Swagbucks is one of the biggest and most popular survey and GPT sites (Get-Paid-To). But being a big company is not always a sign of quality.
So is Swagbucks legit and really a great free way to make money online, or a scam to stay away from?
I have used the platform for several years myself, and let me just reveal right away that it is legit, and I have been paid for it many times myself (you can find payment proof below).
However, it is not necessarily a site for all, and in this 2026 Swagbucks review, I will give you all the details about what the site has to offer, what you can expect, and what to be aware of so you have all the information you need to decide whether it is the right site for you or not.
I will also show you how to get a great joining bonus if you decide to join.
Disclosure: Some articles on this website contain affiliate/sponsored links. Click for more info.
- What is Swagbucks, and what does it offer?
- Option 1 – Swagbucks Paid Surveys
- Option 2 – Cash Back When Shopping
- Option 3 – Searching the Web
- Option 4 – Watch Videos
- Option 5 – Earn by Playing Swagbucks Games
- Option 6 – Deals/Offers
- Option 7 – Upload Receipts / In-store Deals
- Option 7 – Invite Friends
- Option 8 – Daily Goal Bonus
- Option 9 – Daily To-Do List Bonus
- Option 10 – Free Points with Swagcodes
- Option 11 – Get free SB on Your Birthday
- Option 12 – Free Contests and Swagstakes
- Option 13 – Swagbucks Trivia for Money
- Option 14 – Get a Great Joining Bonus
- Swagbutton – Swagbucks Chrome Extension
- Swagbucks membership levels
- Can you use Swagbucks on a phone?
- How do you get paid?
- How much money can you make?
- Can your points expire?
- Who can join Swagbucks?
- Swagbucks complaints?
- Can you get support?
- Final Verdict
- How to sign up for Swagbucks and get your joining bonus?
What is Swagbucks, and what does it offer?
Swagbucks is owned by Prodege, which is a provider of digital services, including reward portals like Swagbucks.
It now has millions of registered users, so it is definitely one of the biggest and most popular rewards sites out there. At the time of updating this Swagbucks review, it has paid out millions of dollars in cash and gift cards.
So let me, right away, make it clear that Swagbucks is legit and it actually does pay – I have been paid many times by it myself and will also show you Swagbucks payment proof later in this review.
It has a lot of opportunities and ways to earn – just be aware that not all of them are available in all countries, but I will explain more about that later. But let's look into exactly what it offers so you can see if it is for you or not, as it is important to do it with the right expectations.
I have made a video that gives you a full guided tour and explains exactly how it works. In the video, you can also see how to withdraw and see payment proof. You can also read all the details below the video.
Click to Join Swagbucks and Get Your joining bonus
Option 1 – Swagbucks Paid Surveys
I personally think paid surveys are a great way to make some extra money and have your opinion heard at the same time, and Swagbucks surveys are one of the best ways to earn on the platform, in my experience.
Usually, there will be many daily opportunities. Because Swagbucks has so many members, it is also a popular platform for companies that need to have surveys done, and that will lead to a good amount of survey opportunities.
When you log in to the site, it might not be clear right away where to find the surveys. Contrary to most of the sites that offer paid surveys, Swagbucks does not have a section that is called “surveys”. The section where you find the surveys is called “Answer” instead.
In this section, you can also find the daily poll. It is a short question that will only take a few seconds to answer, and you will get paid to participate.
Like with most other survey sites, you just have to be aware that you will not be able to qualify for every survey that is offered. That is just how it is with survey sites, but it can be good to be reminded about once in a while, not to give up after having tried a couple of surveys that we do not qualify for.
There will definitely be many you qualify for, and after a while, you will figure out what type you most often qualify for, and then you just focus on trying out those.
And Swagbucks offers a very good number of paid surveys, and it is a section on the site that is definitely worth checking out.
You can also see the reward you will get for each survey, and the estimated time (see image above) it will take to complete, which makes it easy to plan your time in the best possible way.
Be aware that you can also, at times, find what is called “Swag Ups” in the side menu. These are bonuses you can activate that will give you a certain percentage of bonuses for the surveys you take for a certain period.
These are great to keep an eye on, as they can boost your earnings.
Option 2 – Cash Back When Shopping
Swagbucks has a cooperation with a long list of companies, where you will earn Swagbucks rewards (called SB = Swag Bucks) when you shop online.
This applies to thousands of online stores and includes brands like Gap, Nike, Amazon, and Walmart, so if you ever do online shopping, you will likely find some familiar stores here. And there is also cash back for services and different local activities, depending on where you live.
The cashback you will get is between 1%-50%. Luckily, most companies give more than 1%, and you can make some good deals this way.
So, if you like to do some of your shopping online anyway, doing it through Swagbucks' shopping portal can be a great and fast way to earn rewards and, that way, make some good online deals.
Be aware that the pictures below are just a few examples, and the offers are updated all the time, so the exact deals shown in the picture might not be available when you go to the website, but then there will be plenty of others.
If you are interested in the Swagbucks cashback option, make sure to also check out the part about the Swagbutton (Swagbucks Chrome extension) later in this review. This is very useful for keeping up-to-date on the online savings you can get.
Overall, if you ever do online shopping, it can be worth joining Swagbucks just for this option, as you will then earn while spending money you are going to spend anyway.
Also, one of the newer options Swagbucks has introduced in some countries is in-store cashback offers.
This means that if you link a card to your Swagbucks account, then you will automatically earn cash back every time you shop at selected stores with that card.
There are not many sites that offer in-store cashback offers like this, and it is a great way to earn a bit extra without any effort, in my opinion.
However, you need to be aware that in some countries, you will find very few cashback offers, while in others, there will be a lot of options. So whether this is a great opportunity for you or not depends on your country.
Option 3 – Searching the Web
Swagbucks Search Engine is a section where you can search online. It also has it as an extension for Chrome browsers. If you are using this, you will get a chance to win rewards every time you search.
If you win, you will see it immediately on the screen. You can win between 1-1000 SB, and the winners are picked randomly. It does not say anything about how big the chances are of winning, but Swagbucks is making it clear that they will not use any search information to sell your information or collect personal information.
