As consumers use money less frequently each year, digital wallets and plastic cards have become increasingly prevalent. Odds are that when you go to pay for something, you’re using a debit or credit card, or maybe even a gift card.
Gift cards are a valuable spending tool, especially if there are certain retailers that you commonly shop at. Gift cards are flexible in that they can be purchased for a specific store, but there are also options like a Visa or MasterCard cash card that can be used anywhere.
Most people get gift cards as gifts, but what if you could earn them with very minimal work on your part? Here are five clever ways to earn legitimate free gift cards so that you can spend less and save more.
1. Grocery Shop With Ibotta
Using Ibotta, you can save money on groceries and turn the rewards you earn into free gift cards. Ibotta has more than 300 participating merchants and offers cash rebates on items like fruit, vegetables, dairy products, pasta, eggs, and bread. What’s nice about Ibotta is that some of the savings aren’t brand specific. So if there’s an offer to earn $0.20 when you buy a dozen eggs, you can purchase the store brand, Eggland’s Best, or whatever is available.
Before unlocking a rebate you’ll have to watch a short 15 second clip. As you put items in your cart, you swipe the barcodes. After checking out, you’ll need to upload a picture of the receipt. Once your purchase is confirmed your account will be credited.
Once you’ve earned $20 in rewards, you can redeem them for gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Best Buy, and many other top retailers.
2. Join PointsPrizes
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could earn free gift cards by completing quick and easy tasks that only take a few minutes of your time? You’re in luck! PointsPrizes is a desktop and mobile app that gives users points for completing simple tasks like:
- Downloading apps
- Taking surveys
- Signing up for newsletters
- Referring friends to join the site
Each task that you complete will earn you points. Points are based on the complexity and the length of time it takes to complete the task. When you’re ready to redeem your points, you will be emailed a digital code. The code can be used for gift cards from a variety of stores including Walmart, Amazon, and Apple.
3. Use Grindabuck
Another must-join site if you want to earn free gift cards is Grindabuck. This site allows users to earn points by taking surveys, watching videos, listening to music, and downloading paid apps and games. Members can also earn by completing micro-tasks and winning contests.
Each task rewards users in “grindabucks”. One hundred grindabucks is worth $1. You can redeem reward points for gift cards for several stores including Walmart, Amazon, GameStop, and many others.
4. Shop Online Using Honey
If you’ve ever wanted a (free!) personal shopping assistant, you’ll love the Honey app and browser extension. Honey offers cashback for simply shopping. That’s right, by just by purchasing items that you need, you’ll be rewarded.
Honey works in several ways to make every purchase a top notch experience. First Honey searches the internet for coupons and automatically applies the best coupon to save you the most money. No matter if you’re ordering lunch from Panera or clothes from Kohl’s, Honey works behind the scenes to get you the best deal.
If you’re an Amazon shopper, Honey will compare prices of third-party listings and will notify you if a lower price is available.
For each purchase that you make, you can earn between 0% to 100% cashback. But the amount you earn isn’t revealed. You won’t know how much cashback you’ve earned until your purchase is reviewed and approved. This definitely makes shopping much more interesting!
5. Use Amazon Trade-In
We’re all guilty of holding on to items we no longer need. Using Amazon Trade-In you can get rid of books, electronic devices, video games, and other items. Instead of receiving cash, you’ll be given Amazon gift cards.
So how do you know if Amazon will buy your items? Simply search product listings and see if the items you want to trade in are sold by Amazon. On the listing you’ll see a trade-in box that has the item’s current value.
If you routinely shop at Amazon, the website will show you the potential trade-in value for items that you’ve purchased in the past. What’s nice about Amazon Trade-In is that items don’t have to be purchased from Amazon to be eligible.
Conclusion
Who doesn’t like free? By using certain apps and websites, you can earn free gift cards by completing simple tasks and doing things you already do on a daily basis. Keep these five options in mind if you want to spend less of your own money without impacting where or how often you shop.
