Today, we’re diving into one of the orginals of the “get paid to” world: Swagbucks.
I’ve been messing around with Swagbucks on and off for years—long enough to have cashed out a few PayPal deposits that felt like found money. In 2025, is it still the fun, easy side hustle it used to be, or has it turned into one of those apps that promises the moon but delivers a participation trophy?
Spoiler: It’s legit, it’s harmless, and if you’re already scrolling TikTok or binge-watching shows, you might as well sprinkle some SB points on top.
But let’s chat about the real deal—no hype, just my honest thoughts.
Name: Swagbucks
Website: www.swagbucks.com
Price: Free
Owners: Prodege LLC
What is Swagbucks?
If you’re new here, Swagbucks is a rewards platform that’s been around since 2008 (yeah, it’s been around a while). Owned by a company called Prodege, it lets you earn points called “SB” (100 SB = $1) for doing super basic online stuff:
- Taking surveys
- Watching videos (mostly ads and short clips)
- Shopping online with cashback
- Playing games
- Searching the web (like a Yahoo-powered Google)
- Scanning receipts
- Trying offers (free trials, app downloads, etc.)
Redeem those SB for PayPal cash, gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks—tons of options starting as low as $1 for some), or even prepaid Visa cards.
They’ve paid out over $900 million (as of late 2025 updates I’ve seen), and it’s free to join. I signed up years ago with my email, and boom—instant access.
Pro tip: If you use a referral link (like this one from me), you often snag a $10 bonus after earning a little bit.
Free money to start? Yes please.
The Good & the Bad
Why I Still Like It (The Good Stuff)
Look, Swagbucks isn’t going to pay your rent. But for “gentle earning”—that passive, no-pressure vibe—it’s solid.
Here’s what keeps me coming back:
- It’s Stupidly Easy and Flexible I do most of my earning while watching TV or waiting for dinner to cook. Pop open the app or website, play a game, or knock out a quick survey. Perfect for parents, students, or anyone with random downtime.
- Low Cash-Out Threshold You can redeem as little as $3 for many gift cards or $5 for PayPal. I have only every cashed out via Paypal so I can’t vouch for any other reward options. Feels rewarding without the long wait like some sites.
- Shopping Cashback Install the Swagbutton browser extension—it alerts you when a site has cashback. I route all my online shopping through it (hello, holiday gifts). Rates are often 1-10%, which is not huge but if you are already buying why not earn at the same time. Just make sure to activate your reward.
- Variety Keeps It From Getting Boring Surveys one day, play a silly mobile game the next (some offers pay hundreds of SB for reaching levels), there’s always something. Plus daily polls, search wins.
- The Apps Are Actually Pretty Decent Clean, not too glitchy (most days), and they have a separate “Swagbucks Live” trivia game where you can win big chunks of SB if you’re quick.
Something to be aware of is that what options are available to you can depend on where you are located.
Okay, But Let’s Be Real: The Not-So-Great Parts
No site is perfect, and Swagbucks has its quirks.
- Survey Disqualifications Suck You answer 10 minutes of questions… “Sorry, you don’t qualify!” And you get like 1-5 SB consolation. It happens A LOT. They say it’s because brands want specific demographics, but, I’m not sure I always believe that.
Pro tip: Fill out your profile completely and be honest—helps match you better.
- Earnings Per Hour Are Not High Passive stuff (videos, searches) pays very little. Surveys average $1-3 for 10-20 minutes if you qualify. It’s not going to pay the bills.
- Customer Support Is… Tickets take days (or weeks), and responses feel canned. I have only had a couple of interactions, one was a request for information that I had already submitted, it wasn’t ever resolved, it may have been if I had chased it down further, but I felt that effort wasn’t worth the reward. And the other was about getting missing game points credited, this was luckily automatically resolved by accident through a site upgrade. So it can be a case of submit and hope for the best.
- It’s Gotten Stingier Over the Years Long-timers say payouts are lower than the early days, and some features (like team challenges) are gone in certain countries. Videos pay less too.
- Privacy Stuff You’re sharing opinions and shopping habits. They say data is anonymized, but just be aware. It is not something that particularly worries me personally.
Trustpilot sits at about 4.1/5 from 40k+ reviews—mostly positive, but the negatives are loud about DQs and support.
My Personal Earnings Breakdown (For Transparency)
Over the years: I haven’t earned heaps, but I also don’t spend a large amount of time on it. I’m more of a whenever I feel like it sort of user.
If I grinded games (like reaching high levels in mobile games for 5,000-10,000 SB offers), constantly shopped through it and answered surveys. I could earn more.
I usually just let whatever I earn accumulate throughout the year and put whatever I earn towards my Christmas presents. If I manage to score a high-paying offer, I may cash out quicker, but those have been rare.
Tips to Actually Make It Worthwhile
Want to max it without burning out? Here’s what works for me:
- Daily Routine: Log in, do the poll (1 SB), a search win, check inbox for easy offers. Takes 5 minutes, streaks give bonuses.
- Focus on High-Pay/Low-Effort: Cashback shopping > surveys > games > videos.
- Stack With Other Sites: I rotate with Survey Junkie or InboxDollars when Swagbucks is dry.
- Hunt Swag Codes: Follow their socials or use the app notifications.
- Magic Receipts: Check if there are any receipts you can upload for bonuses
- Refer Friends: Passive income if you have the opportunity.
So, Is Swagbucks Worth It?
If you’re looking for gentle, no-pressure extra cash, absolutely yes. It’s legit, safe, and kinda fun in a mindless way. A way you could treat yourself guilt-free.
But if you hate disqualifications, need serious money fast, or expect passive riches—you might want to look elsewhere. There are flashier apps now, but Swagbucks is like that comfy old sweater: Reliable, a bit worn, but still does the job.
I’ve got no regrets—it’s provided a few extra dollars and made Christmas a little less expensive.
If you’re curious, give Swagbucks a whirl. Worst case, you waste a bit of time and walk away.
What about you? Tried Swagbucks lately?
What’s your best (or worst) story?
Drop it in the comments—I read them all.