Did you know there are dozens of sites you can log on through your desktop or through their gift card app, and they will give you free gift cards for doing small tasks?
While you may be thinking that gift cards are not as useful as cash, think about it this way:
If you choose the right gift card retailers, you can use those cards for purchasing things you’d normally pay cash with, and free up some of your cash for other stuff.
So in a way, gift cards really can be as great as cash. For instance, if you earn a free gift card to Walmart, you can use that card to buy groceries and sock away the cash you would’ve spent on the groceries into a separate fund to use on whatever you want. Or, if you earned a free Amazon gift card— well, I am sure you will find something on their site!
Now as I am sure you are aware, there are literally hundreds of places where you can earn free gift cards, therefore we did the research for you.
Below are our favorite sites and apps for earning free gift cards.
Earn Free Gift Cards for Completing a Variety of Tasks
These sites will pay you in points which you can redeem for gift cards, or pay you directly in gift cards, for doing a variety of tasks such as watching videos, surfing the Net, etc.
1. Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars pays you for completing a variety of tasks. In fact, they’ve paid out over $50 million on cash and free gift cards to members so far!
With Inbox Dollars you earn money for taking surveys, playing games, watching TV and videos, shopping and cash back offers and more.
It’s totally free to join, and as of this writing they’re even giving a $5 bonus to new members, just for trying it out.
When you wish to trade your Inbox Dollars cash for a free gift card, you’ve got dozens of retailers to choose from, including:
- Amazon
- Target
- Kohl’s
- Best buy
- Applebees
- Chili’s
- iHop
- Gamestop
- Bass Pro Shops
- And more…
You can also get your Inbox Dollars via a check sent to you in the mail or you can ask for a prepaid Visa card as well.
Bonus: Inbox Dollars will also pay you 10% of the qualified earnings of any person you refer to become a member. There’s no limit to the number of people you can refer or to the amount of money you could make from their earnings.
Talk about passive income!
2. Swagbucks
Swagbucks in one of the most popular ways to get free gift cards for completing a variety of tasks. In fact, they’ve paid out of $250 million in free gift cards cash to-date and their sites says they give out over 7,000 gift cards every single day!
On their website they share stories of members who have used their Swagbucks gift cards to fund Christmas shopping, birthday shopping and more.
You can earn points through Swagbucks when you do a variety of tasks such as:
- Watching videos
- Taking surveys
- Shopping online
- Playing games
- Searching the Net
- And more…
Earning with Swagbucks is simple: you just sign up for a free account and start completing various tasks to earn points. Then you can use your points to get your free gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, Target and a host of other places.
And the Swagbucks mobile app makes it easy to earn points when you’re on the go and have a few minutes of time to spare.
3. MySurvey
MySurvey lets you take online surveys and polls from your computer or mobile devices. Rewards points can be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash. Membership is open to U.S. residents at least 16 years old.
4. MyPoints
MyPoints allows you to earn points for shopping online, sharing your opinion, watching videos, playing games, finding deals, making Groupon and LivingSocial purchases and more.
You can also earn points for searching the web with your MyPoints search bar and for printing out and redeeming coupons.
When you’re ready to cash out your points, you can choose from a variety of rewards including a regular gift card, e-gift card, you can get cash via PayPal or you can add travel points to your United MileagePlus account.
Bonus: MyPoints also has a referral program that allows you to earn 10% on your referred members’ qualified earnings. Just one more way to get free stuff!
5. Cash Crate
Cash Crate pays you for doing various online tasks as well. With Cash Crate you can earn money by giving companies feedback on their products and services, by completing offers, by playing games, watching videos and more.
You can also earn some passive income by referring others to Cash Crate. The company will pay you 20% on your referred members’ earnings, and up to 30% as the number of people you refer grows.
Bonus: You also will get occasional extra cash bonuses along the way as you refer new people to sign up.
Cash Crate only pays in cash (via a check, via Dwolla, via PayPal or via Direct Deposit, depending on the type of membership you have), but you can take the cash you earn from them and earn yourself some free gift cards.
Minimum payout with Cash Crate is $20. They’ll automatically pay you as you’ve predetermined when your balance reaches at least $20, or you can change your payment settings to autopay you after you’ve reached a higher payout level.
Typical payout happens at the beginning of each month, however certain membership statuses are eligible for weekly payouts.
