Swag Bucks 101

A couple of Rules to keep in mind:

•Never, ever post an actual Swag Code anywhere. You can give hints or tell people where to look. But if you post the actual code, not only will it invalidate the code, but it could also get your Swag Bucks account closed.

•Only one Swag Bucks account per household. They will close all accounts if there is more than one for the same household.

What is Swag Bucks and how does it work?
SwagBucks.com is a website where you can earn Swag Bucks which are "digital dollars". There are many ways to earn them (see below) and they can be redeemed for products, gift cards, and more.

Top Ways to Earn Swag Bucks:

1. Search! This is by far the easiest and quickest way to earn Swag Bucks. I've been using their search engine exclusively for a few months now and I've found their search results to be completely on par with Google. They say it's best to search "naturally". You aren't more likely to win by searching an unusually high amount of times or by clicking on any of the results.

2. Download and use the Swag Bucks Toolbar. Definitely do this.  I don't like having too many toolbars, but having this one makes it so much easier to search and earn Swag Bucks.  Also, they provide codes from TSG (The Swag Guy) in messages in the toolbar. And even better! Now they've started giving 1 Swag Buck everyday just for opening your browser window! (As long as you have the toolbar.)

3. Referrals! Invite your family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances. Add the widget or banners to your website or Facebook page - they all contain your unique referral link. When someone signs up with your referral link and wins while searching - you win too! You get every Swag Buck they get while searching up to 1,000. That can add up really fast.

4. Special Offers. You can get varying amounts of Swag Bucks for completing a special offer. But even if you don't want to complete any of the special offers you can click on NOSO link on the left side of the page for their No Obligation Special Offers. Then just skip them all (unless there is something that interests you), once you've reached the last page you'll get 1 Swag Bucks. That's 1 Swag Buck every day for doing almost nothing.

5. Shop & Earn. If you're planning on buying something online anyway, take just a minute to check Swag Bucks first. If the store you're buying from is one of their partners then you get Swag Bucks for every dollar spent.

6. Trade in your old cell phones or video games. You can look up your old cell phone model and if it's on their list, print a pre-paid shipping label and trade-in receipt. Then send it in and you'll get Swag Bucks (amounts vary based on phone model). You can also earn Swag Bucks by trading in your old video games and systems (again amount varies depending on title or model).

7. Finding Swag Codes. Swag Bucks puts out Swag Codes all the time. Sometimes they're sent in a message in your toolbar. Sometimes they're posted on the Swag Bucks Blog (which I follow). Sometimes they do a Swag Hunt - they'll give you clues and you have to find it.

8. The Swidget. Add it to your website, blog, Facebook, etc. or you can just check the one at the right side of my blog. You can click the button that says SC-Swag Codes and then click on the blue button that says Check if there's a Swag Code. If there is a code available it'll tell you where to find it. Or sometimes they even have a code right in the widget.  I have not had any success getting the Swidget on Facebook, but I do have it on my blog.

9. Daily Polls. Every day Swag Bucks does a new poll. All you have to do is vote in the poll and you get 1 Swag Buck! Easy peasy. You can also submit a poll question idea and if yours is chosen you'll get 100 Swag Bucks!

10. Like them on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter. This is one of the best ways to find out if a code is available. If it's not Swag Bucks posting, then it'll be another follower announcing that a code is available. Plus they post the occasional code right on the page.

11. Send a photo or video of your prize. When you redeem Swag Bucks and receive your prize they'll give you 10 more Swag Bucks if you send them a photo or video of you getting your item.

12. Trusted Surveys. They've just added a new way to earn Swag Bucks. You can take surveys - amounts will vary. But you get 1 Swag Buck every day just for clicking opening the survey page. They have a bunch of Profile surveys and you can get 10-25 Swag Bucks for each one you complete.

13. Swagstakes. If you're the gambling type you can spend a small amount of Swag Bucks for a chance to win a large amount or other prizes.

14. Birthday Bucks. They've added another new feature. You get 50 Swag Bucks on your birthday every year! So make sure you enter your birthdate into your account details page.

15. (NEW) Coupons - Earn 10 Swag Bucks for every coupon you print and redeem at your local grocery store!  Will take up to 8-12 weeks after redemption for Swag Bucks to show in your account.

16. (NEW) Daily Deals - Find some great, limited-time deals from local and national retailers. Earn with every purchase!  They list Groupon and Living Social, which are two sites I've used quite a bit and have gotten some great deals.

17. (NEW) SwagBucks TV - Watch some humorous/informative videos and get bucks.  Usually after you watch about 5 videos, you'll get a box that you've earned 5 Swag Bucks.  Sometimes they'll also have some hidden codes under the title after you watch part of the video.

How to spend your Swag Bucks:

There are lots of options in The Swag Store. I almost exclusively use mine for $5 Amazon Gift Cards because that's where I've found that we get the most for my "bucks". With the $5 Amazon gift card: 90 Swag Bucks = $1. But, they also have lots of other products and gift cards to various places in different amounts. You can even have cash put directly into your Paypal account.