With the pressures of 2020’s changing job field, people are looking for creative ways to make money. Maybe you have already explored your side hustle options and you’re looking for an easier way to bring in a supplemental income. Well, have you ever considered looking into ways to earn free gift cards? Don’t worry — we’re not going to send you on a wild goose chase. We’ve tracked down all the best resources to help you earn free gift cards without the hassle.

Gift Card Exchanges

Did a relative buy you a gift card to a store that you’ve never shopped at? Well, we have an easy way for you to make a little cash off those unused gift cards sitting around your house.

CardCash

CardCash is an app that buys your unwanted gift cards for less than their value and then resells them at a discount to savvy shoppers across the country. If you’re not looking to sell your gift cards, you can always check out their wide-selection of discounted gift cards and save money by buying some that you’ll actually use! CardCash pays you by check or you can choose to trade in your gift card for a brand new gift card from available the brands

Raise

Raise works just like CardCash by buying your unwanted gift cards in exchange for cash. Some companies even sell their gift cards at discounted rates, meaning you can snag some real deals from the stores you actually frequent. The nice part of Raise is that you set the rate that your gift cards are sold at. Raise pays you through direct deposit, PayPal, or a check when your gift card is bought.

Refer a Friend

Xfinity

Do you have Comcast for internet, television, or phone? Did you know you can earn free gift cards simply by referring a friend? If you have a friend looking to swap services, hook them up with Xfinity and you can cash in on up to $175 worth of Visa gift cards.

T-Mobile

Are you on a T-Mobile plan? You can earn $50 a friend by referring them to switch phone carriers. There is a limit of 100 referrals a year — but if you can get 100 friends to switch carriers, you may need to consider a career as a salesperson.

Casper

Looking to buy a new mattress? Well Casper has a refer-a-friend program that will help you and a friend sleep better at night. Get one friend to purchase a new mattress using your personal link and you can earn a $75 Amazon gift card. On top of that, your friend will get 15% of their purchase.

Sam’s Club

Are you a member at Sam’s Club? Did you know you could earn a $10 Sam’s Club gift card for every friend you get to join? It may not be a lot, but if you’re already a member it could come in handy the next time you go to stock up.

From Receipts to Gift Cards

ReceiptPal

ReceiptPal helps you earn gift cards and cash prizes just for submitting your receipts.

Ibotta

Ibotta is a cashback site that helps you earn gift cards and earn cashback simply by uploading your receipts every time you shop online or in-store. You can even earn $5 just for getting friends to sign up!

Honey

Honey is a Chrome extension that helps you find the best coupon codes while you shop online. For every 1,000 points you earn while shopping, you get a $10 Amazon gift card!

Rakuten

Rakuten provides first-time users with a gift card as a reward. On top of that, after you sign-up you can choose to get paid with gift cards while shopping around, earning cashback every time you shop!

Hooch

HOOCH is a free app that rewards you with up to 10% back in TAP dollars — plus exclusive perks when you travel, shop, or dine at over 250,000 global partners.



Your earned rewards can be redeemed instantly for hotel bookings, dining credits, and most importantly gift cards to hundreds of national brands including Amazon, Uber, Apple, AMC, Nike, and so many more.



To start earning rewards, all a consumer has to do is:



1. Download the free HOOCH app.

2. Link any credit card or debit card through HOOCH’s secure platform.

3. Get rewarded when you spend with 250,000+ hospitality and retail partners, such as Marriott, Amazon, Uber, Shake Shack, and more!



Why We Love Hooch

Let's face it, everyone you know has probably already signed up for Swagbucks, which makes it harder for you to get those extra referral incentives. Cashback rewards on Hooch can be up to 10% and the rewards stack with any offers offered by your credit or debit card provider. We are all about trying new apps that help you save and make money!

Take Online Surveys

Did you know that you can earn gift cards by taking surveys online? If you have time to kill during your commute or like playing on your phone while you watch TV, online surveys might be the answer for you. There are numerous sites trustworthy sites that offer gift cards (and cash!) in exchange for answering questions.

These survey sites are seeking feedback from specific demographic groups, so don't stress it if you don't qualify for every survey. Most surveys take around 20 minutes to complete and often times the reward payout may be low, but it's worth it in the long run.

InboxDollars

With InboxDollars, users can take surveys, open paid emails, and play games to earn money. The platform sets itself apart from other sites because it pays users with cash rather than points, and they pay you directly via PayPal or you can earn Amazon gift cards! There is a minimum payout of $30, but with these small tasks (like watching videos, completing surveys, and playing games) you'll be earning your gift cards in now time. Join InboxDollars Today!

Swagbucks

Swagbucks will give you $5 just for signing up and you can make money relatively fast by taking surveys with them. Most surveys pay between $0.25 and $0.50, but some can be worth several dollars. Payout options vary, but for 1000 points you can purchase a $10 gift card of your choice! Join Swagbucks Today!

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the most trusted online survey sites. They connect companies that need market research with consumers in their respective markets. All you have to do is sign up and start taking surveys. Most pay between 100 and 200 points, which users can exchange for cash and online gift cards. The minimum cash out is $10 (which does take a while to build up to) but once you get the hang of it, you'll be earning gift cards! Join Survey Junkie today!

