16 Ways to Earn Amazon Gift Cards And Boost Your Balance

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    Before Amazon, only those who lived in big cities could get lots of things delivered right to their doors. But even big city delivery had its limits. Sure you could get dinner, your clean laundry, and alcohol delivered but what about things like a new suitcase, candles, or a vase? Nope, you still had to go to a store to get most things. But Amazon online shopping has changed all of that.

    Amazon Makes Life Easier

    Now almost anyone almost anywhere can get almost anything delivered, usually within a few days. And often at a lower price than those same items cost in a store. Amazon has changed the way we shop and the way we live. 

    Amazon is the most-liked and trusted technology brand by a wide margin. One likely explanation there is that the company has a strong relationship with its customers, thanks in part to its zealous commitment to low prices and a seemingly never-ending quest to make modern life more convenient.

    As good as Amazon’s prices often are, the best things in life are free. And there are so many ways to earn Amazon gift cards that you might never have to enter your credit card number into Amazon again.

    Do you like going out to dinner? You can earn Amazon gift cards for doing it.

    Like answering surveys when you’ve got a little time to kill? We’ll show you where to earn Amazon gift cards for that.

    Do you go food shopping once or twice a week? Yep, you can earn Amazon gift cards when you do that too.

    Earning Amazon gift cards is a great way to save and even make money. You can use them to buy everyday necessities and Christmas gifts for other people. If you’re in need of some quick cash, you can sell your Amazon gift cards.

    If this all sounds good to you, get ready, we’re going to score some free Amazon gift cards.

    Earn By Taking Surveys

    Answering online surveys is a great way to use your downtime to earn some extra money, and the reason you always see it on lists of side hustles.

  1. Survey Junkie
  2. Survey Junkie is our favorite survey site.

    It’s a platform where consumers can take surveys that market research companies use to get feedback to improve their products and services.

    Survey Junkie

    Want to get paid for your opinion? Survey Junkie lets you share yours to help brands deliver better products and services. After creating your profile, they'll start matching you to online surveys you can take anywhere.

    Because this information is valuable and no one’s time is free, the site rewards users with points for each completed survey.

    Those points can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards, including Amazon gift cards.

    survey junkie review take surveys

  3. Inbox Dollars
  4. With Inbox Dollars users make money from home through completing tasks like taking online surveys, playing games, and watching videos. There are several similar sites floating around, but InboxDollars is continuously updated with new tasks giving users lots of opportunities to earn money.

    InboxDollars partners with major brands for consumer input. You will earn money by giving your opinion in different ways and viewing different types of advertisements.

    InboxDollars also offers several payment options including a paper check, ePayments, and pre-paid credit cards.

    Inbox Dollars

    Inbox Dollars pays you for the things you already do like watching TV, playing videos games, and shopping. Perform your online activities and earn cash. Simple.

  5. Prize Rebel
  6. Prize Rebel is a “get paid to” site where users can earn points for doing things like taking surveys, watch videos, and referring new users to the site.

    For each completed task users earn points.

    Taking surveys offers the most points, generally from 50 to 200 per survey. Each point is worth one cent and the minimum to cash out is just $2 or 200 points.

    Users can turn their points in Amazon gift cards, gift cards from several other retailers or cash via PayPal.

  7. Opinion Outpost
  8. There are a lot of survey sites out there, but not all are created equal. Opinion Outpost is a survey company I like because you can see both how many points you’ll earn and how long a survey takes before you start.

    No need to continually log in to see if there are any new surveys available, you’ll get an email notification when new ones are loaded onto the site.

    You can exchange your points for Amazon, Walmart, iTunes among other gift cards. Points can also be cashed out via PayPal.

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    Sell Stuff You Don’t Need

    Are your life and your house starting to feel a little too cluttered? Why not do a purge, and earn Amazon gift cards while you’re at it?

  9. Gazelle
  10. It’s not environmentally responsible to throw old electronics into the trash because some of them contain dangerous stuff like arsenic and lead.

    When these things wind up in a landfill, those toxins can leach into the earth and our water supply.

    Many of us know this, and it’s the reason we have several old devices tossed in a drawer somewhere.

    Gazelle will let you turn those old, forgotten items into Amazon gift cards and keep them out of landfills.

    Gazelle buys (and sells) used electronics, both working and non-working. Things you can sell include smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and Apple TVs.

    need money now gazelle

    Find your device on the site, answer a few questions about it, and get an offer. If you accept it, you send the item using the pre-paid label Gazelle sends you.

