Easy Ways to Make Extra Cash & Earn Gift Cards
I figure folks who are interested in saving money might also be interested in easy ways to make extra money, so I've added this page to share sites and programs that allow you to easily earn money, gift cards or products online or on your mobile phone. The focus is to provide information about easy ways to make extra cash in your spare time, and since I know that most of us don't have much spare time these days, I will primarily be including money- or point-earning opportunities that are quick and convenient.
Some of these don't immediately look like easy ways to make cash, since they are actually point-earning programs; however, those points can be turned in for gift cards to stores where you likely already shop (which counts as money in my book) -- plus, you can trade the points for actual cash in some of the point-earning programs. And, of course, some of the sites listed below pay cash, primarily through PayPal deposits.
I will continue to add new programs, so be sure to check back for more ways to make money; however, I only want to post programs that I have personally tested so that I can verify that they are legitimate and actually work. Because of this, how quickly I will be adding new money-making opportunities and point-earning programs will depend on me having the time to check them out first.
So, let's get down to business. Below you will find the money-making opportunities and point-earning programs that I have added so far.
SwagBucks
What it is: According to their website, Swagbucks is the largest online point-earning program around. With the Swagbucks program, you earn points for things you would already do online -- like shop and search -- as well as for specific tasks. Once you have acquired enough points, you can redeem them for cash or gift cards.
How to Earn: Print and use coupons, vote in daily polls, take surveys, search the Web, shop online, complete special offers, complete tasks, watch videos, trade in books and video games, play games, refer friends, purchase daily deals
Rewards: Cash deposited in PayPal account, products, gift cards to sites and stores, including amazon.com, ecomom, Travelocity, Restaurant.com, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Fandango, Sears, Regal Entertainment Group, iTunes, Home Depot, overstock.com, JC Penney, various gaming cards (EA, Xbox Live, Playstation Network), Zappos.com, Lowe’s and tons more
My Experience: I have been a member of Swagbucks for a while and primarily earn points by doing some of my online searching through the Swagbucks toolbar. I rarely remember to click the little "Earn" tab (which lists all of the available point-earning opportunities) or to check my Swagbuck inbox. If I remembered to do those two things, I would probably have at least four times the points I have now. I am, however, a freelance writer and a blogger, so I am always looking something up online, which is why the Swagbucks program appealed to me. I love to earn even a little money while I'm just doing the stuff I would normally do anyways.
Getting Started: Register at the Swagbucks website.
Ebates
What it is: Ebates is an easy way to earn cash back for purchases you make online. By shopping online through Ebates, you can enjoy special discounts using coupon codes provided on the site, while also earning cold, hard cash every time you make a purchase at a participating online retailer. There is no membership fee and no mail-in rebate forms or other hoops to jump through --– you just shop online through Ebates and earn cash back.
How to Earn: Shop online at more than 1,500 retailers and earn cash back for every purchase. For example, at the time of this writing, Sephora shoppers receive 8% cash back, Target shoppers get 6% cash back, Best Buy customers receive 1% to 3.6% cash back and Drugstore.com shoppers get 6% cash back. You simply login to the Ebates website before you do the online shopping you would be doing anyways. You can even add your favorite stores to your profile to make it faster and more convenient to find the stores you regularly shop at online.
Rewards: Money! You can choose to either receive a check in the mail or a deposit in your PayPal account for whatever you have earned during each three-month earning period. You can also opt to have the money you earn donated to a charity or sent to a family member. The minimum payout per quarter is $5.01, so if you have earned less than that, they will just roll that over into the next earning period.
My Experience: This cash back program couldn’t be simpler. You sign up with just your email address, so it’s easy to get started and see if you like the program. I don’t do anything special; I just shop online like I normally would at retailers I would normally visit. You can track your earnings as you go along, which is nice. Then, every three months, you get paid whatever cash back you have earned (if there is $5.01 or more in your Ebates account at that time). I use this program, so I can verify that it is a legitimate way to earn cash back when shopping online. It’s also great to get to stack deals by using coupon codes and earning cash back on the same purchase.
Getting Started: Head over to the Ebates website to sign up. Once you are there, you will find all the information you need to start earning cash back every time you shop online.
CloudCrowd
What it is: CloudCrowd is a workspace where you get paid for completing tasks, such as writing articles and product descriptions, finding quotes online, editing or data entry. While this is still what most people would likely consider low-paying work, they did just increase the pay offered for different projects – and they offer small bonuses. According to their site, workers can now earn $15-$25 per hour. The big plus on this one is that they pay either the same day or the next day (via PayPal), so if you are in a tight spot and need some fast money, this is one site where you can get it.
How to Earn: You must have a Facebook account. Complete tasks, including writing articles, writing product descriptions, creating resumes, summarizing business guides, evaluating website experiences, verifying data, data entry, translation, performing research tasks, editing documents and more.