So, if you are searching the web anyway (as we probably all are), it might be worth giving it a try.
Option 4 – Watch Videos
You can earn some rewards by watching videos on Swagbucks.
Let me say right away that there is not a lot you can make from this. Also, they used to have a separate section for this, but that has been removed, and for that reason, many people think you can no longer earn by watching videos on Swagbucks.
But you still can, but you have to go to the “Discover” section and find the videos on one of the offerwalls (Adscend Media is one of the offerwalls that has this option).
Overall, you should, however, not use this feature only for the money, but only if you find the videos interesting anyway, in my opinion, as the rewards are very low.
But if you find videos you would like to watch anyway, then why not get paid a little to do it?
Option 5 – Earn by Playing Swagbucks Games
There are a couple of ways to earn rewards by playing games. One is to play one of Swagbucks' free games, and the other is to play a game on an external site.
Swagbucks has a few games you can play on their site, and win up to 10 SB by playing. It is, for example, a memory game or similar, nice little games.
The games on external sites are also games you can mostly play for free, or you can choose to play real cash games. It is, for example, games like playing slots, poker, Wheel of Fortune, Angry Birds, and more. You will, however, only earn SB if you make in-game purchases while playing. So it is more of a cash-back option you get here.
But if you like playing these games anyway, it can be a great way to get some cash back for purchases you would have made anyway.
Option 6 – Deals/Offers
Swagbucks has a decent number of deals you can access. You can find them in the section they call “Discover”.
It mainly offers deals that are more or less only available through Swagbucks. And if you keep an eye on them, you can find some amazing deals and make some really easy money. Let me give you an example of the kind of deals you can find there.
The image above shows a service you can sign up for. By signing up and depositing $5, you will get another $5 into the investment app you will sign up for. In addition to this, you will get 1000 SB as a bonus for signing up. That is equivalent to $10.
So by investing $5, you will get $10 to invest in the app + $10 into your Swagbucks account.
As for offers, this is where you will get points for taking a certain action. It can be to sign up for a certain website or service, visit a website, download an app, sign up for a free product sample, sign up for a newsletter, etc.
Swagbucks used to have a really good selection, but it has since been significantly reduced, so you won't find that many opportunities here anymore. But how many you will find depends on the country you live in.
One offer I found was this charity you can donate to.
Here you will get $25 into your Swagbucks account as a bonus if you donate $20 to the charity, so you basically earn $5 by making a positive difference and donating to a charity. That is, in my opinion, a great deal.
Be aware that new offers come and go all the time. So, the above is just an example I found.
The exact offers might be different for you, but as you can see, there are some really good opportunities and easy ways to make money by using the offers.
Option 7 – Upload Receipts / In-store Deals
Also, you can find in-store deals and get access to coupons on Swagbucks, which is something I have not seen on many GPT sites.
This means that you can get coupons that you can use in-store in a lot of different stores.
When you use these to buy certain items, you will get cashback into your Swagbucks account.
They also have the opportunity for you to earn by buying certain items in physical stores and then uploading a receipt to Swagbucks and earning cashback rewards like this.
Some of the rewards for this are quite high, and new items are added all the time, and it is items you are likely going to buy anyway, like coffee, magazines, cereals, bread, mayo, and a lot more.
So it can definitely be worth keeping an eye on this section, as it can be an easy way to save a lot of money when saving.
If you do not buy any of the items listed, you can still earn just by uploading any receipt for a shopping trip to a grocery store, or if you have bought fast food.
Just be aware that this is also one of the earning options that is not available in all countries.
Option 7 – Invite Friends
You can invite your friends to join Swagbucks, and that way, make a bit extra. If you invite somebody to join, you will get a 10% commission on everything they earn.
This 10 % will not be taken from your friends' rewards, but will be paid by Swagbucks as thanks for inviting somebody else to join.
Option 8 – Daily Goal Bonus
By having a certain activity on Swagbucks, you can earn a bonus. Once you are logged in, you can see what the daily goal of earnings is to fulfill the daily goal that day.
If you do this several days in a row, you will get a bonus depending on how long a streak you have. 7 days will give you 25 SB, 14 days 100 SB, 21 days 200 SB, and 31 days 300 SB. So that can be a nice little bonus to go for if you are using Swagbucks every day.
Option 9 – Daily To-Do List Bonus
You can not only get a daily bonus by getting the goal bonus. Swagbucks also shows you a daily to-do list. If you complete this, you will get a bonus that day.
There are 8 items on the list, as you can see in the image above. If you complete 6 of these items, you will get a 4 SB bonus. If you complete all 8 items, you will get an even higher bonus.
Option 10 – Free Points with Swagcodes
Quite often, there are codes or special offers posted on the Swagbucks Facebook page or other social media channels.
These codes will get you free SB, so it can be a good idea to keep an eye on the social media channels for some free rewards.
The codes will not give huge rewards, but they will also only take a few seconds to do, so it can still be worth using this option.
Option 11 – Get free SB on Your Birthday
On your birthday, you will receive 55 SB for free through email. This amount will be given as a rebate if you redeem a reward within 30 days after your birthday.
So to get this birthday gift, you have to click the link you get sent by email and then make sure to redeem a reward within 30 days.
Option 12 – Free Contests and Swagstakes
Swagbucks regularly runs contests. Some of them are announced on their blog, and others you can find after you log in to the site. Most of these are free to participate in.
You can, however, also find contests on Swagbucks that you have to use your SB to participate in – these are called Swagstakes.
It can, for example, be a contest for $250 where you have to pay 2 cents. There are also contests like this to win things like coffee machines, AirPods, PayPal cash, and more.
So if you feel lucky, these contests can be a chance to win some great rewards.
Option 13 – Swagbucks Trivia for Money
Swagbucks has a separate app called Swagbucks Trivia for money.
You need to create a separate account for this, but since it is still the same brand name, I wanted to include it here.
Here, you can participate in daily quizzes and potentially earn very big cash rewards.
Just be aware that this app is not available in all countries, so even though you might be able to join Swagbucks itself, you might not be able to use this app.
But if you can join it from your country, it can be a fun way to potentially win great prizes.
