Swagbucks

Swagbucks is probably my favorite "paid to complete offers" site mainly because there are so many options outside of simply completing offers and because some Swagbucks  earnings can be practically passive! (And I don't just mean referrals!)  500 Swagbucks equal approximately $5, but there are ways to get more bang for your Swagbuck! (More on that later.)  There are so many ways to earn with Swagbucks it is going to be hard to do it concisely but I'll do my best!

Daily To-Do List & Goal Meter

When you log onto Swagbucks, there will be two items on the left hand side that you will want to pay attention to--the Goal Meter and the Daily To-Do List.

The Goal Meter gives you two daily goals and will give you bonus Swagbucks for reaching those goals.  Additionally, if you consecutively reach your first goal for 7, 14, 21, and/or 31 days, you will earn additional Swagbucks (up to 300 Swagbucks).  The daily goals vary based upon your general Swagbucks usage and earnings, but if you meet both goals daily, you are guaranteed to get enough Swagbucks per month to earn one or two $5 gift cards.  (And this doesn't include all the Swagbucks racked up and money you earned meeting the goals, this is just bonus stuff!)

The Daily To-Do List  is 4 tasks that you get bonus Swagbucks for everyday, they are very simple: the Daily Crave is a link you click and for clicking certain links or checking out certain websites you earn 1 bonus Swagbuck (SB from now on), the SwagButton is an extension which you can and should install on your browser you not only get an automatic 1SB for installing it but it will also alert you to new Swagbucks codes to earn you even more Swagbucks, the Daily Poll is a multiple choice question that you get 1SB for answering, and the NOSO are a series of offers that you will get 2SB for simply clicking through (you hit "More Deals" to click through).  By performing the Daily To-Do List you can easily get 5 SBs every day.

Complete Offers

Just like all paid to complete offer sites, Swagbucks pays you to complete offers.  There are several offers on the home page--some free and others where you have to sign up for a subscription of some sort, make a donation, etc...  There are also several offers available under Discover->Special Offers. These Special Offers are broken up by TrialPay, RadiumOne, AdWall, SuperRewards, Peanut Labs, SponsorPay, RevU, Toro, and RadioLoyalty. (RadioLoyalty not so much being a "complete offers" situation but rather the opportunity to earn 5SB for every 30 min of internet radio you listen to.) These different paid to complete offers sources are commonly used throughout the various sites and people are known to have issues with ensuring that offers credit (often due to their browser settings or other issues), I find the Swagbucks Reddit helpful for getting advice on which offers are crediting, which are easy, and what info is needed.  I check out the Swagbucks Reddit daily for advice on which offers to complete.

Take Surveys

Taking online surveys is another way to make Swagbucks, although I tend to stay away from them because they are often more trouble/take up more time than they are worth.  Surveys can be found at Answer -> Surveys and Swagbucks does offer a few types of surveys. You can sign up for targeted e-mail surveys and get surveys sent to your e-mail.  There is also a daily survey worth 60SB, your personal survey dashboard for targeted surveys, and the gold surveys for even more highly targeted surveys.  If you are disqualified from a survey you will receive 1 SB (up to 5SB per day).

Shop Online

Like many paid to complete offers sites, Swagbucks has a feature to allow you to earn cash back (or really Swagbucks back) for shopping online at your numerous online retailers.  Swagbucks has complete transparency regarding how many Swagbucks you will get per dollar spent for each online shop and you can compare it with other Cash Back Shopping Sites to decide what will give you the best bang for your buck.

Search the Web

You can earn even more Swagbucks simply for searching the internet.  Either search through the Swagbutton, website, or make Swagbucks your default search on your browser and you will randomly earn Swagbucks for searching the internet.  Generally you earn 5 to 15 SBs for searches, but I have seen someone post on Reddit a screenshot showing he/she earned 49 SBs for an internet search.  Search rewards are all random, but it is an easy way to rack up extra Swagbucks.

