Gift Card Apps Masterpost
Thanks to my student loans’ tight grip on my balls, I’m basically always desperate for cash. I take it upon myself to test out all those apps that promise gift cards in exchange for surveys or testing games. Like, all of them. This is the list of all the legitimate ones that I keep on my phone. I have included my referral codes because using one often, but not always, gets you a bonus. Please use it anyways. I went through the trouble of making this damned post (twice. fucking tumblr.) Note I’m not covering yard sale or photo selling apps. These are the apps where you watch ads or play games, do small tasks in exchange for points which can be redeemed for gift cards.
Swagbucks
This is one of the biggest ones. I’ve been using this one on and off since high school. Their surveys pay pretty well and it’s pretty easy to leave the watch ads section open while working on homework or sleeping. If you get the desktop extension and do some online shopping, you can almost always get points back. They just added Disneyland Resort (no Disney World...yet) passes to their rewards and I am high-key freaking out despite the fact I am across the entire continent from Disneyland and can’t afford a bus trip downtown, let alone a plane to California. Ah but wait other rewards include gift cards for Southwest, Delta, and American Airlines. Welp I won’t be leaving this site until I can cash out for that.
Feature Points
This is one I’ve also been using for a good four or five years. It’s pretty straight forward; step 1 download an app, step 2 play for two minutes or reach a certain level, step 3 profit. I find that if I make a lot of points one day, the next couple days the offers don’t go through or there won’t be any offers for a few days. Still, it’s the app I’ve cashed out the most from.
Slidejoy
This one is great because you don’t have to do anything. They do offer surveys and scratch cards to help you get points quicker but the main thing for this app is they put an advertisement on your lockscreen. They pay you for adding one extra swipe to opening your phone. I can milk a $5 gift card out of this one every 2~3 months. About by the time you remember it exists on your phone you can get another gift card.
S’more
This is the same deal. I’ve had it for a month and I have $3.5 racked up already. Admittedly, having both Slidejoy and S’more on means it takes a few seconds to getting into my phone as they can slow each other’s loading down but hey I’d do a lot worse for Amazon gift cards I need a new camera
Shopkick
This one is my favorite. When you go in a store, they give you a list of products that you have to find and scan. It never fails to annoy whoever I’m shopping with but I think the scavenger hunt is fun. Some of the products give you bonus points if you buy them and scan the receipt and some stores give you points for simply walking inside.
Panel
Remember earlier when I was like ‘hey you don’t have to do anything with this app’ but I was lying and you have to add an entire extra step to opening your phone? Okay this app is literally zero work. Every now and then they’ll ask if you want to answer a couple questions to help them adjust their gps I think (like, they point to a spot on a map and ask exactly which store you were in) but that’s optional. It is a slow burn, I think I had to restart when I got a new phone last Sept, and I’m projecting to cash out for the first time early next year. It takes forever to get points but I’m getting a $25 gift card for doing nothing more than owning a phone with an app on it.
Pay Your Selfie
Anyone that knows me knows I am obsessed with snapchat. I betchya all of the traffic from this post is going to be from my snap mutals (on the off chance that other people actually read this, heyo my snap is the same as my url follow me i’m hilarious). This app pays you to take selfies, as little as $.20 and as much as $1. The all have a theme and usually ask you to show brands (eg, national taco day, take a selfie eating a taco; oral hygiene awareness, show off your favorite toothpaste; photo of your fall traditions). It’s great.
Lucktastic
Lucktastic is all scratchy cards. They cost one advertisement to play and payout a minimum of one point, but these are actual lotto cards and have a supposed chance to win actual cash. Can be tedious if you don’t like scratch cards but it’s cheaper than going to the drugs store and you still win something. The weirdest thing about it is their points don’t have a direct cash value? Some $10 gift cards are worth 40k points but some $25 cards cost 25k points? I don’t get it but I think it’s fun anyways.
Achievement (no referral, also i s2g it used to be achievemint???)
This app pays you to be healthy. It connects to a ton of different health apps and gives you points for doing good things. For example, I have a galaxy s-whatever which comes with Samsung Health which auto tracks my steps and my sleep. I also have Under Armor’s calorie counter app because hey just cos i’m thin doesn’t mean i wasn’t raised to not obsess over my weight itsnt being a female the best thing ever? So I connected both of these to Achievement. I get points often for walking to work (because i’m too poor to take the bus) and drinking water (because everything has caffeineeeeeeeee). I get points every now and then for getting a good night’s sleep and logging healthy meals (because let’s be real I’m pretty bad at doing those things.) Someday I’ll be able to afford to go to the gym again but for now Achievement’s ads make a good point: your smart phone already counts your steps. Why not get paid for them?
Honorable Mentions:
Pact
Er, this app might have been shut down? It was a good concept that didn’t work for me personally.
Lifetap
This app was great! I got $10 in a week! And in the month since....about $.07. It could be my is buggy or I missed a patch or something but they just won’t give me offers anymore. I do recommend it to get the first $10 but after that it’s up to you whether it’s worth it to keep it around or not
