Swagbucks is known as the hub of legit passive income ideas, as it offers loads of opportunities to its users to make money on the side. And in this Swagbucks review, I’ve taken a detailed look at every aspect of this company.
If I need money now, I will try to maximize my earnings by using different ways simultaneously. And in that, sites like Swagbucks play a significant role, as I don’t need to put much effort into it.
But there can’t be everything good about it, isn’t it? So, I personally tested both the website and the apps to get a first-hand idea of how Swagbucks works. Let’s dive!
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Survey Junkie – Earn up to $50 per survey & a fixed $1.50 per referral. Sign up here.
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Toluna Influencers: Get paid for taking surveys & playing games. Earn up to $250 per month. Join Now.
Inbox Dollars: Get paid to watch videos. One already made $75 within a week. $10 Signup bonus.
Swagbucks – Summary & Quick Facts
I become skeptical whenever some survey sites claim to give bonuses for their survey campaigns, as most of such sites are fake.
But after trying Swagbucks on my own to check whether it is legit or not, I can really vouch for this one!
I’ve also tried other websites like Swagbucks to compare the earning potential and availability of surveys. Trust me; Swagbucks is truly miles apart.
So, before sharing my experience, let’s take a quick look at this platform.
- Website: Swagbucks
- Apps: Apple App Store | Google Play Store
- Niche: Get-Paid-To / Survey
- Developer: Prodege LLC
- Launched In: 2008
- Availability: Worldwide
- Earning Potential: $5 to $8/Hour
- Minimum Payout: $3 (For Gift Cards)
- BBB Rating: 3.16/5 (B – Accredited Since 2010)
Dreamshala Rating: 4.8/5 in terms of legitimacy, as Swagbucks is among the handful of trusted GPT and survey sites available globally. And 4.5/5 in terms of actual earning potential, as you can earn as much as $5/short survey that takes just around 10 minutes to finish.
Read: 30 Highest Paying Apps to Try – [$105 FREE Bonuses Inside]
What Is Swagbucks?
Owned and operated by Prodege, LLC since its launch in 2008, Swagbucks is among the highest-paying platforms where you can do a lot of activities to make money.
Although it is initially focused on just surveys, Swagbucks now offers many other avenues as well.
While working on this Swagbucks review, I found out that Prodege is a known name in this sector, as they are also the developer of InboxDollars and MyPoints.
Swagbucks is surely the frontrunner, as it has paid more than $900 million to its users since its inception.
And in 2024, Swagbucks gives out 7,000+ gift cards to its users each day. You can earn SBs (Swagbucks points) to participate in surveys, play games, surf the internet, test new apps, get cashback for your online shopping, and much more.
Although there are now many apps that pay you real money available, Swagbucks is far ahead of them in terms of coverage, availability of opportunities, per-task earning, and payout.
My Take: It is true that Swagbucks can never replace your regular earnings, as you can hardly make more than $100 a month from it. But it is great for a tank full of gas or a utility bill payment, as you need minimal effort to earn from it.
Read: 40 Ways To Get Free Amazon Gift Cards [100% Legit]
Is Swagbucks Legit? Is It A Scam?
Yes, Swagbucks is a legit platform that is now available in both the web and the app versions. You can get free money here by doing various tasks, such as answering surveys and playing games.
Swagbucks is currently headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California. It is a part of the largest rewarding network, Prodege, which owns and operates several other similar sites like InboxDollars, MyPoints, ShopAtHome, CouponCause, and Ysense.
The parent company has been in the market since 2005 and has a B-rated accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.
Swagbucks also has a 4.3/5 rating on Trustpilot for providing legit WFH online jobs that pay daily.
Read: 25 Legit Surveys That Pay Cash Instantly
How Swagbucks Works?
Swagbucks is a GPT (Get-Paid-To) site that you can join if you are just 13 years or above.
While researching for this Swagbucks review, I found out that it is now available in many countries besides the USA. And you can treat it as a fun job that pays well, that too, with minimal effort.
After you join this platform, you can do various things here, such as participating in surveys, surfing the web, and playing new mobile games. And for each activity, you’ll get some points called SBs. Each of these SBs is equivalent to $0.01 (one cent).
You can either redeem those SBs for PayPal money or can also get gift cards of your choice.
When I last checked, there were over 600 reward options available. And the minimum payout is just $3 (equivalent to 3,000 SBs).
