Look what I got for FREE!

Six months ago I told you all about how I got a free Xbox 360 Elite, iPod Touch and more for free. I try not to blog about this too often because some of you think this is a scam and some of you just get too envious, but for everyone else, twice a year doesn’t feel like too much to keep you updated on the free stuff I earn and information on how you can get these items for free, too.

Since my last post on freebie sites 6 months ago, I’ve earned a free Canon HD video camera, and external microphone for it, and a Macbook for my wife. All for free. Not bad, eh? Here are some proof pictures. (Click an image to see it larger.)

How it works

1. Companies (like Blockbuster, for example) are looking for new potential customers to try out their products and services.

2. Blockbuster goes to the Bonus Network and says, “Hey, we’ll give you $80 for every customer you send our way to try out our online DVD rental service.” (Some advertisers pay Bonus Network $80, some pay them $40.)

3. So Bonus Network comes to you and says, “If you try out Blockbuster’s service and refer other people to try it through us, or one of our other advertising partner’s services, we’ll split the $80 with you for each person you recruit.”

4. You try out Blockbuster’s service and get 6 other people to try it, too (or another product/service offered through Bonus Network’s site) by giving your friends and family a special link that Bonus provides for you to share. (Of course, your friends can then get people to sign-up under their special link so they can work toward a free prize, too, but know that the people they refer have no benefit for you.)

5. After your 6 friends try a product or service, Bonus Network says, “Thanks! We’ll give you $240 ($40/referral x 6 referrals) or an iPod Touch. Which do you want?”

6. About a week later, your prize shows up in the mail, or your money shows up in your PayPal account.

Interview with co-owner of Bonus Network

Last October I interviewed a co-owner of the Bonus Network, Fehz, about his company and how it all works. Watch it below:

List of Bonus Network sites

*The login you create at one Bonus Network site is valid for all the other sites.

Prizes	Sign-up Link	100% Legit
iPod Touch, Nano, Classic, Shuffle, cash	BonusiPod.com
iPhone, Apple gift card, cash	BonusiPhone.com
Wii, Wii Fit, cash	BonusWii.com
Xbox 360, Halo 3 edition, Xbox 360 Elite, cash	BonusXbox360.com
PlayStation 3 (40 GB), PlayStation 3 (80 GB), cash	BonusPS3.com
Laptops from Apple, Sony, HP, Dell, more, cash	BonusLaptops.com
Plasma TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, more, cash	BonusPlasmas.com

Common excuses

Most people would love to earn some of these free prizes, but there’s three common excuses:

1. It’s a scam!
2. I’ll get hit with a ton of spam mail.
3. Completing offers costs more than the prize itself!
4. I don’t think I can get others to complete referrals for me.

For #1, check out my story above and the links below. I’ve done it several times and received several prizes, so I know it’s not a scam.

Concerning #2, I have not received one single shred of spam as a result of completing these trial offers or freebie sites, not via email nor postal mail. These companies actually have pretty aggressive privacy statements.

Number 3 also is not true. I’ve paid about a total of $100 out-of-pocket for all these free things combined. The most I ever paid for a single offer was $24.98 for a sheet of photo stamps. Most offers cost between absolutely nothing and $15. Some of the services I stuck with past the trial because I really liked what they offered. Some of them I didn’t like and canceled when the trial period was over. There’s no commitment either way, except that you complete the offer and give it a fair chance.

And about #4, check out this post I wrote that gives 10 ideas for how to earn referrals for your freebie site. They work for me, anyway. It may take some patience and persistence to get the first prize (especially if you’re going for a big one), but after it shows up on your doorstep and you have physical proof for the skeptics, all the other prizes flow in pretty easily. In fact, after I got my Xbox 360 Elite, I tried for the 16 GB iPod Touch and it took only 5 days to get all the referrals I needed!

My other prizes

For almost two years now I’ve been getting free stuff from freebie sites online. The list of prizes I’ve received is too long to name each item individually, but here’s a start:

• FREE Xbox 360 Elite, 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription, Halo 3
• FREE 16 GB iPod Touch
• FREE 32 GB iPod Touch
• Canon HD video camera, external mic for the video camera, Macbook. See above. (I took cash prizes and purchased these items on my own.)
• and thousands of dollars in cash from the iPhone site, PS3 site, Wii site, and more.

If you have any questions about the process, I’ve done it many many times, so feel free to ask in the comments below. Fehz, a co-owner of the Bonus Network, will also be around this post in case you have any questions for him, too.

It’s been a couple months since I’ve posted about this and, since Life In Student Ministry has hundreds of new readers since then, I wanted to share this with everyone again, especially the new-comers. Welcome!