Option 14 – Get a Great Joining Bonus
Usually, you do not get a cash joining bonus on Swagbucks.
But because I have this website, I have been able to get an invitation link that will give you a $5 joining bonus by using the link below. You will get the bonus once you have earned your first 2500 points.
Not only that, but you will also get an extra $10 into your Swagbucks account if you join through the link below, if you decide to use Swagbucks' shopping portal. The first time you purchase something through the shopping portal, you will get $10 into your account.
However, be aware that the $5 joining bonus is only available if you live in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France, or Spain, since these are the countries where Swagbucks has the most opportunities. And the shopping bonus is usually only for the UK and the US.
In all other countries, you can still get a Swagbucks joining bonus through my invitation link. However, the bonus will then instead be $3, and you will get these after you have earned your first $3 – it just has to be within the first 30 days after joining, and you earn these points.
Overall, this is a great way to get some free cash from the beginning, no matter the country you live in.
Like any other legit survey site, Swagbucks is free to join and use.
Click to Join Swagbucks and Get Your joining bonus
Swagbutton – Swagbucks Chrome Extension
An extra thing Swagbucks offers is the Swagbutton, which is Swagbucks' Chrome extension. It can be very useful if you would like to get some good savings when shopping online and get access to coupon codes that can save you a lot of money.
Once you have installed the Swagbutton, you will automatically get an alert in your Chrome browser when there is a new coupon code and cash back offer available on Swagbucks.
The Swagbutton also makes it possible for you to easily see if the site you are on has any coupons or deals.
When you make your first purchase and get cash back through the Swagbutton, you will get a $10 bonus. So if you like shopping online, it can definitely be a great way to get some savings by having this Chrome extension installed.
You can also watch movie trailers, small video clips, and more through the Chrome extension, and it can help you earn extra Swagbucks while surfing the web.
You also get exclusive Swag Codes with free points when you use the Swagbutton.
It is very easy to install and use the Swagbutton. Once you have registered for Swagbucks on the website (see link at the bottom of this review), you can just go to the Chrome store and search for the Swagbucks extension.
It is free to install, and once you have installed it, all you need to do it to activate the Swagbutton in your browser, and you will be able to start using it.
Swagbucks membership levels
As something fairly new, Swagbucks has introduced membership levels. You will level up just by being active on the platform.
You have to apply once you are logged in, and you can apply once you have earned 250 SB or more. They call it their membership recognition program, and it is a way to reward you if you are a long-term active member.
There are 10 levels of membership, starting at Pearl and all the way up to Diamond.
With each level, you get certain benefits, like free points, more rewards for surveys, rebates on rewards, and more. Once you get to the highest level, you can get some great benefits.
At this level, you, for example, get a one-time bonus of $250 and double rewards for the next 3 surveys + some additional benefits, as you can see in the image above.
To get to this level, you, however, have to earn a total of 2,000,000 SB, so it will take some time to get there.
But the first few levels are quite easy to reach, and with continuous effort, you can also get to the highest level, and it does not take extra effort in addition to just using Swagbucks, so it is a great extra reward to get for your loyalty, in my opinion.
Just be aware that this Membership Recognition Program is currently only available in the US, Canada, England, and Australia, even though Swagbucks itself is available in more countries (more about the available countries later).
Can you use Swagbucks on a phone?
Once you have signed up for Swagbucks, you can download the Swagbucks app if you like using the platform on the go.
It is available for Android, iPhone, iPod, and iPad/tablets. It, in general, runs best on newer devices, but usually, it can be used if the device is less than 2-3 years old.
Using a survey and a GPT site that has an app makes it a lot easier to earn, as you can do it on the go. I often do it when I am waiting in line, waiting for a friend, or when I have a few minutes to spare, etc. Therefore, it is great to use sites that are available on the phone and that have an app.
Using the Swagbucks app also has the advantage that you will be able to see offers in your local area and, thereby, in some cases, earn when you eat or shop locally.
You just need to be aware that the full app is not available in all countries, so do not be alarmed if it is not available in your country; then you can just earn through the website instead.
In some countries, there is also just a limited version of the Swagbucks app available, where you will only get access to the surveys and not the other earning opportunities (called SB Answer).
How do you get paid?
You get paid in SB (Swag Bucks), which are Swagbucks points, every time you do an activity.
These SB can then be exchanged into Swagbucks rewards – They have a big variety of gift cards, cash through PayPal, or sweepstakes, you can choose from.
In general, 100 SB is worth $1. Sometimes, there are, however, gift cards with discounts, so you, for example, only have to spend 1900 SB to get a gift card worth $25.
If you want to get paid through PayPal, the payout threshold can vary from country to country, but in general, it is only around $5/$5/€5, depending on the country you live in, so it is a nice low threshold.
But you can redeem your rewards even earlier for many other rewards, and you can find gift cards you can get as soon as you have earned 100 SB in some countries.
Compared to many other survey sites, Swagbucks has a really good selection of gift cards.
You can, for example, get gift cards for Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, iTunes, hotels, airlines, and much more. So, it should not be difficult to find a way to redeem the rewards for something that suits you.
The sweepstakes (which are called Swagstakes) are another way you can spend your SB. Here, you can, for a small number of points, buy entries into different sweepstakes, and that way, have a chance to win a bigger prize.
Some of them are time-restricted, and others have a very limited number of entries, so if you keep an eye on the sweepstakes section, there can be some good chances to win some extra rewards.
As mentioned earlier, I have been paid by Swagbucks many times myself, and below you can find a video with Swagbucks payment proof so you can see for yourself and see exactly how to withdraw.
Click to Join Swagbucks Yourself
How much money can you make?
As with any other survey site or online rewards site, this is the big question. But unfortunately, also one that is impossible to give a specific answer to. It depends on so many different things.
How much time are you willing to spend, how many of the opportunities are you interested in using, where do you live, and many more factors.
A general thing that can, however, be said about survey sites and sites like Swagbucks is that they will not make you rich. So you should not join with that as the goal.
Swagbucks does, however, give very good opportunities to make some nice extra cash or get some extra rewards depending on your preferences.
