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Maximize Your Swagbucks Earnings
(Without Spending A Cent!)
As I mentioned in one of my very first posts (which you can read here), Swagbucks is one of my favorite ways to earn cash on the side. It’s not passive, but it IS income that you can earn during your downtime. Need to make some extra cash quick, especially now that we’re coming up on the holidays? Then this is the website for you.
First Of All, What Is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is not just any survey website, it’s one of the BEST survey websites online. I’ve been a member of Swagbucks for…four, five years now? A lot of years. Why do I love it so much? Because it offers its members more than just survey opportunities to make money.
And did I mention it’s absolutely FREE to sign up?
Not only do you earn points (called SBs) when you complete surveys (as with all major survey sites), but you can also earn points in a TON of other ways (unlike other major survey sites).
You can earn while watching videos, or even searching the web through its browser, and yes, even when you shop through its very generous cash back options. You can also download the browser extension and earn SBs even when you’re not on their website. Swagbucks members also have access to exclusive offers and coupons. These deals won’t be seen anywhere else online. There’s also a mobile app, so you can earn SBs even when you’re not at your computer.
Once you’ve earned enough SBs, you can redeem them in one of the most robust gift card libraries I’ve seen on ANY survey site. Payouts are minimal, you don’t even need 300 SB to earn your first gift card. That means it’s not going to take forever and a day to earn enough to cash out.
How does it work? It’s SUPER simple.
Yes, it’s really that simple.
Are you ready to earn your first gift card through Swagbucks? Sign up through my referral link, and you’ll get a 300 SB bonus once you earn 300 SBs! And that’s more than enough for a gift card!
And Speaking Of Those Swagbucks Gift Cards
To date, Swagbucks has given away almost $300,000,000.00. That’s a LOT of money, all back in the wallets of its users.
Like I said, there are a TON of gift cards, for pretty much every earning level. Have 300SB? Pick up a gift card from Amazon or Walmart or Dunkin Donuts or eBay. You can even get data rewards from AT&T or Verizon, or gift cards to restaurants like Texas Roadhouse or IHOP or Buffalo Wild Wings.
Just want to take the cash? You can do that too! You can redeem your SBs for PayPal cash, all the way up to $250.00.
Other gift card categories in this massive library include: Charity donations, Apparel & Accessories, Department Stores, Electronics, Food & Beverage, Gaming, Gas Cards, Health & Beauty, House & Home, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Outdoors, and Travel. Want to go on a trip? Then keep an eye on those American Airlines and Delta gift cards.
There is something for absolutely everyone in the Swagbucks gift card store.
Best Ways To Maximize Your Swagbucks Earnings:
Complete Your Daily To-Do List
It really doesn’t take a long time to earn Swagbucks. This isn’t going to be one of those websites where you have to spend months to see concrete earnings. You daily To-Do List is one of the best things you can do when using Swagbucks.
If you do one thing on Swagbucks each day, it should be this.
And that’s all it takes.
Your To-Do list is not labor intensive at all, and it’s a great jumpstart to your day.
Complete Your Daily Goal
Each day, Swagbucks gives you a goal to meet, of a certain number of Swagbucks you should attempt to earn. If you reach that mark, you’ll get a bonus. Monthly goal bonuses are applied to each account during the following month, and it can end up being a pretty healthy bonus, especially if you’re consistent. If you’re not consistent, maybe only hit your goals a couple times a month? Don’t worry, you’ll still get rewarded too.
Along with your Daily Goal is your Total Goal. This is a secondary Daily Goal, with a higher Swagbucks amount for your to earn in a day. And with that higher Swagbucks total comes a higher Daily Goal Bonus.
Start things off with your To-Do List, and you’re off to a great start.
Utilize Swag Codes
Swag Codes are another awesome way to get to reach your daily goals. All they are, are strings of text that you can redeem. Make note, these are time AND case sensitive, so keep en eye out for those notifications and make sure you take advantage of them when you see them.
