Intro: Is it Safe to Make Money Online with Swagbucks?
What if you could make money from using an Internet search engine? Would you be willing to earn money by watching videos, taking surveys, or even shopping online?
Swagbucks rewards members with free cash and gift cards for performing simple, everyday online tasks, many of which consumers do anyways.
While it might sound tempting to sign up and start earning points, is Swagbucks safe to use? How do you know if Swagbucks is legit? Could you be falling into a Swagbucks scam?
In this Swagbucks.com review, we’ll look at the safety and security of Swagbucks to answer the following consumer questions:
- Is Swagbucks legit or is Swagbucks a scam?
- Is Swagbucks safe to use?
If you’re wondering whether Swagbucks is safe to use, keep reading—this article was written specifically with you in mind.
Brief Swagbucks.com Review
Launched in 2008, Swagbucks is one of the largest and most popular sites aimed at helping people earn money online.
It’s free to sign up, and users are paid in “Swag Bucks” for completing surveys, watching videos, playing games, shopping online, and using the Swagbucks search engine.
Swag Bucks are worth one penny each, meaning that a $5 Amazon gift card will be available once a user has earned 500 Swag Bucks.
Reviews of Swagbucks are quick to point out that this low ratio of points-to-cash can quite a bit of time to earn large amounts of rewards—but for consumers that are frequently spending time online, Swagbucks could be a great addition to their daily routine.
Swagbucks provides a free browser extension that will notify users when daily codes are available (easily redeemable for free points) and let them know when they are shopping on a website that provides Swagbucks in return for purchases.
According to Forbes, the average user earns $20 a month, with some (very engaged) users earning as much as $100 each month.
In September 2017, Yahoo! Finance reported that Swagbucks had paid over $200 million in free gift cards and cash to its members, marking a huge milestone in the company’s history.
Is Swagbucks Legit? How Does Swagbucks Make Money?
With endless opportunities to earn free gift cards and cash back, many consumers are wondering, “Is Swagbucks legit?”
Part of the concern is how this type of rewards-based site could continue to operate without charging its members any sort of fees.
How can Swagbucks make money without earning income from their members? Is there a catch? Should you be worried about a Swagbucks scam?
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to concretely explain how Swagbucks makes money, since the company does not explicitly explain their financial model.
Even without a direct explanation, reviews of Swagbucks provide two good theories as to how Swagbucks earns money. The first is similar to how rewards-based credit cards can afford to offer cardholders free points redemption for products and gift cards, detailed below.
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Theory One: How Does Swagbucks Make Money?
Instead of relying on members for financial support, the Swagbucks business model paid by the companies, brands, and products featured on their website.
In the case of Amazon or Walmart gift cards, Swagbucks acts as the middle man, providing an incentive for consumers to become return shoppers.
For example, in their “Featured Ways to Earn” section, Swagbucks currently has promotional deals for:
- Hulu
- BarkBox
- Gwinnie Bee
- Blue Apron
- Old Navy
According to this theory, the companies listed above would pay a stipend to Swagbucks for advertising, hoping to convert Swagbucks users into repeat shoppers (or conduct market research in the case of Swagbucks surveys).
Swagbucks then uses that stipend to provide Swag Bucks, offering a percentage of their advertising income to users.
Theory Two: How Does Swagbucks Make Money?
Similar to discount retailers, it’s possible that Swagbucks purchases items at wholesale value, marks them up, and sells them directly to consumers through their points system.
Because the bulk of their rewards come from gift cards, it’s less likely that Swagbucks is using this model, but certainly possible.
It is also possible that the answer to “How does Swagbucks make money” involves a little bit of both scenarios—the company could earn a percentage from advertising while being able to purchase gift cards and products at a lower price.
Either way, with over 12 million members and over $200 million paid, the Swagbucks business model is working. Both theories describe legitimate business practices, enabling our Swagbucks.com review to answer that yes, Swagbucks is legit.
Is Swagbucks a Scam? Is Swagbucks Safe?
According to reviews of Swagbucks, there are plenty of consumers wondering whether there is a Swagbucks scam going on. Even with over 12 million members and over a decade of business, it still seems strange that users could really make money for free.
Luckily, our Swagbucks.com review was unable to find any evidence of a Swagbucks scam, even without concrete information on how the company earns money.
Swagbucks has been positively reviewed by a number of notable news outlets, including Business Insider, Nerdwallet, The Penny Hoarder, The Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, and more.
Consumers who are worried about a Swagbucks scam should also consider that there are hundreds of well-established, easily-recognized businesses that choose to advertise through Swagbucks, increasing their credibility.
Although it is a popular question among consumers, each Swagbucks.com review tends to arrive at the same conclusion: Swagbucks is legit, and consumers should not be worried about a Swagbucks scam.
Is Swagbucks Safe?
One of the best things about Swagbucks is that membership requires very little personal information. All you’ll need is an email address and a password to sign up.
Even redeeming your Swag Bucks can be done without compromising your personal info. If you choose to purchase a gift card, the e-Gift card code will be available within your personal Swagbucks account profile.
Cash redemptions are done via PayPal, which comes with additional requirements and steps, including:
- Accounts must be verified through PayPal
- The name on your Swagbucks account must match your PayPal account
- Email addresses must match
The ability to earn points and redeem them without entering any sensitive information is a huge advantage to using Swagbucks. Consumers that are worried about using Swagbucks should rest assured that when it comes to earning and redeeming rewards, Swagbucks is safe.
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Conclusion: Is Swagbucks Safe, Secure, & Legit?
With millions of users and even more in payments, Swagbucks continues to offer unique and convenient ways for its users to earn rewards towards future purchases.
Is Swagbucks legit? Is Swagbucks safe? Should you be looking out for a Swagbucks scam?
After examining multiple aspects of this popular website, our Swagbucks.com review can confidently say that yes, Swagbucks is safe, legit, and free from scams.
Not only can users access gift cards from widely-recognized brands, but they can do so without compromising personal information or paying for membership.
If you have the extra time—and the patience to save your points towards larger gift card values—Swagbucks could be one of the best ways to earn money online.
Image sources:
- https://www.swagbucks.com/
- http://www.swagbucks.com/mobile
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