Swagbucks

Have you heard of Swagbucks? Maybe you've seen a post on Facebook talking about it but don't really know how it all works. Let me fill you in. Swagbucks is a website that will reward you with digital dollars (called "swagbucks") that you can then use to buy giftcards and other free fun things in the swag store. It's easy to earn bucks, just use their search engine like you normally would throughout the day, and when you win a buck it will show at the top of the search results. The best deal available for redemption right now is a $5 Amazon giftcard for 45 swagbucks. So far, I've redeemed $85 in Amazon giftcards! That's FREE MONEY right there for doing nothing that I wouldn't have done anyway! You can also redeem for $5 Paypal (70 swagbucks) and some other great stuff, but the best value is the Amazon giftcard.

Sign up is here: Swagbucks signup. And right now, you can earn an extra couple of bucks when you enter the following promotional code when signing up (promotion code valid through 9/10/09): phanscode1 (case sensitive). A non-member signing up with this promotional code will start off with 5 swagbucks in your account!

Tips for winning:

1. Download the swagbucks toolbar so it's easy to use and will always be at the top of your screen. Here's the toolbar to download: http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-plugins . The Swag Guy (otherwise known as TSG) will also randomly release free codes for bucks and the toolbar has a spot where you can see when he's notified you that there's a code. (More on this below.)
   
2. Search randomly, just like you normally would use a search engine. The more spread out your searches are (the more time inbetween each search), the more likely you will win bucks. So search a bit in the morning, a few at lunch, then some more in the evening.
   
3. Save regular websites that you visit as a swag search. For instance, I check our local Craigslist quite often, sometimes several times a day. So I did a swag search for "Omaha Craigslist" and then bookmarked the search results. Now, whenever I want to go to Craigslist, I just pick that swag search from my favorites list and then click through to Craigslist. It's one extra click that I have to do, but I've won several swagbucks just from that saved search. When you save the search, be sure to change the name so you know what it is! You can do this with so many websites, blogs, online stores, etc that you frequent and and it's just like a free search that you normally wouldn't make.
4. Invite your friends! When they sign up under you and win, you win also! You will get matching buck-for-buck for the first 100 swagbucks they win (not including codes posted by TSG). It's only one level deep, so you only get bucks for the people signed up directly underneath you.
5. Use multiple computers. I can't confirm this for sure, but from what I've read online, the searches you do are somehow tied to your actual computer you're using. So if I search from the laptop in the morning and win right away, I can then go to the desktop computer we have and do searches from there and also win bucks, even though I just won on the laptop!

The toolbar mentioned above is the latest new thing from Swagbucks, it was very recently introduced. It is compatible with Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, but also has some very handy quick links to different parts of the Swagbucks website. If you download the new toolbar, EVERYDAY this month (September) they will release a special code to earn an additional free buck, allowing the opportunity for you to get an addtional 30 bucks in September! These codes are exclusive to the toolbar, there is no other way to get them, and they are account specific, so they can't be shared. Using this new toolbar is the best way to search and earn swagbucks easily and quickly!

The Bargainista