Little known fact: There are dozens of ways to get free Amazon gift cards.
It may sound like a scam, and while there are definitely gift card scams to look out for, there are also plenty of legitimate ways to get gift cards to Amazon and other retailers for free.
Companies often offer these rewards as an incentive for users to complete small tasks. For example, you can earn free gift cards by completing online surveys, playing games, or for the shopping you already do.
In return, these companies get data on consumer behavior or, in some cases, a percentage of the money you spend with certain retailers.
So while you still have to do something to unlock these free Amazon gift card codes, all of these tasks require minimal time and effort.
Unlock Amazon Gift Card Codes by Taking Surveys
You won’t get rich doing surveys, but you can use them to earn free Amazon gift cards in your spare time. For each site below, you’ll need to create a free account in order to unlock the gift cards. Some sites offer sign-up bonuses for new members, which you can exchange for Amazon gift card codes.
For each site you decide to use, be sure to fill out your profile completely and answer the qualifying questions as accurately as possible. That way you’ll get matched with relevant surveys and spend less time answering pre-survey questions only to be disqualified.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is an online rewards program where members earn points for completing surveys, watching videos, shopping online, using the Swagbucks search engine, and more. For each task you complete, you earn points, called Swagbucks or SBs.
They even offer a $10 sign up bonus to incentivize users to download their app or visit the site.
Once you have 300 Swagbucks, you can cash out for a free $3 Amazon gift card. Swagbucks also offers gift cards to Target, Starbucks, Walmart, and dozens of other major retailers as well as the option to exchange your points for PayPal cash.
For more details, check out our Swagbucks review.
2. InboxDollars
According to their website, InboxDollars has paid out more than $56 million in cash rewards to its members since its inception in 2000. They’re currently offering a free $5 sign-up bonus for new members.
InboxDollars partners with brands like Target, Walmart, and Netflix to get feedback from consumers who complete short tasks like taking online surveys. Most of their surveys take between 3 and 25 minutes to complete and pay between $0.50 and $5. However, some pay upwards of $20 if you fit the demographic they’re searching for.
You can also earn rewards for watching videos like short movie trailers, playing games such as Solitaire and Candy Jam, shopping online, reading their promotional emails, and redeeming free coupons. Redeem your rewards for gift cards, a prepaid Visa card, charity donations, or a check in the mail. For more details, check out our InboxDollars review.
3. Survey Junkie
The Survey Junkie community includes over 10 million members who earn Amazon gift cards and similar rewards for taking online surveys. Unlike some survey sites that offer rewards for various tasks, this one solely focuses on surveys.
Each survey is assigned a point value as well as an estimated completion time. Once you accrue 1,000 points – equal to $10 – you can cash out and receive your Amazon gift card code immediately. There is no waiting period.
In addition to Amazon, you can also earn gift cards to places like Groupon, iTunes, Sephora, and Target or cash out via PayPal.
Visit our Survey Junkie review to learn more.
4. MyPoints
Redeem your points for gift cards to Amazon, Best Buy, or another favorite retailer or cash out via PayPal. Right now, MyPoints is also offering a $10 sign-up bonus opportunity for new members. Exchange your bonus points for a free Amazon or Visa gift card.
MyPoints is owned by Prodege, LLC, the same company that owns Swagbucks. As a member, you can earn points by watching videos, shopping online, purchasing a Groupon, and taking surveys.
The BonusMail program also rewards members who sign up to receive deals via email. Oftentimes you can earn points just for clicking the link in the email without having to make a purchase.
5. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost offers flexible rewards for completing online surveys. According to their site, most surveys take 10-15 minutes to complete.
You can take a cash payout via PayPal or redeem for gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, or other popular retailers. In addition to paying you to answer surveys, Opinion Outpost donates $10,000 to American Red Cross every month.
6. LifePoints
Online surveys are the main way to earn with LifePoints. However, you can also participate in mini-polls and product testing when the opportunities are available.
You can then redeem those points for anything in the LifePoints rewards catalog, including free Amazon gift cards. Other options include cash, gift cards for other retailers or restaurants, and merchandise. Get your first 10 LifePoints immediately when you create your free account.
7. PrizeRebel
PrizeRebel rewards users for taking online surveys, watching videos, participating in challenges, and completing simple tasks for daily points. The community consists of more than 9 million members.
As a whole, they’ve paid out over $19 million in rewards since their inception in 2007. The site offers more than 500 reward options to choose from, including gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, CVS, Xbox Live, PayPal cash, and dozens more. You can also exchange your points for raffle tickets to enter large cash prize drawings.
8. iRazoo
Similar to other sites on this list, iRazoo offers you rewards for completing online activities. Surveys, games, videos, and shopping are all ways to earn. You can also collect points for entering promo codes, completing daily goals, using the iRazoo search engine, and reading their blog and emails.
Once you collect 3,000 points, redeem them for free Amazon gift cards or PayPal cash. Get your first 100 points free when you create an account.
9. SurveyMonkey
Unlike some survey sites where questionnaires can take upwards of 20 minutes to complete, SurveyMonkey keeps their surveys to five minutes or less. You’ll need to answer a few questions when you first sign up so they can match you with surveys that fit your profile. Increase the number of surveys you qualify for by sharing your location.
Once you earn $5 from surveys, you can cash out for a free Amazon gift card or donate your earnings to your favorite charity.
10. iPoll
Get free Amazon gift cards and other rewards when you use iPoll to share your perspective on the products and services you use every day. You can take surveys online or through their mobile app.
Exchange your earnings for PayPal cash or gift cards to iTunes or Amazon. As an added bonus, they draw for a $5,000 reward every quarter. The more surveys you complete, the better your chance at winning the prize.
11. InstaGC
InstaGC does what it sounds like – helps you earn instant gift cards. They reward you for online activities like taking surveys, shopping through their online portal, watching videos, and searching the web.
You can redeem your points for gift cards from their 360 partners, including Amazon. Digital delivery is instant, so no waiting to enjoy your rewards.
Earn Amazon Gift Cards by Playing Games (No Surveys Required)
Online surveys aren’t the only way to earn Amazon gift cards. These apps reward you with points you can exchange for cash or gift cards to your favorite places.
12. Swagbucks
Taking surveys is only one of several ways you can earn rewards with Swagbucks — playing games, shopping, and watching videos being some of the others. There is a limit to the number of points you can earn for free with Swagbucks’ branded games.
The other option is to make purchases through popular games like Wheel of Fortune, Solitaire, or Bejeweled. The majority of games offer 4 Swagbucks for every $1 spent. If you already spend money on these types of games, then consider it an opportunity to earn free Amazon gift cards for something you already do.
13. AppNana
The premise of AppNana is to reward users for downloading apps and completing small tasks. Points are called “nanas” and can be earned for things like:
- Logging in every day
- Downloading a game app and reaching a certain level
- Watching videos and ads
- Downloading an app and keeping it open for a certain period of time
You can convert your nanas to gift cards or cash out with PayPal. The app is legitimate. However, reviewers commonly complain that the rewards might not be worth the time.
14. Appdown
The main way to earn free gift cards with Appdown is to download and play app games. However, you can also complete offers for surveys, watch videos, make purchases through the app, and more.
Similar to other sites that claim you can get paid to play games, the most common complaint among Appdown users is that the rewards aren’t worth the time and effort. But it’s an easy way to earn free Amazon gift cards or PayPal cash while waiting in line or commuting to work.
How to Get Free Amazon Gift Cards from Shopping Apps
Don’t have time to complete surveys or play games? Get free Amazon gift cards for something you were already doing – shopping online.
15. Rakuten
Rakuten is an online shopping portal that pays up to 40% cash back on your purchases. You just visit the Rakuten site first, search for the retailer you’re going to buy from, choose any coupons you want to apply, and click “shop now”. If you make a purchase, the posted cash-back offer will be deposited into your Rakuten account.
Since visiting the Rakuten site before each purchase isn’t always convenient, you’ll want to install the Rakuten browser extension. Whenever you’re shopping on a site that offers cash back through Rakuten, you’ll receive a pop-up reminding you to activate the deal before you check out. Click the reminder and continue shopping as normal.
