Smartphone apps that pay you in cash and gift cards

Need some extra money? Take your smartphone to the store and rack up points for cash and gift cards.

One of the latest marketing trends pays you to walk into stores and use your phone’s camera to scan barcodes or take photos of products — provided you’ve already downloaded the free app. And some of these apps also reward you for trying other free apps.

Advertisers are hoping these gimmicks will make users more likely to stick the featured product in the shopping cart.

In the video below I highlight how to use a few of these the next time you're at the store. But you can read my full print review for a rundown of others also popping up in the space: Apps let you scan, snap and click your way to rewards.