10 Quick and Easy Ways to Earn Free Gift Cards (2022)
Gift cards are awesome, and they’re even better when they’re free. Wouldn’t it be nice to shop at your favorite stores with a free gift card?
Many people don’t realize that there are many different ways you can begin getting gift cards without spending a dime. I’ve used dozens of cash back apps, survey sites, and other services to find the best possible sources of free gift cards.
Keep reading find out what they are and how you can get started earning free gift cards!
Contents
10 best ways to earn free gift cards
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1. Join survey websites that offer gift card rewards
Would you answer a few questions about products and your shopping habits to earn gift cards?
Great, because there are heaps of survey websites that will pay you in gift cards and other rewards for answering simple surveys in your spare time. Below are a few of our favorites!
PrizeRebel
PrizeRebel allows you to complete online surveys for points. These points can then be exchanged for gift cards to retail stores like Amazon, iTunes, Dunkin’ Donuts, Steam, and Kohls.
Begin by signing up by connecting your Facebook account or via an email address on the PrizeRebel homepage. This will take you to the dashboard where you can view “Your Surveys,” As you complete surveys, you’ll begin earning points.
Fill out the quick questionnaire to determine if there are any surveys available for you. PrizeRebel will check your demographics and see if you are eligible for any surveys.
Once you’ve earned enough points, you’ll navigate to the “Rewards” tab to see what gift cards are available.
Once you see the gift card you want, then you’ll simply redeem points that free gift card by going to their page and clicking “Claim This Item.”
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie pays active users to complete surveys that help consumer brands make better business decisions.
Survey Junkie will ask you questions about your online shopping habits, demographic information, pet ownership, and related things. The data you provide is given to these consumer products businesses that help them determine which business decisions will serve their target audience.
To start earning, click the “Join Now” button on their home page. Completing your profile, confirming an email address, and going through their tutorial will net you some easy points.
Surveys will be shown on the dashboard along with how many points they will give you and an estimated time for completion. There is a $10 minimum amount to redeem your points. Once you meet the minimum payout threshold, you can click the redeemable point amount from the left sidebar.
By doing this, you can get gift cards to shops like Starbucks, Amazon, and Sephora.
MyPoints
MyPoints has been helping people like you earn free rewards, cash prizes, and gift cards since 1998. The best part is, you earn points when you don’t qualify for a survey, so your time is never wasted.
Here’s how to get started.
- First, sign up for an account on their homepage. You will then need to verify your email.
- Second, you can earn points to exchange for digital gift cards by watching videos, downloading and playing mobile games, completing surveys and other simple tasks.
- Finally, click any of the categories from the top navigation to begin earning points. Once you’ve earned enough points, head over to the “Shop” section. This will take you to their MyGiftCardsPlus platform where you can choose which card to redeem.
LifePoints
Originally called MySurvey, LifePoints is another rewards program that will give you points for completing surveys. These can then be exchanged for gift cards to tons of places you love.
You will receive 10 points for verifying your email, right off the bat as a signup bonus. However, before you start taking surveys, you will need to complete a quick questionnaire to see what you’re eligible for.
Available surveys will be emailed to you and appear on your LifePoints dashboard. Once you’ve gained enough points, head over to the rewards section.
Filter the results by brand, category, or points. Click the gift card you want, and redeem your points. Below is an example of a $10 Starbucks gift card, available for 1100 LifePoints.
2. Earn cash back and gift cards with Ebates
Imagine being able to shop online like you normally do, but also earning cash back with every purchase.
Welcome to Ebates.
Sign up for an Ebates account and browse all of their available online retailers for deals. Click the deal that interests you and Ebates will forward you to the appropriate website.
Shop for your favorite brands as you normally do, and Ebates will record everything in the background. When you go back to Ebates, you will see the amount of cash you earned.
The amount varies based on the store where you’re shopping, and whether they are offering any special deals like double cash back. You can navigate through specific categories from hovering over “All Stores” and choosing from categories like clothing, electronics, and more.
Note: You can earn an additional $25 for referring other users, like friends and family members, to Ebates. Try sending out your special referral link across social media accounts and to your friends.
Keep an eye out for any deals pertaining to gift cards like this one from Sam’s Club, for example. Or if you’re looking for something in particular, like a Best Buy gift card, you can scroll to the retailer you want.
3. Play games through Swagbucks
Do you spend a lot of time on your phone or enjoy playing mobile games? Then you need to sign up for Swagbucks because you can be getting gift cards by playing your favorite games.