Cash payouts occur quarterly via a check in the mail or a deposit to your PayPal account. You can use the cash to buy Amazon gift cards or buy Amazon gift cards through the Rakuten portal and earn cash back on your purchase. For more details on how to get cash back with this app, visit our Rakuten review.
16. Shopkick
Shopkick offers users eight ways to earn rewards, AKA kicks.
For example, you can earn kicks when you walk into select stores with your Shopkick app open and then scan barcodes of specific products to earn even more. You also earn kicks every time you make purchases with a linked card.
Visit online stores, view certain products, buy products online, and watch videos. All these activities earn you kicks, which you can then redeem for rewards like free Amazon gift cards.
Download the app on your phone or tablet to get your first 250 kicks.
17. Honey
Honey is a free browser extension that saves you money by automatically searching for and applying the best coupons when you shop online. This means you’ll never forget to use a coupon code again.
Honey’s Droplist feature also allows you to track price drops at retailers like Overstock, Macy’s, Walmart, and Amazon. To start tracking, click the browser extension icon and tell Honey how long you want to watch the price — 30, 60, or 90 days. If the item drops during that time, Honey will send you an email and let you know.
In addition to the money you save from the coupons, you also earn Honey Gold Rewards when you shop at participating online retailers. This essentially means you earn points on those purchases that you can later convert into rewards like free Amazon gift cards. Learn more about the money-saving browser extension in our Honey App Review.
18. Drop
With Drop, users earn rewards by shopping through the app or with a linked debit or credit card. When you download the free app, you’ll choose which stores you want to earn cash back with. Options include Starbucks, Target, Sephora, and other major retailers.
When you shop at one of your chosen sites, Drop rewards you with points for every dollar spent. You’ll also receive 5,000 points for the first 10 friends you refer to the app. Every 1,000 points are worth $1. Once you reach 5,000 points, you can cash out for a free gift card to Amazon, Uber, Lululemon, American Airlines, and more.
19. Mobee
Mobee is a secret shopping app that assigns you undercover missions to complete at local stores.
Open the map to look for secret shopper missions in your area. Select your mission, then visit the store and answer questions in the app about your experience. Mobee will then review your feedback and approve or reject it in 48 hours.
The app offers bonus points through achievements. The more missions you complete, the closer you get to unlocking an achievement and collecting additional rewards.
Each point is worth roughly one cent. It takes 2,500 points to earn a free Amazon gift card, but you’ll need 5,000 to cash out via PayPal.
How to Get Gift Cards from Grocery Stores
Even if you don’t do much shopping, you can get free Amazon gift cards for your grocery purchases using these apps.
20. Ibotta
Ibotta began as a cash-back app for groceries, but they’ve expanded to include retailers in the categories of home, apparel, travel, and more. You have several options for earning rewards with apps like Ibotta.
First, you can browse offers in the app. When you find one you like, click to add it to your offers list. You may need to complete a simple activity like answering a poll question or watching a video. Submit your receipt after you finish shopping and Ibotta will add the rewards to your account within 24 hours.
If you’d rather skip the receipt scanning, link your store loyalty card to earn rewards automatically. You can also shop online or through the Ibotta app to earn cash back on your purchases.
Once you reach $20, cash out via PayPal, Venmo, or exchange your earnings for a free gift card to Amazon, Target, Uber, or one of the other 300+ participating retailers.
And if you’ve ever been interested in getting an Amazon Prime Membership, Ibotta will give you a $20 Amazon gift card if you purchase the membership through them.
For more details on how to earn cash back with this app, check out our complete Ibotta review.
21. Receipt Hog
Use the Receipt Hog app to snap pictures of your shopping receipts and submit them for rewards. It doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy, Receipt Hog will trade your shopping data for one of two rewards: coins or spins.
Use your coins to claim free Amazon gift cards, cash, or magazine subscriptions. Spins allow you to play the Hog Slots for chances to win more coins. You can also take surveys to earn additional coins.
Receipt Hog offers a limited number of spaces, and sometimes there’s a waitlist to join.
How to Get Free Amazon Gift Cards from Amazon Itself
While most people have heard of doing surveys online for rewards and know about cash-back shopping apps, a lot of people don’t know you can get free Amazon gift cards directly from the source.
