Swagbucks review. Swagbucks says it is the web’s most popular rewards program that gives you free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you already do online. That’s the definition of a GPT (Get Paid To) site, where members earn a little extra money by doing simple online tasks.
The question is whether Swagbucks is a legit GPT site where members can really earn. Yes, Swagbucks is a legit GPT site. It definitely will not rip you off; and you can earn some extra income using it. However, the next question will be “how good of a GPT site is Swagbucks?”. That is, does it tick the right boxes (like providing many earning opportunities, having low cash-out amount and fast cash-out, effectively handling members’ questions/issues)?
This Swagbucks review will examine Swagbucks in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and also shows you other sites like Swagbucks.
General Intro
What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a reward site, or what is more popularly called a GPT (Get Paid To) site. This is a website where members can earn money online by doing nothing more than what they already do online every day, such as answering surveys, shopping at favourite retailers, watching entertaining videos, searching the web, and more.
Swagbucks was started in 2008. It is owned and operated by Prodege LLC which is a leading Internet and media company that is headquartered in El Segundo, California. This company also operates www.shopathome.com and www.mypoints.com. Thus, Swagbucks has 2 fine GPT sites as sister sites. Swagbucks is really the web’s most popular reward program. As of writing, it already has over 10 million members. Visit the website here: www.swagbucks.com.
Is Swagbucks legit?
As mentioned in the intro, Swagbucks is 100% legit. There’s no doubt about this because of the following:
- Operator Record – Usually, rewards sites coming from 100% legit and reputable companies are less likely to be scams. The operator of Swagbucks (Prodege LLC) fits that profile. First, it is is a US-registered company; and this makes it 100% legal. Also, it is a top market research company with other legit GPT sites to its name; and this makes it reliable.
- Operating Record – Usually it does not take long for scam reward sites to be exposed. However, Swagbucks has been operating since 2008. To stay this long in the game, and still remain one of the go-to sites, Swagbucks has to be legit.
- Pay-out Record – The reason scam sites do not stay long is that it does not take time for them to be found out as wasting members’ time – not crediting members for tasks done, or not paying when members try cash-out out. That is, scam GPT sites do not pay. However, in its over one decade of operation, Swagbucks has consistently paid. In fact, as of writing this review Swagbucks has paid out $453,870,220 to members. To have always paid, Swagbucks ha to be legit.
Is Swagbucks safe?
Swagbucks is not only legit, it is safe. This means that users’ data is well-protected. You’ll have to share a truckload of personal data; you may even share your credited card details (if you choose). However, you do not have to worry about the security of your data.
Swagbucks uses the latest SSL encryption to keep users’ data safe. This is a bank-grade protocol that ensures that data transmitting over the internet cannot be intercepted and read. Swagbucks also stores users’ data n secure servers; and it will not pass users’ data to third parties (except it is directed by law or expressly directed by the user).
Other Sites Like Swagbucks
There are many popular and legitimate sites like Swagbucks. You can use the sites as Swagbucks alternatives. The reason they can be used as Swagbucks alternatives is that they share similar features and earning potentials. And they are all genuine and pay well.
Other sites like Swagbucks are:
Who can join Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is not like some GPT sites that can only be used by persons in the US, and a few other countries. Swagbucks is live in most countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. It is also available in some countries in Africa. Thus, Swagbucks provides earning opportunities to people across the globe.
However, you’ll find great joy in the site if you’re from one of the following countries: The United States (and its territories), Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, Spain, Portugal, and United Kingdom.
Interestingly, the minimum age requirement to join Swagbucks is 13 years. However, Swagbucks encourages persons aged 13 to 18 to seek their parent or guardian’s permission before registering.
General Intro – Hits and Misses
| Uses a very user-friendly website – www.swagbucks.comComes from a 100% legal and reliable operator – Prodege LLCIt is vastly experienced as it’s been around since 2008It’s a widely accepted GPT site as it has over 10 million membersIt has paid out over $453 millionKeeps users’ data safe using latest SSL encryptionAccepts registration from many countries of the world, and the age requirement is only 13 | While many countries of the world can join, members in the vast majority will have limited earning opportunities |
Using Swagbucks to Earn
Getting Started
First and foremost, it is absolutely free to join and use Swagbucks. Not only do you join for free, you don’t have to pay any money to use Swagbucks. Thus, if you feel it isn’t right for you, you can walk without losing anything (that is, financially). You can count this (that you will not lose money in Swagbucks) as another reason why Swagbucks is legit.
