CoinOut: Are the Pennies Worth the Time?

 CoinOut is a receipt scanning app that gives you money for uploading pictures of your receipts. You may have seen this app featured on the popular entrepreneur show Shark Tank. Let me just say, this App has become easily my favorite It has a 4.7 rating with over 26,000 reviews. Please, if you spend

any time doing any of these Pocket Stuffer add this one to your list. I'm really pushing this app because I can almost guarantee you'll be able to get something from it. It's so user friendly and simple that there's no real reason not to have this one on your phone.
The CoinOut app is available in the App Store and Google Play.

How do I Earn Cash Back with CoinOut?

Earning cash back with CoinOut is one of the easiest things you'll do. Below you'll see a step by step method. First it's important to know that you can scan and receive cashback from almost any purchase you make that gives you a receipt. That means you can go out buy your groceries, grab lunch and fill up your gas tank and have the chance to receive cash back on all of those receipts. The only receipts that don't qualify are receipts for lottery, bank slips, money orders, hand written receipts or any receipt that doesn't have a product on it. 

The second step is also very easy! After you click the scan button you'll be prompted to take a photo of your receipt. Simply follow the guide on the screen and load your receipt into the program.

The third step doesn't require anything from you at all. If you wait a few minutes or seconds the app will go through the receipt and tell you how much cash back your receipt is worth and add that to your app saving balance.

CoinOut Home Page

Photograph your receipt

Receive your cash back

How Do you Receive Your Cash Back

CoinOut has three options to receive your cash back. You can choose from an Amazon gift card, a direct bank deposit or a deposit into your Paypal account. I don't personally believe in giving my bank information to places like this, no matter who endorses the site or how secure it is so I would advice the Paypal or Amazon option here.

Something else you should know about receiving cash back is that you can make a request once per week. There is no minimum balance need for the Amazon gift card or direct deposit options but if you elect to cash out with Paypal you need a minimum of $10.00 in your account to cash out.

What Else Should You Know?

•  You have two weeks (14 days) to submit in store receipts through the app. After that time they won't be accepted.
• The amount of receipts you can upload changes daily. The app creators set a limit each day, right now there isn't a way to know that limit until you reach it.
•  You can also earn cash back by using links through the app. to shop online. It may be worth looking up the current percentages they use for cash back because I've found you can usually get better rates other places.
•  The amount you receive for your receipts is actually done at random. There isn't a set amount for certain stores or products. The app creators actually set a range that can be received for each receipt and what you receive is handed out at random.
• You can submit up to four E-receipts per day by sending a copy of your E-receipt to Receipts@coinout.com Unlike in store receipts these receipts have to be received the same day the order is placed. In order to receive your cash back you must include the e-mail used for your account and the phone number attached in the e-mail.
•  It can take up to 48 hours to receive your cash back, if you run into any issues e-mail Support@coinout.com

Are There Bonuses?

CoinOut offers bonuses for different things throughout the app. If you scan through the small icon on the home screen of the app you'll find some of them talk about bonuses like the one pictured below the +$1 Badge. The badge below automatically awards you account an extra $1 when you reach a balance of $20 without cashing out. There are other bonuses as well that have different requirements and they also have rewards with purchase for different things. They're worth scanning through to see if you might be interested in anything. 

Do They Offer a Referral Program?

There is a referral program! You can receive $0.75 for each person you refer to the app. In the Refer and Share option you have the option to share on Facebook, Twitter or via e-mail. There is also an option to get a link that you can share anywhere you like. There is a refer option as well that gives you the option to send out a link via texting and connecting to your contacts. If you're interested in signing up and want to help me receive a referral bonus consider Clicking This Referral Link

What Do I Think?

Well, I wasn't kidding when I said this is one of my favorite money making apps. It's not because that balance adds up so fast, because I'll be honest with you it doesn't. It's because this app is SO easy to use that it would be silly not too. It takes seconds and even if you only receive $0.02 for each receipt it's extra cash you wouldn't have other wise. The time trade off is so minimal that it makes it worth it.

I mentioned its a slow earner. I found it interesting that I started using the app back in February and as of today (June 26, 2019) my balance is up to $3.30. I'll admit when I first downloaded the receipt I slacked on using it. I uploaded maybe one receipt a week, if that. I really got into using the app about two weeks ago and now I make sure to get those receipts and upload them daily so I don't miss out on any of that cash back. 

