Last Updated on May 6, 2025 by Eric Cantu
Let’s be real — when I first heard about Swagbucks, my reaction was probably the same as yours:
“Wait, they’re gonna pay me for watching videos and answering surveys? Sounds like a scam.”
But curiosity (and my urge to do a legit review) got the best of me. I signed up. And here we are, months later, with stories to tell, receipts to show, and some very real thoughts about whether this whole “get paid for your time” gig is worth it.
If you’re wondering whether Swagbucks is legit or just another too-good-to-be-true side hustle, buckle up. I’m gonna give you the unfiltered breakdown — no fluff, no fake hype.
Is Swagbucks Legit, or Just Another Online Scam?
Yes, Swagbucks is legit — it’s a free rewards platform that pays real cash and gift cards for completing online tasks like surveys, games, and shopping, though not all methods are equally worth your time.
What Even Is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is one of the most popular get-paid-to (GPT) sites out there. It’s a free rewards platform where you earn points (called SB) for doing random online tasks — think surveys, playing mobile games, shopping online, and even uploading grocery receipts.
You can redeem those SB points for PayPal cash, gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, you name it), or prepaid Visa cards. 100 SB = $1, for reference.
It’s owned by a company called Prodege, and it’s been around for over a decade with a solid Trustpilot score. So yeah — not some fly-by-night operation. But “old and trusted” doesn’t always mean “good,” so let’s keep going.
My First Win (and the Hook That Got Me)
I’m not gonna lie — I got hooked after I earned $30 in like three days.
How? One of the mobile game offers: I played this slot-style game to level 50, and boom — 3,000 SB (aka $30) dropped into my account. I was shook.
And that first cash-out… felt amazing. I went straight for a PayPal payout, and it hit in about 24 hours.
That was the moment I realized — yeah, this thing’s real. You can make money with Swagbucks.
But.
Not all offers are created equal.
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The Survey Rabbit Hole (And Why I Avoid Them Now)
Let’s talk surveys. Everyone thinks this is the easiest way to earn on Swagbucks, but I’ve got beef.
You can spend 15 minutes answering deeply personal questions about your household, income, grocery habits, car maintenance, AND STILL get hit with: “Sorry, this survey is now closed. Here’s 1 SB.”
Translation: you get 1¢, as in one measly penny for your time.
After a while, I stopped messing with surveys unless I was already half-watching TV. They’re a time sink and not reliable if you’re trying to hit $5 or $10 in a day. There are better legit survey sites out there if you’re dead set on this route — but Swagbucks surveys aren’t it.
Best Ways to Earn on Swagbucks (Without Losing Your Mind)
After burning myself on sketchy surveys, I figured out which methods are actually worth it. Here’s what works:
1. Mobile Game Offers
Hands-down the most profitable. Look for games that pay $20–$50 in SB for reaching certain levels.
Pro Tip: Download through the Swagbucks app only — or the offer won’t track.
This is one of the few apps where you can literally get paid to play games. And if you’re already the kind of person who enjoys a mobile grind, this is a sweet setup.
2. Shopping + Cashback
If you’re already buying stuff on Amazon, Target, Instacart, etc., do it through the Swagbucks portal. Some stores offer 1–10% cashback in SB. Think of it like Rakuten, but with more options.
3. Receipt Uploads (Magic Receipts)
Get paid for uploading your grocery receipts. It’s small — like 2 to 50 SB — but it adds up. And for folks looking to earn money online without investment, this one’s literally free money from your daily life.
4. Daily To-Do List + Swago Boards
These are daily bonus challenges. Complete a checklist of simple tasks (like the poll, search bar, etc.), and you get bonus SB. Easy wins that almost feel passive once you’re in the routine.
Have you seen this scam going around?
Swagbucks is legit, but here’s a scam that doesn’t pay out. Check out my article on the “Get Paid to Watch YouTube Videos Scam!”
What Sucks (Yeah, I’m Gonna Be Honest)
So not everything is roses with Swagbucks. Some parts can be really frustrating. Here’s where the cracks start to show. Do they outweigh the good stuff? In my expert opinion, no, but that’s up to you to decide for yourself.
❌ Offer Tracking Can Be a Dumpster Fire
Sometimes you complete an offer, but the points never post. That’s infuriating.
Wanna file a ticket? Hope you took screenshots of every single step — including the “Offer Completed” screen.
❌ Customer Support Is… Meh
Support tickets can take a week or more to get a response. And even then, it’s a toss-up whether you’ll get the SB you earned.
❌ Not All Offers Are Available to Everyone
Some high-paying offers are region-locked. I had a friend in Canada who saw totally different options than me in Texas.
❌ Game Fatigue Is Real
That $40 game offer seems amazing — until you’ve spent 20 hours grinding it with ads every 30 seconds. It starts feeling less like passive income and more like digital labor.
How Much Can You Actually Make?
Let’s break it down. Based on my experience and other real user comments I’ve seen across Reddit and forums:
- Light users: $10–$25/month
- Casual grinders: $50–$100/month
- Hardcore strategists (yes, they exist): $200–$500+/month
There are people who’ve made $1,000+ in a year or more, especially if they jumped on high-paying promos and cashback deals.
