that they want to promote in the app.  I have earned up to 250 kicks for scanning a single item.  Most items are for 10 kicks but there are usually some 25 and 50 kick items mixed in there too. The Airheads in the picture above will get you 30 kicks for scanning them and 200 kicks if you purchase them.  You can double dip on these earnings too.  I only do scans if they are at least 25 kicks an item and I know I can easily find the item.

Pro Tip: Hallmark stores routinely offer the best in store scans.

Shopkick App Overview and Review

 

In Store Purchases

This is where the app really shines for resellers.  This app lets you earn kicks for items you purchase in store.  There are two ways this happens.  They offer bonuses for buying certain items.  Like 500 kicks for buying instant pasta etc.

Some stores also offer you a kick per dollar rate.  There are 3 ways to earn these extra kicks and it varies by store which one you will have to use.  Some stores have you link the credit card you are going to pay with to the app and it registers that way.  Other stores have you send a picture of your receipt.  Lastly, some stores will have the store scan a barcode before you make your purchase (shown above).

Walmart was offering 1 kick per dollar during the whole holiday season.  That would have been huge for toy resellers! (cough cough Shawn). Best Buy also regularly offers 1 kick per dollar on in store purchases.  There are only a few ways to earn portal bonuses for in store purchases and they rarely include stores like Walmart and Best Buy.

Pro Tip: I tried submitting a money order receipt from Walmart just to see what would happen.  I didn’t get credit as expected but I thought I may save you the effort if you were thinking the same thing.

Shopkick App Overview and Review

Redemption

As I noted above Shopkicks are worth $0.004 a piece. You can redeem them towards gift cards at the available retailers starting at 500 kicks, worth $2. Most stores offer a 500, 1250, 6250, and 12500 kicks redemption offer.  Those are for gift cards worth $2, $5, $25, and $50.

Once redeemed there is a gift card code and barcode in your app so you can use the gift card in store or online.

Conclusion

Shopkick is a rewarding app that works properly 99% of the time.  I have had an issue with one particular Marshall’s store never giving me walk in kicks but other than that it works properly.

This is an app that will add to your cash back/portal arsenal.  It gives you money for simply shopping. If you find the right mall or strip mall you can rack up $3-4 in kicks within minutes. It unlocks bonuses for in store purchases too.

I do recommend focusing your shopping trips “kicking trips” to the weekends since the walk in payouts are higher.  Don’t go out of your way during the week.

In the past month my wife and I have been able to rack up $50 in Amazon gift cards with minimal effort.

If you are interested in signing up you can use our referral link. We each get 250 kicks (worth $1) once you earn your first walk in or scan kicks within 7 days.

 

Do you currently use Shopkick?  What do you think of the program?  If not, do you think you are going to give it a try?  Let me know in the comments!

 

 

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Lower Spend - Chase Ink Business Preferred® 100K!

Chase Ink Business Preferred® is a powerful card that earns 3X Ultimate Rewards points in a broad range of business categories on the first $150K in spend per year. Right now earn 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards points after $15K $8K spend in the first 3 months with a $95 annual fee.

Learn more about this card and its features!


Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann is a father, husband and miles/points fanatic. He left the corporate world after starting a family in order to be a stay at home dad. Mark is constantly looking at ways to save money and stay within budget while also taking awesome vacations with his family. When he isn't caring for his family or taking a weekend trip, Mark is working towards his goal of visiting every Major League Baseball ballpark.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

15 COMMENTS

  1. How do you get more items in your Shopkick app? I only have about 6 at Walmart. Everything I have seen online in not in my app? Thanks

  2. I have used shopkick for 4 years all was well with it for the first 2 years cashed in on 75,000 points used at best buy.Lost my cell and did not remember if i set it up on gmail or yahoo i could not get it to log in on gmail so i tried yahoo and set up my password and i started adding points got up to 125000 last 02=01=2020 needed a new cell so i tried to get a card from best buy shopkick said cell # was not validated or was already in use. but up to this time i was getting emails to yahoo about my points and balance i sent 15 email shopkick help i would get a robot response because of the covid 19 it would take a 72 hrs for help 2 weeks go by and nothing.I am not getting updates on this anymore because my shopkick was deleted and not by me.I was saving for a scooter 750000 points. i had a lot of time in this don’t make the same mistake as i did shame on you shopkick

    • For most of the earning you do not have to link a card except for the ones that specifically say it.

  3. My shop kicks was suspended even though I did not break any of the rules they did it once before and said it was sent out in error I will not let them take what I earned I love the shopkick app it’s what I do daily as a retiree

  4. We use to get a higher value of kicks at Walmart and Meijer. The amount has decreased over the last 6 weeks. Is this happening to anybody else or know why?

    • It does seem like lower payouts this year…maybe the partners are not willing to pay out as much to be in the program etc?

  5. Hello Mark,
    Tks for your great blog. Two quick questions, if I’m an average shopper, how many kicks can I expect to get each month and how many kick can I expect to get from a same store every week from Best Buy, Target and Walmart (e.g. is there a cool down period for walk-ins, scans, etc…)?
    Be well. John

    • There is a cool down for walk ins but I am not sure what the time frame is I just bump into it sometimes. For earning lot depends on the time of year etc. Around the holidays the walk in numbers go way up. Also you can use the in store purchases to increase your kicks, especially at Best Buy with the Amex Offers etc. You just have them scan the app before making the purchase.

  6. Sounds intriguing. BTW, Bluetooth and WiFi are not the same, each signal works without the other being available. The app needs a data stream to phone home and send your kicks. The weird requirement is access to your microphone? That one is a little creepy.

  7. I’ve been using Shopkick for about 8 to 10 years (Since it was new). It has gotten better than when it started. It used to be harder to get the walkin kicks. I don’t use it much but just in passing. It’s fairly passive. Having credit cards registered for places like Oldnavy can really add up. The scanning usually isn’t worth it unless you are walking around the store and just have time to blow (like browsing in Target with my wife). You can also stack this with other offers so it works out really well for that.

    • Agreed Dan – I always look at the scans and if there is something good or near where I’ll be I will do it. Or if I am just burning time. I have gone out of my way to Hallmark though since they have had 150 kick scans for any card etc. and it is right by a TJ Maxx 🙂

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related

7,703FansLike
9,903FollowersFollow
16,444FollowersFollow