Introduction
The Go-To Rewards Site Since 2008
When they entered the consumer rewards space in 2008, Swagbucks made a splash. They introduced a brand new way to earn points called “Search & Earn”, which gave users points just for using their search engine. Since then, they’ve continued to add new ways to earn and have firmly established themselves as the “go-to” consumer rewards site.
One of the biggest benefits of joining Swagbucks is that you're working with an established company, so you know you're not going to get scammed. Swagbucks is owned by Prodege, a company with several hundred employees and many different web properties under their umbrella.
The basics are easy enough: Sign-up for an account, earn points (what they call “Swagbucks”, or “SBs”), then exchange those points for cash and gift cards.
Ways to Earn
Paid Surveys, Paid Search & (Lots) More
Perhaps the biggest advantage Swagbucks has over other programs are all the ways you can earn points. Here’s a breakdown of the main ways:
Paid Surveys
The most rewarding way to earn SB’s is with ‘Paid Surveys’. Companies pay Swagbucks to get feedback from regular people, and Swagbucks pays you to answer these surveys.
At any given time there’s a long list of surveys to do, so you'll want to be selective about which ones you complete. Each survey shows you how long it takes to do, and how many points you’ll get.
Earning a gift card every month with Swagbucks is very doable if you’re smart about how you allocate your time. Keep that in mind!
In addition to the high-paying surveys from third-party companies, there’s a Daily Survey you can complete for 1 SB. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s easy and guaranteed to payout.
Grocery Shopping With “Magic” Receipts
Paid surveys are easy to find, but this next way to earn is unique to Swagbucks. It’s called “Magic Receipts”, and you can earn points by uploading receipts from your everyday purchases. Here’s how it works:
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On the “Magic Receipts” page, you can clip coupons and add them to your shopping list. You get 10 points just for adding your first coupon, by the way.
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After you make your purchase, you upload your receipts right from the Magic Receipts page.
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Points are credited to your account.
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Tip: Make sure you take a clear photo of your receipt so it’s easy for Swagbucks to process.
Cashback Shopping
In the Shop & Earn section, you’ll find a list of hundreds of retailers that give you cashback on your purchases. There are many well-known brands that participate in this program, so it’s very likely you’re already shopping at least a few of these stores, and now you can earn SB’s just for doing the shopping you already do.
Swagbucks also has special offers running nearly all the time. These are opportunities to earn even more cashback on certain purchases than you would otherwise.
Right now, Swagbucks is offering a 1000 SB bonus (equivelant to $10) when you make a cashback purchase worth $25 or more at participating retailers. And that’s on top of the cashback you’d normally receive!
“Discover” Offers
In the Discover section, Swagbucks has a range of offers that you can sign up for and receive SB in return. These offers include things like signing-up for free trials, taking quizzes, joining mailing lists and more.
Some offers require you to enter your email address and other personal info. Be careful with these and don't sign up for anything that you're not actually interested in.
Swagbucks will also sometimes have special sign-up bonuses for specific offers that are generally worth a lot more SB.
Discover offers have more commitment attached to them, but they often provide the most bang-for-your-buck when it comes to Swagbucks earned.
Other Ways to Earn
These are just the main ways to earn with Swagbucks. There are many other opportunities to earn points doing things like playing games or watching videos. If you’re interested, you can sign-up for free and explore all the opportunities for yourself.
How You’re Paid
Turn Points Into Gift Cards, Cash & More
When it comes to rewards, there are a number of ways to use your Swagbucks after you’ve earned them. Let’s look at the most popular methods.
Convert SBs Into Gift Cards And Cash
By far the most popular way to spend Swagbucks is on gift cards. Swagbucks offers a whole range of gift cards from major retailers, making it easy to find one that you’ll actually use. And if all else fails, you can simply exchange your Swagbucks for PayPal and take the cash.
To take a look at the array of cashout options, visit the “Rewards” tab in the members area. You’ll be greeted with many of the most popular gift cards (Usually Amazon and PayPal), as well as gift cards that are on sale. Usually, 1 SB is worth $0.01, but gift cards on sale allow you to stretch your Swagbucks further.
Here are some other important things to know about cashing out with Swagbucks:
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The minimum cashout amount for a gift card is $5, which is very reasonable when compared to many other programs. This means you’ll likely get a gift card within your first month of membership.
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You can cash out anytime you reach the required number of points, and gift cards are generally posted to your account within 3-10 business days.
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In order to make sure your order is processed smoothly, you’ll need your account information to be accurate and up-to-date, and you’ll need to verify your purchase request by clicking a link sent to you in an email.
Let Your Swagbucks “Ride” With Swagstakes
One fun and unique aspect of Swagbucks are their so-called “Swagstakes”. These are drawings you can enter in order to win even gift cards or even more Swagbucks. An entry into a Swagstakes starts at just 2 SBs, which means you'll be able to put your Swagbucks to work right away if you so chose.
Each Swagstakes has a maximum number of entries, and as soon as those entries are claimed, a winner is chosen. As of the time of writing, there were around 15,000 Swagstakes winners every month–which means action is never lacking!
Donate Your Swagbucks & Do Good
If you’re feeling generous, Swagbucks makes it easy to donate some or all of your Swagbucks to a good cause. As you’d expect, they offer a wide range of charities and non-profits to choose from.
Donations are a good way to spend a small amount of Swagbucks after you've purchased your gift card and just have "change" left over. And since the minimum purchase is small at 5 SB, you’re able to spread the love over multiple programs if you so chose.
Reputation
Swagbucks: As Legit As It Gets
In terms of years in operation, amount paid out to users, and the sheer number of overall user reviews, Swagbucks has no match among other consumer rewards sites. Swagbucks is verified and active on the popular consumer ratings platforms and, while no company is perfect, it says a lot when companies are willing to step in and provide help when necessary.
Swagbucks' great reputation is a major reason they're our first recommendation to newcomers to the paid surveys/consumer rewards space.
User Reviews
Great site that use to be better
After being a member for close to 10 years I can confidently say Swagbucks is the best site to join if you could only join one. But it did use to be better. Many ways of earning points have been removed or discounted. Still good.
what's not to like?
they're good at what they do, period. i know some people will complain about company changes but those things happen. if anyone has a better site, i would love to know.
Final Analysis
The Best In The Business
If you’ve made it this far, our conclusion won’t be a surprise: Swagbucks is simply the best rewards site in the business. We’d recommend it to everyone, but particularly to those that are just getting started.
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