Written by Jason Michaels Last Updated: Mar 17, 2024
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a commission when you click on them, but this is at no extra cost to you. Read our privacy policy for more information.
If you’re a frequent Frugal For Less reader, you know that we love sharing ways to make money.
From smartphone apps to websites, there are so many legitimate options.
Some sites pay in cash, and others pay in gift cards.
Gift cards are a very convenient option if you shop online.
In many cases, the payout minimum for gift cards is lower than it is for cash payments.
Fortunately, the websites and apps for free gift cards are diverse.
I’ve covered 10 ways to get free gift cards in this post. Each one has unique features, benefits, and payment methods.
You can boost your earnings by using a combination of the options below. Read on to discover which ones suit you the most.
Table of Contents
Use Survey Sites And Apps
1. Survey Junkie
About Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of our top survey websites for many reasons. They have a strong positive reputation, over 3 million users, and the earning potential is pretty good.
If you stick to high paying surveys, it’s possible to earn $12 per hour or more. The company’s customer support has excellent user feedback, too. If you’re not eligible for a survey, Survey Junkie will still reward you points for your time.
This is a nice perk that many survey sites don’t offer. Before you take a survey, you’re told how many points it’s worth and approximately how long it takes to complete. This makes it easy to choose high-paying surveys.
Read Our Survey Junkie Review
Survey Junkie Gift Card Options
Survey Junkie offers gift cards for Amazon and Target. You need a minimum of 1,000 points to get a free gift card, and 100 points are equal to $1.00. Achieving a $10 payout doesn’t take too long if you regularly use the site.
2.Pinecone Research
About Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is one of the most reputable and popular survey sites out there. They offer simple surveys about your shopping habits and brand preferences. This information is used by big name brands to improve their products and services.
Each survey takes about $10 to $15 minutes and pays $3. You’ll get notified via e-mail every time there’s a survey available. Users commonly receive 1-2 surveys per week. The exact number you’ll receive depends on your demographic information.
Pinecone Research Gift Card Options
Pinecone Research offers prepaid virtual VISA gift cards. These digital gift cards are like regular credit or debit cards. You can shop online wherever you’d like with them. Gift cards are available starting at only $3. This makes it easy to quickly get rewarded for taking surveys.
3. Survey Club
About Survey Club
Survey Club is a very well-known survey site that’s been around since 2005. Over 16 million people use the site to complete simple surveys. The data that’s collected is used for market research. You can filter through surveys based on demographics, pay, and more. Survey Club also offers opportunities for online focus groups.
If you get screened out of a survey, Survey Club still pays you $0.1.0. This is a nice incentive that isn’t typically offered by similar websites. User reviews say that surveys pay between $0.50 to $10. As of 2018, you earn $1 every time you refer someone to Survey Club.
Read Our Survey Club Review
Survey Club Gift Card Options
Survey Club pays via Amazon gift card. You need at least $20 in your account balance to get a gift card.
4. PointClub
About PointClub
PointClub is a popular survey app and website that’s very easy to use. Each survey you take is worth a set amount of points. Prior to taking a survey, you’ll know how much it’s worth and how long it will take to complete. PointClub is a good option if you’re new to paid survey sites.
There are many ways to earn bonuses with PointClub. You get a 5,000 point ($5) signup bonus, and you can earn an additional $1.50 for completing various registration steps.
You can also earn percentage based bonuses. For every five consecutive days you log into PointClub, you’ll receive a 10% per survey. This bonus offer goes all the way up to a 100% bonus per survey
Read Our PointClub Review
PointClub Gift Card Options
PointClub offers gift cards to Amazon and Tango. You need a minimum of 25,000 points to get a $25 gift card. With the bonus system, it’s not difficult to reach the payout threshold.
5. MySurvey
About MySurvey
MySurvey is a survey website and app that’s newer but still pretty popular. Since launching in 2014, they’ve reportedly paid over $32 million worth of rewards to users. Each survey is worth a certain amount of points. You’ll see the reward amount and survey length listed prior to taking a survey.
Each survey is typically worth 30 to 100 points depending on length. 100 points is equal to approximately $1.00. According to many reviews, new users get a $2.00 bonus when they sign up.
MySurvey Gift Card Options
MySurvey pays via Amazon gift cards. You need a minimum of $10 in your account to get a gift card.
