Please Wait...
We’ve all been there. You’re in a pickle, and you need an extra $200 to make rent. Or you wake up to a flat tire. Maybe the electric company is threatening your life. Not cool. Now your bank account is closing in on $0… If you want to add a little cushion, do these seven simple tasks to earn an extra $183 in a couple of hours. If you need money by nightfall, stick around until the end of the post to find 10 more strategies to help you make money by the end of the day. How to Make Money Fast: 6 Ways to $183 In total, these tasks shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. You might not receive the money right away. The longest you’d have to wait to get paid for any of these is 90 days, but hey, it’s easy and in some cases, free money.
1. Take Quick Online Surveys for a $5 Gift Card
Surveys aren’t always the fastest way to make money, but you can quickly snag some bonuses if you’re a new member. One of our favorite paid survey sites that offers a bonus is Swagbucks. Swagbucks is definitely a reader favorite, probably because of the wide variety of ways to make money beyond taking surveys. It’s also famous for handing out free rewards points (they’re called SBs) at random just for being a member. Pro tip: Earn a 500 SB (or $5) bonus when you sign up and earn 2,500 SB within your first 60 days. You’ll get SBs for each survey you qualify for and complete that you can redeem for cash via Paypal or gift cards to a number of popular retailers, including Amazon.
2. Sign up for a Cash-Back Card and Work Toward a $150 Bonus
If you’re looking for a passive way to earn money, a cash-back credit card is perhaps one of the easiest methods. Just don’t get too carried away with those purchases — and pay off the card at the end of each billing period. Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card*. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus. There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire.
3. Earn a $10 Walmart Gift Card for Shopping Online
One of our favorite ways to save on any shopping is with Ebates, a cash-back site that rewards you nearly every time you buy something. For example, Ebates gives you up to 10% cash back on purchases at Walmart online. Plus you’ll get a free $10 gift card to Walmart for giving the site a try. To earn your gift card: Sign up for Ebates with your email or Facebook account.
Use the Ebates portal the next time you need to buy something. It’s connected to thousands of stores, including Walmart, Amazon and Target. You’ll need to make your first purchase through the site within 90 days and spend at least $25. Your account will be credited with rewards points. Every three months, Ebates will send you a check in the mail — or wire money over to you through PayPal.
If you’re already shopping, why not earn some cash back?
4. Start an Emergency Fund and Get up to $50 in Free Stocks
Acorns is a popular micro-investing app. Once you connect it to a debit or credit card, it rounds your purchases up to the nearest dollar and funnels your digital change into an investment account. That means if you spend $10.23 at the grocery store, 77 cents gets dropped into your Acorns account. Once you hit $5, Acorns will automatically invest it. The idea is you won’t miss the digital pocket change, and the automatic savings stack up faster than you’d think. Bonus: You’ll get a free $5 when you make your first investment. You can withdraw your money at any time, though it’ll take five to seven days for the payment to post to your account. Ready for more than just investing spare change?
Try Swell Investing, an SEC-registered investment adviser committed to supporting sustainable companies. Its Impact 400 portfolio features companies whose products and services align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You can start with just $50 and invest in this or other portfolios committed to clean water, zero waste, renewable energy or disease eradication, to name a few. Bonus: Score a $50 bonus with the code PENNY after making your initial investment.
5. Collect $5 in Free Stocks
It’s no brilliant secret that investing can be a smart way to make money. Sometimes, though, it feels restricted to a few wealthy elite. But Stash is different. This app lets you start investing with as little as $5 and for just a $1 monthly fee for balances under $5,000. Stash curates investments from professional fund managers and investors and lets you choose where to put your money. But it leaves the complicated investment terms out of it. You just choose from a set of simple portfolios reflecting your beliefs, interests and goals. Bonus: Right now, The Penny Hoarder is teaming up with Stash to give you an extra $5 after your first investment. Note: You can withdraw your money at any time, but it’ll take two to three business days to transfer funds over to your bank account.
6. Get a $5 Bonus When You Sell Old Movies and CDs
If you have a little more time, start shuffling through your old movies or CDs, because Decluttr will pay you for them. Decluttr buys your old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and video games, plus hardware like cell phones, tablets, game consoles and iPods — it’s easily one of the simplest ways to make money online. One user, Gil Flores, told us he sold about 100 DVDs and 75 CDs and made $275 — an average of $1.57 each. Just download the app, and start scanning the barcodes on your media to get immediate quotes. It’s completely free to use — no listing or seller fees. Payment is pretty fast — it’ll take a day or two after Decluttr receives your goods — and shipping is free. Right now, when you send in your trades, Decluttr grants you a $5 bonus if you enter FREE5 at checkout.
