You don’t have to wait until your birthday or until Christmas to get gift cards. There are apps that give you gift cards for free!
Gift cards are a great thing to have around. While they’re not quite as useful as cash, there’s something extra convenient about having credit you can use in certain stores and online.
This is a bit different from lists I’ve done in the past – like the one where we shared a list of our favorite top money making apps.
Today, we’re focusing specifically on apps that let you earn free gift cards.
In this post, I’ll be showing you all the ways you can earn gift cards from apps by doing tasks like:
- Playing games
- Watching videos
- Doing surveys
- Testing apps
- Taking quizzes
- Unlocking your phone
- And a whole lot more!
All you need is a smartphone that uses the Apple App Store or Google Play to use any of these apps!
FreeCash: Earn money testing apps, playing games, and completing surveys. Up to $497.82 per offer! Start earning now!
Earn Haus: Get paid up to $25 per survey, plus enjoy same-day payments via PayPal, Venmo, or check! Join Earn Haus Today!
InboxDollars: Over $57 million paid to members for watching videos, shopping, and completing surveys. Get $5 instantly when you join!
iPsos iSay: If you’re only signing up for one survey site, make it Ipsos – high-paying surveys await! Join iPsos today!
KashKick: Get paid to watch videos, shop, surf the web, and more. Receive PayPal payments directly. Start earning with KashKick now!
Swagbucks: Watch videos, shop online, take surveys, and more. Join now and get $10 instantly to start!
Table of Contents
Free Gift Cards Without Spending Money
The following apps have tons of different ways you can earn gift cards. Most of these run on “point systems” which means you do small tasks to earn points which you can then redeem for rewards.
1. Swagbucks
As one of the most popular rewards websites on the internet, Swagbucks has a lot of ways to get you rewards. You can get paid to watch videos, answer surveys, and even play games!
For tips and tricks on how to take your earnings to the next level, read my detailed review of Swagbucks.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
2. Swagbucks Trivia for Money (Swagbucks Live)
An extension of the Swagbucks brand, Swagbucks Trivia is a special quiz show-style contest you can take part in for free and have a chance at big prizes! All contests are in real time, so make sure notifications are on.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
3. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
The Nielsen app is a new offering from the long-established ratings and survey company. With their mobile app, you can earn rewards for just using the internet as you normally do, as well as get signed up for regular sweepstakes.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
4. MyPoints
Offering special savings and rewards for shopping at your favorite stores as well as fun surveys you can fill out for more points, MyPoints is a great way to passively work toward gift cards or even cash rewards!
- Available on: App Store or Google Play.
5. Microsoft Rewards
Wanna get paid for browsing the internet and searching?
Well, you can, with Bing!
That’s right, Bing, the search engine, will reward you for using it! You earn points when you search and can redeem them for gift cards from companies like Amazon or Starbucks.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
6. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is one of the most popular and legit online money making websites out there.
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It has been around for a long time and continues to pay their members on time each and every time.
Their app is also a great place to try when you are on the go! In fact, InboxDollars app is one of the top 10 money earning apps.
You get paid for:
- Taking surveys
- Reading emails
- Completing offers
- Playing games
- Shopping online
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
Apps that Give You Gift Cards for Watching Ads
If you watch videos online, especially YouTube videos, you know that you have to sit through a bunch of ads. Well, now you can get paid for watching ads.
7. AppTrailers
Not only can you get paid to discover new apps, movies, and TV shows, AppTrailers is also a source for fun trivia games and quizzes that you can earn perk points for completing.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
8. Fulldive Browser
Want to get paid for something you’re giving away for free every day? With Fulldive, you get reimbursed for the data that other browsers would take and sell to third parties.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
9. Mobee
Mystery shopping used to be very popular but there are still some apps left that pay for it. Basically, all you have to do for this is app go into stores, complete tasks such as reporting on the price of a random product, and then you get points.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
10. Pjani Reward App
This app doesn’t even need you to answer a ton of questions to make an account. No login, email, or phone number required. You just have to download and open the app.
You can earn from:
- Watching videos
- Visiting websites
- Installing apps
This is a very interesting app that I think you should give a try.
- Available on: Google Play
11. Spin: Try Your Luck & Earn Money, Gift Card, Bonus
Earn tokens by completing small tasks, then gamble them away by spinning a wheel. You may lose your points or you can double your winnings.
