One of my favorite deal apps, Shopkick, suddenly went dark on March 26. This seems to have been a shock to employees who were laid off without warning.
For app users, it was more than a shock: It was a betrayal. All our points simply vanished. DF and I had about $72 worth of scrip between our two accounts; we’d planned to cash in this summer for garden supplies and other do-it-yourself items.
After the surprise wore off, I realized it wasn’t a betrayal at all. It was just business. According to a site called Coupons in the News, the Shopkick terms of service included this sentence: “By participating in the Shopkick app, you agree that Shopkick is under no obligation to notify you if kicks are no longer available.”
For the uninitiated, Shopkick awarded “kicks” (points) to users who visited certain stores, then scanned and/or bought specific items. The kicks could be redeemed for gift cards, PayPal, and a handful of pie-in-the-sky items like a Vespa motorcycle.
I used my kicks in several ways:
- To buy things we needed (groceries, toiletries, DIY supplies)
- To get birthday and holiday gifts
- To donate items to the food bank or the family shelter
It was terribly disappointing to lose that $72 worth of buying power. But it taught me an important lesson.
Lesson learned
None of these kicks/points/credits are ours until we’ve cashed them in. That’s why we shouldn’t let them build up.
This benefits the companies, because the more points you have, the bigger the potential cash-ins. Here’s an example, from the Receipt Hog app:
- For 1,000 points you get a $5 gift card
- For 6,500 points you get a $40 gift card
I’d been saving points for a $40 card, which would have become a Christmas gift. Now I’m considering cashing in at $5 increments. It will therefore cost me 8,000 points to get the same $40 worth of buying power.
Someone on a Reddit thread claimed to have had more than 838,000 kicks. My mourning $72 worth of buying power is small potatoes compared to the $1,552 worth of scrip that anonymous Redditor lost.
But the lesson is the same. We had “earned” those points with scans and/or purchases, but nothing is truly promised in this world. If the company doling out the points decides to close down, well, too bad for us.
These apps are fun, and the extra buying power is welcome in this economy (or any economy, really). But those using Ibotta, Fetch and others should think about the points/dollars they’ve accumulated, and whether they’re willing to risk losing them.
Okay, readers: Will the news of Shopkick’s demise change the way you use points from shopping apps? Why or why not?
Related reading:
Being somewhat technologically impaired, I have to say that I’ve never been interested in using any of these apps–and the Shopkick story is one more reason for my not using them. But, as always, YMMV.
Yes, it will!!! I was SO disappointed but thankfully I had just cashed in for $25 so I did not have many kicks to lose. I still open my phone going into stores forgetting for a moment Shopkicks is gone. But I am changing my behavior on my other apps as a result.
Ibotta, Receipt Pal, Receipt Hog, Coin Out and Fetch are others I use. I will be trading now in small increments. I used to love to save until before birthdays or Christmas but now I will trade more frequently and put cash in a savings account earmarked for certain things if I can trade to Pay Pal. Otherwise, I will trade for small amount gift cards and save or use them
It is what it is I guess.
So sorry about your Shopkick $$
Ann J
I, too, will be cashing out more quickly instead of letting it build. Very glad I didn’t lose like that other person did.
Thanks for sticking with me from MSN Money days.
I am only on swagbucks, and I HAVE been cashing out instead of building like I used to. I can’t remember what it was many years ago that ended abruptly and I lost points, so I worry about it closing, especially with the way things are now. Thought about joining another rewards program, but this is all I can handle right now.
Well, if you change your mind, here’s my primer:
https://donnafreedman.com/rewards-programs-ftw/
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Fortunately, I only lost about $5 on Shopkick. I was still annoyed because I had put in the effort to scan bar codes in stores. They dwindled over the past few months, so I should have known. I usually let my app winnings get to $10 before I cash them in. I use several apps to track my daily steps (Noom, NoomVibe, Cashwalk, Evidation and Walkify). I keep an eye on those-I guess they make money on ad revenue, but I can’t believe that ads keep them afloat. BTW, if you have any receipt gathering signup codes to share, let us know. Right now I only use Fetch and Receipt Hog. Speaking of those, I was at a group lunch recently where groups of 4 shared payment for 1 receipt. One person in our group snatched the receipts without asking and immediately added them to Fetch and Receipt Hog!
I thought the dwindling offers was because it was the shoulder season, and that things would improve for summer. Shows what I know.
I do have receipt gathering signup codes to share! Thanks for asking. They’re in the “Rewards programs FTW!” article:
https://donnafreedman.com/rewards-programs-ftw/
I should cash in on my Fetch rewards. I could get a gift card to use on an upcoming vacation.
I’ve always been one to redeem as soon as I have enough, I don’t like to leave it sitting. A friend recently had an issue with Upside , and almost lost over $50 in cash back she had accumulated….i told her that I redeem as soon as I hit the $10 threshold! As for Shookicks—I did use but never got much back out of it so it was low on my radar.
Hi Donna, I am sorry to hear about losing your Shopkick points. That’s super disappointing. I just went on Ibotta and cashed out what I had. I would have been very sad to lose it. I was saving this for a L O N G. It’s been many years of slow and steady of earning it. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. This really motivated me to take action.
I’m closing in on another $20 card from Ibotta. Fewer deals lately, and less energy/time due to my new part-time gig. But I do love the thrill of the hunt.
After hearing about Shopkick’s demise, I cashed out of four other apps I use regularly. I had over $600 in Ibotta, $140 in NCP, about $75 in Fetch and about $100 in Receipt Hog. I didn’t really use Shopkick that much and lost some points but it wasn’t even enough for a $5 gift card. I noticed that the items that were scannable for points had decreased significantly and was wondering what was going on. Sorry you lost the points you were saving.
Hello Donna:
I first found you when I became unemployed due to my company relocating to another state during the 2008 +/- recession. You and I found out we both have the Philadelphia Inquirer in common, remember? I bought and read both of your books when they came out in
2016 & 2017 respectively. Currently rereading them because these are turbulent times to say the least!!! Back in the day you turned me on to SWAGBUCKS and I have used it faithfully ever since. Hopefully they are still sending you your 10%. Some how I instinctively never let the Swagbucks pile up. At the beginning of each month when several different $25 gift cards are on sale for $22, I cash in and add them to my Target account. Lots of groceries have been bought over the years with those cards. Thank you so much because I wouldn’t have ever known about Swagbucks if it had not been for you!
I, too, cash in for those once-a-month, $25 card for $22 worth of points deals. Sometimes I give them as gifts, sometimes I put them in my own account, sometimes I give them away on the website. It’s certainly one of the longest-running programs out there.
I would recommend trying some others, too. Little by little (or lots by lots), the points turn into things worth having. Just cashed in for $20 worth of Ace Hardware cards for buying wasp bait for our traps. We really don’t want wasps eating our berries and fruit, or stinging the pickers.
Thanks for sticking with me all these years.
I had just cashed out my Fetch points for a $50 gift card when I came across your post. Thus warned about the possibility of losing the points, I immediately cashed out the $70 I had in Ibotta. Based on the current state of the economy and your sad experience with Shopkick I will be cashing out my reward points in $5 increments from now on.