Arguably, Swagbucks gives you the easiest registration process. Registering and becoming a member of Swagbucks require only entering your email address and password, and hitting the “sign up” button. It’ll take less than a minute.
Swagbucks has a welcome bonus for new members. Upon successfully creating an account, we were immediately credited 2 SB as a join bonus. Then we saw the message: “Hello! Please check your email to verify your Swagbucks account and receive 5 SB”. Verifying our email, our account had a 5 SB top up. So before completing any earning activity we already had 7 SB in out account. Also, Swagbucks advertises a $10 welcome bonus, which it says is one of its Swagup bonus.
The Swagup bonuses are simply account top-ups that what Swagbucks often make available. The $10 welcome bonus Swagup is simply available to only new members.
However, it is not simply credited upon registration (if it were, persons will register, get the $10 and disappear). To activate the $10 Swagup bonus, you must make a purchase – you must spend at least $25 on a single purchase from an eligible category that can be found on the merchant’s shop page.
That said; all those who’ll rather not make purchases will miss out on the $10 welcome bonus. But if go through the list of retailers and find something you actually need, then buying it earns you the $10 welcome Swagup bonus.
Mobile Use
Swagbucks is available on mobile. You can use mobile not only from desktop devices, but also from your mobile devices. Thus, you’re able to complete tasks and earn even while on the go.
Interestingly, you’ll have a superb mobile experience. First, the Swagbucks website is mobile-optimized. Thus, when visiting the site using a web browser in your mobile device, pages will resize to fit your screen for an optimal viewing experience. Secondly, Swagbucks has dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. Installing the app makes keeps Swagbucks a click away. Swagbucks also incentivizes using the app, as you’ll be able to earn some extras from the apps.
How to Earn
As the premier GPT site, there are a variety of ways to earn using Swagbucks. In the top menu in your dashboard, you’ll find these to include: Answer, Shop, Search, Watch, Play, and Discover.
Surveys
The most popular way to earn in Swagbucks is by answering surveys. Simply share your opinions in fun market research survey and earn SB points. Depending on the length and difficulty, surveys pay 5 – 250 SB points.
Sometimes there are high-paying surveys that pay up to 5000 SB, but these are very rare and very difficult to qualify for. Swagbucks also feature Daily Polls. As the name suggests, the polls are available every day, all year long. They are simply short surveys. Answering the current days’ polls will earn you 1 SB.
However, when answering the main surveys, many times members get disqualified before the survey is completed. This can be very frustrating, especially after investing time and effort and getting midway or even towards the end f the survey.
However, disqualifications from surveys happen everywhere. Swagbucks explains that each survey serves a specific purpose for the research company that needs customers’ feedback, so if the answers you provide are not consistent with the type of person they are looking to survey, the data will be excluded from the final results, and you’ll be disqualified and not allowed to take the survey to completion.
Thankfully, Swagbucks does not leave you empty when disqualified from surveys. When you are disqualified from a survey, Swagbucks gives you “a penny for your thought”. That is, you get 1 SB for every survey you are disqualified from, up to a maximum of 5 disqualifications in a day.
Shop
You can also earn SB points by online shopping through its cashback program. Go to the “shop” section, and you’ll find over 1,500 retailers listed, which include popular retailers like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Walmart, and more. Hit the store you’re interested in and you’ll be redirected there; then shop for the things you need as you’ll normally do. For every dollar you spend, you’ll earn SB points.
The number of SB points you’ll earn from shopping depend on the particular store and products bought. For example, as of writing, some cashback offers included: earn 1 SB per $1 spent in Sam’s Club, earn 4 SB per $1 spent in Macy’s, and earn up to 8 SB per $1 spent in The Home Depot.
Printing Coupons
In addition to cashbacks, another way to earn while engaging with your favourite retailers is printing coupons. You’ll get access to exclusive deals and coupons to some retailers; print them and redeem them to earn SB points.
