Sticker apps take emoticons to a whole new level

By Dan Kricke

As texting becomes more of a cultural norm, people are finding new ways to express their emotions outside of standard alphabets. From emoticons to emojis, we’ve seen quite an upgrade in the way we can send smiley faces to our friends, but now, with apps like Path grabbing one million new users a week on the strength of the app’s sticker system, we’ve entered a whole new territory.

And while Path might be the biggest sticker-centric app around right now, there are other options for users to sink their fingers into, too.

The next time you’re shopping at Best Buy, pick up a few iTunes gift cards to afford the bonus stickers in an app like LINE. While emojis are free to use in LINE, the app’s sticker shop features tons of $1.99 packs of additional stickers that users can buy. You’ll even get up to 2 percent Cash Back on the gift card purchase.

Of course, you can always go right to the source for gift cards and head to an Apple store, where you’ll get 1 percent Cash Back. Even a spot you might not think about, like Sam’s Club, sells iTunes gift cards and offers 3 percent Cash Back on purchases.

You won’t need those gift cards to use the stickers in the MessageMe app. MessageMe offers free stickers and emojis for all users, alongside unlimited chat for free.

But whether you decide to use MessageMe, Path, or LINE to grab your stickers, you’re clearly flush with options to dip your toes into this new sticker craze. Don’t believe the hype? Fair enough, but don’t knock it until you try it.