The Freebie Guide

Freebie Sites

1. Are Freebie Sites real?

   Yes! Thousands of people just like you have already received great gifts from freebie sites. Check out out Photo Proof section for picture evidence of real people receiving their freebies.

2. Are all Freebie Sites legitimate?

   No. Although there are many legitimate freebie sites online, there are some sites which are scams. All sites featured on thefreebieguide.net have been proven 100% legitimate (real people have already received their prizes). Take a look at our Legit Freebie Directory to find out which sites are legitimate.

3. What is the best Freebie Site?

   Everyone seems to have a different opinion as to what sites are the best. When choosing a site, take a look at the offer and referral requirements. Do some research online to see what other people are saying about the site.

4. How do Freebie Sites Work?

   Freebie Sites work by "incentivized marketing". What this means is that the Freebie site makes money by sending new customers (you) to advertisers, for which they receive a commission. Then, the freebie site rewards you with a prize. For more information, check out our How It Works page.

Freebie Site Registration

1. How do I register for a freebie site?

   Simply go the the website of the freebie, and sign up with a valid email address. Be aware that you cannot sign up through a proxy (this includes some ISPs such as AOL). Always sign up from your OWN computer, and never let anyone else sign up or check their account from your computer. Never sign up or log into a freebie sites from a public place (like a library or a internet cafe) as you may be accused of having multiple accounts.

2. Do I have to register as a referred user?

   You do not have to be referred by someone to join a freebie site, but we highly recommend it. If you are signing up, your registration might as well count towards someone else's reward, that way everybody gets their prize faster! People who sign up unreferred are just giving extra money to the freebie site.

3. Should I use my real information?

   Yes! Always use your real information. Remember, these sites are legitimate, and they need your correct information to send you your prize.

4. I live outside the U.S., can I still register for a freebie?

   Lots of freebie sites are now open worldwide. Check our Legit Freebie Directory to see which legitimate sites are offered in your area.

5. How old do I have to be to register for a freebie?

   Any age requirements and other eligibility issues will appear in the freebie site's Terms and Conditions.

6. Do I need to read the Terms and Conditions?

   You should always read the terms and conditions before joining a freebie site. This will help you to understand what to do to receive your prize, and will ensure that you don't do anything wrong.

7. Is my personal information secure?

   All freebie sites listed in the Freebie Directory are safe and will not sell your information or send you spam. When you register, be sure uncheck any boxes for receiving news and bulletins if you do not wish to receive emails.

8. Can I do the same freebie site twice?

   As a rule, you may never have more than one account per household on each freebie site. You may participate in more than one freebie site at the same network (for example, you can do a Free iPod site and a Free PS3 site from the same network, provided the sites are different. On very rare occasions you may complete a site more than once. Check the Terms and Conditions to see if this is the case. IMPORTANT : Make sure that you are the ONLY person to sign up and access an account from your computer, and NEVER log into your account from a different computer, or you run the risk of being accused of having multiple accounts.

Freebie Offers

1. What is an offer?

   An offer is a discounted or free trial product or service from an affiliate company. Most offers cost less than $5 (many are completely free) and are great products from well-known advertisers. You can find out more information on our Offers Page.

2. Why do I need to do an offer?

   Freebie Sites can afford to give you a free iPod, free PS3, or other great gift because they are paid every time one of their customers completes an offer on an affiliate site. Learn how this works on our Offers Page.

3. Should I use my real information?

   Yes, you should use your real information, otherwise you can be accused of offer fraud.

4. Can I do the same offer more than once?

   No! This is the number one reason that people go on hold. You may NEVER do an offer more than once, even on different freebie sites. Once you have done an offer, you may never complete that offer again. We recommend keeping a spreadsheet or notebook to keep track of which offers you have completed.

5. Do I need to use a credit card?

   Most offers require a credit card, but there are some which do not. Check the list of offers to see what the requirements are. We have a page specifically about freebie sites which do not require a credit card: No Credit Card Freebies.