Watch videos
Swagbucks feature videos that you can watch to earn SB points. However, these are not just boring ads. Rather, they are mainly entertaining playlists about news, music, entertainment, travel, pets, and more. Also, there is no limit to the amount of video playlists you can watch per day.
Play Games
You can earn SB points simply by playing online games. Swagbucks has partnered with GSN in this regard. To start off, register for a free Swagbucks.com Games account. However, as of writing, you can only earn SB points if you make in-game purchase. That is, you must deposit money into your GSN account.
Search
You can earn SB points simply for searching the web. Swagbucks has a search engine (Swagbutton) simply install it and use it for your regular searches instead of your regular search engines like Google and Bing. You can also get SB points simply by searching the Swagbucks site. Bonus SB is awarded to users randomly in denominations from as little as 1SB to 1000SB.
Discover Offers
The “discover” page in the Swagbucks site features a variety of ways to earn SB points. You’ll find exclusive deals and offers from well-known brands. You’ll be able to earn SB points simply for signing up for new services (like credit cards and bank services, VPN services, and more).
If you’re really interested in the service, log in and reach the service provider from the Swagbucks page, and you’ll earn SB points. You’ll also find free trial offers. Sign up and you’ll try out the product/ service for a limited period of time; your SB points will drop into your account after the trial period.
However, we always sound it that you read the instructions and requirements carefully when before signing up for an offer. This is because some will require you to make a purchase. While some that are free will ask for your credit card detail, so that after the trial period, you’ll be signed up as a paying member of the service.
If you’ll not want to end up being charged and subscribed to a service you’re not interested in, then be very mindful of offers that ask for credit card details. If free, make sure you can cancel, and ensure to cancel before the trial period is over.
Swag Codes
These are Swagbucks promotional codes. Find and redeem these codes to earn SB points. Swag Codes are usually posted in the Swagbucks blog and especially its social media pages. If you find Swag codes, redeeming them is easy. Go to the “My Account” page of the Swagbucks website, and hit Sag Code to open the Swag Code box, enter the code into the box and hit “Redeem”. Swag Codes range in value; they start as low as 1 SB and go up from there.
Referral
You can also earn by simply telling others about Swagbucks. However, they’ll have to take action – join Swagbucks through your referral link and complete tasks to earn. Swagbucks gives a 10% referral commission. That is, for each person you refer to Swagbucks, you will earn 10% of the person’s earnings.
However, the earnings eligible for the 10% referral program are those from activities in the top menu bar – Shop, Search, Watch, Play, Answer, and Discover (as well as everything found in the drop-down menus such as Daily Poll, Activities, Coupons and Tasks). This means earnings from sign-up bonus, swag codes, and bonuses, do not count towards the 10% referral commission.
Interestingly, there are no maximum limits, so invite as many persons as you can, and you’ll earn this sweet passive income for as long as your referrals are active on Swagbucks.com.
The referral program does not stop there. You can get extra 300 SB bonus from each of your referrals. If a referral earns 300 SB within the first 30 days, you and the referral each get 300 SB bonus. There’s more! You can get extra 100 SB from each of your referrals.
So as to get this extra SB points, make sure to use your Swagbutton url when referring friends. If a referral installs the Swagbutton and keeps it active for a period of time, you’ll qualify for the 100 SB points.
Swagstakes
These are simply the sweepstakes of Swagbucks where lucky members randomly selected are awarded sweet prizes that includes 1,000 SB, 1,250 SB, 5,000 SB and more. You buy entries to the sweepstakes using SB points; and tickets often cost 10 SB.
Thus, in the Swagstakes, by putting down 10 SB, you stand the chance of winning thousands of SB points. However, you may have to put down more to have a real chance of winning the sweepstake, because the more entries you buy, the more your chances of winning.