Personally, I like the survey part of it, as I, in general, think surveys are a great way to make a bit extra and have my opinion heard. But Swagbucks offers many other great ways to earn, and as you have shown earlier in this review, some of the methods can be a very easy way to earn, and it has great bonuses and offers that can really boost your earnings.
Swagbucks, in general, has good earning potential compared to many similar sites, and it is one of the biggest and most popular sites in the world because of the many opportunities it offers.
And if you like to do shopping online, Swagbucks can give you some huge savings if you do your shopping here, and it also has a great daily activity bonus.
Can your points expire?
Yes, your points can expire at Swagbucks. If you have not logged in to your account and made any points or redeemed any rewards for 6 months, then your account will become inactive. The points (SB) you earn will expire after 2 years from the day you earn them.
I assume that most people would want to get their rewards out sooner anyway, but if you like collecting as many points as possible before cashing out, just be aware that they can expire if you wait too long.
Who can join Swagbucks?
Swagbucks used to only be available in very few countries. But it has now opened up, and it is now possible to join from more or less from all countries.
However, in many countries, it will still have limited options.
So, to get any really good options and be sure you can get access to all the opportunities explained earlier in this review, you have to live in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or Germany.
In theory, you can also join from India, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the UAE, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, France, and many other countries.
But in these countries, it is still quite limited how many options you will have to earn. So, unless you live in one of the 6 countries it was originally available in (mentioned above), you will get more options on other sites in your country.
It is also only in the original 8 countries that you will get the biggest Swagbucks bonus I mentioned earlier. However, you can join and get a joining bonus, no matter the country you live in.
You can join Swagbucks from you are 13 years old, but this can vary from country to country. And if you are below 18 years old, you will, in some countries, need the consent of your guardians.
Some similar sites have it as a restriction that more members of the same household (with the same IP address) cannot join. This is not the case for Swagbucks.
As long as you make an individual account for each, more members of the same household can join, which I think is great. Of course, you are not allowed to make several accounts for yourself using a fake name, as this will be considered cheating, and you will be banned if they detect it (and they probably will).
Swagbucks complaints?
So far, Swagbucks looks like a pretty good way to make a bit of extra money, right?
But I decided to also include other opinions about the site to give you are broader perspective, and I have therefore researched further and been in contact with other members to hear other people’s experiences as well.
In general, people are pretty positive about Swagbucks, and it has been able to get this many members for a reason. With any survey site or GPT site, there will always be some complaints. A general complaint about survey sites is that people sometimes can be frustrated about not qualifying for enough surveys, which I have also heard about Swagbucks.
But you should not expect to qualify for all surveys on any site that offers paid surveys, and after a little while, you will figure out what type of surveys you are most likely to qualify for, and then you will just focus on these.
But overall, Swagbucks is getting really good feedback, and people have many good experiences with the page, and most people are talking about Swagbucks in a very positive way. Thousands of my viewers on my YouTube channel and visitors here on my website have also told me about their great experiences.
Can you get support?
Being able to get in contact with support is important for any GPT or survey site. Hopefully, you will never need to, but it is good to know the option is there if you should ever need help.
I have been in contact with Swagbucks myself several times, and I have received very good service, and the support has been very fast at getting back to me. So in my experience, it offers excellent support.
You can either submit a support ticket on the website or send a message on the Facebook page.
Final Verdict
From the above review, it is clear that Swagbucks is not a scam.
It has been around for many years and has millions of members who are earning rewards and earning money, and get paid every day, and I have been paid by it many times myself.
But let's finish this Swagbucks review by summing up the pros and cons so you can get a better overview before deciding if it is the right site for you or not:
Pros:
- Reliable and experienced company behind it
- Great joining bonus
- Pays out through PayPal and has many other great prizes
- Many different opportunities
- Has a great app that makes it easy to earn on the go
- Chrome extension makes it easy to earn while surfing the web
Cons:
- In some countries, there are limited options
- Sometimes, it can take patience to find the surveys you qualify for
As you can see, my overall impression of Swagbucks is very positive.
It has many ways to earn money, and the Swagbucks rewards you can choose from are very good, whether you want cash or gift cards.
Because of the many opportunities, it can, in the beginning, take a bit of time to find your way around the platform, but it is not too difficult.
The downside is that it has quite limited options in some countries, but they have recently opened up, and you can join from more or less any country, which is great.
And especially if you live in the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Germany, or France, it is a great site to join and one that I would highly recommend joining.
It can also give decent options in other countries, but just not as many, so then you can instead check out the best survey sites in your country, as these sites give better options in other countries.
How to sign up for Swagbucks and get your joining bonus?
It is easy and only takes a minute to sign up for Swagbucks. You just click the button below, and you will go to Swagbucks' sign-up page, where you can register with your email or your Facebook account.
By using the link below, you will also get your joining bonus (terms explained earlier) when you sign up.
If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with Swagbucks, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.
Hi, Mikael.
I have to admit that I do like Swagbucks, though not as much as when I first joined. The main thing I like about it is that you can earn Swagbucks for doing things you were going to do anyway, like searching the web or shopping online. Sure, you won’t get rich using Swagbucks, but if you’re going t do it anyway, you might as well make a little money doing it.
I do like to take the surveys whenever I have a little spare time, like waiting for an oil change or at the doctor, but I do sometimes get frustrated when I spend 15 minutes on a survey, I’ve already been told I qualify, and then after answering 50 questions, they kick me out and say I don’t qualify. I don’t mind not qualifying, but they should be able to qualify us before we have to spend all that time. I know that’s not Swagbucks’ fault, but still…
Great review.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Andy.
Yes that can unfortunately happen at most survey sites that you end up not qualifying after having already answered quite a few questions. As you say, it is however not the fault of Swagbucks or the other survey sites where it happens, but because of the portals some of the surveys are offered through.
Luckily, I usually find out if I am not qualifying within the first minute. And I have found out that when it happens as you explain, it is usually through the same kind of surveys/offered through the same portal. And for others it never happens. So then it is easier to navigate and if it happens several times for me, I just do not try that kinds of surveys anymore, and just focus on the others.
