Did you know you can earn free gift cards? They are easier to get than you might think.
If you’re open to taking online surveys, shopping online, or playing video games online, you can earn free Visa gift cards, free Amazon gift cards, free gift cards to restaurants, and more.
Check out these legit options for scoring free gift cards, which include:
How to score free gift cards: Complete online surveys
1. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys is a website where anyone can create a profile, take surveys, and earn cash. The more details you provide about yourself, the more surveys you may be eligible for (you’ll receive email notifications when a survey fits your profile).
The surveys are provided by market research firms on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. When you complete a survey, you’ll earn points to turn into cash — $5 for every 500 points earned.
You can take surveys for Amazon, Apple, CVS Pharmacy, DoorDash, Instacart, Staples, and Visa gift cards, among others.
Start earning cash with Branded Surveys >>
2. Toluna
Toluna Influencers is a free online community where you can share your opinion about top global brands. Joining Toluna gets you 500 welcome points. Earn more by completing surveys and referring members.
Use points to get gift cards or cash within three weeks of redemption. Earn your first $10 reward when you hit 30,000 points. You can take surveys on your computer or mobile device.
You can get gift cards to retailers like:
- Amazon
- Petco
- Target
- Starbucks
- TJ Maxx
- Tango
You can also opt for cash payouts to PayPal. Once you redeem your points, it can take up to three weeks to receive your gift card or cash payout.
Earn free gift cards and cash with Toluna >>
3. Focus Group
Focus Group offers surveys online, by phone, and in person at one of 16 offices across the nation. You can join for free and sign up to take surveys to earn points.
Earn $1 for each 100 points and exchange them for gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes, and others.
You can start redeeming rewards when you hit $5. Points never expire for active members. Add points to your Focus Wallet and redeem rewards in seven to 10 business days.
Focus Group is active on social media (IG, Twitter, and Facebook) so you can ask questions and learn more about this free membership where you can get free gift cards just for sharing what you think.
Sign up for Focus Group and get paid fast >>
4. OpinionOutpost
At Opinion Outpost, you can earn rewards for taking online surveys on different subjects. You’ll get points for every survey you complete (typically 10 points, or $1, per survey), and you’ll receive email alerts when new surveys are available. Survey types include:
- Product tests (review prototypes before they hit the shelf)
- Advert reviews (give feedback on ads before they launch)
- Diary studies (keep track of and share your lifestyle habits)
- Focus groups (take part in group discussions on a variety of topics)
- Location-based services (participate in targeted surveys based on your location)
- Ad survey studies (share your thoughts on ads you see on Google)
When it’s time to cash out, choose from three types of rewards: PayPal cash, a virtual VISA prepaid card, or Target, iTunes, and Amazon gift cards. Opinion Outpost commissions over three million surveys and pays the equivalent of $390,000 to its community each month.
Keep in mind that some rewards (such as for diary studies and focus groups) take up to six weeks to arrive.
5. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is a reward website with multiple ways to earn:
- Take paid online surveys. Each one takes 3-25 minutes to complete and pays between $0.50 to $5, or sometimes $10-20.
- Play games. InboxDollars has its own games, plus games from GSN Casino — for every dollar you spend, you’ll earn 18% cash back.
- Go online shopping. Earn cash back or get samples and discounts from top brands.
- Read emails. Receive InboxDollars offers in your inbox and get cash for reading them.
- Enjoy grocery rewards. Get access to cash back deals on supermarket products, or earn money for scanning receipts.
With the rewards, you can take surveys for gift cards, including Amazon, Target, Home Depot, and Starbucks.
Brands pay InboxDollars for consumer input, then InboxDollars pays you.
6. Swagbucks
Swagbucks, which offers a $10 signup bonus, gives you free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you do online. You’ll earn points by doing things like:
- Shopping online
- Playing video games
- Searching the web
- Answering surveys
- Finding great deals
Then, you can redeem those points for gift cards to retailers such as Amazon, Apple, Target, Mastercard, Dunkin’, and Walmart. You can also sign up to get cash back via PayPal.
7. MyPoints
Similar to Swagbucks, MyPoints also offers a $10 signup bonus. This website lets you earn points by shopping at your favorite stores.
