Swagbucks Review: Is it Legit and Safe to Use (Plus Hacks to Earn More)
If you’ve stumbled upon this Swagbucks review, you’re in the company of millions of others wondering one of a few things:
Is Swagbucks legit and safe to use?
Is it worth my time?
Can you actually make money with Swagbucks?
They’re all valid questions. And they’re ones you should probably know the answers to before you download the Swagbucks app, especially if you intend to use it to make purchases.
In our Swagbucks review, we’re going to tackle all those questions and more.
We’ll also cover a few Swagbucks hacks that work so you can make the most money through the Swagbucks app, should you choose to use it.
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Swagbucks at a Glance:
Swagbucks is an online rewards platform that offers up to 20% cash back when users complete surveys, shop online, purchase gift cards, watch videos, sign up for free offers, and more. Points can be redeemed for gift cards and PayPal cash, with a minimum payout of $3.
Show moreIs Swagbucks Safe and Legit?
Swagbucks is a subsidiary brand of the media company Prodege, LLC. Along with Swagbucks, Prodege is comprised of three similar sites: MyPoints, ShopAtHome, and InboxDollars.
Since its start in 2010, Swagbucks has paid out over $348 million in cash and free gift cards to its millions of users. You’ll find Swagbucks’ reputation is well known in the online sphere, with appearances in publications such as Reader’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, and U.S. News & World Report.
But nothing speaks to a company’s legitimacy like the opinions of its customers. Swagbucks boasts a strong 4-star rating on Trustpilot out of more than 13,000 reviews, bringing the site’s TrustScore to 8.3 of a possible 10.
Swagbucks Review BBB
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, nonprofit organization established to help consumers determine the trustworthiness of companies. The BBB collects publicly-available information, including customer complaints, and assigns a letter grade to businesses ranging from A+ to F.
Swagbucks’ parent company, Prodege, LLC, currently holds a B+ rating with the BBB. There are a few hundred complaints on Prodege’s profile, which is to be expected since the company has more than 100 million users and over 13 years in business. However, zero complaints are unanswered or unresolved. That, combined with a 4+ star review profile, is a good sign of quality customer service.
How Does Swagbucks Work?
The Swagbucks rewards program is pretty straightforward.
First, you sign up for a free Swagbucks account. Once you’re a member, you earn rewards points (Swagbucks or SB) when you take surveys, play games, watch videos, use Swagbucks’ search engine, and shop online.
Cash out your Swagbucks for PayPal cash or gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, Target, or dozens of other retailers. You’ll need at least 300 Swagbucks to redeem the lowest reward available, a $3 Amazon gift card.
7 Ways to Earn Swagbucks Rewards
Swagbucks users can earn rewards in seven different ways. That way if you get bored of one method or find the payout isn’t worth your time, then you can move on to the next.
1. Take Swagbucks Surveys
One of the more popular ways to make money with Swagbucks is through paid online surveys.
Major brands rely on companies like Swagbucks to get feedback from consumers. When you take a survey, those companies pay Swagbucks for your answers, and Swagbucks passes some of their earnings on to you. The brand then uses that feedback from you and thousands of other consumers to direct their marketing and advertising strategies.
When you first sign up for Swagbucks, you’ll fill out some demographic information such as your age, income, interests, etc. Swagbucks uses that information to match you with surveys they think are a good fit. You’ll still need to answer prequalification questions in order to take the survey, and there’s a chance you’ll be disqualified. If that happens, you may end up with a small reward or no points to show for your efforts at all.
Swagbucks offers three main survey options:
- Everyday surveys
- Daily survey
- Daily poll
Each day, you can find survey options in your account. The more accurate and complete your profile, the better your survey matches will be, which should mean less time answering pre-survey questions just to be disqualified.
The daily survey and poll renew each day. Daily polls are 1 question worth 1 SB. Other survey payouts range from 1 SB to 300+ depending on the time required and value of the survey. Occasionally, you may have the opportunity to earn as much as $50 for a single study. The higher the payout, the more time it will take to complete.
Swagbucks’ website says users can expect to earn 40 to 100 SB for the typical survey.
2. Watch Videos
Swagbucks Watch isn’t the most lucrative way to make money. But if you find yourself consuming a lot of video content already, then it could be a good way to earn rewards for something you already do.
You can choose from over 10 categories of videos, including entertainment, fashion, health, food, travel, and more. When you click on any category, you’ll find a playlist of videos you can watch and how many SB that playlist is worth. Playlists are typically 15 or 30 videos and range from less than 30 minutes to more than an hour’s worth of content.
