How to Get Free Money – Get Your Money for Nothing
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Growing up, we were all told one thing, especially in our teenage years: free money doesn't exist, and if you want money, you'll have to work for it — either start side hustles or find other legal means to earn cash. But that was many moons ago, and times have changed for the better since. Thanks to the digital age, money-making techniques have come a long way, and getting free cash is now very much a possibility; you don't even have to go out of your way to make money.
"Free" refers to a cash bonus or other rewards you get for signing up and using services, and not money raining down from the heavens. These run the gamut from playing games, taking online surveys, or even just downloading a free app. Some of these services also throw in a few other perks like gift cards, cash back, and a cash bonus. While these free-money apps will bring in extra cash and may look like they could generate hefty passive income, the reality is that any payout will only be enough to cover a few minor expenses at most. These apps can't replace a solid side hustle or a full-time job.
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Overview of how you can get free money
App | Cost | How much free money you can get |
InboxDollars | Free | $5 sign-up bonus |
Swagbucks | Free | $5 welcome bonus |
Ibotta | Free | Varies |
MyPoints | Free | $10 sing-up bonus |
Rakuten | Free | $10 welcome bonus, $5 referral bonus |
Survey Junkie | Free | 45 points, or $0.45 |
Trim | Free | Varies |
Acorns | Free | Varies |
Capital One Shopping | Free | Varies |
Fetch Rewards | Free | $2 referral bonus |
HealthyWage | Free | $40 referral bonus |
Mr. Rebates | Free | $5 sign-up bonus |
How to get free money
InboxDollars
InboxDollars offers new members a $5 sign-up bonus. The company has been around since 2000 and is open to U.S. residents only. However, it also operates sites in the U.K. and Canada. InboxDollars allows consumers (aka you) to participate in market research studies. Brands then use this information to take stock of the public's perception of their products and services.
In addition to the welcome bonus, InboxDollars also offers a variety of ways to make extra money like completing surveys, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online. As for that $5, there is a condition attached: your InboxDollars account should have $15 before you can cash out for the first time. After you've withdrawn funds for the first time, you'll only need to have $10 in your account.
InboxDollars lets you withdraw funds through PayPal, but there's also an option to get Amazon gift cards or gift cards to other stores.
Use InboxDollars To Make Real Money!
- Cashback rewards club that pays out real cash.
- Play games like Solitaire and Mahjong for a chance to win money.
- Watch videos and fill paid surveys to earn today.
- Includes a first-class referral program
Swagbucks
If you've researched about making money online, there's a strong chance you've come across Swagbucks. You can create a free account, which comes with a $5 welcome bonus. Swagbucks rewards you for performing tasks like doing online searches, playing games, shopping, completing surveys, completing offers, and answering daily polls, to name a few. Another way to make easy money is to make use of the referral system, which lets you earn 10% of your friend's daily earnings.
As a reward for completing any of its tasks, Swagbucks gives you an in-app currency called SB, which is redeemable for gift cards or PayPal. Although you'll get SB for completing any task, in order to maximize your earnings, you have to keep in mind the time you spend on each task. For example, shopping is the easiest and by far the most lucrative way to earn SB.
One thing to be mindful of is what method to choose when you decide to cash out. Generally speaking, Amazon gift cards offer better value for your SB than PayPal.
Ibotta
Regardless of your monthly expenditure on groceries and other purchases, there's always a way to cut down. Ibotta, one of the most famous cash-back apps, lets you do just that. By downloading its app or installing its browser extension, you can save money on a number of purchases. Sure, this money wouldn't amount to much but you'll begin to see the difference over a long period of time. In addition to groceries, you can also earn cashback on airfare, hotels, and rental cars, among other things.
Ibotta has partnered with over 1,500 retailers and brands, including household names like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. The company's browser extension alerts you when there's a cash-back offer. If you like to shop in-store, you will have to upload your receipts via the Ibotta app to be able to get cash back. As for that free money, Ibotta offers a welcome bonus as well as a referral bonus, but both vary depending on a few factors.
Once your account balance reaches $20, you can cash out via Paypal or Venmo, or you can get it deposited into your bank account. Funds can take up to five days to appear in your account.
MyPoints
MyPoints will give you $10 just for signing up but on one condition: you'll have to spend at least $20 at one of its partners within 30 days of joining. The company doesn't just give you cash. Instead, you'll get 1,750 points, which is equivalent to $10, which can be redeemed (more on them later). The company claims you can get as much as 40% cash back on purchases at 2,000 retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon.
In addition to shopping online, you can take surveys, watch videos and read emails to make some money. Each survey stipulates the expected time to complete and how many points you'll get. The longer the survey, the more you'll make. On average though, surveys take just a few minutes to complete, but there are a few that can take 20 minutes. There's also a referral system in place that rewards you if the person you referred signs up with MyPoints.
You can redeem your points via PayPal or gift cards, and you can even redeem them for credits to your United MileagePlus account.
Related: Best Survey Apps to Make Money
Rakuten
Founded in 1997, Rakuten is an affiliate marketing company that puts many back in your pockets once you've made a qualifying purchase. The company claims to have paid $2.2 billion in cash back. You can use Rakuten to earn 1% to 40% cashback as long as you make purchases through their website or using their browser extension. The company has partnerships with more than 2,500 retailers like Amazon, Sephora, Target, and Walmart.
Rakuten offers a $10 welcome bonus as long as you make qualifying purchases up to a predetermined amount. And if you refer a friend and they sign up, you make $5 if your friend spends $25 to purchase an item through Rakuten. Not only that, but if your friend does indeed sign up using your referral code, they'll get $10 as a welcome bonus.