For over a year now I’ve been getting free stuff from freebie sites online. The list of prizes I’ve received is too long to name each item individually, but here’s a start:

• FREE Xbox 360 Elite, 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription, Halo 3
• FREE 16 GB iPod Touch
• FREE 32 GB iPod Touch
• and thousands of dollars in cash from the iPhone site, PS3 site, Wii site, and more.

Check out those links above for pictures and screenshots of the free iPod Touches, Xbox 360 Elite, and PayPal cash payments as proof that I really do get this stuff for free. For example, here’s the 16 GB iPod Touch I got for free and the Xbox 360 Elite I also got for FREE (click to see full-size):

Interview with co-owner of Bonus Network

Recently I was fortunate enough to be able to interview a co-owner of the Bonus Network, the company I use that gives all this stuff (and more) away. Watch it below:

List of Bonus Network sites

*The login you create at one Bonus Network site is valid for all the other sites.

Prizes	Sign-up Link	100% Legit
iPod Touch, Nano, Classic, Shuffle, cash	BonusiPod.com
iPhone, Apple gift card, cash	BonusiPhone.com
Wii, Wii Fit, cash	BonusWii.com
Xbox 360, Halo 3 edition, Xbox 360 Elite, cash	BonusXbox360.com
PlayStation 3 (40 GB), PlayStation 3 (80 GB), cash	BonusPS3.com
Laptops from Apple, Sony, HP, Dell, more, cash	BonusLaptops.com
Plasma TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, more, cash	BonusPlasmas.com

How it works

1. Click one the sites listed above and sign up there to create an account.

2. Complete 1 or 2 trial offers (like Blockbuster, Netflix, a credit history check for $1.00, etc.) to reach 100% credit (found under the “Offers” tab when logged in to the Bonus site).

3. Use the your referral link found on the “Status” page of your account to give to other people to sign up for the site and also complete 1 or 2 trail offers.

4. Once they do so, receive your prize for FREE!

My story

It honestly isn’t any more difficult than that. I know it sounds too good to be true, but I promise it is 100% credible. I’ve received so many prizes that I actually stopped blogging about each one as to not annoy you all with it each time. Seriously, just try it out. I guarantee it works and is completely legitimate.

My total out-of-pocket expenses for all the trial offers combined that I’ve completed is about $100. Not bad for an Xbox 360 Elite, Xbox Live Gold, Halo 3, two iPod Touches and thousands of dollars in cash! Some of the offers are even completely free and others cost only $1.00. Just try out an advertiser’s service for a period of time, get some friends to do the same through your Bonus Network referral link, and you get your free prize. Here’s a summary I wrote a while back about my experiences with some of the trial offers I’ve completed so far. (Note that not all of the offers I mention are still available.)

Here are 10 ideas for getting referrals, which is exactly how I earn them myself. And after your first prize shows up, it becomes very easy to earn more because now you have proof for anyone who is skeptical. After I got my Xbox 360 Elite, I tried for an iPod Touch and it took only 5 days to get all the referrals I needed because everyone actually saw my Xbox and knew it would work, because it does!

And as Fehz said in the video above, Bonus Network guarantees that you will receive credit for any trial offer you do with an advertiser through them, even in the rare case that something goes wrong with it. All you have to do is send Bonus a copy of your confirmation email from the advertiser and they will gladly give you full credit for your efforts, so there’s really no risk in trying it.

Common excuses

Most people would love to earn some of these free prizes, but there’s three common excuses:

1. It’s a scam!
2. I’ll get hit with a ton of spam mail.
3. Completing offers costs more than the prize itself!
4. I don’t think I can get others to complete referrals for me.

For #1, check out the links above. I’ve done it several times and received several prizes, so I know it’s not a scam. Concerning #2, I have not received one single shred of spam as a result of completing these trial offers or freebie sites, not via email nor postal mail. These companies actually have pretty aggressive privacy statements. Number 3 also is not true. As I said above, I’ve paid about a total of $100 out-of-pocket for all these free things combined. The most I ever paid for a single offer was $24.98 for a sheet of photo stamps. Most offers cost between absolutely nothing and $5. And about #4, check out this post I wrote that gives 10 ideas for how to earn referrals for your freebie site. They work for me, anyway!

If you have any questions about the process, I’ve done it many many times, so feel free to ask in the comments below. Fehz, a co-owner of the Bonus Network, will also be around this post in case you have any questions for him, too.

By now you’ve probably heard all the sweet features coming out on the new iPhone 2.0 in July. It’s enough to make anyone drool! Fortunately, the prices are coming down, but most youth pastor salaries still don’t quite afford the luxuries of such toys. That’s why I’ve been working freebie sites to get a lot of these things for FREE instead.

