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How to Use the Swagbucks App to Earn Money

How to Use the Swagbucks App to Earn Money

Looking for an honest Swagbucks review? Want to know how to make money on Swagbucks? I’ve put together a comprehensive guide to how Swagbucks works, how to earn free gift cards, and my top tips for earning more with Swagbucks.

I have been using Swagbucks for years, so I thought I’d share a really honest Swagbucks review. Plus, I wanted to give you my top tips on how to use Swagbucks!

Looking for more ways to earn free gift cards? You can earn free gift cards from Shopkick and Fetch Rewards. And here are 15 More Ways to Earn Extra Money.

What Is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a site that rewards you for completing tasks and doing certain actions online. When you complete a task, you’ll earn points called swagbucks (also abbreviated as SB!) that you can cash in for free gift cards.

You can earn free Amazon gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, Visa gift cards, Walmart gift cards, and dozens more! You can even earn gift cards for hotel, travel, and airline sites.

earn free gift cards with Swagbucks screenshot

Overview: Swagbucks Review

Does Swagbucks Really Work?

When I first heard about Swagbucks, I was a little leery because it sounded too good to be true. But I went ahead and tried it — and after earning multiple gift cards every month for the past eight years, I’m here to tell you in this Swagbucks review that it’s not too good to be true. Swagbucks really works!

And I’m not alone. I know dozens of friends who’ve also had great success with Swagbucks — earning at least a gift card or two every month and sometimes much more than that.

Here’s a Swagbucks review from one of my readers:

I have earned $325 in Amazon Gift Cards from Swagbucks. Last year, I bought all of my husband’s Christmas gifts, and a few gifts for the Grandparents. This year we have used it mostly for “extras” that I didn’t want to pay for, but really wanted to have (aka: my blow money). I normally earn $5-10 a month in gift cards — and I don’t have any referrals under me. I simply search on my laptop and my Android. -Andi

See more testimonials and Swagbucks reviews from my readers on how much they are earning with Swagbucks here.

How Much Can You Earn with Swagbucks?

You can easily earn $5 to $20 per month in Amazon gift cards without spending a lot of time.

However, if you want to earn more in a shorter time period, I highly recommend checking out Swagbucks Discover. You can increase your earnings significantly by taking advantage of certain offers or earning cash back on online purchases you were going to make anyway. Another feature I love is Magic Receipts where you can earn swagbucks for submitting any receipt from a retailer you recently shopped with.

In addition, if you have friends who you know would love to try out Swagbucks, be sure to pass along your referral link so that they can earn free gift cards, too.

I’ve earned over $75 this year through Swagbucks and I honestly don’t even spend three minutes a day earning points. Not too shabby! -Theresa

Do you have to refer people to make money on Swagbucks App?

If you’re curious how to make money on Swagbucks, I have great news! You can earn even without referrals!

Swagbucks has a great referral program: you’ll earn 10% of your referral’s lifetime earnings. Obviously, this is a fantastic way to increase your earnings — and one way that has helped me earn quite a few more swagbucks over the years.

If you try Swagbucks and it works well for you, be sure to share your referral link with your friends or write a post about it on your blog. Don’t keep a good thing to yourself.

That said, you can still earn a decent amount with Swagbucks even if you have no referrals at all.

Is Swagbucks Really Worth Your Time?

There are a lot of really positive Swagbucks reviews out there, but they don’t answer this very important question… Is Swagbucks worth my time?

When my husband was in law school and every penny had to be carefully spent, I would have LOVED to have something like Swagbucks.

I was desperate for any way to make $0.50 — even if it took me 10 to 20 minutes (or longer!) to do so. At that time in my life, it was good if I was making $2-3 per hour. Swagbucks would have been a DREAM come true to have as an option!

I never forget those days and I know many people here are in that kind of spot in their life, so I want to provide them with solutions that might work for those who don’t have a lot of immediate options or for whom an extra $15 or $25 per month could make such a difference!

If you’re not in that season of life and don’t have extra pockets of time in your day when you can multi-task and earn SB while doing something you’d already be doing (working on the computer, cooking, cleaning, etc.), there are probably better ways to be spending your time.

