Everyone loves receiving a gift card. It doesn't matter if you win one in a sweepstake, get a birthday gift, or use various reward apps to get them for free; gift cards are basically as good as cash.
Getting free gift cards can also help you save more money each month when things are a bit tight.
Now, I've been experimenting with different methods to do this over the years. And since my time in college, I've earned several thousands of dollars in gift cards by using different reward apps, tactics, and ways to earn money online.
So today, I'm sharing some of my most successful methods so you can do the same.
How To Get Free Gift Cards
1. Use Freecash
Freecash is a new and global rewards site that I've been testing out the last few months. And it pays you for completing easy online tasks like watching videos, playing real money games, shopping online, and answering surveys.
I like Freecash since it has 100+ options to earn at any given time. Plus, all you need to get started is 30 seconds and your email address.
As for rewards, PayPal cash and crypto are on the table. You can also redeem gift cards to Amazon, Apple, Steam, Xbox, Netflix, Uber Eats, and more.
2. Play Games For Free Gift Cards
While it might surprise you, it's actually possible to get free gift cards by playing games if you use the right paid gaming apps.
That's right: there are plenty of ways to earn money for playing games. And I've tested and used dozens of these apps over the years to earn gift cards and cash.
Some of the top real money apps with gift card rewards include:
- Cash Giraffe: My favorite Android gaming app with a variety of gift card rewards.
- Rewarded Play: Another Android app you can use to play games for Amazon gift cards and other prizes.
- Lucky Match: A fun puzzle game for iOS and Android that pays you with PayPal money.
- Bingo Cash: Another leading cash gaming app for iOS.
- Mistplay: One of the most popular Android reward apps with a low $0.50 cash out minimum.
- Money Well: A popular app like Mistplay that has dozens of gift card prizes.
I also made a YouTube video that shares more of my favorite ways to earn gift cards by playing video games.
Granted, a lot of the leading apps are Android-only. But you can check out my post on the best iOS money games if you're an iPhone user.
3. Branded Surveys
Another one of my favorite ways to earn free gift cards is to use paid survey websites like Branded Surveys.
This free survey site is available in Canada, the United States, and the UK. Once you're a member, you can complete short online surveys to earn points which are redeemable for PayPal money and dozens of gift cards.
It only takes $5 to cash out. Some of the gift cards you can redeem include ones to Amazon, Best Buy, DoorDash, Home Depot, Nike, and Walmart.
Branded Surveys also has a new mobile survey app, so you can earn while on the go. And if you answer enough surveys per month, you earn bonus cash through its loyalty program.
Start earning with Branded Surveys!
4. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping is a shopping extension that's available in the United States and automatically applies available coupon codes at checkout to help you save.
It's similar to extensions like Honey and Rakuten, and it works with thousands of stores.
Capital One Shopping also lets you earn rewards if you purchase products from partner retailers. You redeem rewards for a range of gift cards after earning $5, so there's multiple ways to save with this shopping platform.
Try out Capital One Shopping or read our Capital One Shopping review to learn more.
Note: Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up with the provided links.
5. Use Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a get-paid-to (GPT) website that's one of the main ways I made money back in college. I've actually cashed out dozens of times with this site over the years, so I know it's legit.
Here are just a few of the ways you can earn gift cards for free on Swagbucks:
- Take surveys for money
- Shop online
- Downloading apps
- Surf the web
- Watch videos
- Read emails
You can redeem earnings for dozens of gift cards, including ones to retailers like Amazon, eBay, iTunes, Sephora, and Target.
Many rewards start at just $1, so you can earn quick money with Swagbucks and don't need weeks to actually cash out. And, the platform often has a $10 sign up bonus you can take advantage of.
6. Use Other Paid Survey Websites
I already mentioned Branded Surveys, and this is where I'd start. But you have plenty of other options at your disposal, including:
- Ipsos iSay: A global survey site with a low $5 cash out minimum.
- Survey Junkie: A popular survey site that has a low $5 cash out minimum.
- InboxDollars: A U.S. survey site that also has a nice $5 sign up bonus.
- Pinecone Research: This survey platform pays you $3 per survey you complete.
- MyPoints: Another leading gpt site with a variety of gift card rewards.
My YouTube video covers more survey sites you can use as well. These sites won't make you rich, but I think earning $5 to $50 per month is quite realistic if you grind out enough surveys in your spare time.
