The free gift cards I score online using paid survey sites, cashback sites, and other free rewards apps save me lots of money every year.
From free Amazon gift cards to Starbucks, iTunes, and Visa prepaid cards, these gift cards are just as good as cash and work in Canada and the United States.
How To Get Free Gift Cards in Canada
Have you fantasized about shopping online for free on Amazon or Walmart?
I like to think that is what I’m doing after loading up my gift card balance using the gift card codes I score from my internet-based side hustles.
Read on to see my favourite strategies for earning free gift cards.
Get Free Gift Cards Online With Paid Surveys
Online surveys won’t pay you much money, but they provide opportunities to score gift cards from many popular retailers.
Avoid the many scam survey sites out there by choosing one of the ones below.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is the most popular rewards site in Canada and the U.S.
Users receive free gift cards and cash for completing surveys, watching videos, playing games, shopping online, surfing the web, and more. As of 2023, the company had paid its members over $950 million.
Swagbucks is easy to use. To get started, sign up here and confirm your email address.
You can redeem your points for gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, iTunes, and others.
If you prefer, you can also cash out using PayPal.
Join Swagbucks and get a $5 signup bonus.
2. Survey Junkie
When it comes to making money from surveys, Survey Junkie takes the top spot. The company works on behalf of businesses and brands to conduct market research and use consumer opinions to improve their services. As a panellist, you get paid for providing your honest feedback.
Survey Junkie is free to join and has an impressive 4.3/5 Trust Score on TrustPilot.
When you have earned points on the site, you can redeem them for various gift cards or cash out using PayPal.
3. PrizeRebel App
The PrizeRebel app is an excellent platform for taking paid surveys and getting rewarded with free gift cards. The site has over 14 million members and has paid them over $29 million since 2007.
Signing up for PrizeRebel takes less than 20 seconds, and you earn rewards by answering surveys, watching videos, participating in contests, and completing several other mindless tasks.
In addition, you can score free gift cards by simply following them on social media and scoring some of the free PrizeRebel promo codes posted every now and then.
Easily redeem your points for gift cards, cash, or game codes. Read more about PrizeRebel in this review.
4. Ipsos i-Say
i-Say is a rewards site owned by the global market research company Ipsos. Ipsos is present in over 100 countries and conducts over 70 million interviews annually.
To earn gift cards through Ipsos, sign up for a free account and confirm your email address. You get survey invites in your inbox and can also participate in polls, draws, and their loyalty program.
Starting from 500 points, you can redeem your rewards for gift cards or PayPal cash.
5. Harris Poll Online
If you are at least 13 years of age, you can join the Harris Poll and complete surveys or participate in focus groups and mobile app research.
Harris Poll Online is a part of The Nielsen Company and is available to residents of the United States and Canada. You can redeem HIpoints for Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, and Walmart gift cards.
Read more about Harris Poll Online.
6. Daily Rewards
Daily Rewards offers users multiple ways to accumulate rewards points and free gift cards. In the U.S., they operate as Inbox Dollars. Some ways to earn with Daily Rewards include taking surveys, playing games, and more.
You can cash out your earnings when your balance reaches $30. For more details on this site, read my review.
7. Toluna
Toluna is a market research panel that has been around for a while and is available in Canada and the United States.
Like Survey Junkie, Toluna is all about paid surveys, and users receive points per completed survey.
You can easily redeem your points for Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Visa gift cards or cash out using PayPal.
Get Free Gift Cards With Cash Back Apps
Grocery and shopping cash back apps offer opportunities to earn free gift cards without having to complete surveys.
Some cash back apps require you to scan your purchase receipts to earn cash back, while others automatically credit your account with cash back when you shop with one of your registered bank cards.
When it’s time to redeem your cash back rewards, apps like Swagbucks allow you to redeem gift cards, while Checkout51 and Rakuten pay you cash that you can use to purchase gift cards of your choice online.
8. Rakuten Gift Cards
Ebates (now rebranded as Rakuten) is the most popular cash back site for online purchases in Canada and the United States.
When you initially sign up, Rakuten will give you up to a $30 cash bonus after completing your first purchase of $30 or more.
The cash back site is popular for a good reason. In Canada, they are affiliated with more than 750 stores, while in the U.S., over 2,500 retailers are represented on the platform.
Your cash back rewards are credited automatically to your account when you shop online at your favourite store via the Rakuten website. Every quarter, your earnings are sent via Cheque or PayPal.
If you prefer gift cards, simply log in to Rakuten and use your cash back to purchase gift cards from your store of choice.
Join Rakuten (up to $30 bonus).
9. Nielsen HomeScan
Nielsen Homescan is operated by The Nielsen Company, one of the best-known market research companies in the world. In the U.S., the panel is referred to as the National Consumer Panel.
Nielsen Homescan panellists receive a scanner or smartphone app they use to scan the barcodes on their grocery shopping items every week.
Rewards include points you can redeem for free gift cards and merchandise. Sometimes, Nielsen also sends you a free $15 Visa prepaid card every month.
Check out my Nielsen Homescan review for more details.
Join Nielsen Homescan (Canada)
Join National Consumer Panel (U.S. – smartphones)
10. Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is a grocery cash back app available on iOS and Android.
New cash back offers are available weekly on the app, and you can usually redeem them at any store of your choice.
Remember to scan and upload your receipt using the app. When your balance reaches $20, they send you a cheque.
Bonus Ways To Earn Free Gift Cards
In addition to the strategies detailed above for earning free gift cards, here are 3 more options for the die-hard gift card hustler!
11. Install MobileXpression
The MobileXpression app is used to research internet behaviour. When you install the app on your phone for one week, you receive a free $5 Amazon gift card.
If you keep the app installed after the first week, you receive weekly credits that you can redeem for even more gift cards.
As a bonus, after installing the app for 90 days, MobileXpression donates a tree on your behalf.
12. Microsoft (Bing) Rewards
If you have ever owned an Outlook/Hotmail account or played on Xbox, you are already pre-registered for Microsoft Rewards.
Members earn points when they search the web using the Bing search engine or shop online. You can redeem your points for popular gift cards!
13. Credit Card Rewards
Credit card providers often offer rewards when you sign up for a new card. If you are in the market for a new credit card, find one that offers you a gift card from your favourite retailer.
Check out the best cash back credit cards in Canada.
Free Gift Cards FAQ
There are many ways to get free gift cards on the internet. Some reward sites require you to complete surveys, shop online, provide your opinions, surf the internet, play games, watch videos, and more. In exchange for your efforts, you get points or cash rewards you can redeem for free gift cards.
The Walmart and Amazon gift cards you get on sites like Swagbucks, Ipsos i-Say, Daily Rewards, Inbox Dollars, Survey Junkie, PrizeRebel, etc., are legitimate, and you can use them to shop online or in-store where applicable.
The best apps for gift cards are the ones that you can use for free and frequently to earn the type of gift cards that are beneficial to you. For example, Swagbucks offers more than ten ways to earn gift cards, making it easy for most people to use. Sites like Rakuten pay you to shop for items you would buy anyway and are great sites as well.
Look for rewards sites and apps that pay you $5 just for signing up. Examples include Daily Rewards, Rakuten, Checkout 51, and Mobilexpression. Even though Survey Junkie does not offer a welcome bonus, they offer so many paid surveys that you could rack up enough points for a $5 redemption in no time.Â
