The ShopKick app is one of my favorite money saving phone apps because it is extremely easy to use and fun! If you like being rewarded for shopping, then you need to learn how to use ShopKick!
We currently live very close to a large Outlet Mall and other retail stores. Sometimes my husband and I like to head out with the kids to get some fresh air, exercise, and window shop over at the outlets. We chat, look around, let the kids play with some toys (that we don’t buy), look at a few things, play at the playgrounds, and eventually head home.
But, would you believe that during our fun little shopping excursion, I earn money? And without having to buy a single item?
When we walk around the stores, I make sure I pull out my phone, not for Facebook surfing, Instagram scrolling, or Pinterest pinning. No, I pull it out to earn money through the money saving app Shopkick.
It’s fast become one of my favorite phone apps because it is fun to use! We go on mini scavenger hunts looking for items to scan, get our steps in walking to the next store that offers kicks, and my kids help out by scanning items. Several of my favorite frugal bloggers use it regularly too, like my friend Victoria at Snail Pace Transformation.
I love using my phone as a way to make a little extra money through ShopKick. This is why you need to get the ShopKick app. It earns you money with little effort, it’s fun, and it adds up fast.
Here’s how to use ShopKick App and start earning money simply visiting and browsing in stores!
How Do You Use the ShopKick App?
1.) First you’ll need to download the ShopKick App to your phone. It is free to download and available for both Apple and Android devices. Click here to download ShopKick with my referral link.
2.) Once it’s downloaded, open the app and set up an account. It’ll walk you through the steps, having you pick out your desired reward (more about rewards later), and create an account (or you can connect it to your Facebook account).
3) Link your credit cards in the app.
I know this sounds scary. And ultimately it will be up to you to decide if you want to do this (it is optional). Know that your card information isn’t saved by Shopkick, but through Visa or MasterCard’s secure site (they are the only two cards you can link in currently). You can link up to three Visa cards and three MasterCards. I would link the cards you make purchases with the most when shopping. They have in the past offered kicks for linking in your first card.
4) Make sure your location is on so you’ll know which stores close to you participate on ShopKick. You can also do a search to find stores near you. Scroll through the store listings and familiarize yourself with what stores near you earn your kicks.
How Do You Earn Kicks on ShopKick?
There are four different ways to earn Kicks through the ShopKick app:
- Walk-in Kicks
- Scan Kicks
- Kicks for Purchases (with linked cards)
- Kicks for Receipts (for KickBate™ items)
Walk-in Kicks
In order to earn walk-in kicks, you will need to have your location and your Bluetooth on.
With location and notifications on for the app, you’ll get a happy little bleep when you get close to a store that offers kicks!
When you get close the store, open up the app as you approach, select the store from the store list, and then step inside the store (sometimes just outside the store works too though). A little blue circle will appear on your phone saying, “Hi, [Your Name]” and then flip over to show you how many kicks you got for walking in!
If it doesn’t do it right away, tap on the circle around the little person, as you step into the store.
If your walk-in kicks aren’t showing up on the ShopKick App try the following:
- Make sure the store is actually offering walk-in kicks. Not all stores do, all the time.
- I have found that some stores it’s better to connect to their WiFi and other stores it’s better to disconnect and use data. If a store isn’t registering walk-in kicks, try either connecting or disconnecting from the store’s WiFi.
- Go back to the app’s home page, drag down to refresh the page, click on the store, and try again.
- If it’s still not working, close the app down on your phone, reopen the app, and try again.
- If none of that works, click “Report Issue” at the bottom of the Walk-in information tab for that store.
Here are some things to know about walk-in kicks:
- Not every store offers walk-in kicks.
- Walk-in Kicks may not always be available every day, even for stores that usually offer them.
- The amount of Walk-in Kicks you can earn varies by day. ShopKick tends to offer higher walk-in kick rewards on the weekends and for holidays.
- You can only earn walk-in kicks once per day per store.
- You can earn anywhere from 25 kicks to 200 kicks for walking into a store and using the app.
Stores that offer Shopkick Walk-in Kicks (most of the time):
- Walmart
- Sam’s Club
- Target
- Best Buy
- JCPenney
- Carter’s
- Oshkosh B’Gosh
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Aerie
- Tillys,
- T. J. Maxx
- Marshalls
- Sports Authority
- Randalls
- bare + BEAUTY
- Fragrance Outlet
- New York & Company Outlet
- Brighton Collectibles
Scan Kicks
This is the fun part of Shopkick! If you like to window shop, walk down every isle in a store, or take your sweet time as you shop, this app feature is perfect for you.
Various stores offer Scan Kicks (even if they don’t offer walk-in kicks).
How to Get Scan Kicks
When you enter a participating store, open the app on your phone, connect (or disconnect) to the store WiFI so you don’t hit any “little potholes back there” and click on the store from the list. Then tap the Scan kicks icon.
Here you will see a list of items in the store, which if scanned, earn you kicks! The amount of kicks is listed next to the item, as well as if the items are eligible for a KickBate™ (I’ll talk more about that in a minute).
