Blogger? Not a blogger? Either way, I can vouch for this method of earning online. (Of course, if you're not a blogger but would like to make money blogging, I show you how, step-by-step here.)
But let's talk about Swagbucks!
Many of you responded to my last post about making money with Swagbucks and signed up. Have you gotten the hang of it? I was reluctant to start myself because I'm generally skeptical of such things, but since I wrote that last post, I've already earned over $50 in gift cards. It's totally legit. I'm not getting rich, but hey, $50 is $50!
How to Win Swagbucks:
- First you gotta sign up.
- Then, install the Swagbucks toolbar. (Here's my video tutorial about how to use the toolbar.)
- Anytime you search the internet, type in your search terms in the Swagbucks toolbar instead of typing it into your browser's search bar, address bar or searching via the search engine of your choice.
- Every once in a while, you'll win Swagbucks for your search. Searching is the best way to get started, but keep reading for more. (And it's fun! My kids go crazy when we win. I even got my low-key husband hooked. LOL!)
- Once you've collected enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for prizes or gift cards. Of course, my mathematical husband was instrumental in helping us figure out how to get "the most BANG for our swag-BUCK" as we like to say. (There are a lot of prizes and gift cards to sift through, but I prefer the general ones and the biggest bang for our Swagbuck is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 Swagbucks.)
- Once I see that I have 450 Swagbucks, I login to my account, click "The Swag Store" like this:
then click "Gift & Rewards Cards" here:
Then simply search for "Amazon" and look for the $5 card. Note that there is a $5 for Canadians too, so choose the right one!
- When I receive notification that my gift card(s) have arrived, I just login to my Amazon account and click on "Apply a Gift Certificate/Card to Your Account." I am then prompted to enter the gift code(s). Then, when I'm ready to make a purchase at Amazon, it's already in my account and is applied when I check out. (Click for larger view):
$5 may not seem like a lot, but they add up. And yes, you can use a bunch of $5 gift cards to make a large purchase on Amazon. Entering your gift codes as you receive them like I explained in Step #7 above makes it especially easy to do so because it just adds 'em up and creates a credit in your account.- There are lots of ways to earn Swagbucks (their blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) but the key to seeing your Swagbucks really increase is by referrals. When someone you refer to Swagbucks wins, so do you. Be sure you use your referral code when telling others about Swagbucks. You can find all the ways to get the word out by clicking on the "Promote" menu at the top of your screen when you're logged in like so:
So, there you have it! Why not give it a shot?
Disclosure: This post contains my referral links and I may be compensated if you choose to click through them. Thanks for your support!
How do you get points for shopping? I went through the site and spent $40 and did not get any points. I was not sure if I had to do something else or not?
Thanks for posting this!
You might want to share that you can only cash in 2 gift cards per day, and only 5 gift cards in a month.
Yes, thanks for the reminder Dianna!!
It's true!
I've been cashing in for $50 Amazon gift cards at times but that's so silly – the $5 ones is a much better deal – you just have to input them one by one for a big purchase!
I went to the swagbucks site (via your link) and it only shows a 30 swag bucks bonus for signing up. Is there a different page or special code to enter when signing up?
Ah Sue! Yes…enter BackToSchool when signing up. So sorry!!
@Jenny–
When you shop it sometimes takes quite a while– check out the FAQs on the Swagbucks site in the Shop and Earn section for more details!
i signed up a few days before the 70 bonus offer…my husband signed up today and the code BackToSchool wouldn't work. also..i didn't know anything about the referral thing….is it too late to do it? thank you!
Hi Carol,
If you were referred by someone when you signed up and you used their unique link, that's great! Just a head's up that sadly, only one Swagbucks account is allowed per household so not sure if that's the reason your husband had trouble??
Carol…..Swagbucks only allows one account per household, so you and your husband cannot both have an account. I've heard of people's accounts being inactivated because of this. Just an FYI if it happens to either of you.
Hi Amy!
I LOVE Swagbucks too! In fact, I just wrote a posting about it a couple of days ago too! Ha! I guess great minds think alike?
I find it is best to always be logged in on my toolbar, instead of logging in every time I go online (just a way so I don't forget). I have had referrals sign up, and then not get any points…I think it might be that they don't understand how to really use Swagbucks effectively.
Thanks for a great tutorial!
I signed up for Swagbucks today with the BackToSchool code. Where do I check on how many Swagbucks I have at any given time? Thanks!
Just go to Swagbucks.com and login to see your total. Or, if you use the Swagbucks toolbar, you'll see your total in the top right corner of your search results.