Most playlists are worth 1 or 2 SB. If you have multiple tabs open and click away from Swagbucks, the video will pause until you come back. However, you can watch videos in split-screen, which gives you the ability to earn points with Swagbucks Watch while working on other things.
3. Get Cash Back
Swagbucks shopping works similarly to Rakuten (formerly Ebates).
When you shop through one of their links, Swagbucks receives a small commission. They pass on part of that commission to you in the form of cash back. For example, a deal of 5% cash back on Amazon means you’ll get 5 SB for every $1 you spend when you purchase something through a Swagbucks link.
The Swagbucks shopping page also offers coupons for local and online retailers. When you find a deal you like, just click the link. Swagbucks will open a new window and direct you to the company’s site where you can complete your shopping trip.
Sometimes Swagbucks offers multiplier deals for specific retailers. So if a store normally offers 1% cashback but has a 10x deal, you’ll receive 10% cashback, or 10 SB for every $1 you spend.
It could take 30 days or more for your Swagbucks points to show up in your account depending on the retailer.
4. Use the Swagbucks Search Engine
This tool rewards users for searching the web with the Yahoo!-powered Swagbucks search feature. You can even install the Swagbucks Search Chrome extension to make the site your default search engine.
The platform rewards points randomly. It’s unclear how many SB each search is worth, but the more you use Swagbucks Search, the more points you’ll earn.
5. Play Games
Swagbucks offers a handful of free games that you can play for points. You’ll need to turn off any ad-blocking software and make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player installed.
Swagbucks also offers a number of popular games including Bejeweled, Solitaire, Bingo, Angry Birds Champions, and Slots. For these games, you can earn points for each dollar you spend on in-app purchases. If you already enjoy and spend money on computer games, then this could be a good way to earn cash back on your hobby.
6. Discover Deals
With Swagbucks Discover, you can earn SB by signing up for free trials, donating to charities, downloading mobile apps, and more.
As an example, at the time of this writing, you can get 15,000 SBs ($150) for signing up as a delivery driver with DoorDash and completing your first order. You have 30 days from the time you sign up to make your first delivery or you forfeit the deal.
Not all offers are that high-value, but you can sort and filter to find the ones that make the most sense for your situation. If you want to earn points without spending money, then you’re probably better off browsing the free offers section. On the other hand, if you’re interested in exploring new brands and earning the highest rewards, you’ll want to check out the featured deals and sign ups listings.
7. Buy Gift Cards
This is one of the easiest and most straightforward ways to earn with Swagbucks. When you click a link to buy gift cards on Swagbucks, you’ll be redirected to MyGiftCardsPlus.com, a Swagbucks-run site.
From there, you can buy gift cards from dozens of retailers and earn up to 10% back in SB. Once you make a purchase, your points will be added to your Swagbucks account within 1 to 2 business days.
Buying gift cards can be a great way to earn cash back on purchases you were going to make anyway. For example, if you already know you’re going to buy something from Bed Bath & Beyond, you can purchase a gift card from Swagbucks beforehand. Now you’ve earned points on the purchase of your gift card, and you can earn even more points when you check out online.
The Swagbucks App
You can download Swagbucks Mobile on any Android or Apple device. The app is intuitive and allows you to watch videos, shop, and answer surveys straight from your phone.
Swagbucks offers several other apps, such as Swagbucks Live which allows you to earn points for answering trivia questions correctly and MovieCli.ps where you can watch the latest movie trailers for additional SB.
The Swag Button
The Swag Button is another extension you can add to your Google Chrome browser. Whenever you shop online, it will search the Swagbucks database for coupons and cash back opportunities at your chosen retailer.
That way you don’t have to worry about starting a shopping trip through Swagbucks to take advantage of its deals. You can shop as you please and let the Swag Button alert you of available offers.
Swagbucks Review Summary
The best way to use Swagbucks isn’t to go out of your way to earn points; it’s to look for ways to fit it into your daily life. If you frequently shop online, then installing the Swag Button on your computer could help you cash in on easy rewards. If you spend evenings watching Netflix while scrolling through Facebook, then consider downloading the Swagbucks app and answering survey questions during that time instead.
Swagbucks isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. If you’re interested in earning cash back for things you mostly already do, Swagbucks can be a great tool for the part. However, if it’s a high-earning side hustle you’re searching for, you should consider other work-from-home jobs.