The eligible items are pretty random, like a certain brand/style of diapers, a Barbie doll, a magazine, dog food, personal care products, wine, household products or food.
When you find the specific item in the store, click on the listing for it in the app. Your phone will turn on its camera so you can scan the barcode found on the packaging for that item. After you scan it, a blue circle (and happy noise) shows up and tells you how many kicks you earned by scanning a barcode as you shopped and browsed the store!
I haven’t had many issues with Scan Kicks not working either.
After you scan an item you may or may not have a quick little survey show up on your screen about that product. I believe they are optional and can be closed out before completing, without forfeiting your kicks.
Here are some things you need to know about Scan Kicks:
- The same item is often listed under multiple stores.
- Scan Kicks are awarded once per day, per item.
- You cannot scan the same item in different stores, the same day, and earn kicks from both stores.
- Some scan kicks refresh every single day. Others refresh less frequently, if at all.
- A store that offered scan kicks before may not have any on a different day.
- Scan Kick items’ value range from 10 kicks to 50 kicks each.
What stores regularly offer Scan Kicks?
- Sam’s Club
- Target
- CVS
- Walgreens
- H-E-B
- Walmart
- Randalls
- Ultra
- Best Buy
- Dollar General
- AutoZone
- Brighton Collectibles
- Reebox Outlet
- Hallmark Goldcrown
- Kohl’s
- Kmart
- Brookshire
- Lowe’s
- Home Depot
Kicks for Purchases
This feature is one of my favorites on the app! I love using cashback sites like Ebates when shopping online, and often wish that I could get the same when shopping in store, and now I can with ShopKick! At Carter’s, for instance, the cash back on a $75 purchase is over 4%! Ebates only offers 2.5% cash back at Carters.com, so this is huge!
To earn kicks for purchases, most stores require you to link your credit cards to the app. However, not all Kicks for Purchases require a credit card!
How do you earn kicks for purchases with a linked credit card?
These kicks are only for in-store purchases. Your VISA or MasterCard credit or debit card must be linked to your ShopKick account before you shop at a store that offers Kicks for Purchases and used at checkout and run as credit (if a debit card). You don’t need to do anything extra at checkout and can use any coupons or discounts as normal.
After you’ve completed your shopping trip, ShopKick will reward you Kicks automatically, though some stores make you wait 30 days before rewarding.
Stores that offer kicks for purchases with a linked card:
- Marshalls
- bare + BEAUTY
- Fragrance Outlet
- New York & Company Outlet
- Carter’s (See how I use ShopKick to maximize my savings at Carter’s!)
- Oshkosh B’Gosh
- Brighton Collectibles
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Reebox Outlet
- Aerie
- T. J. Maxx
All of the above stores offer either 1 kick/$1 spent or 2 kicks/$1 spent as well as tiered bonus kicks! That means you earn the 1-2 kicks/$1 spent, plus if you spend $25, get a bonus 75 kicks, $50, 200 kick bonus, and $100 a 500 kick bonus. Each retailer has its own bonus tiers and fine print, so be sure to read them. Some stores limit transactions per week to 3 while others allow for 4. Some don’t reward kicks until after 30 days, assuming no returns are made. Some offer higher bonus kicks for less money spent too!
ShopKick will also occasionally (usually around holidays) offer double the kicks per dollar spent at some retailers.
Stores that previously offered kicks for purchases:
- JCPenney
- Levi’s Outlet Store
- Disney Outlet
I don’t know if it will be an option in the future for them or not. Like all things on the app, things change frequently, so here’s to hoping they’ll bring kicks for purchases back for some of these retailers.
Kicks for Purchases without a Linked Credit Card
Best Buy is the only store I know on the app that does not require you to have any credit cards linked to your ShopKick account.
When you shop at Best Buy and go to the checkout, open the app, click on Best Buy, then click on Purchases, and you’ll see a QR code on the screen. Ask the cashier to scan this QR barcode BEFORE pressing total. Currently they are offering 2 kicks/$1 spent, without a tiered bonus (but they used to have one).
They did double it to 4 kicks/$1 spent over Black Friday weekend, so, like all things in the app, be on the lookout for changes and promotions!
How do you earn Kicks for Receipts on ShopKick?
When you purchase a KickBate™ product (which are all items on the Kicks for Scans list, though not all Kicks for Scans products are eligible for Kicks for Receipts), select the item(s) from the list of Kicks for Receipts, hit Claim Kicks, double check you got all the eligible items from that one receipt selected, then hit submit.
Your camera will then turn on, with directions on how to photograph your receipt, complete with guides. If the receipt doesn’t fit, you can add a section later, so don’t worry.
Once all of the receipt is captured, hit done. After they process the receipt, they’ll send you your pending kicks to your account.
Receipts must be dated within the last 10 days, and purchases made in-store. Kicks range from 50-375 per item.
I haven’t used this feature yet myself, as I don’t usually buy a lot of the items that are eligible, and do most of my grocery shopping through Walmart Grocery, so I don’t have any extra insider tips.

What are ShopKick Kicks Used for? What are the Reward options?