All the best,
Mikael
Hey Mikael! You just said “I usually find out if I am not qualifying within the first minute”. So I just wanted to ask how do you know? Like in my case most of the time I either reach 50-70% of the survey completion & then they just screen me out. This has happened to me many times. There are times when they keep on asking me the same set of questions, then they screen me out & will redirect me to another survey, then again ask me the same questions & the whole process repeats.
I mean that most surveys will tell you very fast if you qualify or not. And by trying many surveys, you will quickly find out what type of surveys that will let you know fast and which ones that you have to complete a lot to find out if you qualify or not.
Once I figure out a certain type of survey/provider does not let you know until late in the process, I just focus on other surveys instead.
Hi Mikael, I’d never heard about Swagbucks prior to reading your post. I think it’s a great idea that you can get paid for surfing the web, watching videos and playing games online. These are things that I already do so it wouldn’t be like I’d be going out of my way.
From what I’ve read it doesn’t look like Swagbucks would make me hundreds of thousands but its still a good way to make a few extra bucks. How many videos would I have to watch to earn a $25 voucher?
Thanks for your comment Cheryl.
If you want to make enough for a voucher just by watching the videos on Swagbucks, you have to wacth A LOT. I see the videos more as a side thing, and as you can see in the rewards example for the videos above, it is not what I would do to make money, but only watch them, if it is something I want to see anyways.
If you use the surveys and the cash back for online shopping, you will quickly be able to make enough for a voucher, but not if you want to earn it just by watching the videos, as that is probably the aspect on Swagbucks that has the lowest rewards. So I would recommend to use the other possibilities as well.
Mikael
I’ve been doing various paid surveys over the years and I have seen a nice benefit from doing them. Swagbucks was one of the reward schemes that I looked into but really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Thanks to your site I now have much more confidence in it and I’m going to look more into it and hopefully make some more money on the side!
Thanks again!
Thanks for your feedback Jack. I appreciate it. Glad you found the info useful. And if you live in one of the countries Swagbucks is available in, it is definitely worth giving a try.
All the best,
Mikael
Great post, This is the first time I hear about SwagBucks, I will definitely look into joining, see if I can make some extra bucks.
Thanks for the feedback Miguel.
Glad to hear you found my article interesting. And good luck on SwagBucks and feel free to keep me updated on how you like it.
All the best,
Mikael
Very helpful article! Just wondered how long it takes to get paid via PayPal, between requesting payment to when it is available to you? (e.g., hours? days? weeks?). Thank you!
Thanks for your feedback Terri. Glad to hear you liked the article.
Swagbucks says that you should expect up to 10 days delivery time for your rewards from you have requested them. But that is the maximum. You might also receive your reward before.
All the best,
Mikael
Hi Mikael,
I like sites like Swagbucks and surveys. They can offer a supplement to one’s income by doing what they always do online.
The drawback of a site like that is that they are not available in all countries. And, living in a very small country, most of them aren’t. Even if they are, and one can register, the surveys and options given are less than in larger countries, making it not worth the time spent.
Is there an alternative site available in all countries?
Thanks for a great review!
Marios
Hi Marios,
It can be difficult to find good survey sites in smaller countries, but there are some in almost any country. But how good the opportunities are on each site depends a lot on the exact country you live in, so difficult to give exact advise without knowing your country.
But a few sites that are available more or less anywhere are ClixSense, YouGov, Superpay.me, and Toluna.
Hope one of these will be great for you since you at the moment cannot join Swagbucks from your country.
All the best,
Mikael
Fantastic well written review. I was in the market about earning some extra money or gift cards and had heard about swagbucks. I started researching the web and came across your article and glad I did. Do you get a choice on either cash or gift cards or is it what they are offering during the survey your taking? They sound very legit and looks like a way I could at least get some gift cards and money to help with the Christmas holidays. I really like the Idea that you have different ways you can do this such as games or watching videos not like the standard sitting and answering questions. Thank you so much for the great review and I will be giving them a try.
David
Thanks for the feedback David.
The points you earn can be used for the rewards you prefer. So you choose yourself, and it is not dependent on the specific surveys or tasks you take.
Hope you will enjoy Swagbucks.
Mikael
I completely agree that being a big company is not always a sign of quality. I think getting cash back for doing shopping you would have done anyway is a no brainer. I like the fact that you can use it on a mobile, so that I can earn while I’m on the go. I think the fact that the pros outweigh the cons is a great thing, and as you say you won’t get rich from it, but you can earn a little bit of extra cash to do whatever you please with.
Yes it is definitely a great option to get some cash back on shopping your are doing anyways.
I definitely also think it is great to have access on a mobile – it makes it very convenient to earn a little extra whenever it fits in during the day.
Hope you will enjoy Swagbucks, if you decide to join.
Mikael
I can’t sign up on swagbucks guide me out on how to register THANKS!
Hi Oladips,
Can I ask which country you are from? Because Swagbucks is not available in all countries.
Mikael
Hello I have been able to create an account but am not from the available countries. How can I verify the account to redeem PayPal?
Hi Luke,
If you are not from one of the countries where Swagbucks is officially available, I think it will be hard for you to verify your account. I am pretty sure it will go against their terms and conditions, so cannot help with a way around it – sorry.
But if you tell me which country you are from, I will be happy to come with some suggestions for sites, you can join in your country instead.
Mikael
Am from Ghana.
Unfortunately not the country with the most survey opportunities.
You should however be able to join sites like ClixSense, GrabPoints, and Superpay.me.
I am not sure how many opportunities they offer there, but they should be available in your country. So try to check them out, and feel free to come back and let me know how the opportunities are on them for you.
Thanks,
Mikael
Hi I was with Swagbucks previously and I can vouch that they are indeed legitimate but unfortunately like all surveys you are relying on them being available and they are just so time consuming. Still the best survey site by far in my opinion. I like how it can be an alternative to make money online. Kenny
Hi Kenny,
Thanks for sharing you experiences about Swagbucks. Great to hear you can also vouch for it and think it is one of the best.
Mikael
Great review! If people sign up for this, does there personal info get spread around? That’s a problem we’ve had when we’ve tried doing a survey. We then receive calls from unknown numbers trying to sell or scam us for days. If it doesn’t do that, then this sounds like a great opportunity!
