FAQ
Here we have tried to answer any and all questions you might have so you will find that most of the information can also be found across the other pages of the site. We aim to be the one-stop-shop for all the needs of every would-be Freebie Hunter so if you think that we have missed anything please feel free to ask us via e-mail at the 'Contact' page and we will do our best to reply swiftly and also add it to this FAQ. If you're looking for a list of international regions currently supported by the Free Gift Networks then please click here.
Is this for real?
Yes it is, take a look at the 'How It Works' section here for a complete breakdown, as well as Exceem's "I Got My Free Item" thread for posts from thousands of members who have all recieved free gifts from various different Networks worldwide. You can also find other proof in the 'Links' section of this site.
Is it really free?
Yes, so long as you choose to complete a free offer. These include the free trials such as Lovefilm DVD rental, and various credit card application offers.
Why does the Network want me to enter my address details?
To know where to send your gifts to! Also most Networks have a strict policy on one account per household, and so they check your home address along with your IP address to check that no one is defrauding this rule. You can find a more detailed explanation of this rule further down in the FAQ here, and in the 'Networks and Offers' section of the site along with a handy 'Do's and Don'ts' chart.
If this is free how come I need to enter card details with the Offer Company?
The Network, such as 'Freebiejeebies' or 'Real Incentives' will NEVER ask for your card details, but for some of the free offers like the free trials, the Offer Company (such as the very well established Lovefilm) hope that at the end of the free trial period you will continue to stay with them as a full paying customer, and so ask for your details in advance.
When the 2 week trial period is over they will automatically charge your card for the next month's worth of rentals (anything from £4 upwards depending on the package chosen). The Networks advise that to keep everybody happy you only complete offers that you are genuinely interested in sticking with, so if you don't fancy a Lovefilm account why not try a completely free credit card application offer instead?
Is there any way to gain offer completion status without actually completing an offer?
Yes there is, you can trade in 2 completed referrals on your account for offer completion, meaning that you never have to enter card details with an offer company if you really don't want to, although 2 referrals can be worth £50 in gift terms, so it works out a lot more expensive than a free or £5 offer!.
How long will my pending status last for?
The waiting time (known as a 'pending' status) for completion of the Lovefilm free trial is now only 4 days, but if this is still too long for you the most popular offers aside from this are the Coral Betting or Minxy Bingo offers, which cost £5 and £10 respectively but usually credit as completed within 10 minutes and carry absolutely no obligation/subscription after that initial money is spent. So it's a cheap, quick and hassle-free alternative to the free trial offers. Other offers sometimes carry pending statuses and they can last anything between a couple of days and a month. Remember also that with Lovefilm you must rent at least 1 DVD and return it before your offer will show as completed.
Is it safe to enter my details?
Yes it is, the Networks take data protection very seriously and you can view Freebiejeebies' Privacy Policy here. Each Offer Company has their own policies on data protection which you can find on their individual websites but they will never share your card details with the Network, the only communication they have with each other is when the Offer Company tells the Network of a completed offer, and this is an automated process anyway!
My offer still isn't showing as completed, and hasn't changed to pending either, is there a problem?
What might have happened is that your offer hasn't 'tracked' correctly, between Network and Offer Company. If after 5 days from completing it there is still no change on your status, raise a support ticket with the Network asking if they can help. They will then action a manual credit for you, usually after recieving screenshots of your Offer account to show that you have completed the Offer correctly. Most offers do track correctly but on occasion the system can fail, unfortunately it can take up to 30 days for a manual credit to clear.
Can my family be my referrals? / Can I create multiple accounts from the same address?
Unfortunately not, but this is for a very good reason. The Networks are only paid the bonus from the Offer Company for NEW customers, and so the Offer Companies will not pay out on 'New' customers living at the same address as old customers as a precaution against possible fraud (someone making multiple accounts in made-up names to give themselves referrals). So even if a genuine family member does everything required to complete an offer, the Network will not recieve payment and so they can't count the referral for you either. To stop this happening at an early stage the Networks only allow one account, per househould, per Site. If they find 2 accounts in breach of this (and they check IP address as well as home address) both accounts will be put on hold and their referrals will be 'frozen'. So be careful! This will also apply to rented accomodation such as student houses, and public IP locations such as libraries and internet cafes - so the safest thing to do is only signup and complete offers from your own home where you know no one else has already registered on that same Site of that Network.
NOTE: Each network has multiple 'Sites' on it such as 'Gifts', 'Gadgets', 'Mobiles', 'HDTV', 'Consoles', 'Apple', and 'PS3'. Each household is allowed one account on each of these separate sites and referrals are not transferable between them, so you cannot give yourself referrals. However each Site would need offer completion on it separately, and due to the reasons above you cannot complete the same offer more than once, so choose your Site(s) carefully!
You can find an in-depth comparison of the gifts available on different Sites in the 'Gifts' page of this website.
I can't find the gift that I want on any of the sites, can I choose something else myself?
Yes you can via a 'Custom Order'. All you need to do is raise a support ticket with your Network giving them the link to the item you want on Amazon. They will then reply with the number of referrals that item will require. Some Networks also offer Bank Transfers for the cash alternative value of the gift, or Amazon vouchers instead, so the options for free gifts are endless!
Why do the Networks buy from Amazon?
The Networks never hold stock of their own as they only need to buy gifts on a per user basis as each account is completed, and due to the speed at which newer models of gifts are released it would be foolish for them to hold stock.
As well as the vast range of items available, Amazon is one of the few online shopping sites that offers the ability to ship to a different address than the card billing address, so you get your gifts quicker and it's cheaper for the Networks who don't have to post the gifts on themselves. Also The Networks can claim back the VAT, and because they use it so often they have Premium accounts, meaning that all the shipping is free (and usually next day delivery!).
On occasion the Networks may buy from other sellers in times of stock shortages (recent examples include the Apple iPhone, Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit), but 99% of the time they will use Amazon.
Once i've recieved my gift, can I continue to recieve gifts on that same account?
Yes you can, just click the 'reset' button that will appear once your gift has been shipped and you can continue to collect referrals for your next gift without needing to do anything except refer!
What international countries do the Free Gift Networks support?
Freebiejeebies currently supports the following international regions:
Australia / Austria / Belgium / Brazil / Canada / China / Czech Republic / Denmark / Finland / France / Germany / Greece / Hong Kong / Hungary / India / Indonesia / Italy / Japan / Malaysia / Mexico / Netherlands / New Zealand / Nigeria / Norway / Pakistan / Phillipines / Poland / Portugal / Republic of Ireland / Romania / Russia / Singapore / South Africa / Spain / Sri Lanka / Sweden / Switzerland / Taiwan / Thailand / Turkey / United Arab Emirates / UK / USA
There is also an 'Other' option so as to include any regions not on the list, as there are some offers available which can be completed regardless of country of origin.
Why are my list of offers different from the ones described in your 'Networks and Offers' page?
The offers we've covered are those found in the UK, and they are updated so often, and there are simply so many international variations of offers that to go through them all would be confusing. Although the exact offer companies will differ from country to country the types of offer available will be comparable so there will be free trials, gambling, household, financial and others, with at least a few companies that are probably household names in your area.
We hope that you have found this FAQ informative, and now that you know everything you need to know about the Freebie scene we wish you good luck Freebie-Hunting! You can start by clicking any of the image links at the sides of our pages or by visiting the 'Gifts' page for an in-depth look at the different Sites on offer.
FreeGiftLinks.co.uk - Because the best things in life are free!
