Shopkick is a FREE mobile app for both Android and iPhone users. One of the best things I like about Shopkick are the Target Coupons but there is a lot more to this app like opportunities to earn rewards, so I thought I would do a post letting you know about all the great features and hopefully help you on your way to making the most of this app.
With this app, shoppers can collect points or “kicks” and exchange them for cool rewards including Target Gift Cards. 
Plus, you can get 50 Bonus Kicks when you sign up HERE. Once you sign up, you will then receive a text message with a link to download the app. Once the app is downloaded, the kicks will automatically be added to your account. Now lets take a closer look at how you can earn, access coupons and much more…
UNLOCKING KICKS
When you open Shopkick, you will see a stack of Lookbooks, which are just like catalogs. You can swipe thru these to find the store you want or you can tap on the tab above to show them in list format and then scroll. To return to the stack format, just tap at the bottom of the screen.
Let’s take a look at Target’s Lookbooks. Notice the kicks value and the lock symbol in the top right corner. Tap on it and then choose a Lookbook to browse thru. As you swipe thru the stack, you’ll notice the bar at top move. This unlocks the kicks for your next walk-in.
MARKING FAVORITES AND MORE
If you see something you like and want to mark it as a favorite, just drag it down into the slot at the bottom. A pink heart will come up and now Shopkick will remind you about this item the next time you’re in the store.
For more information about any item, just tap on the image only and any available details will come up as well as the option again to mark as a favorite or email/text to a friend.
As you go thru these stacks, watch for the instant surprises! You can tap on the star to open. When you finish one Lookbook, another one will open automatically. You can exit at any time by clicking on the arrow at top left.
SHOPKICK COUPONS
When you go thru Target’s Lookbooks, watch for the “big deal book” –this book has your Shopkick coupons. You can browse thru these, but remember to wait until you are at the register to use the coupons- they expire 12 hours after tapping the word “use”. Once you are at the register – tap the words Use This Deal, and up will come a coupon & bar code for the cashier to scan.
For more details about an individual offer including any exclusions, just tap on the image only and any available details will come up. You can also find a complete list of Shopkick coupons on the blog along with any manufacturer’s coupons that match up on my Target Coupon Page.
OUT & ABOUT – FINDING KICKS NEARBY
Shopkick can also tell you how many kicks you can get from nearby stores. Just pull on the blue tab at the bottom, labeled “Finding kicks….” This will pull up all the stores nearby and show you how many kicks available at each one. Remember, you can always increase the number of kicks by looking thru the Lookbooks at home beforehand.
You can also use this map to get fast access to your favorite store. For example, if you tap on the Target Logo at the top of the screen, the blue circles where Target is located will be highlighted. Choose the store you want to go to, and it will open right up to your Lookbooks again. If you are already at Target, ready to walk-in, just open your Shopkick app, and it will automatically recognize you and award you kicks for walking in. NOTE: If you have already collected your kicks, it will tell you.
HINT: If the wi-fi connection is weak and Shopkick is having trouble, you can pull on the blue tab and then look at the bottom left corner for the compass icon. Tap on it and this will refresh the screen and hopefully reconnect you. I have noticed that one of my Target stores frequently has trouble. When this doesn’t work, and I walk-in anyway, Shopkick tells me that I will get my kicks as soon as the reception improves which is exactly what happens.
USING THE BARCODE SCANNER
When you have the screen of nearby stores up, tap on a Target location. The next screen will have a barcode icon at the top left corner with the number of kicks you can collect if you scan all the items in the list. Just tap on it and choose the product you want to scan. A screen comes up showing where to align the bar code and as soon as its set, Shopkick automatically scans the product. If it says its not a match, it could be the wrong size or color. Just try a different one.
BUY & COLLECT KICKS
Another way to collect kicks, is to link your Mastercard or Visa to your Shopkick app (if its a debit card, you must be able to choose the CREDIT option for the purchase to earn kicks). And, you can now get Bonus Kicks for qualifying purchases at Target using your linked Mastercard or Visa card.