Using Swagbucks to Earn – Hits and Misses
| It is absolutely free to join. It’s easy and fast to create an account and become a member. With mobile-optimized website and dedicated mobile apps, it gives a great mobile experience. Has a fine welcome bonus – 2 SB for registering, 5SB for verifying the account, and $10 Swagup bonus Provides a variety of ways to earn (surveys, videos, games, search the web, and more) Provides a lot of surveys. Gives a 1 SB compensation for each survey disqualifications (up to 5 times a day)A generous referral bonus – 10% referral commission, and a possible 300 bonus SB as well as 100 bonus SB | Getting the $10 welcome Swagup bonus requires making a purchase |
Getting Paid
Payment Proofs
As mentioned in the legitimacy section, Swagbucks pays. As of writing, Swagbucks has paid out $453,870,220 to its members. There is hardly a GPT site out there that match this volume of pay-out. Even more important is that this is not just some old pay-out figure. Even more important is that this is some $70,000,000+ increase over the pay-out amount the last time we reviewed Swagbucks, which was about a year ago.
Interestingly, there are payment proofs as evidence of several pay-outs. You’ll find these payment proofs in Swagbucks’ pages as well as in independent review platforms.
Payment Methods
In Swagbucks, there are several ways to redeem your reward points and receive payment. One of the most popular is “gift cards”. You’ll find loads of gift card options, available to popular retailers Amazon, Starbucks, iTunes, and more.
Swagbucks also allows you donate your SB points to charities. You’ll find such charities like Red Cross, Unicef, and more, so you can donate to good causes. If you want cash payment, Swagbucks allows members to exchange their SB points for PayPal payments.
Payment Threshold
The payment threshold is simply how many points you need to have accumulated before you can cash-out. Needless to say, everyone will want it to be very low so that members will not need to accumulate a large balance of SB points before being able to cash-out.
Thankfully, Swagbucks does well in this regard. You’ll find gift cards you can redeem with 300 SB or 500 SB. Thus, you can cash-out as low as $3.00 and $5.00. However, when requesting PayPal payment, you’ll need a minimum of 2,500 SB points, which is $25.
Payment Speed
After requesting payment from Swagbucks, how long will it take before you get your reward? Needless to say, everyone will want fast payments. Unlike some sites that promise lightning fast pay-outs but deliver snail-speed, Swagbucks is very straightforward about how fast its payment moves.
Swagbucks says you should allow 10 business days for gift cards to be delivered to your email address. PayPal payments equally take a minimum of 10 business days, but you could be waiting for up to 14 business days. Thus, Swagbucks is not the fastest paying GPT site. However, we like that it is straight up about its relatively not-speedy payment.
Getting Paid – Hits and Misses
| Swagbucks consistently pays, and you’ll find payment proofs as evidence. Supports a variety of gift cards options and PayPal payments for redeeming SB points. Minimum cash-out amount (when requesting gift cards) is low | The cash-out threshold for PayPal payment is $25 which is relatively highPayments (even e-gift cards) can take at least 10 days to be delivered |
Customer Support Service
Self Help
The Swagbucks website has a very robust knowledgebase which provide answers to a lot of questions. The topics covered include: Popular Questions, Answer Surveys, Shopping, Discover Offers, Videos & Games & Search, Gift Cards & Buy SB, Account & Settings, Technical Issues, Promotions, Receipts & Coupons, Privacy, and Swagbucks Overview.
Contact Help
If the articles in the knowledgebase does not answer your question, or you have an issue and need more than support articles, you’ll to directly contact a support agent for assistance. Thankfully, Swagbucks has a support team to handle members’ questions/ issues. The support service can be reached via support tickets and a live chat.
You’ll find a link to submit a support ticket from many of the support articles. Alternatively, you can visit help.swagbucks.com and select a topic to create and submit a support article. This method (reaching out through the correct topic) ensures faster investigation and quicker response.
Know that response time in Swagbucks vary depending on the enquiry. However, response time is typically within 3 business days, but it may take up to 10 business days. First time responses are usually faster, while follow up responses take longer. This is because the first response may open up a series of investigations.
Whatever the case, this means Swagbucks has a relatively slow response time. This is because you’ll find GPT sites that invest so much so as to be able to respond to enquiries within hours or at most in 24 hours. Also, the support service of Swagbucks is not available round the clock. The service time is 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Pacific Time Monday – Friday, excluding holidays.