My Findings: Although you don’t need any phone number to sign up, you surely need one to complete most offers here. And virtual or VOIP numbers will not work here.
Read: 25 Totally FREE Apps To Get Paid To Play Bingo
How To Claim The Joining Bonus In Swagbucks?
Yes, Swagbucks offers a $10 joining bonus to each of its new users. And you can clearly understand whether Swagbucks is legit or not by evaluating its signup amount!
Yes, it is among the best apps to sign up and get money. Use this link to join Swagbucks, and your $10 signup bonus will be automatically credited to your account.
Besides, you can get another $10 cash back bonus for using the Swagbucks shopping portal as a new user.
Many existing Swagbucks users have already used this free money hack to get $15 worth of bonus in total.
However, the $10 signup bonus is available in a few selected countries like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, and Spain. And the cashback bonus is exclusively available in the USA and UK.
Read: 12 Instant Signup Bonus No Deposit Bank Account Deals(Claim Instantly!)
11 Ways To Make Money On Swagbucks
Not one or two; I found eleven different ways to make money while researching for this Swagbucks review and testing on my own. I previously tried other platforms that offer Cash App surveys.
But Swagbucks comes with a whole new range of opportunities in 2024.
1. Swagbucks Surveys
Most people know Swagbucks for paid online surveys for money, as they are the talisman in this industry. Each short survey here takes around 5 to 20 minutes to complete.
Depending on the complexity and length, you can make between 40 and 100 SBs per survey.
Once you complete your profile during the signup process, Swagbucks will automatically evaluate it to offer you high-paying legit surveys from its partners.
These surveys will also depend on your demographic profile and your consumer behavior.
In 2023, Swagbucks is offering four types of surveys to its users, which can be accessed through the web and apps.
- Gold Surveys: These can take up to an hour to complete, but these are the highest-paying ones. You can make between 50 and 500 SBs (up to $5) per gold survey.
- Peanut Lab surveys: Swagbucks promote these surveys as “Get SB by engaging with brands and advertisers.” These are partnered surveys where you can get free samples besides SBs.
- Survey Profile: You can find the survey profile on the same page as the gold surveys. And you will get 2 SBs for answering ten questions.
- Daily Poll: You’ll get new questions daily in this daily poll section. And each question will earn you 1 SB. Like survey profiles, these are mostly multiple-choice questions.
My Findings: In many surveys, you need to go through a screening and answer pre-survey questions to confirm your eligibility. But if you complete your profile the right way, you can effectively dodge these initial steps.
Read: 25 High Paying Cash App Surveys To Make Money
2. Shop Online
Yes, besides providing online work for homemakers and stay-at-home moms, Swagbucks now even offer cash back for your regular purchases from its partner stores.
While working on this Swagbucks review, I found over 1,500 popular online retailers in the shopping portal. Some of my personal favorites are as follows.
- Amazon
- eBay
- Walmart
- Target
- Best Buy
- Kohl’s
- Sam’s Club
- Starbucks
- Macy’s
You can claim around 1% to 3% cashback on average. So, for every dollar you spend in the shopping portal, you’ll receive 1 to 3 SBs.
But Swagbucks often offer cashback multipliers, with which you can claim up to 10X cashbacks.
With this multiplier applied, you can get up to 30 SBs for every dollar you spend. Besides the online store, you can also activate in-store (offline) cashback offers.
Here are the steps!
- Step 1: Launch any web browser and go to Swagbucks.com.
- Step 2: On your left sidebar, click on the “My Account” tab.
- Step 3: Now, click on the “Linked Cards” option.
- Step 4: Enter your card details in the designated field and save it.
- Step 5: Navigate to the homepage again and click on the “Shopping” tab on the left sidebar.
- Step 6: Click on the “In-Store Cash Back” option and select your preferred offer.
- Step 7: Finally, click on the “Add Offer” button to activate it.
Note: You can’t activate in-store offers from the app. You need to use the web portal to do it. And it can take up to 30 days to get your SBs in your account as cashback.
3. Surf The Internet
We all spend a significant portion of time surfing the net, isn’t it? But now, you can en-cash that regular activity with Swagbucks. Yes, you can get paid to surf the web on Swagbucks.
You can also make Swagbucks your default search engine instead of Google or Bing. And every time you search for something on that engine, you’ll receive SBs. For every 20 searches you make here, you can get up to 20 SBs.