But it’s not replacing your 9–5. This isn’t “how to build wealth online” — this is “how to earn lunch money by playing Candy Crush and uploading your Target receipts.”
If you want to make actual money online, check out my guides on affiliate marketing.
Is Swagbucks Free? What About Swagbucks Plus?
Swagbucks is 100% free to join and use. You never have to pay.
They recently rolled out something called Swagbucks Plus — it’s like a premium version that supposedly boosts your cashback and bonuses.
I tried it for a month… and honestly? Meh. Didn’t see much difference. If you’re just starting out or looking for safe ways to earn online, skip it.
📌 TL;DR How to Swagbucks Like a Pro
- Swagbucks is a legit rewards site that pays out real cash and gift cards — but not all tasks are worth your time.
- Game offers and cashback shopping are the highest-earning strategies, especially when tracked correctly.
- Surveys can be frustrating and time-consuming with little payout — approach them with low expectations.
- Screenshot every offer as you complete it to protect against missed credit and support delays.
- Avoid Swagbucks Plus unless you’re already earning regularly — the benefits aren’t worth it for beginners.
- Treat it like a side hustle, not passive income, and you’ll be surprised how much you can earn.
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Final Verdict: Worth It?
Swagbucks isn’t going to replace your job, but it can put some extra money in your pocket if you use it wisely. Skip the time-wasting surveys, go for the high-value offers, and treat it like a flexible side hustle — not a get-rich-quick scheme. For me, $800+ later, it’s proven itself legit… just with a few lessons learned the hard way.
What do you think? What’s your experience been with Swagbucks? Got questions about specific offers or need tips? Drop a comment — I’ve probably tried it. Or failed at it. Or rage-quit it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Swagbucks actually pay you?
Swagbucks rewards you with SB points, which you can redeem for PayPal cash, gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks), or prepaid Visa cards. Most redemptions start at 300 SB, or $3.
Can you really make money playing games on Swagbucks?
Yes, many users report earning $20–$50 (sometimes more) from mobile game offers — but only if you complete the offer objectives within the required time. Always screenshot your progress to protect your payout.
Is Swagbucks safe to use with your personal info?
Swagbucks is owned by Prodege, a long-standing market research company. While it’s considered safe, it’s smart to create a dedicated email for survey sites to avoid inbox clutter.
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Okay, I’ve got to be honest – I’ve always been super skeptical of survey sites. The whole “get paid to click around online” thing has never really sat right with me. I’ve tried a couple in the past, and half the time I’d get halfway through a survey just to be told I didn’t qualify or that something didn’t had worked… after giving away way too much personal info. That said, this post gave me a better understanding of how to actually make Swagbucks work without getting sucked into the survey black hole. The game offers and receipt uploads sound like something I could realistically do without pulling my hair out.
Glad you enjoyed this. There’s definitely a smart way to work the Swagbucks system, but yeah it isn’t gonna break the bank. Thanks for the comment!
Loved this breakdown, Eric! Super refreshing to read an honest, no-hype review that actually calls out the good and the grind. I totally relate to the “survey rabbit hole” frustration — been burned too many times with those 20-minute time-wasters for 1 SB. Appreciate the heads-up on tracking and the real talk about earnings—it’s side hustle lunch money, not a paycheck.
You’re very welcome. Thanks for the comment!
You provide convincing arguments against joining Swagbucks and I like that you mention it will take time to build money. Reading through your website gives enough information to anyone on the site without having to search elsewhere, which is nice! My question would be if you are on any similar sites to Swagbucks, that in your opinion, are worth doing?
I appreciate the kind words. Thank you! In my opinion, survey sites are just a waste of your time. Every once in a while you may see a special offer from a company like Hulu offering so many points or swagbucks to use it, and if you were already planning on starting a subscription that would be fine, but those are so few and far between that I feel like it’s just not worth it. Even a kid could find odd jobs to do that would pay off better. If you’re stuck in the house and can’t leave, sure you could make a couple dollars. Other than that, I wouldn’t touch it. Thanks for the comment!
Swagbucks, at first sounded like a scam to me. But as I have been researching my opinion about it has changed. I like the fact that they have many ways for us to earn money. I get it that in most cases it’s just a few cents. But it’s exciting to start earning something online for the first time.
I honestly feel like collecting aluminum cans on the side of the road would be a more productive way to spend your time. I just can’t justify the time spend on Swagbucks for earning so little. Thanks for the comment!
Great article, Eric!
I remember seeing an ad for Swagbucks and thinking, “hey, I like taking surveys! Why not make some money too?” So I downloaded the app and, halfway through my first survey, it booted me out and said I wasn’t qualified. I didn’t stop, though. I thought the surveys were interesting enough to keep going a little longer and I didn’t want to just give up. (Most of them were boring, but there were a few where I had to watch ads and rate my experience, so that was cool).
I kept using it for about two weeks but then the surveys started getting really repetitive and they also kept booting me out, so I decided that I’d had enough. I made a few bucks, but mostly did it just for fun.
