• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 21, 2011

Mobile shopping app shopkick has lured users with the ability to offer rewards points or “kicks” just for walking in the door of partner retail chains. Through a new deal with Visa, the startup is now also giving users rewards points when they pay at checkout with their Visa card.

Shoppers who link their Visa debit or credit card to shopkick’s Buy & Collect program can get extra kicks at participating stores, including American Eagle Outfitters, Arden B., Old Navy, Toys ”R” Us, and Wet Seal. “Through our relationship with Visa, we have closed the loop -– rewarding shoppers at every step of the shopping process from discovery to purchase. No one else is doing that,” stated Cyriac Roeding, co-founder and CEO of shopkick.

The opt-in program requires users to link their card account through a Visa-hosted enrollment page, which in turn allows the card giant to send transaction data to shopkick so it can deliver kicks on qualifying purchases.

Existing shopkick users will be automatically alerted about the Buy & Collect program, and those who opt in will see a green payment card icon on their “nearby” screen to let them know of additional offers at partner retailers. 

By tapping on a store, they will see relevant offers, such as “Spend $20, get 400 kicks” at the top of the page. After swiping their card at checkout, a user gets a real-time notification that their kicks have been awarded.

Leigh Amaro, senior business leader, information products at Visa, said the partnership reflects the company’s efforts to work with existing platforms like shopkick to enhance offers and rewards for cardholders.

Earlier this year, Visa launched its own app to deliver exclusive deals to customers from more than 50 retailers. Visa is among the card companies partnering with Google on its mobile wallet app as it pushes into the mobile payments arena.

With the major holiday shopping season approaching, both shopkick and Visa aim to mutually benefit from their alliance by gaining an edge over rival cards and shopping apps. Since launching last year, the shopkick app for the iPhone and Android devices has drawn some 2.5 million users.