So, I'm going to outline what I do to maximize my earnings with minimum time.
EARNING SWAGBUCKS
1. First, sign up for Swagbucks. (That is my referral link. Basically, if you sign up through me, I get matching Swagbucks up to a certain amount.) When you sign up, if you upload a photo, you get Swagbucks.
2. Install the toolbar. You get 1 SB each day for it.
3. Use the Swagbucks search engine, either on your toolbar or on the homepage. Every time you search, you have the chance to earn Swagbucks. I've earned between 7 and 54 SBs from a single search. I try to do enough searches to get at least 3 rewards a day, but usually I get more. Just by searching, you can earn 21+ SBs a day.
4. Take the daily poll and complete the No Obligations Special Offers (NOSO). Just keep clicking skip on the NOSO and enter the captcha at the end. Takes about a minute and you get 3 SB.
5. Watch Swagbucks TV. You get 3 SBs for every 10 videos you watch, up to 75 SBs a day. I work on my computer, so I tend to have a tab open with Swagbucks TV and just let it play in the background. This requires very little effort on my part; I just click a new video every couple of minutes.
6. Install Swagbucks TV Mobile (Android or iPhone) on your phone. You get 2 SBs for every 5 videos you watch, up to 50 SBs a day. I usually just have them playing on my phone while I work or watch TV. Sometimes you'll have to close out ads to start the next video, but most of the time, the videos play on their own. Again, very little effort.
7. Use Swagcodes. Almost every day, Swagbucks releases codes that you enter to get extra Swagbucks. These codes can be on Facebook, Twitter, the Swagbucks blog, or even hidden in the Swagstore. I'd highly recommend signing up at Swagbucks Code Spoilers to get text messages or emails whenever there is a new code.
This is what I do every day because it really doesn't take any time at all and I'm usually already on my computer. Just with these step, I get at least 150 SBs. Now, there are a few more things I do on occasion to up my earnings.
8. Print coupons. These are the same printable coupons that you find at other sites, but you get 10 SBs for each coupon you redeem.
9. Take surveys. I hate surveys. I almost never qualify for them and they can be time-intensive, so I only do them when I'm bored or I need the SBs. Most surveys give 24, 60, or 72 SBs, but you also get 1 SB if you are disqualified from a survey. I know tons of people who use surveys almost exclusively to earn Swagbucks, but it's really hit or miss.
10. Take advantage of Special Offers. These are offers like "Sign up for Netflix, get 1000 SBs" or "Order $20 from The Disney Store, get 1500 SBs." If you buy your Groupons through here, you can get Swagbucks.
11. Shop online. If you do any online shopping, check here first to see if you can get Swagbucks for your purchase. I was able to get several hundred Swagbucks while doing my Christmas shopping at Walmart, Old Navy, and Target.
That's it! Those are the things that I, personally, do to get Swagbucks. But just to complete my list, I'm going to add a few more things that you can do (even though I don't.)
12. Play games. You can earn a couple of Swagbucks for each game you play. Or, you can enter a tournament and earn a whole bunch if you win. I've played a few games, but I don't do it often because I don't have the time. But, if you're going to play Angry Birds-type games anyways, you might want to look here and see if anything is appealing.
13. Do tasks. Pick a task listed, do it, and earn Swagbucks. I've never done this, but from what I've heard, they can take a lot of time.
14. Trade-ins. Send Swagbucks your old video games, books, etc. and they'll give you Swagbucks. I've never done this and I have no clue how much they reward you. But it's there if you're interested.
SPENDING SWAGBUCKS
Well, now that you have all these Swagbucks saved up, how exactly do you make money?
1. Buy stuff through the Swag Store. The most efficient way of converting Swagbucks to money is by purchasing $5 Amazon gift cards. This is because most gift cards are 100 SB -> $1.00, but these are 90 SB -> $1.00. Unfortunately, you can only get 5 of them a month. If you'd rather have the cold, hard cash instead of gift cards, you can transfer your SBs into your Paypal account. There's also merchandise that you can purchase, although unless you can find something on clearance, it's usually not worth it.
2. Enter Swagstakes. If you like to play the lotto, you can use your Swagbucks to enter for a chance to win larger prizes.
3. Buy discounts for local businesses. For instance, I can print a $1.00 coupon for my grocery store for 35 SBs. Or, I can spend 35 SBs for a coupon for a massage that costs $89.00.
I just buy Amazon gift cards. I get my 5 $5 cards each month and then with my leftover SBs, I'll get a $15 or $25 card. Then, I save all the cards for Christmas when I have about $500 or so saved up. This year, I did about 95% of my Christmas shopping though Amazon. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and gift cards, I got about $1200 worth of gifts and only paid $74 out of pocket. Not too bad since I only spend a few minutes a day on Swagbucks.