However, I bet everyone has at least a little bit of extra time each day when you could easily earn at least a few SB. And it’s fun to watch them add up over time!

How does Swagbucks work?

earn money with Swagbucks

How Do You Earn Free Gift Cards with Swagbucks?

Want to know how to make money on Swagbucks?

Swagbucks offers many different ways to earn points toward free gift cards or even PayPal cash!

Some of the more popular ways to earn are doing online searches, signing up for offers, printing coupons, completing special offers, and taking polls.

How Do You Get Started Earning With Swagbucks?

Wondering how to use Swagbucks?

To get started with Swagbucks, just sign up for a free Swagbucks account. It’s simple and easy to sign up and you can start earning points right away!

I encourage you to set an earnings goal each day and try to login and hit that, if possible. If you can even just put in 5 to 15 minutes each day, it can really start to add up! I loved what Megan posted in her Swagbucks review on my Facebook Page that she does:

I have found that watching (usually with the sound off) about 30 seconds on 10 videos is a fast way to earn bucks… in addition to doing the daily poll, NOSO, and using the toolbar. In about 10 minutes of your day, 15 Swagbucks is pretty doable. We have a tight budget, so the 10-15 minutes a day is worth it for us. I have several little kids so I can’t commit much time or energy to it. Every little bit helps, though! This has been great for our family. -Megan

How Do You Redeem Your Swagbucks?

Once you’ve earned enough swagbucks to cash in for a gift card, you just log into your account and request your gift card. You’ll have to confirm your request and then your gift card will show up in your account within a few weeks.

There are dozens of different gift cards to choose from — VISA, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and more! You even have the ability to trade in for straight cash via PayPal!

You can cash out quickly when you earn SB at the 500 mark ($5 gift cards, respectively). Or you can save up your SB and cash in for the biggies at the $25, $50, or $100 mark. (They even have airline and hotel gift cards!!)

How to Use Swagbucks (Earn Money!)

If you’re interested in getting started after reading my Swagbucks review, I wanted to give you some of my best tips for earning more on Swagbucks.

These are my top 13 best tips on how to earn Swagbucks fast…

1. Use Magic Receipts to Earn Cash Back on Groceries

Screenshot of Swagbucks Magic Receipts tool

This is one of the easiest ways to earn now that print coupons are gone, and it works so well for busy families!

With Magic Receipts, you can scan your grocery receipts and earn SB on everyday items like snacks, pantry staples, household goods, produce, and more.

Just head to Discover → Magic Receipts, pick the offers you bought, and snap a quick photo of your receipt. Swagbucks will credit you after they verify your purchase.

It takes less than a minute, and the earnings add up fast, especially if you shop regularly or like to combine store sales with rebate offers.

You can also earn 1 SB for submitting any receipt from a store as well.

2. Play Games

Screenshot with games to play to earn points

If you enjoy quick little brain breaks throughout the day, Swagbucks Games is a fun way to earn SB — and there are more options now than ever.

Go to Games and you’ll see a mix of free games, cash tournaments, and offers where you can earn SB for playing or reaching certain milestones.

The easiest way to earn consistently is by playing the free daily games available under “Most Popular.” Swagbucks updates these regularly, and most of them only take a minute or two.

My kids still think it’s fun to help with this one, and those little bits of SB here and there really do add up over time!

3. Answer Questions

You can earn 2 SB for every 10 multiple choice questions that you answer! There is eventually a limit to this once they’ve asked you all of the available questions, but you can do it multiple times each day to earn!

To find this offer, just click on Answer and then look over on the far right side.

Hint: This is also really important to do, because it helps fill out your survey profile so that Swagbucks is able to better fit you with available survey opportunities! I find that the more I answer these questions, the better survey opportunities I get!

4. Complete the To Do List Every Day

When you log into Swagbucks, look on the lefthand sidebar for your daily To Do list. You can click on each of the items on the list and it will take you directly to where you need to go to complete the task.

Most of these can be done in seconds and you’ll be awarded a bonus if you complete all of the tasks on your list each day.

