SwagBucks

I think many of you already know about this service. It's not my usual thing to talk about stuff like this, but I've had a good experience with it and want to share. My friend Leah turned me on to a site called SwagBucks. The idea is that you earn points for doing searches. You don't have to actually click on any of the results. Just typing in the keywords and doing the search earns points. You then exchange those points for "prizes," which could be physical things or gift cards. The number of points needed, of course, varies by item.

I didn't want to say anything about it until I had actually tried it for myself, including redeeming a prize. I have officially received my first Amazon gift certificate! It's only $5, but still, they add up over time. (I actually have enough for two more, but I wanted to test it first to make sure it worked.) I was just impressed that it *actually* worked the way they said it did! (Sad, I know.) I can tell you I acquire an average of about 10 points a day, and it takes a max of about 5 minutes. I typically earn 5-10 points for a search. It usually takes me 2-3 tries before points are awarded. I rarely earn points more than once a day for searching; that seems to be pretty standard. I then do the daily poll, check for any trusted surveys, and refresh my browser tool bar. Each of those activities earns 1 point each. I've only ever actually completed one survey for points because I don't usually qualify, seeing as I am *the* most typical demographic of the site! A $5 Amazon gift card currently costs 450 points, so I can earn one about every six weeks if I'm diligent about doing my searches every day (8 weeks is more typical, though, since I often forget to do it on weekends). They occasionally put out codes on Facebook, Twitter, their blog, the newsletter, or in the tool bar. There are other ways to earn points, including making purchases via affiliated sites, but these are the "points opportunities" I use most often. Be sure you read the rules! They are very diligent about banning users who break them.

If you're interested in trying it for yourself, please use this link. Full disclosure: that is my referral link. By using it, I actually earn a small percentage of your points. :-) Other than possible points from referrals, I'm not being compensated for posting this (i.e. the site won't give me points just for putting this on my blog). Anyway, just wanted to share, in case any of you were interested in it. Like I said, I have personally tried it, including redeeming points, and it really does work. I'm glad my friend used her blog to introduce me to SwagBucks, and I wanted to pass along the favor.

Currently feeling: like shopping!