Our number one goal at Dollar Sprout is to help readers enhance their financial lives, and we regularly partner with businesses that share that same vision. If purchase or signup is created through our Partners’ hyperlinks, we receive compensation for the referral. Free money. It is something that nobody would turn down. But is there such a thing as money you don’t have to work for? In case you need to earn your”free money” by completing a simple task or enrolling in an app, is it free? While this depends on your view, there are a few simple methods to earn some fast money with minimal effort. All it costs is a couple of minutes of the time.
- What Is”Free Money”?
Definitions vary widely for what’s considered”free.” For our purposes, we define free money as money or even a reward you receive:
- Without needing to spend money upfront, or
- For doing something you were planning to do anyway.
- The majority of the things on this list do not require that you purchase to be able for the reward. However, some do.
For instance, some items may provide a $10 signup bonus, but you have to make a $25 buy to qualify. For those, we just think about it”free” in case you were going to make a purchase anyway and the money is an additional bonus. Bear that in mind while you decide which opportunities on this list make sense for you.
Ways to Get Free Money
If you shop online, purchase groceries, or go out to eat, you might likely get free money for those things that you do on a normal basis. These aren’t the most lucrative or fastest ways to make money, but they are undoubtedly some of the easiest.
If you shop online or offline, the best cash-back apps will cover you for your purchases. The majority of them also include a sign-up bonus for new users.
1. Swagbucks ($10 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Swagbucks is a favorite rewards site that compensates users through”Swagbucks” (or SB) when you complete short online tasks.
- You can earn rewards with Swagbucks if you take polls, see short videos, store online, use their search engine to surf the internet, and much more. Exchange your own SB for PayPal money or gift cards to retailers such as Amazon, Target, Best Buy, or even Sephora.
- While you won’t make a significant income with the program, you can make a few gift cards every month. Use them for yourself or save your rewards up to cover Christmas or birthday presents.
- As a bonus for registering, Swagbucks offers $10 for brand new users.
To be able to qualify for the bonus, you will need to generate a purchase of $25 or more out of among Swagbucks’ qualifying retailers in 30 days of creating your account. If you currently have your attention on something from Amazon or among their other partner websites, then it’s possible to receive $10 off by registering and making your purchase through Swagbucks.
2. Rakuten ($10 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Rakuten (previously Ebates) is one of the biggest and most well-known cash-back sites. Similar to other cash-back websites, Rakuten provides a complete gift for new users.
- When you create your own Rakuten account, you will get a 10 welcome bonus once you spend your initial $25 through the website. Since Rakuten offers cash back at greater than 2,500 retailers, this is not hard to perform.
Another great way to earn with Rakuten would be to install the Google Chrome browser expansion. Whenever you’re shopping in a Rakuten partner retailer, the extension will alert you of any deals or opportunities to receive money back. All you have to do is click the alert and continue searching.
You’ll get free money in the shape of money back to your Rakuten account. It can take a couple of hours to many days to your Rakuten benefits to upgrade. Every 3 months, you’ll get your money back via paper check or PayPal credit, whichever you select.
3. Ibotta ($10 Sign-Up Bonus)
While Ibotta was initially designed to provide users cashback on grocery stores, the app currently supports over 300 retailers, such as restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing brands, and much more.
Users new to Ibotta can receive up to some $10 welcome bonus by making an account and redeeming supplies within the first seven days of registering.
Before going shopping, you’ll want to log into Ibotta and choose your offers. As soon as you’ve chosen your deals, there are two chief ways to earn rewards with Ibotta. You can either scan your reception after shopping or link a store loyalty card and have Ibotta deposit your rewards automatically.
No matter which way you pick, you are going to observe a charge to your Ibotta accounts within two days. Whenever your wages balance reaches $20, you can move it through PayPal, Venmo, or convert your earnings into a gift card.
4. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is a free supermarket lien program. To use it, scan your reception into the app and you’ll get points on qualifying purchases. As soon as you collect 3,000 points, you can trade them for gift cards to stores like Sephora, Zappos, Petco, and even Hulu Plus.
Their sign-up bonus changes, however, you can typically find a code on the website. After you download the app and register using the current code, you are going to receive a bonus that generally ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 points.
Fetch also has a referral program. If a person signs up with your link and scans a receipt, then you will both earn 2,000 bonus points. There’s no limit to how a lot of people you can refer or points you can earn from your referrals.
5. MyPoints ($10 Sign-Up Bonus)
Both websites work similarly. When you produce a MyPoints account, you will get a $10 bonus after you earn $20 worth of qualifying purchases in your initial 30 days.
6. Dosh ($5 Sign-Up Bonus)
Dosh’s site describes the app as”the easiest money you have ever produced,” and it’s hard to disagree.
Contrary to other cash-back apps where you have to choose your deal before going shopping, Dosh links directly to your debit or credit card.
If you shop at any of the thousands of partner retailers or restaurants, you’ll receive up to 10% cashback on your purchase.
You might even receive a free $5 for every friend you refer who signs links and up a card to their Dosh account.
7. Shopkick
Shopkick rewards are called kicks. As a user, you can make kicks by walking to stores, scanning bar codes of certain products, seeing online stores, watching movies, creating a purchase with a connected card, and much more.
Therefore, if you already plan to make a trip to Target, you could earn kicks not only for the things you purchase but also just for being in the store and scanning a couple of items together with your telephone on the way.
Every 250 kicks you bank are worth $1.
Redeem your kicks for gift cards into Amazon, Target, Starbucks, TJ Maxx, Uber, and heaps of other popular stores.
It is possible to find a complimentary $5 if you register using code DS5 and earn an in-store scan in seven days of installing the app.
8. Survey sites
- Survey websites commonly offer an incentive for new clients. It’s usually as straightforward as creating an account, filling out your profile, and finishing a few simple tasks.
- InboxDollars pays you for taking surveys, watching videos, and purchasing online.
- 1 thing which makes InboxDollars unique is that they give you benefits just for reading their emails. Every time you affirm you’ve read one of their emails, they will reward you with money.
- If you don’t already have an account, simply create one and complete the new member survey and you will get a $5 charge.
- There’s a small catch — you need $30 to draw your earnings. But with all the options for earning benefits, that shouldn’t take long to attain.
9. Vindale Research ($1 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Vindale Research is very similar to some other survey sites on this list. The business rewards members for taking surveys, watching videos, and reading their promotional emails.
- Members may also earn by referring friends, finding rewards codes on the company’s site and societal media webpages, and sending in a photograph or movie to show off their earnings.
- Vindale’s minimal payout is a bit higher than some of its competitors. You need to wait until your account balance reaches $50 to cash out through PayPal. But they also have a number of those higher-paying polls on the current market, with supplies in the $10 to $15 range.
- Earn your first $1 by making your account.
10. Acorns ($10 Sign-Up Bonus)
The Acorns program is for the non-financially savvy investor. The app connects to a checking account and credit cards.
At any time you spend with a connected account, Acorns will round up the transaction to the nearest dollar and move the change for your Acorns investment accounts.
Once your account is set up, Acorns will include $10 for free to assist you to get started. Then you will need to answer a few questions so Acorns can put together your portfolio.