Just signed up recently and I'm basically only using it for searching. I don't understand the FB, blog, and Twitter though. How you earn more bucks thru these venues??
The idea is that you can follow them on FB, Twitter, their blog etc. and sometimes they'll release Swagcodes there too. I typically hear about the available Swagcodes from other people first though! LOL!
Make sure you do the Daily polls. It's free to do & gives you one swag buck per day. You can only answer that day's poll for credit, though. I always use the $5 Amazon cards-got one today. Yeah!
Yes, that's another easy way to win! You can find the daily polls in the "Ways to Win" menu when you're logged in like this.
Thanks haleemay!
I made my first swagbucks purchase last night! It was exciting. I feel a little foolish asking this because I've been doing this for several months, but Could you please explain what the referral code is? Thank you.
Congrats on your first Swagbucks purchase — yay!
Please never feel foolish here. Ask as many questions as you'd like…I can't promise to answer all of them, but I'll do my best when I can!
And hopefully other readers will jump in when they know the answer too!
Your referral code is the special code that uniquely identifies you as the referrer. So, for example, here's my Swagbucks referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/amyandrews
That's the link I give to people when I refer anyone to Swagbucks. When they click thru to Swagbucks via that link, I am credited with the referral. Does that make sense?
To find your referral link, go to Swagbucks.com, login, and click the "Promote" tab at the top of the window. Click on "Promote Banners" and you'll see your referral link. Also in the same dropdown menu, you'll find other ways to promote (like via Facebook, email, etc.) and in those cases, you don't need to worry about inserting your referral link as it will be done automatically for you.
I hope that helps!
Yes, that does indeed help. I have found their site a little difficult to navigate—in terms of finding answers to specific questions. I did my purchase by trial and error last night. I wish I had found you yesterday—–it would have gone so much smoother. Thank you for replying so quickly. I appreciate so much your help and your kindness in answering my question. Thanks again.
Rita
I am a little concerned about the fact that many things other than searches show up on my Swagbucks toolbar. Parts of emails, coded passwords, etc. Is this normal? Also, I cannot find codes. Where does one look for them? Thank you.
Anything you highlight or use the "copy" function on your computer will automatically show up in your toolbar. I *believe* that's because Swagbucks thinks if you copy it, you must want to "search" for it…at least, that's what I've always assumed.
I use google chrome to browse. Does swagbucks work with google chrome? I cant seem to find anything on that?
Yep, scroll to the bottom of this page to find instructions for Chrome!
How do the surveys work? Are they safe? This message concerned me …
"I accept that the nurago GmbH, Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 24, 30159 Hannover, Germany, may access and save my Internet browsing activity on their servers"
Not sure about the surveys, Debbie. I haven't taken any. Anyone want to chime in?
Thanks for the tutorial! I wasn't sure about how to use my Swagbucks but now that I realize the $5 cards are the best value, I want to use them that way. But how long does it normally take for the gift cards to appear in your account after redeeming them?
It usually takes a bout a week or so. I think officially they say something like 7-10 business days, but I usually get an email about a week later.
if you signed someone else in your household into swagbucks. How do you delete them since it is no legal to do. I don't want to get eliminated.
We accidentally did the same thing at the beginning too. If you sign into the account you want to delete, there is an option under "Account Details" to cancel your account.
I love swag, I am saving up for the $25 pay pal… sbtv from the tool bar is a very easy way to earn swagbucks…every 10 videos =3 sb you can do this til you get 50 sbs
} it took me a while but i think i am at the best sb per the amount of time i spend on swag….and right now they have march madness going on you reach their goal for the day and they give you a bonus!
I just found your blog, and I'm learning so much! Can you tell me how Swagbucks are seen by the IRS… Do they count as income? Thank you for your time!
I just found your blog, and I'm learning so much! Can you tell me how the IRS views Swagbucks…. Do they count it as income? Thanks for your time!
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Hi there!
Do you know if Swagbucks works for countries outside of the USA and Canada? I am based in South Africa and I was wondering if it would be worth the trouble!
Hmmmm…great question. I'm not sure about that. Did you check their Help section?
Don't forget about the new "Local Deals" that you can redeem swagbucks on. I have found this to be a great deal for certain things. I have used 35 Swagbucks to get a Buy One Get One Free admission to our local Monkey Joe's (Inflatable indoor playground). That is a $5 value for us, so an even better deal than a $5 Amazon card for 450 swagbucks. I don't know what is available in other areas, but it is worth checking into. (Also, this coupon was not available the other day, but was back today, so these coupons may come and go).
Thanks for the tip, Jess!