Apps

One of the greatest things about Swagbucks that really distinguishes it from other paid to complete offer sites and allows for completely passive earnings is its series of apps that allow you to earn Swagbucks for playing videos on their apps.  The apps will continually run so you can literally leave your device going and it will earn Swagbucks for you.  (Note: Sometimes there are ads in between the videos that freeze or need to be x-ed out, occasionally check your phone or tablet to confirm.) Swagbucks has six (6) different video playing apps in which you can earn cash.  They are available for Android and iOS.  Below please find the available apps and how many Swagbucks per day you can earn with them:

• SBTV Mobile - 36 SB per day
• EntertaiNOW - 18 SB per day
• Lifestylz.tv - 18 SB per day
• Sport.ly - 18 SB per day
• Moviecli.ps - 18 SB per day (Android only for now)
• IndyMusic.tv - 18 SB per day (Android only for now)

Bonus App Trick: Favorite shorter videos and play them on loop to earn Swagbucks faster.  You can search the web for lists of the shortest videos per app (an excuse to use Swagbucks search!) but for example in the Garden section on SBTV Mobile and Lifestylz.tv have 10 second tips that you should favorite.

Watch Videos--Swagbucks TV

You can also earn with Swagbucks for watching videos on their site.  They have hundreds of videos to choose from on all different topics--pop culture, food, travel, politics, business, gardening, etc... You earn 3 SB for every 10 videos you watch.  You do not need to watch the entire video to receive credit for watching the video (typically you need to watch about 30 seconds to receive credit) and can check the SB Meter to see how many videos you have watched/need to watch to get Swagbucks.

Check Out Webpages

Swagbucks generally has three types of offers that will pay you to click links to check out websites, articles, or videos: Encrave, Jun Group, and nGage.  The amount of Swagbucks for these offers generally varies but is usually 1-4 SB for several different links/videos.  Jun Group and nGage offers are generally located on the homepage whereas Encrave offers can be found at Discover->Encrave.

Play Games

There are several free games that you can play on Swagbucks to earn more Swagbucks.  Generally you will earn 2SB for every game played and can earn a maximum of 10SB per day from playing games.  This is a quick and easy way to make some extra Swagbucks and hit your daily goal if you're just shy of it.

Coupons

Under Discover->Coupons, there are several coupons that you can print out and earn 10SB for each one that you use.

Contests

Swagbucks regularly runs contests allowing users to make more Swagbucks. There are team contests that you can sign up for and earn bonus Swagbucks based upon how your team does and there are also searching contests where you can earn Collector's Bills worth extra Swagbucks.  Follow the Swagbucks blog for more information on contests and how you can earn extra Swagbucks.

Referrals

Swagbucks will also give you Swagbucks for referring new members.  You will earn 10% of the SB earnings of every person you refer to sign up for Swagbucks provided they sign up with your referral link.

Rewards

Ok, now you're probably thinking, I've learned how to earn Swagbucks, but what do I get for them? Well that is simple you can either cash out Swagbucks for gift cards at various retailers, a prepaid Visa gift card, or cash deposited into a Paypal account.  Generally Swagbucks convert such that 500 SB = $5.  However, a $5 Amazon gift card is 450.  Therefore, to get the most bang for your buck, you should first redeem your Swagbucks for $5 Amazon gift cards.  Swagbucks limits you to only 5 types of gift cards per month (in other words once you have redeemed 5 $5 Amazon gift cards in one month, you can no longer redeem for $5 Amazon gift cards that month, but could redeem for other Amazon gift cards or other $5 gift cards).  Instead, what I do once I max out at my 5 $5 Amazon gift cards per month is redeem for Paypal cash.  The minimum for Paypal cash is $25 (2,500 SB).  So for my first 2,250 SB per month I cash out for $5 Amazon gift cards and after that I let my Swagbucks rack up and redeem for cash.  There are plenty of other rewards and gift cards available, but this is what works best for me.  I recommend not skipping the Amazon step, but you may decide to redeem faster for other gift cards to stores you use frequently if you don't want to wait for the cash or don't have a Paypal account.

