As most of my readers know, I’m a huge advocate of reward programs. They’re an awesome way to get things for free!
Over the last decade, I’ve gotten a LOT of gift cards from MyPoints. I’ve used these for all sorts of things: nearly-free massages (we only paid for part of the tips out of pocket), t-shirts offered through Amazon, food for our wedding, holiday gifts and more.
Swagbucks — my latest love — meant Tim got his PSP and iPhone absolutely free. It also recently got us some gummy supplements, which is the best way to ensure that we take our fiber.
And that’s not even getting into Inbox Dollars, Surveyhead and Mr. Rebates.
Point is, I’ve had a lot of success over the years. And it seems like I should provide some tips to anyone who is frustrated by slow progress. You can find similar pointers on my “Rewards Programs” page.
And, for the record, almost all of my points focus on how to get things without buying anything.
MyPoints
The key here is to keep track of all the new innovations the site comes up with. It’s recently introduced new, better ways to earn.
- Frog Pond: You check out a site, post a review of it, and get 10-25 points. This takes almost no time. The one annoyance right now is that the websites have changed over in the last couple of months. So it’s one of those opportunities that may be somewhat rare.
- Referral network: Once upon a time, you could refer people for a standard 250 points. It was sometimes doubled to 500 for short periods of time. The new system offers you fewer points upfront, but you get a percentage of the points your referrals earn. Arguably, this is a much more lucrative system — assuming you have some friends/family that are interested in joining up and staying active.
There are some other opportunities, though, that I wonder if people take seriously.
Homepage widget:
On the right-hand side, about halfway down the screen, you’ll see a multi-tabbed widget. On each tab is a “survey” that consists of one or two questions.
Really, these are portals to partner offers. But you don’t have to participate. Just answer the multiple choice question, then click through to confirm your 5-10 points. It takes almost no time and means a 30 to 50 point boost to your account.
They seem to refresh about once a week.
Toolbar:
You can install a toolbar and perform searches for points. You get 100 points just for downloading the toolbar. So, worst case scenario, you download it then uninstall. No fuss, no muss.
If you choose to do the searches, though, you can get up to 75 points a month. Some months the amount is doubled. Best of all, you only need to average one search a day to hit the maximum amount. The one note of caution: You have to click through a link for the search to credit.
Even if you don’t do the whole 30, you’ll get some points no matter what. It’s a tiered system, which means that you can get a few points just for doing a single search a month. Easy points, to say the least!
If you’re a Swagbucks user, just use the MyPoints once a day. Since I have to make sure Tim and I both get to 30 — and I inevitably forget for part of the month — I just do the Swagbucks search first. Then I do the same search in MyPoints so that I can click through. It takes an extra 10-20 seconds this way, but you only have to do it a few times to make up for days you forget.
Coupons:
Frugal folks should love this. You get points just for using coupons!
Just be sure to access coupons.com through the MyPoints site. Then print out and, for each one redeemed, you get 10 points. Redeem more than 10 a month and you get 25 extra points. That’s 125 points, if anyone’s counting; and there’s no cap on how many coupons you can be credited for.
Surveys:
There are a lot of places that you can perform surveys. Tim doesn’t actually like taking MyPoints surveys. So he answers in ways that will best ensure he doesn’t qualify. That means he gets 10 points for clicking a couple of times. Ingenious, I have to admit.
Email:
This is an old favorite, and I hope you’re all using it as much as you can. Sign up to get emails sent to your inbox. Click as many interests as you’re allowed in each category. That should ensure you get the maximum number of emails. Since each one is worth 5 points, you will see them add up quickly. (I get about 20 a week, so 100 points with no real effort.)
Even using minimal coupons, I get about 150-200 points a week. If I got to more surveys in time, it would probably be an extra 20 points a week, minimum. Add in searches and that’s 750-955 points a month. At that rate, you can get a $25 gift card about once every three months!
Swagbucks
This is a weirdly fun program. By “weirdly fun” I mean that winning Swagbucks randomly gets oddly addictive. I find myself getting far too excited about these awards. Similarly, swag codes start to feel like a skilled hunt. Perhaps I’m just too easily entertained.
Searches:
To get a proper number of Swagbucks, you should really just do your searches. When I want to go to any website, I enter it into the search box in my toolbar. I do this even when I know the address. It increases your odds of winning. Right now, I average a win 2-3 times a day. Some days are really lucky and we’ll get 4-5 wins. Just doing searches, you should earn enough for $5-10 in Amazon gift cards each month.
Swag codes:
Most days, the Swag Guy offers a swag code, usually on the blog or on Facebook. These can be worth anything from 3 to 15 SB. Lately, he’s shelling out at least two a day.
