If you have spent any amount of time on Couponing to Disney, or our Facebook group the SavEars, chances are you have heard the words “Swagbucks”, ‘swagging”, and “SBs” more times than you can count. Swagbucks is one of the most popular earning methods of blog readers and FB participants. The FB group has a whole daily thread devoted JUST to Swagbucks. Our fearless leader, Kristin Cooper, loves Swagbucks so much she even visited their headquarters when she was in California.
Kristin Cooper and Mr. S.W. Bucks
And here is my dirty little secret.
I was a blog reader for TWO YEARS before I tried Swagbucks.
I know, I know, the shame. But here’s the deal: I didn’t fully understand Swagbucks. I knew it was a survey site, but I had been burned by survey sites before and no amount of other readers showing the Disney gift cards they bought with their SB earnings could change my mind.
So what did change my mind?
My family moved across the country for my husband’s job, leaving behind sunshine, our friends, and my convenient and well paying part time job. We are a one salary household, but that very very part time job is what paid for vacations, going out to dinner, the movies etc. Now I found myself alone and cold, in a Midwest winter, with no money and some time on my hands while my husband was at work and my kids napped. So I thought, “I’ll give Swagbucks a try, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Cut to today. For my Girls Trip in September 2019, I saved $1326.44 in seven months. You can check out this post for charts, graphs, and other assorted number crunching, but my biggest earner was Swagbucks. In seven months I earned $300 on Swagbucks, for 22.6% of my total earnings. That averages to a little over $40 a month. $300 covered my park ticket to Epcot for the International Food & Wine Festival, my ticket to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, my very fancy meal at Storybook Dining with Snow White, and at least one Mickey Bar.
So before I get into the how and the why of Swagucks, know that I get it if you’re like, “that might work for some people, but it just won’t work for me.” I used to think the same thing. But now it’s helping fund my Disney vacations. Let’s talk about how.
At it’s most basic definition, Swagbucks is an earning site that allows you to complete online activities in exchange for Swagbucks, also known as SBs. Those SBs can then be redeemed for Digital gift cards or PayPal payments. But there is a reason Swagbucks is so popular and it’s this: other sites do one thing really well, but Swagbucks gives you more earning options than any of them.
- Surveys: When you join Swagbucks, you will fill out a profile. You’ll then be offered surveys based on that profile. Surveys range from 2 sbs for 1 minute surveys to 2,000 sbs (that’s $20) for 60+ minutes. Each survey will have a time estimate attached, so you can decide if you want to spend your time on it.
Real talk: Okay, the surveys sometimes get a bad rap because it is possible to get disqualified if your screening answers don’t match the demographic the survey is looking for. BUT. As much as it’s not for some people, I swear by the surveys. I literally did one last night that paid $2 for 15 minutes of me giving my opinion about a new doll on the market. Are you going to get rich on surveys? Probably not. But are they going to make you money than 20 minutes spent watching tv? Most definitely. Speaking of tv, let’s talk about…
- Watching Videos: This is a very popular way to earn because it entails no involvement from you. You can let videos run on your computer and earn SB for it. It’s similar to Dabbl, but without the questions at the end.
Real talk: This is not my fave way of earning SBs. My computer likes to fight with the auto run and it has always been more trouble to me than it was worth. But that’s the great thing about Swagbucks. There are a TON of options for earning and making the site work for you.
- Shopping: Do you love sites like Rakuten that give you a percentage back of whatever you spend when you shop through them? Guess what? Swagbucks does that, too! A popular, and VERY easy, way to earn SBs is to shop through Swagbucks. If you’re buying things online anyway, why not earn some SBs for it?
Real talk: While some stores credit right away, it’s been known for one or two shopping trips to take a little longer to credit. Just something to know if you’re expecting the cash back right that second. Like other shopping sites, the trip will need to be verified, etc.
- Offers: This is incredibly popular with the SavEars. There will be high point offers to try a good or service. Many times it comes in the form of subscribing to something, like Hulu, and sometimes it comes in the form of purchasing something and getting the cost of what you purchased plus a reward SB back. This works great thing you were already going to do, like subscribe to a streaming network or try a new grocery delivery service.
Real talk: I know some folks make some good money with this feature on SB. My husband did an offer for Harry’s Shavebox that earned him like 500 sbs and he got a free shave kit. I don’t know how he did it, he’s some kind of wizard. But like I said, some people swear by this method. You just have to be ready to read the fine print and make sure you’re checking all the boxes and then let the SBs roll in.
- Product Testing: If you love Pinecone Research, this one is for you! Occasionally in the surveys, you will come upon one that asks if you would like to test a product that would be sent to your home. You will often get SBs for completing the qualifying survey and then additional SBs after you use the product and give your opinion.
Real Talk: This is where I shine. I do not know why I am often chosen for product testing, but chosen I am. Diapers, wipes, mascara, almond milk, and an app. What do all these things have in common? In the past 12 months I was paid to try them and give my opinion. The only downside to having someone send you a product for free, let you keep it, and then pay you to talk about it is that with product testing there is often a delayed payout. But sometimes that’s nice, because I’ll log onto my account and be like, “hey, where did those 1500 sbs come from?” You only get Product Testing offers if you take surveys, though. So this is what I mean when I say surveys are worth it.
Now if you’ve made is this far (great job!) and you’re intrigued but you’re also like, “this seems like a lot to navigate”, we have got you covered. Kristin Cooper, Swagbucks Queen, has written a FREE email tutorial to help you get started. It will walk you through the ins and outs of the site and help you establish an earning pattern that works for you. Sign up for Kristin’s free email tutorial here.
And since you’re signing up for things, why not sign up for Swagbucks? If you use Kristin’s referral and enter the code SAVEARS, you’ll get a FREE 70 SBs to start you off. A tutorial and free SBs? You are on your way to those gift cards! And don’t forget, there’s posts on the blog to help you figure out the best way to turn the gift cards you earn on Swagbucks into Disney money or the best new ways to earn with Swagbucks. The blog is constantly being updated with info to help you get to Disney.
Here’s the thing about Swagbucks. Like other earning sites and apps, it might not be for everyone. But unlike any other site or app, it has a variety of ways to help you earn so there there is a higher chance that at least ONE of these earning methods might be for you.
The trick with Swagbucks, like every earning app and site, is to pace yourself. You are not going to earn $300 in one day. But why not use the 20 minutes you’re waiting for your kid in the pickup line for something more beneficial than scrolling Instagram? I set myself a timer on Swagbucks. This is the amount of time I have to do this today, and if I haven’t gotten a high paying survey or earned my goal in that time frame, then that’s that. I’ll try again tomorrow. You don’t have to be chained to your computer or phone to do well with Swagbucks. Make it work for you. If I, the biggest skeptic, could do it, so can you.
Okay, just between us, have you hesitated signing up for Swagbucks like I did? What’s holding you back? What would you spend your gift cards on?
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!