Track Your Amazon Purchases
6.ShopTracker
About ShopTracker
ShopTracker is a truly effortless way to earn free gift cards. This app tracks your Amazon purchases but does not store your personal data. It simply uses your purchase history for research purposes.
You automatically earn a free gift card every month that you leave the app installed. When you sign up, you’ll get a $3 gift card just for taking a quick survey.
Read Our ShopTracker Review
ShopTracker Gift Card Options
ShopTracker pays you with prepaid VISA gift cards. You can use these to shop pretty much anywhere you’d like. You’ll earn $3 gift cards per month, which adds up to a total of $36 per year. All you have to do is request payment and you’ll receive it within 48 hours.
Take Pictures Of Your Receipts
7. Ibotta
About Ibotta
Ibotta is one of our favorite receipt scanning apps for many reasons. Ibotta partners with dozens of major retailers, and you earn cash back for items you buy.
All you have to do is take a quick picture of your receipt. Your payment will quickly show up in your account balance. You can earn anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars per item.
When you sign up for Ibotta, you get an impressive $10 bonus. Every time you refer a friend, you get a $5 bonus. These bonus payments show up in your account once you and your referrals use the app for the first time.
Read Our Ibotta Review
Ibotta Gift Card Options
Ibotta offers gift cards for several retailers including Amazon, Starbucks, and Best Buy. You need $20 in your account to get a gift card. If you use Ibotta regularly, you can easily get a gift card 1-2 times per month.
8. Fetch Rewards
About Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is somewhat similar to Ibotta, but you aren’t limited to certain retailers. You earn cash back solely based on the items you buy. All you have to do is take a picture of your receipt to get rewarded. Each item you buy is worth a certain number of points.
On average, you can expect to earn $0.25 to $2.00 per item you buy. To get a 1,500 point ($1.50) signup bonus, use the code HH3MN when you register. You’ll also earn a 1,500 point bonus for every person you refer once they use the app.
Read Our Fetch Rewards Review
Fetch Rewards Gift Card Options
Fetch Rewards offers free gift cards for Amazon, Sephora, Target, and other retailers. You can also choose a prepaid VISA gift card. Once you have 3,000 points, you can redeem them for $3.00 gift cards.
9. SavingStar
About SavingStar
SavingStar is a smartphone app designed to help users save money on groceries. When you buy groceries features in the app’s special offers, you get rewarded. SavingStar is partnered with over 100 retailers, though the offers are limited compared to other receipt scanning apps. However, they offer high rewards of up to $2 per offer.
SavingStar Gift Card Options
SavingStar offers gift cards for Starbucks, AMC Theatres, and iTunes. You need a minimum of $20 in your account to request a gift card. You’ll receive your gift card within 24 to 48 hours of requesting it.
10. Shopkick
About Shopkick
Shopkick is pretty unique from other receipt scanning apps. Like others, Shopkick pays you when you buy certain items from different retailers.
But you can also earn money by scanning item barcodes, walking into stores, and linking your debit and credit cards to the app. They partner with major retailers, so it’s easy to rack up points quickly.
Shopkick pays anywhere between 10 points to a few hundred points per item you purchase. Scanning barcodes and walking into stores typically earns you between 10 to 50 points. When you refer a friend to Shopkick, you’ll earn a nice 250 point bonus.
Read Our Shopkick Review
Shopkick Gift Card Options
Shopkick offers gift cards for Amazon, Target, and many other major brand names. You need 500 points to get a $2.00 gift card. It’s easy to cash out multiple times per month if you use Shopkick regularly.
11. Receipt Hog
About Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is pretty similar to Fetch Rewards. You earn coins when you buy eligible items no matter where you buy it. Most items are found at grocery stores and convenience stores. Receipt Hog also offers occasional surveys and special offers to receive extra coins.
Users can also earn extra coins by playing a game called Hog Slots, a fun slot machine style game. When you register using the code zuss1319, you’ll receive five free spins for Hog Slots. You’ll also receive free Hog Slots spins when you refer new users to the app.
Receipt Hog Gift Card Options
Receipt Hogs pays users via Amazon gift cards. You need a minimum of 1,000 coins to receive a $5.00 gift card. Saving up your coins makes them more valuable. For example, you only need 2,900 coins to get a $15 gift card.