So how do you know when a swag code is out? Well, I’ve added a widget that allows you to check for codes. It’s underneath my sidebars.
Once you find it, click the “Swag Codes” button and the button “Check for Swag Code” appears. It will say whether there’s a swag code and, if there is, where you can find information about it. Check off and on throughout the day, and you should be able to locate them. (Hint: The Swag Guy is on the west coast, so it’s rare to have a Swag Code before 8 or 9 a.m. Pacific.)
You can also become a fan of Swagbucks on Facebook. Check that site to see if people are saying “Thanks TSG” or some variation thereof. If more than one person is thanking him, chances are, there is a swag code out there. I think just coming to my site is easier, since it tells you where to look; but I’m biased. And if there is a swag code hunt going on, definitely check Facebook for helpful hints from members.
Special Offers:
Click through the blue box on the Special Offers page. Then just click “no thanks” or “skip” on each one. After 5 or 6 offers, you’ll be notified of what you won. The most common denomination I’ve seen is 2 SB. But I once got 4. This takes literally 20 seconds, max. So it’s well worth your time.
Toolbar:
You won’t get anything for downloading the toolbar, but you can be randomly awarded for logging in. I’ve gotten 2 or 3 SBs, usually once a day.
Wall Offers:
I actually don’t participate in these. Too many are trial offers. But there are some small-ish award amounts that you can gain by signing up at websites, downloading free games, etc. You can get anywhere from 6-34 SBs doing one of these types of wall offers.
Referrals:
Of course, one of the best ways to rack up SBs quickly is to get referrals. (And you guys have been awesome in letting me refer you!) You get a matching SB for each one your referrals earn — up to 1000. ‘Nuff said.
If you haven’t already joined, click here to get started.
Surveyhead
This is an awesome little program. You fill out a profile, which you get paid for. Then go to the dashboard to see which surveys are available. Here you’ll also find out your chances of qualifying. That’s important when choosing what to prioritize. After all, there are a lot of other people taking surveys, and the one you’d have qualified for could fill up while you’re shooting for another, higher dollar amount!
Be aware that this site can be hit or miss. There will be days when you don’t qualify for any surveys. (Am I the only one who feels overly rejected after 4 or 5 companies don’t want me?) But most days you should be able to get at least one.
The dollar amounts vary, though it’s rarely less than $1. You’ll usually see at least one $2 survey each day. Sometimes they’re much higher. Yesterday, I got a $5 survey and a $4 one. I was thrilled! Of course, that’s not the norm. I usually get $1-2 a day. Some days it’s $3-4.
Maybe $1-2 a day doesn’t sound so great. But if you’re checking the site most days, you should be able to cash out once a month. That’s a minimum of $25 extra each month. I think that’s pretty cool!
The great thing is that I can take these surveys while working on other projects. So it’s not really taking up much of my time. I’ve never had a survey time out, so even a distraction won’t disqualify you.
It’s also important that you try for most of the surveys, no matter what the odds are. The $9 I got yesterday were from surveys I had a 25 percent chance of qualifying for. So it just goes to show that you should be thorough whenever possible.
The one drawback of this site, I think, is that it can take a good chunk of time for rewards to process. Amounts can be pending for more than two weeks, and your payment requests can take over a month. That was pretty frustrating, but it’s free money. So I try not to grumble too much.
If you haven’t signed up yet, click here to get started.
Inbox Dollars
Actually, I’ve probably had the least success with this site, even though it’s a pretty great little program.
Emails:
I always click through their emails. It’s only two cents per email, but it adds up — especially for something that takes a maximum of two clicks. I get 2-5 a day. It varies a lot. But I’d say I get around 20 a week, minimum. Just be sure to fill out the maximum number of interests in each section.
Surveys:
This is the best chance to make the easy, free money. Frankly, I get surveyed-out over at Surveyhead, which is why it takes me so long to earn. Given that each survey is worth between 50 cents – $1, you should be able to request a payment ($30 minimum) in less than two months. One month if you’re really diligent about surveys.
Referrals:
Honestly, you don’t make a ton off referrals. It’s a percentage of a reward from the person you referred. (It doesn’t affect how much your referrals get, don’t worry.) So it’s usually under 25 cents. Still, it’s free money. And every little bit helps. Given that you get a percentage for the life of your referrals’ activity.
If you haven’t signed up yet, click here and get started.
Mr. Rebates
This, like other cash-back programs, is all about spending. So this isn’t one of those “get free stuff” opportunities. However, if you’re going to be shopping online, it’s money you wouldn’t otherwise get back.
Shopping:
If you’re going to buy, just go to the site and click through its portal to the store. That way, the company gets a percentage of what you spend, and it passes some of that money on to you. Everyone is happy!
