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Do you want to learn how to make money using your phone? Today I’m sharing 25 easy ways to make money from your smartphone. The best part is, many of these mobile apps are free to use. This can be a great way for teenagers and students to earn extra money.
How much time do you spend each day on your phone? A recent survey says that we spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on our phones.
We’re spending more time online because many of our pastimes, such as socializing is shifting from offline to online.
Since we’re spending so much time on our smartphones anyway, why not use this as an opportunity to make extra money through your mobile phone?
If you’re been thinking about how to boost your income, this list of money-making ideas is a great place to start.
Whether you’re a teenager, a stay-at-home parent, or you just want to make money fast — many people are looking for ways to make money from home. Today I’m going to show you how it’s possible to make money from your phone.
Whether you have an Android or iPhone, there are many ways to make extra money on the side simply by using your cell phone. Use this list of mobile apps and side hustles to get you inspired!
1. Swagbucks
✓ Get a $5 welcome bonus
✓ Earn cash back at over 1,500 stores online
✓ Earn free gift cards for shopping, taking surveys, playing games, and more!
If you enjoy playing games or watching funny videos on your phone, why not get paid for it? Companies like Swagbucks, are willing to pay you with free gift cards for things you already do online.
This includes watching videos, surfing the internet, playing games, and shopping online. Swagbucks is one of the best apps to make money doing tasks. This is a great way to get paid daily through your cell phone.
This can be a great way to earn FREE gift cards to your favorite retailers like Amazon, Starbucks or Walmart without too much effort. Check out how I use Swagbucks to get free Starbucks drinks.
Prefer to get paid in cash?
Simply redeem your virtual points to get cash back from PayPal. This is one of the easiest ways to make money from your phone. If you’re not already a member, you can join Swagbucks for free and receive a $5 Welcome Bonus!
Don’t forget to confirm your email address after signing up so you can start making money right away.
2. Flip stuff for profit
✓ You need to make quick money
✓ You love finding a good deal
✓ You need something that’s recession proof
Do you enjoy finding deals and hidden treasures at thrift stores or garage sales? You could buy these items and resell them for cash!
Flipping means finding things for free (or at a discount) and selling them for a profit. There has never been an easier time to resell and flip items to make money from your phone.
Selling stuff online can be a great way to make money fast. That’s exactly what Rob and Melissa do. They make over $100,000 a year by flipping items for profit. Here’s a crib that Rob and Melissa found at a thrift store for $40. They sold it on eBay for $400!
FREE Workshop for beginners:
If you’re interested in learning more, Rob has put together this free workshop to help you learn how to find hidden treasures at thrift stores and turn them into maximum profit online.
He also offers a comprehensive course that will teach you everything you need to know about buying and reselling items on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms. This can be worth taking if you want to fast-track your success and learn from an expert in the business of flipping.
The 18 best items to flip for profit
How to make a full-time income flipping furniture for profit
Flea Market Flipping – How to resell things for profit
3. Branded Surveys
✓ Over 2 million happy memebers
✓ Get paid in cash and free gift cards
✓ 100 points sign-up bonus!
If you like sharing your opinion on new products, Brand Surveys is willing to pay you cash. When companies want to collect market research, they turn to Branded Survey’s Community for feedback. It’s free to join and can be an easy way to make money in your spare time.
How to make money with Branded Surveys:
Sign up: You can sign up here to create your free account. The more details you provide, the more surveys they’ll provide.
Verify: Verification of your account and honest answers are key to providing market research on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. This will help you unlock more survey opportunities which means more ways to earn extra money.
Participate: Collect points for every survey you complete. Points are redeemed for gift cards, cash, or Branded Pay™ (for US panelists only). This is an easy way to make money from your phone.
PRO TIP:
The key to making the most money with surveys is to sign up for several top-rated survey sites. Then you’ll get to choose the highest-paying surveys to save time and earn more cash!
Some of the rewards you can earn from Branded Surveys include e-gift cards to popular retailers such as DoorDash, Uber, Old Navy, Starbucks, Amazon, Wayfair, and more!
4. Survey Junkie
✓ Over 10 million members
✓ Get paid to share your opinion
✓ Redeem virtual points for PayPal or gift cards!
