The Homeschooling Blog

I'm here to brag a little, and to share a secret that I discovered back in February (or thereabouts). I've earned a total of 18 gift cards to Amazon.com each valued at $5 simply using the Swagbucks search engine. Seriously cool!

So, let's do the math. That's $5 X 18, which is $90 towards my Amazon.com purchases. Actually, I have more than enough in my account to redeem another $5 gift card. So... let's just say I'm now at $95!

Here are my "used" gift card codes to Amazon.com. The codes will do you no good, so I don't mind sharing them! lol You can click the image to get a better look!

There's no catch to this. Seriously. It's all on the up and up and it's completely free. I've experienced no problems in 10 months of swagging away... no computer problems, no viruses, no issues with the Swagbucks toolbar, no sacrifice in search quality or efficiency. I simply type my search into the Swagbucks toolbar rather than in Google, Bing, Yahoo, or whatever your standard search might be, and throughout the day I'm randomly rewarded with Swagbucks in my account.

I mention Amazon.com because I ALWAYS use my points for Amazon.com gift cards, but if Amazon isn't really your thing... there are hundreds of options for cashing in your points. Amazon.com just happens to be my favorite online retailer. So... that's where my points go!

Yesterday I ordered my husband's Christmas gifts (better late than never)... Season 7 of "The Office" and a Maglite. I would have spent around $55 for these purchases (even after the savings of shopping on Amazon.com), but only spent $35. Between the savings of shopping from a discounted retailer (at least they're usually cheaper than what I can find locally) and the Super-Saver Shipping Amazon.com offers for qualifying orders over $25, I ended up with what equates to a free flashlight. Had I bought "The Office" Season 7 here in town, I would have paid $34.95, plus tax, and who knows what for gasoline.What a deal!

Here's what the Swagbucks Homepage looks like from where I sit. I have my avatar, name, current uncashed points balance towards the right side of the screen and above that you'll see the toolbar. I can search from the toolbar on any Internet page I happen to be on, or I can search from Swagbucks homepage.

I've circled in red two of the places where I can find my current Swagbucks balance and highlighted my number of referrals and number of gift cards redeemed.

The referrals are a great way to generate even more points. For every person who signs up under you, you'll receive a percentage from what they generate. A commission if you will! I think it ends at 1000 points per referral, but I honestly can't remember. It's been awhile since I looked at that detail. I show 7 referrals, but none of them have been all that active. I think only 1 has generated any points lately, but I'm not complaining! I'm happy with what I'm earning all on my own... even without the help of people signing up under my name. :)

I find that if I log into my computer three times a day... which is fairly typical for me, I usually earn points each time. I've been online for a couple hours at a time and earned nothing. Other times I earn points in just a few minutes time. I've earned as many as 33 points in one search and as few as 7 with others. Fridays are considered super Swagbucks days and the payouts are generally higher.

Swagbucks also offers opportunities to earn additional points by taking part in surveys, watching videos, playing games, and even printing and redeeming manufacturer's coupons. I'll admit that I've not spent a lot of time trying to accumulate points outside of simply using the Swagbucks search engine. For me it's a time issue. I just don't have a lot of time to play. Some Swagbucks users really get into the game of earning points and even follow the Swagbucks blog and Facebook page for bonus points that are occasionally offered. Additionally, every hour someone is awarded 1000 Swagbucks from the Swagbucks Homepage, but that lucky winner must be online and aware they've been chosen. If you see yourself in the winner's box you're required to claim those points before the hour passes. Oh the pressure! lol

So are you convinced yet? Let me know if you have questions. It's one of those things I recommend trying. If you don't like it you've lost nothing but a few minutes of your time. If you're like me, you'll wish you'd found it a long time ago. The extra Amazon.com credits are sure helping a lot with family birthdays and Christmas gifts. I've also used my cards to purchase gluten-free foods for my son's diet. Yes! They have that on Amazon.com too! lol