You can cash out via PayPal or through a paper check. However, Rakuten only issues payments quarterly and only if you've accumulated $5 in cash back.
Survey Junkie
Survey sites are a fun way to earn some extra cash on the side. There are no long-time commitments involved and you can take them on the go whether you're on the bus or on a train. Survey Junkie is arguably the king of the burgeoning take-surveys-for-money space that's open to residents of the U.S. Canada, and Australia.
The app has a point-based system that'll reward you 25 points once you've completed the registration and another 20 points after the general profile is complete. For the record, one point equals $0.01. During the sign-up process, you'll be asked questions about your career, education, and personal information to help Survey Junkie match you with suitable surveys. Once you do get a survey, you'll be asked a series of screening questions and there's a chance you'll get disqualified. Still, you'll make 3 points.
In addition to surveys, you can also take part in focus groups and make $25 to $150, or participate in product testing and earn between $5 and $50. Once your account has 1,000 points, you can redeem them via PayPal, gift cards, or bank transfer.
Use InboxDollars To Make Real Money!
- Cashback rewards club that pays out real cash.
- Play games like Solitaire and Mahjong for a chance to win money.
- Watch videos and fill paid surveys to earn today.
- Includes a first-class referral program
Trim
You can automate your savings through Trim, which makes suggestions on how to reduce expenses after analyzing your spending habits, thus giving you free money. The app has a free tier as well as a paid feature. In the free tier, you can use the Trim app to identify and cancel unwanted subscriptions. You can also set reminders about any late fees.
Trim's paid plan will negotiate your bills, like lowering the interest rate on your credit card and negotiating medical expenses. The paid version also includes an automated high-yield savings account. The premium tier costs $99 per year.
In return for its services, Trim will take a slice of the money it helped you save over the course of a year.
Acorns
If you're just dabbling in the world of personal finance, Acorns is a worthy companion. The company is a proponent of passive and incremental investing and encourages people to invest in loose change. The investment app lets you make recurring deposits without minimums for a low cost. Signing up is easy and free, and you can link your bank account for easy investing.
You can manage your checking, investing, and retirement accounts all in one place through the app. There's a $5 referral bonus if you refer a friend and they join. Acorns is best suited for beginner investors and anyone looking to automate the investment process. It may even give you free stock under certain circumstances.
Capital One Shopping
Do you ever just want to scream into the void after the price falls on an item you just bought? Let Capital One Shopping save your larynx. Formerly Paribus, the company scans your inbox for any receipts of purchases you made in the past. It then works with the retailer in question and puts the difference back into your bank account.
It also applies coupon codes automatically and lets you compare prices on Amazon. You can also choose to get notified about pricing changes to items on your Amazon watchlist. Once you download the app or install the browser extension, nothing else is required from you as it works in the background.
Fetch Rewards
Free money as I go about making my usual purchases? Yes, please! Fetch Rewards is a receipt-scanning app like Ibotta. But while the latter requires that you buy a specific product from a specific store, Fetch Rewards only asks that you buy a qualifying product and scan the receipt to get your reward. On the flip side, Ibotta has a more generous sign-up bonus, and it offers more ways to earn money.
Speaking of welcome bonuses, Fetch Rewards offers one too valued at $2, or 2,000 points when new users sign up using a referral code. You can redeem these points for gift cards once you've collected 3,000 points, or $3.
HealthyWage
Literally, get paid to lose weight! Free money may just be the best motivation to follow a healthy lifestyle. Health-for-wealth app HealthyWage lets you make a wager on your weight loss journey. During the sign-up process, you can set your targeted weight and make a bet on whether you can meet or miss that goal. You're always in full control, from how much you want to bet and if you'd like to spread your bet over months.
If you do meet your goal by the deadline, you'll get your money back plus some more. However, if you fail to meet your target, you'll lose the money. The HealthyWage website has a calculator to help you understand how much you can potentially make should you win the bet. On average, winners make $1,300 and winnings max out at $10,000.
There's also a $40 referral bonus if the person you referred signs up. You can cash out via PayPal.
Mr. Rebates
Cashback website Mr. Rebates offers a $5 sign-up bonus after you make your first qualifying purchase from its website. Cashback platforms do not change anything about the way you shop, only asking that you use their website. That's because they receive a commission on every purchase, a portion of which is split with members. It's free money really.
In order to cash out via PayPal, checks, or gift cards, you'll need to have $10 in your Rebates account. Withdrawals can be made each month.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free to sign-up
- Often a welcome and referral bonuses
- Low cash-out limits
Cons
- Won't make you rich
- Can't replace a legit side hustle
- Require a lot of time and effort
FAQs
Are these apps legit?
Scams are rampant anywhere money gets involved, but all the apps we've listed here are legit that actually make payments.
Outside of the bonus, how much money can I expect to make?
While providing an exact number is impossible, but the more you use them, the more you'll likely make. Still, you cannot expect a change in your lifestyle through using these apps.
Can I make real money using these apps?
Yes, you'll make real money. Still, don't quit your day job; you won't make a ton of money. These are best for earning a little money in your spare time.
The bottom line
"Money often costs too much," said American philosopher Ralph Emerson. Little did he know that the internet would change everything. Without much time, effort or skills, there are legit ways you can make money online. Downloading apps now gets you $5. If you're willing to make more, you can by taking surveys, searching the internet, and much, much more. And again, these apps can't replace any legit passive income venture. At best, you may be able to buy a few dinners.
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Writer
Jasir Jawaid is Joy Wallet's Assistant Editor. He has more than 13 years of experience as a journalist covering Wall Street, equities, financial policy and regulation, and cryptocurrency and blockchain.
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