If you’re like me, much of your day is spent online, whether from a computer, tablet or mobile phone. Our lives have become intertwined with being connected online.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to make money while you are online? Especially during tasks that are already part of your daily routine, like browsing the internet, watching videos and connecting on social media?
The good news is you can do exactly that with Swagbucks, a website that rewards you for your time online.
We think Swagbucks is a safe way to, slowly, make some extra money using your free time. Shopping through the Swagbucks portal, doing surveys, and referring your friends allows you to earn “SB Points” which you can then redeem for gift cards to stores like Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, and others.
In this Swagbucks review, you’ll learn how it works and the best ways to earn rewards quickly.
What is Swagbucks?
According to the website, “Swagbucks is the leading destination for earning real rewards through online activities you already do every day.”
Swagbucks offers online reward earning activities through shopping, searching the web, answering surveys, watching videos, playing games and simply telling your friends about Swagbucks.
If you’re open to investing a little bit of your time each day with Swagbucks, your rewards can begin to add up and provide you some extra money in your budget each month.
What are Swagbucks?
What exactly is a Swagbuck? Whenever you complete a task you earn points, which are referred to as Swagbucks. As you navigate their website, often Swagbucks are called SB Points.”
Do SB Points expire? Yes, they can. According to their website, “The SB Points you accumulate in your account must be redeemed within two years from the date of issuance, after which time they will be null and void.”
Also, if you haven’t logged into your account for six months or more, it is deemed inactive and any SB Points you’ve earned in these accounts are voided.
Once you earn enough SB Points, you can cash them in for free gift cards from online stores like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, and more.
How Does Swagbucks Work?
Swagbucks rewards you for performing various tasks online. This can be done from a computer as well as through Swagbucks’ mobile app. Once you create an account, you can start performing tasks and earning SB Points. What tasks can earn you rewards? Things like:
- Online searches
- Shopping online (cashback shopping)
- Watching videos
- Playing games
- Signing up for offers
- Printing coupons
- Completing special offers
- Participating in polls
- Scanning your receipts
- Digital Coupons
As you can see, there are tons of ways to earn SB Points every day. Normally, the more complex the task, the more SB Points you’ll be able to earn.
Here are some examples I found:
- 4 SB Points per $1 spent at Walmart
- 6 SB Points per $1 spent at Old Navy
- Refer a friend to Swagbucks and earn 10% per life on what they earn
- Earn up to 500 SB Points per day watching videos on your computer
- Answer one 18-minute survey for 75 SB Points
How to Maximize your Earnings with Swagbucks
I’m certainly not an expert as I just signed up myself, but I thought I would share a few tips and ideas that come to mind for earning SB Points. That said, I’m interested in getting thoughts from the more experienced users in the comments section below.
Set aside time
I don’t think you’re going to hit an SB Points jackpot and pay your monthly grocery bill in one sitting. If this method of earning extra money interests you, consider setting aside an hour or less a day at a specific time to use the website.
Give it time
Strategies for earning rewards have to be developed over time. Be patient and consider giving Swagbucks a one month trial to see what it can do for you and your family.
Share to maximize earnings
It appears that the best way to earn a lot of rewards is in sharing this platform. If you can get your Facebook friends using Swagbucks, you’re going to be earning 10% on their spending which can really add up.
And they’re likely going to be motivated to spend if they’re receiving SB Points just like you.
Consider Surveys
Surveys also seem like a great opportunity for earning, but keep in mind you won’t qualify for all of them. Swagbucks will provide you with 1 Swagbuck for attempting a survey, but based on the personal information you share, you may not qualify to complete it.
Choose the right tasks
There are tons of ways to earn SB Points, but some are better than others. Choose tasks you would do anyway (browsing the internet or online shopping) or tasks you can run in the background (watching videos) to maximize the time you spend.
Go mobile
Finally, don’t forget to go mobile and download the Swagbucks mobile app for your smartphone. Using the mobile app allows you to work on earning rewards while on the go which can save you from the time investment at home.
Get started with Swagbucks and get your $5 sign up bonus here.
What are Swag Codes?
Swag Codes are special codes you can enter on the Swagbucks website that will earn you instant SB Points.
There are several places to find Swag Codes. Often they post them on their social media channels, so be sure to follow Swagbucks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also find codes on the Swagbucks blog from time to time.
Want to be alerted when Swag Codes are available? You can do that by downloading the SwagButton, which is a Google extension you can add to your browser. Then, you can click on the “Check for Swag Code” button which will alert you if there’s an active code.
You can earn a $10 welcome bonus just for downloading the SwagButton. If you download the iOS or Android Swagbucks mobile app, you can choose to receive push notifications that will alert you of new codes available.
Swagbucks’ Mobile App
Another way to access your Swagbucks account and earn more SB Points is by downloading their mobile app. The Swagbucks App is available in iOS and Android. It’s the perfect way to earn more SB Points on the go or even in the background at work or at home.
With everyone becoming more location independent, it makes sense for Swagbucks and other rewards programs to create mobile apps for their members to use.
The Swagbucks app is easy to navigate, similar to their website. You can also track the SB Points you are earning and spend them all from your phone.
Swagbucks Payout Options
Once you’ve accumulated enough SB Points you can simply visit the online rewards store and convert your SB Points to gift cards. There are basically three payout options:
Online Retailers
Convert your Swagbucks to gift cards from retailers like:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Old Navy
- iTunes
- Lowes
- Tons of other stores
There are also gift cards for restaurants, gas cards, and travel expenses.
PayPalGift Cards
While you can’t convert SB Points directly to cash, I did find that you can trade them for PayPal gift cards which immediately puts cash in your PayPal account that can be transferred to your checking or savings account.
