For many years I’ve earned free gift cards from a variety of websites and/or apps, and some even payout in PayPal credit or cash. The sites listed won’t make you rich, but they will provide you with some nice bonus freebies. So far this year I’ve earned over $250 in gift cards, not including redemptions I’ll be making later this year which will easily bring the total to over $350. I have no affiliation with these companies other than as a customer; I provide referral codes if applicable.
This is a Google survey app which notifies you when a survey is ready, and you earn Google Play credit for each survey completed. And we’re talking super-short surveys, and by that I mean one to three questions long, so very minimal time is needed. They recently added a new feature where they ask you to upload a receipt from a store you just visited. I’ve been earning $0.12 for each receipt submitted. If you visited the store but didn’t make a purchase, you can let them know that too and they’ll credit you $0.03.
I’ve been using this app for about a year now. Earlier this year I redeemed some of my credit for two eBooks combined with a coupon code offered by Google Books, so I paid nothing. My current balance is over $17 which I can use to purchase eBooks, movies, or apps in the Google Play Store.
Pros: Quick and easy to complete tasks, earn credit quickly.
Cons: Credit can only be used in the Google Play Store, balance expires one year from day earned.
Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension which searches for deals, coupon codes, and best prices while you shop. You don’t need to have a Capital One account to use it, simply install the extension and it does the work for you while you shop. You’ll see a Capital One Shopping pop-up box from time to time when it finds potential promo codes or cash back offers, and you can choose whether to activate those offers or not. I’ve only been using this for the past several months, and it has saved me money on multiple occasions. When you’ve earned $5 or more, you can redeem it for gift cards from big name retailers.
Pros: Easy to use, little to no effort required.
Cons: $5 minimum required to redeem rewards.
Fetch is a very easy and straightforward app which gives you points for each receipt you upload. Every receipt you submit is worth at least 25 points (equal to 2.5 cents in U.S. dollars), and sometimes more if you’ve bought particular products which are on promotion. When you reach 10,000 points, you can redeem them for a $10 gift card. If you decide to give Fetch a try, use referral code 1K5G7P and we’ll each receive 2000 bonus points, which is the equivalent of $2.
Pros: Easy to use, just take a photo of your receipts in the app.
Cons: 10,000 points minimum required to redeem for a $10 gift card.
Winwalk is an app that rewards you for walking. Unlike similar fitness apps which require location access, Winwalk uses the motion sensor in your phone to track your steps, so an internet connection is not required while walking and is easier on your phone’s battery life.
In addition to walking, you can earn points by completing other activities, such as taking surveys, playing games, and watching video ads. You’ll earn points much faster this way. I started using Winwalk a few months ago, and it has been very motivational in getting me to walk more, which I consider an even bigger win than the free gift card perk.
Pros: Easy to use, doesn’t require an internet connection to track steps, other ways to earn points besides walking.
Cons: 16,000 points minimum required to redeem for a $10 gift card, must carry your phone with you to track steps.
Ibotta is a shopping app which also offers a browser extension you can use while shopping on your computer. Unlike Fetch, Ibotta only accepts receipts from certain stores when you buy particular items they are promoting. Link a bank account to withdraw your earnings or use your earnings to get a gift card.
I only use the Ibotta app, and it took me a while to figure out. Now when I’m buying a name brand item, I check to see if there are any deals at the store where I plan to make the purchase. If so, I save the offer and submit my receipt after I’ve shopped. Occasionally they’ll offer small incentives for “any item,” such as any brand of eggs or coffee, but the big deals are all on name brands. If sales tend to suck you in, don’t look for Ibotta deals before you shop because you’ll just spend more. If you’re going to buy the product anyway, Ibotta may offer some cash back.
If you try Ibotta, use referral code KQPRHCT and we’ll each get bonus cash when you submit your first receipt.
Pros: Get paid via your bank account or gift card, earn cash back quickly if you buy a lot of name brand products.
Cons: $20 minimum required to cash out, not intuitive to use, learning curve.
Survey Junkie is what it sounds like - you take surveys to earn credit which can be redeemed for gift cards or paid out to your PayPal account. It’s simple and straightforward, and you can access surveys via their website or mobile app.
The one thing that irks me about Survey Junkie is I sometimes start a survey, not qualify because I didn’t meet their target group, and then not receive any credit for my time spent (many survey sites will at least give you partial credit.)
Pros: Easy to use, get paid via PayPal or gift card.
Cons: $5 minimum required to redeem rewards, no credit earned if you don’t qualify for the survey.
These are just a few of the many reward sites and apps available, which you can easily find by doing a website search. A downside to all of these is that in exchange for your participation, data is being collected about you and your shopping habits. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it! It takes time to earn a reward, but if you have some free moments and want an easy way to earn extra fun money, give it a try.
Very interesting & thorough, thank you! ☺️
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! :)
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