Surveys aren’t always the fastest way to make money, but you can quickly snag some bonuses if you’re a new member. One of our favorite paid survey sites that offers a bonus is Swagbucks. Swagbucks is definitely a reader favorite, probably because of the wide variety of ways to make money beyond taking surveys. It’s also famous for handing out free rewards points (they’re called SBs) at random just for being a member. Pro tip: Earn a 500 SB (or $5) bonus when you sign up and earn 2,500 SB within your first 60 days. You’ll get SBs for each survey you qualify for and complete that you can redeem for cash via Paypal or gift cards to a number of popular retailers, including Amazon.
2. Sign up for a Cash-Back Card and Work Toward a $150 Bonus
If you’re looking for a passive way to earn money, a cash-back credit card is perhaps one of the easiest methods. Just don’t get too carried away with those purchases — and pay off the card at the end of each billing period. Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card*. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus. There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire.
3. Earn a $10 Walmart Gift Card for Shopping Online
One of our favorite ways to save on any shopping is with Ebates, a cash-back site that rewards you nearly every time you buy something. For example, Ebates gives you up to 10% cash back on purchases at Walmart online. Plus you’ll get a free $10 gift card to Walmart for giving the site a try. To earn your gift card: Sign up for Ebates with your email or Facebook account.
Use the Ebates portal the next time you need to buy something. It’s connected to thousands of stores, including Walmart, Amazon and Target. You’ll need to make your first purchase through the site within 90 days and spend at least $25. Your account will be credited with rewards points. Every three months, Ebates will send you a check in the mail — or wire money over to you through PayPal.
If you’re already shopping, why not earn some cash back?
4. Start an Emergency Fund and Get up to $50 in Free Stocks
Acorns is a popular micro-investing app. Once you connect it to a debit or credit card, it rounds your purchases up to the nearest dollar and funnels your digital change into an investment account. That means if you spend $10.23 at the grocery store, 77 cents gets dropped into your Acorns account. Once you hit $5, Acorns will automatically invest it. The idea is you won’t miss the digital pocket change, and the automatic savings stack up faster than you’d think. Bonus: You’ll get a free $5 when you make your first investment. You can withdraw your money at any time, though it’ll take five to seven days for the payment to post to your account. Ready for more than just investing spare change?
Try Swell Investing, an SEC-registered investment adviser committed to supporting sustainable companies. Its Impact 400 portfolio features companies whose products and services align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You can start with just $50 and invest in this or other portfolios committed to clean water, zero waste, renewable energy or disease eradication, to name a few. Bonus: Score a $50 bonus with the code PENNY after making your initial investment.
5. Collect $5 in Free Stocks
It’s no brilliant secret that investing can be a smart way to make money. Sometimes, though, it feels restricted to a few wealthy elite. But Stash is different. This app lets you start investing with as little as $5 and for just a $1 monthly fee for balances under $5,000. Stash curates investments from professional fund managers and investors and lets you choose where to put your money. But it leaves the complicated investment terms out of it. You just choose from a set of simple portfolios reflecting your beliefs, interests and goals. Bonus: Right now, The Penny Hoarder is teaming up with Stash to give you an extra $5 after your first investment. Note: You can withdraw your money at any time, but it’ll take two to three business days to transfer funds over to your bank account.
6. Get a $5 Bonus When You Sell Old Movies and CDs
If you have a little more time, start shuffling through your old movies or CDs, because Decluttr will pay you for them. Decluttr buys your old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and video games, plus hardware like cell phones, tablets, game consoles and iPods — it’s easily one of the simplest ways to make money online. One user, Gil Flores, told us he sold about 100 DVDs and 75 CDs and made $275 — an average of $1.57 each. Just download the app, and start scanning the barcodes on your media to get immediate quotes. It’s completely free to use — no listing or seller fees. Payment is pretty fast — it’ll take a day or two after Decluttr receives your goods — and shipping is free. Right now, when you send in your trades, Decluttr grants you a $5 bonus if you enter FREE5 at checkout.