6. Gift Wallet
Gift Wallet is a mobile app for both iOS and Android and will payout in points (called coins on the site) for completing various simple tasks. Once completed, you can redeem those coins for free gift cards. You can also get unlimited coins by referring family members and friends to sign up and use Gift Wallet.
With your Gift Wallet coins, you can redeem them for free gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, Steam, or the Google Play store. You can also get a PayPal gift card with your coins.
Note: This site and most other similar sites will terminate your points if you have a certain amount of days that you are inactive in earning and redeeming rewards. Check out each site’s FAQ page for more information on whether or not points can be lost.
7. Shopkick
Shopkick lets you earn rewards points (Shopkick calls them “kicks”) in a number of ways. You can earn kicks by:
- By watching videos
- By making online purchases
- By walking into partner stores
- When you scan the barcode on certain items
- When you make a purchase at a partner store with your linked card
- When you make a purchase and submit a receipt
- When you visit an online partner store
- When you view online products
You can then use your kicks to get a free gift card, and the website currently states that most new users get their first free gift card within a week of signing up.
The free gift cards you earn from using Shopkicks can be from a number of retail establishments including:
- AMC Theaters
- Target
- Best Buy
- Walmart
- Amazon
- eBay
- Sephora
- And more…
You can also get kicks for referring friends who sign up and use the rewards program, and it’s totally free to join.
8. Points2Shop
Points2Shop pays you in points for participating in different online tasks such as taking advantage of offers, completing surveys, playing video games, entering contests and more.
Points you earn with Points2Shop can then be used to get a free Amazon gift card, or you can simply shop Amazon and pick out an item to be sent to you and paid for using the points you’ve earned with them.
It’s totally free to sign up with Points2Shop, your privacy is guaranteed and as of this writing they’re offering a 250 point bonus just for signing up. You can also earn money for referring others who sign up for membership with the site.
9. Panel App
Panel App will reward you for doing things like completing surveys, referring your friends, and connecting your social networks. The app is free and available for both Android and iOS.
As you complete activities you can earn rewards that you can use to get Amazon gift cards, Google Play gift cards, and Visa and Mastercard cash cards.
Panel App also has sweepstakes enter that will reward winners with gift cards to retailers such as Target, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Regal Cinema, Domino’s Pizza and more. You can also win other prizes from sweepstakes contests including gaming stations and accessories.
10. Earning Station
Earning Station is a “loyalty rewards platform pays members….for completing online activities” according to their website.
When you sign up and register for an account (it’s free to do so) you can earn points for activities such as watching videos online, playing games, shopping with Groupon, redeeming bonus codes, and more.
Once your account reaches $10, you can request payment. You get your payment in the form of a gift card from your choice of stores such as:
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- AMC Theaters
- Walmart
- Target
- Applebees
- Regal Entertainment
- Shell gas stations
- Subway
And a whole host of other stores and retail establishments to choose from. You can request an actual gift card to be sent in the mail (FYI, a physical gift card can take several weeks to receive), or you can request an electronic gift card if you want to receive your reward faster.
You can also choose to be paid in cash via PayPal if you’d rather have cash than a free gift card.
11. InstaGC
InstaGC lets you earn points for things you likely already do online anyway, such as watching videos, shopping online and searching the web. They’ll also give you points for taking surveys.
InstaGC has already given away over 1 million free gift cards, and with your earned points from them you can get free gift cards to your choice of over 300 stores.
Some of the stores they offer gift cards to include
- Amazon
- AirBNB
- Google Play
- Sharper Image
- Schwan’s
- Walmart
- XBox
- And more…
Bonus: After you’ve accrued your points and choose a gift card, you’ll receive your electronic gift card immediately.
12. Perk Points
Perk Points will pay you reward points for completing various activities. You can earn points for checking in when you make a trip to a store, restaurant or gas station, when you watch TV or videos, when you play games, when you shop, and more.
Perk Points can then be redeemed for gift cards to Amazon or a number of other retail stores. You can also have your points converted into cash that can be transferred to your PayPal account.
The app also has ongoing sweepstakes contests that you can earn entries to as you complete the activities needed to earn points.
