This Company Did Something Really Strange: It Gave Its Customers $100 Million

A man places several hundred dollar bills in his mouth. The man has curly hair and wears glasses. Swagbucks is giving 100 million to customers.
Carmen Mandato/The Penny Hoarder
Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners.

Stop the presses…

Because we just found out some crazy news. In the past seven years, one company has given its customers a whopping $100 million.

That’s right: we said given. Though most companies take money from their customers, this company is different. It earns money from the big guys and gives it out to people like you and me.

And today it’s hit a big milestone: $100 million back in the hands of its customers.

Which company is crazy enough to give out $100 million extra that people used to pay their rent, fix their cars and do a million things (literally!) they otherwise couldn’t have afforded?

A company called Swagbucks. It pays users to do things like answer surveys, watch videos and search the internet. (Curious how it works? Learn how to use Swagbucks here.)

It’s almost hard to believe, right? We had a tough time believing it, too — until we started to hear the Swagbucks success stories.

And because it’s been in business for seven years — and has now given away $100 million! — there are lots of ‘em. Here are two of our favorites:

Swagbucks Helps Achu Spread the Love

Last year, Achu moved from India to the United States with her new husband. Without friends, family or a job, she needed something to fill her days. Wanting to do something special for her “hubby love,” she started searching for work-from-home jobs.

When she stumbled across Swagbucks, she initially thought it was a scam — but after earning her first Amazon gift card, she was sold.

“It was shocking for me when I got it,” she says. “It made me extremely happy, as it’s my first earning in life.”

In the six months since, Achu has continued to earn SBs; in total, she’s made $300 in Amazon and Visa gift cards.

With some of her initial earnings, she purchased a beautiful canvas for her husband — her very first gift to him. “I can’t explain the immense pleasure it gives to make your loved ones happy,” she says.

Achu’s favorite way to earn SBs is through surveys; she says she completes “as many as possible in a day.” She also takes polls, uses the search engine and plays games.

On her phone, she uses Swagbucks TV. “It’s the best because you just need to turn it on and it plays automatically,” she says.

Still skeptical? Achu encourages you to give it a try. “[The] process is very simple from signing up to redeeming,” she says. “[Once] you get your first gift card… you’ll know how easy it is to make Swagbucks.”

For Achu, Swagbucks has made a huge difference in her life here. “As everything was new to me, I was holding myself back from doing everything,” she says. “Swagbucks helped me change myself by being my first friend in the USA… It gave me confidence that even being at home I can do so much.”

Visiting the Happiest Place on Earth… on Swagbucks

Not only is Swagbucks perfect for people who want to work from home, it’s also a great gig for retirees.

After 30 years of hard work, Genevieve and her husband retired. Though money was tighter than it had been while they were working, Genevieve — being the awesome grandmother she is — still wanted to send surprises to her grandkids.

“You know, for times that Grammy isn’t around but wants to say, ‘I love you and I’m so proud of you!’,” she explains. So she started searching for ways to earn extra money.

Soon after, she found Swagbucks and promptly “fell in love.” When her grandson said he wanted to go to Disney World, she became intent on funding their trip with the platform.

She watched videos, took surveys and participated in focus groups, redeeming her SBs for Amazon credits. Genevieve gave the Amazon credits to her daughter, who paid her back in Target gift cards — which, in turn, Genevieve used to purchase Disney gift cards.

When coupled with $575 in Disney gift cards she already had, it only took her one year to earn enough SBs for a weeklong trip to Disney with her husband and grandson!

“I have the trip paid for and an additional $400 in Disney gift cards for spending money,” she says.

“I also redeemed my Swagbucks for Visa Reward Cards that I used to buy Universal Studios gift cards… [and] for Landry’s eGift Cards, which we will use to eat at T-REX Restaurant at Downtown Disney.”

If Genevieve can earn an entire trip to Disney World with Swagbucks, just imagine what you could do.

“For anyone who thinks they can’t afford to go to Walt Disney World, you absolutely can with Swagbucks,” she says. “I know because I did it.”

Interested in taking your first survey? Sign up here to see if Swagbucks is right for you! It’s free to sign up and you’ll get a $5 bonus when you earn 2,500 SB within your first 60 days.

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.