    Once Gazelle receives your item and confirms that it is as you described, you will receive your Amazon gift card via email.

    Gazelle

    Gazelle pays you cash for tech gadgets you no longer use without any fees (even if it's damaged). Get paid via check, Amazon gift card, or via PayPal. Answer a few questions about your device, and Gazelle sends you a free, pre-paid shipping label.

    Get Paid For Things You Already Do

  11. Swagbucks
  12. Swagbucks is a site that rewards users for doing things they already do like shopping online, doing internet searches, watching videos, and playing games.

    And like Survey Junkie, you can earn rewards answering surveys too. Amazon gift cards are one of the many options Swagbucks users have to cash out their points.

    Swagbucks

    Get cash back when you buy online from more than 1,500 retailers including Amazon, Target, and Starbucks. You earn points for each dollar you spend and also get special coupons and deals exclusive to their shoppers.

  13. Ibotta
  14. I spend a lot on groceries and am always looking for ways to save money on my twice weekly food shopping forays. But I don’t want to fuss around with paper coupons. If you feel the same, you’ll love Ibotta.

    ibotta review

    Ibotta is an app that gives you cash back when you shop in places like grocery stores, pharmacies, brick and mortar, and online stores. Use the App or website to choose the offers you plan to buy.

    Once you’ve bought them, upload the receipt to Ibotta, and the cash back will be deposited to your account within 48 hours. You can cash out in the form of Amazon gift cards or as actual cash via PayPal or Venmo.

    Ibotta
    Ibotta is a free app that rewards you for purchases you already make. Pay straight through the Ibotta app and get cash back instantly at select retailers.

  15. Shopkick
  16. Shopkick is a receipt scanning app similar to Ibotta, but it offers several ways to earn points, called Kicks which you can cash in for Amazon gift cards. You earn points for buying eligible items and scanning the receipt, when you shop through Shopkick’s portal, just by walking into participating stores, and when you scan barcodes on selected items.

    The last two methods don’t require you to buy anything!

    250 Kicks is equal to $1.  Scanning receipts are worth between 100-500 Kicks, entering a store is typically 25, scanning barcodes 15 to 50, and referring a friend gets you 250. You can get a $2 Amazon card for just 500 Kicks, and they’re also available in denominations of $5, $10, and $25.

    Get Paid to Eat Out

    Going out to dinner isn’t the most frugal use of money, but we work hard! Shouldn’t we be entitled to a nice meal out once in a while? Yes, yes we should be. Sometimes spending money going out to dinner can make us feel slightly guilty even when we know we deserve a treat now and then though.

  17. Seated
  18. Seated is a restaurant reservation booking App and rewards program.

    Make a reservation from one of the participating restaurants, show up at the appointed time, meet the minimum spend, and upload a copy of your receipt, and within 24 hours, you will earn an Amazon gift card valued at $10-$50!

    cheap-date-ideas-seated

    Seated also offers the same deal to earn Lyft, Starbucks and gift codes from many other retailers.

    Sadly, Seated is not available everywhere, currently just in fourteen American cities.

    But if you’re in one of them, Seated can help you feel a little less guilty about your restaurant habit!

    Seated

    It would help if you used Seated when dining out. Every time you complete a reservation (book ahead or walk-in), you get up to 30% back. Use your rewards on in-person experiences or redeem for gift cards with brands including Amazon, Uber, and Target. Laura and I almost exclusively eat out with Seated because it saves us so much.

    We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Earn On Amazon

    There are ways to earn Amazon gift cards right on the Amazon website!

  19. Reloading Amazon Gift Cards
  20. If you already have an Amazon gift card and you reload it, you can get a bonus. The offer applies only to first-time reloaders who are Amazon Prime members. When you reload an existing card with at least $100, you will get a $10 bonus.

    Prime Members can also receive a 2% bonus on each reload using a debit card. Reload the gift card balance using the 2% rewards payment method and the 2% bonus will be added to your gift card balance immediately.

    I know what you’re thinking because I thought of it too. You’ll double dip by reloading the gift card for 2% using your Amazon-branded credit card which gives 5% cash back at Amazon. Sorry, Amazon doesn’t allow that.

  21. Amazon’s Trade-In
  22. Amazon’s Trade-In program pays for stuff like video games, Kindles, books and textbooks, cell phones and several other items. You can search the Trade-In page for things you want to sell and see if they’re eligible.

    Submit eligible items and choose their condition. Amazon will make you an offer for each item; you can accept or reject it. You’ll receive a free shipping label and just need to send Amazon your items within seven days.

