Free Amazon gift cards: 7 legit ways to earn them (and the scams to ignore)

Search for a free Amazon gift card and you'll find a strange mix of results: code generators, giveaways that end in endless surveys, and people swearing it's all fake. The truth sits in between. Amazon gift cards really can be earned for free, just not instantly, and not from a website that promises a $100 code for three clicks.

Here are seven legitimate ways to earn Amazon gift cards, how long each one realistically takes, and the scams that catch people every day.

7 legit ways to get a free Amazon gift card

Method	What you do	How fast
Rewards and survey sites	Surveys, games and offers, then cash out to a gift card	Days to weeks
Microsoft Rewards	Search with Bing and complete daily activities	Weeks to months
Amazon Shopper Panel	Upload receipts from other shops (invite only)	Up to $10 a month
Amazon Trade-In	Trade in old devices	After the item arrives
Credit card points	Redeem points you already have	Immediately if you have points
Receipt and cashback apps	Scan receipts or shop through the app	Weeks
User testing and research	Test websites or take part in studies	1 to 2 weeks per payment

1. Rewards and survey sites

Most rewards sites let you cash out to gift cards as well as PayPal. You earn by taking surveys, trying apps and playing games to set goals. Game offers pay the most per task, as we cover in how to make money playing games on your phone, while surveys fill small gaps. On Vazpop, gift cards are one of the cashout options alongside PayPal and crypto.

2. Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft pays points for searching with Bing, completing daily quizzes and using some Microsoft services. In the US, an Amazon gift card costs 13,000 points on the Microsoft Rewards store. They're often out of stock for a while, because Microsoft releases a limited number, so check back if you don't see one.

3. Amazon Shopper Panel

Amazon's own program pays up to $10 a month for uploading receipts from purchases made elsewhere and answering short surveys, paid as Amazon balance. It's invite-only with a waitlist, and the rewards per receipt have been reduced over time, so treat it as a bonus if you get in. You can join the waitlist at the Amazon Shopper Panel page.

4. Amazon Trade-In

Old phones, tablets, e-readers, games consoles and some books can be traded in for Amazon gift card credit through Amazon Trade-In. You may get more by selling privately, but trade-in is quick and certain.

Real gift cards are earned a little at a time. Anything promising a big one instantly wants something from you. Photo by Ekaterina Shevchenko on Unsplash.

5. Credit card points

If you already have a rewards credit card, check its redemption catalogue: many offer Amazon gift cards or let you pay with points at Amazon checkout. Compare the value per point, since gift cards sometimes give a worse rate than cash back.

6. Receipt and cashback apps

Apps that pay you for scanning receipts or shopping through them often offer Amazon gift cards as a reward option. Small amounts, but for purchases you'd make anyway.

7. User testing and research studies

Many testing and research platforms pay in gift cards or PayPal. They're slower to start but pay better per hour, as our guide on testing apps and websites explains.

How long does a $25 Amazon gift card really take?

Here's a realistic example for someone in the US spending about 15 minutes a day. Microsoft Rewards daily searches and activities add up slowly, so they're a background source over a couple of months. On a rewards site, one game offer completed over a week might pay $8 to $15, and a few short surveys in spare moments add a few dollars more. Trade in an old phone or tablet and you might cover the rest in one go. Put together, a $25 card within two to four weeks is realistic. A $100 card in a day is not, whatever a website promises.

The free Amazon gift card scams to ignore

• Code generators. Amazon codes can't be generated or guessed. These sites collect your data or install malware.
• "You've been selected" giveaways. A pop-up or message says you've won a $500 Amazon card. It ends with a request for card details or a "small fee."
• Endless survey funnels. "Complete one more offer to unlock your card" never ends, and the card never comes.
• Anyone asking you to pay with gift cards. The FTC is clear: real businesses and government agencies don't ask for gift card payments. Its guide on avoiding gift card scams covers what to do if it happens.
• "Buy these cards and send me the codes" jobs. Classic scam. You'll never be reimbursed.

The fastest realistic route to a free Amazon gift card

Combine two or three methods rather than relying on one. For example: run Microsoft Rewards in the background, do a game offer or two on a rewards site, and trade in an old device. That could realistically add up to a $25 Amazon gift card within a few weeks, without spending anything.

If you want the rewards site part in one place, you can join Vazpop free, see the offers available in your country, and cash out to a gift card once you reach the minimum.