6. Which offer should I do?

   You should always pick an offer that you are genuinely interested in. thefreebieguide.net does not endorse signing up for an offer that you are not interested in "just for credit". Remember that without the offers, you would not be able to get great things for free!

7. Will I get spam?

   While most offer companies will not send you spam, it is recommended to create a secondary email address (such as a Hotmail or Gmail address) for use with the offers.

8. Can I sign up and then just cancel?

   Signing up and cancelling straight away is often considered offer fraud. Doing so indicates that you were not genuinely interested in the offer, which is against the Terms and Conditions of most freebie sites. You should give every offer that you sign up for a try - most of them are great products!

9. What is "offer fraud"?

   Trying to cheat at offers is called "offer fraud". Some types of offer fraud are signing up with false information, completing the same offer multiple times and signing up and immediately cancelling. If you are found to be frauding offers, you may go on hold at the freebie site.

Offer Crediting

1. What does "offer credit" mean?

   To receive your freebie, you need to be "credited" for completing an offer. This means that the offer company has informed the freebie company that you completed the offer through their site.

2. How long will it take to get credit for completing an offer?

   Most freebie sites will list the approximate time it takes for credit to appear. If your credit is overdue, don't panic! Sometimes credit takes a little longer than expected. Remember that weekends and holidays do not count as business days.

3. How can I make sure that I get credited for completing an offer?

   There are several important steps to ensure that you receive credit for doing your offer :

   •Use Internet Explorer to complete your offers (other browsers may not track your offer correctly).

   •Delete all cookies from your browser immediately before completing the offer. In Internet Explorer 6, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> General and click "Delete Cookies" under the heading "Temporary Internet Files" (click OK for delete all cookies). In Internet Explorer 7, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> General and click "Delete" then select "Delete Cookies" and click OK.

   •Temporarily turn off any firewalls or filters until you complete the offer.

   •Keep any confirmation emails you receive from the offer site.

4. How do I know if my offer has credited?

   Log into your account at the freebie site and check your Status, it should indicate how many offers you have completed (this will only show credited offers).

Referrals

1. What is a referral?

   A referral is someone who signs up at the same freebie site as you, but under your name (you have "referred" this person to the site).

2. Why do I need to get referrals?

   Freebie sites make money by having people complete offers. In order to be able to pay for your prize, the freebie site requires a certain number of people to sign up and do an offer, which is how they make money.

3. Can I refer myself?

   No! You may only have one account at each freebie site. If you have multiple accounts, they will all be placed on hold.

4. What is a "referral link" or "referral id"?

   When you join a freebie site, you will be assigned a unique referral ID (usually a number). Your "referral link" is a web address (URL) that points to the registration page for the freebie site with your referral ID included. Anyone who joins the freebie site directly from clicking on your referral link will be referred by you, and if they complete the offer requirements they will count towards the number of people you need to refer to get your prize. You can find your referral link on your status page when you log into your account.

5. Are there any freebie sites that don't require referrals?

   Yes! There are some sites called DIY (do-it-yourself) sites, or "points" sites, which allow you to obtain a prize without referring people. On these sites, you complete a number of offers yourself to get your freebie.

6. How do I refer someone?

   To refer someone, give them your referral link (they can copy and paste it into their internet browser) and have them sign up for the freebie. Remember that each person must sign up from their own computer.

7. I've heard people talking about "yellow" and "green" referrals, what does this mean?

   A "yellow" referral is a person who has signed up using your referral link, but has not yet been credited for completed the offer requirements. Either they have not done enough offers yet, or they have done the offers but have not yet received credit for doing so. A "green" referral is a person who has signed up using your referral link, and has been credited for completing the offer requirements. Only green referrals count towards the total number of people you need to refer to get your freebie.

8. How do I know how many referrals I need?

   Log into your account at the freebie site and check the prize requirements, either on your status page or on a page where you can select which prize you want, it will show how many people you need to refer.

