With the holidays done and over with, many of us are probably feeling the substantial drop in weight to our wallets. Being in college myself, I must say it was no simple task parting with my hard earned and scarce greenbacks to buy iffy gifts for those who preferred that I didn't. Well with the next semester looming just around the corner, I find myself looking into more supplemental forms of gaining some dough. Very alternative methods, but surprisingly some of the options I've come across
have actually paid off. Some of these methods have also been in the form of Apple Apps or Web Apps, so earning some pocket change has been as easy as tapping through my phone, taking a picture or scanning a barcode, and getting paid via PayPal or by a points system.
"SCAM!!"
I can hear this a mile away, and my first thought was the same as yours. Sure, there are plenty of anglers out there looking to feed on anybody in this sea of consumers, but hidden deep there are legitimate ways to earn money for doing normal day to day things. These payouts are mostly issued by advertisers and affiliates looking to just get their name heard, and are willing to part with a few cents to a few bucks for for that much needed traffic. Think of it more as a marketing ploy to become more "word-of-mouth," thus making their way into peoples everyday lives. Now I'd like to share with you the Apps that have turned my head into this new way of making a few bucks here and there that actually add up.
Apps That Pay You!
So for about the past month, I've looked and looked and looked, and I have stumbled across four notable Apps that do just what I was looking for, TO PAY ME! Now here I'm not going to sell you on any type of pyramid scheme or multilevel marketing, I'm just going to bare all that I could find that prove to be legitimate ways of earning some moolah or prizes. I will add a link following each review to the site and I will also include a bonus code or startup code that I just ask kindly for you to use. Yeah, its a referral for me, but if you use it, you also get some bonuses out of it. I know that some of the Apps ask you for a bonus code during registration, and I had no references, so I left it blank. Well, later on I come to realize that if I had been referred I could have scored some extra earnings to begin with..
Oh well.
CheckPoints
CheckPoints started up later on in 2010, but has probably gotten the most national coverage in the media. Without a doubt the most downloaded "earning" App in the App Store.
Resembling a common check-in App, like Foursquare, CheckPoints rewards its users by a point based format. You earn minimal points just by checking into businesses nearby by using your iPhone's GPS, and you can post tips and comments about each business and also view other tips and business details such as address, phone number, and location on a map. Now, straying away from your everyday check-in App, CheckPoints throws another feature into the mix, start thinking scavenger hunt.
CheckPoints will show you the top earning opportunities based on your location and list them at the top of the Apps colorful and easy to navigate interface. Within those featured businesses, you'll find many sponsored products in which you'll need to find within that business and literally scan the barcode on each one. Why? For the points silly. Moving on.
These points add up, and quite quickly if you live in an area with plenty of malls and businesses around. Now what if you live in the sticks and barely have Edge Network? Good news! CheckPoints advertisers are product based and not store specific, so you don't have to live in a high urban area for this App to work for you.
Now what do we do with these points? Save them. Keep saving them. Until you reach something you want to purchase in their store filled with electronics such as Wiis, Netbooks, iPods, and plenty of other gift cards (iTunes, Amazon, Fandango, GameStop) and charities. Reasonably priced, these items are literally within reach if you don't give up too soon. I've gotten a few free albums from iTunes using this App already. Too gain some bonus points, look for products to scan with gold coins. These gold coins count as 1 token each for the in-App slots game where you can win the Jackpot of 150,000 points (enough for a couple Wiis).
Interested in this App? Head to the App Store and search CheckPoints or just click here:
http://www.checkpoints.com/
If you sign up and you're feeling charitable or looking for those bonus startup points use my bonus code:
Xiej
ShopKick
Much like the same experience with CheckPoints, ShopKick offers it's users generally the same bit. Instead of being product driven, however, ShopKick's advertisers are more along the likes of big box stores. This may change things a bit depending on your current residence, but I find these two to be pretty similar to each other. The biggest difference however is how the user attains points.
ShopKick has products to scan, but much less than CheckPoints. Instead, ShopKick just wants users to physically walk into certain stores to award them points. Along with daily specials and offers displayed at the top of the screen, the user can gain more points or offers by following a featured "task." These "tasks" change almost daily, so there's always something new happening in this App.
Aside from gaining points by using this app, the user is also entitled to select offers from the business they just physically checked-into. For example, walking into Best Buy and opening ShopKick, I'm entitled to extra offers from Best Buy that I can use in store immediately. That 32" LCD HDTV for $449.99 is now $299.99 thanks to the offer on my iPhone via ShopKick. Not bad.
You're a bit limited to check-ins and point opportunities from the get-go, but the more you play around with the App, the higher you gain in Levels. So as you progress in levels, you unlock more features and bonus points. The points can be redeemed in the Rewards section, which (in my opinion) is a bit lacking compared to CheckPoints. ShopKicks rewards are almost all limited to gift cards to Best Buy, Target, iTunes, Movie Tickets, etc. with a pair of Skull Candys, an HDTV, a Cruise, and a Coach Handbag being the exceptions. ShopKick however allows the user to suggest rewards, and with the amount that this App gets updated, the rewards could change quite often.
