Getting gift cards for free does not have to be difficult, and you certainly don’t need to jump through complicated hoops to get them. In fact, it’s often as easy as making minor adjustments to your existing habits, like using a specific search engine, a particular credit card, or an online shopping site that rewards you for your patronage. You are probably using these types of services and making purchases anyway, so why not make the most of the situation and also earn some valuable freebies in the process? Think of it as found money for activities you already do every day.
Don’t get us wrong, the fundamental idea is not to encourage developing a new shopping habit or to abuse your credit card just so that you can receive some free gift cards. That would defeat the purpose entirely. The whole point is to strategically get these freebies without having to pay for them in another, often hidden, way, like through interest charges or by buying things you don’t need. The goal is to be a smart consumer. Luckily, there are plenty of legitimate and straightforward ways to do just that, integrating rewards into your normal spending. And that’s precisely where we come in. To help you navigate this, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of simple and effective ways to get free gift cards, which is an especially useful strategy if you’re currently working with a tight budget and want to maximize every dollar.
Earning these gift cards can significantly help you boost your monthly budget, freeing up cash that you can then allocate toward other, more important things. Whether you use them for everyday essentials like groceries and gas, save them up for a larger purchase, or treat yourself to something special without the guilt, free gift cards are a powerful tool for financial flexibility.
12 ways to receive gift cards for free:
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Use a cash-back portal
If you do any online shopping and haven’t yet used cash-back portals, it’s absolutely time to start doing it. These platforms are one of the easiest ways to earn rewards. That’s because they can be quite profitable and are incredibly useful in helping you maintain your budget. The concept is simple: when you click through a cash-back portal to a retailer’s site and make a purchase, the portal earns a commission from the retailer. They then share a portion of that commission with you as a thank-you.
Cash-back sites like TopCashback or Rakuten help you earn a percentage of your money back on virtually any purchase you make online; you can typically choose to receive your earnings as real money via PayPal or direct deposit, or often as a gift card. Many portals even offer a small bonus if you choose to cash out with a gift card, stretching your earnings even further. If you use the cash back you’ve earned to purchase gift cards, you’re basically acquiring them for free, using money you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
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Use a rewards credit card
Many credit cards on the market today offer generous rewards programs in the form of points, travel miles, or straightforward cash back on every purchase. In many cases, you can directly trade your accumulated points for free gift cards from a wide variety of retailers, restaurants, and online services. Again, if you opt for cash back and use those funds to purchase gift cards, then they are effectively free. The key is to use the credit card for your regular, planned expenses—like groceries, gas, and monthly bills—and pay off the balance in full each month. This way, you earn the rewards without paying any interest, which would quickly cancel out your gains.
Since not all reward cards offer the same perks, it’s critical to do a little research and find one that truly suits your lifestyle and typical spending habits. For example, some cards offer higher rewards on dining out and entertainment, while others are geared toward travel or grocery purchases. With the help of the Money Talks News Solutions Center, you can compare different cards and find the one that will give you the most bang for your buck.
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Cash in on your clutter
Needless to say, we’ve all got things we no longer use and need, stashed away in the garage, basement, or attic. Instead of letting those items gather dust and take up valuable space, why not trade them for valuable gift cards? You can do this with various major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, which have robust trade-in programs for used electronics, video games, books, and more. All you have to do is go to their trade-in website, see if your item is eligible, get an instant quote, and ship it to them for free. Once they receive and approve your item, a gift card is sent to you electronically. Time to search your boxes and turn that forgotten clutter into shopping power!
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Transfer a prescription
This is a surprisingly effective but often overlooked method. There are many drugstores that offer valuable gift cards, often ranging from $25 to $100, if you transfer your existing prescriptions to their pharmacies. This includes standalone drugstores as well as pharmacies located inside grocery stores such as Safeway, Albertsons, and Fred Meyer. Pharmacies offer this incentive because they hope to gain you as a long-term, loyal customer. It’s a win-win: they gain new business, and you get a substantial gift card for a simple administrative task.
The downside is that these awards are not offered on a regular basis, so it’s a matter of good timing. But if you check your local store flyers or search online from time to time, you might find quite advantageous deals. Just search the internet for “transfer prescription get free gift card” and you should be able to find the pharmacies and supermarkets that are currently running this type of promotion. Be sure to read the fine print, as offers may be for new customers only and sometimes exclude certain types of insurance.
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Recycle your old car batteries
If you have an old, dead car battery hidden in your garage or shed, don’t let it go to waste or dispose of it improperly. By recycling it, you’re not only doing something good for the environment, but you can also get paid for it. Take it to an auto parts store like AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, and O’Reilly Auto Parts, among others, and trade it in for a store gift card, typically worth $10 or more. The best thing is that you don’t have to have purchased the battery from them to be able to bring it back for the credit. The exchange works even if the battery was purchased from another retailer or came with the car. It’s a simple way to get rewarded for responsible recycling.