7. Get Gift Cards For Grocery Shopping
Whether you order online or shop in-store, there are several excellent money saving apps that let you earn free money every time you shop.
I use several of these cashback apps on an almost daily basis and earn hundreds of dollars a month back in free gift cards. I can then use my gift cards to save more money or treat people I know.
Here are a few of the must-use grocery apps you need to earn gift cards for free.
- Ibotta: One of the best cashback apps with gift card and PayPal cash rewards.
- Fetch: The leading receipt scanning app that pays you with free gift cards.
- Checkout 51: A popular app like Ibotta that pays you to shop for groceries.
- Shopkick: Earn points for free gift cards by uploading receipts, visiting stores, scanning barcodes, watching videos and more.
I also made a video that shares even more ways to earn free gift cards so you can get paid to shop the next time you're at the store.
In my experience, stacking a few of these apps with things like in-store coupons and rebates saves even more. Ultimately, getting $5 to $25 or even more per month in free gift cards is possible if you do most of your household's shopping.
8. Use Reward Apps
Reward apps can be another great way to earn free gift cards and free PayPal cash.
Free to download and easy to use, these apps let you rack up points that you can redeem for a wide range of gift card prizes. Some of the top apps to earn gift cards I use and suggest include:
- Drop: A great cashback app that also lets you earn money by playing video games.
- Upside: Earn free gift cards when you get gas for your vehicle.
- Amazon Shopper Panel: Earn free Amazon gift cards every month just for uploading receipts.
- NCP Mobile: A popular app like Fetch that pays you to shop and scan barcodes.
- Premise: One of my favorite mystery shopping apps with a variety of gift card rewards.
Upside is currently one of my personal favorites, and it's an easy way to save money on gas and then redeem your savings for free gift cards.
But you can stack all of these apps and easily earn $10 to $50 or more per month in gift cards if you put in just a bit of effort.
9. Trade In Old Stuff
Do you have old devices collecting dust in a closet or drawer? If you do, you might be able to clear out some clutter, recycle these electronics, and earn free gift cards for doing it!
For example, the Amazon Trade-In program lets you trade-in used and unwanted electronics to get free Amazon gift cards. Some of the items you can trade in include:
- Tablets
- Home security devices
- Wireless routers
- Video game consoles like an Xbox or PS5
- Streaming devices
- Laptops
- Smartphones
- Cameras
If the devices you're trading in are Amazon devices, you also receive a 25% off coupon to use on purchasing new devices.
I’ve personally taken advantage of this program to get free gift cards and traded-in some old tablets and phones in the past. Overall, it's an easy way to make money with Amazon while cleaning out your house.
And Amazon is just one example. Some other trade-in programs you can check out include:
- Gamestop: A great place to trade in anything video game related including games, consoles, headsets, gaming collectibles, and more.
- Apple: Have older Apple devices? This manufacturer has a nice value trade-in program.
- Gazelle: A great option to trade-in phones, laptops, and other electronics.
- Decluttr: Another way to trade in electronics, DVDs, books, and gadgets.
- Walmart: This retailer accepts electronics just like Apple and Gazelle.
10. Enter Gift Card Giveaways On Social Media
Brands and influencers post gift card giveaways on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and TikTok all the time for their followers. And many of these contests just require a like or share for an entry and the number of entries is frequently small.
One of my friends actually wins hundreds of dollars a year in free gift cards entering these giveaways. And the best part is the gift cards are often for brands they love shopping at normally.
Be sure to follow your favorite local businesses, sports teams, and area attractions on social media for giveaways. And search for various hashtags to find giveaways and sweepstakes:
- #giveaway
- #contest
- #sweeps or #sweepstakes
- #win
- #freegiftcards
Many local companies such as retail stores, realtors, and restaurants regularly do giveaways, and you can also find low entry contests from bloggers and social media influencers as well.
45+ Places That Give You Free Stuff On Your Birthday.
11. Use Passive Income Apps
Passive income apps and websites are another super simple side hustle you can try out.
I've been using this passive income method since I tried phone farming in college. Since then, I've earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards just by having a few apps on my spare Android.
Several leading passive income platforms to try out include:
- MobileXpression: Earn free gift cards for allowing an app to collect data on your phone.
- Nielsen Panel: Earn $50+ per year for running this passive app to help collect marketing data and earn rewards.
- Current: This app lets you get paid to listen to music, watch ads, and play games.
