If you’ve heard of the reward site Swagbucks, it might sound too good to be true, making you wonder, “Is Swagbucks legit?” The platform promises you’ll get cash or gift cards just by answering questions to surveys that can be completed from the comfort of your own home. In reality, it’s a tiny bit more complicated than that — but you can easily make a good amount of cash by doing these simple tasks on the platform.
This isn’t something to quit your day job for — even the highest earning users only make about $1,000 a year — but it is an easy way to pocket some extra spending cash or earn free gift cards to your favorite retailers like Walmart and Amazon. And with more than 7,000 gift cards redeemed through Swagbucks each day, that’s definitely a point toward the site’s legitimacy.
Here’s everything you need to know about making money and earning gift cards on Swagbucks.
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1. What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a rewards website that gives you reward points for taking surveys and completing tasks. You can earn “Swagbucks” for taking surveys, completing web searches, watching videos, and doing other simple functions on either Swagbucks.com or by using their free app.
Each task listed on the site will tell you how long it’ll take to complete — and how many Swagbucks you’ll earn for completing that assignment. When you’ve accumulated enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash or gift cards. You can either convert them to cash via Paypal or redeem them for digital gift cards at your favorite retailers.
2. So is Swagbucks legit?
Yes, Swagbucks is legit. You can earn real money (or gift cards) on the platform by completing the tasks you choose, but don’t expect to earn a second income from it. As long as you participate with the expectation that you’ll probably only earn a few dollars a day, it can be an easy way to make a little extra spending money.
Keep in mind that you can’t always participate in every task, which does cause some confusion for users. You might start a survey and get kicked out after answering one or two questions. This usually happens because your answers have indicated that you’re not the target audience for that survey. But don’t get discouraged — there’s no shortage of surveys or tasks available.
3. Realistically, expect to make about $1 – $5 per day on Swagbucks.
One hundred Swagbucks equals $1, and most users can earn about 100 – 500 Swagbucks ($1 to $5) per day. There are no daily or weekly limits, so you can use the platform as much or as little as you’d like. While there are some tasks that pay upwards of $100, those are far less common and take more time to complete, so don’t plan on a big payout every day.
Related: We dug into a Swagbucks competitor to find out if Survey Junkie is legit. (It is!)
Here are the ways you can earn additional Swagbucks:
- Earn 300 Swagbucks ($3) by getting your friends to sign up. If they sign up with your referral code, you’ll both earn 300 Swagbucks — and you’ll get 10% of the points they accumulate for as long as they’re a member.
- Get an extra 100 Swagbucks if your referrals add the SwagButton (a browser extension) to their laptop or desktop computer using your invite link.
- Use the Swagbucks web browser to earn points for each query rather than typing your search into Google.
- Make purchases through the Swagbucks website to earn extra points for things you were already planning to buy anyway.
TIP: The easiest way to make money on Swagbucks is to set Swagbucks as your default search engine instead of Google. You’ll get points for every search you make.
4. As long as you manage your expectations, Swagbucks is worth it.
Using the platform can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. There are so many offers in many different sections of the site, so you’ll need to do a bit of research to know what’s actually worth your time and how to find those offers. Swagbucks offers an easy intro guide for new users to help you maximize your time on the platform.
It’s definitely not a way to replace your main source of income, but it is an easy way to make some extra cash in your free time. You can easily take a survey while watching TV or sitting in the school pickup line. So as long as you manage your expectations for how much you can earn, it’s worth it.
5. Beware of the downsides to using Swagbucks.
The main downside to using Swagbucks is that the money probably won’t accumulate as fast as you’d like. It’s also not as fun or creative as other side hustles, and you may find yourself taking surveys about things that don’t interest you simply because they offer more Swagbucks points.
You should also be aware that some offers require a purchase in order to earn Swagbucks points. You can earn points for downloading and installing various apps on your phone, but you should only do this if the apps are free.
For example, you might earn 200 Swagbucks for downloading a game that costs you $3. But since 200 Swagbucks only equals $2, you’re actually losing $1 by completing this task. Also, be wary of subscribing to free trials; be sure to cancel them in time or you’ll be charged later.
Related: Use these popular receipt apps to get rewarded for your everyday shopping.
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