We tested Swagbucks and it quickly became our favorite side hustle because of the various ways you can earn money and because it’s so easy to earn a good amount of cash. Here’s our Swagbucks review…
If you’re looking for ways to make money online, you’ve probably already heard of the Swagbucks app. But you might have some questions you need answered before trying it out for yourself.
Is Swagbucks safe? Can I actually earn money? Is Swagbucks worth it or a waste of time?
Those are all great questions and I’ll answer them all in this detailed Swagbucks review. I’ll also share a Swagbucks hack $60 a month with no effort at all! Now let’s get started!
What Is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is one of the web’s most popular rewards programs that gives you cash and free gift cards for doing everyday things you were already doing anyway.
They have both a full website and a smartphone app available. You earn points for doing things like taking online surveys, watching movie trailers, playing games, and shopping online. Then you trade those points for gift cards at various retailers or get cash back from Paypal.
Is Swagbucks Safe And Legit?
Absolutely. Swagbucks is operated by Prodege, LLC which is a company located in California. They have been in business for 14 years and currently have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Swagbucks has paid out over $405 million in rewards, and as a user myself I can promise you they are 100 percent legitimate and safe to use. I have the gift cards and cash I’ve earned to prove it.
How Does Swagbucks Work?
Using Swagbucks is really easy. First, you sign up for a free Swagbucks account (you’ll get a $5 bonus just for signing up).
Next you start earnings points (called SB) when you take surveys, watch videos, play games, use the Swagbucks search engine, or shop online.
You can cash out your Swagbucks for Paypal cash or gift cards to dozens of retailers including Amazon, Home Depot, Target, Starbucks, or Bed, Bath and Beyond. You can get a $3 Amazon gift card for as little as 300 SB, but the best deal is a $25 gift card for just 2,200 SB.
The Best Ways To Make Money On Swagbucks
There are quite a few ways to make money on Swagbucks and we’ll go into more detail on the best ones below:
Earn Cash Watching Videos
One of the easiest ways to make money on Swagbucks is by watching short videos in various categories including entertainment, sports, health, personal finance, food, and more.
They don’t pay much, but it does add up if you do it long enough.
Now, I’m not saying you should sit glued to your screen watching videos for a few pennies. There are better ways to spend your time. The secret is to multitask while you are streaming the videos. You won’t be tested on the content of the videos so you don’t have to pay too close attention.
Instead, play some videos while you’re washing dishes or getting dinner ready. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can earn some free Amazon gift cards doing this!
Swagbucks Hack! You can let your phone stream Swagbucks videos on your phone all night long while you sleep. You’ll wake up in the morning with a whole bunch of new SB in your account!
I have an extra cell phone that my employer pays for and I just let it stream videos all day while I’m at work. I do the same thing at home and I earn between $1 and $2 per day just streaming free videos. That’s an easy $50 or so every month that can go towards your family food budget or paying down debt!
Swagbucks Surveys
Surveys are probably the most popular way to earn money on Swagbucks. I don’t take a ton of surveys but I’ll do it when I have a few minutes to spare.
You can take surveys while sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for your daughter’s soccer practice to end, or while watching TV at home on the couch.
When you join Swagbucks you’ll enter some generic demographic information about yourself and your household (age, family income, hobbies and interests, etc.).
Then Swagbucks matches you up with surveys with rewards ranging from 1 to 1,000 SBs. Generally, the longer the survey the higher the reward but that’s not always the case. Sometimes even short surveys can earn big rewards.
You won’t always qualify for each individual survey, and it’s frustrating to waste a couple of minutes answering some of the questions only to be disqualified.
On the other hand, the good thing is that Swagbucks always has plenty of surveys to choose from. Other survey sites might only have a handful of surveys available, but as I’m writing this review Swagbucks has 91 surveys currently open. SO if you get disqualified from one just try another.
Earn Cash Back With Swagbucks
If you do any shopping online, Swagbucks will help you earn cash back on your purchases.
Just sign into your Swagbucks account and click on the retailer you want to shop with. Then, just do your normal shopping and within a few days to a few weeks your account will be credited with SB.
Swagbucks offers cash back from thousands of stores including Amazon, Target, Walmart, Groupon, Macys, Kohls, Old Navy, Home Depot, Etsy, and many, many more. The cash back percentage varies from store to store and usually range from one to ten percent.
