Swagbucks

The first website that I want to talk about is Swagbucks. This one is pretty popular so many readers may have heard of it before. SB is one of several websites where users earn points for performing tasks. Even though a lot of people know about it, it’s a good site and worth mentioning.

When performing tasks online, you earn SB. One hundred SB = 1 real dollar. They offer virtual gift cards from many online retailers; Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Target, etc. I always choose PayPal so I can put the money directly in my bank.

There is both good and bad with this website. Whenever I’m trying to earn money online, I want to get the maximum reward for the shortest period of time. I’ll start with the bad aspect of SB. Their surveys really are not worth it. My rule of thumb is this, if I spend 10 minutes on a survey, I want at least $1.00. Or in this case, 100 SB.  That averages out to $6.00 an hour. I realize that’s below minimum wage and I’m okay with that. I’ll actually devote more time to this subject when I cover the websites I go to for surveys. These are some of the surveys that are up right now:

Thirteen minutes should be at least 130 SB, 18 should be 180, and so on. I used to complete the surveys on SB and they frustrated me to no end. There were several times when I got 10+ minutes into a survey only to get a message that they appreciate my participation but I don’t qualify. This meant I didn’t even get the original reward I was offered. They will give you 1 SB if you get screened out, but that’s basically a penny for 10 minutes of my time. If you sign up, I would not recommend relying on the surveys. I do answer the daily poll though. It’s one question and you get 1 SB for answering.

Now onto the good points, and there are plenty of those. I use Swagbucks from my laptop and I also have the app on my phone. At various intervals I will get a notification on my phone that there is a new Swag code. These are codes that are good until a specified time. To find the code, I go to the official Swagbucks Facebook page and check the comment section of the top post. Then I copy and paste it into the app. You will get anywhere from 2-6 SB per code. Not much, but it takes me thirty seconds or less and it adds up over time. Another way I earn money from my phone is with the videos on Swagbucks. While I’m at work I will prop my phone up and let the videos play through. I can listen to them while I work. Ever so often I’ll have to click out of an ad to get the next video to play. That’s all the effort this takes.

They have a lot of videos on different subjects, so no matter your interest you can find videos that you like. You earn 2 SB after watching a certain number of videos. Sometimes the number you must watch will vary but usually stays around 4 or 5. It’s a simple way to earn with minimal effort.

When I’m at home, I earn SB with my laptop. I installed their search bar and they gave me 100 SB just for doing that. Now when I search for something, I’ll randomly win SB. Not for every search, but typically twice a day. The amount is different each time. I’ve won as little as 3 and as many as 100.

This is why I like SB, they reward you for doing the things you’re already going to do. Whenever I get ready to go shopping I check the site. They have printable coupons. This saves money, plus I earn 10 SB for each coupon I use. Last time I went shopping they had $1 off the brand of toilet paper I buy. Saving a dollar and earning SB is a win/win. The toilet paper was also eligible for a dollar rebate on another app that I will cover later, so I actually ended up getting it for $3 when it’s usually $5.

When I want to make a purchase online, I check the site for online codes. Sometimes they have some good discounts to different stores. Here are a few that are up right now. And this is just the first page, there are a lot of different options.

After checking for codes, I shop through their shop and save option. Swagbucks will pay you a certain number of SB for every real dollar you spend. Usually it is 1 SB, but I’ve seen it as high as 8 during the holiday season. Each store is different. For instance, in the picture you would earn 4 SB for every dollar spent at SkinStore.com, but only 2 SB at Eddie Bauer.

They just started a reward program where you can link your debit card. You earn SB for eating at certain restaurants when you pay with your linked card. I live in a rural area so I’m not sure how many of my local places will count for their program, but I got 100 SB just for adding my card. I’m sure not everyone will feel comfortable linking a card, but I’ve used them enough that I trust them.

Anytime I want to join a program, I also check their offer board.

Right now you can get 2000 SB for joining Hulu. That’s $20 and I’ve been thinking of joining anyway. The basic plan is around $8 a month. If I tried it and didn’t like it, I’ve spent $8 and I’ve made $12.

Obviously you shouldn’t buy things or join stuff just to get the SB, since that would defeat the purpose. But if you’re buying certain items anyway, it makes sense to check here. They also have other offers that don’t cost anything. There are always new opportunities on this website and these are just the ways I earn money. They have a lot of other ways, like playing games, downloading apps, etc.

This isn’t a way to get rich obviously, but it’s a way to gradually let income build up. I’ve bought many birthday and Christmas gifts with money earned through their site. If you haven’t signed up and want to, this is my referral link.

If you’d rather sign up without using the referral, here is the website.