- Honeygain: Earn money selling your unused internet bandwidth.
- Pogo: Earn small amounts of points whenever you shop and redeem them for cash and gift cards to companies like Amazon and Starbucks.
I made a video that covers all of my favorite passive income apps and websites, including a few of the ones mentioned above.
In my experience, these apps don't pay very much. But most people can make $5 to $15 per month in free gift cards if they download just a couple of these apps.
12. Use Microtask Sites
Microtask websites are sites that pay you for completing short and easy online tasks like data entry, image annotation, transcription, content moderation, and similar gigs.
They're an easy way to earn money online for beginners. And many leading sites pay out with gift cards and PayPal money and are available in dozens of countries.
Some leading microtask platforms you can use include:
- Clickworker: One of the leading microtask platforms in the world.
- Amazon MTurk: This site lets you earn free Amazon gift cards and cash.
- Appen: One of the higher-paying sites in the microtask space.
These sites aren't a full-time income source or online job. However, you can get started without having any skills, and they let you work on your own schedule, so you can be flexible.
13. Search The Web With Bing
Did you know it's possible to get free gift cards just by browsing the web like normal?
Well, with the Microsoft Rewards program, you can do exactly that. This program pays you with points for completing tasks like Bing searches, shopping online, and playing games on Xbox. You can then redeem various free gift cards, free electronics, and other prizes.
I've used this program in the past, and you can easily earn a gift card or two per year just by using Bing and completing a few tasks. And you earn points much faster if you complete shopping offers or play games.
14. Earn Referral Bonuses
Plenty of companies pay you with cash referral bonuses if you invite your friends and family to join them. So, you and a few buddies can get together and all earn some freebies if you put in some effort.
Here are a few easy programs you can start with:
- Cash App: Get $5 in free Cash App money by inviting your friends to join.
- Current: This mobile bank has a nice $50 sign up bonus and its own referral program.
- PayPal: Earn $10 for inviting your friends to join PayPal.
- Ibotta: Get $5 to $10 or more for inviting people to join.
If you spend an afternoon or two with these types of offers, you can probably get a few quick gift cards or cash bonuses with just a bit of time.
15. Use Credit Card Rewards
While you may be used to earning cash back from your credit cards, many gift cards also let you redeem your points for various free gift cards.
This is an easy way to steadily get gift cards throughout the year. And some of the top credit cards even pay you with cash back when you buy gift cards in-store or online.
Here are some of the top credit cards for gift card rewards according to The Points Guy, a website that specializes in credit card rewards:
- Blue Cash Preferred from American Express
- American Express Gold card
- Costco Anywhere card
- Bank of America Customized Cash card
You can also check with your bank about current offers to see what makes sense for you.
16. Use Fitness Apps That Pay
Another one of my favorite free gift card hacks is to use apps that pay you to workout.
There are numerous apps that pay you with gift cards or cash prizes for getting active and reaching certain step goals. Some of the top apps in this space include:
- CashWalk: A new app that pays you to walk with various gift cards.
- Sweatcoin: One of the most popular fitness reward apps out there.
- Cash For Steps: Another app like Sweatcoin with a variety of rewards.
- Miles: This app pays you to walk, swim, bike, drive, and even fly!
- Evidation: Another leading fitness app that pays you for getting active.
This is definitely a more niche idea for getting free gift cards. But I like that these apps encourage you to get active, and I've tested them all out in the past.
Tips For Getting Started
Now that you know how to earn free gift cards, here are a few tips that have helped me over the years to maximize earnings:
- Test A Few Methods: Stacking several apps, websites, and tricks is the best way to consistently get gift card rewards.
- Set A Goal: Do you want to make an extra $10 per month, or $200 a month? Decide on what's realistic and important to you, and set goals to hold yourself accountable.
- Stick To A Shopping List: Your free gift cards can feel like they're not real money after a while, but resist the urge to impulse shop and still stick to a budget.
If you're still looking for more free gift card tricks, you can also read our guide on how to get free Amazon gift cards for even more ideas.
Final Thoughts
I hope my guide on how to get free gift cards helps you save more money each month while treating yourself to your favorite brands.
Personally, I've earned thousands of dollars over the last few years while testing out all these methods. And while you can't make a living with these ideas, every little bit counts!
And even if it's just a quick $10 here or there, you can use these methods to help stretch your monthly budget if you're in a pinch.
Want even more side hustle ideas? Checkout:
