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If there's one thing about me, it's that I download any app. If I see an ad or hear about an app, I download it to my phone right away. I don't really care if it's all a conspiracy to get my data. My data is all over the place and it's too late to care. So I might as well take advantage of all the benefits these temporary VC enhancing apps can give me. Most of the time, I don't get much. But sometimes I get something for free. I love exchanging my data and my precious and limited time on this earth for a little reward. Here are some of the ways I often use it:
The best way to get free food and drinks
As we've said before, the Dunkin' Donuts app is great when it comes to rewards. A few years ago the powers that be rebuilt the app, which was controversial, but if you use it well, you can get all kinds of rewards for free. Yes, spend Money obtain Money isn't an issue, but if you're already a regular at Dunkin' Donuts, it doesn't really matter. You get 10 points for every dollar you spend, but if you visit 12 times in a month and earn “Boost” status, you'll get 12 points. Once you've accumulated enough points, you can get a variety of rewards, including $150 for a single espresso, $250 for a donut, or $500 for any size coffee.
Plus, there are promotions happening all the time that earn you points. Sometimes you can even get bonus points for ordering certain snacks. On Mondays, you can get 100 points just for ordering on mobile. As soon as you rack up the points, you can get a free drink or bagel. Check it out:
Yes, 25,588 points. I know what you're talking about.
Credit: Lindsay Ellefson
In the F&B world, I have memberships and associated apps with just about every restaurant chain. McDonald's is a good chain and often runs promotions where you can get something for free, like McNuggets, just for using the app. I'm not a big fan of Panera because they offer very few perks (again, this is just my opinion), but I think 7-Eleven has an underrated rewards app. I usually get at least a dollar or so off every few visits.
If you're looking for a slightly different way to get free stuff from a food app, try Seated, which I've hyped up before. What sets Seated apart from other restaurant-related apps is that the free stuff you get for your usage isn't provided by the restaurants themselves. Instead, every time you use the app to make a reservation and dine, you get a percentage of your money back, which you can then use for gift cards to Uber, Amazon, TJMaxx, and more. Again, you have to spend money to make money, but it's better than nothing. I've earned hundreds of dollars back from Seated and turned it into hundreds of dollars worth of free stuff. Since I was already planning on eating at those restaurants, my logic was that the things I bought with the money I earned were actually free. Was free.
Other Free Apps
I love makeup and personal care products, so I'm always looking for ways to get more. A few years ago, I downloaded an app called Influenster, which gives you free samples if you put in a little effort. Mainly, you had to review products. In the app, you can read other users' reviews on various makeup, skincare, perfumes, and other self-care products, so I mainly contributed to that. After earning credits in the app, I started getting sent free stuff, but it was all on the condition that I review it thoughtfully. There were other tasks I could complete, like creating a public Instagram post about the product, but I declined because that's not my style. I got a ton of stuff without completing these challenges. I got a couple of Maybelline lipsticks and loved them so much that I've been buying them on repeat since 2018. Plus, I got Armani perfume, which I've gotten more compliments on than all the other luxury perfumes I own combined. I didn't pay anything. Not a cent. Great app.
Lately, I've been messing around with Goss, which is similar in terms of the potential rewards. It's like sports betting, but pop culture. You use your in-game currency to bet on things like how many likes a celebrity's Instagram post will get in 24 hours or who will be voted off first on a reality show, and then you earn a second in-game currency that you can redeem for real-life goods. Right now, I'm playing religiously every day to get my hands on Summer Fridays lip balm. Could I go to Sephora right now and buy it for $24? Of course I can. Would it be more fun to answer questions, place bets, and gamify the whole ordeal? Of course it would. can In-game currency can be purchased with real-world money, but it doesn't have to be: by completing optional challenges, such as logging in every day or placing certain types of bets, you can quickly accumulate enough to continue playing.
Thoughts on free apps
I understand that nothing in life is truly free. I give mysterious companies access to my data, spend hours playing games, writing reviews, and making money. I get that! But… fun, That's the point: by choosing apps that match what you already do (in my case, buying makeup after reading reviews and walking to Dunkin' Donuts twice a day), you can earn free rewards, make it like a game, and get the most out of your daily activities.