We all love free gift cards. Receiving a free gift card is the same as being given a guilt-free pass that you can spend on things that you normally wouldn’t buy with your own money. You can use a gift card to get a massage, books, new clothes, video games – you can use it to purchase things that you normally buy.
Free gift cards aren’t easy to come by unless someone gives one to you as a birthday gift or you get on as a bonus after purchasing a holiday package. You can also decide to buy a gift card for yourself or simply wait for a special occasion which only happen once every year.
How to Get Free Gift Cards
Apart from shopping, there are other ways for you to get free gift cards (we’ll discuss about this in a minute). The following are some of the options available that you can use to get rewards without spending any money.
1. Become a Branded Elite Member
- Minimum points to redeem: 1,00 points (equivalent to $10)
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
Taking part in branded surveys will help you get 100 bonus points which can be redeemed for a free gift card after signing up. Before you can cash out you need at least 1,000 points which can be redeemed through direct deposit, PayPal or gift cards to Lowe’s, Amazon, Chipotle, Airbnb and numerous other places. Members earn points for answering survey questions found on the platform. The process isn’t completely free because you still have to spare some of your time to take surveys reputedly before you can get free gift cards and be considered to be a Branded Elite Member.
Branded elite Members are rewarded with about 1,000 bonus points on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis which can be redeemed for a $10 gift card. If you’re ranked among the top 50 earning members on a weekly basis, you’ll be awarded an extra 50 points. If you get ranked among the top 20 earners on a monthly basis, you’ll be rewarded with 300 bonus points. This is equivalent to having a $20 free gift card on a monthly basis.
2. Try Out a New Search Engine
- Minimum points to redeem: $3
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
Swagbucks is a site that offers users with free rewards in the form of points after they participate in different activities like shopping online, searching the web, taking surveys and playing games.
Once you make the Swagbucks into your default search engine, you’ll start getting point every time you use the app. The site doesn’t give the exact information about the number of points users earn for every search, but you’ll be notified every time your account is credited. This method won’t help you get free gift cards quickly, but the good thing about everything is that you’ll use very little energy.
Swagbucks users are also given a $10 bonus for signing up as new members. You require a minimum of $3 which can be used to get free gift card codes or points worth $25 which can be used for PayPal money.
Related: Swagbucks App Review 2021: What is Swagbucks and How Does it Work?
3. Scan Product Barcodes at Local Grocery Stores
- Minimum points to redeem: $2
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
Shopkick offers a couple of different ways which can be used to get free gift cards, three of these don’t require you to spend any money.
You’ll earn points (known as “kicks”) for downloading the Shopkick app and shopping in particular stores like CVS or Target. When you get to the store, you can earn extra points for scanning different products with the app. If you like shopping with your kids, you can transform the experience into a scavenger hunt which will help keep them occupied as you earn rewards at the same time.
You can also earn some more kicks by watching in-app videos during your spare time. The kicks can be redeemed at 250 kicks per dollar. You can also redeem your points for free gift cards to certain clothing stores such as Aerie and American Eagle or department stores like Walmart or Target.
Bonus: Earn 1,250 free kicks (equivalent to $5) for signing up through the code MILLIONABLE and ensure you get an in-store scan before the end of 7 days after you installed the app.
4. Use Instagram to Get Free Gift Cards
- Minimum points to redeem: N/A
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
Companies are known to offer people with free products on Instagram. You can join such giveaways and earn free gift cards. There are different rules for giveaways, but make sure to follow the accounts that are posting the contests and like the comments, photos or tags your friends.
You can look for such opportunities by searching for the following hashtags:
#freebie
#giveaway
#sweepstakes
#contest
#freebiefriday
You’ll be able to follow different hashtags at the same time, meaning that you won’t have to keep searching for the same terms every day. Moreover, once you’re following a certain hashtag, they’ll automatically appear in your feed. If you get one of the giveaways, you’ll be contacted by the host who will tell you how you can get your prize.
5. Refer Friends to Services You Love
- Minimum points to redeem: N/A
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
The first thing that comes to one’s mind when they come across something they really love is to share it with their friends and family. Most of the time, you’ll get free gift cards and rewards just for making referrals.
Apps (Lyft, Uber, Airbnb, etc.), banks, retail and game websites are some of the best places to begin from. Confirm whether any of these sites you like have referral programs. If the have one, get a referral code or link and send it to your family and friends who you think will benefit and enjoy using it.
Everyone you refer to the site will be expected to finish certain activities like book their first trip or ride or set up a direct deposit before you’re given your referral reward. Make sure you go through the program details on all the apps you join so you’re aware of what to expect.
Related: How to Find Amazon Gift Cards for Free
6. Ask for Free Gift Cards Instead of Gifts
- Minimum points to redeem: N/A
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
With this method, you don’t need to use any technology or apps and it’s likely the easiest and quickest ways for you to get free gift cards.
You’re only required to ask. During gift-giving season or when its your birthday and your loved ones ask you what you want, ask them to give you gift cards to your favorite store. If you prefer having flexibility over how you spend your gift card money in several different places, opt for a Visa prepaid debit card.