Swagbucks Games
Most people I know play games on their smartphone during their downtime and I’m betting you have some games that you enjoy playing too. Well, you can play some of your favorite games right on Swagbucks and earn SBs while you kill time.
And they have some pretty good games to choose from including Solitaire, Bejeweled, Angry Birds, Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, Trivial Pursuit, Plinko, and more. You won’t earn a ton of points playing games, but every bit helps.
Swagbucks Deals
The Discover Deals section of Swagbucks contains an amazing number of ways to earn money. It’s chock full of offers that provide cash back when you try them out.
You can earn 50 SB just for joining Kellogg’s rewards program. Or you can earn 5,000 SB ($50!) for trying out Blue Apron’s meal kit service.
Take a few minutes to scroll through the Discover Deals and I guarantee you’ll find a free cash back offer that interests you.
Discounted Gift Cards
Buy a gift card through Swagbucks and you’ll receive a percentage back. It’s that simple.
But here’s a trick that will really help you multiply your savings:
I recently needed to buy something at Home Depot that costs $100. Rather than just buying what I need with cash, I bought a $100 Home Depot gift card on Swagbucks.
Then I linked over to Home Depot via the Swagbucks Shopping section and used the gift card to pay for my order. In the end, I got 2% back by ordering the gift card and another 3% back by using the Swagbucks shopping portal.
If you know you need to make a purchase this Swagbucks hack will help you save some serious money.
Swagbucks Search
You most likely found this article by searching for “Swagbucks review” or “is Swagbucks safe” on the Internet.
Am I right?
Well, wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually get paid just for searching the web like you do every day?
I have good news my friend. Swagbucks Search will let you do just that. Just use the Swagbucks search box and you can earn SB. Not every search will earn you points but it’s neat to earn a reward for something you were doing anyway.
Referring Friends
When you refer a friend and get them to join Swagbucks you both get a 300 SB bonus, which is worth $3 to each of you.
But that’s not the best part.
You’ll also earn 10% of all their earnings…for life.
If your friend earns 500 SB, you get 50 SB. If they earn 5,000, you get 500.
Get just a few friends to join and you can earn some serious bonuses month after month.
Who Can Join Swagbucks?
You have to be age 13 or older to join Swagbucks, at least in the United States and Canada.
Some other countries have a higher age requirement (for example, you need to be at least 16 to join Swagbucks if you live in Australia or the United Kingdom).
The young age requirement makes Swagbucks a great way for teens to make money online. They’re probably already online playing games and searching the web, so they might as well get paid to do it!
Swagbucks Pros and Cons
I’ve been using Swagbucks for years, and while it isn’t perfect it has a lot going for it. Here are some of the things I like and dislike about Swagbucks.
Pros
- Swagbucks is 100 percent free to join. You can earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the site without ever paying a dime.
- There are so many ways to earn rewards.
- You actually get paid to do things you would have been doing anyway.
- Swagbucks is safe and legit. They have been around for years and paid out over $376 million in rewards. They are definitely not a scam!
Cons
- I wish I could accumulate points even faster than I do now.
- It will never be more than a side hustle. If you’re looking to replace your full time job, this isn’t going to do it.
In my opinion the pros far outweigh the cons, but only you can answer…
Is Swagbucks Worth It?
I consider myself a casual Swagbucks user. I stream videos while I multitask, use their portal when I shop online, and take a few surveys every once in a while. Those simple activities earn me around $50 to $60 a month.
Not bad! That’s extra money that can go towards craft beer, Christmas presents, or paying down debt.
If you want $50 a month too, you should sign up right now and start earning Swagbucks.
And that’s how much you can earn while hardly even trying. Now imagine what you can do if you really spent some time at it. You could totally earn at least $200 or $300 a month if you really become a power user.
And while Swagbucks will never take the place of a full time job, you could earn enough to replace a part time job. So rather than spending a few hours at night or on the weekend working a part time job, you could use that time to earn Swagbucks and then collect it as Paypal cash. That’s a pretty good side gig and you can do it right from your own home.
Sign up for your free Swagbucks account today so you can start earning cash and gift cards.