Hi Nicole,
Your private info will be safe with Swagbucks. There are unfortunately some survey and get-paid-to sites that losely share info, but not this one.
If you take paid offers on any site, it is however always a good idea to make sure to check the conditions for each offer. Especially the free contests will often have in the terms that they can contact you – so make sure to check this.
But SB is definitely one of the legit and safe sites.
Mikael
Swagbucks has caught my eye before, but I was a little wary of it. Sounds too good to be true at first glance, you know? I still had it in the back of my mind and I appreciate your article helping alleviate some of my fears. There’s nothing worse than putting a bunch of work in and then finding out you are never going to get paid. I will give them a try based on your recommendation.
Glad I could help alleviate some of your fears. Definitely not cool ending up joining the poor survey and get-paid-to sites and end up wasting a lot of time. I have wasted a lot of time on certain other sites myself:-)
But Swagbucks is definitely one of the legit ones, and it has great opportunities.
Feel free to let me know how it goes and how you like it, if you join.
Mikael
Thank you for sharing with us this great review on Swagbucks.There are many online programs which help people to earn money online.Some are real others are scams.
Swagbucks is not a scam and it is helping many people to earn money even if it is not much money but at least it is real.
You are welcome Julienne. Glad to hear you like the review.
Mikael
I must say that I am very satisfied with your review Mikael. Although I heard some people talking about how they can not earn money with Swagbucks, I actually succeed in that. It is definitely legit and trusted platform but hard work is needed. Anyone who expect to earn big cash by just clicking on ads is wrong but earning some extra cash is very possible.
Thanks for sharing your experience Daniel.
One of the big reason people sometimes complaint about survey and get-paid-to sites in general is that they go into it with the wrong expectations. It is definitely a legit way to make some extra money, and there is no risk involved. But as you mention, it will not be a way to for example make a living. If people expect this, they will for sure be disappointed.
But great to hear you also like Swagbucks and are earning there.
Mikael
Thanks for all the information. I have joined Swagbucks before. I spent quite some time on surveys and it seemed that I didn’t earn much. I guess the biggest problem was that I would pick the surveys that offer the biggest earnings, and it could get frustrating spending quite a bit of time answering questions to find out that I didn’t qualify for the survey. When I first started, it seemed I qualified for more surveys, but it got harder and harder to find ones that I qualified for.
I was not aware of all the other opportunities for earning on Swagbucks though. I did a few of the videos and answered the daily question, but I didn’t realize that there were many other areas that I could have earned more Swagbucks. I will have to take a look at it again to find the other areas you mention and see if it can work better this time around.
Is this something that you check daily to help with your earnings, or just when you have some extra time?
How many surveys you qualify for will depend on your demographic group. But what then makes Swagbucks really great if you do not have many survey opportunities is that it has so many other ways to earn.
If you take a look around and get familiar with the methods I have mentioned in the review, you can find some really good opportunities.
I personally check in on my favorite survey and GPT sites more or less every day as new opportunities come and go all the time. But it is completely up to you to decide how active you want to be.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Mikael
I joined Swagbucks in October. I have mostly tried Surveys. My personal demographics appear to disqualify me from most surveys. For those other areas of the site, is there anything that would disqualify me, or are they much more open to applicants? Perhaps I would see a much better return on my time in those other areas.
Sometimes it can take a bit of patience to find the surveys you qualify for depending on your demographic group
For most of the other earning methods you do not as such have to qualify for and they can be done by most. So it can be a really good idea to also use some of the other earning methods Swagbucks offers.
Mikael
LET ME ALSO COMMEND YOU FOR REVIEW MOSTLY ON (PRICEREBEL AND SWAGBUCKS SITES, BUT AS I AM CURRENTLY IN NIGERIA, WHAT SITES DO YOU SUGGEST TO ME?
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you like the info and reviews on my site.
I am actually just planning to post a list of the best sites in Nigeria here within the next couple of weeks as many people have asked me about this. So keep an eye on the site.
But for now, I would suggest you to check out Surveytime, ClixSense, Mobrog, and Hiving surveys.
Hope this helps.
Mikael
I did use swagbucks from Ghana once but didn’t have the chance to cash out because I didn’t have a number or address to verify.
Hi Caleb,
Unfortunately, Swagbucks is only available in limited countries and Ghana is not one of them. Hopefully, it will open up to more countries in the future.
Hope you will find other options for you instead.
Mikael
hi mike im so disappointed now im from SOUTH AFRICA and you say only people from the countrys you mentioned can take part. Are there any other legit sites in SOUTH AFRICA I can sign up for? please let me know
Hi Desiree,
yes, there are quite a lot of other good sites that are available in ZA. I have created a list of the best sites in South Africa here, you can check out.
Hope that helps.
Mikael
Mikael I had a question. When we join one or more survey company’s from the top ten u recommended for payments through pay pal or anything do we give bank details or they are sorted out automatically? I was thinking of joining for bit of extra cash
ranjit uk
Hi Ranjit,
No, you do not need to give your bank details to the survey sites to get paid through PayPal.
Mikael
is this money taxable, and do they send you a 1099
Hi Glenn,
Taxes depend on the exact tax laws in your country. I believe that in the US, you do not have to pay taxes for earnings on get-paid-to sites if it is less than $600 per year you earn. But other than that you have to pay taxes. But I am not a tax expert – I have an accountant to help me with my taxes. And as mentioned, it varies from country to country so the best is to check with your local tax authorities.
Mikael
does it work in india
Yes, Swagbucks actually works in India – but it has quite limited opportunities. You can check out this list of the best sites in India if you want ideas for sites that gives you more options.
Mikael
Hello sir
i wanna ask does it work in indonesia?
thank you
No, Swagbucks is not available in Indonesia but you can check out the best sites in Indonesia here for some great alternatives there.
thanks for the answer sir, I had registered in some of your recommendation from that link, but may i ask again sir, what about survey junkie, is it available in Indonesia ?
thank you
No, Survey Junkie is not available in Indonesia, unfortunately.
