You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t at least heard of the websites that promise to give you free electronics and money, among other things, in exchange for you completely an offer. There are plenty of banners, images, pop-up windows and websites floating all over the internet advertising these types of websites.
Well, I’m here to tell you that some of these sites are in fact legitimate. That’s right. Legitimate. I’m not crying foul or scam on these!
These “free gift” sites all work in the same manner: You, the user, complete a specified number of offers. These offers vary from signing up and getting approved for a credit card, ordering stamps from a US stamps website, or signing up for various trials at various sites, some of them well known (such as Blockbuster and Netflix). Then, depending on the site, you either complete several offers and are approved for your “free gift”, or you complete one offer and refer a certain amount of people to do the same, and you are then approved for your “free gift”.
There are some things you should know before trying out these free gift sites:
First, do your research.
There are hundreds of websites offering free gifts in exchange for you and/or your “referrers” completing offers, but how many of them are legitimate and follow through on their end of the deal? Off of the top of my head I can tell you of two that are legitimate, and this is from my own personal experience: Gratis and OfferCentric. Each company operates a handful of “free gift” sites. These sites each offer specific items – ipods, gaming systems, and computers, just to name a few of the types of things offered. All of the sites also offer cash (via Paypal) in lieu of the other items on the sites.
Second, read the rules.
Like I said earlier, these sites are legitimate and will pay out – if you follow the rules. Standard rules include only one account per household (mailing address), no signing up as your own referrer, no spamming email lists, message boards and the like, and no walking your referrers through the process of signing up and completing an offer.
Another big rule has to do with the trials themselves: read the rules of each offer carefully. Don’t just sign up for an offer and then cancel as soon as your account is credited, or worse yet, before. Ultimately these free gift sites are aiming to drive traffic and sales to advertisers (such as Blockbuster and Netflix). To sign up, get credit and then immediately cancel doesn’t do that.
There are assuredly other rules, so be sure to read each and every one of them.
Third, know what you’re getting into.
Some sites require you to complete one offer, and refer a certain number of other people to do the same. This number varies, but is generally based on the monetary value of the free gift. Other sites require or allow you to do ALL of the offers required to get your free gift. A lot of the sites give you one “credit” per offer. Other sites allot certain offers 1/4 of a credit, others 1/2 of a credit, and still others one full credit. Typically this is based on the cost of the offer itself.
Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you need to do. Don’t just jump in with both feet, because you may find you don’t have the time, desire or ability to complete a certain number of offers or get a certain number of other people to do the same.
Fourth, document everything.
Save all sign up and confirmation emails, both from the free gift company and from the offers themselves. You’ll need these emails in case there is some sort of quirk and you don’t get credited for an offer, or you need to cancel a trial or contact a company directly.
Also keep track of the time spent doing offers and referring other people. Some sites, Gratis and OfferCentric included, are now placing time constraints on accounts. Users are granted 90 days to complete their offer and refer others to do the same. If after 90 days you do not have all offers completed, your account is closed and you will not be able to sign up again. Of course there are some exceptions to this – why is why I stress again how crucial it is to read the rules and know what you’re getting into!
Still feeling skeptical? Well, that’s perfectly understandable. I felt that way too. But then I decided to take the plunge, and here I am, two years later, with a free iPod from Gratis and a free laptop (view my photo on notebooks4free.com gallery!) from OfferCentric, and in the process of getting a Nintendo Wii from Gratis’ new venture, Shop FreePay.
Hello, and welcome to In My Bag! My name is Jenn, and this is my product review blog. In My Bag is where I showcase my reviews of many of the products and services I buy and use, as well as the occasional trials, coupons and freebies that come my way. Interested in learning more? 
You really got a laptop for free? I’ve just never known anyone who actually got something like that for free from one of those websites. Hmm…you have me interested now…. This blog is a neat idea by the way.
I think I’ll try for a free ipod because I have so much time on my hands! LOL! But seriously I’ve seen a lot of people who got the free ipod and laptop and they were happy campers.