Use Cash Back Rewards Sites
12.TopCashback
About TopCashback
TopCashback is a popular cash back app and website. They partner with over 3,500 retailers to provide you cash back on purchases you make. TopCashback commonly offers at least 15% cash back per purchase, and this is an impressive amount compared to similar sites.
You get a $10 signup bonus when you use a referral link like the one above. Every time you refer someone, you and the referral get a $10 bonus. The bonuses change occasionally, but they’re usually pretty high paying.
TopCashback Gift Card Options
TopCashback offers prepaid American Express gift cards and Amazon gift cards. You don’t need a minimum account balance to get your gift cards. You get a 3% bonus when you choose a gift card over cash payment, too.
13. BeFrugal
About BeFrugal
BeFrugal is another cashback site that offers impressive deals. They partner with over 5,000 major retailers, so it’s easy to find options you like. You can earn up to 40% cash back depending on the merchant. The site also offers coupons for different retailers to help you save money.
BeFrugal offers new users a $10 signup bonus. This bonus shows up in your account once you’ve earned your first $10 cash back. You’ll also get a $10 bonus per person you refer once they earn their first $10 cash back.
BeFrugal Gift Card Options
BeFrugal pays via Amazon gift cards. You need a minimum account balance of $25 to get your gift cards. When you choose a gift card over cash payments, you get a 1% bonus on the amount you redeem.
Get Paid To Unlock Your Phone Screen
14.Screen Stash
About ScreenLift
ScreenLift is one of our favorite lock screen apps, and it’s easy to see why. With this app, you don’t have to engage with ads or put forth any effort. All you do is unlock your phone, and you earn points.
It’s really that simple and passive. Most other lock screen apps require more effort. This app also has a simple user-friendly design.
When you download ScreenLift, you’ll automatically earn 250 points. You also earn 250 points every time you refer a new user to ScreenLift. Take advantage of the referral bonus to quickly redeem points for free gift cards.
ScreenLift Gift Card Options
ScreenLift offers gift cards for Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Google Play. You need a minimum of 1,500 points to get a $1.00 gift card. If you wait to cash out your points, they become more valuable. For example, 6,750 points are worth $5 – that’s 1,350 points per $1.00.
15. Slidejoy
About Slidejoy
Slidejoy is a straightforward lock screen app; you get paid to view ads on your lock screen. You’ll earn the same amount of money whether you view an ad or interact with it. There are also ways to earn extra money through playing games, taking surveys, and doing other small tasks.
Slidejoy uses points called Carats. Each task is worth a certain amount of Carats, and each Carat is worth $0.01. You instantly get 20 free Carats when you download the app. When you refer friends to Slidejoy, you and your friend both get 100 free Carats.
Read Our Slidejoy Review
Slidejoy Gift Card Options
You can choose prepaid VISA cards, Amazon gift cards, and other options with Slidejoy. You need a minimum of $2 in carats to get your free gift card.
16. Fronto
About Fronto
Fronto is an extremely popular lock screen app with over 148,000 downloads and a 4.5-star Google Play rating. It requires more engagement than Screen Stash, but your earning options are more diverse.
In addition to unlocking your phone, you get paid to read news articles, take surveys, downloading apps, and more.
Unlocking your phone earns you 20 points, and other tasks pay between 20 to 300 points each. To get 1,250 points for free, use the code GyCZTE when you sign up.
You can also earn a 1,250 referral bonus whenever your friends sign up using your unique code. By using all of the earning options, it’s possible to earn about $20 per month.
Read Our Fronto App Review
Fronto Gift Card Options
Fronto offers gift cards for Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Google Play, and other merchants. You need a minimum of 25,000 points to cash out for a $10 gift card.
17. Adme
About Adme
Adme is a popular lock screen app that’s been around for years. It has a 4.4-star Google Play rating with over 10,000 downloads.
Every time you unlock your phone screen, you will earn about $0.02. If you use your phone frequently, you may average about $10 per month in earnings. To earn a $1.00 signup bonus, use the code bNALpS6gKV when you download Adme.
Read Our Adme App Review
Adme Gift Card Options
Adme offers gift cards to many retailers including Amazon, Target, Google Play, Wal-Mart, Steam, and more. You need to earn a minimum of $10 in order to receive a gift card.