Your family and friends don’t mind doing anything that you really want. Although most people feel that gift cards are a cop out, there are instances where they can be the perfect gift.
If you’ve been saving for something big such as a home appliance or a MacBook Pro, as your family and friends to give you gift cards because they’ll help in reducing the initial price. Your loved ones won’t mind helping you to get to your goal.
Get Free Gift Cards for Your Daily Purchases
Most services and apps offer free gift cards to people who shop using their app or site. Most times, the companies are given a commission for the stuff users purchase. Having said that, you won’t be charge any extra amount of money for this. You can choose to get what you need from the physical store without having to take the surveys that will take up some of your time.
7. Use CapitalOne Shopping to Shop Online
- Minimum points to redeem: Varies
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
You can earn credits for using CapitalOne Shopping, which you can later redeem for gift cards to retail stores such as Nordstorm, Lowe’s and eBay. Customers can earn these credits using two different methods.
First, by downloading and installing the browser extension owned by CapitalOne Shopping. After you’ve installed the app, do your online shopping like you always do and wait for rewards offers from CapitalOne Shopping to pop up on your screen. Make sure you click on the pop-up extension. When it has been activated, you’ll start getting reward credits after making different qualifying purchases.
CapitalOne shopping credits can also be earned when customers link their credit cards and use the same card to participate in various in-store activities. Credits earned from CapitalOne Shopping are normally made available within 7 days of making a purchase.
Related: MillionableSprout’s CapitalOne Shopping Review
8. Use Ibotta to Purchase Groceries
- Minimum point to redeem: $20
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
If you use coupons to save money but don’t like clipping them, taking them everywhere you go and having to remember to carry them whenever you leave the house, then the best solution may be to start using the Ibotta app. The app was originally being used as a cash-back app by grocery stores, but they soon included retailers such as Walmart, Macy’s and Target.
The app comprises of numerous cash back offers on different items. Choose what you want, then complete some easy tasks (answering polls, reading short facts, and much more) so that you can claim the offers.
Once you’ve bought an item and have uploaded the receipt through the app, you’ll be able to claim your cash-back offer. If your loyalty card is linked to the app, you don’t need to upload your receipt in order to receive payment within 48 hours of shopping.
When you have at least $20 in you Ibotta account, the points can be cashed out via PayPal or buy purchasing gift cards from a wide range of retailers such as Starbucks, Lowe’s, iTunes, Home Depot and may others.
The best thing about using the Ibotta app is that you can use it with other people as a team. This will enable you to build a network and ger rewards quickly when working with other people unlike what you would have collected as an individual. The app also give rewards for referrals as well as taking part in bonus offers available in the app.
Related: 10 Apps Like Ibotta That Pay People for Scanning Receipts
9. Shop with Drop
- Minimum points to redeem: $5
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
If you’re looking for another rewards app to use, Drop doesn’t charge anything to join and use. This is an iOS app that has more than 1 million downloads and at least 37,000 reviews which gives it a rating of 4.5 starts. You can earn points on Drop in various different ways.
One way is by shopping directly with the app. You can as well link your debit or credit card in order to automatically earn points whenever you shop at selected retail stores. If you think the app will be beneficial to others, you can share it with them and afterwards you’ll be awarded with an additional 5,000 points when 10 of your referrals use your link codes to join the app and confirm through their email address.
You’ll receive your rewards in 5-8 days after someone uses your link to purchase items and about 60 days for all offers within the app. When you manage to collect 5,000 points, they can be redeemed for $5 or a gift card which can be used at Starbucks, Netflix or other retailers.
10. Join Fetch Rewards
- Minimum points to be redeemed: $3
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
With Fetch Select, you won’t be required to preselect the offers available. All you have to do is download the app for free, shop like you normally would and complete the process by scanning all your receipts.
Fetch Rewards works with a couple of large household brands like Dove, Pull-Ups, Lays and many others. According to the company site, “Whenever you buy something from one of these brands, you’ll be awarded with points that can be redeemed later.”
Referring your family and friends is another way of earning points. When one of the people you refer to the site signs up with your referral code, you’ll be awarded with 2,000 points after they submit their first receipt. You can refer as many people as you want.
Before you can cash out, you need to have a minimum of 3,000 points so that you can redeem them for gift cards for retailers like Sephora, Stitch Fix, Airbnb and Best Buy. However, there are offers that need at least 5,000 points of more.
Related: Fetch Rewards Review: What is It and How Does It Work?
11. Leverage a Rewards Credit Card
- Minimum points to redeem: Varies
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 points
Not everyone is meant to use a credit card. If you don’t have a good track record when it come to spending money, or you’re looking for ways to get out of debt, this is actually the perfect option for you.
However, if you’re free of any credit card debt and believe that you can only spend a specific amount that you’ll be able to pay off at the end of each month, consider applying for a rewards credit card. This type of card offers a 1-3 % in travel points or cash back, depending on what you applied for.
