Most people don’t realize there are plenty of legit reward apps that will pay users for simply using their application. Interestingly, you can collect points with the tap of a button on your iPhone or Android smartphone and redeem those points for gift cards, discounts, cash and electronics such as tablets, mP3 players or headphones.
I mean, think about it. This kind of traction when it comes to rewarding users makes perfect sense, especially as smartphone adoption is growing at a rapid pace worldwide. This is a prime area for companies like Viggle, Shopkick, Checkpoints and App Trailers to grab the attention of people by cleverly implementing such a fun way to go out and shop.
Viggle
Viggle is a loyalty program for television that gives people real rewards for checking into the television shows they’re watching. Currently available for Android, Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Viggle automatically identifies what television shows its users are watching and awards them points when they check-in. Viggle users can redeem their points in the app’s rewards catalogue for items such as movie tickets, music, gift cards and much more.
In the time I’ve used this app, I have been able to accumulate $40 in iTunes gift cards. The user interface of the social TV app is relatively easy to use. You can get from place to place without any guesswork, as things are pretty straight forward. However, there are a few drawbacks with this app. For example, the physical products such as the Apple TV (210,000 points) or iPod touch (375,000 points) seem unattainable. And don’t get me started on the Caribbean cruise that’ll a set you back 4,000,000 points — seriously, that’s a lot of TV watching!
Shopkick
With an easy to use application like Shopkick earning rewards is a breeze. All Shopkick users have to do is simply walk into a participating store, check in through the app, and earn points. People can also rack up points by scanning items and recent purchases. The idea is to urge you to do a lot of shopping at your favorite stores, and rewards like gift cards, vouchers and discounts are at your disposal once you earn the right amount of points. Once you launch the application the startup screen tells you the amount of stores that are in your area that you can earn “kick” points.
I really like the fact that you can store your credit cards securely so they can be used for purchases at eligible stores. This opens another avenue for folks to collect them some kicks.
Checkpoints
Similar to Shopkick, Checkpoints users can earn points ranging from 10 to 50 for scanning items at stores. The difference is a much more product driven strategy. For instance, if you head to a grocery store like Stop & Shop (in my area), you’ll notice points for scanning specific items like Welch’s fruit juice. You will get at least 1 coin for each scan you do. Coins can be used to spin the slots or buy a scratch ticket to win 20 to 150,000 points.
If going to the store and scanning a bunch of items isn’t your thing, then you will be happy to know that you can earn points and coins at home by doing things like downloading free apps and watching short videos about apps.
App Trailers
This app pays you to download other apps and watch trailers. How simple is that? In AppTrailers, you just watch videos that are about 30 seconds to a minute or so. Each viewing earns about 5 to 10 points, but you can make much more than that. You can play free scratch ticket games every day that pay you 10-21 points if you win. Another interesting option is the choice of buying scratchers using points that have different jackpots. You can also refer your buddies and receive 250 points. The only choice I seen for logging in was by way of Facebook. I’m not sure if an email signup option is available. I haven’t earned any money yet, but I’ll keep you posted on the latest.
Foap
Foap has probably the most intriguing concept out there. In an age where everyone wants to snap pictures and upload them to their social networking site of choice, Foap attempts to capitalize on that trend. Foap lets users upload their photos to the startup’s marketplace where they can be purchased for $10 each. Every sale is split 50/50 between the photographer and Foap. So instead of taking decent pictures for free, you can potentially get paid for them.
When the app first launched, the Foap team ran the approval process of each submission, which quickly became an arduous and expensive process. Not to mention, the user experience suffered because it made it too long for photos to get the thumbs up or down. Now approvals go through the community of users on the platform, as this makes photos go through much smoother. Unfortunately, the Foap app isn’t available for Android yet. Checkout SurveySpencer.com for other money making opportunities.
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