Swagbucks Review 2024: Do surveys for money
Swagbucks is an all-in-one platform for earning extra cash, complete with paid surveys, cashback offers, and bonuses for scanning receipts. While it doesn’t pay a ton, it’s a flexible and convenient side hustle to pick up.
No hidden fees
Like most earning apps, Swagbucks won’t make you rich. It’ll take some time to see your earnings stack up to a substantial number, but if you’re looking for a side hustle you can start today, it isn’t a bad option.
Swagbucks earned the following reviews:
- 4.4 Stars on the Apple App Store (103,300 reviews)
- 4.2 Stars on TrustPilot (35,000 reviews)
- 4.2 Stars on the Google Play Store (131,000 reviews)
- 4.3 Stars on Think Save Retire
What We Love
Swagbucks offers an incredibly user-friendly interface on both mobile and desktop. It’s easy to see the available offers, navigate the platform, and redeem your Swagbucks.
According to their website, they’ve paid out over $558 million to users — which we love to see. Unfiltered reviews from real users have backed this up, with some reporting earning around $3,000 from the platform.
We also love that Swagbucks gives you the option to redeem your earnings in the form of a gift card, via PayPal, prepaid Visa card, or via a check in the mail. While other platforms only allow one or two withdrawal options, Swagbucks has several, which is an added bonus.
5 Effortless Methods to Boost Your Income This Week
If you need extra money, you’ve come to the right spot.
Our team has compiled a list of creative ways you can fatten your bank account this week. Certainly, there’s something here that fits your needs.
This is not a long list, so go ahead and start now, but be sure to bookmark this post so you can easily return later. We’ll keep it updated as offers change or expire.
What We Don’t Love
Swagbucks offers a $10 bonus for signing up which sounds enticing. However, to redeem it, you’ll need to make a $25 order via one of the merchants listed in the Shop section of the platform.
If you’re planning to use Swagbucks’ cashback portal anyways, this isn’t a big deal. You shouldn’t make an unnecessary purchase, though, in the name of earning some Swagbucks.
In the future, we’d love to see a sign-up bonus that doesn’t require a purchase.
What is Swagbucks?
Launched in 2008, Swagbucks is one of the earning platforms that’s been around the block. Since its launch, they’ve had over 10 million users, expanded to countries outside the United States, and paid the average user $1,825 per year.
How Swagbucks Works
It’s completely free to sign up for Swagbucks. You’ll select an email and password to create your account, or you can register through Facebook or Google.
Once you’re in, you’ll complete a short survey to let Swagbucks know more about you. The survey includes standard information for a platform of its kind — household income, demographic data, and information about your spending decisions. This information is then used to deliver you a list of paid survey opportunities that you’re likely to qualify for.
This survey is your key into the platform, and once it’s completed, you’ll have full access to the various earning opportunities within it. From there, the more actions you complete, the more Swagbucks you earn.
Each Swagbuck, or SB, is later translated into real dollars you can withdraw.
Ways to Earn with Swagbucks
Swagbucks offers five primary ways to earn. Each option earns you a specific number of SB, ranging from 2 to 35,000+ SB, depending on the task. Every 100 SB earns you $1, making each individual SB worth $0.10.
Verifying your email will earn you 200 SB, and completing the initial survey will earn you 50 SB — that’s $2.50 in the first 10-ish minutes…not bad.
Take Surveys
Like other survey platforms, Swagbucks curates a list of market research surveys you may be eligible for. You’re shown upfront how long the survey will take to complete and how many SB it’ll pay out.
In comparison to the other survey sites we’ve reviewed, the payout on Swagbucks is comparable to competitors. For example, completing a 20 minute survey for 100 SB equates to roughly $3.00 per hour.
Shop Online
If you make online purchases, visit the Swagbucks shopping portal first to earn additional cashback on your purchases. Simply click on the store you plan to make a purchase at, make your purchase, and you’ll see the SB pop up in your account.
To our surprise, Swagbucks offers higher cashback rates in comparison to competitors like Rakuten. For example, at the time of writing, Rakuten offers 2% cashback at Kohl’s, 2% cashback at Carter’s, and 2% cashback at Abt Electronics. This means that a $100 purchase at Kohl’s would earn you $2 in cashback with Rakuten or $6.00 worth in SB on Swagbucks.
Scan Receipts
If you make in-store purchases, you can scan your receipts into the Swagbucks app to earn SB. Each individual item is worth a different number of SB, or no SB, so you aren’t guaranteed to make a specific amount per receipt.
That said, if you purchase one of the featured items, you can earn a significant amount of Swagbucks. For example, if you purchased eggs, bread, and Keebler cookies during your grocery run, you’d earn 600 SB or $6.00 — not too shabby if these are items you planned to purchase anyways.
Play Games
Game publishers often partner with paid survey apps like Swagbucks to entice users onto their platform. While some games have easy requirements for earning, others make the offer nearly impossible to achieve.
For example, to earn a few thousand SB, you may be required to reach a high level in a short amount of time within the game. The games may suggest in-app purchases to accelerate your progress, which can land you in gambling territory quickly.
That said, if you enjoy playing online games and can exhibit responsible financial behaviors, playing paid games can be fun. In comparison to other paid games we’ve reviewed, Swagbucks’ offers are on par with competitors.
Take Advantage of Sign-Up Offers
Under the Discover tab, you’ll find a curated list of earning opportunities, mostly sign-up bonuses on other platforms. Keep in mind that most of these offers will come with a specific list of requirements to qualify for the SB.
For example, you could earn 4,000 SB for signing up with Stash, an investing platform. However, you’ll need to make a deposit of $5 or more on the platform and allow 32 days for the SB to hit your account.
While there are a variety of opportunities here, exercise caution when choosing what to sign up for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you trust Swagbucks?
Yes, Swagbucks is 100% trustworthy and safe. The Better Business Bureau rated Prodege, the company that owns Swagbucks, a B, which is higher than competitors like InboxDollars and KashKick.
Does Swagbucks Really Pay?
Yes, Swagbucks pays users real money. You’ll earn points, called Swagbucks or SB, which can be redeemed as real cash. Several real users have reported no issues with receiving their earnings, according to their TrustPilot reviews.
What Are the Downsides of Swagbucks?
Swagbucks isn’t the most profitable side hustle, but this is true for all paid survey apps. Other side hustles like freelancing, selling items online, or renting out your backyard will likely be more profitable.
What Are Some Alternatives to Swagbucks?
InboxDollars and KashKick are two great alternatives to Swagbucks.
Can You Make $100 a Day with Swagbucks?
In theory, yes. In reality, it might be challenging. You’d need to complete one of Swagbucks’ high-paying offers, which often have nearly impossible requirements.
If you’re looking to make $100 a day, consider a more profitable side hustle like teaching online or driving for a food delivery app.
