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A Simple Way To Earn Cash While Shopping

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Taking photos of yourself shopping or eating out can earn you some quick cash.

Sound too good to be true? It's not. It just takes a little time and a willingness to have some fun, CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.

Point, shoot, and make money--at Best Buy, McDonald's, even Starbucks. All you need are smart phone apps that are free. You simply download them and up pops a list of stores and restaurants where you can collect rewards.

"It says to claim your reward, take a picture with your food," said April M. Williams, who uses the app.

And if you want, you can post it to Facebook or tweet it to your friends. Just for eating lunch, Williams gets 210 points on an app called We Reward.

Since each point is worth a penny, she just made $2.10.

"I can make $30 or $50 bucks a month. And I'm at these places anyway." said Williams.

Places like Whole Foods, Dominick's, Trader Joe's, and banks, just to name a few. And sometimes all you have to do is just take a photo outside to claim a reward.

Or walk in to a department store like Macy's and earn some points. It's a deal found on an app called Shopkick.

Stores like Macy's, Target and Best Buy reward you just for walking through the doors. They offer even more rewards for finding featured products.

The great thing about these apps is that you don't have to actually buy the product. All you have to do is scan the bar code. From printers to video games to designer jeans, the points add up just for snapping bar-codes.

"Even if they don't purchase that day, they're at least aware of our assortment that they may not have taken quite the look at before." said Andrea Schwartz, a spokesperson for Macy's Department Store.

And if you do buy, take a picture and get more points.

Another app called Checkpoints is similar to Shopkick. With all three apps, dozens of national and local stores offer rewards. So it's not uncommon to find several money-makers in a single block.

"It's no extra time or effort or energy. So it's just extra cash for me." Williams said.

We Reward rewards you in cash through Paypal. With Checkpoints and Shopkick you can turn your points into gift cards.

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