BONUS SWAGBUCKS TIP: If you want to earn even more Swagbucks, sign up for Bing Rewards. With Bing Rewards you earn points for doing searches through Bing (up to 15 credits for PC searches and 10 credits for mobile searches per day) and they generally have 2-3 other links that you can click for even more credits.  Therefore, you can generally earn 28 credits per day and 840 credits per month.  For the same costs as a $5 gift card on Bing Rewards, you can get 500 Swagbucks.  You can then use 450 SBs for a $5 Amazon gift card and have a bonus 50 SBs towards your next give card.  Bing Rewards will also give you 100 credits for every member that you refer that reaches the "Silver Status."  Sign up for Bing Rewards by clicking this link.


If you're ready to start making money and getting free gift cards with Swagbucks, you can sign up here.

First InboxDollars Payout

InboxDollars is a great paid to complete offers site. I just requested my first payout from them & received a $5 bonus for doing so! Learn more here.

InstaGC

 

InstaGC is another paid to complete offers site in which you earn points that can be converted into gift cards or a check.  100 points = $1 and the minimum to cash out via check or gift cards is $1.00.  You can receive free gift cards from instaGC for popular retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Starbucks and more!

You earn points with InstaGC by completing tasks, doing offers, shopping online, listening to music, signing-up for trials, visiting websites, and watching videos.  You also earn points by referring new members to InstaGC.  For each new member you refer, you will earn 10 points as well as 10% of all of their earnings.

If you would like to start earning gift cards and cash, sign-up for InstaGC here.


My Thoughts/Experience:

One of the things I really like about InstaGC is how easy it is to earn points through watching videos and visiting sites.  There are many options to do this and you typically only earn 1-3 points per site or video, but unlike many other paid to complete offers, they are very quick, easy and credit in minutes.  InstaGC also tells you exactly what you need to do to receive credits (interact with the site for 30 seconds, watch the complete video, click a banner, etc...), this allows you to be certain that you're not wasting your time and will get credit.  I recently joined instaGC and have been racking up points and easily reached payout without worrying about offers that did not convert or getting through half a survey only to realize that I didn't meet their requirements--two of my biggest complaints/frustrations with typical paid to sign-up/paid to complete offers sites.

So far, I'm a big fan of InstaGC.  Have you joined? What are your thoughts?

Cash Crate

 

Cash Crate is one of the most popular "paid to complete offers" sites because many members have earned hundreds and even thousands of dollars from Cash Crate.  With Cash Crate, you earn money by completing offers, taking surveys, shopping online, watching videos, completing tasks, checking in on the site, and referring friends.  You can also earn points by playing games and completing other offers.  Points can be exchanged for gift cards and electronics like iPods, digital cameras, and video game systems.

Many of the Cash Crate offers are 100% free to sign up for and typically involve signing up for a survey program or free sample site.  One tip for getting credit for Cash Crate offers is to use a different e-mail address for each offer (often times Cash Crate offers are from the same company and most companies will only give you credit for one offer) and clear your cookies after each offer.  When you are completing surveys though be sure to use the e-mail address you signed up for Cash Crate with or else you likely won't get credit for them.

When you refer a new friend to Cash Crate you earn 20% of what they make and get a bonus $3 when they earn their first $10.  You can also increase the percentage you earn from your referrals by referring more members or reaching certain levels of earnings.

In addition to making money from offers and surveys, you can also earn 3 cents for checking in to the site everyday and you can earn cash or points for watching videos on Cash Crate.

Some of the sites that will give you cash back for shopping through Cash Crate include iTunes, Footlocker, Ice.com, Pet Smart, Open Sky, and Wal-Mart.

To start making money with Cash Crate, sign-up here.