5 Ways to Earn Totally Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
I was in my favorite coffee shop the other day, getting my morning banana bread and cup to go when I noticed next to the door they’d mounted an iPad to act as a mini-kiosk for customers. On the screen, there was a green smiley face and a red frowning face, and above these two faces, it said, How was your experience with us today? Everyone had been super nice (that’s why this place is my favorite) so I pressed the green smiley face and started walking out the door.
Before I could leave, though, I noticed that the screen now had a set of at least 10 more questions for me to answer, all with small print. Well, I just didn’t have time for that. So, I kept walking. I just don’t have time, or—if I’m being honest—the patience to fill out long and intricate surveys. Smiley faces, sure, but long questions? There just isn’t a window in my day. I do, however, know that many of my friends use survey apps that pay them in gift cards to answer questions. That’s not for me, and I imagine there are plenty of you out there nodding right now in agreement. That’s why today I want to talk about some great ways to earn free gift cards, no surveys required.
Most of these ways to earn free gift cards require little to no deviation from your daily routine—about the same amount of time it took me to tap that smiley face on the iPad. Let’s face it, that old cliche about time being money, it’s true, especially these days. So, having to spend your valuable time taking surveys to get free gift cards kind of makes it not so “free.” The ideal way to score those cards is through stuff you’re already doing. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective methods I’ve come across.
Play Games to Earn Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
This first item on my list is, without question, a great way to earn free gift cards, but whether it saves you time in your everyday life will vary depending on your hobbies. I know that I’ve personally played games to relax for a good long while, going all the way back to when I was a little kid with my old Super Nintendo. I still have plenty of puzzle games and the like on my phone, and I’m not shy about busting them out when I’m in a waiting room or in the breakroom at my office.
There are actually several sites or apps you can pick from that will make playing to earn a reality. The way they work is that they give you points for the time you spend playing games, and then you can later trade those points in for free gift cards, no surveys required (of course). Some of my favorites are CashCrate or InboxDollars. While survey-taking is the main way to earn rewards on these, it’s definitely not required (thankfully!) and you can actually earn by playing games. They all have slightly different interfaces, as well as types of games that you can play, but the general idea is the same: play games for a while, earn points, trade them in for your free gift cards.
Enter Giveaways to Earn Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
With the rise of blogging came the rise of something that’s very much relevant to our conversation here today: blog giveaways. If you read a lot of blogs—as I do—then you probably already know that one technique they use to drive traffic is giving away free swag. Generally, a company will offer a prize or gift cards for the blogger to giveaway to readers. That’s where we come in.
It’s really all about playing the averages in this sort of setup. Read a lot of blogs, and you’re likely to come across more blog giveaways. Enter more of those giveaways and you’re likely to win. It took me a while to win my first one, but now I’ve won a great deal. I’ve also come across some really interesting blogs, which has been a nice little bonus for me. I’ve even come across websites that track blog giveaways and help you find the ones with gift cards. Some of my favorites include Bloggy Giveaways or Giveaway Monkey.
Use Credit Cards to Earn Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
This is one I recommend to my responsible friends out there. There are plenty of credit cards you can sign up for that give you cash back or free gift cards for all that you spend. This is, of course, only valuable for you if you pay your bills on time and don’t become liable to have to pay back much interest. Not to brag, but I’ve always been a conscientious credit card user, so I don’t even really have to think twice when it comes to taking advantage of this one.
Finding cash back credit cards is a bit more common than finding ones that pay you back in the form of gift cards, but it can be done. In fact, I personally use Walmart’s credit card, which allows me to turn in my cash back rewards for statement credits or gift cards. I like to go with gift cards there because they’re much more versatile: you can save them, use them right away, or even give them—like their name implies—as gifts. Like the other techniques on our list, I have a few websites that may be able to help you find these cards, including creditcards.com and NerdWallet.
Browse Social Media to Earn Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
I’m the type of person who likes to follow the stores that I frequent most on social media. I started doing it so I could have an easy way to find their pages and check their hours. Then I started to notice that the stores used social media to share information about their products, giveaways, coupons, and opportunities to receive gift cards. I get it, it’s a fun way to win new customers while also generating word-of-mouth buzz.
In my experience, this is especially common for local and small businesses that want to drum up word of mouth, stimulate foot traffic, or entice new customers to give them a try. So, to carry this one out, I suggest thinking of your favorite local spots and then following them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. After you become a follower, it’s just a matter of keeping a vigilant eye on your many feeds.
Shop to Earn Free Gift Cards, No Surveys Required
I try not to play favorites with my recommendations, but I have to say I think this last method is the best to earn free gift cards. There are actually apps out there that will give you points for your shopping behaviors that you do anyway. How they work is you just go ahead and do things you do when you’re shopping already, things like scanning barcodes to get more information about certain products, buying products, and for even just walking into the store.
The shopping app I use the most is this one called Shopkick, which I can’t recommend enough. It gives you points for all those reasons I mentioned above, and it’s also a whole lot of fun to use. In the simplest possible terms, I’d say it’s a fun app that also pays you for shopping. The key to using it is consistency. I know I’ve heard of users earning at least a gift card each month, and I can say that from my own experience that doesn’t sound at all unrealistic. It really is just one of the best free apps that pay you money. You can also combine Shopkick with some of the other sites and apps on this list, specifically the ones related to credit cards.
I know the saying has been around forever, but I think it’s especially true these days: time really is money, and I don’t have much extra time to take surveys, even if they do reward me with free gift cards. If you do, great! But I’ve found that it’s much easier to take advantage of ways to earn free gift cards that fit neatly into my existing lifestyle.
While things, like playing games, entering giveaways that I learn about through blogs, and browsing social media with an eye out for deals, are all really effective ways to earn free gift cards, my personal favorite is the Shopkick app. It depends on what I have going on any given week, but there are some weeks where I literally find myself heading out to the store five or six times for little things. Now with Shopkick, I can earn points each time I set foot in the aisles, points that I can later trade in for free gift cards, no surveys required. That’s definitely something that would make me hit a smiley face instead of a frowning face.
Get one of the best free smartphone apps that you can use to earn free gift cards, no surveys required. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free, smartphone app sidekick.
And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.