To link your card, go to your profile by selecting the icon in the top left corner on the main page. Then tap the gear icon on the right side and choose settings. Now tap on Buy & Collect to link your card and follow the prompts. Your linked card account number is not saved by shopkick and is managed through Mastercard’s and Visa’s secure sites.
Once your Visa or Mastercard is linked in Shopkick, you’ll get kicks just for making purchases with this card. You do not need to open the Shopkick app on your phone during the transaction, you will receive your kicks automatically within a few days.
Before you can redeem your Buy & Collect kicks, they are temporarily “banked” in the profile kicks bank during the store’s return period. You will receive a notification to your phone when the kicks are available and added to your account. For more details about Buy & Collect Kicks, just click on the “i” symbol on the screen.
REWARDS
You can choose a reward to save for and Shopkick will keep track of your progress and remind you when you walk into the store. Just tap on the gift icon at top middle of the home screen. Scroll thru to select a reward and the points needed will come up. You can change your reward at any time, just click on the gift icon again and then click edit at top right. You’ll also notice that your total number of kicks accumulated will be listed under the icon.
When you’re ready to redeem your reward, just tap on the white gift icon in the top right corner. Select your reward and review the details on the next screen. When you’re ready, tap on the blue bar at the bottom, “I want this” – this is final so be sure its what you want. To access your reward, you can check “My Stuff” in your Profile. To access your Profile, just tap on the figure in the upper left corner of the welcome screen.
You can also learn more about Shopkick by checking out The FAQs & Rules section. Shopkick has made this section a fun and easy reference so you may want to browse thru it or just use it when you have a specific question. From your profile, tap on the settings icon in the top right corner. Scroll down past the Tour Video to The FAQs & Rules.
Shopkick has many great features and you can maximize your “kicks” by taking advantage of all of them. Sign up HERE and start earning your rewards & using those Target coupons!
its like viggle!!
I have been shop kicking for over a year and it is so easy to earn target gift cards just by frequenting target and scanning barcodes! I am already at target three times a week! Why not get rewarded!
You can you this link so earn I believe 50 kicks just for signing up!
http://get.shopkick.com/berkeley8229
I love my shopkicks but I have not been getting credit for referals and let me tell you getting referals for me is a mission (yes, I emailed them). I even was able to get a random couponer at Target to join and no extra kicks came through for me. So sad.
I really liked shopkick and I was able to get a gift card within a week, but then a message came up tellling me that I was banned.no warning, no explanation.I honestly didn’t do anything wrong so I emailed them and after waiting forever, they finally asked for my phone number associated with the account.that was almost a month ago and still no response.I wish their customer service was better because the app is great.
Can this app be used on a Kindle? Don’t own a smart phone
Kerry, I signed up for Shopkick because of a post you did earlier this year. I am so glad I did. In fact, I earned enough to redeem for $50 gift cards today (the most recent I’ve earned, anyway) and was able to put that toward a new City Jogger stroller. With the 50% off clearance, a 20% off coupon from the baby mailer, and the SK gift cards, I only paid $30 oop for a $200 stroller!
As far as the app itself, it’s had some ups and downs this year. The new version has been a little iffy for some and yes, they’re trying their best with each new update. Their customer service team DOES answer my questions, always. (From reading their FB comments though it sounds as though those who get “banned” never really receive a reason so I understand their bitterness). With the new version, it’s difficult to tell which scans are truly available and which have a “30-day limit” (we keep begging them to remove them from the list or grey them out somehow so as not to waste our time…hopefully soon).
For me, the “free money for shopping I’d do anyway” outweighs the bad. For those having issues please remember they’re still a small company. They don’t have tons of customer service reps to quickly answer all the questions especially at such a busy time of year. I have hope that they’ll continue to work out their bugs. In the meantime, I appreciate the opportunities they give us, even if sometimes the kicks don’t register like they should (hey, free app, free money, not my place to complain).
@Sarah: No, can’t use with a Kindle (not yet anyway). You can use an iPad or iPod Touch though.