Also be sure that you save the confirmation email from the store. After a purchase, you will receive a confirmation from the store. Save this, preferably in its own folder. On the off-chance that your transaction doesn’t credit (I have had this happen only once) you need the contents of the email because customer support will request it.
Finally, each and every time you go to buy something online check the site! There have been a few times now that I have bought something, and then found out I could have gotten money back. For example, my mom signed up for GoDaddy through Mr. Rebates… about a month after I bought directly from the site. Grrr!
By the way, don’t forget to comparison shop the cash-back sites. The amounts/percentages can vary, so checking competing sites is the best way to ensure the best deal. Other sites of note are Cashbaq, Ebates, and Fat Wallet. (For the record, though, Mr. Rebates keeps having the highest amount back, in my experience.)
Referrals:
Another way to make money from these programs is (no surprise) referrals. On Mr. Rebates, whatever rewards your referrals get, you get an amount equal to 20 percent. (In other words, it doesn’t affect your referrals’ earnings at all.)
At Cashbaq, you get 10 percent of what your friends make, 5 percent of what their friends make, and 2 percent of their friends make. Complicated, but pretty rewarding.
Ebates offers you $5 per referral. Far more simple and certainly more immediate gratification. On the other hand, you don’t get anything more as your referrals spend.
Caity says
Swagbucks used to be a lot more fun, IMO. It makes me so mad that they changed the point system, which basically gives fractional amounts of the previous values… sigh… free money is free money!
On MyPoints, I always check which prize has the highest $ per point ratio — I have 5600 pts right now, an am saving up to the $100 gift card level since that's the best deal for my points 🙂
Abigail says
I wasn't in love with the new points system, but on the other hand, I've been noticing that points are easier to get.
You now get randomly awarded 2-3 SBs for the toolbar (at least once a day, sometimes 3 or 4), which never happened before. And you get 2 SB/day for doing the special offers. I know 10 is the same as an old 1 SB, so technically these are small amounts. But you could only get 1 SB a week with the special offers. You get more than that with the new system.
And now a lot of swagcodes are worth more than 10 — usually 14 or 15 so we're getting more bang for our (swag)buck in a lot of ways. I think it just takes getting used to.
And about MyPoints, I agree. I never cash out for less than $25. I usually try to make it to $50. Depending on how long I have to save for my goal, I do sometimes shoot for the $100 GCs. It just depends on the circumstances.
Mrs. Accountability says
I always go to http://www.evreward.com because that lists all the reward sites. Mr. Rebates isn't always the best percentage back, sometimes ebates.com is better. I didn't know about a couple of the others you mentioned, but like you have used MyPoints forever – like over a decade. Unfortunately I was much more dedicated at clicking on those emails when I wasn't working…
Abigail says
Well, good to know that Ebates is sometimes better. For the purposes I've used (RedEnvelope — using Swagbuck GCs natch — and The Body Shop and the like) the percent is always higher. But, like I said, it's always imperative to comparison shop the percentages!
As for the emails, yeah they can bunch up really easily. I usually try to just do a whole bunch at once. Maybe you can just do it once a week?
Mrs. Accountability says
Oh, and I was going to say, I am so tired of swagbucks. Before you said you don't log in right away. But now it says "you *could* be earning points". So now do you have to have to sign in, in order to know if you have earned points? I never remember to do it at home because my son fusses at me for messing around with it (wasting time, in his opinion) instead of going straight to google. On the other hand, you seem to be VERY successful at it. Great work.
Abigail says
Yes, unfortunately, they caught on to folks like me who didn't log in. So now you have to. Though sometimes I'll forget and, when the reminder pops up and I log in, I'll win anyway. Which is always nice.
Now, though, you'll randomly be awarded a few SBs sometimes when you log in. Given how often I end up closing the browser and such, I usually get two or three a day. So about 6 SBs a day just from that.
You know, Swagbucks search results are nearly identical to Google results. So there's really no reason why you need to go to Google over a rewards site. And isn't it funny how spoiled we've all become about speed? I recently was complaining about how SLOW my mom's old computer was. It took, like, THIRTY SECONDS sometimes to load a screen. Then I stopped and laughed at how ridiculously snotty that sounded.
Mrs. Accountability says
Maybe it has something to do with what one is searching for, because when I go to swagbucks and search, it seems like there are sites that have paid to be listed, or sites that are selling me something. Much of the time, I am researching and I don't want to buy linoleum, for example, I want to know how to lay a certain kind. I do see that there are some similar results to Google but Google just seems more forthright with what I want. You can delete these non-loving the swagbucks comments if they are messing up the love. 😉