Playing Free Games For Cash, Gift Cards, and Prizes

Playing Free Games For Cash, Gift Cards, and Prizes

How I get paid to play games online in my free time.


As a mum of four who works at home, I don't have a lot of free time. Every spare minute I have, I tend to use writing (that's what pays the bills), but gaming is the way I decompress. I love that I can earn a little while I game, as well.

The sites I use and recommend have fairly quick and easy. I don't like spammy sites, don't "do" offers, and I won't pay for a chance to win in a tournament. I do like a payout threshold I can reach in a reasonable amount of time. This criteria leaves me with a short list of fun free gamesites that offer rewards.

That list, my reviews, and tips are here on this page, if you, too, would like to move your game time over to sites that pay.

Photo byBrandy Dopkins
Used under a CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 License.



Swagbucks started as a rewarding search site, and they were awesome then. They keep expanding the ways members can earn their generous amounts of swagbucks, and now have a game page. The games are the usual sorts of casual games - arcade, word games, and so on.

I've used the site for years, earning and redeeming thousands of swagbucks for Amazon gift cards or cash through paypal. At 450 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card it never took me long to reach a payout. We buy so much from Amazon, that's always been as good as cash to me, but I was delighted to see them add the paypal option. To find it, just go to the Rewards Store page, and type Paypal into the "find an item or category" search box.

Most of my earnings with swagbucks have come from using the search function. Playing their games is new to me. I had winning swagbuck pop ups in just a couple of games of Word Chain, however. That moved this site to the top of my paid to play list.

My best tip: Where the option is offered, submit your scores. Try different games to see which ones suit you best. Swagbucks are awarded randomly as you play around on the gamesite.

BONUS code: While registering, click "I have a sign up code" and enter WOLFSONG70 to receive 70 bonus swag bucks. (Code is case sensitive. Good until July 12th.)
Follow Swagbucks on Twitter


Swagbucks aka Swagbucks.com

172959 followers 55034 following

Retweet Reply Jul 3, 2013 @ 11:03 am
@frugalinaustin We would never ignore you! What did you win? What is your swag name and we can look into it.

Retweet Reply Jul 2, 2013 @ 4:33 pm
Beautiful RT @onebiggbossfan: @Swagbucks The ineffable scenic beauty at dawn never fails to mesmerize me - Neiljo #SwagWord

Retweet Reply Jul 2, 2013 @ 3:50 pm
Nice! RT @thepblunchbox: @Swagbucks The joy and peace I feel each night, knowing my children are safely tucked in bed is ineffable.

Retweet Reply Jul 2, 2013 @ 3:49 pm
@jlm31282 Please contact Customer Support and they can help you further. http://t.co/BGgqMkMTDl

Retweet Reply Jul 2, 2013 @ 3:18 pm
@jlm31282 thanks for the info. Just to confirm you are positive of the email you used when signing up? And checked spam?
Zoombucks



Zoombucks is similar to Swagbucks in a lot of ways, offering many of the same ways to win. Cash out options include Amazon gift cards, paypal, PlayStation Network or Xbox Live codes, and game cards for many popular online games.

The games Zoombucks offers are a bit different than SB, so I choose between the sites according to what I'm in the mood to play.

They have an announcement up that Angry Birds is amongst their new games. I figure I'll try it eventually. My current addiction is Insects - the tower defense game pictured along with my win above.

My best tip: play a variety of games in a session.
Quick Survey Games For Chances To Win Cash



Instant Cash Sweepstakes

There are no wrong answers to most of the questions, and this one takes just a couple of minutes to do. Answer the few quick surveys and you could win a few cents, entries in the daily sweepstakes of $50, and "coins" to spend in a separate $2 drawing that happens every few hours. You can cash out for paypal at $2.

I typically play twice a day for just a few minutes each time, and am now usually winning something daily, sometimes both times I play. This is adding up quickly for me. I've won the $2 coin drawing many times, and the $50 daily drawing a couple of times since those changes. Not bad for something I spend less than 5 minutes a day doing.

They've also added a trust system, which gives you benefits such as win multipliers. You increase your trust score, and thus your bonuses, by answering the occasional demographics questions in ways that match your profile. (So keeping your profile updated is important.)

Refer your friends and you win what they win.

U.S. residents only.
Play Trivia and Other Games for Prizes


Game Show Network

Some of the Game Show Network website's games pay in oodles, which can be traded for prizes.

They offer trivia games, casual arcade type games, and others that are played in conjunction with the game shows showing on the network at the time. That last category will require you to have the television network to know the answers, but the first two types of games do not.

When I started playing, the interactive games with the network rewarded cash and oodles, while the others gave oodles. Oodles could be traded for gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, and other stores.

Of the sites listed here, I've done second best with this one. My first year using the site I loved it, cashing out for lots of great gift cards for Amazon and winning some cash prizes. The prize program has changed a few times since. Gift cards are more difficult to grab, in my experience. The prize page tab is on the front page if you want to check that out to help you decide whether this site is worth your time.

Also, be aware that there are a lot of free games to play on the site, and not all of them earn oodles by playing. There are cash competitions associated with WorldWinner, as well, that have nothing to do with oodles. I never bothered with those. To see the ways earn oodles, after you've signed up click the My GSN tab on the front page and check out the To-Doodles link.

GSN's oodles program is limited to the U.S. and Canada.

My best tip: increase your earnings by using your favorite paying search engine to look up the answers for the trivia games.

http://www.squidoo.com/get-paid-to-play-games--online

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