If we told you that you could make money for doing the same everyday things you already do online, you might call us snake oil salesmen.
There must be a catch, right?
There’s no way that making money online is that easy.
Well, the truth is that you can make money with Swagbucks by completing simple tasks and searching the web without much effort.
But how legit is it?
In this article, we’ll cover Swagbucks — the online rewards program — and show you nine different ways you can make easy money.
What Is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is an online rewards program that gives you points for completing tasks and searching the web.
Users can then redeem these points for free gift cards or cash back through PayPal.
By doing things like completing surveys, watching videos, or playing games, you can accumulate points that you can turn into cold hard cash.
You can also discover great deals through the Swagbucks platform to save on purchases.
It seems almost too good to be true — there are many shady websites that make similar lofty promises.
Let’s see how trusted the Swagbucks program is.
Is Swagbucks Legit?
Swagbucks has paid nearly $350 million to its users through gift cards and cash payouts.
Each day, Swagbucks doles out 7,000 free gift cards.
It’s also an accredited Better Business Bureau company that has been in operation for 14 years.
Prodege, LLC, the company that owns Swagbucks, has a BBB rating of B+ and has been accredited since 2010.
Additionally, its review average is more than four out of five stars.
While it does have its fair share of complaints, all of them have been addressed and closed over the last three years.
Overall, Swagbucks is a trusted site that you shouldn’t feel wary about using.
So how does it work?
How Does Swagbucks Work?
Swagbucks is fairly straightforward and can be explained in three steps.
Join Swagbucks
The first step to using Swagbucks is signing up, which is free and only takes a few seconds.
This can be done on the Swagbucks homepage where you’ll provide your email address and create a password.
As a reward for signing up, you’ll receive 1,000 Swagbucks points, which is the equivalent of $10.
In order to receive your sign-up bonus, you must activate it in the Swag Ups section of your Swagbucks account.
You’ll also need to spend at least $25 at the Swagbucks store and earn at least 25 points for your purchase.
This must be done within 30 days of registration if you want to redeem the bonus.
Earn Points
The next step is collecting rewards points, referred to as SB for short, by completing tasks and activities.
There are several ways to collect points — we’ll cover them in the next section — but they consist of everyday things you already do online like shop, play games, and surf the web.
The SB points that you accumulate must be used within two years from the date they were issued.
Your points can also be nullified if you don’t log into your account for over six months.
Redeem for Free Gift Cards or Cash Back
After you’ve racked up a bunch of points, you can start shopping for free gift cards (you can sell gif cards online for cash) or opt for a PayPal cash payout.
For every 100 points you accumulate, you’ll have $1 to spend at the Swagbucks rewards store.
You can purchase free gift cards to some of your favorite retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, and iTunes.
You can also use Swagbucks points to redeem gas cards, Visa prepaid credit cards, or PayPal cash.
9 Ways to Make Money With Swagbucks
There are so many different ways you can earn SB points with Swagbucks.
Let’s go over the nine ways you can earn free cash.
1. Shop Online
One way to earn points is by shopping online through the Swagbucks store.
There are over 1,500 retailers on the site that each give you points for your purchases.
Some of the popular retailers include Walmart, Macy’s, Amazon, and QVC.
For every dollar you spend online shopping, you’ll be compensated with a set amount of points.
For example, when you shop at Macy’s, you receive 10% cash back for every dollar you spend.
In comparison, Amazon will give you up to 5% cash back on your purchases.
2. Answer Surveys
Another way to earn points is by taking surveys and polls through Swagbucks.
By giving your opinion on topics such as advertising effectiveness, brand recognition, and product appeal, you can earn SB points.
There are a few different types of opportunities that Swagbucks offers.
One is a focused survey that helps brands optimize their products and services.
Another is a special survey that you can take every day.
The last is a daily poll, which is an online discussion where you earn SB points for voting.
Each Swagbucks survey and poll will reward you for your opinion.
Some surveys will even offer as much as $50 for completing.
If taking surveys is up your alley, make sure to also read our guide to Survey Junkie.
3. Watch Videos
Swagbucks will also pay you to watch entertaining videos on their platform.
Swagbucks curates different playlists that you can watch to earn SB points.
The videos offered cover a wide range of categories from fashion and food to health and travel.
The nice part is that you get to pick which videos you want to watch.
4. Discover Offers
The Discover section of Swagbucks enables you to find exclusive deals on everyday products and services.
You can earn SB points by either signing up for new services, receiving free samples, or redeeming coupons.
This is a great way to try your hand at product testing, which offers rewards in exchange for quick and simple opinions.
These deals and special offers from top stores and brands are definitely worth a gander.
For example, you can earn points by signing up for DoorDash, Postmates, or Hulu.
5. Search the Web
An easy way to earn points is by using the Swagbucks search engine — which is powered by Yahoo — to complete your online queries.
You could also go the extra mile and download the Swagbucks Search Chrome extension.
Swagbucks states that you’ll be able to earn even more if you decide to download the browser extension.
6. Play Games
Playing online games through Swagbucks is another way to stock up points.
You can earn points by making in-game purchases or simply playing and randomly winning.
Swagbucks is partnered with GSN — Game Show Network — and has plenty of original free games.
You also have a great selection of games that you already love, like Bejeweled, Deal or No Deal, or Angry Birds.
7. Mobile App
An easy way to earn points on a daily basis is by downloading the Swagbucks mobile app, which enables you to do all of the above activities on your mobile device.
The Swagbucks app is available for both iOS and Android.
This means that you can take Swagbucks on the go and make money at any point throughout the day.
8. SwagButton
The SwagButton is another Google Chrome extension that works slightly different than the search extension mentioned above, and instead is more similar to the money-saving Honey plugin.
The SwagButton automatically alerts you when you’re on a retailer’s site that offers cash back.
The button helps you save money and earn cash back by automatically applying the most valuable coupons when you’re checking out of third-party sites.
9. Swag Codes
The last way to earn points is by finding Swag Codes, which is somewhat of a scavenger hunt.
Swagbucks Codes are strings of text that are hidden throughout all of Swagbuck’s digital properties and communications such as their website, newsletter, blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, or affiliate sites.
A Swag Code can look something like this — G1gworKer — and is case sensitive.
Once you find one, you can copy and paste it into the SwagButton extension or the mobile app.
The SwagButton also has a feature that allows you to check for active codes that are currently available.
Each code is worth a certain amount of SB points and is only offered for a limited time.
So if there’s one out there, you better start searching.
Start Earning Extra Money Online
Swagbucks is an incredibly simple way to earn money doing the same things you do every day online.
It won’t offer life-changing income, but if you want to make a few extra dollars here and there with minimal effort, it’s definitely worth a shot.
If you’d like to find other easy ways to earn extra cash, make sure to check out our list of six ways to make money online and other ways to make money on the side.
