Until I started following some “deals” blogs I had never heard of Swagbucks and maybe you haven’t either. It is a search engine, like Google or Yahoo, but you earn points every time you search. You can cash in your points for prizes like an Amazon gift card or a Wii. Yep, you can earn real stuff for free by just searching the web. And I promise that it isn’t too good to be true. No gimmick, no hidden fees or tricks. Sign up here.
Once you sign up, be sure to download the toolbar so you can use it all the time. There are lots of ways to earn extra Swagbucks. We’ll figure those out together as we all start earning our Swagbucks.
Some blogging friends have used the gift cards they earn through Swagbucks to do some of their Christmas shopping. They buy toys on deep discount, 75% or more, and stock up well in advance of the holidays. Others I know have saved up their points and bought larger prizes, like a Wii. One friend told me that she thought an average web surfer could earn 1-2 gift cards per month using Swagbucks.
What’s in it for Swagbucks?
I don’t know for sure, but I imagine that they use the information about all the ways we search, then do some fancy analysis of it and sell it to online retailers as some kind of market demographics or consumer trend info. In my head, I liken it what quantcast.comdoes. That’s my guess on how they make money and why they want to incentivize us to search with them.
Your turn:What do you think about Swagbucks? Have you earned any prizes? If you know how to earn extra Swagbucks, please share by leaving a comment.
I just signed up on Swagbucks about 3 weeks ago and now have 34 points. I have been earning 2-3 points a day. I will be redeeming them for Amazon gift cards (45 Swagbucks= $5 Amazon gift card). Hopefully, I’ll accumulate a nice supply by the time the Christmas season rolls around!
They are making money from advertisers and from “sponsored” links. If you look at the results they return on any given search, of the first ten, I think 4-5 tend to be “sponsored” links that would not be returned in a standard Google search, or that would be on the side bar at Google. For me, it means sometimes I have to get to the second or third page of results before I find what I want, but it doesn’t really bother me, as long as I pay attention to what site it’s linking to and whether it is “sponsored” or not.
Yes! I am also saving my “bucks” for Christmas presents like Tami. Might as well add up the points for searches you do anyway!
oops… you don’t earn points every time you search…. sometimes it’s nothing, often it’s one or two… once I got 5 Swagbucks for a search… the really smart thing is to sign up using someone’s referral to benefit both of you… she gets points every time you earn them from now own, and so on.
In this case, what a nice “thank you” to Carrie for how much money she saves us! (I’m already signed up, though…) Carrie… is the “click here” a referral that helps you?
Yep – clicking through the link in my post helps me. –Carrie
NUTS! I went and read the rules and it says one person per household…. If you want to go ahead and delete my first comment about signing up your spouse I would appreciate it. I’m sorry…. thought that was cool to do it that way but don’t want to be fraudulent!
Howdy Carrie,
Ok, so I finally went in to register with Swagbucks. I did not find a location on my sign in form to enter you as my referring friend. It also asked me for a Swagcode (if I had one). So, I am holding off on the registry to see if you know how I can credit you as my referral source.
In browsing the site, I did find the link to “invite friends” — perhaps you can invite me?
Jane – When you use the link to Swagbucks through my site I am automatically given a referrer’s credit. No need to enter a referral code or anything. You’ll notice that the url starts as logicalmedia.com and then changes to Swagbucks. Logical Media tracks my referrals that way. Does that help?
Please see Jane’s post and reply to me as well.
Let me be the first friend that you sign up under, as it helps support Pocket Your Dollars. Then let others know about it so you can get points for referrals. –Carrie