Customer Support Service – Hits and Misses
| Has a very detailed knowledgebase for self-helpHas a support service that can be directly contacted for assistanceSupport tickets include topics enabling faster investigation and responseLive Chat is supported | The support service is not available 24/ 7 (can be reached 9am – 6pm, Mondays to Fridays)Response time is relatively slow |
What Users are Saying
Positive Reviews
What does real persons who have used Swagbucks think of it? This answer can be found in the independent customers’ review platforms. As of writing: Swagbucks has been reviewed by 17,817 customers in Trustpilot, and it scored 4.3 out of 5; and it had been reviewed by 8,282 customers in Sitejabber (www.sitejabber.com), and it scored 4.5 out of 5. These are fine ratings which tell you that there are lots of positive reviews.
In Trustpilot, you’ll find users hailing Swagbucks for: helping them to make a little extra money from doing simple tasks (e.g. Phoenix, Chris, Vitencu Bogdan), having a lot of earning opportunities (e.g. SCharlie Albano), and more.
In Sitejabber, you’ll also find users who think Swagbucks is not just legit but great, as they have actually made money in the site and have been paid (Brenna P, Alexandria L, Donna A, Jeffrey L and more).
Complaints
Yes, there are many positive reviews. However, that Swagbucks did not manage a perfect 5/ 5 rating can only mean that there are a few complaints.
In Trustpilot, you’ll find users complaining of: frequent disqualification from surveys (Thalassinos Mitsou, Zainab N, Jade), not receiving credit for completed surveys (Honest Survey Taker, Anonymous), and slow customer service (Nikolai Ciesielski, customer).
Sitejabber registered similar reviews and more. You’ll find users complaining of: not receiving credit for some tasks (e.g. Ryan R, Shaina N), and payment being slow (Stephen J).
One of the most popular complaints is that of not receiving credits for completed tasks (especially some videos and games). This is a very big problem because it hurts that one will finish a task and not get the promised rewards.
However, the problem can be traced to third party offer providers. But one can rightly ask why Swagbucks do not investigate and kick off providers who do not credit members for completing tasks. One good news is that this problem is not as prevalent as it is in some other GPT sites.
Another very popular complaint of Swagbucks’ members is “high rate of disqualification from surveys”. True, disqualification from surveys happen in all survey sites, but there are too many complaining members of Swagbucks that mention it which can only mean that disqualification rate is relatively high in Swagbucks.
Thus, when using Swagbucks, you should brace yourself for being kicked out of surveys. Thankfully, you can get 5 SB points a day from disqualifications.
Another complain we found is that payments take a while to come when members cash-out. As stated in the “payment speed” part of the review, Swagbucks is not a fast-paying GPT site; and it is transparent about this. Thus, when using Swagbucks, you should not expect your payment to come speedily.
Again, slow customer service is another complaint found; that is, response to support tickets is not fast. As mentioned in the customer support service part of this review, responses from the Swagbucks support team can take up to 10 business days. This is definitely slow. However, we can say that Swagbucks is very transparent in this regard.
ALSO SEE: PrizeRebel Review – Is Legit or Scam?
Conclusion
Swagbucks is the web’s most popular GPT site as it has over 10 million members. It is also very legit, as it has paid out over $453 million to its members; and it continues to pay.
Swagbucks is not the most popular GPT site for nothing; it is because it does many things right. It provides many ways to earn, which includes taking surveys, watching movies, playing games, discovering offers, searching the web, shopping online, and more.
You’ll not be short of surveys. The rate of disqualification from surveys seems a bit high. However, for every disqualification, Swagbucks gives 1 SB as compensation (up to a maximum of 5 SB points per day).
Also, you will not stay too long in the site before you can withdraw; $3 and $5 gift cards are available in the rewards store, so its minimum cash-out threshold is very low. PayPal payment is also supported for members that prefer their reward in hard cash. However, after cashing out, it may take up to 10 business days for the payment to be received.
Swagbucks is definitely a go-to GPT site. There are a few nicks as shown by the relatively high rate of survey disqualifications, slow payments, and the other misses highlighted in the different part of the review. However, the “hits” far outweigh the “misses”.
Thus, Swagbucks is solid on the whole. Would we play there? We are already there! Do we recommend it? Definitely! Visit Swagbucks and start earning a little extra money from the simple things you already do online every day.