    The item will be appraised, and you’ll be notified within two business days letting you know if it’s been accepted. If it’s accepted, you’ll receive your Amazon gift card within ten business days. If the item is rejected, it will be sent back to you at no cost.

    Turn Your Spare Change Into Gift Cards

    I have a coffee can where I store my spare coins, sort of like a grown-up piggy bank. Recently it was full to the brim, so I decided to turn it into paper money. Now you can get Amazon gift cards instead of cash for no fee.

  23. Coinstar
  24. I took it to a Coinstar machine, you’ve probably seen one in a grocery store.

    You dump your loose change into the jaws of the machine, it counts it and gives you a receipt you can turn into a cashier for paper money. If you choose cash, you will be charged a fee of 11.9%. Damn!

    My can of coins contained $56 so to cash it out would cost me nearly $7. I don’t mind paying for a service, but 12% seems a little steep.

    If you think so too, you can choose to cash out for an Amazon gift card instead. You’ll get a paper receipt with the gift card code on it, and there is no fee to use Coinstar when you choose this option!

  25. Honey
  26. Looking for a coupon code before you buy anything online is a great way to save money. I recently had to use an expediting service to renew my passport at the last minute which wasn’t cheap. But I found a coupon code for 10% off.

    Searching for this codes can be a pain though, not all of the ones you find always work, sometimes they’re expired, and sometimes they’re just invalid for whatever reason. But there is a tool that will do the work for you.

    Honey is a browser extension that will find and apply valid coupon codes for you when you’re checking out at more than 30,000 online sites. That’s already pretty awesome, but it gets even better.

    honey

    Honey Gold and Honey Gold Bonuses can earn you Amazon gift cards. When Honey earns a commission with a retailer from a purchase you made, they reward you. You’ll receive a randomized number of bonus points. When you have 1,000 Honey Gold points, you can redeem them for a $10 gift card.

    Honey

    Andrew wants you to stop searching for coupons. Instead, let Honey do the work for you on 30,000+ sites. Create an account, shop like you normally do and start saving.

  27. MyPoints
  28. MyPoints is another survey site, but it offers several other ways to earn points. Users can do simple tasks like click on emails, watch videos, use the search engine, and play games.

    Points can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards and gift cards to other retailers including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and eBay. You can also cash out via PayPal.

    Cards for Cash

    Great, you have all the Amazon gift cards you could ever want, and they are almost as good as cash since you can buy so many necessities at Amazon. But sometimes “almost as good” isn’t good enough and you need extra money.

  29. Cardpool
  30. You can sell Amazon gift cards, physical cards, and e-cards, at Cardpool. If you’ve spent a portion of the card’s value, you can sell the remaining balance so long as it’s between $25-$1,000.

    You’ll get up to 92% of the card’s value. Cardpool will mail you a check for the sale price. That can take several days to receive though, what if you need cash now?

    Cardpool has partnered with places like grocery stores and check cashing places. You can take your card to a participating location and get cash on the spot. I found ten locations within five miles of me, so you are likely to have at least one near you.

  31. Cardkangaroo
  32. Did you get a gift card to a store or restaurant you don’t like? Don’t let it languish in your junk drawer. Make an account with Cardkangaroo, enter the gift card you want to trade and the card you want in return, Amazon for our purposes.

    Mail your card with the free shipping label provided and your Amazon card will be mailed to you within 48 hours of your card being received.

    Why Not?

    I was pretty skeptical of using sites like these to earn Amazon gift cards until I did reviews for a few of them. To do the reviews, of course, I had to sign up and use the sites. I did it because it’s one of the things I get paid to do, but I figured I’d just play around long enough to be able to give an honest review.

    But it’s weirdly addicting earning points and turning them into Amazon gift cards! The more free stuff I received, the more I wanted to earn, so I kept using the sites.

    I certainly don’t sit around on my phone answering surveys or watching videos instead of making dinner or going out with my friends, but it’s a great way to productively spend the time you’d otherwise be wasting. Like when you’re on public transit or standing on line at the bank or DMV.

    I’ve made a few hundred dollars worth of Amazon gift cards over a few years. You can do it too.

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Candice Elliott - Senior Editor Candice Elliott is a substantial contributor to Listen Money Matters. She has been a personal finance writer since 2013 and has written extensively on student loan debt, investing, and credit. She has successfully navigated these areas in her own life and knows how to help others do the same. Candice has answered thousands of questions from the LMM community and spent countless hours doing research for hundreds of personal finance articles. She happily calls New Orleans, Louisiana home-the most fun city in the world.
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