On the same note, read also: Free Money? Here Are 7 Sure Ways to Get Them
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Optimize your Target shopping
If you’re a regular Target shopper, you can easily stack up free gift cards by paying attention to their weekly promotions. There are constant deals at Target which offer a free $5 or $10 Target gift card when you spend a certain amount (e.g., $20 or $40) on a specific brand or product category, like cleaning supplies, beauty products, or baby essentials. You can find these offers advertised in their weekly ad, on signs throughout the store, and in the Target Circle app. Check their weekly catalogue before you shop and take advantage of their deals. You can also check Target’s website for special offers and promotions; surely, you will find something interesting to help you earn while you shop for items already on your list.
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Buy P&G brands at Costco in autumn
Every year, typically during the autumn months of September and October, Costco has some incredibly interesting deals for its members. A recurring favorite is a promotion where for every purchase of Procter & Gamble (P&G) products amounting to $100, you receive a $25 Costco Shop Card (their version of a gift card) for free. This is the perfect time to stock up on household necessities like Tide detergent, Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels, and Pampers diapers. The best part is that you are usually allowed to take advantage of this offer twice per membership, meaning you can get $50 worth of free gift cards just for buying items you’d purchase anyway.
See also:10 Things Frugal People Never Do and Neither Should You
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Purchase gift cards during certain holidays
In recent years, more and more people have learned to appreciate receiving gift cards because they’ve realized that they offer the ultimate flexibility to buy whatever they want or need. There are no more forced smiles or polite reactions to gifts you don’t like. You just receive the gift card and start your own personalized shopping session. For the gift-giver, this means less stress, and for the recipient, it means more choice.
Because of their popularity, it’s really smart to purchase gift cards in certain months as many businesses provide special deals, offering bonus cash or additional gift cards. This is a strategy you can use for your own future spending, not just for gifting. For instance, many chain restaurants and retailers give free bonus cards when you purchase gift cards in May or June (for Mother/Father’s Day) or during the holiday season in November and December. A common offer might be “Buy a $50 gift card, get a $10 bonus card for free.” If it’s a place you frequent, you’re essentially getting a 20% discount on your future meals or purchases.
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Upload photos of receipts
Did you know that the simple paper receipts from your shopping trips can be turned into rewards? You can receive points, and even cash, if you take photos of your receipts and upload them to certain mobile apps. These companies use the anonymous data for market research. Well, now you do. It takes just a few seconds after each purchase. Here are some popular apps that offer rewards for your receipts:
- InboxDollars allows you to make a selection of specific products on its list, then gives you cash back rewards after you purchase the items at a qualifying store and scan your receipt to provide proof of purchase.
- Ibotta is a powerhouse app that offers cash rebates for purchases from hundreds of retailers, grocery stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. You add offers to your list before you shop, then scan your receipt afterward to get your cash back.
- Fetch is known for its simplicity. It awards points for taking a photo of any and every receipt from any store, with no need to select offers beforehand. You also get significant additional points for buying items from their hundreds of partner brands.
- Swagbucks is a versatile rewards site where you can earn points (called “SB”) for scanning receipts, in addition to many other activities. These points can be redeemed for gift cards to dozens of popular stores, including Amazon and Walmart.
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Take part in surveys
Answering some questions about your opinions and shopping habits is not a difficult task, is it? Especially when you can get something valuable in return for your time. Companies are hungry for consumer data to help them improve their products and marketing, and they are willing to pay for it. Various reward portals such as MyPoints, Survey Junkie, and InboxDollars offer points for answering these online surveys. And guess what? You can easily trade in those accumulated points for free gift cards to your favorite retailers and restaurants.
There are also many specialized survey sites that are dedicated solely to market research. Always check their rewards section to see if anything they offer matches your needs. While you won’t get rich taking surveys, dedicating a small amount of spare time each week can certainly add up to a nice collection of gift cards over the year.
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Earn rewards when buying gift cards
Believe it or not, gift cards can attract more gift cards. That’s a fact when you use the right platforms. There are numerous cash-back portals and gift card marketplaces that award you with additional gift cards or points simply for purchasing gift cards through them. For instance, the gift card marketplace Raise, where you can buy discounted gift cards, also gives you “Raise Cash” rewards on your purchases, which can be redeemed on future gift card purchases, making them even cheaper.
Ibotta, on the other hand, gives you instant cash back on gift cards purchased directly through the Ibotta app. Before you pay at a store like Home Depot or Starbucks, you can buy a gift card for the exact amount of your purchase within the app. You’ll get cash-backs as high as 10 percent, with the actual cash being deposited into your Ibotta account the moment you press the click to buy.
You might also like:11 Things Seniors Can Get for Free
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Refer your friends
The more, the merrier! This is especially true when it comes to rewards programs. Numerous cash-back portals, survey sites, and reward apps offer bonus points or cash when you recommend them to new customers who sign up using your unique referral link. In some cases, the rewards can go as high as 3,000 points or even $30 per referral, a significant jump compared to the normal referral points of 1,000 or a smaller cash bonus. These deals are not to be missed and can be one of the fastest ways to accumulate rewards.
Start referring your friends, family, co-workers, and everyone in between to the services you genuinely use and love. After all, if you’re saving money and getting freebies, you’re doing them a favor by letting them in on the secret. Most programs reward both you and your friend, so who wouldn’t like to receive a bonus just for signing up? It’s a true win-win situation for everyone involved.
See also:5 Subtle Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Budget
