How I've Made Over $1000 Easy Money With Swagbucks - The Hacky Homemaker

How I’ve Made Over $1000 Easy Money With Swagbucks

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If you’ve ever wondered how to make money with Swagbucks, I’m about to tell you all my secrets!

Swagbucks has hundreds of easy ways you can earn extra money in just minutes per day! Below are my Top Ten favorite ways that even a busy, stay-at-home parent like myself can learn how to make extra money in spare time with Swagbucks.

In this review, I’ll show you exactly how it works, how much you can earn, and how I’ve personally used it to rack up over $1000 in FREE gift cards over the years!

I’ve been “Swagging” since lonnnng before I became a wife and mother. When there were lulls in my gig-based career, and I needed a few extra bucks to pick up an extra treat for myself here or there, it’s always been so easy to turn to Swagbucks.

What is Swagbucks and How Does It Work?

Ready to start swagging? Let’s go!

Swagbucks is one of the easiest, best ways to make a little extra money in just a little spare time. It’s simple and flexible. You can make a little or a lot, drop it anytime you want, and pick it up again whenever you find yourself wanting or needing a little extra spending cash.

Swagbucks is an easy (and fun!) rewards program through which you can earn FREE gift cards to your favorite retailers just for completing a few easy tasks that you probably already do every day!

Once you sign up for your free account, you can start earning Swagbucks points (abbreviated “SBs”) right away by doing simple tasks like watching videos, completing surveys, or searching the web. Then just redeem those SBs for gift cards, or convert them into your PayPal account as cash!

I spend about an hour a day doing easy online tasks that take very little time – like taking a few surveys, watching some videos, or playing online games. And before I know it… bam! I have enough points to redeem for another $25 gift card to treat myself at places like Amazon, Starbucks, or Target!

It’s free to join, super easy to use, and gives me the flexibility to earn as much or as little as I want. My earnings only depend on how much or little time I want to spend doing it on any given day.

And who doesn’t like free money just for answering a few questions in a survey now and then? But I never really started taking it seriously until I seemed to have LESS spare time and more people to spend it on…

How I got a Fitbit Watch and half my Baby Registry for FREE!

The first year we were married, I wanted to get a Fitbit watch for my husband for Christmas. I rallied on Swagbucks from September through November – spending about an hour every day, mostly answering surveys and watching videos – and saved up enough points to be able to purchase it from Amazon for free! He was so proud when I gave it to him!

And when our second baby was on the way, I buckled down again, spending at least an hour every day of my 2nd trimester on Swagbucks. Just answering questions on surveys, submitting pictures of my shopping receipts, watching entertainment videos, and playing trivia quizzes.

I was able to cover about HALF of all the new baby items we bought with gift cards to Target, Baby Gap, Amazon, and Buy Buy Baby… just with the Swagbucks points I’d earned right from the comfort of my couch!

Now that I’m a stay-at-home-mom, swamped with the responsibility of keeping two tiny humans alive, the house kept up, and making meal, after meal, after meal…. I’m amazed how easy it is to keep Swagging by using their mobile apps.

I can earn points by answering surveys on my phone while I nurse my baby, or watch videos with my iPad set up nearby on the countertop while I chop veggies for dinner.

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Is Swagbucks legit? Or is it a scam?

Look… I know what you’re thinking: this sounds too good to be true! So, here: I’ll give you an exclusive peek at my own PERSONAL lifetime earnings! This is just a snippet of my own PERSONAL earnings on Swagbucks, so that you can see that this is LEGIT!


I’ve been making extra spending cash on Swagbucks for over 10 years! Swagbucks has been around even longer, and they pay out more than 7,000 gift cards every day to loyal users, just like you and me.

Now, to be clear: Swagbucks is not a get-rich-quick scheme, or even as lucrative as a part-time job. But if you’d like to make a little extra spending cash doing simple tasks in just the spare moments of your already busy day, Swagbucks might be right up your alley.

How Much Can I Earn with Swagbucks?

Every SB is worth 1 penny. That means you can redeem a $25 gift card every time you earn 2500 SB (Swagbucks points). So how much you make just depends on how quickly and consistently you can complete tasks.

If you’re diligent about entering receipts, using the Swagbutton for searches and online shopping, and letting those videos roll, you can rack SB up pretty quickly! If you’re consistent, you can easily stack up the free bonuses, which means you’ll reach your next gift card that much quicker!

