Swagbucks FAQ

Here is a quick index of frequently asked questions about Swagbucks, currently in no particular order. If this post helped you, let me know!

1. So what is Swagbucks, anyway?
Q: "I've heard a lot about Swagbucks. What is it and how does it work?"

A: For a short answer: it's a site that you use to search, instead of Google or another search engine. The results are pulled from Google and Ask, which makes them pretty good, and ads are put in here and there, just like Google and other major search engines. The big difference? You earn Swagbucks for random searches. You can also get Swagbucks in many other ways. And you can trade in those Swagbucks for prizes like Amazon gift cards, iPhones, electronics, books, and more.

2. Is Swagbucks a scam?
Q: "That sounds too good to be true. Is it trustworthy?"

A: Yep! They make their money from advertising, just like other search engines. The only difference is that they funnel that ad money back to the users, instead of keeping it for themselves.

They don't send spam or junk mail, thye don't sell your email address, and they don't send teams of monkeys to raid your house at night. ;)

There are videos on Youtube and photos on Flickr of many people unboxing their prizes that they just received. I've earned several gift cards now. It's definitely for real.

3. Does Swagbucks cost money?
Q: "Is Swagbucks free or does it cost me money? Are there any hidden fees?"

A: It's totally free, or I wouldn't be using it! There are no hidden fees of any kind, you don't even have to pay shipping on items from the Swag Store.

If you do any shopping online, though, do it through the Swagbucks links and you'll earn 1 Swagbuck for every $5 spent. That's totally optional, though -- I haven't tested it out yet myself and don't intend to until I have cash to burn and online stores are no longer banished from my self-restraining measures. :P (Read: not for a long while.)

4. Searching on Swagbucks takes you to the rules.
Q: "Every time I try to search, it brings me to the rules page! What happened?!"

A: This happens when you've been "spam-searching"; that is, searching too many things too fast. Don't search for a few hours and then try again and all should be fine. To avoid this, make sure your searches are all genuine searches. It's nearly impossible to win twice very quickly, in my experience, anyway.

5. You've made multiple accounts.
Q: "I accidentally made more than one account!" or "A family member in my house made an account and now I see that only one account per household is allowed. What do I do?"

A: As you probably know, you're only allowed one account per household. If you've made more than one, or recruited a family member, the Swagbucks team is usually pretty understanding, though. Here's what to do:
--Stop using the account, if you haven't already.
--Email support@swagbucks.com and let them know what happened. Tell them that you made a mistake and would like the other account deactivated.
--Wait patiently for a response.

6. You can't figure out how to add friends on Swagbucks.
Q: "I don't want to invite friends, I want to add people who are already signed up. How do I do this?"

A: The short answer? You can't, and there's no such thing as "adding friends".
Basically, the only way you can "add people as friends" is by referring them, and you can only do that before they register (make sure they click on your referral link!). If it's too late, it's too late, unfortunately.

If you think you did refer them, but after 48 hours, they aren't showing up in your Friends list, email support@swagbucks.com and they might be able to help you out.

7. You need Swag Codes right now!
Q: "Can I pleeease have Swag Codes?"

A: No, no, no! And don't ask, because they'll find out and deactivate you...!

It's not worth the risk to you for asking or to me for giving them to you.

Instead, I can show you how I get them!

--Become a fan of their Facebook page and check it regularly. If there's a code out anywhere, there WILL be people going, "Yay, code!" and "Thanks!" and providing hints as to where to find it and what it is.

--Follow them on Twitter, they sometimes post codes there. Actually, every day, there's a code posted on Twitter that's active for only 5 minutes.

--Subscribe to the Swagbucks blog and check back regularly. Sometimes, they put codes in new blog entries.