If you want to start a side hustle, you might feel overwhelmed when researching your options. Ideas like starting an online business sound great on paper.
However, if you need to make money quickly and have a packed schedule, starting a business probably isn’t feasible.
Luckily, your next moneymaking idea might already be at your fingertips. There’s a variety of apps that pay you real money and free gift cards you can download to start making money today.
While many of these apps won’t seriously boost your monthly income, you can definitely make a positive difference in your finances when you combine several of them.
Survey and Game Apps
If you want a fast way to make money in your spare time, survey and game apps are an excellent choice.
Companies are willing to pay for your feedback and to try new mobile games. These apps take more effort than cash-back reward apps but are perfect for using while you’re on the go or relaxing at home.
1. Survey Junkie
Many survey websites aren’t worth it because they barely pay anything and take months to redeem your earnings.
Thankfully, Survey Junkie, a leader in the paid survey space, sets the bar for what to look for in a survey website.
Once you create a free Survey Junkie account, you complete a questionnaire that helps match you to relevant surveys. This helps reduce your disqualification chances and also makes surveys more interesting. Considering many survey websites frequently disqualify you mid-survey, which wastes your time, this is a nice feature.
You can answer surveys from your computer, but Survey Junkie also has an Android and iOS app. You cash out through PayPal, direct transfer, or free gift cards. Additionally, you only need $5 in your account balance to cash out, which is realistic to earn after completing several surveys.
Check out our Survey Junkie review for all the details.
2. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is another paid survey website that you can use to earn extra cash in your spare time. However, unlike Survey Junkie, InboxDollars offers more than surveys, and lets you earn by:
- Playing online games
- Using scratch-and-win tickets
- Answering polls and watching videos
- Earning cash back for shopping
- Trying coupon codes
There’s also a $5 sign-up bonus. You need $30 to cash out, but the variety of earning methods and sign-up bonus help you reach this requirement faster. Redemption options include PayPal or check.
If you want more earning options than Survey Junkie and Mistplay, InboxDollars’ Android or iOS app is definitely worth testing.
Check out our InboxDollars review for all the details.
3. Swagbucks
If you like InboxDollars’ variety of earning options, Swagbucks is another popular platform you can use to earn rewards in your spare time.
Swagbucks is one of the most recognizable companies in the space and pays out 7,000 free gift cards every day to members according to their website. With Swagbucks, you earn points by:
- Answering surveys and daily polls
- Playing games
- Downloading apps
- Shopping online
- Watching videos
- Searching the web
Surveys are the most consistent way to earn points, although Swagbucks has some lucrative cash-back rewards if you shop online at their partners.
You can download Swagbucks for Android and iOS or use the web version. Reward variety is also a perk, with options including PayPal, charitable donations, and gift cards to companies like Amazon, Walmart, Boston’s Pizza, Starbucks, and Best Buy.
You won’t become rich from this platform, but Swagbucks certainly has a variety of earning options to give you control over how you earn rewards. The platform also has a lower cash-out threshold than most competitors, which is nice for occasional users.
Check out our Swagbucks review for all the details.
4. Freecash
Freecash is a highly-rated app that pays legit cash when you complete offers on its platform.
With Freecash, you can get paid for a variety of tasks, including the following:
- Playing games
- Taking surveys
- Making deposits
- Signing up for apps
- Making purchases
The app is free to use. Once you sign up for an account with your email address, you’ll be able to skim through thousands of offers and use filters to find the ones that interest you most.
Freecash claims that most of its users make their first cashout within about 17 minutes.
Before you choose an offer, you can see the earning potential and popularity rating based on how many people have completed it.
When you’re ready to cash out, you can choose between PayPal, gift cards, bank transfers, or crypto payouts, making Freecash one of our top choices for earning with flexibility.
Cash-Back Apps
If you’re not getting paid to shop, you’re missing out on free money. With cash-back reward apps, you earn real money and gift cards for making everyday purchases through your smartphone.
5. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping is a moneymaking app that’s a bit different than your average reward app.
Like Rakuten, Capital One Shopping has a powerful browser extension that automatically applies coupon codes at checkout to help you save money online. However, the Android and iOS apps are also nifty moneymaking tools to have in your back pocket.
In fact, the app is basically a mobile version of Capital One Shopping’s website. With the app, you can:
- Earn credits that are redeemable for free gift cards by purchasing from Capital One Shopping partners
- Capital One Shopping helps you find incredible deals at jaw-dropping prices
- Shop online through the app and apply coupon codes to save money
If you’re just looking for cash-back rewards, Rakuten is a better choice. However, if you’re shopping for a big-ticket item, Capital One Shopping’s price comparison tool can find massive savings. Plus, earning free gift cards is another perk.
Check out our Capital One Shopping review for all the details.
Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the browser extension using the links provided.
6. Drop
Drop is a U.S. and Canadian reward app that’s a must-download for any frequent shopper.
With Drop, you earn free gift cards for shopping at brands you enjoy. To get started with Drop, simply:
- Download Drop for Android or iOS.
- Link the debit and credit cards you use for shopping to your Drop account.
- Search Drop for cash-back offers at brands and retailers you enjoy.
- Shop online or in-store for those offers with your linked card and earn Drop points.
You can redeem Drop points for gift cards once you reach $25, or 25,000 points. Gift card options include Amazon, Boston’s Pizza, Starbucks, Sephora, iTunes, Gap, and over a dozen other choices.
A $25 redemption requirement sounds steep, but many Drop offers pay 100 points or more for every dollar you spend. Drop also regularly updates offers for more chances to earn.
7. Rakuten
While Rakuten is best known for its money-saving browser extension, the Rakuten app is a free app that pays you cash rewards.
Like the web version, Rakuten’s app lets you shop online to earn cash back at thousands of retailers. Other perks of the app include:
- Earning cash back for Lyft rides
- In-store cash-back opportunities
- Getting 5% cash back at thousands of restaurants
Plus, Rakuten’s app also has mobile coupons to help you save more. Any cash back you earn is deposited in your Rakuten account. You get paid quarterly through check or PayPal as long as you have at least $5 in your balance.
Check out our Rakuten review for all the details.