How do you find them?
The best way is to download the Swagbucks extension for your web browser which will alert you whenever they’ve released a new code. The tip will usually tell you to check out Swagbucks’ Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or blog, where it’s very easy to find the code. Just look for the most recent post!
And you can redeem them on any page on Swagbucks.com, where you’ll see the Swag Code Safe Icon at the top of the page. It’s right in the middle, you can’t miss it.
Surveys
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention surveys, considering this IS a survey site, after all. Swagbucks’ Surveys are high-earning surveys that you can attempt to earn anywhere from 15 to 150 SBs (and more!). And you’ll even get a little something even if you’re bounced from the survey (that happens often, don’t worry).
And surveys don’t take very long either. Some surveys are five minutes long, some are twenty-five minutes long. I’ve even gotten to watch sneak previews of TV shows and movie trailers through Swagbucks, and those are they surveys that bring awesome payouts.
In fact, I once did a survey about a show that I did NOT like the premise of, and a few months later, started seeing trailers for it on TV. It didn’t last long, and I can’t help but think my insights are part of the reason why. Also, the premise of the show was just awful.
Now, you’re not going to know what survey you enter before you enter it. You never know what you’ll get, and some of the surveys are pretty cool.
Surveys With Bonus SBs
Every once in a while, Swagbucks will tack on bonuses to the surveys for a limited time. For example, if you take a 15-minute survey where you’d normally earn 100 SB, you’ll earn a bonus 20 SB upon successful completion. And yes, the screen shot below is an actual screen shot from my own Swagbucks dashboard.
Play Swago
Ever played Bingo?
Swagbucks has Swago.
Once a month, Swagbucks releases its monthly Swago board.
Laid out like a Bingo board, a Swago board is 5 squares by 5 squares, and each square features a certain challenge, anywhere from “earn SBs through Swagbucks search” to “attempt a Gold Survey” and more. In September 2018, it was primarily: visit [insert website name] and activate the Swagbucks banner.
And you can get bonuses for completing various patterns (just like in Bingo), like any row, making an X, completing the perimeter, or completing the whole board. More difficult patterns = more bonus SBs.
Contests & Challenges
Swagbucks is ALWAYS announcing new challenges and contests. You can use the SBs you earn to enter giveaways (like for 25,000 SBs, smart watches, laptops, and gift cards. Many of these contests have limits to how many people can enter.
For example, a giveaway of 50 SBs that I saw recently is limited to only three entries. These are the types of giveaways that you want to hop on when you can, because you’re more likely to win when the limit for entries is 10, rather than a limit of 25,000 entries.
There are also team challenges, where you join a team and do certain listed activities, and the SBs you earn go to your team’s total. If you earn a certain amount of SBs during a challenge, you’ll receive an SB bonus in the form of a SB Swag Up Rebate.
Two “Paid” Options:
Download The Swagbucks Extension & Get Rewards When You Shop
For those of you who are familiar with Ebates (new to Ebates? Sign up here and get a $10.00 gift card), the Swagbucks Extension is pretty much the same thing. That’s why I use both Swagbucks AND Ebates when I’m shopping.
How I do it is simple. I determine which extension offers me the highest amount of cash back and go with that.
Now, do know that you can NOT piggyback on Swagbucks and Ebates at the same time. My recommendation is to download both extensions for your web browser, so you can see when you’re shopping which outlet will give you the best deal.
Playing Games
Playing games on Swagbucks used to be free, where you could play a ton of games, but no longer. They do have a few games: Swagasaurus Run, Swag Jump, and Swag Memory, which will let you a few bucks here and there.
That said, if you do enjoy playing games online, Swagbucks has partnered with a number of gaming websites, that you can earn cash back on. Similar to shopping to earn Swagbucks, if you purchase games through these websites, then you’ll also earn SBs. Games include poker and slots, Bejeweled, Angry Birds, or Tetris.