You get extra tokens by doing things like:
- Logging in every day
- Leveling up in the app
- Make and lead communities within the app
- Logging on during life events like birthdays
- Contests
Once you have enough points, you can use them to redeem rewards.
- Available on: Google Play
12. PaisaWapas
This is one of the most popular shopping apps in India.
Here’s how PaisaWapas app works:
- Step 1: You search for your favorite stores within the app
- Step 2: Shop for whatever you needed and make your purchase
- Step 3: Check back within 48 hours to see what cashback and rewards you got
Once you have your rewards, you can use them to redeem many different gift cards.
- Available on: Google Play
13. PocketFlip
There are thousands of members of this app that seem very happy with the service. You get Coins by doing things like taking surveys, taking pictures with your phone at businesses, and shopping through their cash back program.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
14. MobileXpression
This is a survey-type app with extra options to earn more. You get credits just by joining this app. When you keep active on the app you’ll earn credits too. Another great bonus is that your points won’t expire as long as you stay active. Plus, your participation helps the company donate trees to Trees for Knowledge.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
15. Feature Points
With this app, you can make money and earn rewards on your phone by trying free apps, completing surveys, shopping online, and more. Their referral program is one of the better ones out there. They allow you to earn up to 50% of the points your friends make.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
Apps that Give You Gift Cards for Surveys
Whether you hate them or like them, it’s hard to deny the fact that surveys are one of the most popular earning opportunities out there. All you have to do on these apps is answer questions asked by companies, then earn points that you can use to redeem whatever gift cards you want.
16. The Panel Station
This simple survey app follows the same format that most of them do. After you complete their surveys you get rewarded points. The threshold for points to be redeemed is 3000 to 8000, with a higher number of points getting you more expensive gift cards.
While the app has an average rating, people have started to recently report that they get booted out of a survey right before the very last question. Keep this in mind if you decide to download the app.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
17. Panel App
One great thing about Panel App is that they have location-based surveys, which means you are more likely to qualify for a survey instead of being booted out after you’re halfway through. You can also share your location and refer friends and family to the app to earn more points.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
18. QuickThoughts
This company gets their surveys from over 1000 sources so you apparently don’t have to worry about them running out.
Here are some great features of this app:
- Surveys range on dozens of topics so almost any demographic can find a survey
- You can access them any time or place
- You can get up to $3 for each survey you complete
- You get instant rewards after completion
The company behind the app is the well-respected market research company, Survey Sampling LLC.
Available on: App Store and Google Play
19. Google Opinion Rewards
This is one of the most trust-worthy survey apps out there because it’s owned by Google! You answer quick surveys and earn Google Play credits.
Questions they show as examples are:
- “Which logo is the best?”
- “Which promotion is most compelling?”
- “When do you play to travel next?”
Surveys appear around once a week or so and you get up to $1.00 for completing them.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
20. cashKarma
You can earn Karma Points for completing surveys, trying new products they offer you, and shopping for deals. The main earner, however, is their surveys once you get your points, you can redeem them for cards from:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Target
- Google Play
- iTunes
- Starbucks
You can also earn rewards through location based rewards which allows you to earn rewards when you drive near a participating retailer like Walgreens, Walmart, Target, Lowes, etc.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
21. PointsPrizes
This app is honestly not unlike the hundreds of survey sites out there. Take surveys. Earn points. Redeem. You know the drill by now. What’s nice about this app though is that it’s very highly rated compared to many other survey apps out there.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
22. iPoll
Beyond being just a survey app, there are a few other handy features that make this app stand out. For instance:
- You get alerts the moment a survey opportunity opens up
- Opportunities are based on your location and profile
- Surveys cover in-store experiences, ad testing, and brand awareness
The app pairs well with the website if you want to try doing surveys on your desktop as well.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
23. SurveyJunkie
If you do a lot of survey sites, you probably already know about SurveyJunkie. They are extremely popular both on computers and on their apps. In fact, the app on both stores reaches almost 5 stars.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
24. Toluna
Are you interested in becoming an influencer? With Toluna, you can share your opinions with very popular brands. Take daily surveys to get points which you can eventually use to redeem gift cards once you’ve earned enough of them.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
25. Qmee
This app lets you get points by either doing surveys or participating in their cash back shopping offers. It’s a pretty decent app to use when you’re watching TV because the surveys are pretty short and not distracting.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
App that Gives You Gift Cards for Scanning Receipts & Shopping
While these aren’t technically “free” gift cards, they are worth looking into.
