Free iPods, iPhones, Video Games, Cameras & TVs (Get A Free Gadget)

There is a scheme online which claims to offer free ipods, iphones, video games, cameras, TVs and other popular electronics and gadgets. On Actually Free this is referred to as a “get a free gadget” scheme. Some would call it a scam, not a scheme. This was more common a few years a ago. The companies that still do it are not doing anything illegal. Yet, they’ve received a lot of consumer complaints because the scheme can be misleading. Here’s how it works:

There are three parties involved, you, the freebie site and the advertisers.

The freebie site makes deals with advertisers to generate leads.

The freebie site lures you to their site with an ad that says “get a free gadget” (iPhone, TV, whatever).

Once you’re on the site you must select “offers” to complete before they’ll give you the freebie. An “offer” might be participating in a free trial, signing up for a new cable TV service, joining a movie club, or referring your friends. The “offers” are provided by the advertisers. Each offer that is completed is a new sale for the advertiser and they pay the freebie site for that lead. The freebie site uses these funds to pay for the free gadget whenever they’re actually earned.

In order to get the free gadget you must complete a certain number of offers. If you don’t complete all of them, then you don’t get the gadget. You can see how the freebie site makes money by sending leads to advertisers and rarely having to payout with the free gadgets. Most people don’t complete requirements to earn the freebie.

Are the Free Gadgets Actually Free?

If you can find a gadget where the only offers involved are NOT paid offers, then the gadget is potentially free. Since free trials and referring friends does not cost anything, you could theoretically get free gadgets. However, this requires persistent follow up and it might be irresponsible to refer friends if they’re not savvy on the process or persistent themselves. You could be the cause of letting a friend spend their money unwisely.

Back when these sites were more common, this article had links from legitimate news sources which demonstrated that payouts actually occurred. The only link which has not yet expired is this one from Josh Clark.

Sometimes offers will not be counted as “complete” unless you allow the free trial to end, meaning you have to pay at least one cycle for a subscription service. If this is the case, then the free gadget is not actually free.

Do not fall for movie club schemes. A movie club scheme is a commitment to buy a certain number of movies throughout the year. Up front they make it look like a good deal because the first few movies are free or extremely discounted. However, after you’ve purchased the first few movies, you have to buy the remaining movies at inflated prices.

If you have any problems with credit cards or any financial problems, then “get a free gadget” schemes are not for you. They’ll drag you even farther down into the bottomless pit of credit card debt. On the flip side, if you’re diligent with credit cards, and you’re organized and persistent enough to pay off your credit card in full every month, then you could potentially benefit from the “get a free gadget” scheme. However, the level of organization and persistence that is required is compounded.

A similar persistent attitude is also described on the Free Trials page. Free trials are free as long as you don’t let the trial expire. When you sign up for free trials, it’s suggested that you also setup an email reminder to cancel the trial a day before it ends. Yet, with “get a free gadget” schemes, instead of remembering to cancel just one free trial, you’ll have to remember to cancel 5 different trials, each ending at different times in order to prevent a charge on your credit card.

This is super inconvenient. The freebie site and the advertisers involved in “get a free gadget” schemes are betting that most people will not be diligent. Most will let the free trials expire and pay one or many cycles of a subscription with automatic credit card payments month after month. Most will start to complete offers to obtain their freebies but will not complete all required steps. The freebie site and the advertisers usually win that bet.

Fake Freebie Sites

Beyond the fact that the process makes it purposefully difficult to obtain the freebie, the possibility of a fake site makes the prospect even worse. When you come across a site offering to give you a free gadget in exchange for completing offers, you don’t really know if they’ll pay out. Here’s some steps to take to know if it’s even worth it to try:

Make sure you have an up to date antivirus program on your computer. When you a see a link to any suspicious site, you can also test it first with Norton Safe Web. This will only help you determine if the link is safe to click.

If the link is safe to click then you can click it to visit the website. Look for business information including the business name and location.

You can also do a whois search to see who owns the domain name. This may reveal the name and address of the business who owns the freebie site if the actual website does not display it clearly.

Then go to the state department where businesses are registered in the state where the business is located. They may have an entity search which you can perform to see if the business is actually registered where they say they are. This will at least tell you if the business exists. If at any point you’re able to obtain a phone number then you can call them. Just calling to see if someone answers the phone will help you avoid many fake sites and scams online. If someone actually answers the phone, then ask for statistics on their payouts. They may or may not give them to you.

Of course, you will also search online for reviews of the company and the website. See if they’re mentioned in any legitimate news sources (not blogs). Read any reviews from people who have tried it. Of course, positive reviews can be faked, and negative reviews can come from people who are simply not organized or persistent enough to receive the freebie.

Where To Find Legitimate “Get A Free Gadget” Sites

Actually Free does not maintain a directory for this type of freebie, and we do not really test these sites.

From previous research it seems that sites created by Transcendent Innovations might be an OK place to try this. (Not tested by Actually Free)

Another popular site that seems to have some attention is ProductTestingUSA.com (also not tested by Actually Free). Legitimate product testing might be a better way to go.

More Tips

If you proceed to try to get the freebie by completing offers, then just use a credit card. Credit Cards have built in protection and if you get charged falsely, the credit card company will potentially give you a refund.

Read all the fine print and plan according to their rules.

Set up an email reminder on your calendar for the end of free trials and cancel the service before your credit card gets charged. Also send back any required merchandise.

If you decide to participate in any paid offers, make sure you’re not committing to buy the company’s entire line of products or committing to spend more than what you have to pay up front.

Use a separate and distinct email address to avoid spam in your personal email. For offers where you just have to sign up and verify your email address, you can even use a temporary email that expires.