Swagbucks Review: Earn $20-100+ Per Month Completing Simple Tasks

Swagbucks is one of the most popular side hustle apps, but does it really work?

And if it does, how much money can you really make?

Swagbucks is a legit way to make a few extra dollars by taking surveys or playing games. However, it can be buggy at times, and can require a significant time commitment to generate larger sums of money.

In this review, I’ll cover:

how Swagbucks works
the time commitment involved
different ways you can make money
how much you can make
alternatives to consider

This review is based on personal testing and backed by other Swagbucks user reviews.

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a website and app where you can make money:

taking surveys
watching videos
uploading receipts
shopping at specific websites
playing games
and more

Swagbucks was launched in Southern California in 2008. Boasting over $600 million in total payouts, they claim to be the web’s most popular consumer rewards program.

Is Swagbucks Legit?

Yes, you can make real money through the site.

Will it make you rich? It’s unlikely considering the modest payouts and time commitment for certain tasks.

For most people, it’s a good way to make a little extra cash on the side.

At press time, you could get a $10 sign-up bonus when you join through our referral link.

How Does Swagbucks Work?

Swagbucks allows you to make money by participating in simple tasks including taking surveys, watching videos, uploading receipts, shopping at sites with cashback, and playing games. Each task tells you your earning potential and provides you with the Swagbucks (SB) value upon completion.

Each SB is worth $0.01; 100 Swagbucks is the equivalent of $1.

When you’re ready, you can redeem your Swagbucks for cash via PayPal, or gift cards (including American Express, Visa, and Amazon gift cards).

You’ll need to earn at least $25 to cash out to PayPal, but only $3 to earn your first gift card.

How Much Can You Make on Swagbucks?

The earning potential of Swagbucks typically falls between $20 and $100 per month for most users. How much you can make depends on how actively you engage and which activities you focus on.

Below I’ve provided an earnings breakdown:

Surveys

This is one of the more reliable ways to earn. Most surveys pay anywhere from $0.50 to $2 each, depending on length.

On an hourly basis, these pay far less than minimum wage — often in the $3/hr range.

If you’re eligible for several surveys a day (each survey will ask you qualifying questions before allowing you to continue), you could earn around $30-$50 a month, though your earnings will depend on how many surveys you can consistently complete.

Shopping

Swagbucks offers cashback through a variety of online retailers.

Be on the lookout for special, limited-time offers, like this one I found for up to 50% back at Sam’s Club:

If you do a lot of online shopping, you can earn $5 to $10 a month. If you’re a frequent shopper, you might earn more, but you’ll have to spend to earn.

Search Engine

Using Swagbucks’ search engine in place of Google or Bing can earn you some extra Swagbucks points, but the earnings are fairly sporadic. You might see $5-$10 a month from searches if you use it regularly.

Additional Polls & Offers

Swagbucks provides some other offers such as a daily poll that allow you to win Swagbucks.

These quick tasks provide small, steady boosts to your earnings, perhaps $1-$5 per month.

Games

If you enjoy playing mobile games, Swagbucks gives you points for playing certain ones. The earnings from this can vary, but you might expect to make $5-$100+ per month if you play online games regularly.

For example, I found an offer to make up to $236 playing Royal Match!

Referrals

Referring others to join Swagbucks can be lucrative, but this depends on how many active users you can refer. If you have a strong network, referral earnings could range from $3 to several hundred dollars if your referrals are highly active.

You’ll earn $3 for every referral (once they earn $3 through the app), plus 10% of their earnings for life.

Receipts

Swagbucks has a “Magic Receipts” section where you can get paid to upload receipts showing that you’ve bought a certain item or shopped from a certain store. Receipt uploads can land you anywhere from $5-$10 per month, depending on your shopping habits.

How to Maximize Earnings from Swagbucks

Focus on High-Paying Surveys

Surveys are one of the more lucrative activities on Swagbucks, but not all surveys are created equal. Prioritize the ones that offer $1 or more and try to complete several a day if possible.

It’s also important to fill out your profile completely and honestly to increase your chances of being matched with higher-paying surveys. Some users report earning $30-$50 per month from surveys alone.

Use Swagbucks for All Online Shopping

Swagbucks offers cashback for shopping through their portal at various online retailers.

If you regularly make purchases online, always check if the retailer is listed on Swagbucks. Cashback rates can vary but using Swagbucks for all eligible purchases can add up over time, especially if you shop during special promotions when the cashback percentage is higher.

Combining this with sales and discount codes maximizes your savings and earnings.

Take Advantage of Special Offers

Swagbucks often partners with brands and services to provide high-point special offers.

These might include:

signing up for a free trial
downloading an app
subscribing to a service

Some offers can give you hundreds or even thousands of points in one go, but make sure to carefully read the terms and only go for offers that don’t require too much upfront cost or commitment.

Complete Daily Tasks

Swagbucks provides several small tasks you can complete daily, such as the daily poll, watching videos, or using the SwagButton (their browser extension). While these don’t offer huge payouts, they only take a minute or two and can add up over time.

Use Swagbucks Search

While the earnings from using the Swagbucks search engine are unpredictable, using it regularly can result in small, but steady points. It’s a low-effort way to earn while doing something you’d be doing anyway—searching the web. Try to use it as your default search engine for at least a portion of your day.

Play Games with High Returns

If you enjoy playing games, focus on the ones that offer Swagbucks for completing levels or in-game achievements. Certain games allow you to earn points for reaching specific milestones. While the payout is generally small, some games have higher returns if you play consistently.

The subreddit r/Swagbucks can help you learn the best strategies on how to hit top rewards without having to make in-app purchases.

