It’s Mega Swagbucks Friday!  Typically, Swagbucks are awarded in increments ranging from 10-30, but on Fridays, you can earn even more and they give out Swagbucks in bigger amounts!  Plus, the “Summer of Swag” is just around the corner!  Starting on Monday, at least five different codes will be posted!  Also, on Monday, every 7th “win” will win 25 Swagbucks!  If you haven’t signed up yet, you can sign up using the bonus code SUMMEROFSWAG and you’ll get an additional 20 Swagbucks (this code is valid through 6/11).

If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, you earn “Swagbucks” by searching online and your Swagbucks can then be redeemed for gift cards or other prizes and merchandise. I typically redeem mine for Amazon gift cards.  I joined Swagbucks last January (2009), saved my Amazon gift cards all year, and used them to pay for most of our Christmas!  This has become my favorite site!  Some people have asked me if I get any junk mail from them or if I’ve had any problems with them, and I haven’t gotten any junk mail or had any problems in the last year and a half since I joined.

Here are a few tricks that I have learned to help you make the most of your Swagbucks account:

*Do a few searches every day until you win at least once. I search for things that I would normally be searching for online anyway and I have found that I can easily earn 10-30 Swagbucks each day by doing this. Your searches do need to be “natural” searches. If it does not seem like your searches are legitimate, they may freeze or even close your account.

*Complete the Daily polls.  You get a Swagbuck each day just for doing that!

*If you have a Facebook account, become a “fan” of Swagbucks on Facebook. Click here to do this. If you check out the wall, there are bonus codes posted from time to time that you can add to your account. (To add bonus codes, log into Swagbucks, and then click on the icon that says “You have X Swagbucks.” There will be a box that says this: Have a SwagCode? Just enter it here and receive your SwagBucks instantly! Enter your code and click GIMME!)

*Publish your Swagbucks winnings on Facebook – when you “win” a buck, you now have the option of posting your win on Facebook. It shows up on your profile and it’s another way to promote your Swagbucks account (and get more ‘friends’)

*Read the Swagbucks blog (you can access this here). Bonus codes are posted here, as well.

*Sign up for the Swagbucks newsletter. They send bonus codes embedded in the newsletter, so it’s an easy way to earn extra Swagbucks!

*Download the Swagbucks Toolbar onto your internet browser – Click on the “toolbars” option on the left hand side of the website after you log in and follow the instructions!  I usually get one “buck” each day just for using my toolbar!

*Post the Swidget on your blog or your Facebook page. You can download it here.

*Tell all your friends – When your friends sign up under you, you win when they win for the first 1000 Swagbucks (this does not include any Swagcodes that they enter)

I have found that I typically earn at least 30 Swagbucks per day just by doing the things listed above. That adds up to 900 Swagbucks in one month’s time (or 2 $5 Amazon gift cards!). I work full time and I only do searches from home (non working hours) and I’m able to do this, so it isn’t something that you have to spend a lot of time on, but you should easily be able to earn $120 in Amazon gift cards in a year’s time. If you’d rather have gift cards for somewhere else, that would give you enough to cash out for $100 in Target gift cards (these can only be used online) or for 8 $10 Starbucks gift cards. If your goal is to do a 100% Cash Christmas, this will help you get started!