Swagbucks: How Much Can You Earn & Is It Legit?

Is Swagbucks legit?

Yes, Swagbucks is legit. I’ve tried it out for myself and can confirm it offers a genuine way to make real money online.

More on my experience with Swagbucks further down the page, but first, let’s look at the company behind the platform.

Swagbucks was launched in 2008 and is based in El Segundo, California. It’s a subsidiary brand of Prodege, LLC, a marketing and consumer insights platform.

Prodege is BBB accredited with a B+ rating, and Swagbucks has an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars from over 41,000 Trustpilot reviews. Swagbucks has also been mentioned in many reputable publications, including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Swagbucks signup process

It takes just a couple of minutes to create a Swagbucks account. You can sign up online or via a free Android or iOS app. I’m an Android user, so I downloaded the app from Google Play.

All you have to do is enter your email address and create a password. You don’t need to provide photo ID when you sign up, but you will need to verify your identity before you can redeem any rewards.

Once logged in, I was presented with a host of survey offers and games that I could play to start making money. I’ll take you through my experience in detail in a minute, but first, let’s look at the many different ways you can earn on Swagbucks.

How to earn money on Swagbucks

There are several ways to make money on Swagbucks, but you don’t get money straight away. Rewards are paid in points known as SB, with 1 SB worth US$0.01. You can then redeem your SB for cash via PayPal or Payoneer, or for a selection of gift cards.

Complete surveys

• How it works: You get paid for completing online surveys and questionnaires. Surveys cover a variety of topics ranging from personal finance to shopping and travel.
• Time and effort involved: Most surveys range from 5 to 60 minutes. You need to answer questions about yourself, which is easy enough, but it does take ongoing commitment if you want to see any decent earnings.
• Earning potential: Swagbucks says you can expect to earn 40 to 200 SB points per survey (Remember: 100 SB = US$1), but there are occasional opportunities to earn more. The maximum reward I was quoted after signing up was 90 SB per survey.

Play games

• How it works: You earn SB by playing Swagbucks’ online library of games, or by downloading games to your iOS or Android smartphone and playing them.
• Time and effort involved: Varies depending on the game.
• Earning potential: You can earn between approximately 100 and 30,000 SB with most games. However, the maximum reward I was offered was over 300,000 SB for Goblins Wood.

Shop online

• How it works: Shop online through Swagbucks at over 7,000 partner retailers and earn cashback on your purchases. Stores you can shop at include Expedia, Walmart, Best Buy, eBay, Old Navy and Gap.
• Time and effort involved: It only takes minutes and minimal effort.
• Earning potential: You can typically earn between 1 and 10 SB per $1 spent.

Scan receipts

• How it works: When you purchase specific grocery items from participating merchants and then upload your receipt, you can earn cashback on your purchases.
• Time and effort involved: It only takes minutes and minimal effort.
• Earning potential: Varies.

Install a browser extension

• How it works: The Swagbucks SwagButton browser extension provides automatic alerts about sales, coupons, promo codes and cashback deals at thousands of retailers.
• Time and effort involved: Minimal.
• Earning potential: Varies depending on deals available. $10 welcome bonus when you spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop within the first 30 days.

Search the web

• How it works: If you make Swagbucks’s search engine your default search engine, you can earn SB by searching the web.
• Time and effort involved: Minimal.
• Earning potential: Varies.

Redeem Swag Codes

• How it works: Swag Codes are promo codes you can find on Swagbucks’ social media pages, in the Swagbucks app, in Swagbucks Daily Trivia and in notifications from its browser extension. These codes can be redeemed for SB by pasting them into the Swag Code box, the Swagbucks mobile app or the SwagButton extension.
• Time and effort involved: Minimal.
• Earning potential: 2-3 SB per code.

Enter Swagstakes

• How it works: These competitions provide the chance to win Swagbucks points, gaming consoles, laptops and other prizes. However, you’ll need to pay with SB to enter.
• Time and effort involved: Minimal time and effort, but entry prices of Swagstakes listed at the time of writing ranged from 3 to 25 SB.
• Earning potential: Varies.

Refer friends

• How it works: If you invite a friend to join Swagbucks and they use your referral link to sign up, you earn 10% of the SB they earn from the platform for life.
• Time and effort involved: Minimal.
• Earning potential: 10% of whatever your friend earns, with no maximum limit.