Get Started On Swagbucks
Get started on Swagbucks by clicking my referral link, or the banner below. When you earn 300 SBs, which you can do super quick, you’ll get a 300 SB bonus (and so will I!).
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What’s Online at Swagbucks.com
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I never heard of Swagbucks, but this is fascinating. I’ll have to look into it more.
It’s awesome! Very low effort, something you can do while you’re watching tv in the evenings.
Very good tips. I use Swagbucks for searching but I need to start expanding my use!
There are a TON of ways to use it. Searching is definitely an awesome option.
You are always so full of ideas! I think I need to carry you around in my pocket!
Happy to be of service!
I have friends who participate in Swagbucks ~ just hasn’t been my thing yet. I didn’t know all the ways to earn money, though ~ so, great rundown. Definitely have me thinking.
It’s definitely a great way to get a little cash on the side, without expending too much effort.
This sounds like a great way to have an additional income stream in spare time. I love to do survey’s while watching TV. Last year I paid for most of Christmas that way.
That’s awesome! It’s so great for the holidays!
Never heard of Swag Bucks, but it looks like something I will be trying! Thanks for the info 🙂
Happy to open your mind a little bit! It’s an awesome resource!
Looks like a great way to make some extra money! Thank you for sharing!
Happy to help spread the word!
Wow I’ve never heard of Swagbucks and may have to check it out. I have a list of little side hustles I want to check out when I finally get some extra time on my hands.
It’s definitely something you can do if, even if you’re busy. There’s no strict time commitment at all.
I signed up for Swagbucks a few years ago while recovering from surgery. I haven’t used it in years and did not know all of these things that go along with it. Thanks for sharing!
You should totally get back into it! Glad to share!
Thanks for the tips! Very helpful and informative. I pinned this for later reference, too.
Happy to help. And thank you!
I’ve heard of Swagbucks but never knew what it was. Thanks for explaining it! Sounds pretty interesting. I’ll have to check it out!
It’s awesome. Definitely worth checking out!
I used to use it way back when it was only surveys. I’ll have to try it now with the extension!
The extension is super helpful! You should totally get back into it.
I signed up for Swagbucks a long time ago, but I always forget about it. I didn’t know that there were so many facets to it!
There’s a ton to it! You should definitely consider getting back in and exploring.
Great way to make a little extra money. I have an inboxdollars account, but never remember to use it 😣
I haven’t used inboxdollars yet, but I’m definitely excited to look into it too!
This is great! I’ve always wondered how these sites work, I’ll have to give it a try!
Have fun exploring your way through it!
This is interesting. I signed up for Swagbucks a few years ago but didn’t do anything and really didn’t understand but now I am intrigued. I might have to try again.
You should definitely get back into it!
Definitely going to look more into this! Thank you!
Happy to help!
Some might say it’s more productive than watching tv all day! 😀
Exactly. But if you want to do both, you can too!
This is new to me…but very interesting. You make it sound pretty easy.
It really is!
I signed up to Swagbucks a long time ago but with blogging and work I’ve been focusing more on my online focus groups instead. Building up my Amazon gift codes for the holidays so something to get back into.
Amazon gift cards are awesome! Have fun with getting back into Swagbucks!
I’ve heard of swagbucks, but I had no idea that it offered so much! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
It’s great. Definitely look into it!
I wasn’t aware of all the different ways you can earn through Swagbucks. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Happy to help! There’s a lot more to it than people think!
I’ve never heard of this site, will have to check it out. Especially now that we plan to buy a house. I could really use some extra cash!
Swagbucks would be a great resource for you. While you’re saving money to buy a house, you can use what you earn from Swagbucks to buy things like housewares or even toward your down payment!
I really need to get on this swagbucks. My friend has been telling me about it. She is my coupon queen.
You do need to! It’s awesome! Consider this the universe giving you a sign!