You can also take polls and answer surveys to get gift cards — including Walmart, Starbucks, Target, and ebay — and you’ll still get a bonus even if you don’t qualify for a survey. Some surveys pay as much as $50.
With MyPoints, you’ll get up to 40% back on every purchase from 2,000 top retailers, including Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Amazon. You’ll also be able to access and use the latest sales, coupons, promo codes, and deals at these stores.
8. Survey Junkie
Get paid to take surveys with Survey Junkie by building your profile, completing surveys that are a match, and earning virtual points. You can redeem these points for a PayPal cashout or for e-gift cards, including Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, Starbucks, Visa, and iTunes.
You can choose whether to only participate in the core Survey Junkie community, which offers surveys for attitudinal-based market research (research that gauges your attitude toward a product or brand), or participate in the SJ Pulse Community, which features behavioral market research (provides insights on consumer behavior to improve a product or product presentation).
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9. PrizeRebel
PrizeRebel gives you access to thousands of online opinion surveys from market research companies. You’ll complete surveys at your leisure to earn points, which you can trade in for rewards like gift cards from Amazon, eBay, Apple, Google, and other brands.
99% of PrizeRebel gift cards are delivered digitally within five minutes. The site offers gift cards starting as low as $5. Since 2007, PrizeRebel has given out $2.5 million in rewards.
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10. Survey Club
Established in 2005, Survey Club now has more than 16 million members on six continents who take surveys and earn money. The website connects you with paid research opportunities in your area, such as:
- Online surveys
- Private panels
- Focus groups
- Clinical trials
- In-home usage tests
- Online bulletin boards
- Taste tests
- Mystery shopping studies
After filling out your profile, you can view studies that might be a good fit for you on the “Available Studies” page. Once you’ve completed enough surveys to accumulate $25 in rewards, you can request payment via Amazon gift cards. Other research panels might pay you in cash, gift cards, prepaid debit cards, cash sweepstakes, prize drawings, or charitable contributions.
11. LifePoints
On the LifePoints website, you can earn rewards for sharing your time and opinions through surveys. Register for free and keep an eye on your inbox to be notified of new surveys. Most surveys take 10-20 minutes to complete. Plus, keep an eye out for weekly giveaways for bonus points or other items.
You can spend your points on rewards such as PayPal vouchers or e-gift certificates from Starbucks, Amazon, and iTunes. LifePoints has paid over $22 million to its members throughout the past year.
12. Grindabuck
Grindabuck gives you a choice of how to earn points to get free Amazon gift cards, Walmart gift cards, PayPal cash, cryptocurrency, and more:
- Share your opinion in a survey
- Become a product tester
- Download and try a new app
- Watch videos
- Complete a partner offer
- Participate in contests and giveaways
- Refer new members
Get 100 Grindabucks ($1 value) when you sign up for a free account. Cash out when you reach a minimum of $10. You can sign up with an email address or a Facebook account. Unlock more rewards as you earn new VIP levels of membership or reach monthly activity goals.
How to get free gift cards through everyday spending
You’re going to shop online, buy groceries, or pay rent anyway. You might as well get paid for it.
Check out these tried and true options for earning free gift cards and cash when you spend money:
13. Credit card rewards
You may be able to earn cash back rewards when you use your credit card, depending on where and when you shop at different types of retailers. These are a few examples:
- Wells Fargo Active Cash card — 2% cash back
- Citi Custom Cash card — 1-5% cash back
- Blue Cash Preferred from American Express — 1-6% cash back
Credit cards typically change rewards retailers every three months, so keep an eye out for any updates from your company.
14. Ibotta
The Ibotta app lets users earn cash back when you shop in store or online at top national retailers. Ibotta offers cash back for your entire purchase or for individual products.
There are multiple ways to earn through Ibotta.
- Submit a photo of your receipt to get cash back on qualifying purchases.
- Link loyalty accounts for your favorite retailers in the Ibotta app. When you use those linked loyalty accounts at checkout, your purchases will be linked to qualifying offers so you can get cash back.
Another option is to buy a gift card and instantly get up to 10% cash back on the entire amount. New members can also get $5 when they spend $15 in gift cards.
Ibotta partnered with Amazon and new users might be eligible to earn an Amazon gift card. When you redeem your cash-back rewards you can opt to receive gift cards from retailers like Target, Starbucks, and Sephora.