Swagbucks works similar to other reward sites in the sense you complete tasks and surveys to earn reward points.
These reward points are then exchanged for PayPal deposits, donated to charities, or redeemed for gift cards to popular retailers like Home Depot. Once you’ve signed up for an account, you’ll see a dashboard that looks like this.
Click on any of the categories from the sidebar to begin earning points for gift cards. The tasks will display how many points you will get for completing it. There are also simple instructions that explain exactly what you need to do.
Swagbucks To-Do List
I also recommend that you scroll down and complete the to-do list for bonus points. This new feature gives users more points for doing extra tasks.
Visit the gift cards section once you have earned at least a few hundred points.
Here you can choose a gift card to purchase from Amazon, Indigo, iTunes, and more. Those that want to make the most of Swagbucks should participate in other online activities, as well.
For example, you can watch videos by clicking the “Watch” tab on the left sidebar. A video will automatically start playing within 10 seconds, and you earn points for sitting through it. This is a great way to pass the time and earn points for free gift cards.
Discover Swagbucks and refer a friend
I really like the Discover section, as well. This is where Swagbucks places all of their featured offers.
These offers include things like downloading special apps or shopping from partnered stores. Completing these tasks will net you some serious points. In turn, this speeds up how fast you get gift cards.
Don’t forget to invite your friends, too. If someone signs up through your special affiliate link, you get 300 points and 10% of the lifetime points they earn. You could be getting nonstop points with minimal effort if you refer a bunch of friends and family members.
4. Shop with Drop
Drop is a cash back app that has given away millions of dollars to its users. In order to use Drop, you’ll need to establish a Drop account. From there, the app works by connecting a debit or credit card to your Drop account.
Once you’ve connected your credit card or debit card, you simply shop at your favorite retailers like you normally would. As you shop, Drop gives you points based on your purchases.
These points can then be redeemed for different prizes including — you guessed it — gift cards!
Visit the Drop website and enter your phone number into the form. This will text you a direct link to the appropriate store to download their app. You can link a card by:
- Tapping on the profile button.
- Selecting the link card option.
- Choose the correct bank and enter the requested information.
Don’t worry about security, either. Drop is protected by an encryption system that prevents your personal information, like banking data, from being stolen.
Drop also has a premium service, with in-app offers that don’t require you to shop in physical locations. You simply click the link and shop as you normally would online. Drop boasts offers from popular brans like Amazon, McDonalds, and more.
Other creative ways to earn free gift cards with Drop
Similar to other apps I’ve mentioned, you can send invites to friends for extra earnings by:
- Click “Invite Friends”
- Copy your unique link
- Send it to friends through email or social media
Once your friend has linked a card to their account, you will receive points within 24 hours!
5. Join gift card giveaways
Some times free gift cards are right under your nose and you don’t even know it. A quick Google search will help you find all of the latest opportunities.
For example, I searched “gift card giveaway” and instantly found a few contests to join.
One place to look for giveaways is Giveaway Monkey, which is a website that compiles the latest giveaways to join. Most of these giveaways are really contests you enter by registering and providing some basic personal information.
You can select between different categories like country, type of product or retailer, and what type of drawing you’re planning to enter.
You’ll want to read the contest details carefully, too. There you will find the exact instructions and rules to follow for entering the giveaway and receiving your prize.
6. Trade-in your old electronics with Amazon
Do you have old electronics sitting around collecting dust? The Amazon trade in service could allow you to upgrade to a new device while exchanging your old electronics for free Amazon gift cards.
Begin by choosing the category that describes your electronic. After that, find the exact product. Amazon will ask you a few questions to determine if it’s in the right condition. If everything checks out, Amazon will send you a free shipping label.
Print this and ship the electronic to Amazon’s warehouse. An Amazon gift card will be applied to your account with a bonus towards Echo devices.
This is an easy way to get free Amazon gift cards while decluttering your house.
7. Save money and get gift cards with Ibotta
The Ibotta app is one of the world’s most popular cash back apps. They will pay you for shopping online as you normally would, so it’s practically free money.
Earnings can also be exchanged for gift cards. Similar to Drop, you’ll need to agree to the terms and enter your phone number to download the app.
To begin using the Ibotta app, you simply:
- Choose an available offer
- Make a purchase
- Upload the receipt from your purchase
Ibotta will credit your account within 24 hours. You can also connect loyalty programs to the app to earn even more money. So if you participate in a loyalty program, make sure you take advantage of this.