13. Slidejoy
Slidejoy lets you earn points simply by using your smartphone. After you download the Slidejoy app, you’ll see an aesthetically pleasing ad every time you pick up your phone. You can choose to slide left to engage with the ad, or slide right to continue to unlock your phone.
If you slide left to engage you’ll be directed to the destination the advertiser has pre-determined.
Whether you engage with the ad or not you’ll earn points. Your points can be used to to get free gift cards to a number of different retailers, you can turn your points into cash to be deposited into your PayPal account, or you can turn your points into a charitable donation.
14. App Trailers
I have to say, this is app is very unique compared to the other sites mentioned and many of you are going to really like it.
If you enjoy watching movie trailers like me, App Trailers rewards you with points for doing just that!
They also give you points for watching celebrity gossip trailers, DIY video trailers, and for answering trivia questions. And, you get bonus points if you play trivia every day.
The points you earn can be redeemed for gift cards to hundreds of top brands including:
- Amazon
- Starbucks
- Target
- Groupon
- And more…
The App Trailers app is totally free to download, and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
15. Microsoft Rewards
If you join Microsoft Rewards you’ll earn rewards points by searching with their Bing toolbar, by making purchases from the Microsoft store, and by completing other activities as stated on their website.
New opportunities to earn are updated to the site daily, they say, so check back often in order to maximize your points earnings.
With your Microsoft Rewards points you can get free gift cards from different retailers, or purchase something at the Microsoft store.
16. AppKarma
AppKarma rewards you with points for downloading and playing with apps. You can also get points for watching videos, referring friends to sign up (you get 30% of what they earn) and more.
Note: It’s important to remember that AppKarma will not give you rewards for downloading apps that you’ve previously downloaded onto your device; the offer is for new downloads only.
Points earned through AppKarma can be used to get cash via PayPal or you can use them to get a free gift card.
Earn Free Gift Cards for Shopping
There are also sites that will reward you with cash or free gift cards simply for shopping at the same sites you’re already shopping at. Here are some of the more common ones.
Note: I already mentioned MyPoints above, but MyPoints also allows you to earn free gift cards for shopping.
17. Ibotta
I just recently discovered Ibotta (I know – I’m late to the game) and am loving it so far! The concept is simple: use the Ibotta app before you shop to look for coupons and discounts on your favorite products.
You simply click on the store or stores you’re going to shop at and look for offers. When you find an offer that coordinates with something you plan on buying, you tap to add it to your offers list.
After you shop, scan your receipt into the Ibotta app and it will find the matching discount promos and put your savings into your Ibotta account. From there you can use your money to get a free gift card or you can have them transfer the money to your PayPal account.
Bonus: You can earn extra points with Ibotta for referring friends to sign up, and they often have generous sign-up bonuses for new members as well.
In my first two weeks alone I earned over $30 using Ibotta. The app makes it super easy to use and get free gift cards with.
18. Ebates
Ebates will reward you with cash back of up to 40% at over 2,000 different stores when you shop. Each stores has a different percentage of cash they’ll give you back through Ebates when you make your purchases.
For instance, as of this writing you can get 6% cash back on Macy’s purchases and up to 3% cash back on Amazon purchases.
You can also earn cash rewards with Ebates for referring friends and family members who sign up for the program and earn the minimum amount of rewards. For each person you refer you’ll get a specified dollar amount as a bonus.
There are sign-up bonuses too on occasion – check the site for more details on those. With the money you earn by shopping through Ebates you can get free gift cards from any store you choose.
FYI, you can earn Ebates by shopping online or by shopping at brick-and-mortar store locations. Just like your debit or credit card to Ebates and follow the instructions for cash back.
Bonus: Get a $10 sign up bonus with our full eBates review here
19. Honey
The Honey app gives you cash back for your shopping purchases, but there’s a bit of mystery and excitement with this app that you won’t get with others.
You see, when you shop with Honey, they automatically apply the best available coupon for every item you buy.
For example, if you order some shampoo and a pair of shoes on Amazon, you might get 5% in rewards for the shampoo purchase and 50% in rewards for the shoes purchase.
You never know until you check out what your rewards percentage will be, but you can be confident that Honey will find you the best deal it can. Honey searches for any potential promo codes you can use on your purchase as well.
And Honey helps you save money on purchases you make at thousands of different retail sites such as Groupon, Nike, Domino’s and Papa John’s Pizza, Starbucks and many, many more.
