8 Simple Ways to Earn Free Gift Cards

This post about how to earn free gift cards contains references to products from one or more of my advertising partners. When you click on a link to any of these products, I may be compensated. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support! Please visit my Earnings Disclosure & Disclaimer page for more information. Thanks for your support! Please also note that any prices, offers, and terms listed are subject to change at the discretion of the companies mentioned.

 

These are the most legitimate ways I know of to earn free gift cards. Some of these methods are more passive: rack up points when you use your co-branded credit card, for example. Others will require more effort, whether it’s to take surveys or enter sweepstakes – only you can decide if these are a good use of your time.

 

Exchange Your Hotel Points for Free Gift Cards

When my hotel points were about to expire late last year, I learned that I could use them to redeem gift cards.

Marriott Bonvoy™, for example, lets you exchange hotel points for gift cards from retailers like Panera Bread, Target, Macy’s, CVS, Starbucks, and Pottery Barn. IHG, parent company of hotels like Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, has a similar program.

You can earn points by becoming a rewards member (registration should be free) of the hotel and earning points for every stay, or by doing things like eating at participating restaurants.

If you plan travel a lot, signing up for a hotel rewards card is worth it for the extra perks, as well as the points. Marriott Bonvoy™, for example, offers tiered memberships based on the number of stays booked per year. Members also receive benefits like complimentary in-room Internet access, member rates, and mobile check-in. After nine nights, the benefits increase, and depending on the tier, include perks like bonus points, welcome gifts, and guaranteed room types.

To give you an idea of what it takes to earn a reward, Marriott awards 10 points for every $1 you spend on eligible hotel stays. A $50 Target gift card, for example, would cost 17,500 points.

Register for a free rewards card from Marriott Bonvoy, IHG, and Choice Hotels.

 

 

Trade Your Airline Miles for Free Gift Cards

If your frequent flyer miles are about to expire or you have no plans to travel, you still have options for using them. One of these is to exchange them for retailer gift cards.

United MileagePlus, for example, has a comprehensive redemption program that lets you trade frequent flyer miles for gift cards from more than 270 vendors; these include stores like Starbucks, Kohls, Williams Sonoma, and Nordstrom Rack. And if you’re a Delta SkyMiles member, you can trade your miles for Delta Airlines gift cards.

Register for a free United Airlines MileagePlus card.

 

Get a Free Target Gift Card Through Their Circle Rewards Program

Target Circle provides an easy way to earn free Target gift cards. I can kick myself for not signing up sooner.

A recent offer I took advantage of was to buy $40 in beauty products -including facial wash and serums- and was rewarded with a $10 Target gift card. These are products I was going to buy anyway.

It’s simple to use, too. Once you register for Target Circle, go to My Wallet within the app, add the offer you want, then pull up the barcode for the cashier to scan. You can also give your mobile phone number to the cashier or use it at the checkout kiosk. After I pay, the cashier hands me a gift card that I can use for future purchases or to treat myself at the on-site Starbucks.

Another benefit of being a Target Circle member is receiving 1% from your purchase (5% on your birthday!) which can be redeemed at a future visit. You can also use Target Circle in conjunction with your Red Card (Target’s branded credit card) for even more savings.

 

 

Earn Free Gift Cards by Using Cashback Apps

With cash back apps like Fetch Rewards and Ibotta, you earn a percentage back of your purchase when you use their app.

Using the Ibotta app as an example, you’d add products you plan to purchase to your list, pay for them, and upload the receipt. Then wait to receive the cash, and once you reach $20, you can exchange your cash for retailer gift cards (or keep the cash).

Given that Ibotta partners with more than 2,000 retailers (including Whole Foods, Chewy, Target, Vitacost, Barnes & Noble, Costco, and Hy-Vee) there’s bound to be some business on there that you regularly shop at.

 

Earn Free Gift Cards With a Co-branded Credit Card

You’ll have to do some digging to figure out which credit card yields the best rewards for your situation. A co-branded credit card (like those offered by airlines, hotels, and a growing number of stores) might be a good option if you make a lot of purchases at a particular store; they usually provide extra points and bonuses when you use their card in-house.

With the Barnes & Noble Mastercard, for example, you earn 5% back on purchases made at Barnes & Noble, as well as points on eligible purchases that you can then exchange for their gift cards. Another plus is that they automatically send gift cards once you’ve reached a spending minimum.

Whichever credit card you decide on, don’t carry a balance or spend money just to earn a gift card.

 

Earn Free Gift Cards by Taking Surveys

It’s not as simple as taking a couple of surveys then getting a gift card. You have to work for it.

Take MyPoints, one of my favorite survey sites, which carries a nice selection of gift cards from retailers like Barnes & Noble, CVS, Starbucks, Target, and Panera Bread,

To earn a $10 Panera gift card, for example, you’d typically need to earn 1,600 points. Say you spend 15 minutes completing a survey worth 200 points; it would take two hours of completing similar surveys to earn the gift card. That’s the equivalent of earning $5 an hour.

Points awarded vary; for example, a 25 minute survey might reward 595 points and a 40 minute survey might give 209 points. Also consider that you’ll be spending time on some surveys only to be disqualified.

That said, taking surveys in my spare time (like breaks between projects) is a much better proposition than wasting time on social media.

Other survey sites to consider are Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie. 

Win Gift Cards by Entering Sweepstakes

I’ve scored some gift cards over time with this method – including one for $1,000 from Walgreens and a $1,000 one from Meijer’s. There are, of course, no guarantees that you’ll win; and you could easily spend hours filling out entries, only to come up empty. It is however, a fun hobby.

Finding legitimate contests and sweepstakes can be a huge time suck if you don’t know where to search or what to look for. There are a number of solid places to find legit sweepstakes, from subscribing to free or paid sweepstakes newsletters (my favorite option!) and checking the Sweepstakes sections of your favorite magazines.

 

Get Free Gift Cards With Special Promos

Some businesses, especially restaurants, often run promotions during the holidays, giving you the opportunity to earn a gift card with the purchase of a gift card.

Panera Bread, for example, rewards you with a $10 Panera gift card for every $50 gift card you purchase. As someone who frequents Panera, I know I’m going to eventually spend $50 there, so for me, not taking advantage of this promotion is like leaving money on the table.

Speaking of Panera, the Panera Unlimited Sip Club is another promotion I recommend as a way to save cash on coffee, tea, and fountain drinks.

 

While you won’t make a living with any these methods, they provide a legit way to earn gift cards. The savings from these efforts may seem insignificant, but they can add up.

 

 

This post contains references to products from one or more of my advertising partners. When you click on a link to any of these products, I may be compensated. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support! Please visit my Earnings Disclosure & Disclaimer page for more information. Thanks for your support!