Don’t miss out on the chance to earn money every time you go shopping. Here’s how:
What is a Shopping App?
All Good Points (AGP) defines a shopping app as any app that allows you to earn and/or save money while you’re shopping, either in physical stores or online. Shopping apps typically pay cash, offer cash back, or pay in gift cards. Some even allow you to accumulate bitcoin (or other cryptocurrencies), or provide other forms of compensation, like points or miles, or coupons and contest entries.
A shopping app can be anything from a digital couponing app like Ibotta, to an online shopping portal like Rakuten, to a payment tool like Raise.
It’s possible that you’re heard of a few shopping apps, even if you’ve never used one. Some of these tools have millions upon millions of users and/or do a considerable amount of advertising, like Upside and Ibotta, the former of which allows you to earn cash back on gasoline, grocery and convenience stories purchases. As for Ibotta, it went public in mid-April 2024, using the stock symbol IBTA.
Separately, major retailers (i.e., Target, Kroger) have their own proprietary apps, which can also be useful and are commonly used for redeeming in-store discounts.
Why Use Shopping Apps?
The short answer is: to earn or save money. You can use shopping apps to earn cash or gift cards, or to earn cash back on purchases.
Some of the most common ways to use a shopping app are:
– Redeeming digital coupons
– Taking pictures of receipts
– Scanning bar codes
– Using a shopping app to pay for purchases
– Utilizing coupon codes when shopping online
– Redeeming in-store discounts
Separately, there are a subset of shopping apps that allow you to earn cash or gift cards for completing micro jobs in physical stores. AGP typically refers to these as store auditing tools. Examples include Field Agent, Observa, Mobee and Gigwalk, and they can allow you to add hundreds or thousands of dollars per year to your annual income.
Why Haven’t I Heard More About Shopping Apps?
With a handful of notable exceptions (like the aforementioned Upside and Ibotta) shopping apps aren’t widely advertised and don’t necessarily enjoy widespread name recognition. Users typically learn about them through word-of-mouth and media coverage. To use a music analogy, the best and most useful shopping apps are like popular underground musical artists—admired by their devoted fans, but only enjoyed by those who are “in the know.”
Does the Money I Can Earn or Save While Shopping Add up to Anything?
Yes! How much you earn or save is largely up to you. Millions of people use shopping apps, but it’s probably safe to say that the vast majority are casual users—using them to earn or save whenever it’s most convenient. At the same time, devotees use shopping apps and tools to earn thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year. In fact, it’s not unrealistic to earn six-figures as a professional shopper by working as a mystery/secret shopper and incorporating shopping apps and get-paid-to tools into your work.
Do Shopping Apps Interfere With Earning Credit Card Rewards or Store Loyalty Points?
No. In almost all cases, the rewards you earn from shopping apps and related tools can be stacked on top of existing reward programs. AGP shows you how to stack these tools together to maximize opportunities.
Can I Use More Than One Shopping App at a Time?
In general, yes. Most consumers learn about and use shopping apps in isolation—one at a time. As a result, they lack an appreciation of how much money they can earn while shopping. In turn, that limits how much time they are willing to invest in trying these tools.
If you want to maximize your time and the financial potential of shopping apps, you’ll want to “stack” them by utilizing multiple apps whenever you go shopping. The key is to recognize which tools are most likely to be helpful in a particular store or situation. Again, AGP shows you how to maximize your time and effort when using these tools.
What Else is There Besides “Shopping Apps”?
In addition to shopping apps, there are countless mystery/secret shopping opportunities and ‘get paid to’ tools, the latter of which allow you to get paid for providing a service (like transcribing or proofreading), completing a task, or providing data (taking surveys, for example).
Using shopping apps and related apps and tools, you can make money while shopping, eating out, traveling, side hustling and even working from home. There are even get paid to walk apps, so you can literally be earning money wherever you go.
Again, Is There Real Money in This?
Yes! Think about it like this: If you use shopping tools to earn (or save) an extra $10 a day that adds up to an extra $3,650 a year. Save or earn $20 a day and that adds up to $7,300 a year. $50 a day is $18,250 a year.
You simply need to know:
1) that shopping apps and tools exist, and
2) figure out which ones suit you, your lifestyle, and your spending habits.
That’s where we can help.
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