How to make money from your phone
If you enjoy giving your opinion, companies like Survey Junkie are willing you to pay you cash. Survey Junkie is one of the best paid survey sites, with over 10 million members.
It’s free to join and only takes around 5-15 minutes to fill out each survey. Then you’ll get paid via PayPal cash payments or e-gift cards. This can be a great way to make money from your phone for FREE!
How to make money with Survey Junkie:
Take Surveys: Sign up here to create your free account. This process takes only a few minutes to complete. Then you’ll be matched with surveys.
Earn Rewards: Complete surveys and you’ll earn virtual points.
Get Paid: You can redeem virtual points for PayPal cash payments or e-gift cards.
5. Toluna Influencers
✓ Free to join
✓ Get paid in cash and free gift cards
✓ Each survey takes around 15 minutes to complete
how to make money online with toluna influencers
If you have 15 minutes to spare, you could get paid to share your opinion. As an online Toluna Influencer, you’ll get rewarded for each survey you complete. This is a great way to make money from your phone.
Their online community shares their opinion by answering surveys, which has a direct impact on companies and how they market, distribute or advertise new products and services to consumers like you. It’s free to join so you’ve got nothing to lose!
How to make money online with Toluna Influencers:
Inspire: You can click here to join Toluna for free. You’ll be asked to provide some basic information when creating your account. Then you can start participating in surveys, content and games to get rewarded.
Share: You’ll receive invitations to fill out surveys by email. For each survey you complete, you’ll earn between 15 and 50,000 points, depending on its length.
Gain: Redeem your points for your choice of PayPal payments, Amazon gift cards, and more.
Sign up for Toluna Influencers here to start making money!
Click here to subscribe
6. ySense
✓ Earn cash for taking free paid surveys
✓ Get paid for trying new products & services
✓ All funds are in US Dollars
ySense is a popular online community that can help you make money in your spare time. This means you can make money from your phone while watching Netflix. There are multiple earning options with ySense, such as:
Paid Survey – You can earn cash while taking free paid surveys. Get rewarded while influencing the next generation of products and services. It just takes a few minutes of your time to create a free ySense account.
Cash Offers – You can get paid for trying new products and services, watching videos, downloading apps, signing up for websites, and more.
Referrals – You boost your earnings by sharing ySense with your friends. This is one of the best platforms to earn money oneline from your phone.
7. Opinion Outpost
✓ Free to join
✓ Earn rewards every time you take part
✓ Currently for United States of America residents only
Opinion Outpost helps big brands collect your opinions about products. Sharing your opinion through their surveys can influence the way something is made, how much it costs, or a way a company is going to do something.
Opinion Outpost currently has a TrustScore rating of 4/5 on Trust Pilot, which makes them one of the highest rated survey sites.
How to get started with Opinion Outpost:
Register for free: You can click here to create your free account. You only need to provide basic information like your name, email address, and gender.
Participate in surveys: You’ll receive invitations to complete surveys.
Earn cash and rewards: Each time you complete a survey, you’ll earn points you can redeem for rewards and free gift cards. The more surveys you complete, the more rewards you’ll earn!
8. Earn cash back with Rakuten
✓ Get a $10 welcome bonus
✓ Earn up to 20% cash back
✓ Earn cash back at over 2,500 stores online
If you enjoy shopping online, you could be earning up to 20% cash back on your purchases. Websites like Rakuten offer a one-stop shop to earn cash back at 2,500+ stores and find thousands of coupons, promo codes and discounts online. This is my favorite app that makes you real money.
Is Rakuten a scam? No, this cash back website is legit! Below are some real purchases I made through Rakuten to earn cash back. While each amount may seem small, it can quickly add up!! As you can see this can be an easy way to make money from your phone.
Is Rakuten legit?
Yes, it’s a one of the best legit money making apps to earn cash back.
Rakuten currently has a TrustScore rating of 4.5/5 on Trust Pilot, which makes them one of the highest-rated cash back websites.
I personally use Rakuten whenever I shop online. It’s free to join and for a limited time, you’ll receive a FREE welcome bonus for new members.
How to claim your free welcome bonus:
Step 1: Start here to sign up for Rakuten. (It’s free to join)
Step 2: Find your store on Rakuten next time you need to buy something. It’s connected to over 2,000 stores, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart. You’ll need to spend at least $25 on your first purchase within 90 days.