Donate your SB Points
Another option is to donate your Swagbucks to charity.
Your SB Points donation will be converted to a monetary donation for the charity of your choice from the options listed online, such as The American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
How Much are Swagbucks Worth?
The value of each SB Point is roughly a penny. Sometimes they can be worth a little more depending on special exchange offers. It’s not a huge value, but they build up quicker than you realize.
It’s important to note the value, though, because as great as extra money and rewards are, it has to be worth the time you are putting in to earn them;
Nobody is getting rich from participating in Swagbucks, but there are tons of ways to earn some gift cards easily. I mean, who says no to free Starbucks?
Swagbucks Rewards
After checking out how to earn SB Points, I took a look at what kind of rewards were available. One of the best parts about Swagbucks is the amount of different types of rewards available. Here are some examples of how you can redeem your SB Points:
- $5 Amazon Gift Card for 500 SB Points
- $10 Starbucks card for 1,000 SB Points
- $25 eBay gift card for 2,100 SB Points (on sale)
- $100 Hyatt card for 10,000 SB Points
- $25 Walmart gift card for 2,200 SB Points
- $50 Exxon Mobil gas card for 5,000 SB Points
Often, you can find rewards on sale, which will increase the value of every SB Points. Hopefully, you’re getting the idea why so many people have become Swagbucks members. It can be a lot of fun earning SB Points.
How Do You Get Started with Swagbucks?
Getting started with Swagbucks is super easy. You simply create an account via the homepage, set up your profile in just a few minutes and you’re off and running.
Swagbucks offers a $5 signup bonus. You must earn 2,500 SB Points within the first 60 days of membership. The bonus is awarded within one day after you qualify.
Get your $5 sign up bonus here.
It took me only a couple of minutes to set up my account and to begin discovering all the different ways to earn. I earned about 30 SB Points simply by signing up, completing my profile and trying out a few surveys.
Overall, I found the website to be super user-friendly. All the different ways you can earn are listed across the top of the website in a horizontal menu. Simply go to the ones that interest you the most and begin to earn SB Points.
Pros and Cons of Swagbucks
The truth is there is no perfect rewards program. Swagbucks is not the exception. There are many positives that Swagbucks offers to members, but the program has some flaws that are hard to overlook.
Swagbucks Pros
- Swagbucks is free to join–in fact, they’ll give you $5 just for signing up
- They offer a multitude of ways to earn SB Points
- The program is straightforward and easy to navigate
- The mobile apps are easy to use and convenient
- You can generate points passively
- They have a great referral plan that earns you 10% of the earnings from people you referred
Swagbucks Cons
- Points don’t build up very quickly
- It can be time-consuming
- There is no option to cash out your points directly for money
Generally, I believe there are definitely more pros than cons. However, it also depends on how you plan to use it. If you are using spare time or earning points passively or for tasks you already are doing, then it can be a great program. If you are spending tons of time that could be used more effectively, then it’s not going to be as good for you.
Who’s Behind Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is owned by parent company Prodege LLC out of the Los Angeles area. Prodege was founded in 2005. If you browse their website, you’ll see several different online products, including Swagbucks.
They specialize in a number of services including user engagement (shifting the perspective from products to people), brand discovery, shopper marketing, market research, and rewards programs.
The CEO, Chuck Davis, was the previous CEO of Fandango and Shopzilla/Bizrate. The founder, Josef Gorowitz, was recognized as Ernst & Young’s 2014 Entrepreneur of the year in Los Angeles.
Is Swagbucks Legit?
Swagbucks currently has over 20 million members. They have already paid out over $348,096,567 in cash and free gift cards to members. That just goes to show the popularity of Swagbucks and how many people are using it. Swagbucks is one of the largest online rewards programs around.
I’ve personally used Swagbucks and have earned several gift cards so I can attest that it’s legit. I’ve had issues in the past with not earning Swagbucks for an online purchase, but their customer service was super helpful and fixed the issue immediately.
As far as rewards programs go, Swagbucks is one of the best ones to try.
Is Swagbucks Safe?
Hopefully, by now you have a better understanding of Swagbucks and the company behind it. There are certainly many people using this platform to earn rewards and make extra money online. To be up front, your earnings do come with a price.
When you join Swagbucks you’re agreeing to provide certain personal information that can be used as part of these services and provided to marketers. Also, don’t forget that you’re also giving Swagbucks your time in return for rewards.
When I signed up, I provided information about where I live, my age, kids ages, gender, marital status and location. Marketers want to know about you so they can gather the data and information necessary to make their products better as well as improve their marketing plans.
Personally, I didn’t have a problem with this. From my perspective, this is a controlled way of obtaining such information and providing me with rewards for opting in.
As for how and what information is transferred, it’s not exactly clear to me. However, if that bothers you or raises any concerns, I highly recommend reading through the Privacy Policy at Swagbucks before signing up.
Final Thoughts
While it may seem strange that you can earn money by taking surveys, shopping, searching the web or watching videos, this has become yet another avenue to help support monthly budgets.
Overall, I like what Swagbucks and Prodege are doing in what appears to be a controlled environment between markers and consumers.
It’s worth noting that I signed up a few days ago and am not receiving random emails from marketers, etc. This all seems to be a professional model. Again, I recommend reviewing the privacy policy before signing up just so you know what the details before going in.
Overall, Swagbucks appears to be quite a popular way for people to earn rewards and extra money by spending some extra time online. That’s evident in the membership numbers, Facebook likes and BBB rating. Get started with Swagbucks today.
