If you want an answer up front, I’d say it depends.

When you first go to Swagbucks.com, you’ll notice that it seems like every other rewards program/coupon app out there that gets you cashback from purchases you make online. However, once you dive in, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot more to it than that.

In a nutshell, Swagbucks is a rewards program. But it gives you these rewards for doing stuff online that you’re probably already doing (and sometimes in real life).

So how do you earn Swagbucks?

There are ton of different ways to earn Swagbucks, but I’m going to cover the basics here.

For starters, use Swagbucks as your search engine.

There are two ways you can do this, but I’ll let you in on a little secret… they’re basically the same:

1. Install the Swagbucks toolbar and search from there.
2. Sign-in to Swagbucks and search in the “web” search-bar.

So I’m sure all of you know how to search the interwebs already (I mean, that’s how you found us, right?).

Well, with Swagbucks you’ll get paid to do a thing you’re already doing… constantly.

And I know some people are hesitant because they just love Google Chrome/Safari/Firefox/Whatever. But the search results are basically the same.

So unless you’re researching subjects for work or some kind of serious project, give Swagbucks a try next time you’re looking up the hours of your local Chick-Fil-A or The Rock’s IMBD.

But here’s a tip not every blog will tell you about: you won’t get Swagbucks on every single search you do.

You get Swagbucks randomly from searching, so using it once a day to do a single search probably isn’t going to earn you anything.

This is why I say it depends when it comes to whether or not Swagbucks can make you money.

If you’ve won Swagbucks, it will have a prompt to enter a CAPTCHA code along with the amount of Swagbucks you’ve gotten from that search!

But that’s not the only way you can earn Swagbucks.

Next, there are Swagbucks Special Offers.

Special offers aren’t that common but they still happen. And they will probably be the best return for your time invested.

Special offers usually only require you to sign up for an email newsletter, download an app and open it, or sign up for an account somewhere.

These offers require very little time, money, or obligation from you.

So when you see these kinds of offers, I suggest jumping on the opportunity. It’s not often you get paid to just sign up for newsletters (that you can later unsubscribe from) or make an account on Credit Karma.

Then there are Gold Surveys.

This can sometimes get tricky because many people disagree on if online surveys are worth your time.

And I’d say yes, they are… But only if you’re smart about taking online surveys.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Swagbucks has this category called Answers, this is where you’ll find these Gold Surveys.

There will be a whole list of them (at least 20 to choose from) and they’ll all be varying in time and Swagbucks offering.

The reason I suggest Swagbucks over most survey sites is because the “other guys” only give you points after you’ve completed the survey.

But the thing is, sometimes you aren’t a good fit for a survey, so you’re kicked out. So what happens then?

Swagbucks at least will give you 1 Swagbuck per 10 questions you answer. Meaning you didn’t totally waste your time.

Other sites don’t even give you a consolation prize, which is, like, totally rude.

Next we have Shopping.

For every dollar you spend, you can earn a varying amount of Swagbucks. As of right now (Nov 1, 2019) they have an offer going on that gives you 8 Swagbucks per $1 spent on Amazon.

So yes, this does apply to big name stores that you do actually shop at.

There have been times I’ve signed up for similar websites/programs as Swagbucks, and the only gift card redemptions they had available were for retailers I had never heard of.

Talk about useless.

And another great thing about Swagbucks is being able to upload your receipt from the grocery and get Swagbucks for certain products.

And these “certain products” aren’t things you aren’t going to use.

For example, I got Swagbucks for bread, eggs, and ketchup. These were all things I needed anyway.

You won’t be buying useless products you’ll never use/eat in the name of getting Swagbucks. At least, you don’t need to in order to make legit money with Swagbucks.

You could also Watch (Ads)

There’s a whole section on Swagbucks called Watch.

It’s full of 40 1-minute videos (with about 30 second ads/commercials between them). At the end of watching those 40 videos you’ll get around 1-2 Swagbucks.

I know you’re probably thinking that’s really bogus. I did at first, too.

But then I realized you can literally let it play on your phone while you do work, and it’ll just collect those 2 points every ~60 minutes.

When I’m working on my computer, I’ll just mute the speakers and let the videos roll on in a separate window. It’s a really easy way to earn 10 Swagbucks with literally 0 investment.

Also Invite Your Friends to Join Swagbucks.

Inviting your friends/family to join Swagbucks can also help you out a ton.

You’ll get an initial 300 Swagbucks when they sign up.

Then you’ll get another 100 if they install the Swagbucks extension.

So now you’re at a free 400 Swagbucks.

But, then you also get 10% of their Swagbucks earnings for life.

So yeah, it sounds a lot like those pyramid schemes… But you don’t have to beg your friends to gather in your living room and endure your Mary Kay sales pitch.

All you need is for a few pals to follow those steps and you’re already ahead… and you still have all your friends.

Ok, But What Do Swagbucks Get Me?

So, let’s begin at how much are Swagbucks worth.

1 Swagbuck = .01

So 100 Swagbucks = $1
1,000 Swagbucks = $10
10,000 Swagbucks = $100
So on and so forth, simple as that.

Ok, so does that mean you get cash?

Simply put: gift cards.

Lots and lots of different gift cards.

Amazon, PayPal, Visa, iTunes, REI, Southwest, Cabelas, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Dunkin Donuts … Y’know, just to name a few.

But that’s not the only way to redeem your Swagbucks.

You can also learn how to stack your Swagbuck savings in order to get even more bang for you (Swag)buck.

Then there’s also Swagstakes. (You get it, like sweepstakes?)

You can “pay” 5 Swagbucks per entry to earn 500 Swagbucks.

Or maybe it’s to win an Apple watch, Disney World Park Hopper tickets, or even a Chromebook.

Yes, I know gambling away your hard-earned Swagbucks isn’t ideal but it is an option.

Finally, if you’re feeling particularly charitable you can also donate your Swagbucks.

There are tons of different charities listed, so you’ve got the pick of the litter.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s really easy to get “lost in the sauce,” as I say.

There are a lot of offers, surveys, and ways to waste time on earn Swagbucks.

Truly, it’s so easy to get caught up in winning points that you’ll look up and see that 4 hours has passed (but hey, at a minimum you probably got 8 Swagbucks from having the videos playing in the background!).

With that said, I’d say just be mindful of which of these things actually makes sense for you to use with your daily life.

Do you do most of your household’s grocery shopping? Then check Swagbucks out before you go to see if they have coupons you can use or if certain products/brands will get you Swagbucks from your trip.

Swagbucks also has a daily to-do list that will give you extra Swagbucks if you complete it. Sometimes it varies, but it almost always includes watching videos, attempting a surve, and completing the poll of the day.

In short, play around with Swagbucks to see how you can use it to monetize the things you’re already doing/buying. I mean, why not? That’s literally free money.