Step 3: Your Rakuten account will be credited with reward points. Get this cash sent to a PayPal account or choose to receive a Big Fat Check from Rakten. It’s up to you!
For Canadian shoppers, you can click here to sign up for Rakuten (free $5 welcome bonus).
9. Doordash
✓ Get paid to delivery food to customers
✓ Available in over 4,000 cities in the US, Canada and Australia
✓ Be your own boss, set your own hours
If you have a smartphone and you’re at least 18 years old, then you can make extra money delivering meals with Doordash. This is a great way to make money from your phone.
Doordash is an app that offers delivery service from the best local restaurants to customers. As a Dasher, you can be you own boss, set your own hours and choose how much you earn. Simply use a car, scooter, or bicycle to deliver take-out meals to start making money.
Get paid $23 per hour while on a delivery and have the potential to make more money during special DoorDash promotions.
This includes making deliveries during peak hours, doing challenges and driving. You also get to keep 100% of your tips, which can boost your income even more.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can sign up for free here.
10. Investing made easy with Acorns
✓ Get a $5 welcome bonus
✓ Over 4,000,000 members
✓ Simple and straightforward platform
If you’re interested in making money with investing, but are unsure how to get started, Acorns can be a great option for beginners.
How to make money with Acorns: Every time you make a purchase, Acorns will automatically round it up to the nearest dollar and invest that change towards your future. Your spare change can quickly add up and every nickle and dime counts.
With Acorns, you can also earn cash back on your everyday shopping or set up recurring investments. You’ll even get a $5 welcome bonus just for signing up. You just need your phone to get started.
11. Drop
✓ Get rewarded by shopping at the brands you love
✓ Earn points for every purchase you make
✓ Redeem points at places like Amazon, Starbucks and Netflix
Drop is a free app that makes it easy to turn your everyday purchases into cash rewards. Each time you make a purchase at one of your favorite retailers, you’ll earn points.
This means you can get rewards on your everyday purchases such as grocery shopping, taking an Uber, grabbing a snack, and more.
Every 1,000 points is worth $1. You can redeem your points for gift cards to your favorite retailers, such as Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, and more. This is an easy way to make money with your smartphone.
How to get started with Drop:
Download the App: After you download the app, link your debit and credit cards. You’ll automatically earn points whenever you spend with any of your linked cards.
Shop at Your Favorite Places: Whether it’s grocery shopping or taking an Uber, you’ll easily earn points.
Get Cash Rewards: Redeem your Drop points for gift cards to where ever you want. It’s that easy!
12. Ibotta
✓ Get up to a $20 welcome bonus
✓ Earn cash back at over 280 retailers
✓ Open to residents of the US only
Ibotta is a free mobile app that lets you earn cash back on your everyday purchases. In a nutshell, it’s a rewards app that pays you to shop. Ibotta can be a great option if you’re the grocery shopper for your household or you enjoy shopping in general.
How to get started with Ibotta:
Join for Free: Simply download the Ibotta app.
Browse Offers: Before you go shopping, add offers that you’re interested in buying. These offers will qualify for cash back. The more offers you add, the more cash you can get back!
Go Shopping: Buy these featured products at your favorite store.
Redeem and Get Paid: To redeem your offers, take a photo of your receipt. Your cash back will be deposited in your Ibotta account within 48 hours. Once your account has $20 or more, you can get paid via PayPal, a linked Venmo account, or by purchasing a gift card through the app.
13. Rent out your space on Airbnb
✓ Get paid to rent out your space
✓ Set your availability, prices and house rules
✓ Airbnb covers every booking with $1M in property damage protection
Do you have a spare room in your home? Or a cottage that you’re not regularly using? Turn that extra space into cash by listing it on Airbnb.
Airbnb is a global travel community, available in over 190 countries. Millions of hosts choose to create a free Airbnb account so they can rent out their extra space for cash. No matter what kind of home or room you have to share, Airbnb makes it easy and secure to host travelers.
If you’re curious, head to Airbnb’s calculator to see how much money you could be making as an Airbnb host.
