I’ve been using Swagbucks for a while now and have just hit 50,000 points!
Over time I’ve been posting hints and tips to help other people get the most from the site. This post collates all of my previous Swagbucks tips in one (hopefully handy) place.
Tip #1 : Swago
Tip #2 : Keep some Swagbucks for events
Tip #3 : Sniping
Tip #4 : Receipt Uploads
Tip #5 : Team Challenges
Tip #6 : Daily Earning Opportunities
Tip #7 : Swagbucks Local
Tip #8 : Member Recognition Programme
Tip #9 : Hideout.tv
Tip #10 : Gift Card Sales
More like this:
Tip #1 : Swago
Swago is a game which is periodically run by the Swagbucks team and is similar in nature to Bingo (hence the name).
Swago gives you the opportunity to earn additional Swagbucks by completing items from a grid. These often require visiting certain websites but can also involve more involved steps such as redeeming gift cards or inviting other people to the service. You can submit your board by forming certain patterns (e.g. a cross shape or a line) to gain Swagbucks but your board can only be submitted once.
I enjoy Swago as it usually offers a fairly quick way to increase your total.
Occasionally a Swago board will be issued which has a significantly higher maximum reward (e.g. 300 SBs). In these instances they usually require referring a friend to the site, and the referral must take place during the period that the board is active. If you know anyone who may be interested in the site now is a good time to approach them :-).
An example Swago board
Tip #2 : Keep some Swagbucks for events
Each Swago board tends to have one square which requires you to redeem a gift card. Keeping some Swagbucks in your account allows you to easily fulfil what would otherwise be one of the more difficult squares to complete.
Another, potentially bigger reason to keep some handy is for when Swagbucks augment a game of Swago with their “Spin and Win”. Spins are earned by completing squares on the Swago board. There are often “rebates” offered where you get a certain number of Swagbucks back when redeeming a gift card. If you’re lucky enough to win several rebates you can use them to make your Swagbucks stretch further. These rebates tend to expire within a few days so unless you’ve stored a cache for events you may not be able to use all of your available rebates.
Spin and Win (image credit: Swagbucks.com)
Tip #3 : Sniping
If your experience is anything like mine you’ll likely be rejected from a fairly large percentage of the Swagbucks surveys you take part in. Personally, I don’t think this is necessarily such a bad thing.
Unless explicitly marked, all surveys which reject you will pay out a number of Swagbucks in line with the amount of time you spent completing the survey. If you get screened out pretty much straight away you’ll receive 1 SB.
Sniping 1 Swagbuck
I try to use this high incidence of rejection to my advantage by “sniping” Swagbucks. This involves getting my phone out while on my way somewhere or when bored and entering surveys. If I’m lucky I can make a few Swagbucks in very little time and then carry on with my day.
Of course, you could find yourself accepted into the main survey at which point you have to decide whether you have the time and inclination to complete it.
This obviously won’t make you rich but they do add up and supplement your regular activities (surveys, games, shopping etc).
Tip #4 : Receipt Upload
If you’re in the US or Canda Swagbucks allow you to upload your receipts for SBs via the “Answer” smartphone app. Unfortunately, I’m in the UK so can’t use it but it sounds like a good way to make a few extra SBs.
Does anyone use this service? Do you think it’s worthwhile?
Receipts = Swagbucks
Tip #5 : Team Challenges
The Swagbucks team periodically run team challenges where, once signed up, you are allocated to a team and you can begin earning points by completing surveys, “discovering” offers and many other things.
Ways to earn points during the Spring event
If you earn more than a specified number of points over the course of the event you’ll receive a reward, with the reward you receive depending on how well your team as a whole performed.
The rewards issued vary by event. See this post about the Spring team challenge for an example of the rules and potential prizes offered for taking part.
One easy way to boost your points is to find and complete easy tasks within the “Discover” section of the site. There are often 1 SB tasks which can be completed every day in very little time. “Discovers” tend to add a significant number of points (20 in the Spring 2019 event).
Tip #6 : Daily Earning Opportunities
There are a number of daily earning opportunities you can take advantage of on Swagbucks.
Daily “Discovers”
As discussed above, one easy way to boost your points is to find and complete the daily 1 SB tasks within the “Discover” section of the site. At the time of writing the below offers have expired except for the Panda flights offer which is now called “Compare Panda”.
Example daily tasks (now expired)
To-Do List
You can earn additional SBs by:
- Completing 6 out of 8 To-Do tasks (currently pays 1-4 SBs)
- Completing all 8 To-Do tasks (currently pays 6 SBs)
Note: Swagbucks currently has a promotion (in the UK at least) on their To-Do list payouts so the above amounts may change in future.
Almost completed To-Do List!
Daily Poll
Earn 1 SB a day by answering the daily poll (available via the “Answer” section of the site).
Swagbucks Daily Poll
Swag Codes
Swag codes are released almost every day and are usually worth 2 or 3 SBs. Personally I use the Swagbutton as it alerts me to new Swag codes and makes it easy for me to view and submit them.
Tip #7 : Swagbucks Local
Swagbucks local allows you to earn Swagbucks when shopping in physical shops and is available on iOS and Android. Unfortunately for me, this only appears to be available in parts of the USA but for anyone in the US it’s probably worth a look!
Additional information can be found at the following two blog posts:
Tip #8 : Member Recognition Programme
Swagbucks recently introduced a member recognition program which rewards you for reaching certain milestones. At the time of writing I’m on the Amethyst level and approaching Jade.
The rewards are mainly centred around SB rebates and bonus SBs but also offer shopping bonuses and Swag ups such as double points on your next survey completion.
The announcement post containing the complete rundown of levels can be found here.
Tip #9 : Hideout.tv
Hideout.tv is a video streaming platform which allows you to earn points for trade with a large number of cash back sites. Initially I thought it wasn’t possibly to partner the site with Swagbucks as it wasn’t an option on the “Loyalty Program Rewards” page. However, I have since discovered that this is possible using the following method:
- Open the Discover page on Swagbucks
- Open the AscendMedia offers
- Open a video on Hideout.tv via one of the AscendMedia links
- Your Swagbucks account should now be registered with Hideout.tv.
Thanks to the Swagbucks community for this tip which I discovered by reading through the comments on a site post.
Tip #10 : Gift card sales
When redeeming your Swagbucks for gift cards it’s worthwhile seeing what’s currently on sale as you might end up getting a bit more for your hard earned points than you anticipated.
For example, I usually claim Amazon gift cards but occasionally virtual MasterCards have a larger discount so you can get the same value card for fewer points. Virtual MasterCards can be used to buy Amazon gift cards so with a small amount of additional work you can end up with the same prize for less.
Check for discounts when redeeming your Swagbucks
Spare Time Income 