ShopKick sound like fun? Start typing it in the App Store or just head to their site here:
http://www.shopkick.com
When you're signing up, feel free to use my bonus code to score yourself an extra 50 kickbucks when registering:
goat3432
WeReward
Finally, we get to my favorite App of the four I'd thought I'd share with the rest of the world. Sick of points getting your motivation down. Well, WeReward does away with the entire points system. Instead, they just want to pay you.
Literally.
In Cash.
Through PayPal.
Automatically.
Awesome.
Getting funds from both big businesses and products like Pepsi, Quiznos, McDonalds, Walmart, etc. WeReward can afford to give you a cut of their profit for "proving" that you have consumed these products or just aware that they even exist.
WeReward is split up by Places, Products, and Tasks. Places are hundreds of big and small business around your area. Products are consumer goods you may have lying around your house or where ever you are. Tasks are certain objectives you need to complete, such as downloading a free app from the App Store and opening it at least once before you delete it.
Now with WeReward, there's no pesky barcodes to scan or certain businesses aren't available depending on your region. No, instead WeReward simply wants you to snap a picture of a store sign, your bartender, you stuffing your face with a Big Mac, or pounding a Pepsi and submit it. Once approved by WeReward, they drop anywhere from a few bucks to a few dimes in your account. Simply Awesome.
If interested in WeReward (Which you should be!), follow this referral link to their site so both you and I get a bonus:
http://we.rw/p20VZ
Seed
Now this is the last App that I've been able to play with, so I don't have too much experience here, but there is plenty of potential. AOL's Seed looks to revolutionize the journalism world, where everyone has the ability to be a potential amateur journalist and make some money from it. Their motto states exactly what they're looking for;
Create, Be Heard, Get Paid.
Now, thumbing through the app for a while, its clear that Seed for mobile is definitely a remote for the web based site. It requires registration online at Seed.com and many features from Seed are only available from a home computer. Still, the potential to make some extra cash is there, and to be a bit more creative about it and actually be heard by others? Well, thats just cool.
The major section of the App (Which takes a bit to load, patience) is the Assignments tab. This is where many of your money opportunities are. Many of these assignments request the user to write accounts of personal stories or experiences with certain topics. For example,
Confessions of a Greeting Card Writer, What It's Like to Work at Best Buy, My Unemployed Life, I Interviewed at Cisco, etc. Each personal account will tack on $20+ to your account.
Like I say, the potential is there, and such a creative startup. However, writing may not be your thing. No worries. Your iPhone has a camera. Use it. Seed is also looking for Photographers. Say you come across some breaking news, something different, or something worthy of being internet bound, snap a pic and push it through Seed. you may just come out on top with some extra cash.
Feeling Seed and their approach to journalism? check 'em out here:
http://www.seed.com/
The Honorable Mention
AppRedeem
Okay, so this one isn't really an App from the App Store, but I feel its worthy of a proper mention, as this is what started my said binge on finding some supplemental cash. Now it doesn't pay much, but have you ever had a piggy bank or something where you just added some change to it every now and then? Well, that change adds up doesn't it? That's exactly what the basis of AppRedeem is, except you're not saving your own change, you're saving free change from sponsors.
All you need is a PayPal account and an App capable iDevice to get started. Sign up (Hopefully using my reference link!), and choose from the list any App to download, free or paid. Many of the paid Apps end up giving you your money back in a few minutes, and the free ones will give you anywhere from dimes to quarters. Either way, the list gets updated quite a bit, and new Apps are available to download.
Once you find an App to download, you'll be redirected to the App Store where you'll download it. Next, you open the App (I usually fool around with the App for a min), then you can delete it if it's not for you. After all is said and done, next time you head to AppRedeem your balance would have increased and you have been paid through PayPal in just a couple minutes from opening the App you downloaded. Cool huh?
You can add AppRedeem to your home screen from Safari by tapping the "+" and selecting "Add to Home Screen." Voila! You now have a clean web app added to your home screen that you can easily get back to AppRedeem like I do. This is simply an App that pays you to try out other Apps.
If you'd like to check out AppRedeem, follow my reference link to their site to help us both out:
http://tinyurl.com/2ck4bxe
Hopefully, you enjoyed this way overdue blog post. I've been meaning to get back to writing, but currently my life is just a little hectic, especially if I'm out there trying to make as much cash as possible before I head back to school. But if you found this post at all interesting, or you just have something to say, leave me a comment or follow my blog, just do something haha. If I start seeing some activity, I'll start unloading much much more here and, in the near future, other start up sites I'm working on.
This post is one of others to appear on my
"Cash Flow" page for
money making apps. Check it out
