Offerpal has added a new, name-brand component to its social advertising offers service: A way to earn virtual currency in applications, by getting reimbursed for a portion of the amount they spend at a wide range of online retailers. While much of the industry, including Offerpal, has run advertising offers that dipped into scammy territory, this announcement is another example of positive changes happening.

“Offerpal Shopping” lets users, especially social gamers who use virtual currency for virtual items, purchase anything from real gifts to edible food. In return, users get virtual currency typically worth 5 to 10 percent of what they pay for the real-world item, although the company says some reimbursements are higher, as you can see below:

Other offer companies are similarly focusing on providing offers that are clearly valuable for users — as opposed to others, like mobile quiz ad subscriptions. See these recent examples from gWallet and Offerpal for more.