Here’s what I’ve earned for free so far:

• FREE Xbox 360 Elite
• FREE 12-month subscription to Xbox Live
• FREE Halo 3 video game
• FREE 16 GB iPod Touch
• FREE $580 cash in place of an iPhone
• FREE 32 GB iPod Touch
• $160 cash (click screenshot below)
• $250 cash in place of a free Nintendo Wii (click screenshot below)
• $375 cash in place of a free PS3 (screenshot coming soon)

I interviewed a co-owner of the Bonus Network, the company that gives all this stuff away. Watch it below:

These freebie sites work because advertisers pay them for every trial customer they send their way. The freebie site then splits their income with you in form of cash or a free gift. And all the companies that participate are reputable companies with trial offers you might like to try out anyway, such as Blockbuster, Netflix, Stamps.com, Photostamps.com, Gamefly.com, etc., so it’s really a win-win situation for everyone. If, at the end of your trial, you decide that the service isn’t for you, you’re totally free to cancel it and move on without any further obligation. Either way, you still earn credit at the freebie site just for checking it out. (Check here for a list of some of the trial offers I’ve completed and my experience with each one.) Once you reach 100% credit for completing your trial offer, refer a couple other people to sign up for the freebie site under your unique referral link and get your free electronics or cash as they also complete trial offers!

In case you’d like to get free Apple products or cash, too, here’s how it works step-by-step.

FREE iPhone or iPod Touch

1. For the iPod Touch, click this link: http://www.bonusipods.com/?referral=10265
2. For the iPhone, click this link: http://www.bonusiphone.com/?referral=10265
3. Sign up to create an account.
4. Complete 1 or 2 trial offers (like Blockbuster, Netflix or BlueHost hosting, etc.) to get 100% credit and then refer other people to do the same under your referral link.
5. After you refer enough people who also complete 1 or 2 trial offers, you receive your iPhone, iPod Touch, or cash for FREE!

It honestly isn’t any more difficult than that. If you have any questions about the process, I’ve done it many times, so feel free to ask in the comments below. If you want some tips on how to earn referrals, check out these 10 ideas.

One important tip
Make sure your browser is set to accept all cookies while you go through the sign-up process both at the freebie site and when you complete offers. If you click an offer and don’t sign up for it on that visit, make sure you clear your cookies before going back to it again. Otherwise the tracking cookie might not register that you signed up for their service from the freebie site and you’ll have to request a manual credit, which can take several weeks to be approved.

Ever since I started getting free stuff like an Xbox 360 Elite, Halo 3, 12-month subscription to Xbox Live, a 16GB iPod Touch, and now $580 cash from freebie sites, the comments and emails I get are, “Wow, I want to do this, too, but how can I get people to sign up under my referral link?” Here are some ideas.

1. Be patient.
The key this is patience. We’re all excited by the prospect of getting such cool gadgets or cash for free, but it will take some patience. It took me almost 3 months to get all the referrals I needed for my first freebie — an Xbox 360 Elite — because people think it’s a scam or are naturally skeptical (as I was at first). But after my Xbox finally arrived in the mail and I had physical proof that it’s real, it’s been a lot easier. In fact, after I had proof from the Xbox, the iPod Touch freebie site only took me 5 days to get the 8 referrals I needed for the 16 GB version! (In fact, I even went over by 2.)

From what I’ve seen around the Internet, the story is true for almost everyone. The first freebie takes a while to get, but after it shows up in the mail and you have evidence for your friends, the rest of the freebies roll in a lot easier. So, be patient, stick with it and you’ll get free stuff faster after you complete your first freebie site.

2. Talk to friends.
This is probably going to be your best bet for getting referrals. Just bring it up and tell people about it. Not everyone will be interested, but you don’t need everyone to be interested — you only need a couple. “Hey, do you have an iPod?… Do you like it?… I don’t have one, but I’m trying to get the iPod Touch for free… It’s actually really simple. It works like this…”

3. Post a note in Facebook.
When you post it in Facebook, chances are many of your friends will see it. Don’t write a 5-page essay or something people won’t bother to read — keep it short, sweet, clear and concise.

4. Write about it on your blog.
If you have one, copy and paste your Facebook note to your blog.

5. Post your link in the sidebar of your blog.
Since blog posts quickly get pushed off the front page and buried in the archives, put a link to that blog post in your sidebar so it appears on every page of your site. See my site for an example.

6. Email all your friends about it.
This probably doesn’t need much of an explanation. Mass email to your address book!

7. Put the link in your email signature.
Put either your referral link or a link to your blog post at the end of every email when you sign your name. Most email has a featured called “email signature” that will automatically attach whatever text you want to the end of every email when you send it.