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15. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards has a free app where you can earn points on any receipt from any store or restaurant (as long as the receipt is from the past 14 days). Once you’ve scanned an image of your receipt, you can earn rewards, including gift cards to places like Popeye’s, Best Buy, Delta, and Amazon. You can also get a Visa gift card.
Each scan typically earns you about five points. You’ll earn $1 for every 1,000 points you accumulate. Gift cards are available in multiple denominations from retailers like Walmart and Amazon.
16. Dosh
Dosh gives you automatic cash back at thousands of places when you shop, dine, or book hotels. There’s no need to scan your receipts. Instead, download the Dosh app and link your cards.
When you swipe, Dosh deposits cash back into your wallet automatically. Other payment methods, such as Venmo, also provide a cash back option with Dosh.
Once you’ve accumulated $25, you can transfer the money to your bank, PayPal, or Venmo. Or choose to donate your cash to charity. Dash uses bank-level encryption to keep your information safe and does not store any of your credit or banking information.
17. ShopKick
Download the free ShopKick app to get points (called “kicks”) when you walk into a partner store, scan the barcode on select products, or make a purchase. You can also earn points by shopping online (at certain stores) and by watching videos in the ShopKick app.
Once your “kicks” have added up, redeem these points for digital gift cards from certain retailers — such as Starbucks, Target, Ulta Beauty, and Amazon.
18. TopCashBack
TopCashback advertises that you can earn over $400 a year by shopping online through thousands of top U.S. brands.
When you make a purchase from a retailer featured on TopCashback after clicking through from the site, the retailer gives TopCashback a commission for sending you to their website — and TopCashback gives 100% of this commission to you. With your cash-back rewards, you can earn free gift cards like Amazon, Disney, and Sephora.
With over 4,400 retailers available, this is a great website to use for things like airport parking, hotel bookings, and car rentals, as well as shopping your favorite fashion, electronics, and home brands.
19. Amazon Shopper Panel
If you have an Amazon account, the Amazon Shopper panel is an invitation-only rewards program where you can earn cash on your Amazon balance or donate it to a participating charity such as the ASPCA, American Cancer Society, Feeding America, and more.
Earn rewards by scanning receipts, taking surveys, and verifying Amazon ads you see on your smartphone or tablet. Rewards are added to your account every month for redemption.
If you haven't been invited you can still download the app and join a waiting list.
20. Pinata
How would you like to get free gift cards just for paying your rent? Pinata is a rewards app that also helps you build credit to boost your credit score when you connect your bank account.
With Pinata, you can:
- Earn Pinata cash every month when you verify your rent payment to get free gift cards to Starbucks, Airbnb, Postmates, and more
- Get Pinata cash by taking surveys, trying new products, or referring friends and family to try the app
- Get a free gift card just for signing up
If you pay rent, you can use the app even if your landlord does not have a Pinata account. Signing up is free and takes just a few minutes.
21. CoinOut
The CoinOut app rewards you for scanning receipts for just about anything you buy. This free to join app also connects your email and accounts like Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart for digital receipt collection.
Rewards points vary by retailer. You can cash out any balance to get an Amazon gift card or receive cash to your bank account through Zelle. PayPal cash out requires a $20 minimum balance. It takes 10 business days to get your gift card or cash reward.
22. Checkout51
With Checkout 51, you can earn cash back when you buy gas or groceries. It’s a free app that mails you a check every time you earn $20 in your Checkout51 account.
To get started:
- Sign up for a free account
- Browse offers in your area
- Add them to your account
- Go out and redeem your offers
- Scan your receipts as proof or redemption to earn cash back
New offers pop up in your app every Thursday. Each offer will share details about how to earn the reward. Some are time-sensitive.
23. BeFrugal
BeFrugal allows you to earn up to 40% cash back at over 5,000 stores and businesses including Amazon, Walmart, ebay, The Home Depot, Booking.com, and others. You can earn free gift cards or get cash payouts via:
- Paper check
- PayPay
- Direct bank deposit
- Venmo
- Zelle
Get a $10 bonus just for signing up and use the BeFrugal app when you shop to get more cash back on offers and take advantage of discounted products for home goods, personal care items, electronics, and more.