Rewards: Money! (deposited in your PayPal account by the end of the next business day)
My Experience: I signed up for CloudCrowd just to check it out -- and confirm that it was legit -- before recommending it to others. I completed a few tasks and was paid promptly. I typically stay a bit too busy with my freelance work to hit up sites like this for extra money, so I have not spent a lot of time there, but I can definitely see how people could easily use CloudCrowd to make money between gigs or as a side job. It's definitely staying on my list of possibilities.
Getting Started: Sign up here. Remember: You must have a Facebook account in order to pick up easy gigs off of CloudCrowd. If you do not have one, you can sign up for free.
MyPoints
What it is: MyPoints is a simple point-earning program that can take up as little - or as much - time as you would like. You can just read emails for five points each, or you can do all of your online shopping through the site to earn points for every dollar you spend. You can also play free games and take surveys to make money in your spare time. Once you have enough points, you can redeem them for cash, travel miles or gift cards.
How to Earn: Read emails, print coupons, shop online, take surveys, play games, book travel, search the Web
Rewards: Cash deposited in PayPal account, Visa prepaid card, travel miles, donate to charities, Facebook credits, gift cards to tons of stores (sent in the mail), including REI.com, Sears, Target, JC Penney, Starbucks, West Elm, Lowe’s, Home Depot, GameStop, iTunes, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Williams-Sonoma, gas stations, movie ticket sellers
My Experience: At the time of this writing, I have redeemed enough points for about $200 in gift cards and have enough points for another $100 gift card (and would still have some left over). When I first signed up for MyPoints, I completed surveys, did some of my online shopping through the site and read the five-point emails. At this point, I rarely remember to sign in to the site before shopping online and only have time to read the emails (I do not do the surveys and such). So you can see that it is quite easy to earn points with very little effort, since I still have earned more than enough for another $100 gift card.
Getting Started: Sign up at the MyPoints website.
Surveys on the Go
What it is: Surveys on the Go is an iPhone app that allows you to earn money by taking surveys.
How to Earn: Take surveys
Rewards: Cash paid via PayPal (You can request a payout once your account reaches $10.00.)
My Experience: I am new to this app, but I signed up and checked it out before adding it here. Signing up was simple, and I earned $1.25 just for completing the initial surveys that create your profile for future survey selection. Online reviews report that this program does payout, so it looks like this might be a good way to earn some extra cash while watching TV, or waiting for appointments and such.
Getting Started: Visit the Surveys on the Go website, or get the app in the App Store on your phone.
Some of these don't immediately look like easy ways to make cash, since they are actually point-earning programs; however, those points can be turned in for gift cards to stores where you likely already shop (which counts as money in my book) -- plus, you can trade the points for actual cash in some of the point-earning programs. And, of course, some of the sites listed below pay cash, primarily through PayPal deposits.
I will continue to add new programs, so be sure to check back for more ways to make money; however, I only want to post programs that I have personally tested so that I can verify that they are legitimate and actually work. Because of this, how quickly I will be adding new money-making opportunities and point-earning programs will depend on me having the time to check them out first.
So, let's get down to business. Below you will find the money-making opportunities and point-earning programs that I have added so far.
SwagBucks
What it is: According to their website, Swagbucks is the largest online point-earning program around. With the Swagbucks program, you earn points for things you would already do online -- like shop and search -- as well as for specific tasks. Once you have acquired enough points, you can redeem them for cash or gift cards.
How to Earn: Print and use coupons, vote in daily polls, take surveys, search the Web, shop online, complete special offers, complete tasks, watch videos, trade in books and video games, play games, refer friends, purchase daily deals
Rewards: Cash deposited in PayPal account, products, gift cards to sites and stores, including amazon.com, ecomom, Travelocity, Restaurant.com, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Fandango, Sears, Regal Entertainment Group, iTunes, Home Depot, overstock.com, JC Penney, various gaming cards (EA, Xbox Live, Playstation Network), Zappos.com, Lowe’s and tons more
My Experience: I have been a member of Swagbucks for a while and primarily earn points by doing some of my online searching through the Swagbucks toolbar. I rarely remember to click the little "Earn" tab (which lists all of the available point-earning opportunities) or to check my Swagbuck inbox. If I remembered to do those two things, I would probably have at least four times the points I have now. I am, however, a freelance writer and a blogger, so I am always looking something up online, which is why the Swagbucks program appealed to me. I love to earn even a little money while I'm just doing the stuff I would normally do anyways.
Getting Started: Register at the Swagbucks website.