22. Work for Amazon
Looking for a flexible side hustle? Amazon has a program called Mechanical Turk (or mTurk) that’s essentially a marketplace for online work.
Companies seek workers to complete online tasks in exchange for payment, and workers find online jobs that are a good fit for their skills and interests. The actual tasks will vary but might include things like data entry jobs, video processing, creating written content, transcribing data, or even taking surveys.
You can receive payment in the form of an Amazon gift card or transfer your earnings straight to your bank account.
23. Reload an Amazon Gift Card
Right now Amazon has a sweet deal: reload an existing gift card with $100 or more and get a free $5 bonus. If you shop on Amazon regularly and have $100 to buy a gift card, then it could be worth it to snag the free money for cash you otherwise would have spent over time.
24. Trade in Your Electronics and Books
If you have an old smartphone or tablet you no longer use, you might be able to get paid for it through Amazon’s Trade-In program. They buy smartphones, tablets, game consoles, e-readers, and books.
You have to send in your products to be assessed, but shipping is free. If they’re accepted, you get free Amazon gift cards. If not, they’ll send your items back and you can try to sell your electronics elsewhere.
25. Become an Amazon Affiliate
If you start a blog or want to monetize an existing website, you can earn extra money through affiliate marketing. Sign up for Amazon Associates and start advertising some of Amazon’s products on your site.
If your readers click on your links and make a purchase, you’ll earn a referral fee on the sale. You can get paid in cash or in free Amazon gift cards.
Amazon Gift Card FAQs
With all of the options out there, it’s common to have questions. Here are some of the ones we see most often from our readers.
How Long Does it Take to Earn a Gift Card?
It depends on which app and activities you participate in and the time you have to dedicate to it. If you make a large purchase or grocery run using some of the apps on this list, then you could earn your first gift card in as little as a day.
Other activities like playing games or completing surveys could take days or weeks to earn your first gift card.
How Many Sites Should I Join?
Depending on the amount of time you have, you can join each of the recommended sites. Some people choose sites that allow you to redeem gift cards as low as $1 so they can cash out quickly. But it’s up to you to decide what activities you like to do and which apps are worth your time.
How Do I Spot Amazon Gift Card Scams?
Just like you can be scammed out of cash, Amazon gift cards are also susceptible to fraud. If someone contacts you and says you have unpaid debt or owe back taxes and need to pay with a gift card, it’s a scam. Scammers even try to tell people they’ve won money but have to pay fees with an Amazon gift card before they can have their cash.
Other scams you might hear of include fake listings for items that must sell fast, electronic devices that have been hacked, a family member who is having an emergency, or promotions for services like cable TV or internet.
If you’re contacted by someone and told to pay for any of these with an Amazon gift card, hang up or delete the email. Go with your gut and the old saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
What is the Amazon Prime Store Card?
The Amazon Prime Store Card is issued by Synchrony Bank and allows Prime members who have the card to earn 5% back with no cap at Amazon.com. There’s no annual fee, and the card offers financing options for purchases of $149 or greater. Depending on the price, shoppers can either take 5% back or 0% financing with equal monthly payments for 6,12, or 24 months.
The card has a variable purchase APR of 27.99% and currently offers a $10 Amazon gift card for new members upon approval. Cardholders enjoy zero fraud liability, but there are specific limitations to what can be purchased with the card. Make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions before applying.
Choose How to Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
There are so many ways to earn Amazon gift cards for free. Where do you begin?
Start with the low-hanging fruit: earning gift cards for things you already do. For many people, that’s shopping. If that’s the case for you then Swagbucks, Rakuten, and Ibotta are all great options. Once you set up your free accounts, you can earn rewards with each site automatically.
Next, move on to the options that interest you most. For example, if you enjoy learning about new games, then you might want to check out an app that rewards you for this kind of activity. If, on the other hand, you like to share your opinion and influence brands, then paid online surveys might be your best option.
You may find that some apps aren’t worth your time. If that’s the case, drop it and move on to the next. However you prefer to earn free Amazon gift cards, there’s no shortage of options.
From: dollarsprout
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