Swagbucks: Top Tips to Earn Vouchers

Like more and more people in this increasingly technological world, I spend a lot of time with my eyes glued to a screen. The lure of Facebook, YouTube and Netflix all seem too much to resist. Surely there’s a better way to be using this screen time? Surely I can Swag some Bucks?

To put it simply, Swagbucks is a website where you complete tasks that you would be doing when online anyway, and get rewarded with a currency called Swagbucks. This adds up until you can swap it for gift cards. Some examples of ways to earn Swagbucks are:

• Completing surveys
• Watching videos
• Using the SwagBucks search engine
• Playing games
• Shopping

If these seem like things that you would be doing anyway then that’s half the battle won! Sign up here and follow these top tips for making the most of Swagbucks.

1) Loyalty Pays

Swagbucks have a great system in place to encourage you to visit every day - every day you get given a daily target and each day you hit this target you get a bonus. Then, every 7 days you consecutively reach this target you get another bonus, reaching a total of 300SB if you manage to make it every day of the month. At the start of the next month, pick up your bonuses from the previous month, or else you will miss out.

2) Get into a routine

It is easier than you may think to visit Swagbucks every day - just add it into your routine and you'll hardly notice! For example, I always squeeze in a survey first thing in the morning as I eat my breakfast. Then, I will watch a few videos while I’m having my lunch and play some games in the evening after I’m finished studying. I would be on my laptop doing mindless tasks anyway, so why not earn some Swagbucks?

3) Searching for SwagBucks

One of the changes I hardly noticed was searching through Swagbucks. By setting your search engine to the Swagbucks one instead of Google, Bing or Yahoo, you have a chance to win bucks every time you search the internet. You won't win every time, and if you have won you won't get another winning search for another few hours, but the occassional 5-15SB really adds up.

As someone who has always used Google, I was a bit dubious about whether or not these search results would be up to scratch. However, the search engine is actually run by Yahoo, so they are pretty reliable. The only difference that I have noticed is that it’s not as good as Google at predicting what you are going to search for, but it’s a small detail in the grand scale of things.

4) Swag Button

Another way to easily integrate Swagbucks into your usual routine is the Swagbutton. This is a little icon on the top right of your toolbar (a bit like the Pintrest button) that means you can access Swagbucks  easily while elsewhere on the net. You can watch videos while on other sites (who doesn't love a good technology multi-task), use the search engine, and find quick links to shopping offers! Another bonus is that it gives you an alert when there is a new SwagCode available.

What’s a SwagCode I hear you ask?

Well, every so often, Swagbucks give out a few Swagbucks and all you need to do is enter a code into the appropriate box. These can be found on certain pages of the Swagbucks site and also are often posted on their Facebook page – so worth following them. You can also Google (or SwagSearch) for the latest codes, as there are some sites dedicated to posting up SwagCodes as soon as they are released (such as sc-s.com). But be aware that there is a time limit to each code, so enter it as soon as you see it!

5) Surveys

To earn large amounts of Swagbucks fast, surveys are the way to go. The rewards can vary from 20SB up to over 200SB but the time they take also varies massively. In addition, it's very common to get screened out and miss out on the full reward (but you do get 1SB when this happens). One 10 minute survey can be enough to hit the daily target - so if this is all you have time for, prioritise the surveys. For other great survey sites, check out this post.

6) Shopping

If you are someone that does a lot of online shopping, Swagbucks offers a certain number of SB per pound spent at specific stores. If you have installed the SwagBucks Toolbar you will automatically be alerted when you are on a site that offers SwagBucks for your purchases. It works in a similar way to cashback - the reward won’t be instant, as they have to make sure you don’t cancel or return your order. When making big purchases, you can really rake in the points. Also, look out for promotional periods where they offer things like double bucks on certain sites.

7) Videos

Who doesn't wish that you could get paid for all that time on Youtube? Well, SwagBucks offer something pretty close - although there is a 150 SB daily earn limit. You can pick from a wide variety of genres such as Fitness, Food, Entertainment and Fashion. I particularly like watching the trailers to the newest films that have come out, or doing Yoga along with the fitness instructor in the video. If ever there was motivation to work out, it’s getting paid for it! 

By combining all of these techniques, the Swagbucks can build up fast! I tend to earn around £10-£20 a month in Amazon vouchers – not enough to quit uni and live off, but a nice wee bonus when you want to treat yourself, or take the strain of the Christmas shopping debt. Last year, I saved up just over £100 of Amazon vouchers and got all my Christmas shopping done without paying a penny. 

Currently, I'm saving up my vouchers to buy a bike for getting to and from uni – something I couldn’t normally afford to buy. So even if you are on a tight budget, you can still treat yourself and your family, without breaking your budget. Sign up here and get earning!