Last Updated on December 9, 2023 by Erin
I’m so excited to share with you how to make money with Swagbucks. It’s one of those things I think EVERYONE should know about. And I gladly talk about Swagbucks with anyone who will listen.
There are a lot of apps and websites out there that can seem incredibly scammy but I promise you, Swagbucks is legit! And you need it in your life. I truly make money while I’m cooking dinner…or when I’m at gymnastics practice, or when I’m having trouble falling asleep at night. If you have a few minutes and you’re going to be on your phone, you might as well make money while you’re at it.
Related post: Ways to Make Money at Home in Midlife
**This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.**
What Is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a site (and app) that has been around since 2008 and has had plenty of positive coverage in the press. You don’t have to worry about it being a scam, I promise! It is a loyalty and consumer rewards program where you earn points that you can turn in for gift cards or PayPal cash. 100 SB points is the equivalent of $1. The minimum number of points needed to cash out is 300, which is absolutely doable in just a few minutes.
There is an insane amount of gift cards available, and they include Target, Amazon, Walmart, and Starbucks just to name a few. You could also link your PayPal account and earn cash.
I truly believe EVERYONE should get signed up for Swagbucks. Who doesn’t want to make money in their spare time?! It’s so easy and you’re earning points doing things you already do online. You really don’t have an excuse to NOT sign up.
How Do You Earn Points?
Surveys are the big way I make money with Swagbucks. I seriously do this while I’m standing in the kitchen making dinner. Waiting for water to boil? Waiting for the air fryer to finish up? Time for a quick survey!
Survey points typically range from 1 point to 150 points. You can even see how long the survey might take before you click on the link. You usually answer a few questions to start and then if you qualify you can move forward with the survey and earn the points.
Sometimes it takes a few attempts before finding a survey that works but I’ve never had a day where I wasn’t able to eventually qualify. There are some surveys with even higher point values that require a bit more commitment outside of the app, such as completing a daily log regarding a certain product, but if you have the time, it might be worth it.
Truthfully, some surveys are incredibly long and boring, but others are super fun! A few times this week I’ve watched commercials and gave my opinions on them. Sometimes the surveys ask for my kids to watch toy commercials or pilot shows and give their thoughts. It’s pretty cool!
Screenshot example of survey options with estimated length of time and points to earn
How to Make Money on Swagbucks
Surveys are the big one for me but there are a TON of ways to earn points and cash in.
- Refer friends and family
- Use the Yahoo search engine on the site (so easy, right?!)
- Earn cash-back from shopping online
- Play games
- Discover deals
- Scan receipts
- Redeem codes that pop up in your browser extension
- Enter sweepstakes
1. Make Money with Referrals
Once you get started on Swagbucks and realize how amazing it is, you can share with friends and family and very quickly earn a ton of points. Trust me, you’re going to want to tell everyone how to make money with Swagbucks. Swagbuck’s referral program is insanely awesome. Once someone signs up using your link, you will get points and bonuses, but you ALSO earn 10% of their points for life. Say what?!
You can use my link to get started right now!
2. Search Online
Swagbucks has a Yahoo search engine that works on Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer. If you make Swagbucks your default search engine you can literally get paid to search. There are detailed instructions here to make it your default. You’re probably already “googling” things on the regular, so why not do it on Swagbucks instead?
3. Earn Cash Back
As of today, there are over 7,000 stores participating in Swagbucks cash back rewards. When you go to the SHOP page on the Swagbucks site, you will see cash back offers that are recommended for you personally, featured stores, travel deals, as well as coupons and promo codes. For example, when I look on the site today, I see that I can earn up to 16% cash back if I shop online at Home Depot and 3% cash back if I use Expedia.
If you have the Swagbucks extension browser extension installed, it will alert you to point rewards and promos while you are shopping.
You can download the extension here.
4. Play Games
There are a variety of games on the site that allow you to earn points as you play. There are both free and paid games. Some examples are Wheel of Fortune and BINGO. You can also get points for installing game apps onto your phone and testing them out.
I have tried a couple of apps. A few were worth it and didn’t require too much time commitment. Others, however, required you to play the game an insane amount in just a few days OR required in-app purchases. Read the fine print to see how you can earn the points.
5. Discover Deals
Swagbucks has a DISCOVER page where you can find the latest deals at participating stores. If you were planning on creating an account on a site already, check Swagbucks first, because you could earn MAJOR points with participating companies when you create an account.
I’ve also earned a few points just by visiting a site and exploring their content.
6. Scan Receipts
You can earn cash back just by scanning your receipts. It’s incredibly easy if you have the app downloaded onto your phone. You get 2 SB for any receipt but can earn bigger points if you purchased specific items. For example, if I bought Mucinex today, at any store, I would earn 800 SB. That’s $8 cash back!
What are you waiting for? Sign up today and get scanning!
7. Redeem Codes
If you have the Swag Button extension on your browser, you will get notifications when a Swag Code goes live. If you have the app, you can turn on your notifications so that you get an alert on your phone when a code goes live. There are times you might be directed to search on another page for the code, such as Facebook or Instagram. All you have to do is copy and paste the code and earn your points!
You can download the extension here.
8. Enter Sweepstakes
Swagstakes are your chance to spend a few points and enter to win much larger prizes, such as a $250 gift card or a Dyson Hair Dryer. The easiest Swagstake to enter right now is spend 2 SB for a chance to win 100 SB (essentially you spend $.02 to get $1).
How Much Money Can You Actually Make?
Ok, so you know how to make money on Swagbucks…but how much exactly? I have no idea the limit on how much money you can make but in just two weeks last month I earned $50 in Amazon gift cards. That’s me using a few spare minutes here and there to answer surveys. I work full time so I’m not someone who’s on the app all day long. Again, I mean it when I say I’m earning money while I’m making dinner. I’ve seen other bloggers claim that they are making hundreds of dollars a month on Swagbucks, and I believe them!
Here is a screenshot of the top of my Swagbucks page right now. As you can see, I’ve already earned $15 in points just this week!
It might take a day or two for Swagbucks to verify your gift cards and email them to you, but they are legit. I get an email to activate my gift card and I’m good to go! I’ve used the gift cards many, many times, so I can vouch that they work.
Helpful Tips
- Download the app and you won’t be tied to a computer while earning points. It’s very user-friendly.
- Add the Swagbucks extension to your browser so you can earn points while shopping at sites you already visit. Swagbucks will pop up on the screen and ask you to activate to earn points. It will also notify you if there is an active code available for extra points. These are called Swag Codes. You can click here to add it to your browser.
- If you want to find online stores that have deals and cash-back rewards, click on the SHOP link on the Swagbucks website.
- A typical point conversion is 100=$1, 500=$5, 1000=$10, and so on.
What Are You Waiting For?
Sign up today and get started making money in your spare time! I assure you Swagbucks is a safe and legitimate way to make money doing the things you already do in your spare time.
If you’re interested in other survey sites out there, I have another post that lists 5 reputable and high-paying survey sites for you to try out.
Let me know how it goes! Don’t forget to save and share this post if you found it helpful 🙂
Sincerely,
Erin
