Joanie Demer | 

Getting Free Gift Cards Is Easier Than You'd Think — Here's How

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I know a thing or two about getting free gift cards. It actually doesn't take much at all — sometimes it's as easy as taking a few online surveys or snapping a picture of your grocery shopping receipt.

I'll teach you how to get free Amazon gift cards, free Visa gift cards, and free grocery gift cards below. And when you're done with these tips, make sure to check out how to get free beauty samples or free products through the mail.

Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app or text 57299 to HACKS to find more free gift card deals and money-saving tips and coupons.

Earn Amazon, Visa, Paypal, and Starbucks rewards when you take surveys with Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel.

Nielsen is a research company that looks into who's using the internet and how they're using the internet. That's why they'll pay you for participating in games and surveys on their website.

You can use the app to take surveys to earn rewards in points or sweepstake entries. The best part? It's completely free to sign up, and you can opt out at any time.

What companies give you gift cards for trading in old tech?

earn free gifts cards - Walmart gift card held up in store with Walmart logo in background

Dig out that old cell phone that’s been collecting dust, and trade it for a gift card. These places trade electronics for gift cards:

  • Abt.com: Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple Watches, other smartphones, tablets, and wearables can be swapped for an Abt.com gift card.

  • Amazon: Trade Amazon Alexa devices, Kindle e-Readers, tablets, game consoles, cell phones, and more for Amazon gift cards.

  • Apple: Receive an Apple gift card for any iPad, iPhone, Mac desktop computer, iPod, Apple Watch, and more.

  • Walmart: Get a Walmart eGift card for cell phones, tablets, laptops, voice speakers, game consoles, and wearables.

  • Verizon Wireless: Receive a Verizon Wireless electronic gift card for giving up your old cell phone, smartwatch, or tablet.

What are the best cashback apps to earn gift cards?

earn free gift cards - A person holding an Amazon gift card.

If you haven’t started already, you need to use receipt apps like Fetch Rewards, ReceiptPal, Receipt Hog, and Ibotta to save money. Besides the option to get the cashback, you can also opt to redeem your rewards for free Amazon gift cards (and other stores, too).

Stores may change, but you can expect gift cards from Amazon, Whole Foods, Target, Sephora, Applebee’s, and Best Buy.

Related: With Aisle, You Can Text Your Grocery Receipt to Get Cash Back

How do I get a free gift card at Target?

A person holding gift card over the top of a shopping cart that has bottles of laundry detergent

Target often offers a free gift card when you purchase something specific during special promotions. So often, in fact, that we’ve dedicated an entire article to learning how to grab free or discounted Target gift cards. You can also find and activate bonus offers in your Wallet through the Target Circle app.

Earn free gift cards when you refer a friend to a service you use.

earn free gift cards - A person holding prepaid visa gift card next to phone with amazon app open

Keep in mind, you generally won’t receive a free gift card for just making a referral. A friend may need to make a purchase or keep an account open for a certain amount of time. Always read the fine print.

If you use one of these services, you’ll be able to get a free gift card for referring a friend:

Which companies give you free gift cards with referrals?

earn free gift cards - A person holding an REI gift card.

Like those referrals? There’s more where that came from. These companies offer free gift cards when your referred friends sign up or make a purchase:

  • MOO: Receive a $20 MOO gift card when your friend makes their first purchase with MOO.

  • Raise: You’ll get $5 deposited into your Raise account to use on any gift card when your friend makes a purchase.

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Get free gift cards from Shopkick when you do your weekly grocery shopping.

A person holding a Best Buy gift card.

We all know there are apps that earn you easy money, and the shopping app Shopkick is one of our favorites.

Earn rewards or “kicks” for scanning products in stores, buying certain products, and inviting friends. Trade points for Best Buy, Target, Starbucks, Sephora, and other gift cards.

Get free gift cards when you join the Gift Card Granny rewards program.

a hand holding Panera gift cards      

Gift Card Granny allows you to rack up points when you sign up for their newsletter, download their app, or buy discount gift cards to exchange for Visa, Target, Bath & Body Works, Panera, and other popular gift cards.

Keep an eye on Granny’s Secret Deals, which features daily deals offering bonus gift cards or something else equally cool. Recently, Smashburger and Fuddruckers offered $50 worth of gift cards for only $37.50.

Also, you can earn Granny Rewards when you refer a friend; you get $5 in credit for each friend who signs up.

Get free gift cards via cashback apps like Honey.

Women with her phone pulled out and the TopCashBack mobile app pulled up

When you shop with cashback apps like Honey you can opt to get your earnings via a gift card.

Get free gift cards when you take surveys, watch videos, or just change your search engine settings.

A person holding a smartphone with swagbucks website open.
  • Swagbucks: Earn gift cards from Swagbucks by watching videos, shopping online, answering surveys, and searching the web. You can even earn $10 just for signing up.

  • Bing: Earn credits as you search for anything online through Bing. Cash credits in for $5+ gift cards to Starbucks, Walmart, Amazon, and more.

  • MyPoints: Shop online through MyPoints (get a $5 welcome bonus), take surveys, watch videos, and read e-mails for gift cards.

  • InstaGC: Watch videos, complete surveys, shop online, and search the web with InstaGC for gift cards.

Want to learn more? We’ve got lots to say about how to earn freebies with Swagbucks.

Get free gift cards when you buy a certain amount in restaurant gift cards.

A person holding olive garden gift cards.

Many restaurants, including Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Outback, Chili’s, and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, offer bonus gift cards when you buy a specified amount of gift cards; for example: for every $50 you buy in gift cards, receive a $10 bonus card.

These offers happen throughout the year, but you can almost always find one for the restaurant of your choice around the holiday season.

Earn free gift cards as a bonus for buying gift cards from certain retailers.

A person holding a DSW gift card next to a DSW shopping bag.

Just like with restaurants, you can find promotions for free bonus gift cards at stores.

DSW, Victoria’s Secret, Barnes & Noble, The Children’s Place, Half Price Books, are all stores that have offered this type of bonus.