The ONLY reason I’m still using shopkick is because of Target. The app is just awful — items don’t always scan, one Target gives walk-in credits only about half the time (and shopkick INSISTS on me providing them with a receipt from Target to prove I was there, even though NO purchases are required for credit!), the scans don’t tell you when you’ve “reached your limit,” items don’t always scan period, and I too had a friend I referred for 50 kicks free and clear, and they WILL NOT credit me because they claim that a different promo was in force.
I know I can choose not to shopkick and lose out on “free” credits, but I think people at least ought to know that it’s not as easy as one thinks. I feel as though I honestly had to work hard for some credits, and that’s wrong. If Target ever went away, I would be the very first in line to cancel shopkick.
I had about 600 kicks and then they just disappeared. I have no idea why. I sent an email but never got an answer. The app never works anymore. It always says something like be patient we are trying to connect.
The updated version wants acess to my phone. Can they see my calls, contacts and my surfing the web? Maybe I don’t understand what they want to do, but it seems like they want access to everything I do with my phone.
Anyone have a better understanding?
I downloaded Shopkick a while ago, but almost always forget to use it!!!! Wish there were a reminder or something so I can get into the habit!
I have been using shopkicks for over a year now and LOVE it! I decided last December to let my kicks accumulate and use for Christmas shopping this year. I redeemed my kicks for Target gift cards and was able to get the Xbox 360 w kinect on Black Friday and only paid $14 oop. I didn’t care much for the recent upgrade but have gotten used to it and think I get more kicks now than before.
Does anyone know when you redeem your points for gift cards, can you use the gift cards immediately or does it take a while for them to be available? and also how long are they valid for?
I got banned from Shopkick for the craziest of reasons. They banned me because I was scanning things too fast. They also banned me because I kept scanning the same item but there was no indicator to state that I had reached my 30 day limit on the scanned item that they posted for me to scan to get my kicks, so how am I supposed to know that? It’s crazy. I am a parent from a single-income household so gift cards help immensely when you have over 400 diaper changes a month! I thought Shopkick was a godsend but after my experience with them, needless to say, it has left a bad taste in my mouth, especially with all the gas and effort on my part to go to different stores for kicks. Read Facebook and you will find lots of people who have had the same experience I had.
My shop kick don’t work or either disappear @ Target. It never works at Bestbuy. Haven’t even tried with other stores it just frustrate me and gets me in a bad mood as soon as I get in the door. sent email never got a response.
I just started kicking 3 weeks ago, so I’m a newbie. I pretty much only get kicks from Target. Does anyone know why it would tell me that kicks will available for Target in 9 days. Is there a monthly limit or something. hmmm. just saw that for the first time yesterday. Thanks a bunch!
Jen – There is a walk-in limit for each store. When you hit your limit, it will tell you when kicks are available again for that store.
Nancy – Most rewards -like Target, are instantly ready to use from your My Stuff section in your profile. Others are emailed to you. A few will be snail-mailed or require you to use a special code and redeem online. I have not seen an expiration date on my Target Gift Cards so not sure about that.
I love this app! I’ve got enough points for a 25$ Target gift card in just a few months from casually using it. Sweet!
Kim – Shopkick uses a GPS navigation to see what stores are near you and let you know how many kicks they each have. Shopkick has also now added Facebook so if its enabled, it will post to Timeline when you redeem for a reward. You can check out the FAQs & Rules for more info about how the Facebook settings work.
I’ve been shopkicking for 1 year and love it. I even got my spouse to use it as well
I signed up for ShopKick based on an earlier Totally Target post. It’s been fun to try, although my cell phone service was glitchy inside the store until our Target finally offered free wi-fi to guests. I too forget to use it sometimes, but my 2yo loves to “pop” the bubble when you get your walk in kicks, and my 11yo loves to hunt down the items and scan them. I use Starbucks gift cards as my reward, so I can get something to drink when I’m perusing the store.
I cannot find the Lookbooks anywhere. I’ve tried going all over the different parts of the app and can’t find anything. Any suggestions?
Lindsay – What version of shopkick are you using? You have to be using version 3.0 or later. As soon as you open the app, you’ll see the lookbooks. It will look like the photo in this post above “Unlocking Kicks”. HTH.