8. Put the link in your forum signatures.
If you’re active on any forums, put your referral link or a link to your blog post in your signature there. That way it will appear every time you reply or start a new thread. If you have a reputation for being helpful and honest, you’ll probably do pretty well there.

9. Put the link in your instant messenger away message.
Those who use instant messaging software tend to have pretty extensive buddy lists. Put your link in your IM profile. When you’re away from the computer, put up an away message that displays info about how you’re getting a certain prize for free and how they can too.

10. Use the freebie site’s promotional tools.
When you login to your account at a freebie site, they provide you with a couple great promotional tools, including HTML and forum code you can copy and paste into your blog or forum signatures, and professional graphics to use. Take advantage of these tools. They want you to refer people to their site just as badly as you do, so they’re more than happy to help you do it. (Find some of these tools in your Bonus Network account by clicking on the “Account” tab at the top of the page.)

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Wait a second, what in the world is a freebie site?

If you’re reading this and have no idea what I’m talking about, basically there’s websites out there that will give you cool electronics or cash for FREE if you sign up on their site, complete a couple trial offers from one or more of their partnering companies and then refer a certain number of other people to do the same. These freebie websites send potential customers, like yourself and your friends, to companies to try their products and services with no obligation. (Although you can cancel at any time, I recommend you be fair to the company and give them a try since they’re helping you get your free stuff). In return, the freebie website gets a commission from the company whose trial you signed up. The freebie website then spends part of it on sending you a nice thank-you in the form of cash or a cool gift like an Xbox, iPod Touch, iPhone, even HDTVs. It’s all 100% legit. I know because I’ve received several gifts myself. See here and here for proof pictures.

How much is this going to cost me?
It depends on which trial offer(s) you decide to try. Some, like trying Stamps.com for a month, are complete free and won’t cost you a penny. Others, like PhotoStamps.com, require only a 1-time cheap purchase and that’s it. Every company is real and legit and most are offers you might want to try anyway, like a month of Blockbuster or Netflix.

Wanna get started? FREE iPhone, iPods, or cash
Right now you can help me out by signing up for either the iPods site or a iPhone site.

If you need help or have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below. I’ve cashed out on a couple sites already, so I’ve been through the process several times.

Have fun!

Last month I posted about how I got a free Xbox 360 Elite and told you I was going to go for the 16GB iPod Touch next with the same company. Well, today my FREE 16GB iPod Touch arrived! Here’s the timeline:

1. October 26, 2007: I sign up at BonusiPods.com under someone else’s referral link and signed up for a couple trial offers. My account is credited that same day.
2. November 30, 2007: I posted about how I got my free Xbox 360 and also posted my referral link for the free iPod Touch.
3. December 5, 2007: Only a few days later I had enough referrals of people who completed an offer to get a free iPod Touch of their own. So, I submitted my account for review.
4. December 8, 2007: My account is approved and I submit my order for the 16GB iPod Touch.
5. December 9, 2007: The next day my iPod is shipped.
6. December 17, 2007: My FREE 16GB iPod Touch arrived in the mail!

Here are the proof pictures (click to see full-size):

UPDATE: I interviewed a co-owner of the Bonus Network, the company that gives all this stuff away. Watch it below. For more information about the Bonus Network and how all this works, read my more detailed post about free iPods, iPhones, Xbox 360s, Macbooks, Wii, PS3s, cash, and more.

If you want a free iPod Touch, too, sign up under this referral link.

Get an iPhone for FREE!

Now that both my Xbox Elite and iPod Touch are here, I’m going for a free iPhone through the same company. Instead of taking the iPhone, though, I’m going to take the cash offer instead to put toward vacation next summer. Obviously I have first-hand evidence that this is real and legit, not a rip-off scam or some pain-in-the-neck process. Here’s how you can get a FREE iPhone (or cash):

1. Click this link: http://www.bonusiphone.com/?referral=10265
2. Sign up to create an account.
3. Complete 1 or 2 offers (like Blockbuster, Netflix or BlueHost hosting, etc.) to get 100% credit and then refer other people to do the same under your referral link.
4. Receive your iPhone for FREE!

It honestly isn’t any more difficult than that. If you have any questions about the process, I’ve done it twice, so feel free to ask in the comments below.

A little tip:
If you click an offer and don’t sign up for it on that visit, make sure you clear your browser’s cookies before going back to it again from your BonusiPhone/BonusiPods account. Otherwise the tracking cookie might not register that you signed up for their service from BonusiPods.com/BonusiPhone.com and you’ll have to request a manual credit, which can take several weeks.