Huft so sad., Those two survey platform is not available In Indonesia,., Because I think surveyjunkie and swagbucks is the real deal sir, but anyway thank you sir…
Those two sites are definitely good. But luckily there are also many other great sites that are also available in Indonesia.
Sir why My account banned when i withdraw my coin?can i back my account again? Please help me
it is difficult for me to say why you have been banned without more information. But have you used a VPN to make it look like you are in another country than where you live? because that is fraud and then you will, of course, be banned and not get your earnings.
Have you used a VPN or have they given you any reason when you were banned?
Hi Mikael. I just wanted to thank you for suggesting Swagbucks. It can be frustrating trying to qualify for surveys like other sites but I really like it so far and it pays out in two days to me into PayPal. Your site is very informative. Keep up the good work.
Great to hear Robert. Thanks for sharing your experiences about it.
And very glad to hear you, in general, find the info on my site helpful – appreciate you taking the time to give this feedback.
Some says it’s available in the Philippines. Is it?
No, Swagbucks is not available in the Philippines. You can check out a list of the best sites in PH here instead.
Hope that helps.
actually im here in the philippines i logged in today and i answered those surveys until i reached todays limit. now u have 54 SB points so after how much i can withdraw from my account
You go to the reward section and there you can see the minimum threshold you need for the different rewards available in PH. Once you have that amount, you just choose the reward you want.
I might want to be a member of Swag Bucks but do they care or not if you use every way to earn on their site or can you use just the ones you want like the surveys or micro tasks.
Hi Pam,
They do not care how many of the different options you use. You can just use one of the earning methods if you want to or use as many as you want to.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions.
I signed up, and i don’t know how to reedem my 15 $
As mentioned in the review, you will get the $5 cash bonus when you reach your first $25 earnings. The extra $10 bonus is a special bonus for the cashback offers – so the first time you take a cashback offer you will get that bonus.
Hope that helps and explains everything. And just let me know if you have other questions.
Is this available in the Philippines? Thank you.
Swagbucks is not available in PH. But you can see a list of the best sites in PH here.
Hope that helps.
I clearly understand the explanation and discussion
Glad to hear that. thanks for the feedback.
what type of savings account would i need to store the money
If you want to get paid in cash from Swagbucks, you can just get paid into your PayPal account. Then from there you can transfer them into any bank account or use them when you shop online.
Hi Mikael:
I just found out yesterday that you can get a PayPal payout when you reach $5. I was under the impression that you had to have $25 to get PayPal. I have waited until I reached $25 several times. Just thought I would pass it along. Thanks again for all you do for the community.
Thanks for letting me know Robert. I had noticed that the threshold seems to be different from country to country but just checked and it does look like they have actually now made it possible to take the earnings out via PayPal in most countries so that is great.
Thanks again and I will update the review with this info right away.
So it’s payed on gift cards, not real money, right ?
No, that is not correct. Swagbucks also pays out in cash. The exact rewards will depend on the country you live in. But in many countries, it offers PayPal as one of the reward methods.
Thank you
you are welcome
Is Swagbucks works in Bangladesh ?
Swagbucks recently opened so it is available in more or less all countries with few exceptions. So as far as I know, you can also join from Bangladesh. but you will find limited opportunities there from Bangladesh though. If you decide to join, let me know how it goes.
Can anyone give a rough guide as to what they have earned say, in a month just doing surveys?
Do you mean just on Swagbucks or in general? And a lot of it also comes down to the country you live in?
Is it available for sri lanka?
yes, it is. But it can take some patience to find the ways to earn from Sri Lanka.
Hey, do you know if Swagbucks offers the Your-Surveys surveys through a portal?
yes, all sites that offer Your-Surveys offer them through a portal/third-party.
I can’t locate Your- Surveys or any other on their site. Where can you find it?
You can sometimes find them on one of the offerwalls.
I can’t seem to find Your-Surveys portal or others as well on their site.
do you mean you cannot find any surveys at all or what do you mean? And which country do you live in?
I want to know and at the same time to earn money
what do you mean?
mi Heard swagbucks is now in Africa
Yes, Swagbucks is now available in more or less all countries. You can see all the details in the review above.
High Mike,Jacob here from Zambia.I have tried signing up for Swagbucks but nothing is happening,the system is not responding after I click the button.
have you tried contacting their support? There are open in more or less all countries but there are a few countries they are not available in. So best if you contact them to find out if that is the reason or if it is just a technical error.
Let me know how it goes.
Greetings from Russia. I registered here a long time ago, but there are no polls suitable for me. And I just have nothing to make purchases through the site and it is not clear how things are with international delivery. Browser installed, but does not display search results. Games and videos for making money are also not available.
Swagbucks will not have a lot of options in Russia.
But you can check out this list of the best sites in Russia.
Hope that helps.
Hi, Mikael
Does this swagbucks really work in Nigeria?.Can I get my cash in PayPal and as well transfer it to my bank account?, I want to be sure of what I’m about to join.
Yes, Swagbucks does work in Nigeria but it does not have a lot of opportunities there. It does not pay into your bank account directly. But it does offer PayPal if you have a PayPal account that can receive payments which I know can be a bit tricky in Nigeria. But other than that, you can see on their website after logging in exactly which rewards it offers in your country.
Is it possible to use a PayPal registered to uk or any other country on a usa swagbucks?
It seems like you are not living in any of those countries?
Because if you are using VPN to fake your country it is fraud and they will detect this and ban you and you will lose your earnings.
tôi không giả mạo vì tôi sống ở Việt Nam và sử dụng số đt VNP và Viettel. Số đt nào tôi cũng đang sử dụng và chính chủ là tôi
@Thanh: Sorry, but I do not understand and Google translate does not do a proper translation.
Can you ask in English?
Dear Mikael. I want to explain when you think I am doing fraud with Swagbucks because of the VPN. What VPN is I don’t even care how can I use it …! I am Vietnamese, I use Viettel and Vinaphone mobile networks. In the survey, swabucks survey allows only one selection (this is omitted by the content of swagbucks). In the questionnaire I ticked viettel but later on I use vinaphone with swagbucks also works for me. I think your website is too messy, it takes my time. I may not work with it anymore.
