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Out Shopping? Earn Free Gift Cards — Just by Scanning Barcodes

Farrah Daniel

by Farrah Daniel

Shot of a shopper using her cellphone while looking at a price
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Shopping is such a double-edged sword.

On one hand, you have sparkles dancing in your eyes as you walk down the aisles of Target and T.J.Maxx. You run your fingers across all the items promising you happiness. You feel thrilled watching the clerk bag up your new items as you’re checking out.

Then, on the other hand? G-U-I-L-T.

You’re afraid to check the damage in your bank account for the next few days. And the happiness you paid for slowly dissipates.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. There’s a way to shop without feeling guilty — and you’ll earn free gift cards.

Get Paid to Scan Barcodes While You Shop

No tricks here — just (Shop)kicks.

Shopkick is an app that’ll give you free gift cards while you’re out shopping — just for scanning barcodes.

The best part? You don’t have to buy anything if you don’t want to.

Whether you’re sniffing candles at Target or stocking up on candy at CVS, open up the Shopkick app and find items to scan for points. Once you find the item in the score, scan the barcode and watch your “kicks,” or points, pile up.

Once you’ve collected enough kicks (most rewards are 250 kicks per dollar!), you can cash them in for gift cards to Amazon, Old Navy, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora, Hotels.com and more.

Up the ante and use these strategies to earn even more rewards with Shopkick:

  • Snap photos of your receipts. Earn more kicks when you take photos of your receipts that include qualifying items you purchased with a connected credit or debit card.
  • Make an online purchase through the Shopkick app. That’s all you have to do!
  • Walk into stores IRL and online. Yup, the app rewards you when you step (or click) into select partner stores like Yankee Candle, Foot Locker, Fabletics and more. No purchase necessary.
  • Watch videos. Earn kicks in your spare time by watching in-app video ads. You might even discover new products while you’re at it.

You’re already going to shop, so why not get some rewards out of it?

Ready to get started? Kick your way to rewards with Shopkick for Apple or Android. 

Farrah Daniel ([email protected]) is an editorial assistant at The Penny Hoarder.

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