14. Sell books online
✓ Sell textbooks and used books for the most money
✓ Compares offers from over 30 buyback sites
✓ Ship for free and get paid
Do you have textbooks or used books that you no longer need?
Consider selling your old books on Bookscouter to make extra cash. Bookscouter is a legit company that will help you sell your textbooks and used books for the most money. They compare over 30 buyback vendors with a single search.
Simply download their free app, search for the book you want to sell using the ISBN, compare prices to decide where you want to sell your book, then ship your book free and get paid via PayPal or a mailed check.
15. Get paid to grocery shop
✓ Earn extra money shopping for others
✓ Flexible schedule – Work whenever it works for you
✓ Earn more money by delivering groceries
Instacart is looking for people to become a personal grocery shopper. This can be an easy way to make extra money in your spare time. Plus, it’s free to sign up as an Instacart Shopper.
It’s similar to Door Dash. Simply choose the hours that work best for you. To maximize your earnings, Instacart recommends working peak days.
As a shopper, you’ll be grocery shopping for people. You can choose to be an in-store shopper (shopping only) or a full-service shopper (shop and deliver orders to customers). During busy shifts, you can earn $20 or more an hour depending on tips. This can be a great way to make money from your phone.
16. Rent out your garage on Neighbor
✓ Make money from home by storing vehicles and belongings
✓ Rent out any storage space, no matter what size
✓ All you need to do is clear a space
If renting out your spare room to strangers on Airbnb doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then consider becoming a Neighbor Host instead.
When you become a Neighbor Host, you can make money by renting out any storage space, no matter what size. Some of the possible options include:
Garage / Carport / Driveway / Street parking
Parking lot
Basement
Bedroom
Shed
Warehouse
Self-storage unit
Closet
Attic
17. Get paid to share pins on Pinterest
Online business owners and bloggers are looking to hire Pinterest virtual assistants to help them grow their reach on the platform.
As a Pinterest virtual assistant, you can make between $25-$35 per hour by sharing pins on your client’s account. This can be a great job for beginners because you don’t need expereince to get started.
To learn more, check out this free workshop put together by Kristin, a Pinterst expert and creator of Become a Pinterest VA.
18. Get paid to play games on your phone
✓ Watch quick videos from brands you like
✓ Earn from e-gift cards
✓ Buy whatever you want from the retailer
If you enjoy playing games on your phone, considering using the Dabbl app. This mobile app lets you earn money by completing simple, fun interactive games, quizzes, and videos.
If you want to learn how to make money fast as a teenager using only your phone, Dabbl can be a good choice.
How to make money with Dabbl:
Simply download the app, choose what brands you want to engage with, and earn free gift cards for your time. You can earn free gift cards to retailers such as WalMart, Target, Amazon, and more great stores. This can be a fun way to make money from your phone.
19. Pet sitting on Rover
✓ Set your own schedule and prices
✓ Great side hustle opportunity for dog lovers
✓ Offer any combination of pet care services
If you like dogs, you could get paid to pet-sit and play with dogs. Rover is an online network that connects dog walkers and sitter to pet owners in your area. All you need is your phone to get started making money.
As a dog walker or pet sitter with Rover, you can set your own rates to make sure you’re charging a fair price. Looking for how to make money with your phone as a student? Rover can be a great choice. Plus, it’s free to sign up. You can learn more and get started here.
20. Handy
✓ Earn up to $45 per hour (or job)
✓ Flexible schedule
✓ Must have paid experience with the service you’re applying for
Are you good at fixing things? I wish I was good at fixing things. Instead I just usually hire someone to make it easier for me.
If you’re handy, you could make extra money by helping others with special services. This includes painting, assembling furniture, mounting a TV on the wall, hanging a mirror or painting on the wall, installing lights and so on.
Websites, like Handy.com can help you find work as a handyman in your neighborhood. This is one of my favorite money earning apps.
You can earn up to $45/hour/job as a handyman. The top pros on Handy make over $1,000 a week! This can be a great way to make extra money by helping people with their everyday to-dos.
21. Fetch Rewards
✓ Over 500,000 5-star reviews
✓ Scan your receipts and save on groceries
✓ Redeem points for free e-gift cards
Don’t throw out your grocery receipt — you could scan it with your phone and earn free rewards!
