Swagbucks – 4 Easy Ways To Earn Free Gift Cards

It’s Kimber again, back with another fun way for you to make a little bit of money!

Have you heard of Swagbucks? I’m going to be honest – I heard about this fun website that rewards you with free gift cards, but it seemed kind of like a scam. Finally, after hearing many raving reviews, I thought I’d try it out. It was right before I was going to be teaching a couponing class to some friends at church, and I figured it was worth a shot.

Ladies. YES. It’s worth a shot.

Let me tell you the basics of Swagbucks.

When you’re online, you’re surrounded by advertising. Like it or not, that’s how the internet works. It’s the reason you are able to do so many things online for free! It costs companies money to set up/host/make pretty/maintain websites, so often they will sell ads to companies. The company will pay them, you see the ad when you visit the website, and everybody wins.

Here’s what Swagbucks does: they have ads, but they actually pay you a little bit for seeing them.

(Cool, huh?)

There are TONS of ways to earn Swagbucks, but I’ll share a few of my favorites with you. Please keep one thing in mind – Swagbucks is a great way to earn a few extra dollars, but it can also take a lot of time if you let it. Sometimes I see people comment on the Swagbucks Facebook that they earned 10 dollars – and spent all day doing so. Now, if you are absolutely broke and every penny counts, go for it! But for most of us, we just don’t have that kind of time to devote to something like this. Remember that your time is valuable. If I’m not going to make at least $1 for 10 minutes of effort, it’s not worth my time. So here are the best ways I’ve found to earn Swagbucks.

One of the easiest features of Swagbucks is their search engine. It works just like Google or Yahoo. (In fast, as of just recently, the search engine is actually powered by Yahoo!) When you need to search for something, go to Swagbucks.com and use their search bar. And then randomly, you’ll be rewarded with Swagbucks! An image will pop up at the top of the screen letting you know how many you won. A typical search win is 6-10 Swagbucks, although sometimes they are much larger. You won’t win every time you search, but if you spend a fair amount of time online, you’ll probably win 2-3 times per day.

Another simple way to earn Swagbucks is their Shop and Earn feature. If you are planning on doing any online shopping, click on the “shop” button on the top left side of the page. Many retailers will give you a percentage back if you shop through Swagbucks’s link! (Remember, Swagbucks is affiliated with retailers. If they get you to shop online, the website will pay them, and Swagbucks will reward you.) The percent varies depending on the store, but the average cash back range is 2-10%. The retailers I shop through the most are Walmart, Target, Children’s Place, and Kohl’s, but there are TONS more. Your “cash back” comes back to you in Swagbucks roughly a month later.

And if you have a smart phone, there are apps that can help you earn free gift cards. My favorite is Swagbucks TV. It runs little video clips, and every time you watch 5, you get 2 Swagbucks. (Remember – that’s only equal to 2 cents. I would NOT recommend treating this like a job – you will get paid WAY under minimum wage.) But as my phone is charging, or while it’s sitting next to me, I will let SBTV run, and it’s a very easy way to earn a few extra dollars each week.

One last thing to try is their online surveys. I happen to LOVE doing surveys – I think it’s fun to be able to share my opinion and see new things that are coming out on the market, and I love getting paid to do so! The nice thing is, before you take a survey, you can see how many minutes it will take and how much you’ll get paid for doing it. Again, if I’m getting paid less than $1 for a 10 minute survey, I skip it. But if it’s something you enjoy doing, it’s a great way to earn Swagbucks fast. (Keep in mind that these surveys, like most online surveys, will start with a few “screener” questions to see if you qualify. Sometimes you will, sometimes you won’t. But typically they tell you within a minute or two.)

When you’ve racked up a bunch of Swagbucks, it’s pretty simple to cash them out for e-gift cards. Just click on “rewards”, and then “rewards store”. A Swagbuck is roughly equal to a penny – 500 Swagbucks will buy you a $5 gift card. However, $5 Amazon gift cards are only 450 Swagbucks, and other gift cards frequently go on sale. There are tons of options, but my favorites are Amazon, Target, Chili’s, Paypal, and The Home Depot. Within a few weeks of placing your order, you will receive an e-mail saying your gift card is ready to print!

So how have I used Swagbucks to make every day the BEST day? Well, one of my favorite things to do is to cash them in for $10 Chili’s gift cards. I wait for a Kid’s Eat Free coupon, and then I take one of my kids on a date. I’ve cashed them out for Home Depot and Amazon gift cards and given them to my husband as Christmas and birthday gifts. I’ve earned Domino’s gift cards and hoarded them away for nights when I just didn’t feel like cooking. (Not that THAT ever happens in my house. Ahem.) And more recently, I’ve begun saving them up and just getting a Paypal deposit! I’ve used it as “fun money”, and I’ve used it to pay someone to clean my house for me (oh, happy day). I’ve begun a new website encouraging people to serve and to promote kindness, and I love using my Swagbucks to be able to host giveaways, so that’s what I’m currently saving up for. And starting next month, I’ll start thinking about Christmas. I really love surprising my husband with free gift cards that I earned all by myself. :o)

So do you think you’re ready to give it a shot? You can sign up here! Earn Rewards Points and Redeem Them for Free Gift Cards at Swagbucks.com (Note – this is a referral link, and I get points if you sign up and use Swagbucks. I wouldn’t recommend this website if I didn’t already trust and love it – I’ve made almost $600 in free gift cards, so I love it when other people try it out. Thanks!)

Ready to try it out? Please do, and let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, please comment and I’d be happy to try my best to answer them!

Kimber is a wife and a mom of two beautiful kids. Her family and her faith are the most important things in her life. She loves Dairy Queen Blizzards, she gets really excited when she finds a good deal, and nothing soothes her soul quite like the ocean does. Check out her website Let’s Do Some Good Today. 

Don’t forget to share these helpful tips and encourage a friend to start making money at home today! –

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

September 30, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 4 Comments