When I started out, I set a personal goal to earn a $25 gift card every month. Once a month, the 2500 SB redemption for that is knocked down to just 2200 SB! I figured out that if I could dedicate myself to collect just 100 SB per day, every weekday, that’s all I would need to earn that $25 gift card to Amazon, Starbucks, Target, or whatever I wanted or needed that month!

And let me tell you… racking up 100 SB on any given day is SO EASY!!!


Ok, I’m in! I’ve just signed up for Swagbucks…. now what do I do?

Swagbucks has hundreds of easy ways you can earn extra money in just minutes per day. Here are my Top Ten favorite ways for busy, stay-at-home parents like myself…


1 – Answer Surveys and Daily Polls

When I first started Swagging, surveys were my main source for getting big points fast. On Swagbucks’ Answer page, or in the mobile SB Answer app, you can choose a survey by the approximate length of time it will take. You can also decide if it’s worth your time, as the payout for a completed survey is also listed.

You even get 1 SB just for attempting to complete a Gold Survey, even if you get disqualified. You could earn 10 SB daily without even actually completing a full survey!

One of the very simplest ways to earn SB is by answering their Daily Poll. It’s as simple as clicking a multiple-choice answer! It’s also one of the staple items to check off on your To-Do List for the Daily Bonus, and regularly a square in occasional games of Swago!

2 – Use Swagbucks to Search the Internet

How often do you google things? I’ve got a curious toddler who daily asks me at least 3-5 questions I seriously don’t know the answer to… yesterday it was, “Why do elephants have long trunks instead of noses?”

Swagbucks has its own search bar at the top of every page. They also offer a Swagbutton add-on for your internet browser so you never even have to leave the page you’re on. Use that to do your everyday google searches, and randomly get rewarded with anywhere between 5-25 SB!

BONUS HACK! If you follow Swagbucks’ official Facebook page, every afternoon they will alert you with bonus points opportunities. Sometimes it’s as simple as clicking the provided link to collect a 20-30 SB bonus just for doing an internet search!

3 – Watch Videos (while doing household chores)

Contrary to popular belief, busy SAHMs like myself do NOT have time to sit around watching videos all day. Haha! But it takes no time at all to pull up a set of entertaining videos to “watch” (ie. let it run!) on my phone, which is always nearby while I’m picking up the house, sorting laundry, changing a diaper, or washing dishes.

I like a little background noise while I’m doing these mundane tasks anyway, so it’s a very fast and easy way to collect more SB with no extra effort!

Just imagine: watching videos about cooking while cooking… and getting paid for it!

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4 – Shop online through Swagbucks’ site for Bonuses, Cashback, and Discounts

How would you like cash back for just about everything you purchase online? All you have to do is search for your favorite retailers through Swagbucks’ site to get as much as anywhere from 1-8% cash back!

I always go through Swagbucks when I shop online at places like Shutterfly, Hotels.com, Old Navy, Kohl’s… even QVC! I’m only buying what I would have bought anyway. But clicking through the Swagbucks site to get there earns me cash back every time! So why not?

And with the Swagbutton installed on my browser, it’s even easier. If I occasionally forget to go through the Swagbucks site first, or I’m visiting a new retailer that I didn’t know they cover, the Swagbutton sends me a small pop-up in the corner of my screen, reminding me how much cash back I’ll earn just by shopping here. It’s so easy, it’s like they’re popping in to hand me money!

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5 – Complete In-Store Deals and Use Coupons (on things I was already planning to buy)

I’ve always been a stickler about collecting my shopping receipts, so I can keep track of my spending. With Swagbucks’ Magic Receipts program, all I have to do is snap a quick picture of my receipt, upload it to my Swagbucks account, and I’ll earn 2 SB!

BONUS HACK! When I buy certain items, I get even bigger rewards! Even the simplest groceries, like apples or lettuce, will earn you even more SBs when you scan your receipt. Swagbucks also offers points for scanning your online receipts, if you prefer to save paper and the planet!

Often, there are promotional items to try that can earn you Swagbucks points. This week I earned 300 SB for picking up a new brand of cinnamon sugar… that’s the same as getting $3 back!

Do you print and use coupons? You can earn Swagbucks for that too! Swagbucks offers 1-2 SB for EVERY coupon you download and print, and a further 25 SB for every coupon you use! All of that on top of the discount the coupon provides to your purchase.