Alternatives

Play Games & Take Surveys

Go to site

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• Access a variety of tasks
• Make an average of $300 per offer
• Get a $5 CAD sign-up bonus when you start your first offer

Best for Mobile

Go to site

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• Earn up to $800 through offers
• No limit on how much you play games or complete surveys
• Earn money while playing games

Paid Surveys

Go to site

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• Earn up to $100 per month in rewards
• Finder readers receive 2,000 LEO welcome bonus points
• Free, user-friendly, and secure app and website

Swagbucks app preview

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My experience with Swagbucks

The Swagbucks app interface is easy to understand and navigate straight away. Top surveys and offers are shown on your dashboard, with separate tabs for you to dive into games, surveys and deals in more detail.

Games

Straight away, I could see that there were more than 50 games to choose from, with payouts ranging from a few hundred SB to more than 300,000.

The highest reward on offer was 306,750 for Goblins Wood. Early rewards in this game started out small:

• Reach Level 6 within 30 days: 10 SB
• Reach Level 10 within 30 days: 40 SB
• Reach Level 20 within 30 days: 100 SB

Reward amounts increase as you progress through the levels, while time restrictions no longer apply:

• Reach Level 80: 10,000 SB
• Reach Level 90: 12,000 SB
• Reach Level 100: 32,000 SB
• Reach Level 110: 48,000 SB
• Reach Level 120: 64,000 SB
• Reach Level 130: 115,000 SB

There were also bonus rewards available, offering higher payouts but much shorter time limits. For example:

• Reach Level 15 within 2 days: 1,500 SB
• Reach Level 30 within 10 days: 1,500 SB

I downloaded this empire builder/puzzle solver to give it a go. I completed the first intro level quickly and got stuck into Level 2, but a couple of things soon became apparent:

• I wasn’t a huge fan of the game.
• It was going to take me a long time to get any decent rewards—even the 40 US cents I would get by reaching Level 10 seemed a long way off.

But there’s a huge range of games to choose from on Swagbucks, so I decided to look elsewhere. Wood Block Jam, a basic puzzle game with a total reward of 17,575 SB, was my next pick.

The first reward for this mildly satisfying game was 10 SB for reaching Level 25. It would have been quick and easy enough to achieve, too, if not for the lengthy ad breaks between levels that kept trying to send me to Google Play to download other apps.

My experience with Swagbucks games showed that personal preference has a big impact on your earning potential. If you don’t enjoy a game, or if the rewards on offer don’t justify the amount of time you’ll have to put in, cut your losses and move on to the next game. It’s also well worth checking out the app store reviews for a game before deciding whether you should bother downloading it.

Surveys

Over on the Surveys tab, I could choose from 20 surveys with rewards ranging from 8 SB to 90 SB. I could also earn 2 SB for every 10 profile questions I answered, so while not exactly lucrative, it’s an easy way to gradually build a bigger SB balance.

When I started choosing questionnaires, I came across a couple of problems that anyone who has tried online surveys before will be all too familiar with. The first was a survey which, when displayed in my dashboard, said it would take six minutes to complete. But after spending a few minutes answering questions just to qualify for the survey, the intro screen for the actual survey then said it would take 10 to 12 minutes to complete.

The second problem was getting screened out of surveys. Several times I clicked on surveys and answered one or more questions only to find that I didn’t fit the demographic group the survey provider was looking for. It’s a frustrating problem, but it’s also a very common one across survey sites, and it’s certainly not unique to Swagbucks.

In the end, I did a couple of quick surveys, and I was pleased to see the SB rewards were credited to my account straight away. I also got a 100 SB bonus for completing my first survey.

Other ways to earn

Another way to make money on Swagbucks is to earn cashback when you shop at partner retailers. I could access cashback offers everywhere from top fashion retailers and pet supply stores to airlines and travel insurers. A few of the top offers were:

• 4% cashback at Hotels.com
• 5% cashback at Calvin Klein
• $50 cashback at NordVPN (minimum purchase $30)

You may also be able to access special offers and deals through the platform. The main one available to me was for an 800 SB reward from crypto exchange Coinbase if I signed up for an account, deposited at least $10, and placed my first trade.