The rewards you earn with Honey can be exchanged for Amazon gift cards
Bonus: To learn more about Honey, check out our full Honey review here
20. Qmee
Qmee will pay you cash rewards for shopping through their portal, and as you shop it will also help you search for the best deal and secure extra discounts as well.
You can use your Qmee cash to get a free gift card to Amazon, iTunes or Starbucks. You can also choose to take your cash via a PayPal deposit, or donate it to a charity of your choice as well.
Bonus: Qmee will pay you in cash rewards for taking surveys as well. As you shop you’ll occasionally be offered opportunities to share your thoughts and opinions, and you’ll be paid for doing so.
21. Top Cashback
The Top Cashback website calls itself “USA’s most generous cash back site”. The site also says it’ll give you the highest cash back guaranteed when you shop online through the Top Cashback portal.
Top Cashback will send you the money you’ve earned by shopping via their portal as a PayPal deposit or a direct deposit to your checking or savings account, OR you can earn a 3% bonus if you choose to get an American Express gift card instead.
American Express gift cards are similar to Visa gift cards in that they are generally accepted anywhere you can use a debit or credit card.
22. Mobee
Mobee doesn’t give you free gift cards for shopping in the traditional manner, instead, you earn free gift cards from Mobee for mystery shopping. Here’s how it works.
When you sign up for Mobee (it’s free to sign up) you’ll get the option to fulfill a series of missions. The missions will vary; sometimes you’ll have a minimum purchase requirement, sometimes you won’t, etc.
Once you complete a mission, you’ll answer questions about the retailer you visited. Submissions are then reviewed for accuracy and honesty, and if all is well you’ll receive your points within approximately 48 hours.
Your points can be used to get free gift cards from a number of different retailers including
- Walmart
- Target
- Starbucks
- Best Buy
- And more…
Note: All purchases will be reimbursed as Mobee will award you points to cover the cost of the purchase up to the specified reimbursement amount listed on the mission.
23. Receipt Pal
Receipt Pal will also give you cash back when you shop, however it works a bit differently than Top Cashback. With Receipt Pal you earn rewards from your favorite retailers just for taking pictures of your receipts.
Retailers use the receipts from Receipt Pal members to help make products and stores better for customers. They accept receipts from all kinds of retail establishments such as clothing stores, grocery stores, restaurants, travel and entertainment retailers, gas stations and more.
With the rewards you earn from Receipt Pal, you can get free gift cards from a variety of different stores. The app even has sweepstakes you can be entered into as well, just for using Receipt Pal when you shop.
Earn Free Gift Cards for Taking Surveys
Some sites will give you free gift cards for completing surveys. Completing surveys can be a great way to get free gift cards when you only have a few minutes at a time to spare.
24. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is one of the more well-known survey sites. After completing a quick sign up process with them (it’s free to join) you’ll be able to start completing surveys and earning points.
As you earn points, you can use those points to get free gift cards to popular retail centers such as Amazon and iTunes, or you can redeem your points for PayPal cash too if you’d like.
Bonus: Opinion Outpost also does quarterly cash giveaways to members. How much cash do they give away? A healthy $10,000 each and every quarter.
And the best part about the cash giveaways is that you control how many times you are entered for the drawing, because each and every survey you complete will gain you one entry into the quarterly giveaway.
In other words, the more surveys you complete, the more chances you have to win an extra ten grand, and you’re earning points to get free gift cards on the surveys themselves as well.
25. Harris Poll Online
When you sign up to be a member of Harris Poll Online, you earn HiPoints for each survey you take. It’s free to join and there are no costs to you for taking surveys or for redeeming points and getting free gift cards.
Each survey you take will allow you to earn a specified number of points. As your points accrue, you can choose to cash them out any time and get a free electronic gift card.
And as with some of the other survey companies, each completed survey – even if it turns out you don’t qualify for one you try to take – will get you one entry into Harris Poll’s sweepstakes giveaways.
26. Panel PayDay
Panel PayDay helps you find survey opportunities for making cash or earning free gift cards from home or on your mobile device. Basically, Panel PayDay is a catch all site for helping you sign up for valid survey taking opportunities so you can make some extra money.
It’s free to sign up with Panel PayDay, and they never ask for any money from you. They simply partner with other survey sites to help you earn cash and other rewards such as prizes and, of course, free gift cards.