Refer Friends

Referring friends to Swagbucks can significantly boost your earnings. You earn 10% of your referral’s earnings for life, so if you refer someone who becomes an active user, it can lead to a steady stream of points without additional work.

Share your referral link on social media or in groups where people are likely to be interested in extra income.

At press time, you could get a $10 sign-up bonus when you join through our referral link.

How Does Swagbucks Make Money?

Swagbucks makes money through a variety of channels, primarily by acting as a middleman between consumers and companies looking to promote their products, services, or websites.

Here’s how Swagbucks generates revenue:

Affiliate Marketing

Swagbucks partners with retailers and advertisers.

When you complete tasks like shopping through Swagbucks links, taking surveys, or trying out services, Swagbucks earns a commission from the advertiser. A portion of this commission is shared with the users in the form of “SB” (Swagbucks points).

Market Research and Surveys

Companies pay Swagbucks to conduct surveys or gather consumer opinions for market research purposes. Swagbucks earns from the companies and rewards users who participate in surveys.

Ad Revenue

Swagbucks displays various forms of advertising, such as banner ads and video ads, on their platform. They earn money from advertisers when users interact with these ads (e.g., watch videos, click ads, or complete offers).

Lead Generation

When users sign up for services (such as subscriptions or free trials) through Swagbucks, the companies offering those services pay Swagbucks for delivering potential customers. Swagbucks gets a referral fee, a portion of which is passed on to the users.

Search Engine Partnerships

Swagbucks has a partnership with search engines (such as Yahoo) to reward users for using Swagbucks’ search feature. Swagbucks earns money from the search engine based on ad revenues generated by user searches.

Cashback Programs

Swagbucks partners with retailers to offer cashback on purchases made through their platform. Swagbucks gets a commission from these retailers and shares a portion of that commission as cashback or points with users.

In essence, Swagbucks acts as a platform that connects businesses with consumers, and they profit by facilitating interactions that generate value for advertisers and retailers.

Pro Tip: Check Cashback Monitor before any major purchase to see which cashback portal offers the best deal.

Swagbucks Pros & Cons

Pros

Easy to Earn: Swagbucks offers various ways to earn Swagbucks, such as taking surveys, shopping online, watching videos, searching the web, and playing games. It’s convenient for users to earn a bit of money in their spare time.
Wide Range of Rewards: Users can redeem their points for gift cards to popular retailers (Amazon, Walmart, etc.), or other prizes, giving flexibility in how rewards are used.
No Cost to Join: Swagbucks is free to sign up and use, making it accessible to anyone interested in earning rewards without a financial commitment.
Variety of Activities: Swagbucks caters to different preferences. Whether you enjoy watching videos, taking surveys, or shopping online, there are diverse options to accumulate points.
Cashback Opportunities: If you regularly shop online, Swagbucks offers cashback on purchases through their links. This is especially beneficial for those who are already planning to buy something online, as they can get additional savings.
Bonus Offers: Swagbucks frequently provides promotions or bonuses that allow users to earn points faster, such as limited-time offers or sign-up bonuses.

Cons

Low Earnings Potential: While it’s easy to earn points, the amount you can make is relatively low. Many tasks, especially surveys and videos, pay only small amounts, so it can take a long time to accumulate enough points for meaningful rewards.
Limited Survey Availability: Surveys are one of the highest-paying activities, but not everyone qualifies for every survey. Users may get disqualified after answering initial questions, leading to frustration and time wasted. I also found that surveys were buggy, leading me to wait for long periods of time or crashing before I was able to finish the survey.
Time-Consuming: For the amount of money you can make, many users find that Swagbucks activities (especially surveys and watching videos) are not worth the time invested.
High Redemption Thresholds: Some rewards require a significant number of points before they can be redeemed, which may take a while to accumulate. Certain prizes also have limits on how many times you can redeem them.
Potential for Spam: Swagbucks often requires users to sign up for offers or download apps, which may result in unsolicited emails or phone calls from third-party advertisers. Users need to be cautious about the offers they engage with.
App and Website Glitches: Some users report issues with the app or website, such as surveys not loading properly or points not being credited for completed tasks. This can be frustrating for those trying to maximize their earnings.
Delayed Payouts: Sometimes, it can take time to receive rewards, particularly for gift cards or PayPal withdrawals, which might have processing periods of a few days to weeks.

Is Swagbucks Worth It?

While there are people who claim that Swagbucks has made them money, I wouldn’t rely on Swagbucks as a serious source of income. (And to be fair, it’s not intended to be.)

If you’re looking to make a few extra dollars on the side, there’s no harm in signing up and giving it a shot. And if you’re looking to spend five hours or more on the platform, there is decent earning potential.

Swagbucks Alternatives

If Swagbucks isn’t for you, you can check out some of these alternatives.

Fetch Rewards

The Fetch Rewards app is a favorite of mine because it’s super easy. You earn points by snapping pictures of your grocery shopping receipts, which you can cash in for gift cards.

Pro Tip: Use referral code FETCH300 when you sign up to get 300 free bonus points added to your account. 

KashKick

KashKick is a newer app that pays you to answer surveys, test new games (up to $150 each!), and redeem money-saving offers.

With the slogan “get paid to have fun,” KashKick is rated 4.2-stars in the Google Play store.

Survey Junkie

With Survey Junkie, you get to be the influencer — and give your opinions to hundreds of partner brands.

As one of the highest paying survey apps, Survey Junkie offers popular gift cards and cash outs via PayPal. Just 3 surveys a day can earn you $100 a month.

Join the 20+ million members and get started today.

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