Rewards Websites: Are they worth the time?

What is your favorite rewards website? Of all the ones I use, Swagbucks, Daily Feats, Pampers Gifts to Grow, and Disney Movie Rewards, and Recyclebank, I think my favorite is either Recyclebank or Daily Feats, but they all have pretty good rewards, and don't take much time to upkeep. I thought I'd let you know a little more about each one, and what the 'best' rewards are!

1. Swagbucks: So, swagbucks is the one rewards website where it is SO easy to spend lots and lots of time. The idea behind the whole website is that you can earn 'money' for doing different things: watching videos, taking surveys, searching the web on their website, etc. And then you can redeem the money for something at the end. They have excellent rewards: I usually go with the $5 Amazon gift card. And, I don't like spending a lot of time on this site, so I just do the two quickest activities that guarantee swagbucks: NOSO and the Daily Poll. Occassionally, I will watch a video to get a few more swagbucks, but I don't like spending time on the site just waiting for chance to grant me a handful of swagbucks! So, it takes me a LONG time to get any rewards- I get one $5 gift card about every 3 months, but it only takes me a minute each day, so I keep doing it.

2. Daily Feats: This website isn't really geared to be a rewards website, it is more of a journal or daily checklist to motivate you to live a healthy life. Examples of the feats are things like eating small portions, getting your vitamins, exercising, opening the door for someone, and turning off the lights when they aren't being used: a lot of things you probably do anyways. They also have challenges, where you get bonus points if you do a certain group of activities. Challenges are easy to create, and are often things you already do anyways, too! You get points for each feat, and extra points for the challenges. They have some great "Premium" rewards, including $10 Safeway, Itunes, Starbucks, Home Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Fandango, and Toys R Us as well as local rewards, including coupons to restaurants, clothing stores, etc. You can also donate to charity! This site is a good daily reminder for me to do the 'chores' I'm supposed to, and it provides a little extra incentive for me to eat healthy, etc.

3. Pampers Gifts to Grow: If you are very brand loyal when it comes to diapers, you may as well get something back for it- this website has baby-related rewards including photo cards, calendars, diapers.com gift cards, etc. The nice thing about this website is that you don't have to buy pampers diapers to get points- they occasionally release codes for points, which you can find on any number of freebie blogs. I've used this website to get free photo prints for myself. It takes very little time, and I go there infrequently, but I like this website, a lot.

4. Disney Movie Rewards: This website is designed to be a rewards program for when you buy Disney movies, but they also give out the points for surveys, in their newsletter, and in other random places. Much like Gifts to Grow, you can check up for the new codes on money saving blogs very easily, and get points without buying any movies! It also takes very little time, which is one thing I like. The rewards include photo gifts, and lots of Disney toys and other swag.

5. Recyclebank: Daily Feats and Recyclebank are tied as my favorite rewards websites! This rewards website gives you points for taking pledges to be more 'green', and you can even get points for the weight of the items you recycle from home! The rewards include gift cards and high value coupons, my personal favorite is the free ice cream at McDonald's: it makes for a great family fun night, especially if they have a play place.  

So, usually I take 10 minutes a day to just fill out my rewards. Over time, I've been able to get a few gift cards here and there. It's not a major financial contribution or an efficient, substantive or quick way to make money: I like to think of it as icing on the cake. There are a lot of other rewards websites out there, most of which I have probably never heard it! If you have any other favorites, please leave a comment and tell me about them!