Your earnings come directly from each survey company you work with, and not from Panel PayDay, so it’s important to keep track of surveys you’ve completed so you know who owes you money and how much they owe you.
27. Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards pays you to take short surveys in your spare time. You’ll get up to $1 for each short survey. The information and opinions you share as you answer the survey questions remain anonymous unless otherwise stated in the survey terms.
The money you earn for taking the short surveys can be used to get you a Google Play gift card that will allow you to purchase anything you find in the Google Play store.
So, you can buy movies, games, music, TV shows, paid apps or anything else you find in the Google Play store. This app is available for Android and Apple devices.
28. i-Say
i-Say is another site that will give you free gift cards for taking surveys. With i-Say you can earn points to get free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target and even PayPal.
There are also other gift card choices for redeeming your i-Say points. You can earn points with i-Say by taking surveys, but they also have contests and sweepstakes you can enter as well.
For instance, i-Say has a contest every four months where you can win 5,000 i-Say points, which can then be redeemed as you choose. The more surveys you complete, the more times you’re entered to win.
Also, they give away $1,000 in cash to five lucky winners every four months as well. Other contests and prize giveaways are available too when you sign up for i-Say. And it’s free to join.
29. iPoll
iPoll pays you for answering questions about the products and services you use and about the places you visit, such as various retail establishments.
As you answer questions, you’ll earn points that can then be used to get free gift cards or to get cash transferred to your PayPal account. iPoll also has quarterly prize drawings for a $10,000 cash giveaway.
And you can participate in iPoll surveys and questions on the go with their Android/ios app. As long as you have an Internet connection and are a member, you can participate. Simply download the app (it’s free) and start answering questions.
30. Toluna
Toluna is an online community dedicated to making your voice heard. It’s free to sign up, and as you complete surveys you’ll start earning points which can be redeemed for gift cards.
Toluna will also reward you points when you refer friends who sign up and start participating as well. Your reward points can be redeemed for gift cards to places such as:
- Gap/Old Navy
- The Cheesecake Factory
- Petco
- Redbox
- Starbucks
- Kohl’s
- Target
And other places as well. You can also get a PayPal gift card with your points.
Bonus: They have a weekly cash drawing giveaway for members too.
More Survey Options
We also have a full list of every top survey site to earn cash and get free gift cards. Not every survey site is the same and you may find more of what you’re looking with our top survey sites this year.
Earn Free Gift Cards By Playing Games
There are a few sites that will give you free gift cards for playing games on their site. Here are some that we found online.
31. Lucktastic
Lucktastic will pay you in virtual tokens for playing games of chance on their site. Just download the Lucktastic app and start playing, and your points will start accumulating.
If you refer friends who sign up and start playing Lucktastic, you’ll earn additional tokens as well – 500 of them as of this writing.
After you‘ve earned enough tokens, you can redeem them for gift cards to over 30 popular retailers such as:
- JCPenney
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Domino’s Pizza
- Dunkin Donuts
- And more…
FYI, Lucktastic is only available on mobile devices such as smartphones and apps – you can’t play it on your personal computer.
32. FreeMyApps
FreeMyApps lets you earn credits as you discover and use new apps and games. You can also earn extra credits when you share Free My Apps with your friends and they download and use the system as well.
The credits you earn by using FreeMyApps can be used to get free gift cards to over 50 different retailers including Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, CVS, Groupon and more.
FreeMyApps is free and is available for Android devices as well as iOS devices.
33. App Nana
Like FreeMyApps, App Nana will pay you in rewards points (they’re called Nanas) each time you download an app or game and use that app or game.
As you accrue Nanas, you can then use the Nanas to get free gift cards from any of a few different stores, or you can use your Nanas to get any paid app or game for free as well.
Why You Should Earn Free Gift Cards
Earning free gift cards can be a lucrative endeavor that can give you access to free money to spend at your favorite retailers on things you want, things you need, gifts for others and more.
Bonus: By finding the right avenue to earning free gift cards for you, you may be able to cut your spending down big time and have more cash to put toward your financial goals if you use your free gift cards to purchase necessities such as groceries.
Have you ever used any of the above apps or sites to get free gift cards?
If so, what was your experience? What did you like best? What didn’t you like? Share in the comments below.