Hint: Even if you don’t have time to do all the tasks each day, try to complete just six of the tasks, because you’ll at least get a smaller bonus!

Sarah says: “I absolutely love Swagbucks. The Amazon gift cards I earn from it pays for nearly all of the Christmas gifts we purchase as well as other household purchases throughout the year. I think everyone should give it a try.”

5. Check Your Swagbucks Inbox

Click on the little bell icon in the upper right corner and check your Swagbucks inbox. Usually, there are a least a few offers in there to earn swagbucks — such as signing up for an offer or checking out one of their partner companies or services.

I also like using the Discover tab to browse different ways to earn a larger amount of swagbucks quickly for small tasks. Some of the offers are things I’m already interested in so it’s definitely worth it!

The Smart Spender Tips section is another easy offer that helps you earn a few swagbucks instantly. You just click through the offer to learn about various topics like auto insurance, spending on home projects, and other things.

Here are two tips from my readers’ Swagbucks reviews:

Christina says: “I LOVE Swagbucks! Worst month, I make about $40. Best month, $120. Pays for all of our toiletries and then some. I run nCrave videos on my desktop, and run videos on my phone and tablet. Not much else.”

Karen says: “Make sure you have the most up-to-date version of the apps. If you don’t, it won’t let you earn points. I exclusively use the apps when I’m not using my phone or run them on another mobile device. It’s rare for me to not earn 50 SB a day from them.”

6. Install the SwagButton on your Browser

Screenshot to install the SwagButton on your computer

If you have Chrome or Safari, be sure to add the SwagButton to your browser! (To download the SwagButton, look for it at the bottom of the menu on the lefthand side of your screen once you’re logged in.)

This is just a little extension you add to the top of your browser in the bookmarks/menu area, but I think it’s one of the most helpful Swagbucks tools!

I love the SwagButton, because it reminds you to use Swagbucks on a daily basis! Not only does it automatically pop up for any site you’re shopping to remind you to activate cash back, but it also alerts you to swag codes all day every day!

Since I work from the computer all day, I almost never miss a swag code anymore! And there’s even a place you can enter the swag code right from the SwagButton.

It also alerts you to survey opportunities that specifically fit your profile. I typically get alerted for 10-minute surveys that will earn me at least 50 SB. And I find that I almost always qualify right away and can earn the SB very quickly. For some reason, the surveys that become available to me through the SwagButton are almost always successful (compared to the ones I’ll try and try to qualify for from the “Answers” page on the actual Swagbucks site.)

I would miss out on SO many cash back opportunities, survey earnings, and swag codes if I didn’t have the SwagButton installed on my browser.

{Psst! Swagbucks is also currently offering a bonus 300 SB when you refer someone with your SwagButton referral link. Plus, once they install the SwagButton and start using it normally within 30 days, you’ll receive another 100 SB. This is on top of all your regular referral earnings!}

7. Book Your Travel Through Swagbucks

Do you purchase airline tickets or book hotels online? If so, you’ll want to check to see if you can purchase them through Swagbucks!

They offer great cash back offers for many travel sites. And typically, when you book travel, it’s going to be at least a few hundred dollars — which means that your cash back can add up very quickly!

To book your travel, just go to the Shop section on the lefthand sidebar and then click on Travel. Click through to whichever travel site you are planning to purchase your tickets or book your hotel through.

Since it takes a little while for Swagbucks to verify things, allow a week for your purchase to show up as pending in your account.

8. Refer Your Friends

Have any friends who might be interested in earning free gift cards with Swagbucks? If you encourage them to sign up with your referral code, you’ll earn 10% of their earnings — for life! So as long as they are earning Swagbucks, you’re earning Swagbucks!

Plus, they oftentimes run bonus offers where you can get an additional SB bonus when they first sign up and earn SB.

So if you find that you really love Swagbucks, be sure to share your Swagbucks review with friends to earn even more!