Springboard America

Springboard America is one of the leading online market research communities in the US, allowing fellow Americans to participate in surveys and discussions for rewards that will influence the brands, products, and services that we all use every day! Springboard rewards you with your choice of a prepaid VISA card or an Amazon gift card.

Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is a free online tool that connects major corporations and businesses to their customers. By taking paid surveys online you can make money quickly and safely from the comfort of your home. Opinion Outpost users make money and earn prizes by taking paid surveys about various topics. Payouts arrive in the form of PayPal cash or Amazon gift cards.

My Soap Box

MySoapBox™ is an online research community that collects feedback from members on products, services, and experiences. The most successful brands depend on members to help them evaluate how they are doing, what they need to do to improve, and what they should create in the future. MySoapBox offers a variety of electronic vouchers in exchange for participating in their surveys.

One Opinion

One Opinion allows you to earn points by taking surveys at varying point values. For every 1,000 points that you make you receive $1 toward a gift card of your choice. The only downside is that you must reach the threshold of 25,000 (or $25) before you’re able to cash in your points.

Earn Points With Apps

FeaturePoints

FeaturePoints helps you find new apps to use, and you earn points for every partnered app you download. Reward payouts come in the form of gift cards from places like Amazon, PayPal, and Xbox. The app also offers a fantastic referral program, so be sure to invite your friends so you can earn 50% on everything they make by using your code.

GrabPoints

GrabPoints operates similarly to FeaturePoints. Advertisers pay GrabPoints to find ways to increase online engagement and in turn, they recruit members to create a user profile. Once users are hired, users complete online activities, such as downloading apps to try or taking surveys. Once the user completes their takes, they earn free gift cards.

AppNana

AppNana works just like GrabPoints and FeaturePoints by exchanging credit when users download and use apps. With AppNana, you can continue to earn points every time you play the games you've downloaded. The best part of this is that you might find apps you actually like to use and can continue to earn credits for gift cards

Discover Cash Back

One of our favorite ways to earn free gift cards is with a Discover credit card. Each quarter, Discover offers special categories where you can earn 5% cashback on your eligible purchases. These offers do take a little bit of work, however, you can see in advance what categories will be featured every quarter. The categories are typically themed for the season, making it easy for you to rack up free money.



Summer months often offer cashback on gas purchases and theme parks; spring typicals include home improvement, and the fall typically has offers that are perfect for back-to-school shopping.



What makes the Discover card stand out is that you can redeem your cash back for gift cards at over 100 brands. Each brand offers a minimum of a five-dollar bonus when converting your money to a gift card; some brands even will double your cashback. Meaning your $25 cashback could be redeemed for $30 or more.



Why We Love Discover



At the Your Money Geek household, this has been a popular wedding gift and holiday shopping hack since we were broke college students. We would save up our cashback all year long, then convert it to gift cards for stores like Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond.



The later is one of our favorites stores to find wedding gifts and holiday presents for those hard to shop for relatives. The best part, we could covert twenty dollars of cashback into a thirty dollar Bed, Bath, and Beyond card.

The Old Fashioned Method

Now that we’ve covered all the ways you can earn gift cards online, let's talk about how you can earn gift cards the old fashioned way.

Ask for Gift Cards

The holidays are right around the corner and with the way that things are right now, people aren't going out of their way to shop in stores. Instead of getting your friends and relatives to buy you things — ask them to get you gift cards!

If you don't know what store you want a gift card for, tell them to get you a VISA gift card so you can spend it anywhere. The great part about gift cards, is that you can redeem them online from the safety of your home!

Don't limit yourself to Amazon or Target gift cards. Check with your local small businesses! Most offer gift cards.

Gift Card Granny

This one isn't free however, Gift Card Granny does allow you to purchase discounted gift cards or sell gift cards. If you can do a little bit of planning, it is possible to stack a discounted gift card with coupons and discount or reward apps. You can routinely find cards for Walmart, Target, Gamestop, Best Buy. iTunes, and Apple for 1-3% off their retail price.

Sign-up for Giveaways

Instagram marketing has become an enormous method for brands to increase their visibility. So many brands are offering giveaways that often incorporate gift cards and all you have to do is “like” their user profile and share the giveaway! Seek out brands that you love on social media and sign-up for these opportunities whenever you see them.

If you are shopping in-store, be on the lookout for giveaways at the checkout. Oftentimes, they’ll ask you to sign up for their mailing list in exchange for the opportunity to win a gift card.

Target App (formerly Cartwheel)

The Target App is one of the most popular free gift card generators around. Sign-up for a Target account, download the app (or use it online), and check for deals while you shop in-store or online. Through the app, Target advertises exclusive deals and offers to their members and most results in $5 gift cards.



If you were already planning to spend money, why not make some in return?

Return Items That You’re Given

This one is a no-brainer. After a hectic holiday season, we often find ourselves surrounded by thoughtful, but not always useful gifts. If you've received gifts (and their gift receipts) that you'll never use, don't hesitate to return them!

Most stores will offer you a gift card in exchange for the return, totaling to the price of the item you're returning.

The Bottom Line

Shopping guilt-free is a lot less daunting than shopping when you’re always aware of the price tag of your purchases.



If you’re looking for easy ways that you can save money and earn free gift cards in return, consider using some of the ideas we've shared to capitalize on this opportunity.



All it takes is a little diligence and free time, and before you know it you could find yourself with a wallet filled with gift cards!