Here’s how it works:
- Step 1: You download whatever apps you like
- Step 2: Go shopping for things you were already going to buy
- Step 3: Earn cash back rewards on your purchases
- Step 4: Redeem your rewards for gift cards!
What’s even better is some of these apps reward you for scanning receipts and even shopping online.
26. Ibotta
Chances are, if you know anything about cash back apps, you know Ibotta. Offering cash back on purchases in-store or online, you can even earn rewards when you buy beer, wine or liquor.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
27. Shopkick
Shopkick offers multiple ways to earn rewards. From something as simple as walking in the door of your favorite store to making online purchases, Shopkick has given out more than $78 million in rewards to their users.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
28. Honey
Offering a convenient browser extension in addition to their app, Honey is a great way to shop smarter in an all-in-one app. Honey also has a product discovery feature to help you find your new favorite things.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
29. Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is a streamlined service that offers payout from PayPal or in Amazon gift cards. They also offer weekly sweepstakes and a slot machine game where you can spin for more rewards.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
30. Receipt Pal
Are other services too complicated? Just want a simple app you can use to scan your receipts and earn rewards? Receipt Pal offers payout in gift cards to Lowe’s, Amazon, Fandango, Walmart and more.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
31. SavingStar
Usable at over 70,000 stores, SavingStar is a useful way to earn cash back that you can link your store cards to for even more savings. The payout threshold is pretty low, too, at just $5.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
32. Drop
Featuring a way to earn bonus points by playing Snake (no, really), Drop doesn’t require that you scan your receipts to win rewards. Just link your card and start earning.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
33. CheckPoints
With a cute user interface and some extra games you can play to earn points, this app is a neat way to earn points at the store by scanning barcodes on items you see.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
34. Rakuten (Formerly eBates)
For signing up on this app, they’ll give you a $10 welcome bonus. And if that’s not enough, you can earn up to 40% cash back on all your purchases from over two thousand stores.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
35. TopCashback
From the most generous cashback site on the internet, the TopCashback app has a list of more than four thousand stores to choose from for cashback earnings. You can also add coupons for more savings.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
36. Fetch Rewards
Fetch is a receipt-scanning app that offers the ability to shop at any store you want. As long as you get a printed receipt with a barcode, go wild. No coupon cutting required.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
37. GetUpside
Want to save up to 25 cents per gallon every time you buy gas? GetUpside can get you there. You can also earn cash back on items you buy at convenience stores.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
Apps that Give You Gift Cards for Downloading Apps
If you’re one of those people who like discovering new apps and are always installing and trying new apps, you’ll love these apps. These apps will actually give you points for downloading new apps which you can then redeem for free gift cards for Nike, Adidas, Amazon, Walmart and many other top brans and stores.
38. AppKarma
AppKarma has a simple premise: find apps you like and earn points when you spend time using them. The app also features achievements you can earn to win bonus points.
- Available on: Google Play
39. AppJoy Nana
Offering 400 bonus points for just logging in every day, AppJoy is another way to try new apps and earn free rewards. Users have already earned over 10 million dollars in rewards, according to their site.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
40. Cash for Apps
Cash for Apps is exactly what it says it is: a service that gives you cash (or gift cards) for downloading apps. Simple as that.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play
41. FitPlay
You probably have figured out how this process works. FitPlay gives you a list of apps to download. You use those apps for a certain amount of time and then they’ll pay you coins.
- Available on: Google Play
42. AppNabil
Once you have this app downloaded, you just have to check out their list of offers. Download the apps available, complete tasks that are required for that particular app, and then come back. You have your points awarded almost immediately!
Some gift cards they offer your for redemption are:
- Google Play
- iTunes
- Amazon
- eBay
- Steam
- PlayStation Network Card
- Xbox Live
- Minecraft Game Card
- Roblox
- GTA Shark Cards
- Hulu
This is just a sample. They offer many other gift cards as well.
- Available on: Google Play
Apps that Give You Gift Cards for Playing Games
This is arguably the most fun portion of this post. It may be hard to believe but you can actually get gift cards by playing video games on your phone! The concept is simple: you download apps, play games, and win rewards!
43. GetGC
GetGC has more to it than just downloading apps. If you like, you can also do a daily spin on their roulette wheel or just collect points for logging on!