Fetch Rewards is a free app that helps you earn digital gift cards for scanning your physical or digital receipts. You can redeem these gift cards at hundreds of retailers, such as Target and Amazon.
Simply snap a photo of your grocery receipt using your phone, and Fetch will award you points on all participating purchases and offers. It’s an easy way to make money from your phone..
22. Earn cash back with Ampli
✓ Easy and safe to use
✓ Shop and earn cash back on your purchases
✓ Available in Canada
For my fellow Canadians, Ampli is known as the Golden Goose of cash back apps. This free app helps Canadians get rewarded for their everyday purchases, both in-store and online.
Step 1: Connect your cards – Download the Ampli app and securely connect your Canadian debit and credit cards to the app.
Step 2: Shop & earn – Shop and pay with your connected card online or in-store at partner brands and earn cash back.
Step 3: Cash out for free – Once you accumulate $15, then you send yourself a free Interac e-Transfer. This is one of the best apps to make money fast.
23. Sell your old stuff on Facebook Marketplace
If you have some gently used clothes, furniture, books, or kitchen gadgets that you no longer use – consider selling them online. This can be a fast way to make money from you phone. I recently sold over $2,000 worth of old stuff on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji.
How to make money as a Neighbor Host:
List your space – Tell Neighbor about your spaces and how much you’d like to earn.
Respond to renters – Review renters requests (including what they want to store and when) and approve them.
Schedule a move-in – Schedule a move-in time with your new renter. That’s it!
24. Sell your clothes on Poshmark
✓ Join millions of people on the largest social marketplace for fashion
✓ List your items for sale on the app
✓ Pre-paid shipping label and get paid
Do you have gently used clothing that you don’t need anymore? Consider selling your clothes for cash on Poshmark. This is a great way to make money from your phone.
Poshmark is a free app that lets you list items for sale. Just sign up for a free account, take a photo of the item you want to sell with your phone, fill in the description, set the price, and you’re done!
When you make a sale on Poshmark, they provide you with a pre-paid, pre-addressed label ready to be put in the box. It’s super simple and you don’t have to worry about dealing with stamps. You can learn more and create your first listing here.
25. Slash your monthly expenses with Truebill
Truebill is a popular app that can help you optimize your spending, find and cancel subscriptions, lower your bills, and stay on top of your finances.
While this isn’t a money-making app, it can help you reduce your monthly expenses, which adds up to extra money in your pocket.
26. Invest in real estate
✓ Get started with as little as $10
✓ Good for beginners
✓ Good for accredited or non-accredited investors
Fundrise is one of the most popular real estate investment platforms. It’s great for beginners or non-accredited investors and you can get started with just $10.
This platform uses crowdfunding to pool funds with other investors in order to buy properties. This makes private real estate investing more accessible, since you don’t require a lot of capital to get started.
Other popular real estate crowding funding platforms include Realty Mogul and Happy Nest.
Realty Mogul is best for accredited investors and requires a minimum investment of $1,000. Happy Nest is good for beginners because you can get started investing for as little as $10, but I prefer Fundrise.
Make Money on Your Phone FAQs
Below are some common questions about how to make money on your phone fast and the best money-making apps.
Which app gives you real money?
Each app on this list can give you real money. For apps that instantly give you money, check out the ones below:
Swagbucks (Get $5 as soon as you sign up)
Ibotta (Get up to $20 welcome bonus when you join today)
My Points (Get a $10 Amazon or Visa gift card when you sign up)
Rakuten (Get a $10 welcome bonus when you make your first purchase)
What jobs can you do from your phone?
There are many jobs mentioned in this post that you can do on your phone. Below are some of the most popular ways you can earn an income from your phone:
Door Dash (deliver food to customers on foot, bike, or car)
Instacart (Get paid to grocery shop and deliver items to customers)
Rover (Get paid to pet sit or walk dogs)
Handy (Get paid to do odd jobs such as cleaning or lawn care)
At first I was going to call this article, “10 Tips for a Productive Work Day.” But the more I thought about it the more I felt like productivity isn’t just about work. I like having a productive weekend or night at home too. (But, of course, I love a good vacation day spent doing NOTHING as well!) I would really like to have a productive life, but it’s sometimes a bit of a struggle. Here are ten tips that help me stay on track.