I have posted about
Swagbucks multiple times in the past, but I know some are new here and may just be wondering what is up with this crazy search engine I keep talking about! So, this post may be lengthy, but if you're at all interested in Swagbucks, or you've signed up and don't know what to do with it, this post is filled with most of the information I have about this fun way to earn Amazon gift cards!
What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a Google-powered search engine you can refer to whenever you need to search the internet. What sets Swagbucks apart is the currency - Swagbucks (or SB) with which they reward those who search. The earning of SB is random. Many searches you will not earn anything. But about one in ten searches, you will see something like the above picture before your results. Congratulations! You're closer to your reward! (*Note, the above bill is an actual bill I earned when trying to write this post for you just so I could give you an example)
How do I use Swagbucks?
As soon as you earn Swagbucks (either through searching or any of the ways listed below), you will notice, in the upper right corner of the search page or the Swagbucks home page, your total SB will change. Your heart will do a little flutter.
To spend your SB, you can visit the Rewards tab at the top of the homepage. The most common reward (for most users, including myself) is the $5 Amazon.com gift card. This costs 450 SB. You will notice they have higher increments of gift cards for Amazon, but if you do the math, the $5 card is actually the best deal. Of course, you can choose whichever reward you desire, including gift cards to many other retailers.
When you purchase a gift card reward, they will e-mail you a link to verify your purchase. Once verified, the gift card will appear in your SB account within about two weeks. The card appears as a code you can either enter in your Amazon account right away or save until you plan to use it. You may use multiple codes on your amazon purchase, so save up for something fun!
Through using Swagbucks, I have earned over $380 in Amazon gift cards since July 2009!
How can I earn Swagbucks?
Search (of course!) - Besides all that extra stuff listed below, the simplest way to earn is just to search. I use swagbucks as my default search engine in the upper right corner of my browser (you can get it installed there through the toolbar page without actually downloading the toolbar). Then I search as normal, or, sometimes, just for something random if I haven’t earned any that day (you can usually earn between 1-4 times a day by searching, so if you win some, it will probably be another couple of hours before you’ll earn again through searching). I also “search” for websites I was going to go to anyway. For example, if I were on my way to amazon.com anyway, I’ll just type that into the search bar and get there that way, just for an extra chance to win.
Don't abuse the system, though! If you search too frequently (as in searching repetitively just to keep winning), you could lose your account - so only perform genuine searches!
Other ways to earn:
Toolbar - First of all, they do have a toolbar you can download. I know many people don’t like to download extraneous things and extra toolbars crowd your browser, but if you want to go ahead and download it, you earn 1 SB every day the first time you open your browser for the day. Also, they send messages through the toolbar which periodically include swag codes.
Swag codes - These are codes they release, generally once a day or so, more if it’s a special day of some sort, that allow you to earn free swagbucks just for entering the code on their homepage (there is a special box just for that). The codes can be tricky because they generally only last for a short time period (sometimes as little as 15 minutes, usually closer to an hour or two) so you have to notice it at just the right time and they usually take a little bit of figuring out. They do have a “swidget” that has a button for checking to see if there is currently an active swag code and gives a hint as to where to find it (on their blog, in the toolbar, etc.). I have the swidget at the bottom of this blog if you don’t want to worry about where to put it, you can always check it there.
If you know there is a swag code out there but have trouble finding it or deciphering the clue, the swagbucks fan page on Facebook is extremely useful for finding further clues from other users. Technically it is against their terms of service to flat out give someone the code, but every once in awhile you find someone breaking the rules anyway on Facebook, so that helps, too ;) If I’ve used the clue, I generally try to give direction on my FB wall, too. If you’re a blog reader, I also recommend subscribing to the swagbucks blog because they release a lot of information on there, not only about codes but also about changes to the website, etc. If you don’t regularly subscribe to blogs, don’t worry about it.
A couple of other extra ways to earn swagbucks besides using the toolbar or codes can be found in their “Ways to Earn” tab.
NOSO - One of these is their “NOSO”’s (“No Obligation Special Offers”). If you click on that they will show you a few random offers (typically 4 or 5) that you can skip through and at the end you will earn 2SB – you can do this once a day.
Daily Polls - Another way to earn 1 sb/day is to answer the Daily Poll.
Trusted Surveys - You can earn 100-200SB (more or less) for each survey (which typically take a good deal of time and generally don't even let you finish). If you cannot complete the survey for whatever reason (too many participants, you don't qualify, etc.), you will earn 1sb for trying for each survey you try per day, up to five per day. Again, these take time, so it’s up to you!
Daily Deals - If you are a fan of daily deals sites such as Groupon or Living Social, you can visit Swagbucks and make your purchase through their Daily Deals site to earn yourself some SB while purchasing a good deal you were going to buy anyway!
Coupons - If you frequently print coupons from coupons.com, you can print them through Swagbucks and earn 10SB for every you coupon you redeem. I love this!
Games - I do not do much on this tab, but if you have time to kill (don't you wish?), you can play games which will reward you for playing at sporadic intervals. Generally, you earn 2sb for every two games played (playing generally takes about 30 seconds).
SBTV - Swagbucks TV allows you to watch videos in various categories. They change how it works frequently. Currently, you earn 3sb for every 10 videos you "watch". You can have a window open in the background and just switch the video about every 30-45 seconds and that works, too. I typically do not use this earning opportunity because it is a lot of time for not a lot of payout - but if I'm close to being able to redeem for a gift card, it's a good, easy way to rack up the bucks!
SBTV Mobile - If you own an Android or iPhone, you can download the SBTV app to run SBTV on your phone! These award 2sb for every five videos watched, but if you tune into the Comedy "Channel", the videos run about 5-10sec each, so it doesn't take very long to earn. Also, if it's running smoothly, you can generally leave the app open and running while you do something else (though it can be glitchy and require more attention at times). You can max out at 50sb per day through SBTV Mobile.
Special Offers - These pages offer various opportunities for earning swagbucks, by signing up for e-mail lists, registering for free trials or signing up for various services. I do not use these very often, but, they frequently have on these pages videos you can watch to earn 2-5SB just for watching (these are different from SBTV – they give out guaranteed SB for every video). These are generally commercials or movie previews – I’ll typically open them, mute my volume and do something else while it plays (shh! Don’t tell!).
Referrals - You can refer your friends and family through your personalized referral link (found under the "Promote" tab, under banners), by connecting on Facebook, or via e-mail. When a friend signs up, you will earn matching SB for every SB they earn via searching, up to 1000SB. (So if your friend, Susie, searches and earns 9SB, you'll earn 9SB! After she has earned 1000SB through searching you will no longer earn SB through her searches.) Don't spam your friends, of course, but if you know someone who would love this opportunity to earn free Amazon gift cards, share it with them!
Seeing it all written out makes it seem like a lot of work, but it’s really not that bad! My husband is not as hardcore as I am and he has still earned a little over $150 in amazon gift cards in about a year and a half. Considering all he typically does is search (and enter a few codes I gave him), that’s pretty nice!
Please let me know if you have any other questions (there are also tons of tips under the "More" tab at the top of their homepage) and I hope you have as much fun as I do with
Swagbucks!
Convinced? Sign up
here and start with 30SB!
Happy searching!