9. Do all my referrals count towards my prize requirements?

   Only green referrals count towards the total number of people you need to refer to get your freebie.

10. One of my referrals is "red" or "on hold". What does this mean?

    A "red" referral is someone who has gone "on hold". This referral has broken the Terms and Conditions of the freebie site (they may have created multiple accounts or committed offer fraud). Red referrals do not count towards the total number of people you need to refer.

11. How do I get referrals?

    Check out our in-depth Referral Guide for lots of free and easy ways to get referrals.

12. How can I tell how many referrals I have?

    When you log into your account at the freebie site, you should see a list of the email addresses of people you have referred (this is usually on your status page).

13. I referred someone, but they don't appear in my referral list. Why?

    If someone joins the freebie site by using your referral link, they will appear in your referral list immediately. If someone claims to have signed up using your referral link but their email address does not appear in your list of referrals, have them contact customer support at the freebie site. It is likely that they signed up unreferred or using someone else's link.

Holds

1. What does "on hold" mean?

   If the freebie site suspects you of breaking the Terms and Conditions, they will place your account "on hold". This means that you are not eligible to receive your freebie unless your account is taken off hold.

2. What can cause me to go "on hold"?

   There are several common ways that people get put on hold. These include : •Creating multiple accounts.

   •Logging in with an IP address associated with another account.

   •Falsifying information.

   •Frauding an offer, such as completing the same offer more than once.

   •Spamming your referral link.

   Each site may have additional regulations. Always read the Terms and Conditions to make sure that you don't break any of the site's rules.

3. Help, I'm on hold! What do I do?

   Most accounts which are placed on hold will not have the hold removed. Freebie sites take fraudulent activity very seriously. If your account is placed on hold, politely ask the customer support of the freebie site for the reasons for the hold, and try to see if there is any way to have the hold removed. Remember that the site is under no obligation to remove the hold from your account, or to even tell you the reason for the hold. Remaining calm and professional, rather than sending angry messages, will help increase your chances at getting the hold removed. If you have broken the Terms and Conditions, do not expect to have the hold removed.

4. One of my referrals is on hold. Is my account still ok?

   If your referral's account is on hold, but yours is not, your account is fine. You will need to find a different referral to replace the person who has gone on hold.

5. Can I get the hold removed?

   In some cases, a hold may be temporary. If you have broken the Terms and Conditions, it is extremely unlikely that the freebie site will remove the hold. If you have some proof that you did not break the Terms and Conditions, there is a chance that the hold will be removed, but the freebie site is under no obligation to do so.

Ordering and Shipping

1. I completed all the site requirements. Now what do I do?

   Once you have completed and been credited for your offer, and you have the required number of green referrals, you can request approval and order your prize. This is usually done from your status page. Just follow the instructions on the freebie site.

2. What is "approval"?

   Approval is a process where the freebie site checks your account, and your referrals' accounts, for fraudulent activity. If none is found, your account will be approved and you will be able to order your prize.

3. When will my freebie arrive?

   Most freebie shipping within the U.S. arrive within a few days of placing your order. There may be a long wait for items in high demand, depending on availability. If you are not given a shipping estimate, feel free to ask the customer support on the freebie site when you prize will arrive.

4. Do I have to pay for shipping?

   No, you do not have to pay for shipping (unless specifically mentioned for sites outside the U.S., although this is rare).

5. What is a custom order?

   Many sites allow you to place a "custom order". You can order an item that is not listed in the prizes on that freebie site, and they will try to get it for you. Just tell the customer support on the freebie site what prize you want, and they will tell you if you can get it, and how many referrals you will need.

6. Will the site ship outside the US?

   More and more freebie sites are now shipping to Canada and the UK. Some sites will provide the PayPal equivalent of a prize for people outside of the U.S. in lieu of the prize. Check the Terms and Conditions of the freebie site for details.