Five apps that earn gift cards

When I find something that’s almost-too-good-to-be-true but still tried-and-true, I have to share it.

As y’all know, I’m trying to tackle my debt. One way I do that is by earning gift cards for things I’d be spending money on, thus creating more wiggle room in my debt crushing. Like… if I can put $5 on my Starbucks card but someone else could put $5 on my Starbucks card and I could put $5 towards my debt… that’s a win-win, for sure.

Here are five apps that I’ve discovered that help you earn gift cards.

ONE // ibotta

If you’re reading my blog, I’m guessing you’ve heard of ibotta just because I think most people have heard of it. But in case you haven’t… ibotta offers you cash rebates for purchases. They always have opportunities for bonuses, and if you are diligent in checking to see their offers, you can make a lot of money. I’ve made $36 so far, and never once have I purchased something I wasn’t already going to the store to buy. If you sign up with my referral code, you’ll get $10 (and I’ll get $5 for referring you). The great news is that you can stack these with coupons and discount apps like Cartwheel! Major savings potential.

TWO // receipt pal or receipt hog

I use Receipt Pal. Justen uses Receipt Hog. Both have the same purpose – you take pictures of your receipts, for points that you can cash out for gift cards. Receipt Hog is way more fun and interactive, but they haven’t accepted me yet. Receipt Pal has a limited amount of receipts you can scan per week, but if you’re diligent the points add up quickly. I’ve already redeemed a $5 gift card for Regal and am currently trying to figure out where I should redeem my $25 gift card.

THREE // shopkick

In terms of ease, convenience and “no purchase necessary,” shop kick is the the way to go. You get kicks (points) just for walking in to certain stores, and you can earn more kicks when you scan certain items at the store. Even better? They offer “kick bates,” which means that if you buy certain items and submit the receipt, you’ll receive bonus kicks. Not only that, but you can link your debit card and earn kicks for qualifying purchases at a bunch of stores. You can stack all of the apps so far. A few weeks ago, I walked into Walmart and got 35 kicks just for showing up. I scanned Coffeemate creamer for 15 kicks. I checked ibotta and saw that they had a rebate for Coffeemate creamer purchased at Walmart. There was a kickbate. So I earned $.50 in ibotta, 150 kicks from the kickbate PLUS 2 points/$1, and then I scanned the receipt. All for something I needed to purchase anyway. Shop kick is by far my favorite gift card earning app, because I think it’s the easiest and requires NO money or purchase whatsoever.

If you have my phone number I’d love to text you a link to join shop kick (I’ll earn a portion of the points you do for the first 2 weeks you have the app installed). If not, sign up here.

FOUR // scratchy

This app is so stupid easy to use. They give you scratch cards. You scratch off 3 of the 6 squares and hope they match. If they do, you get a deal or a gift card. I’ve won a $5 Amazon gift card. and I’ve done nothing but play a stupid easy game. You earn coins as you play, and those can be redeemed for gift cards when you get enough. I’ve never had enough so I cannot vouch for the validity of that. If you’re already playing games, you might as well play a stupid easy one that might win you a gift card.

FIVE // all mplus apps 

It started with Sworkit. I downloaded the Sworkit app and realized I got points for finishing the app workouts. Then I realized you could also get points for mPlus places. THEN I realized there’s actually a plethora of mPlus points apps that all earn points in your mPlus account. My favorite is mPlus places. It’s like Swarm but with real points that get you real gift cards. There are a bunch of games that earn you mPlus points as well, so if you’re a person who likes to play games on your phone.. hello, you should earn real points that earn you real gift cards amiright?!

Have you used any of these apps? are there any other apps you use to earn free gift cards? Let me know if you download any of them! I’m more than happy to help you figure them out 🙂