Earning Free stuff from MyPoints and SwagBucks...

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Every time I get a new gift card from Mypoints or SwagBucks I think of how many just might not know how easy it is to get the gift cards. So today I'm sharing.
Consider this a Valentine from me to you!

MyPoints -

* Please email me for an invite to MyPoints * I'd love the referral!


I've been using MyPoints for well....over four years now at least. There are times I completely ignore it and know I shouldn't because the rewards far outweigh a few times of clicking links. I use it maybe on average 3-4 months of the year faithfully and that gives me enough to get two Gift Cards (usually Target or Kmart) to use toward Christmas or like this year we threw the $25 Kmart card in The Red Rangers stocking as a present. I'm also usually able to get another gift card in February for his birthday (although sadly not this year, I just didn't click enough). Now I probably do the minimum and still get these gift cards and by the way they have tons of stores/restaurants for you to choose from.
MyPoints first sends you emails, so choose an email account that you use on a regular basis and you don't mind getting extra emails. 

This is what I do -
Emails - About once a week sometimes bi-weekly I go through my emails and click on the button at the bottom. That button usually gives you 5 points if you sign up for the offer it gives you more. I don't sign up for any of the offers usually but I collect my 5 points and delete that email immediately. You will also get surveys based on what you put in your profile which always have a shorter shelf life for getting the points which is why its a good idea to set once a week as your clicking time.
Toolbar Search Engine - You get points every month per searches in the tool bar, once you've downloaded it onto your browser (and you get extra points for downloading it the first time). I usually do the most searches which is 31 and get 75 points per month, there's a ladder system for searches=points.
Note: Something new they did before Christmas was to challenge you to beat your previous month's searches by giving you a lot of points. I think my first one for October was 120 points so always keep a look out in your emails for the challenges.
MyPoints homepage - On the MyPoints home page you'll find (usually on the right hand side down a bit) some survey/poll questions. Sometimes they are quick points, usually 5 just for answering the first couple of questions. If you choose to go on and give more information (personal) then you get lots of points. I don't do this because they always want phone numbers and I don't need them calling me.
Shopping online - This is one that I haven't done and have been kicking myself for not remembering. If you purchase online (Ebay maybe) you can earn points per $ spent on MyPoints if you go through their website first. I never remember to do that and now I'm realizing how many points I missed. Come to think of it I just got a book off of Ebay the other day! I totally forgot to do this!
I may have to put a post-it on the computer to remember this one......grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......darn it......
Most of the time they are websites you are already ordering from so why not get some points for free gift cards later.
By doing the first three things on the list and mind you not on a regular basis I'm able to get that all important gift card ($20-25) for Target or Kmart before Christmas. I always turn in my points around October to get it in plenty of time.
By far you get the most points when you first sign up and you can always get referrals for someone signing up under you. That was a hint if you you didn't catch it.........:-)
Honestly though if I hadn't used it for so long and been able to get the gift cards on such a regular basis (and they came in handy a couple of years in a row when we really had nothing for Christmas) I wouldn't recommend it and tell you how it works easily for not putting much time into it.
If you are interested you can sign up under me, just email me the email address you would like to use with your name and I'll mail you an invite. They used to have a link for this but I sure can't find it now.

SwagBucks -
You can sign up under me using the SwagBucks Widget here on the blog or by using this referral link:
 My personal referral link  
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/stargazerusa

I just started using this in November after signing up under a friend of mine. She kept telling me how quickly she was getting points so I gave it a try. Its very similar to MyPoints in  some ways but it does have a couple of twists that are fun. Since I signed up in November I've earned $25 in Amazon.com gift cards which I've banked into my Amazon account to save up for an educational tool for The Red Ranger. Once I hit $40 I can order it for free and hopefully even Amazon's free shipping will still be good!
Again I probably do the least in getting points but here ya go.
SwagBucks Toolbar - Yes, I have both of these on my browser and switch back and forth between them.
SwagBucks randomly awards Bucks to you for searching (Friday's are usually the best days) and it if very random. The amount of bucks you earn also varies so its just like spinning the wheel. Again you get extra bucks for downloading the toolbar for the first time. You also have what is called TSG on the toolbar which gives hints and random swagbucks.
Daily on SwagBucks - Every day I do the easy Swagbucks on the homepage.
1) Turn on your computer and start surfing -
If you have downloaded the toolbar and stay signed in you automatically get 1 buck each day when you turn on your computer.
2) Daily polls -
You get 1 buck for answering the Daily Poll. Found on the righthand menu bar.
3) NOSO's -
Again 1 buck for just running through the maybe 6 or 7 offers. I never actually sign up for any of them.
New: Today (2/4/2011) they just started where you get 2 bucks after viewing the offers if you finish the puzzle or CAPTCHA. I haven't hit this yet so it might not be working just yet, they are just rolling it out today.
4) Trusted survey's -
You get 1 buck for just clicking on it and more if you qualify for the survey's. When you first sign up you get a lot of points quick after that well its touch and go.
5) Games -
If you play the games each day (Crusher is my fav!) you earn every few games 2 bucks until you reach a total of 10 bucks for the day. It seems like you get the 2 bucks every 2-3 games you play, I don't mind because its an easy 10 bucks.

Those are the easy bucks.....now for the ones you search for.
If you have Facebook be sure to link them together (which gives you extra points when you first do it), be sure to "like" the SwagBucks page as many times they run stuff on there for extra swagbucks. We've done a few treasure hunts for codes where you use the SwagBucks Blog, their Facebook page, your toolbar, twitter (which I don't have), the Widget (which I have here on my blog) and sometimes your SwagBucks email.
Make sure you never blurt out the answer to a code because you may be blocked by SwagBucks.
There's also another blog and she's on Facebook as well that puts out messages when there are new codes out. It comes in handy sometimes if you aren't actively checking things yourself.
Coupons and Freebies Mom -
Blog - http://www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com/
Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/CouponsAndFreebiesMom

There's always more to do on these things but this is what I do and I'm very happy with the free gift cards I've gotten. By the way, the Amazon.com gift cards at $5 each are the easiest and best reward on SwagBucks.
Enjoy, have fun!!
Also,  a quick note.....I've been trying to "follow" other blogs in the hop but for some reason Google freezes up on me. It normally clears up in a day or two but I think I'm at 2 weeks now, maybe more. I'll keep trying though and hopefully I'll be able to officially "follow" you great bloggers!