Northeast Ohio woman earned $200 by using smartphone app 'Shopkick' while she shopped

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio - Want to earn rewards just for shopping this holiday season? There's an app for that.

When Heather Jurca walks into a store like Target, she has her phone nearby ready to use an app called Shopkick . It gives her points or "kicks" for browsing, scanning and checking out.

"You turn in all these points for gift cards," Jurca said. "My husband didn't believe me. He said you will never get gift cards for doing this. This is a scam. But sure enough I got a gift card right away, and now he joined."

You're essentially a secret shopper.

"There is a game on here Jenga. If I scan this I get 25 points," Jurca explained.

During her trip to Target, Jurca also earned points for scanning a Christmas tree box, paper towels and a car air freshener.

"We're not spending more money. We're not buying things we don't need. It's all stuff we normally would be doing and we get points," Jurca said.

During this trip, Jurca earned hundreds of points without spending a dime.

You an rack up extra points through promotions and linking your credit card. Shopkick said it tracks purchase data blindly and is never shared.

Jurca said feels comfortable with the policy and doesn't think it's an invasion of privacy.

"I'm fine with it if it enhances my shopping," Jurca said.

Jurca shops her normal stores, and sometimes a few extras if she can get a little extra for walking through the front door. It all adds up.

After two years, Jurca earned a $200 Best Buy gift card -- enough to put a big dent in the cost for a new camera.

"Something we wanted but just low on the priority list so that made it easier to get," Jurca explained.

You can get gift cards to all sorts of places from electronics stores to Tiffany.

Watch this story on NewsChannel5 at 5:55 p.m. Friday.

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