Once you’ve hit the $20 withdrawal threshold, you can select which retailer you’d like a gift card from. Ibotta will email you the electronic gift card within an hour!
8. Search social media hashtags for giveaways
Companies and influencers are constantly doing giveaways to grow their brands and gain traction in different consumer markets. You can take advantage of these giveaways to start getting cool rewards like Amazon gift cards and extra money.
Instagram is one of the best places to begin. Sign up for an account if you don’t already have one, and search for hashtags like:
- #Giveaway
- #Giveaways
- #Freebies
As you do, you’ll see giveaways by different influencers who are paid by their respective consumer brands to promote them.
Click through the various posts and carefully read the caption. Here you will find instructions for joining the giveaway. This might include tagging friends or following another account.
This same exact process can be repeated on Twitter. Search for a hashtag related to giveaways and filter the results by “Top” to get the most active ones.
Similar to Instagram, Twitter giveaways typically entail retweeting the post and following the account.
Do you also have a Facebook account? If so, search for giveaway groups. These are communities dedicated to sharing the latest freebies, discount codes, and more. There is no limit to how many Facebook groups you can join, so join a few and give it a shot!
As you can see, some of these Facebook groups have tens of thousands of active members. Keep tabs on these daily so you don’t miss out on any gift card giveaways.
9. Get the latest deals with Honey
The Honey browser extension finds the best deals on the internet while you kick your feet up. It’s a free Google Chrome extension that is trusted by over 10 million people.
You simply install the Honey browser extension, go about your business, and Honey will let you know when it finds better deals.
These deals often occur in the form of discount codes, coupons, and gift cards. They are also partnered up with major retailers like Nike, Amazon, Nordstrom, Expedia, and others.
You earn points as you shop, known as Honey Gold. Honey Gold can be redeemed for gift cards once you hit a certain payment threshold. I recommend that you use Honey not only to get free gift cards but for combining the savings you might receive with other apps.
For example, you can take a coupon from Honey and use it through a cash back credit card for double the rewards!
10. Use a cash back credit card
Credit cards are great for building up credit and earning rewards when you use them responsibly. Some cash back credit cards will offer a certain amount of your purchases back that can be withdrawn as cash or in the form of gift cards.
You will need to check with your individual bank or credit card issuer to see what cash back rewards programs they offer. Also, you’ll want to ensure you can use a credit card responsibly without digging yourself too far into debt.
Here are some tips I have for managing a credit card without getting into debt:
- Pay off your credit card as soon as you receive your monthly statement. Never let the remaining balance carry over to the next statement cycle.
- Download banking and finance apps on your mobile device to stay on top of your credit card balances. Many of these apps will help you monitor your credit score, so you can stay on top of changes in your credit rating.
- Read the terms and conditions carefully so you don’t skip over annual fees or other fine details. These terms and conditions might change over time, especially at the end of any introductory periods, so be sure to take notice.
- Only use the credit card for specific purchases or in certain situations you find appropriate. Make sure you have strict spending criteria for your card. Otherwise, ’emergencies’ have a tendency to sneak up on you.
- Create a financial plan and budget so credit cards never get out of control.
If you follow these tips, you will be able to build credit, use credit cards responsibility, and earn gift cards all at the same time.
The truth about free gift card generators
Have you seen or tried gift card generators before? I highly suggest that you stay away from them. Here’s why.
Gift cards require you to either earn them via completing tasks on reward sites or by purchasing them. If a website is promising that they will give them to you for free, it’s probably too good to be true. Many of these websites contain spammy affiliate links and other ways to make money and don’t actually work.
They’re produced solely to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting users. Some are downright fraudulent, too.
Your best bet is to avoid any website that claims they will give you free gift card codes. Instead, try out the different techniques I outlined today and you will have much better results by earning the gift cards.
Wrapping up the best way to get free gift cards
I believe the best way to get gift cards is by using multiple strategies at once. This means signing up for online survey sites, using cash back apps, and keeping tabs on social media contests.
Doing these things on a regular basis will maximize your odds of finding and getting gift cards. Imagine instead of browsing through Instagram or playing video games in your free time, that you completed surveys on a website like Swagbucks to earn some easy money.
That would slowly add up over time, converting into gift cards to your favorite shops! You can do these things in between classes, while on break at work, or before you go to bed.
Most apps and websites also include referral links. Always spread these on social media to earn extra points.
What’s your favorite way to get gift cards?