Again i'll say that you're not going to get rich using this app, but why not get something back? If you're using other apps to save money throwing this one in the mix doesn't take much more time and it only adds to how much you're going to receive in the end.

I plan on doing some kind of update on where my status is in these apps and how much I've managed to save up, so hopefully you'll be able to see my progress in the future and it will inspire you to join me!

Speaking of joining me if you want to sign up for this app and get me a referral bonus click on the link below, i'd greatly appreciate it! Also important to note as long as I can keep track I will never include referral bonuses in the amount saved up.

https://coinout.com/referrals/new?r=GDK2AZ9

Shopkick: Can You Really Make Money?

Shopkick is one of the few apps where you can earn points towards gift cards without having to make any purchases. Shopkick is a super easy to use app that has a great 4.7 Star rating in the App Store with over 40,000 reviews!

How can you earn points with Shopkick?

The great thing about Shopkicks is that they offer several ways to earn points that you can turn into gift cards. All the methods are very straight forward and easy! The first way to earn Kicks is simply by walking into the store. 

1. Some stores in the Shopkick app will offer you a point incentive just to walk inside! It's very easy: Just make sure your Bluetooth is on and that the location services are turned on for the app. Open the app when you're near or in the store and once you're close enough, the Kicks will appear in your account! It really doesn't get any easier than this! Plus some outlet malls don't even require you to physically be in the store for the kicks to activate, so you can earn extra points just by driving around your local mall.

2. The second method to earning kicks is by scanning products in the store. This is another no purchase necessary way of earning points and they add up quicker than you expect. The screenshots above show a variety of products that are available now that you can earn kicks on. Underneath the picture there is a small image of a barcode with a number beside it, that means you can earn points by scanning the barcode on these specific products. 

This is definitely one of the fastest ways to accumulate kicks. The only real problem I've run into is that it can be pretty draining on your phone’s battery, especially in the big box stores where service is spotty. When it comes to scanning products the app, can get pretty picky as well so making sure you're reading the product descriptions and scanning the right products will help save you time in the long run. For example, magazines usually want the same cover they have pictured so depending on the time of the month you may be too late or too early for the issue listed.

3.  Method number three for earning Kicks is probably exactly what you expect: buying the products. If the products in the app line up with your shopping list you can be set to earn a lot quicker but I don't advise going out of your way to buy products just for the points. 

I've done some very basic math and found that it takes 250 kicks to equal $1. Just comparing that to the example of what you can earn for buying products you can see that the points on this app can accumulate quickley, and in the future I'll go over how stacking different apps and coupons can get you products at steep discounts or even free! Just remember that number 250 points = $1 always know your value. 

How do you earn with these purchases though? It's very easy! Make sure you are getting the right product and simply purchase it. Then all you have to do it click the receipt button, then select the products on the receipt that qualify for the Kicks, then take a picture of the receipt. 

In some cases your kicks may load immediately but I've also had to wait up to 48 hours before. I don't recommend throwing your receipts out until you have the kick balance on your account, I've never run into any issues but I also live by the saying it's better to be safe than sorry.

4. The fourth method for earning Kicks is shopping online through the app or making other out of app purchases. This is a service I don't use very often, there are often better places to get more cashback but you can find the occasional bonus. 

    Right now you can earn 450 Kicks for using the Shopkick app to buy through the Walmart Grocery app. That is a good deal considering your Walmart purchase may not include any kicks at all. They also have other services available through this feature as well including Postmates, SeatGeek and Amazon Prime just to name a few. The terms and conditions of all shops vary so make sure you're skimming over the details so you can maximize your points the most.

5. The fifth method of earning Kicks is the easiest most hassle-free of them all, but you'll only earn a few Kicks a day this day. Inside the app at the bottom of the screen you'll see a small tab labeled Discover. In this tab you'll find any bonus Kicks that are being offered at the moment. At the top of the screen you can see where it has a list of "Quick Kicks" today I was offered three bonus points for watching three very short advertisements of products listed elsewhere throughout the app. I try to scroll through this tab daily just to make sure I get all those extra Kicks and that i'm not missing out on something new that may have appeared in the app that I already plan on buying. Sometimes you can even earn Kicks just for scrolling through some of the advertizing pages. 