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what on earth all these kicks get you and how many you need to earn before you can cash out.
Like any point-based rewards app, there are different rewards you can claim at different price points.
The lowest kick award starts at just 75 kicks and earns you 1 point towards your AEREWARD$ account. This may be good if you shop at American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie, or 77kids (I never do, so I don’t know).
You may also donate kicks, starting at 100 kicks, to either Feeding America or American Red Cross.
At 500 kicks you can earn a $2 gift card to the following stores:
- Walmart
- Target
- T. J .Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods
- American Eagle
At 1250 kicks you can earn a $5 gift card to all of the above stores in addition to the following stores:
- Starbucks
- Old Navy
- Best Buy
- Game Stop
- Macy’s
- Toys R Us
- Lowe’s
- Nike
- Barnes & Noble
- Cheesecake Factory
- Foot Locker
- Paper Johns
- Yankee Candle
- Aerie
At 2500 Kicks you can earn a $10 gift card to all of the above stores in addition to the following stores:
- JCPenney
- Sephora
- AMC
At 3400 kicks you can get a $10 gas card for Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Texaco, BP, and more.
At 6250 Kicks you can earn a $25 gift card to all of the above retail stores in addition to the following stores:
- 1-800-FLOWERS
- Fandango
- Saks OFF 5th
Above the 6250 you come across large price items, starting at 50,000 kicks, like a Sony Bluetooth headphones, a Samsung TV, an iPad, and a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. However, ShopKick is simply rewarding you $200+ to Best Buy or Target to purchase the prize listed, not mailing a physical item to your home.
They do have large $250 and $300 gift card rewards to places like Tiffany & Co, Coach, and Tory Burch for 62,500 or 75,000 kicks if you really want to hold out for those!
Or if you really wanted to store up your kicks and go for it, they will award you a Vespa for 1,875,000 kicks! They used to offer a Princess Cruise Trip for 6,250,000 kicks….
I cash out for gift cards to Target or Best Buy.
How fast can I earn Kicks?
The speed at which you earn kicks will depend on how you use the app and how often.
If you forget to open it before walking in stores, never scan anything in store, or submit receipts, then not very fast. If you are diligent about using it, scan everything, every time you enter a store, and get your walk in kicks every time, then fairly quickly. If you regularly shop at participating stores, and buy KickBate™ items you remember to submit receipts for, you’ll amass a large amount of kicks very quickly.
I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t buy a ton of stuff, never redeem KickBate™ items, but do regularly get my kicks for walking into stores and scanning at least a few items while I am there.
Here is how I have fared since I first began using the app:
I began using ShopKick November 2014. In the first five months of using the app, I earned enough for a $25 Target gift card (6250 kicks). Now in December 2016, my total all-time kicks are 24,666. I have redeemed a total of $95 in Target Gift Cards, and currently have enough to redeem an additional $2 gift card (almost two of them) through the app.
I let my Kicks accumulate over the course of the year, redeeming them at Christmas time (along with my other cash back apps) to help pay for Christmas presents. This year I redeemed $40 from ShopKick. Next year I intend to be more diligent about using the app, doing more scans, and perhaps some Scans for Kicks for the first time as well to up the amount I earn throughout the year.
If you want easy ways to earn more, then read their emails so you’re aware of special bonus kick promotions and contests to win additional kicks. They also recently started rewarding you with 10 kicks for watching a short video clip in the app.
How do you use your redeemed Gift Cards?
When you want to use your redeem gift cards, click on your number of Kicks at the top center of the app. The bottom left “My Rewards” will show all of your redeemed gift cards. To use one of them, tap it, and follow the instructions on the page to learn how to redeem it. The Target gift cards are super easy in store – simply scan the bar code at the top of the screen when checking out. You can redeem it online by entering the card number and pin listed under the bar code.
Once you use it, mark it as redeemed.
ShopKick Referral Program
Another smart thing to do is tell your friends about the app! ShopKick has a referral program.
For every friend you get to download the app using your special referral link, you earn 50% of the kicks your friend earns in their first two weeks, up to a total of 2500 kicks (but the kicks your friends gets for referring their friends don’t count). You can get referral kicks from up to 100 successful invites!
If you are going shopping with friends, invite them to download the app beforehand, so you can have fun earn kicks together!
Download the ShopKick App for your Android or iOS device now!
I hope you really love the app as much as I do. And feel free to share any other insider tips you may have with me.
The links to the app in this post are my referral link – Thanks for supporting me and my family!
Victoria says
Hey! Thanks for mentioning my article. Did you know that recently Shopkick has also been offering a small amount of points for watching videos in their app. It has been happening about once a week for me. It is only about 10 points per video but those points add up.
Katelyn Fagan says
Yes!! It is great!
Patents says
If you love shopping and want to earn more kicks on ShopKick, we’ve got the perfect guide for you! In this article, we’ll explain how you can start earning kicks on ShopKick and increase your earnings over time. Plus, we’ll give you some tips on how to maximize your rewards and get the most out of your shopping experience on ShopKick. So, whether you’re a new or longtime ShopKick user, read on for tips on how to earn more kicks!