Ebates
What it is: Ebates is an easy way to earn cash back for purchases you make online. By shopping online through Ebates, you can enjoy special discounts using coupon codes provided on the site, while also earning cold, hard cash every time you make a purchase at a participating online retailer. There is no membership fee and no mail-in rebate forms or other hoops to jump through --– you just shop online through Ebates and earn cash back.
How to Earn: Shop online at more than 1,500 retailers and earn cash back for every purchase. For example, at the time of this writing, Sephora shoppers receive 8% cash back, Target shoppers get 6% cash back, Best Buy customers receive 1% to 3.6% cash back and Drugstore.com shoppers get 6% cash back. You simply login to the Ebates website before you do the online shopping you would be doing anyways. You can even add your favorite stores to your profile to make it faster and more convenient to find the stores you regularly shop at online.
Rewards: Money! You can choose to either receive a check in the mail or a deposit in your PayPal account for whatever you have earned during each three-month earning period. You can also opt to have the money you earn donated to a charity or sent to a family member. The minimum payout per quarter is $5.01, so if you have earned less than that, they will just roll that over into the next earning period.
My Experience: This cash back program couldn’t be simpler. You sign up with just your email address, so it’s easy to get started and see if you like the program. I don’t do anything special; I just shop online like I normally would at retailers I would normally visit. You can track your earnings as you go along, which is nice. Then, every three months, you get paid whatever cash back you have earned (if there is $5.01 or more in your Ebates account at that time). I use this program, so I can verify that it is a legitimate way to earn cash back when shopping online. It’s also great to get to stack deals by using coupon codes and earning cash back on the same purchase.
Getting Started: Head over to the Ebates website to sign up. Once you are there, you will find all the information you need to start earning cash back every time you shop online.
CloudCrowd
What it is: CloudCrowd is a workspace where you get paid for completing tasks, such as writing articles and product descriptions, finding quotes online, editing or data entry. While this is still what most people would likely consider low-paying work, they did just increase the pay offered for different projects – and they offer small bonuses. According to their site, workers can now earn $15-$25 per hour. The big plus on this one is that they pay either the same day or the next day (via PayPal), so if you are in a tight spot and need some fast money, this is one site where you can get it.
How to Earn: You must have a Facebook account. Complete tasks, including writing articles, writing product descriptions, creating resumes, summarizing business guides, evaluating website experiences, verifying data, data entry, translation, performing research tasks, editing documents and more.
Rewards: Money! (deposited in your PayPal account by the end of the next business day)
My Experience: I signed up for CloudCrowd just to check it out -- and confirm that it was legit -- before recommending it to others. I completed a few tasks and was paid promptly. I typically stay a bit too busy with my freelance work to hit up sites like this for extra money, so I have not spent a lot of time there, but I can definitely see how people could easily use CloudCrowd to make money between gigs or as a side job. It's definitely staying on my list of possibilities.
Getting Started: Sign up here. Remember: You must have a Facebook account in order to pick up easy gigs off of CloudCrowd. If you do not have one, you can sign up for free.
MyPoints
What it is: MyPoints is a simple point-earning program that can take up as little - or as much - time as you would like. You can just read emails for five points each, or you can do all of your online shopping through the site to earn points for every dollar you spend. You can also play free games and take surveys to make money in your spare time. Once you have enough points, you can redeem them for cash, travel miles or gift cards.
How to Earn: Read emails, print coupons, shop online, take surveys, play games, book travel, search the Web
Rewards: Cash deposited in PayPal account, Visa prepaid card, travel miles, donate to charities, Facebook credits, gift cards to tons of stores (sent in the mail), including REI.com, Sears, Target, JC Penney, Starbucks, West Elm, Lowe’s, Home Depot, GameStop, iTunes, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Williams-Sonoma, gas stations, movie ticket sellers
My Experience: At the time of this writing, I have redeemed enough points for about $200 in gift cards and have enough points for another $100 gift card (and would still have some left over). When I first signed up for MyPoints, I completed surveys, did some of my online shopping through the site and read the five-point emails. At this point, I rarely remember to sign in to the site before shopping online and only have time to read the emails (I do not do the surveys and such). So you can see that it is quite easy to earn points with very little effort, since I still have earned more than enough for another $100 gift card.
Getting Started: Sign up at the MyPoints website.
Surveys on the Go
What it is: Surveys on the Go is an iPhone app that allows you to earn money by taking surveys.
How to Earn: Take surveys
Rewards: Cash paid via PayPal (You can request a payout once your account reaches $10.00.)
My Experience: I am new to this app, but I signed up and checked it out before adding it here. Signing up was simple, and I earned $1.25 just for completing the initial surveys that create your profile for future survey selection. Online reviews report that this program does payout, so it looks like this might be a good way to earn some extra cash while watching TV, or waiting for appointments and such.
Getting Started: Visit the Surveys on the Go website, or get the app in the App Store on your phone.