Is it really worth the time and effort?

When it comes to using Shopkick it can be an app that takes up a bit of your time, especially if you wander through the store and scan all those extra products you may not even be buying. The screen shot above is from my own account, right now i'm lingering between $25 and $50. I'll be honest the balance i have is over a year old, that being said in the past I have used the app at a bare minimum. It's just something that slips my mind when I'm in the store. I have been working on using the app more effectively in the past two weeks and I can already see a huge boost in my kicks (2,000+). All in all since the Kicks don't expire you can accumulate these, forget them, add more and keep the cycle going until you have enough to redeem for what you want. This app 100% is worth the effort and battery killing, this one is just too easy to pass up!

What can I redeem my Kicks for?

 Shopkick has a really great variety of giftcards that you can turn in your Kicks to receive. The options below are less than half of everything that is available. They even have some more outlandish items like a Vespa Scooter and a $300 gift card to Tiffany & Co. 

Their reward shop definitely has something for everyone and there is a Paypal option as well though it is listed at a higher amount of points per dollar and you can definitely get a better deal on other items.

Is there a referral program?

Yes! Shopkick offers a referral program so you can receive a bonus for getting your friends to sign up. As long as your friends register and earn Kicks in their first 7 days of signing up you both receive 250 Kicks. If you might be interested in signing up for this app, feel free to use my sign on code to get that bonus, you can also use any of the links provided within this blog.


How does it rate overall?
I give Shopkick 4/5 stars. I'm not a fan of how it kills my battery but the fact that these Kicks don't expire lets me forgive it. Aside from spending the time in store, this app is about as close to that free money as you can get.

Podcasts for your Pockets

If you consider yourself an avid listener to podcasts or it's something you dabble in on occasion ditch your usual streaming app for Podcoin. Podcoin is an app. that hosts thousands of podcasts including your favorites i'm sure, but what makes it so special? You can earn points towards gifts cards just by listening. Podcoin boasts a 4.7 rating with nearly 5,000 reviews, they also offer over a dozen categories, so if by chance your favorite podcast isn't listed you're guaranteed to find something you can enjoy!

 How do you earn points?

For every 10 minutes you listen through the app. you earn 1 point. If you listen for 3+ days in a row you double your earning as a bonus. On occasion they even offer additional podcasts for an even larger bonus.You just have to keep an eye out.

Do these points really add up?

Now that is the real question! Like with most apps, this is no get rich quick method, it's going to take some time before you're ready to cash in for that gift card, but if you enjoy listening to podcasts on other mediums there's no real sacrifice for switching and the points do add up. From what i've learned so far they also don't expire so whether you listen daily or weekly your points will be there banking for you when you're ready to cash out.

What giftcards can I earn?

The great thing about the Podcoin app is that there is a variety of gift cards available and in different currencies. You can cash out quick with a $2.00 amazon card or save up if you're from Canada or the United Kingdom. There are more cards than just these ones that are available too, so more options to choose from! And the best part about this reward system is there's not benefit for saving long time, the higher cards are worth the same value as the lower ones.

How is my savings?

I started using this app on May 10th and to date (June 23, 2019) I have 1,847 points accumulated which is just shy of $5.00. 

I do try to use this app as much as I'm able, and I do try to get some value out of it. I had never listened to a podcast before downloading so I'm still scowering the internet for ones that I enjoy. More recently i've tasked myslf with finding useful podcasts. I've been listening to The Savings Angel to learn more about couponing and I've been getting tips for writing grants and hosting non-profit events.

The app says I've listened for a total of 146 and 34 minutes. 

This is one of the apps I try to use daily just to keep that double point streak going, but i have messed up on several days. This app is also super easy to keep running on the background of your phone, i haven't had any issues with it eating up my battery so as long as I'm not bothering anyone I try to keep something playing all the time. 

My goal is to cash out when I reach 20,000 points so I can snag a $50 amazon gift card. 

Is this app worth the time?

This app requires almost no fussing with and it can easily run with other apps. If you have an extra ipod/iphone or ipad laying around you really wouldn't need to do any work at all to have these points add up. Plus there's no messing around with referrals and the bonus point system is one of the easiest ones i've ever seen. This app is a no brainer for earning a couple bucks without really trying. 

I give it a 5/5 stars.

Just push play and get those points!