- Available on: Google Play
44. GameTame
Are you into video games, or know someone who is? With GameTame, in addition to gift cards, you can redeem points for Steam games or items from games like DOTA or Team Fortress!
- Available on: Google Play
45. LootValley
With a signup bonus of 250 points for every friend you refer, LootValley is geared to reward you for bringing in as many people as possible to get to earning points!
- Available on: Google Play
46. Coinpop
Discover and install apps from Coin Pop’s list. Whenever you spend time playing their apps, you earn coins. You can trade those coins for gift cards for places like:
- Amazon
- Google Play
- PlayStation
- Steam
You can also get vouchers, coupons, and direct PayPal payments.
- Available on: Google Play
47. App Station
This app likes to keep it simple. No need to have in-app purchases. You just download apps from their list and then get rewarded for every minute you spend playing games. Easy money, right?
- Available on: Google Play
48. Lucktastic
Feeling lucky? If so, you can win from groceries up to a million dollars from Lucktastic, a mobile gaming app that offers trivia, scratch-offs, matching games, and sweepstakes galore.
- Available on: App Store and Google Play.
49. Quiz Rewards
A free quiz game for android users! Tune in every day for new live trivia games that you can compete in to earn gift cards. The more quizzes you participate in, the more rewards you qualify for.
- Available on: Google Play.
Lock Screen Apps in Exchange for Gift Cards
Most people end up unlocking their phone dozens of times a day. These apps have a way for you to earn money from this small habit. They display an ad every time you go to unlock your phone and you get a cut of the revenue.
50. Slidejoy
This app shows you both ads and news, depending on what you’d like to see. The latest trending news and personalized ads will be displayed on the screen. You don’t have to interact with the ad beyond that. Just unlock your phone and go on as normal. You’ll be awarded over time for having the app on your phone with points that you can use to redeem gift cards.
- Available on: Google Play
51. S’mores
This app pays you in exchange for putting ads on your lock screen. It doesn’t matter to them how often you see the app or unlock your phone, they’ll pay you the same amount regardless every day. If you want to earn more, they also have extra ways to earn points like surveys or referring friends.
- Available on: Google Play
Free Gift Cards App Hacks
Before you get started on these apps, here are some extra bits of advice that might help you earn even more rewards.
To be honest, there are no “hacks” in the true sense of the word, but some people might consider these tips as “hacks”. Nonetheless, using these tips and tricks can definitely help you earn more gift certificates faster and easier.
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Sign-up bonuses
Sometimes apps will offer sign-up bonuses when you make an account. If you have multiple family members with smartphones, you might want to all sign up together to earn extra!
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Referral programs
Another great way to get more is by using referral programs. If you can convince your friends to join you on some of these apps, you all could start earning extra rewards just by signing up under each other’s referral links.
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Cash-out
thresholds
One thing you want to always keep an eye on is cash-out thresholds. Sometimes apps will require you to earn a small amount, like $10, before you can cash out. However, some apps will have insanely high requirements that you have to reach.
In my experience, high requirements are a bad sign and a waste of your time. What if the business that owns the app closes before you can cash out? What if it takes you years to reach what they want you too?
Set a limit on what you put up with. I recommend not signing up for apps that have a cash-out requirement of over $20.
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Email address
Once you download these apps, one thing you’ll probably notice is that they usually want you to make an account. Now, before you start putting all your information in, you might want to consider making a new email address that you can use for these accounts.
The reasoning behind this is that apps like these tend to send you a ton of notifications and emails reminding you to check out their offers. This can easily flood your regular email address if you aren’t careful.
Closing Thoughts
After reading this post, you should have plenty of apps that give you gift cards to choose from. Just remember, you don’t have to download all of these to earn a decent chunk of rewards.
Even just selecting a few of your favorites can help you start saving up points to use toward getting free gift cards for your favorite store!
Anny Ammy
I love Swagbucks! I have been using it for years. I first read about it on MoneyPantry a few years back and ever since I joined I have been enjoying it. I do a lot of my online shopping through Swagbucks too. I think I probably earned more than $2000 in gift cards (mostly Amazon and Walmart) over the past few years. Since I had success with it, I am going to join a few other sites you listed here. Thank you so much!
Saeed
That is awesome Anny. I am so glad MoneyPantry has helped you. Thank you for being such a loyal reader. Here’s to hoping you continue earning more money and free gift cards with these apps and sites.