What I like about Swagbucks

• Fast signup. I signed up and started earning with Swagbucks in a matter of minutes.
• Multiple ways to earn. From playing games to completing surveys and surfing the web, there are several different ways to earn Swagbucks points.
• Supplement your income. Swagbucks provides a legit way to earn some extra cash online, and you don’t need any special skills or experience to start earning.
• User-friendly mobile app. The Swagbucks app boasts a streamlined, user-friendly interface and has an average rating of 4.3/5 stars based on 445,000+ reviews on Google Play.
• Low minimum cash out. You can cash out your SB for gift cards starting at $5, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your rewards.
• Member Recognition Program. The Swagbucks Member Recognition program provides bonuses and benefits as you reach earnings goals on the platform. There are 10 membership tiers available, ranging from Pearl ($2.50 in platform earnings) to Diamond ($20,000 in earnings), and rewards include discounts on gift card redemptions and the ability to earn bonus SB.

What to watch out for

• Won’t make you rich. Earning Swagbucks points is not a way to get rich quick or replace your regular income.
• Can be difficult to qualify for surveys. I found it frustrating to be repeatedly screened out of surveys, and plenty of other online reviewers say the same thing.
• Low value. 1 SB is worth US$0.01, so it may take you some time to accumulate a balance worth cashing out.
• Some games are a grind. Don’t be fooled by the lucrative-sounding maximum payout for a game; you’ll need to put in a lot of time and effort, and maybe even make some in-app purchases, to see that sort of reward.

Tips to maximize success on Swagbucks

• Check your account often. Open the Swagbucks app or log in to your account online regularly to maximize your points-earning opportunities by completing daily polls and checklists.
• Make the most of promo offers. Keep an eye out for Swagbucks promo offers that allow you to earn bonus SB by performing specific tasks. They can provide a welcome boost to your balance.
• Download the app. Downloading the Swagbucks app to your mobile device allows you to earn SB when you’re on the go but have spare time on your hands (like if you’re riding the bus to work).
• Refer friends. If you refer a friend to Swagbucks, you will earn 10% of the SB they earn. It’s a simple way to keep earning without having to lift a finger.
• Check Reddit. Check various passive income and make money online Subreddits for tips from other users about the most lucrative game offers.

Related: Swagbucks promo bonus codes

Reviews for Swagbucks

Swagbucks user reviews are generally positive, but it has received some mixed feedback too. Users who leave positive reviews mention factors such as the legitimacy of the platform, the fact that there are multiple ways to earn rewards, and helpful customer service. However, people who leave negative reviews sometimes complain about being disqualified from surveys, having their account deactivated and poor customer service.

The BBB details in the table below are taken from the page for Prodege, the company behind Swagbucks.

As of February 19, 2026

What does Reddit say about Swagbucks?

Swagbucks reviews on Reddit are mixed. On the positive side of things, posters mention that Swagbucks offers a legitimate way to make money online, usually by playing games or getting cashback on purchases. However, getting screened out of surveys is a common complaint, while several users also mention that earning SB is no longer as easy as it was in years gone by.

Is Swagbucks safe?

Swagbucks is a legit platform run by a BBB-accredited company, and it’s picked up hundreds of thousands of customer reviews across Trustpilot, Google Play and the App Store. Its members have also received more than $682 million in cashback since Swagbucks was launched in 2008.

For added security, you can set up a security question on your account to confirm your identity and prevent your account details from falling into the wrong hands.

If you decide to complete surveys through Swagbucks, Swagbucks says you won’t need to provide personally identifiable data, and all data is kept anonymous. Check out the privacy policy on the Swagbucks website for details of how your data is collected and used.

How does Swagbucks make money?

Swagbucks is free to download and use, so how does it turn a profit? Swagbucks makes money from commissions.

It essentially acts as a middleman that connects advertisers with users—game developers with gamers, partner retailers with shoppers, market researchers with survey respondents from different demographics—and receives a commission in return.

How does Swagbucks pay you?

When you’re ready to redeem your SB for cash or a gift card, here’s what you need to do.

1. Log in and click or tap the profile icon.
2. Click or tap “Redeem your SB.”
3. Select the reward you want from the Swagbucks Rewards Store.
4. Confirm your email address and account details.

The SB you earn can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or Payoneer, or used to buy gift cards from partner retailers like Amazon, Starbucks and more.

Bottom line

Swagbucks is well worth checking out if you’re looking for a way to make money online. There are no special skills or qualifications required, and you can earn money by completing surveys, playing games, getting cashback when shopping online, and more. It’s easy to use and a legit provider, but it’s worth noting that Swagbucks only offers a way to earn some extra cash; it’s not enough to provide a full-time income.