How to Shop Free on Amazon

*This post contains referral links for Swagbucks. That means that if you join using my link, I’ll receive a referral bonus in the form of Swagbucks*

Can you remember shopping at a time before Amazon? Before we had the convenience of buying just about anything we want or need right from the comfort of our couch and getting it delivered in a matter of days, if not hours?

Shopping online has been a lifesaver for our family over the past several months. What would we do without having the ability to have toilet paper delivered directly to our doorstep in these crazy times, right? Well, if you were lucky enough to snag a few rolls, that is!

But seriously, Amazon isn’t a billion-dollar company for nothing. They make it incredibly easy for us to buy everything from groceries to books to random board games from the 80s…

However, shopping costs money, and we could all stand to keep a little more of that in our pockets these days, right? I want to share with you a few great ways that you can shop on Amazon for free, without putting purchases on your credit card or dipping into your bank account.

What does it mean to shop for free?

Shopping for free in this case means not having to whip out your credit card to make a purchase. Instead of paying with cash or credit, you pay with gift cards.

Earning free Amazon gift cards lets you shop without having to spend your hard-earned money. It’s simpler than you might think to get free gift cards, and there’s really no catch.

So how do I earn free Amazon gift cards?

There are a few easy, legitimate ways to earn gift cards online.

Earn Gift Cards with Swagbucks

First, I want to share with you my personal favorite site for earning gift cards. It’s easy and practically effortless.

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a search engine/rewards site that gives you “bucks” for doing simple things like searching the web, watching videos, playing games, and taking advantage of special offers. You can then cash in your Swagbucks for gift cards.

It’s super simple and completely free to join and earn. It’s one of the best sites to get rewarded for doing things you already do, like shopping online, taking advantage of free offers, and searching the web.

Ways to earn Swagbucks:

• Answering surveys
• Shopping online
• Watching videos
• Searching the web
• Answering Daily Polls
• Playing games
• Checking out special offers

What is Swagbucks Rewards?

Once you earn enough bucks, there are gift cards for various restaurants and retailers, like Target and Starbucks, but my favorite is the Amazon e-code reward. It only takes 300 Swagbucks to earn a $3 Amazon gift card, so you can earn one super-fast.

Every time that your account hits 300 Swagbucks, simply cash out for your reward and then enter the gift card code into your Amazon account.

While $3 won’t buy you much, you can build up your balance quickly. Just keep adding those gift card rewards and watching your Amazon account balance grow! Then when you want or need something, just log in to Amazon and shop, guilt-free.

When it comes to saving money, every little bit helps. If you’re already spending time mindlessly browsing online, you might as well get something of value out of it! At least, that’s how I look at it.

Who doesn’t love guilt-free shopping?!

Is Swagbucks Really Worth It?

At first glance, you may not think that Swagbucks is worth the effort. I originally signed up for it a few years ago and couldn’t really see any benefit to it, since I don’t shop online often. I finally went back to it one day, and once I started digging around the site, I discovered how easily I could earn points without spending any money.

Once I quickly earned my first gift card, I was hooked. It’s now just a daily habit to check in on the site and earn a few Swagbucks here and there. They accumulate quickly so it’s a long-game because I like to save them up.

Other Easy Ways to Get Free Amazon Gift Cards

Shop with MyPoints

MyPoints is another great site that rewards you for doing simple things like searching the web, taking a daily poll, and checking out offers via email. You can earn by watching videos, taking surveys, and much more.

I’ve been using MyPoints for years. My favorite ways to build up points are by clicking through the email offers that they send daily. Just a click earns you 5 points, so they do add up fast.

If we’re going to purchase something online we always make sure to check if they’re offering points. It’s another easy way to earn by doing something we already would.

They have great offers daily that reward you with points when you make purchases from certain retails or take advantage of other offers. It’s another simple tool to earn Amazon gift cards, as well as gift cards for other retailers, PayPal cash, restaurant gift cards, etc. 

Amazon Trade-In program

Do you have Amazon devices like a Kindle, a cell phone, or video games that you’re ready to upgrade or unload? Send them into Amazon’s Trade-In program and you can receive an Amazon gift card in exchange.

This is a great way to get rid of unwanted items while receiving something of value in return. If you’re ready to upgrade your smartphone, tablet, streaming media player, etc., then this could be an ideal option. You simply send in your items and once they’re approved, you’ll get the Amazon gift card deposited directly into your account.

Get all of the details on Amazon’s Trade-In program here.

How to save even more when you shop on Amazon

Once you’re ready to shop for free with your gift cards, stack the savings with any of these additional ways:

Shop Amazon Warehouse

Amazon Warehouse can save you as much as 50-70% on all kinds of products, from electronics to kitchen tools to pet supplies. Items on the warehouse are used, pre-owned, and open box, but are all quality items.

Return specialists check the items before allowing them to be resold at a significant discount. If you’re willing to purchase an open box item, this is an amazing option for saving on big-ticket items like digital cameras, cell phones, laptops, TVs, and much more.

Join the Amazon Family Program

Have kids in your household or are you expecting? Sign up for Amazon Family to receive special offers, exclusive discounts, and parenting tips. Learn about top products that you might be interested in and get access to exclusive coupons. If you sign up for Prime, you’ll get 20% off of essentials like baby food and diapers.

Free 30-day Trial of Amazon Prime

A commitment-free way to try out Amazon Prime is with their 30-day trial. Take advantage of this offer to see if it’s worth it for your family. You can watch tons of movies and shows, enjoy super-fast shipping, and more.

Student? Sign up for Amazon Prime

Students can sign up for Amazon Prime and enjoy a 6-month free trial. After that, Prime Student is just $6.49 a month. You get free delivery, including 2 hour delivery on select grocery items. Other perks include Amazon unlimited music for just .99 a month, Kindle unlimited, and more.

Shop the Amazon Outlet

The Amazon Outlet offers serious discounts on brand new items that are overstock from categories like electronics, clothing, beauty, jewelry, groceries, and much more. Save big on overstock deals.

Save up Free Gift Cards for Christmas

I usually let my Swagbucks build up throughout the year and then I use them on Christmas gifts. It’s such a great way for me to save money when shopping for Christmas gifts. I don’t do a lot of online shopping, but I will use my rewards for sites like Amazon so that I can avoid spending cash. This helps me stretch my Christmas budget for the kids.

Read: How to Have a Christmas Budget when You’re Broke

 

So How Do I Shop Free on Amazon?

By building up my Swagbucks, I end up not having to spend cash when I shop on Amazon. I just load my gift cards into my account as I receive them. Then when I have to order something, there’s little or no money coming from my credit card to cover the cost. To me, it feels like shopping for free since I’m not spending cash or putting it on a credit card.

Here’s the thing- you can do the bare minimum on Swagbucks, and still build up your bucks pretty quickly.

I might actively spend 5-10 minutes on the site each day if that.

If you’re going to do a web search anyway, why not use their search bar and get something out of it? You can earn tons of “bucks” and get rewarded just for using the search feature!

I answer the daily poll, click on some special offers, and watch some videos. You can keep these videos running in the background while doing work, watching tv, etc.

The time commitment is seriously minimal on my part, although there are more ways to engage with the site. You can earn a lot more, too. It all comes down to the activities and offers on Swagbucks.

So that’s how I shop free on Amazon, and how you can, too! Swagbucks is the easiest way I’ve found to earn gift cards, which will help you save money, or just give you an excuse to get that kitchen gadget that you’ve been eyeing up, guilt-free 😉

Do you use Swagbucks? What’s your favorite gift card reward?