Since my version update I have not seen any “stars” for extra points.I’ve went thru the lookbooks but can’t seem to find any!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Shopkick! I have been using this app for 3mths and have already redeemed $40 in gift cards!! I am addicted.
I have a love hate relationship with shopkick… I love to scan items… I hate that I can NEVER get my walk in kicks to work…. NEVER!!!
Angie – When you browse thru the Lookbooks, you should see in some of them, an envelope that says Surprise on it with a star as the seal. Tap the star and the envelope will open. Up pops a bubble with a point. I have never seen one of these envelopes with more than 1 point but I keep hoping to be more surprised! HTH.
Joellw – So sorry you’re having trouble. Did you try the Hint mentioned above about refreshing the compass on the screen showing nearby stores? I tried it at my Target and it worked. HTH. Good luck!
Does anyone know how to get the kicks from the friends that you referred? I referred my boyfriend, and I know he has earned some, but I don’t see my kicks increasing.
Don’t go overboard with Shopkick. It’s fun and if you happen to be in the store, then by all means get your Walk-in and scan kicks. It’s laughable if you drive to a store just to get some kicks. Try to piggyback as much as possible – many times when I need to do run an errand, I’d bring my wife’s phone as well so I can get kicks on both phones on the same trip.
I was wondering how you redeem points for using a gift card? My shopkicks said if I redeemed a gift card yesterday I would get 200 extra kicks. I got a $5 gift card (it said $5, $10 or $25) for Clean and Clean and then did a second transaction and then didn’t know how to notify shopkick that I used the gift card. I tried tapping on the notice and nothing. Also can we link our Red Card to shopkick?
Thanks for your help!
Kim – I have never received an offer like this but I believe the points would be added automatically but I’m not positive. Did you see an increase in your total shopkick points? I would contact support for further info on this one.
As for the 2nd part, yes you can link your Red Card. When you click on the figure icon in the top left corner, you’ll see all your stuff. Now click on the settings icon in the top right corner, the next screen will bring up the choice, “Buy & Collect”. Select it and the next screen is where you fill in your card info and choose “Link my Card”. You can click on the little “i” symbol in the circle for more info. HTH
I’m a lil confused, a little bit ago they’re was a chance to get a free $2 target gift when u are at target is it an instant $2 off or will they give u a $2 gift card. Same with the rewards, if I get a $10 will they physically give me $10 gift card? Also when I tried to use the $2! There was some confusion and some how the balance says $4. What’s that about?
Kerry – I did not see my points increase. I guess since I didn’t load my Red Card there was no way Shopkick knowing I redeemed a $5 gift card. But I thought maybe there was something that the cashier was supposed to scan to prove to them I redeemed the gift card.
Thanks for all your help. I love your site and tell everyone I know about it.
I have five $2 Target giftcards, but when the cashier scanned my phone, $2 was added to my total… How can I redeem them in store? Thank you.
How many points does it take to get a $25 giftcard for Target? It doesn’t say and I would like to know how far I have to go… ?
Autumn – I believe its 6,250 kicks to get a $25 giftcard for Target. If you don’t want to wait, you can do smaller dollar amounts in quantities of 2 or whatever you qualify for. After you click on the Target Gift Card, scroll down to where it has the $2 button. Notice the number “1″ button on the left. If you tap the “1″, it will bring up the dollar amounts you do qualify for and a quantity selection. As you change these, you’ll see it will adjust according to the points you have available. I usually get 2 $10 gift cards when I have enough points or a couple $5s. Just another option
. -HTH
can you use a shopkick target coupon more than once? or is it a one time deal?
Jess did you ever find out, I was wondering the same thing. I used the $2/2 pain reliever coupon, but it is still there, can I use it again?
Hi Amanda
No i haven’t had any replies yet….i think it might be a one time thing
Sorry Ladies- yes shopkick coupons are one-time use
How do you link a Target debit redcard ?
I bet your RED card has to be a credit card with a VISA or something on it. You can’t do it if you have a debit red card, right?