Thanks!
@Thanh:
I do not think you commit fraud. I think you misunderstood.
But Swagbucks does not have a lot of opportunities in Vietnam. So I would advise you to use other sites instead. You can check out the best sites in Vietnam here.
Well I’ll be coming to the USA after things settle..just want to know my opinion because i cant register two paypals.I have a uk paypali dont know if i will be able to use it there
I am not sure – it might raise a red flag if you use a PayPal registered in a different country. You need to contact their support about this to make sure.
Are there swag opportunities in Kenya ?
You can in theory join from Kenya, but you will find very limited options there.
What is meant by “qualify the survey”
Is it any terms exist to do any survey
You can check out this article about qualifying for surveys.
Can I use Swagbucks in Zambia?
And please I really want to learn how to make money here in Zambia ??
Your help
I explain in the review above which countries Swagbucks can be used from.
Hi, i am really impressed by your knowledge about these GPT sites. 2 days ago I have watched your video for the first time and i feel so good that there is someone on the internet who is helping people earn money. I trust your words now.
I want to ask you question
I am living in Pakistan country. In your survey sites list” my country name is not mentioned. Can you please tell me if i can get work in Swagbucks or prizerebel ?? It’s my first day of your email course qnd i am currently reading your article about these two sites.
Secondly, i don’t have paypal account. But i have Payoneer account. Can i withdraw my earnings in Payoneer ? Or can i use my USA national friend’s PAYPAL account to withdraw my earnings ? And that Friend later send me this amount in my Payoneer account .
You will not find a lot of options on Swagbucks and PrizeRebel from Pakistan. But the course will show you options that are worldwide where you will also find some options.
Some sites also offer other payment methods than PayPal so just use some of those instead. Using a friend’s PayPal might give you issues on some platforms so this is not something I would recommend.
Hello Mike, I have watched every video of yours, the introduction is really detailed!
Can I share your article on my personal blog? I will indicate the source and attach your URL in the article.
You are welcome to link to my article but you are not allowed to copy and use the full article.
Hello Mike, it seems the Swagbucks search option isn’t available here in Nigeria.
Perfect review by the way, found it useful.
There will be limited options on Swagbucks in some countries.
Hello Mike, it seems the Swagbucks search option isn’t available here in Bangladesh
Many options will, unfortunately, not be available in some countries as I also explain in the review above.
Hi.. mike. Can I VPN to just switch my current location to be available everywhere.
Not that is fraud and will get you banned.
Hello sir, your article explained it very well. I just have one question and that is ‘Some people have had their bank account hacked as a result of redeeming PayPal and transferring the funds to their bank account, is this true?
I have never heard of anything like this.
how can i apply sir?
I explain everything in the review above.
what is the minimum withdrawal limit for Swagbucks. Swagbucks to PayPal withdraw
I explain this in the review above.
M willing to join sir
I explain how to join in the review above.
I want to join
I explain how to join in the article above.
Is this app available in Pakistan or not?
I explain which countries it is available in, in the review above.
They also have the opportunity for you to earn by buying certain items in physical stores and then uploading a receipt to Swagbucks and earning cashback rewards like this.
True – in some countries that is also an option.
What’s your sign up code
You can find my invitation link in the review above. Joining through that will give you the opportuity to get a joining bonus, as I also explain in the review above.
I am interested in the program but, I wonder if it works in my country ( Namibia) ?
You will not get many options from your country on Swagbucks, to be honest.
Am in fiji within the Pacific country will it be to work here?
You can check out this list of the best international sites which are the ones you should go for.
hey I am in uganda east Africa which one should I join please help us sir
thank you.
You can check out this list of the best international sites which are the ones you should go for.
Wonderful platform but unfortunately l am not able to join in my country in Zambia (Lusaka)
No, there are some countries where you can not earn from.
This site is most definitely legit!! Was one of the firstI ever used and I admit I’ve not used it for a while, but I made a minimum £25 amazon gift card each month just from daily’s and streaks. I’ll use it again and re post my opinion afterwards. pc/ android and ios
Great to hear. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hi I am from Morocco can I have it?
Yes, you can join but you will not find that many opportunities there from your country. You can check out the best sites for Morocco here instead.
It’s not the same anymore, swagbucks will kick you out. They don’t care about honestly or dishonestly, swagbucks will stall awards and they won’t do anything to fix it. I’ll be grabbing my $10 and leaving.
I have not had any issues with it. But thanks for sharing your experiences.
I just joined – I joined from your link, but did not $5.00 bonus. I am in the U.S.
I got 200SB for the below, only (I copied and pasted)
5/10/2025 9:38AM
Phone Verification
Bonus SB
+ 100 SB
Expand
5/10/2025 9:36AM
Mobile Web iOS – PMR296-204635399 – Profiler
Answer
+ 100 SB
As I explain in the review above, you will not get the joining bonus until your reach $35 in earnings.
Most of us received our favorite gamers for that cause why not get a jersey along with your favored player number plus name?
Sorry, but I do not understand what you mean?
Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
Sure, feel free to share a link to my website. Thanks.
Hello! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics? Many thanks!
Thank you very much. Happy to hear that. I cannot really suggest any other blogs to be honest, as most websites do not really do proper testing, in my experience.
Thanks for legit this site swagbucks its makes easier gpt site are good sometimes problem cashout PayPal gift card have fees with 30 SB but its okay
True, would be great if there was no fee, but if you accumulate a bigger amount, the fee does not mean much and it is still fairly low compared to the fee some other GPT sites charge.
Thanks Mikael! I missed 2016-2018 swagbucks gpt site oldest they removed Swagit app and SB Watch this is very sad and disappointed most people like features using a lot of them also collector bills have been removed they don’t using anymore and banned no reason from swagbucks a lot people getting upset about they want ID verification when using contact support it’s happened on 2023 because downfall 2024 and 2025 this is problem for daily goal so good luck for earning!
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Just one thing I want to make you aware: more or less all survey and GPT sites will ask for verification or ID at some point, If they do not do this, scammers would cheat them all the time and they would quickly go out of business.