Gift cards are the currency of many easy-entry side gigs you can do in your free time. Whether it’s participating in paid surveys, charging electric scooters, or even sharing your internet bandwidth — most of these will earn you gift cards as rewards.
In this article, we’ll go over the aforementioned methods of earning gift cards, explaining how these odd jobs work and how you could start reaping rewards ASAP.
Participating in Paid Surveys
One of the easiest and possibly most accessible ways to earn gift cards is through taking part in paid surveys. There is a plethora of companies that are willing to pay for consumer opinions to improve their products and services.
The myriads of websites and app services like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and InboxDollars compensate users with points or cash for completing surveys—those can then be redeemed for gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Starbucks.
All the while you take surveys for gift cards—or other types of compensation—you will be providing market research firms with insights that could help initiate data-driven changes.
By directly engaging with their target audience, companies can gain a deeper understanding of consumer needs and preferences, which is crucial for product development and improvement.
Surveys allow companies to identify what features or attributes consumers value most and detect any problems or areas for enhancement in their products. Additionally, they can test new product concepts and gauge consumer reactions before launching them in the market, reducing the risk of failure
Joining this mutual-benefit exchange is rather simple, it’s a matter of following several steps universal to most programs:
- Sign Up: Create an account on survey websites. Some might require additional demographic information to match you with relevant surveys.
- Complete Surveys: Participate in surveys that match your profile. Each survey typically takes between 5 to 30 minutes.
- Accumulate Points: Earn points for each survey completed. The number of points varies depending on the length and complexity of the survey.
- Redeem Points: Once you’ve accumulated enough points, redeem them for gift cards. The redemption process is usually straightforward and done through the website or app.
Sharing Unused Bandwidth
Bandwidth sharing is a more passive alternative to landing gift cards. The premise of bandwidth sharing is to allocate an unused portion of your internet to a third-party company that then resells it to their clients.
Bandwidth-sharing services like Honeygain, PacketStream, and Pawns.App rent out your unused internet bandwidth to various legitimate users, including market research companies, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), cybersecurity firms, advertising verification agencies, SEO firms, and academic researchers.
These entities utilize your bandwidth for data collection, content delivery, security testing, ad verification, search engine analysis, and large-scale academic studies, leveraging the distributed network of IP addresses to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively without detection.
While all of the use cases sound professional and legitimate, there is a real concern people may have in regard to the reputation of their internet connection.
For instance, market research companies conducting web scraping or cybersecurity firms performing penetration testing could trigger automated defenses on targeted websites, leading to potential IP blacklisting.
Additionally, there could be privacy and security concerns if sensitive data is transmitted through your network. However, reputable bandwidth-sharing services implement strict guidelines and monitoring to prevent misuse and ensure that the rented bandwidth is used for lawful and ethical purposes.
Getting started with bandwidth sharing is a straightforward process that involves a few key steps. Here’s how you can begin:
- Research and Choose a Service: Start by researching reputable bandwidth sharing platforms such as Honeygain, PacketStream, or IPRoyal Pawns. Read reviews and ensure the service you choose has a good track record of security and user satisfaction.
- Sign Up: Visit the website of your chosen service and create an account. This typically involves providing some basic personal information and agreeing to the terms and conditions.
- Download and Install the Software: After signing up, download the software or app provided by the service. Install it on your computer, smartphone, or any device you plan to use for sharing bandwidth.
- Configure Settings: Open the software and configure the settings according to your preferences. You can usually set limits on how much bandwidth to share and specify times when the service is active to ensure it doesn’t interfere with your regular internet usage.
- Start Sharing: Once configured, the software will run in the background, sharing your unused bandwidth. You can monitor your earnings and bandwidth usage through the software’s dashboard.
- Accumulate and Redeem Earnings: As you share your bandwidth, you will earn credits or money. Keep track of your earnings and, once you reach the minimum threshold, redeem them for gift cards or other rewards as offered by the service.
To Conclude
Earning gift cards through side gigs like participating in paid surveys and sharing your internet bandwidth provides accessible and flexible opportunities to supplement your income.
Each method offers its unique advantages, from the ease of taking surveys and contributing to market research to the passive nature of bandwidth sharing, where your unused internet connection works for you