24. Gift cards from retailers after purchase
Many retailers give you a free gift card for purchasing certain items. Stores that do this include:
- Target — check for promotion details in the weekly ad or Current Promotions page (for example, free $5 gift card when you buy any three eye care products or free $150 gift card when you buy a certain mattress)
- buybuy BABY — get a free goody bag with samples and coupons after creating a registry
- Victoria’s Secret — seasonal offers such as spend $20+, get $20
- Sam’s Club — get a $45 egift card after becoming a member
- L.L. Bean — earn Bean Bucks by shopping at L.L. Bean and elsewhere with the L.L. Bean Mastercard
- Kohl’s — shop during an “earn period” and get $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend
Other retailers have seasonal deals for gift cards where you can earn a free gift card by purchasing certain products, a certain dollar amount, or another gift card. Look for these deals in November and December. Just keep in mind that these gift cards sometimes have to be redeemed within a specific period of time.
More ways to get free gift cards
25. Amazon Trade-In
The Amazon Trade-In program allows customers to receive an Amazon gift card in exchange for devices like Kindle readers, cell phones, and video games. Amazon recycles or re-sells these old devices and rewards you with a gift card, as well as 25% off a new qualifying Amazon device.
To participate, answer some questions about your device to make sure it’s eligible for the program. Then ship the item using a prepaid shipping label. Within 10 days, Amazon will verify the item’s condition and apply a gift card balance to your account.
26. Refer a friend
Some places offer free gift cards in exchange for customer referrals. A few companies and websites that provide this promotion include:
- Deputy — share your referral link and get a $100 gift card when your friend becomes a paying customer
- Goli Nutrition — get a $10 gift card for every friend you refer
- TaxAct — get a $20 Amazon gift card for every eligible friend that files with TaxAct
- T-Mobile — existing customers can receive a $50 Virtual Express Prepaid MasterCard card for referring friends and family to open new postpaid accounts with T-Mobile
Some credit cards also offer referral bonuses.
Have a gift card you can't use? Where to find a gift exchange kiosk:
After an exhaustive search for gift exchange kiosks in major grocery, pharmacy, and big box stores, we found that there aren’t many still around.
However, you can get cash for your unwanted gift cards through these legit sites that will pay you for your stray gift cards:
CardCash
Create a free account and get up to 92% of the value of your gift card via check, bank deposit, or PayPal. Most cards don’t require shipping, and there are no fees. Enter your gift card information on the online form, and see what CardCash is willing to pay.
If you accept, payments are processed in 24-48 hours once card details are verified. Choose from hundreds of stores. Gift cards with expiration dates are not accepted.
ClipKard
With a free account, you can sell gift cards from popular brands like Starbucks, Walmart, and Target without fees. If you agree to an offer, you’ll ship your cards with complimentary USPS first class shipping.
ClipKard pays via PayPal or issues a check by mail within 24 hours of receiving your gift cards. Checks take 5-14 days on average to arrive. ClipKard won’t buy e-gift cards, and you can’t sell more than $300 in gift cards within a 15-day period.
Gameflip
Gameflip is a gaming marketplace for selling gift cards from major retailers and game and entertainment brands like Nintendo, PlayStation, Netflix, and Best Buy. You can set your own prices, but Gameflip recommends selling them for up to 15% off.
Once you list your cards, interested buyers will purchase your cards. Payments go to your Gameflip wallet but are held in escrow until the buyer verifies receipt of the gift card code. You can use the money from the sale on Gameflip or send funds to Wise, Payoneer, Skrill, or Bitcoin. These services may charge payout fees.
GiftCash
Get up to 93% of your card’s value by selling it on GiftCash. Enter your card details to view the cash offer. If you accept, you can choose a payout option: ACH deposit to your bank account or cryptocurrency. Both methods charge a small processing fee.
Payouts take 10-15 business days to process (5-10 for Canadian retailers). If you have a gift card with a minimum value of $25, you can sell it through GiftCash. However, Air Canada, Apple/iTunes and Petco require a minimum card value of $100.
Raise
If you want to set your own price, Raise provides a marketplace for you to sell unwanted gift cards, whether they’re new or used. Create a free account to list your gift cards for sale.
Raise offers payouts by ACH bank deposit or PayPal. It can take 3-5 business days to process payments. You can sell your cards faster if you offer a competitive price. Just be aware that Raise takes a 15% commission from all gift card sales.
Check out these other free and low-cost resources:
