Let me tell you about Swagbucks...

If you spend any time on the Internet, you’re bound to hear someone talking about getting "swag" or earning a daily dose of "swagbucks," but if you aren’t a seasoned "swagernaut," things can be downright confusing. Well I want to explain some of the ins and outs of  Swagbucks.com, and tell you about some of the new features they have adopted on their site.

Basically, the Swagbucks.com site is like a search engine with a whole boatload of extras. First you sign up for an account, and then whenever you want to search the Internet, use Swagbucks.com. Swagbucks then rewards you periodically with points of varying amounts (known also as swagbucks) just for searching the Internet (think of them as "frequent searching miles.") And if you are like my husband and myself, these points quickly add up-I started an account in August and I now have over 1200 swagbucks!

Now I know what you’re thinking-what the heck are swagbucks and what do you do with them? Swagbucks.com has an online swagstore where you can cash in your swagbucks for prizes. There are prize categories ranging from school supplies to electronics, but most swagernauts I know (and I include myself in the bunch) save swagbucks for gift and reward cards. I do a lot of online shopping at Christmas, and Amazon is often my go-to online store, so I am saving my bucks to purchase Amazon gift cards. ($5 gift cards go for 450 swagbucks.)

But searching on the Internet isn’t the only way to earn those virtual bucks. The site has daily poles that earn you (right now at least) 2 swagbucks each, you often earn 2 swagbucks just for using the swagbucks toolbar, you can take part in different company surveys (this can earn you anywhere from 10-100 swagbucks), and there are special promotions on certain days: there is the Twitter phrase that pays (if the site likes your tweet you can earn 500 swagbucks) and Fridays are always megabucks days when a search can net you a minimum of 10 bucks.

And don’t forget about online shopping. Check the Swagbucks toolbar on the side before you shop because the retail store may be listed with them-if you shop using the Swagbucks portal, you earn swagbucks for every dollar spent.

Starting today, there is yet one more way to earn random awards-by simply watching videos! Just pick a category (entertainment, health and beauty, education, technology, sports...) you might might like and watch a short video about the subject. (I watched one today about the top five actors who played Robin Hood.)  There will be special swag codes every day which reward people for answering trivia questions pertaining to some of the videos featured, and you could win 1-5 bucks just for watching. (*Note: this is a random award but you can win more than once in a day...)

If you decide to sign up for an account, use the promotional code SBTVinONTheAir and you’ll be awarded 30 bonus points just for signing up and using my link below. (This would be a total of 60 bucks because you get 30 for signing up anyway...)  But hurry-this offer is only good through midnight on October 22!  And if you sign up others, you will earn matching swagbucks for every video they watch-all swagbucks from this offer will be totaled up and added to your account at the end of the trial's two week period.

There are so many ways to earn (such as with referrals through your blog and using other utilities on Swagbucks.com site) but you will slowly discover these as you get used to the site. Just remember that the holidays are just around the corner, and this is one easy way to earn some discounts. Why not sign up?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so click on the widget below and start earning!

Please note: All opinions stated are my own. I will earn bonus bucks for any referral through my site and you can do the same by setting up the widget. All pictures and screenshots are owned by Swagbucks.com and are used for the sole purpose of reviewing their site.