Are you beginning to see how EASY it is to rack up 100 SB a day?

6 – Discover cashback Offers from Well-Known Brands

If you have a little more time to spare, Swagbucks has lots of well-known brands that offer exclusive deals. Offers can be as simple as clicking on a link to be shown a new product for 2 SB, or more lucrative such as earning 15,000 SB for using a new app to shop for a new insurance policy.

When you sign up for new services, check out free samples, or take another survey, you can hit your daily goals pretty quick, leading you to that free gift card so much faster! These offers change often and are always worth looking through to see if there’s something here you were already thinking of doing – and earning some free cash back for doing it!

7 – Complete the Daily To-Do List Bonuses

This is one of my very favorite ways to earn lots of SB fast because it’s just so darn easy! Consistency and a dedicated commitment to complete this task daily can lead you to an easy extra 500 SB per month!

At the top of your Swagbucks dashboard, you’ll find a short list of 8 simple tasks to complete each day to earn daily bonuses of 2-10 SB. These tasks are super simple, such as answering the daily poll question, attempting a Gold Survey (yes, you get points just for the attempt!), or clicking on the Deal of the Day.

Then when you complete that To-Do List every day for 7 days straight, you’ll achieve a bonus of 25 SB. If you continue to be consistent, you can earn a 300 SB bonus for completing your Daily To-Do List every day for the entire month. Not bad for just a few clicks per day!


8 – Find Swag Codes

This is a really fun way to earn free money, but does require a bit of strategy and luck. Swag Codes are messages or specific strings of text throughout the Swagbucks site, or sometimes posted on the Swagbucks Facebook page, which can be entered into the Swagbutton, on the Swagbucks mobile app, or directly onto the site to redeem for SB.

Once you find the Swagbucks Facebook page, make sure to allow notifications, and maybe even opt to make them the priority post, so they’ll show up at the top of your Facebook News Feed. Then any time a new Swag Code is posted, you’ll be sure to know about it right away and able to get it entered before it expires!

9 – Play SWAGO (like bingo, but with Swagbucks deals!)

I think playing games for free money is probably my all-time favorite! (see this and #10!)

Frequently, Swagbucks will post a new Bingo-style game in which the squares to mark off are all simple tasks that can be accomplished on Swagbucks. Tasks could be as simple as clicking through to a retailer’s homepage, or as involved as purchasing a gift card through their MyGiftCards program.

Just like bingo, the more squares you fill in, the bigger bonuses you can achieve. (Find all the rules for this Summer’s SWAGO board here.) Fill in as many as you like, in whichever pattern you choose, and submit your board for instant win SBs! These can be worth as little as 10 SB or sometimes as much as 500 SB!

10 – Play Swagbucks LIVE (a simple 10-question trivia game)

Swagbucks LIVE is a simple, multiplayer live trivia game show where you can win cash prizes in the form of Swagbucks. Answer 10 multiple choice trivia questions correctly to win your share of the nightly grand prize!

It’s free to play, and comes via its own app. All you have to do is register and download the app, then sign in, answer questions, and win SBs!

Even if I get a few of the answers wrong, I usually walk away with anywhere between 15-50 SBs. So it’s an easy and fun way to pass a little time and earn a little cash. And it’s fun to play the trivia questions with my family, or let the little ones guess when I really don’t know the answer to a question. With multiple-choice, they always have a 1-in-3 chance of getting it right!

The Bottom Line

Swagbucks is one of the easiest, best ways to make a little extra money in just a little spare time. It’s simple and flexible. You can make a little or a lot, drop it anytime you want, and pick it up again whenever you find yourself wanting or needing a little extra spending cash.

After being a loyal Swagbucks user for more than 10 years, and redeeming my points for over $1000 in free gift cards to some of my favorite retailers like Amazon, Target, and Starbucks, I can honestly say this is the EASIEST way to make a little extra cash in your spare time.

There are literally hundreds of fun ways to earn SBs in just minutes per day, doing the everyday things you already do online. You can do all these things, or just a few. These top ten methods are just my favorites because they are the quickest, easiest, and most fun ways I’ve found to rack up lots of free gift cards fast!

If you’re ready to give Swagbucks a try, click here to get your first FREE BONUS just for signing up and start earning real rewards! Then be sure to share this article with your friends who also like to earn free money in their spare time, by using the SHARE buttons at the top and bottom of this article!

Happy Swagging!

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