Will you wonder? if you earn more money in your pocket? Even if you have a good paying job,an extra few hundred dollars per month is nothing to scoff at especially if you don’t even have to do much for it.
That’s where money-making apps come into play.A lot of them aren’t worth it, but some of them are, and we’re here to help you find the best of the best currently available.
Note: This article is geared towards residents in the United States. Some of these apps may work in other countries, but if you are in another country, we can’t guarantee regional availability for you.
These Money-Making Apps Worth It?
The definition of “worth it” depends on what you’re expecting. For a college student or a stay-at-home parent, these apps may be the differencebetween living like a pauper or a king. For a small business owner, maybe not.Here are three things to keep in mind:
Here are three things to keep in mind:
- It’s pocket change at best.Even if you sink in full-time hours, you won’t be earning a full-time income. These apps can be used to fund hobbies orhelp you get out of debt, but that’s about it.
- Time-value is low.Are you willing to spend 10 hours on your phone to earn $50? For some people, an hour of leisure is worth more than that, even if the cash is low-effort. Figure outhow much one hour is worth to youbefore diving in.
- Payout thresholds.Most apps require you to earn a certain amount of dollars before you can request a payout — and these thresholds can be as high as $50 or $100 sometimes.That’s a big commitment, and many don’t make it that far.
If you’re still interested, great! Here are some of the better ones we’ve found. Even if you don’t like all of them, we’re sure you’ll find at least one or two that intrigue you.
Apps With Gift Card Payouts
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How cool would it be if you could get paid to watch TV or listen to music?
I know that sounds like a distant dream, but withViggle, that can actually be reality for you.
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| Viggle App |
With the app, all you have to do is “
check in” whenever you start watching a TV show or whenever you hear a song being played.
Once checked in, you start earning Perk Points,
which can be redeemed for gift cards and prizes.Gift cards are available for hundreds of stores, including Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.
#2.Shopkick (Android, iOS)
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Shopkick is the perfect money-making app for frequent shoppers. It may not pay as much as being a mystery shopper,
but it’s way easier and more convenient. In short, you get points for walking into stores and/or scanning items.
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| Shopkick |
It’s really as simple as that. If you link your Shopkick with a credit card and use that card to make purchases, you can get even more points.
This works no matter where you are: the mall, the supermarket, or a local mom-and-pop shop.Points can be redeemed for gift cards at Starbucks, Target, Sephora, Best Buy, and more.
If you want an all-in-one sort of app for making money on your phone,GrabPointsmight be the one for you. It has all kinds of activities: watch videos, fill out surveys, download apps, try out certain products and services, etc.
I’m personally not a fan of these all-in-one deals because I’d rather use an app that’s optimized for one particular activity, as those tend to be more rewarding, but that doesn’t mean GrabPoints is bad.
A lot of folks say good things about it.Gift cards are available for Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Google Play Store, iTunes, Steam, and more.
CheckPointsis another all-in-one kind of app, except this one prioritizes item scanning. The other activities — watching videos, downloading apps, playing games — are there for times when you can’t scan items.
The app shows you a bunch of products and you get to pick which one you want to scan. When you’re out shopping, check CheckPoints to see if there are any you can scan nearby.
Every time you do, you get points.Points can be redeemed for gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) as well as miles for American Airlines and even physical prizes like gaming consoles and tablets.
Swagbucksis one of the mostinsanely useful websites you don’tknow about. In short, it’s yet another “earn money by doing all kinds of activities” app, but this one has one of the best reputations around. A lot of people love it.
Activities that earn you points include shopping online, shopping locally, exploring the offerings presented by the app itself, watching videos, searching the web, and answering polls. It’s really easy and highly recommended.
Points can be redeemed for gift cards at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and more.
AppTrailers may put a bad taste in your mouth if you’re staunchly anti-advertisements, but it’s awesome for everyone else. The concept is simple: watch video trailers for upcoming apps and earn points by doing so. That’s it.
What’s cool is that you may even end up finding a bunch of useful apps that you may not have found otherwise. Not only do you get paid, but you get to augment your smartphone with new tools and games.
Points can be redeemed for gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, iTunes, and more.
Apps With Cash Payouts
Slide joy may or may not make your skin crawl. Here’s how it works: after installing, Slidejoy replaces your lock screen with a news story or product promotion.
With one swipe, you can skip it, learn more about it, or move onto another item.The thing about Slidejoy is that you don’t actually have to tap onanything, fill out anything, or otherwise do anything in order to earn money.
Your payment isn’t based on your engagement withsaid ads. That’s nice, at least.You can expect to earn about $5 per month, depending on how often you use your phone. Not much, I know, but it requires zero effort! Unfortunately, it’s only available for Android users.
Shopping usually ends when you receive your receipt, but withReceipt Hog, you can do a bit more: take a snapshot of said receipt and upload it to the app and get paid for it — all in the name of market research.
Not all receipts are accepted, but many are: Walmart, Costco, CVS, Petco, Sephora, and even some local businesses. Membership goes through periods of open and closed enrollment,
So if you’re interested then try to join as soon as youcan.Expect to earn about $5 per month. Again, it’s not much, but there’s very little effort involved.
Rewardable is another market research type app, except this one compensates you for giving feedback on a certain store or service. The app provides a list of nearby tasks that you can pickand complete.
Tasks are completed using your phone. Example tasks include recording wait times in a restaurant, photographing an in-store promotion, or counting the number of items on a shelf. As you rack up points, you’ll gain access to more lucrative tasks.
Expect to earn anywhere from $1 to $20 per task, each of which can take about 10 to 30 minutes.
Surveys on the Go is exactly what it sounds like: every so often, you’ll be notified that you’re eligible to take a survey, and if you fill it out to satisfaction, you’ll get paid for it. Surveys only take afew minutes each.
You’ll earn a few dollars per survey, but don’t expect to get rich because users only get a handful of surveys per month on average.
Still, it’s a painless way to make a few extra bucks, and fits in nicely when you’re waiting at the doctor’s office or commuting on the train.