I’d say Swagbucks is fun for people like me who look forward to math exams, but if you have a phobia of forms and quizzes, then I can’t recommend it. But I have to say, I didn’t realize you could make money by doing other things as well. . .I might have to go back and check that out.
Anyways, thanks for sharing this information about this less-than-stellar way to make some US pennies.
Isaac
haha. nicely put. Thanks for the comment!
Do you think that the Swagbucks might go up in value as Bitcoin started like 0.01to begin then the use of them brought the price up some times more than the USD, there another cryptocurrency?
Like WESA tokens that are fluid and say they are going up but it’s confusing to deal with them, as far as the payout problems it puts to mind the play for real money games.
Swagbucks isn’t cryptocurrency, so no, it won’t go up in value. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve actually done some of these back in college but could never make enough money for it actually to be worth it. I can’t imagine doing these every day. These days everyone and their mothers are trying to make super-easy money without putting in any work. Great article on surveys here.
Keep up the good work!
Agreed. Thanks for the comment!
Hello Eric!
Just think if I had used my time to do a survey instead of writing a comment, I could have made a penny! I am positive the time I spent here on this site has given me much more value than that! Thanks so much!
I wish you the best!
Chad
haha much appreciated! thanks for the comment!
My time is definitely worth more then pennies! I have read other reviews on Swag Bucks where they actually said they made some decent money….um I don’t think so. I’ve done surveys before, and you can spend a lot of time on a survey only to find out at the END of the survey that you did not qualify to do that survey…..hmmm kind of fishy. Definitely a scam!
If someone is looking to make pennies for their time, Swagbucks is great. If you’re looking to make actual money, yeah NO! lol. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for adding to your voice to mine and that of others to say Swagbucks is a big SCAM. They have so many ads out there and people, including myself, have spent time watching their videos or playing games and made no money. The threshold they set will never ever be met by you, so you make no money in the end.
While technically they’re not an illegal scam, I definitely agree that it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to make any real money with them. Your time is worth so much more! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the thorough review. I also stumbled upon their ads on Facebook and try to sign up. I’m glad their site isn’t a scam, but I agree that their surveys are quite lengthy and not fun at all 🙁 Also, it seems I can’t get a lot of surveys due to not living in US/European countries. Do you have any other survey sites with PayPal as a cashout option? Thanks
To be honest, I’m not a fan of survey sites at all. I feel like just about anything you do would be a better way to spend your time. Your time is worth so much more than pennies! Thanks for the comment!
Hi Eric,
Swagbucks seems like a good start to making money online, but people are still trading time for money. Spending 18 minutes for $0.01 is very low for your time spent on the unqualified survey. No way!
Cheers,
Matt
Agreed! There are WAY better ways to make money online! Thanks for the comment!
I joined another online survey site and my opinion of doing online surveys matches yours exactly. The pennies that you can possibly earn is simply not worth the time you spend filling them in, it’s like trading your time for peanuts. And they are boring. I dont understand why people think this would be a good way to make money.
Agreed. I’ve had many people comment on my YouTube review that it’s a great way for teenagers to make money and I always reply that just about ANYTHING would be a better way to make money than this whether it be doing chores, mowing lawns, picking up trash… ANYTHING. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks Eric, I joined Swagbucks a while ago. Your review on them is spot on. Swagbucks is truly legit but it is a total waste of time. All I ever got from them was $5.00 and that was after months of doing so many activities on their site and through their site. I will not be wasting any more time with them.
Thank you for your honesty! As you saw in the video I’m just a few points away from $25 but I can’t see myself going through the process of attempting another survey, lol. Not worth it!
This platform have been going round for a very long time and I thought that it was maybe a solid option since I saw some of my friends doing the jobs that are available on the platform. I was thinking maybe I’m the one who is seriously missing out on all the goods, but it’s painful to see that this is not one that I would like to try at all. I have to show them what I have found out. Thanks for the eye opener.
Yeah, it’s definitely a painful way to earn money. Thanks for the comment!
Swagbucks is definitely a legit platform and while they offer quite minimal means of money generation, they do pay out. Also, the fact that there are quite a number of things to do to earn, I imagine it makes it an easy way to earn some money online for students. Thank you! Well written!
I don’t know if I’d agree that it’s “easy” (because I literally wanted to scoop my brain out with a fork after attempting some of these surveys), but, yes, for students already buying things online and making searches, it offers a way to collect some savings here and there. Thanks for the comment!
Hello Eric. Swagbucks is just a bad idea to deal with and its mode of making money is quite off-grid. Taking surveys as a means of income is not a good idea, and if any site is promising to give you any good amount of money from the survey, then its best to stay away. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the comment!
I like your honesty about the fact that you find the surveys boring.lol
ha, I couldn’t help it. They are MIND NUMBING!
Hey Eric,
Thank you for shedding some light on Swagbucks. It is definitely not for me. I would at least have to be learning some sort of earning skills for my own personal development to justify that kind of time.
As for those individuals who pursue Swagbucks, I believe they deserve more respect than being booted after spending time on the survey. Instead they gained nothing and lost time.
Yeah, a penny for potentially an hour’s worth of thoughts just doesn’t seem fair, right?