Frugality is making waves and rewards programs like Swagbucks are gaining in popularity among internet shoppers. Everyone is eager to get a bonus for participating in activities they would normally take part in anyway. This explains the popularity of sites that offer rebates and rewards to those who use them to do their online shopping.
Swagbucks works in a slightly different way. Rather than earning a rebate or points the Swagbucks user will earn virtual cash called, appropriately, Swagbucks. Users are also not limited to shopping online as a way to earn their new cash, although it can help. The most common way that the community earns rewards is through using the search feature on the Swagbucks toolbar. They can also choose to answer surveys and polls, complete special offers and even participate in searches for special codes from time to time. You can also have people sign up under your referral link and you will earn swagbucks every time they do.
Swagbucks are accrued until a person reaches the amount they desire. At this point they can purchase merchandise, gift cards and chances to win prizes through the Swag Store. There are a variety of ways to spend your Swagbucks once you have accumulated enough to buy something.
I first signed up for Swagbucks because several of my friends recommended it. I am always the skeptic of the bunch, but I was willing to give it a try. You have to begin by downloading the Swagbucks toolbar into your browser. They have a model for both Internet Explorer and Firefox. I am not sure if they have one compatible with other browsers as I have not tried it. The toolbar will not only provide you with links to all of the sections you may need, it also has the search box to help you earn Swagbucks.
When it comes to my skeptical side, I was quickly proven wrong. After amassing my first round of Swagbucks I quickly cashed in for a gift card to Amazon.com and waited. There is a waiting period of 1 to 2 weeks between when you cash in and when you actually receive the gift card code. Once my waiting time was over, I was given the code and was able to use it on Amazon with no troubles.
Swagbucks is quite simple to use when it comes to their search feature. You type in what you are looking for and sometimes you win Swagbucks for your search and other times you simply get the results. I often use it to go to sites I frequently visit. I earn this virtual cash to visit places I would be visiting anyway. The down side of the search feature is the search feature itself. For someone who is accustomed to the information contained in Google, Swagbucks leaves a lot to be desired. If you are looking for a big name site, it is great. If you are looking for obscure information it may take you a while. However, I have noticed after using the search for well over six months that the results have been building. So it seems it may just be a work in progress.
When it comes to the other activities that earn Swagbucks I personally have not tried very many and the ones I have tried were not successful. It seems there is a problem with the virtual dollars being applied to the account once the activity has taken place in some cases. This is a growing problem that many people report on their Facebook page. Many have reported they were given their cash after disputing the transaction. I honestly did not carry it that far over a few Swagbucks. However, some of these activities offer a large amount of bucks and would be worth it.
All in all I have used Swagbucks for over six months and I can say the problems I have seen are being improved upon daily. The scavenger hunts through Facebook and the daily chatter help to keep a user interested. Swagbucks will readily appeal to those who like to earn rewards, free money and prizes.
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