Although not much, it is technically a legit way to get free money right now, as you don’t need to put in any extra effort. And each week, you can get an additional 200 SBs just by surfing the net.
4. Swagbucks Watch
You must have already known that there are ways to get paid to watch TV. But Swagbucks took it to a new level with their Swagbucks Watch.
While working on this Swagbucks review, I personally tested this feature and loved it (as I like to binge-watch).
There are more than 10 video categories you can find on Swagbucks Watch, including sports, fashion, food, politics, travel, and health. Each category is loaded with playlists consisting of three videos in each list.
Each of those videos is from 60 seconds to an hour long. But videos have a 30 to 60 seconds timer. It means you can go to the next video after that timer. And to watch a playlist, you can get around 3 to 5 SBs.
You can even get paid to watch movies here, as longer videos will earn you as much as 10 SBs, although these are relatively rare to find on Swagbucks.
Read:
5. Swagbucks Discover
Swagbucks has a special feature called “Discover,” where you can find all the available deals and offers from its partners. If you are looking for great offers besides WFH online jobs, Discover can be an ideal option for you.
While I checked, there was an offer to get up to 15,000 SBs for depositing at least $100 in the crypto account. Besides, there are many subscription services also listed where you can get 1 to 5 SBs for every task.
It is true that you’ll not make $20 fast from these Discover deals. But a bit more SBs in your account could be a nice addition.
6. Swagbucks Play
Swagbucks is a legit site where you can now also get paid to play new games. And there are two ways to get SBs by playing games here.
First, you’ll get 10 to 100 SBs for downloading the game. And second, you’ll get around 4 SBs for every dollar you spend on the in-game store.
It is quite like the Cash App games, where you get points to become a part of their game promotion. But here, you may also need to achieve certain levels or milestones to become eligible for SBs.
When I checked, there was a game listed called Club Vegas, where you can earn up to 5,000 SBs (equivalent to $50) if you reach Level-100 within 14 days of starting the game. It is quite tough, though!
Read:
7. SwagButton
SwagButton is a Chrome extension from Swagbucks where you can find great shopping coupons to get discounted prices from its partner stores and brands.
What could be better than getting jobs that pay weekly and have a discounted shopping experience from the same platform?
After activating this extension on your Chrome browser, you need to simply visit your favorite shopping sites. If there is any coupon available, this extension will give you a notification.
You can then copy the Swag Code and use it to get cashback. But it will not be a direct discount. Instead, you’ll get SBs in your account as cashback.
If you are a shopaholic, you can even make $200 per day just from these codes.
8. SwagStakes
While writing this Swagbucks review, I also found out that Swagbucks also hosts sweepstakes called SwagStakes.
You can participate in these SwagStakes just by becoming a member, as these sweepstakes don’t have any entry fees.
It is like the $750 Cash App reward, which you may get if you are lucky enough to hit the jackpot.
9. Swagbucks Magic Receipt
Like Fetch Rewards, Swagbucks also has a feature called Magic Receipt, where you can earn SBs for scanning the receipts of your regular purchases. But you must shop from the partner stores to qualify for this offer.
Upon visiting the “Magic Receipt” segment of the Swagbucks web or app, you can check out the available deals. Just click on the deals, and it will show you the name of the partner stores.
Once you scan the receipt of that partner store, your bonus will be credited to your account as SBs. And this bonus can be anywhere between 2 and 3,000 SBs.
While I checked, Magic Receipt was offering 2SBs for fruits and veggies purchases and 2,500 SBs for high-end liquor purchases.
10. MyGiftCards Plus
MyGiftCards Plus is the gift card shop of Swagbucks, where you can buy your favorite gift cards for up to 30% off. You can use your debit card or your Cash App card to purchase gift cards here.
Besides the direct discount, you’ll also get some SBs as an added bonus when you buy gift cards from MyGiftCards Plus.
When I tried, I got 500 SBs ($5) for buying a $100 gift card, which is equivalent to 5% of the actual price.
Read: 20 Best Ways To Sell Gift Cards For PayPal Instantly
11. Daily Goals & To-Do List
Swagbucks is a legit platform that offers several new features as a GPT one. The first unique feature is the to-do list. And there are eight tasks you need to accomplish each day to complete that list.
- Daily Activity: You need to log in to your account through the Swagbucks website, apps, or SwagButton.
- Daily Discover: For every task you complete on the “Discover” segment, you’ll receive 1 SB.
- Daily Watch: You’ll get 1 SB for every video you complete watching in the “Watch” segment.
- Daily Search: For every “Search Win” or “Daily Search” on the Swagbucks browser, you’ll receive 1 SB.
- Daily Poll: You need to participate in polls each day to get 1 SB.
- Deal Of The Day: When you click on the “Deal of the Day” button on the Swagbucks app, you’ll get 1 SB. You don’t even need to complete that offer.
- Attempt A Gold Survey: You need to become eligible for a gold survey to earn one additional SB.
- Complete A Gold Survey: If you complete that survey, you’ll get another 1 SB as further addition.
If you complete any six of these eight tasks, you’ll receive 5 SBs. And if you complete all eight tasks, you’ll get five more SBs on top of that.
And you can track your daily goal progress from the left sidebar of the Swagbucks website.
How To Earn Additional SBs?
I had a detailed look at the company to make this Swagbucks review. And while doing it, I also found out that there are six other things from where you can get Swagbucks points.
- Lifestylz.tv
- EntertaiNow
- Indymusic.tv
- MovieCli.ps
- Sportly.tv
- nCrave
You can access all these six channels on the Swagbucks Watch segment. And trust me, it is among the fun things to do at night, where you can just binge-watch and make money at the same time.
Swagbucks Referral Program – Make Money Inviting Your Friends!
You can just sign up and get money on Swagbucks, as it offers a $10 joining bonus to each of its new users. However, there is a referral program equally lucrative as well.
Once anyone joins through your invitation link, you’ll get 300 SBs as referral commission once they earn 300 SBs within the first 30 days. You’ll also get 10% of the SBs they earn from the Swagbucks shopping portal.
And if your referral installs the SwagButton (Chrome extension) within 14 days of creating an account, you’ll receive another 100 SBs.
Read: 29 Legit Websites To Make Money Referring Friends
How Swagbucks Pay Its Users?
This Swagbucks review will be incomplete without shedding some light on the payment and payout structure of Swagbucks.
Right now, they offer three main payout methods, including PayPal, gift cards, and charity donations.
You can directly opt for a PayPal transfer once you accumulate at least 5,000 SBs. But for gift cards, it starts from $3 (3,000 SBs).
There are hundreds of gift cards to choose from. But three of my personal favorites are as follows.
You can also directly donate your SBs to a charity of your choice. And in 2023, you can donate to UNICEF, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Humane Society, and many more.
How Much Money Can You Make On Swagbucks?
There are apps that provide side hustle for engineers, and there are apps that encourage everyone. And Swagbucks falls under the second category. But truly saying, you can’t make a living just from Swagbucks.
It is tough to make around $10 to $14 an hour here. When I last estimated, you could hardly make more than $2 to $5 per hour on average. Realistically, you can hardly make more than $100 a month.
Let’s understand with a simple calculation! A survey that takes around 10 minutes to complete will give you up to 100 SBs ($1). So, even if you complete five surveys an hour, you’ll make $5 an hour.
This income can significantly increase when you get Level 10 (Diamond) status under the Member Recognition Program. But to get it, you need to make at least 2,000,000 SBs, which is a challenging thing!
Read: 47 Proven Ways To Get Free Money Right Now – [$2000 FREE Money]
Swagbucks Review – Pros and Cons
Using GPT sites for side hustles is among the money-making hobbies that pay well. And without any doubt, Swagbucks is a legit site that comes with a lot of advantages.
The first advantage is surely the fact that it offers jobs that don’t drug test. And second, the flexibility it offers is unmatched. But like any other platform, it has some disadvantages too.
- Hundreds of surveys and other tasks like watching videos and shopping are available each day.
- You can claim a $5 signup bonus just to join.
- You can even watch ads for money and play to earn.
- There are hundreds of gift card payout options to choose from.
- You can also opt for PayPal transfer.
- With the Swagbucks app, you can also make money on the go.
- Not recommended for a living. You can hardly make more than $100 a month.
- Some surveys can be time-consuming.
- You may not be eligible for the surveys even after taking the screening test.
- The “Swagbucks Watch” opportunities are very limited nowadays.
- Earning can be even less if you are not from the USA or UK.
Swagbucks Review & Ratings On Different Platforms
I consider Swagbucks a genuine platform where you can get genuine late-night tasks to make money. But I also looked at other rating platforms to have an idea of this company.
- Trustpilot: 4.3/5 (65% 5-Star review)
- Glassdoor: 4/5 (13 Reviews)
- MouthShut: 1.93/5 (1,474 Total votes)
- Sitejabber: 4.42/5 (9,041 Total reviews)
- Apple App Store: 4.4/5 (93K Total ratings)
- Google Play Store: 4.3/5 (124K Total reviews)
After checking the rating sites, I also looked at the social media handles of Swagbucks to check their current SMM strategies and engagements. Here is what I found!
- Facebook: 2.4 million Likes
- Instagram: 181K Followers
- Twitter: 285.7K Followers
- Reddit: 10.9K Participants
- LinkedIn: 9.6K Followers
My Take: Swagbucks mostly received positive ratings on different forums. Besides, its social media handles are also very active, which suggests it is rightly engaging with its target user group.
Swagbucks – User Reviews & Complaints
Experience can be subjective, which I considered while making this Swagbucks review. So, I had to look for other users’ views to get an idea of the actual potential of this company.
Here is what I found:
- smartguy1457 on Reddit wrote, “Do the daily poll which is 1SB/day, play 3 rounds of a free game which ends up giving 6SB/day. Those two things alone will get you to 210SB each month for very minimal effort.”
- Lewis Gibert on Quora wrote, “They wonder how you could earn free money or free Visa or Amazon gift cards — albeit in rather small amounts — for shopping, taking surveys, and watching videos.”
- HappyMel on Trustpilot wrote, “Swagbucks is my first go-to because they always have an abundance of surveys, points award instantly for store gift cards, PayPal and Visa gift cards take approx 2-3 business days to award.”
The only complaint that I mostly found is regarding the actual income, which I also think is the only downside.
Other than this one, Swagbucks doesn’t have any concerns regarding their legitimacy.
Apps Like Swagbucks – Best Alternatives
Swagbucks is the best option, no doubt about it! But there are many other websites and apps available where you can find equally rewarding opportunities.
Some of my personal favorites in 2024 are as follows:
- Branded Surveys
- Opinion Outpost
- Toluna
- InboxDollars
- Survey Club
- MyPoints
- Survey Junkie
- Pinecone Research
I’ll also recommend you try multiple apps at the same time. This way, you can significantly increase your earnings, as you’ll get more surveys and tasks cumulatively.
Swagbucks Review – Final Words
I’ve said earlier in this Swagbucks review that you must not rely on Swagbucks to make your living.
It will be hard to cross the $100 mark even if you allot a significant portion of your time each day.
So, take it only as a rewarding app that will help you to pay your utility bills or give a nice booth to your existing income channels. But using multiple similar websites can significantly boost your income.
Swagbucks Review – FAQs
What are the joining criteria for Swagbucks?
You need to be at least 13 years old and reside in any eligible country to become a member of Swagbucks. Besides, you also need to have a smartphone or laptop with an active internet connection.
Does Swagbucks pay real money?
Yes, Swagbucks does pay real money to its users through PayPal transfers and gift cards.
Since its inception, it has already paid more than $500 million in rewards. And now, they give 7,000+ gift cards each day to their users.
Is it safe to use Swagbucks?
Yes, it is absolutely safe to use Swagbucks. You can use the website or the apps, depending on your choice, as both options are secured and end-to-end encrypted. Besides, the website is also HTTPS secured.
How to make 1,000 SBs fast and easily?
The fastest way to get 1,000 SBs is through the shopping portal of Swagbucks. When you make your first purchase worth at least $25, you’ll receive a one-time bonus of 1,000 SBs.
If you want even more ideas for making money, consider checking our posts on:
- 38 Real Game Apps That Pay Real Money [Cash or PayPal]
- 25+ Best Apps That Pay You Real Money Instantly
- 24 Hot Apps Like MobileXpression For Extra Cash
Hello there, I’m Siva Pakkurthi, an MBA Finance post-graduate and a Remote Career & Personal Finance blogger for 5+ years. Over the years, my work has been featured on US News, Entrepreneur, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, EverQuote, Legal Zoom, The Simple Dollar, Databox, Business.com, Business News Daily, Venngage, Score.org, and more. My primary mission is to help our readers maximize their earning potential with legitimate online business ideas, side hustles, and passive income ideas we publish on Dreamshala. Currently, more than 100,000 readers from all around the world visit this blog every month and learn new ways to improve their finances.