Some categories offer higher rewards like travel or groceries and you can find different types of rewards credit cards that don’t require annual fees. However, you’ll have to conduct some research so that you can discover the type of card that works best for you.
Related: How to Find Free Government Aid
Use Online Surveys to Find Free Gift Card Codes
You can’t become rich by taking part in paid online surveys. However, this is the simplest method of getting free gift cards without doing much. If you’re looking for something to do during your free time, join sites that offer paid online surveys. Remember to complete your profile when you’re signing up.
A complete profile makes it easy for the sites to assign surveys to you which will need less time to answer. The best part is you’ll only be assigned surveys that are relevant to you and when you’re not qualified for a survey, you’ll be notified.
12. Swagbucks
Minimum points to redeem: $3
Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
There are various different ways for one to get free gift cards on Swagbucks. Although you can earn a lot of points (SBs or Swagbucks) for making the app your default search engine, you’ll get more points for completing online surveys, watching videos or shopping using their portal.
The options available on Swagbucks include:
- A daily survey
- A daily poll
- Everyday surveys
The daily surveys and polls change every day. Daily post has only one question and you’ll get 1 Swagbuck for every answer. The payment on other surveys ranges between 1 to 300 plus Swagbucks. Surveys the offer more points require a lot of time to complete. The rates for conversations depend on kind of reward or free gift card you select. 1 SB is equivalent to about $0.01.
13. InboxMillionables
- Minimum amount to redeem: $30
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
InboxMillionabled is currently giving new members a $5 sign-up bonus. You don’t have to pay a fee to join the site and it has a Trustpilot rating of 4 stars and more than 7,400 reviews.
The InboxMillionables site states that you only need between 3 to 25 minutes to complete a survey, and afterwards you’ll receive payment from $0.50 to $5. From time to time, you’ll come across surveys that pay $20 if your demographic profile fits a certain study.
When you’ve gathered a minimum payout of at least $30, you can ask to be paid through PayPal, free gift cards or send a check in the mail. You can also choose to donate what you earn to the Red Cross, American Human Society or any other charity you prefer.
14. Survey Junkie
- Minimum amount to redeem: $10
- Earning Potential:5 out of 5 stars
Survey Junkie mainly focuses on paid online surveys, unlike other sites that offer users with more than one option for earning points which can later be redeemed for free gift cards. The best thing about the site is that it’s easy to use.
When you become a member of Survey Junkie, you won’t have to deal with numerous options or need to play games or watch many videos so that you can earn a few cents afterwards. All the available surveys state the payment method and estimates how long it will take to complete a survey. When you complete filling in the questionnaire, your account will be credited with points at once.
You need a minimum of 1,000 points which can be redeemed for $10. The payment methods vary between PayPal money, gift cards or a direct cash transfer in your bank account.
15. MyPoints
- Minimum points to redeem: $3
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
People who use MyPoints are rewarded points for completing surveys, taking part in online panels and trying out new products at home. New members are given $10 when they sign up into their account for the first time, and buying items worth $20 or more from the shopping portal.
If you’re a member of SurveyMail, you’ll start getting surveys from MyPoints directly in your inbox. You’ll then be awarded points every time you select and finish a survey.
The length of a survey determines how many points you earn, but they normally vary between 50 to 600 points. Users are also awarded with 5 points for answering 10 profile questions and at least 750 points for everybody you refer to the site.
The minimum points you’ll be able to redeem is 480 points, which is equivalent to a $3 gift card. Cash out requirements are different depending on value of the gift card and the retailer. For instance, you may need 1,400 points to get a $10 gift card from Retailer A while you may need to redeem 1,580 points for a $10 gift cards from Retailer B.
16. Prize Rebel
- Minimum points to be redeemed: $2
- Earning Potential: 4 out of 5 stars
According to the PrizeRebel website, the company has paid out free gift cards and prizes worth over $19 million since it was invented in 2007. They currently have more than 500 rewards and gift cards which users can select from.
If you’re a member of PrizeRebel, you can watch videos, take surveys, sign up for offers from companies that partner with them and complete daily challenges in order to earn points. When you finish a task, points will immediately be put into your account. You can cash out the points for free gift cards to retailers such as iTunes, Gap, Xbox and Kroger. You can also decide to use your points to enter drawings so that you can get larger cash prizes.
Related: 40 Creative Ways to Earn Money Quickly
Get Free Gift Cards for Completing Tasks You Already Do
One of the easiest ways to find free gift cards is by looking for ways that you can get rewards for performing tasks that you already do. For instance, if you shop for groceries regularly or do a lot of online shopping, then you’ll benefit from using apps such as Drop, Ibotta and Fetch Rewards to complete your daily tasks.
If you’re not a regular shopper, you can then look for free gift cards by completing online surveys, referring friends and family, entering giveaways, Shopkick, or through any other method which doesn’t involve spending cash.
Depending on your shopping habits, there are numerous methods that you can use to earn free gift cards during you free time. You just need to try a couple of different choices and settle for the methods which are suitable for your lifestyle.
