The only time you will know if something really works is when you sign up and use it. I have, and this time, it’s Swagbucks. Let’s not drag on whether it’s legit or a scam because it’s 100% legit. The main question is whether Swagbucks is worth it or not, and you’ll find out in this review.
When you look at all the screenshots of earnings flying around, it makes you think that Swagbucks is really that easy for a Nigerian. Well, it’s not. But for tier 1 and 2 countries like the US, Canada, UK, etc., it’s worth it because they get paid higher SB (Swagbucks currency). I know you might be wondering, “Why not use a VPN?” It’s not that simple, and you risk getting blocked. Moreover, the type of VPN you’ll need has to be Premium, and we’re talking $10 to 15 per month.
Note that this review is not meant to discourage, but to let you know exactly what to expect because it’s not as rosy as you think.
Swagbucks Real or Fake?
Swagbucks is real and not fake. The reason many people say it’s a scam is their location. Before you sign up, you’ll see hundreds or thousands of SBs to be made but after signing up, they are gone. Those offers are indeed available to those in the US, the UK, Canada, and so on. But as a Nigerian, you don’t have many offers in your inventory.
After TimeBucks became less reliable due to its problem with Tasks, which I explained, Swagbucks became the new place for people to make money doing digital jobs.
Swagbucks isn’t a TimeBucks alternative. It’s just what it is—a legit website where you can complete surveys, play games, and earn.
So, yes, you will get paid. But the problem is: how quickly will you reach the payment threshold? We’ll talk about that the payment threshold towards the end.
How Does Swagbucks Work?
On Swagbucks, you answer surveys, play games, redeem Swag codes, and earn. These are the major ones since you are here for the money.
Swagbucks has ‘Welcome Tasks’. When you sign up and complete your profile, you’ll receive 5 SB (Swagbucks). Verifying your profile gives you 5 SB. After verifying your profile, you’ll see Swagbuck’s pop-up message that says, “Start sharing your opinion and earn up to $5.00 per survey.” Unfortunately, it’s not readily available for Nigerians.
You’ll also be given 5 SB to complete your first survey. If you vote in the daily pool, you’ll receive 1 SB every day you do so.
You can also earn if you refer people. Swagbucks will pay 10% of any amount your referrals earn for as long as their accounts are active. This is the reason you see social media people pushing for you to sign up on Swagbucks using their referral code. The more you work and earn, the more money they continue to make off it. They are basically making money off the referrals and nothing else.
We also have Swagbucks Discover, where you will see tasks that reward 3,500 SB, 700 SB, 250 SB, etc. These are usually one-time offers per user. Once you complete the offer, it’s gone. Some of them also keep your SB pending for as long as 7 days, 1 month, and so on. You’ll find those of 24 hours too.
We also have the ‘Search and Earn’ offer but you only receive 1 SB, and it’ll take more searches to make something tangible off it.
There are also offers that are for new users only. For example, the offers in the screenshot below will pay you 4 SB in 24 hours but only for new users.
If you notice from the screenshot, we have two Nigerian apps, including 1xBet and YellowCard. The pay is ridiculously low. This is one of the reasons offers available for Nigerians are cheap because the advertisers, especially the Nigerian ones, bid very little amount.
We also have offers based on different devices. For example, Android only offers, which means you must have an Android phone to complete it and get paid. An example in the screenshot below.
Sometimes, when you open an offer, it might be broken or inaccessible. You are going to run into many of such offers, and have to move on to the next.
Swagbucks Pay is Low for Nigeria
It’s true that your country/region determines what the advertisers are willing to pay Swagbucks. Nigeria is a Tier 3 country, and the ad bids are typically lower than what is charged in top countries. So, signing up as a Nigerian is the first reason you won’t be able to make $100 in one month, which is two months’ salary for some people. Even if you dedicated yourself to Swagbucks for 30 days, you won’t make that $100 because you might not even qualify for many offers.
100 SB = $1 while $1 is about 1,500 naira. Therefore, you need 10,000 SB to make $100 in one month.
Don’t use a VPN to try and go around this because you will be blocked. The payment method is also different, and what you’ll have is PayPal (which can’t receive payment in Nigeria currently) or gift card option for other countries. Whereas, a Nigerian Swagbucks account allows you to withdraw to your AirTM.
You Won’t Have Many Games to Earn Money
As for the games, the prices are low and only worth it if you are in the UK, Canada, or US. There are lots of games like Puzzles and Conquest, Puzzles and Survival, Empires and Puzzles, Ant Legion, and Puzzles and Chaos. These pay fairly, and should easily get you over $100 but they are not available for Nigerians.
You’ll usually see them on Swagbucks while not logged in. When logged in, you don’t find such offers anymore.
Not Many Surveys for You
You won’t be able to earn a lot from surveys because there are not many available because of your location. It’s the same thing for other African countries.
Surveys are also hard to earn from. Sometimes, you get disqualified, and can’t successfully complete it.
When you first register for Swagbucks Answers, which is their survey service, you’ll receive 5 SB. Note that the surveys available depend on the information you provide and the selections you make while registering. When you are done with the setup, you’ll find very few or no survey offers at all. See the screenshot below for an example.
I only have two surveys available, and each pays 9 and 2 SB respectively. 100 SB is $1. Mathematically, completing these two will only give me 11 SB, which is approximately 15 naira (if naira is 1,500/$).
From the image, the 9 SB survey will last about 23 minutes and it’s not guaranteed, meaning that you might be disqualified after some time. However, the second survey of 2 SB has the guaranteed badge, which means you’ll qualify and get paid. But it still doesn’t make any sense when you consider the amount of time and data you are burning on such low offers.
The problem isn’t Swagbucks itself but Nigeria. Those in Western countries will have access to competitive offers and easily make $10 in one day doing Swagbucks surveys, unlike in Nigeria.
So, those posts claiming you can make $100 a month on Swagbucks are big, fat lies. None of them has ever made that much even in a year, if we are to investigate.
As for the Support…
If you encounter problems, you can contact the support. Unfortunately, they don’t respond quickly. You should be expecting up to 10 days or more before receiving a response from an agent.
How Do You Withdraw Swagbucks in Nigeria?
The minimum threshold for cashing out via PayPal is 2,500 Swagbucks points, which is $25. The threshold for gift cards is 300 Swagbucks points ($3). As a Nigerian, the best withdrawal method is AirTM. You must reach the minimum withdrawal threshold of 500 SB ($5).
- Go to your Profile by tapping on the profile icon.
- Select Redeem your SB
- Search for AirTM
- Review the conversion rate
- Confirm withdrawal
- Verify your email address and account information and get paid in Naira via AirTM
Verdict
While Swagbucks is real in Nigeria, it’s not worth it due to the low price and unavailability of tasks, surveys, games, etc. For some people, it’s a waste of time in Nigeria.
As for those social media influencers who push for you to join these platforms, none of them actually do it for real. They only spend a few minutes on the site, and then return to preach how good it is just for content.
Ps. This review should not discourage you in any way. I’m only preparing your mind for the real thing to expect, not the fake screenshots all over the internet. At least, now that you know what to expect, it’s easier to manage your expectations and not overwork or waste your time for pennies.
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