Downloading and using money-saving apps certainly helps stretch anyone’s budget. However, don’t forget the other side of the coin:

Make a bit of cash using mobile apps for your mobile OS as well! While some of the apps listed below have higher earnings potential, and the list is certainly not all-encompassing, they do present a fair range of mobile options that may put a bit of extra cash in your pocket.

ShopKick

For both iPhones and Android mobiles, ShopKick hopes to steer you into sponsored stores. Fortunately, sometimes, it may well be worth it.
Earn two points per annotated product at Best Buy, Target, American Eagle, Wet Seal and others simply for glancing at them from home. Accrue points for discounts off products, combining both savings and earnings together.

A few of the sponsors, such as Target and Best Buy, provide an option to scan barcodes in the store for even more points.

 

Checkpoints

This mobile app, also for Androids and iOS handsets, awards points when you scan the barcodes of many items, regardless of the product’s location. You’re not lured into specific stores but centers on branding.

Most scans are worth about 10 to 15 points, but you can earn up to 50 points with some products.

Some rewards are discount coupons, including some from Amazon.com, Home Depot or CVS. These sponsors provide a $1 cut per 300 points on average. Considering how often and in how many places you can find these products, points can accrue very quickly!

 

We Reward

Users of iOS and Android mobile phones are joined by BlackBerry fans in this app presentation. If your handset includes a mobile phone, you’re in luck: Take a picture of yourself and the sponsored item after purchase and while you’re still in the store, and earn a penny per point.

Fortunately, the list of authorized items is long to earn some easy money. Note, however, that you must cash in the points at the 1,000-point mark, and you might have to wait up to three days to have your photo approved for points.

 

Field Agent

Field Agent is an iPhone app that pays and not just saves money. Field Agent supplements a Secret Shopper function: Once you accept an assignment and arrive at the specified store and item, you snap a photo and answer questions.

Each assignment you accept can pay from $3 to $12, paid through PayPal, but depending on your geographic location, assignments might be rare or inconvenient. The more you accept and fulfill, however, the more invitations you will receive, increasing your chances of making money with your mobile app.

 

Alternate Approach to Apps

While the above apps are legitimate savings and earnings apps, you might make mounds of money by developing your own app and selling downloads. For example, one $0.99 app earned one developer $2.3 million as an app â?? not including the revenue from the expanded $3.99 iPad game earnings or the $10 million-plus earned from further development into a computer game.

Regardless of your preference, make your mobile make or save you money by exploring your app options.

by Jaye Ryan, a freelance author who likes to write about mobile apps for MobilePhones.org.uk.

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net