{For example, right now they’re offering an extra 300 SB for both you and your friend if your friend signs up and earns 300 SB before the first of the next month! They’re also offering the bonus 100 SB mentioned above if you refer someone to install the swag button in their browser — and that’s on top of all the extra referral earnings!!}

9. Download the Swagbucks Answers App

Qualifying for Gold Surveys on Swagbucks can be a little frustrating at times, but I do try to earn 50-100 swagbucks from Gold Surveys each day. If you qualify for one, it’s such an easy way to quickly earn 50-100 swagbucks!

This is where the Swagbucks Answers app really helps out. It can sometimes be frustrating or boring to take Gold Surveys on my computer, but I don’t mind taking surveys through the app when I have downtime on the go!

I try to earn swagbucks for at least one Gold Survey through the app each day — whether it’s when I’m waiting for something to finish cooking, watching a tv show, sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car while someone else is driving, or waiting at an appointment or in the carpool line! I can usually find a small pocket of time to qualify and earn swagbucks for a Gold Survey.

Hint: I go for the surveys that take less than 15 minutes and give me at least 50 SB — that way it’s definitely worth my time and it doesn’t take too long!

10. Try to Hit Your Daily Goals Each Day

This is one of the biggest secrets to earning more swagbucks! At the top of your screen when you’re logged in, you’ll see a “daily goal” area. Each day, you have a daily goal to hit. If you hit that goal, you’ll get BONUS swagbucks!

And once you hit the first goal, you have a chance to hit a second bonus goal — giving you even more swagbucks. At the end of each month, you’ll confirm your monthly bonus and be awarded for all of the daily goals you hit that month!

I typically aim to hit the second goal each day, which gives me an average of 50 – $100+ extra swagbucks per day.

On top of that, you can get winning streak bonuses for meeting your daily goals multiple days in a row.

This is such a great way to earn swagbucks fast!

11. Play SWAGO Each Month

This may not be something you see often in Swagbucks reviews, but it’s one of my favorite tips!

If you haven’t been playing SWAGO, you’re missing out on a BIG earning opportunity with Swagbucks!

SWAGO is sort of like BINGO with swagbucks activities. Each square has a certain activity you have to do in order to earn swagbucks.

You get to choose which pattern to go for and submit your board for bonus SB!

SWAGO typically occurs once (sometimes twice) per month. I just submitted my SWAGO board for this month and earned a bonus 165 swagbucks. And I didn’t do anything very differently than normal. I just made sure I did all of the activities I needed to do in order to submit my board. Score!!

Screenshot of Misfits Market special offer

Have you been wanting to try meal delivery boxes, Hulu, BarkBox, Graze, or other subscription-based services?

If so, be sure to double check if Swagbucks rewards you for your first trial offer! You can often earn BIG swagbucks for signing up for your trial through Swagbucks.

For example, right now you can earn 2000 swagbucks for trying out Misfits Market and 9000 swagbucks when you sign up for a Hulu bundle.

Screenshot of Hulu, Disney +, ESPN bonus points offer on Swagbucks

While I don’t recommend just signing up for these offers to earn swagbucks, it’s definitely worth activating the offer through Swagbucks if you’re already planning on trying these services in the first place.

Hint: If you have the SwagButton installed, it will alert you when free trial offers like this exist!

13. Join the Swagbucks Swaggernauts Facebook Group

Looking for more tips beyond what I mention in this Swagbucks review?

Karen submitted this tip: “There is a Facebook group called Swagbucks Swaggernauts that is awesome! Be sure and read the pinned post at the top — it is full of tips and hints. Members also post new deals that worked and things to look for.”

Swagbuck FAQs

How many Swagbucks is a dollar?

Currently, 100 Swagbucks equals $1 USD.

Can you make $100 a day with Swagbucks?

Yes. It’s not super common to make $100 per day, but it can be done. You would likely need to complete multiple high-paying offers in a single day to pull this off. The average is closer to $5 per day.

What is the downside to Swagbucks?

The majority of Swagbucks offers are very low-points (10 points here, 20 points there, 3 points here, etc.) so it can take a while to add up. It’s also something you’ll need to be diligent about doing on a daily basis for things to really add up. It can be time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.