Download These Passive Income Apps
18.Nielsen Computer And Mobile Panel
About Nielsen Computer And Mobile Panel
Nielsen is a completely effortless way to earn free gift cards. You simply download their app to your smartphone, computer, and other devices. Use them as you normally would and you earn points.
Nielsen collects data about how you use the Internet, but they don’t store your personal or private details. The data is simply used for research purposes.
There isn’t an exact number of points you’ll earn with Nielsen. The amount varies based on your computer and phone usage along with other factors. Based on user reviews, it’s possible to earn about $50 worth of points per year with this app.
Read Our Nielsen Computer And Mobile Panel Review
Nielsen Computer And Mobile Panel Gift Card Options
Nielsen pays users with gift cards to Amazon. To get a $5.00 gift card, you need 805 points. You can easily view your points to see when you’re eligible to redeem them.
19. Drop
About Drop
Drop is a very passive app that rewards you for making everyday purchases. It doesn’t matter what items you buy, and you don’t have to scan receipts.
You simply link your debit and credit cards to Drop, and your purchases are automatically rewarded. You can earn points by shopping at Amazon, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and dozens of other places.
Points are awarded per dollar you spend and vary by retailer; you can get anywhere from 3 to 20 points per dollar. To earn a $1.00 signup bonus, link your cards and use the code frugal4less.
You’ll also receive a 1,000 point ($1.00) bonus for every person you refer to Drop. There are often special bonuses available through the app, too.
Read Our Drop App Review
Drop Gift Card Options
Drop offers gift cards for Amazon, Starbucks, and many other retailers. You need a minimum of 5,000 points to get a $5.00 gift card.
Use “Get Paid To” Sites And Apps
20.InboxDollars
About InboxDollars
InboxDollars is a pretty popular GPT app and website, and they’ve paid out over $57 million in rewards to date. There are tons of endless ways to earn money through InboxDollars. Some options include taking surveys, watching videos, performing web searches, and playing games.
Tasks like performing web searches only take a few seconds to complete. These are usually worth a few cents. Longer tasks like surveys pay more. When you sign up for InboxDollars, you immediately get a free $5 bonus. Every time you refer a friend, you’ll receive 10% of their earnings for life.
Read Our InboxDollars Review
InboxDollars Gift Card Options
InboxDollars offers prepaid VISA gift cards and cards for Amazon, Target, and other major retailers. You need a minimum of $30.00 in your account to access your chosen gift card.
21.Swagbucks
About Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the most widely used GPT sites and apps. Millions of people worldwide earn points by completing small tasks through Swagbucks.
Tasks include watching videos, taking surveys, shopping online, and more. There are always several thousand tasks available, so you never need to worry about running out.
Each task is worth a certain amount of points called SB. Quick tasks are usually worth a few SB. In-depth ones are often worth 20 SB or much more. Swagbucks currently offers a $5 signup bonus for new users. When you refer users, you’ll receive 10% of their Swagbucks earnings for life.
Read Our Swagbucks Review
Swagbucks Gift Card Options
Swagbucks has a huge selection of gift cards to choose from. Some examples include Amazon, Starbucks, Steam, Target, and eBay. Gift cards are available starting at 300 SB for a $3.00 gift card.
22. EarningStation
About EarningStation
EarningStation is pretty similar to Swagbucks and InboxDollars. You earn money by taking polls, watching videos, taking surveys, and more. The pay per task varies a lot depending on how much effort it takes.
For example, watching 10 short videos will net you $0.02. Reading e-mails pays anywhere from $0.01 to $0.50.
When you refer someone to EarningStation, you’ll receive 10% of their earnings for life. Other EarningStation bonus offers change periodically. For example, users have reported signup and referral bonuses for $5 to $10.
EarningStation Gift Card Options
EarningStation pays via gift cards for Amazon, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and other major retailers. Gift cards are available starting at $10.
Final Thoughts
Overall, there are plenty of great ways to get free gift cards. Our list is diverse, so finding websites and apps you like is easy. We always recommend using multiple methods.
This makes it truly possible to earn several free gift cards every month. Make sure to read our reviews linked toeach option for helpful tips and info.
