17 Easy Ways to Make Money With PayPal

Some products in this article are from our partners. Read our Advertiser Discloser.

Woman using her phone to make money with paypal

If you like the idea of making free money online, you probably have considered using PayPal as a way of getting paid.

PayPal is a popular payment method for online work because it is fast and secure.

You might be surprised by all the easy ways you can make money with PayPal. Some involve small tasks; others are truly passive income methods. All are ways you can make money fairly easily.

How to Make Money With PayPal

Read on and see if any of these options to make free paypal cash might be right for you.

1. Take Cash Surveys

If you have a few minutes to spare during the day and like to share your opinion with others, you can get paid when you complete online surveys.

There are many different survey websites to choose from, but not all of them allow you to get paid by PayPal. After all, not everybody wants to work exclusively for Amazon gift cards.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the most reputable survey companies that allows you to earn cash rewards.

They have a Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of 5 and will send daily survey invites.

Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is another popular paid surveys company that has paid over $19.5 million.

Once you have earned 500 points, you can redeem that for $5 cash via PayPal.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a site where you can earn money now in several ways and offers a $10 sign-up bonus!

You can make money by taking surveys, playing games, watching videos, making online purchases, and even surfing the web.

They allow you to cash out when your account reaches $5.

These survey sites are free to join, and you can earn rewards every week.

Both of these apps are available on Google Play Store or the Apple App Store as well.

PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel pays points when you take surveys that you can redeem for PayPal cash and other great prizes. They have over 100 rewards, and it’s 100% free to join.

After joining, you’ll have access to thousands of surveys, and they pay instantly. As soon as you have the equivalent of $5, you can cash out via PayPal.

PrizeRebel doesn’t have a mobile app, but it is available as a Chrome extension.

2. Freelance Writing

If you have a gift for the written word, you can get paid as a freelance writer to create blog posts, eBooks, white papers, and B2B or B2C copywriting with PayPal.

While you can also use freelancer platforms like Fiverr, these side hustle boards can keep up to 20% of your income, which means less money in your pocket. And not every client hires on these boards.

The best part about freelance writing is that you don’t need an English or writing background.

While these credentials do help, people from all over who have a gift for writing, even if they have never been paid to write, get paid every day to write about their areas of expertise.

3. Graphic Design

It is also possible to make money with PayPal when you have an eye for design.

Whether you want to design custom t-shirts and clothing or design websites, graphics, or logos for local businesses, you can get paid instantly with PayPal.

You can join a platform like CafePress with an established audience and client base to create your own store, or you can create your own website to showcase your portfolio and land clients.

Even if you create your own site, you can still use PayPal as your preferred payment method.

4. Affiliate Marketing

If you have a website or blog, you have the perfect platform to make money from affiliate marketing.

You earn a small commission each time a visitor completes a purchase after they click the referral link on your site for products that you enjoy and recommend.

For example, you can write a post about your favorite laptop and include an affiliate link for that laptop. If readers buy that laptop, you earn a few dollars from every sale.

Each affiliate program works differently. Some merchants operate the program themselves, and you can get links directly from their websites.

Other merchants partner with affiliate networks such as:

  • ClickBank
  • GumRoad
  • Shopify

Whether you are just getting started with affiliate marketing or already have some experience, you might consider taking a course to learn more about how to earn even more money.

5. Sell Products on Your Own Website

In addition to receiving affiliate income by recommending products you use and love with your online business, you can also sell your own.

Whether it is an eBook, artwork, customized graphics, or drop-shipping fidget spinners, you can earn an even larger profit margin by selling your products online.

If you have shopped online, you have probably seen the “Pay with PayPal” payment option at the checkout screen.

You can add these buttons to your website with PayPal or use an online shopping cart like Shopify that will automatically deliver your digital products and drop ship physical goods you keep in a distribution warehouse.

If you don’t already own a website, you can create your own website in 10 minutes. It is worth saying that you will not start earning money immediately until you start getting visitors to your site.

With patience and persistence, it is possible to make a part-time and, in some cases, full-time living from your website.

6. Save Money on Groceries

How would you like to save money on groceries and earn PayPal money at the same time?

Enter, Ibotta which is a free app that you can download onto your smartphone.

Before you head out to the grocery stores, simply open the app and choose the store or stores you’re going to shop at. Then, browse through the available offers for that store.

Ibotta has offers for hundreds of different products, and the offers change regularly.

Add the offers you find on the items you want to buy to your Ibotta account, and then shop as you normally do.

When you’re done shopping, just scan your receipt or receipts barcode into your phone. Ibotta will credit your Ibotta account for the money you saved from offers.

Then you can transfer that money to PayPal when you meet the minimum $20 transfer threshold.

Ibotta works at nearly 300 stores, including:

  • Walmart
  • Target
  • Sam’s Club
  • Costco
  • Publix
  • Albertson’s
  • Walgreen’s
  • CVS Pharmacy

And more. Bonus: You can often early extra cash for actions such as signing up and referring friends. Ibotta helps you save money on groceries without having to clip or print out coupons.

7. Sell Old Electronics

If you have a drawer full of old cell phones or a closet crammed with your last three computers, you might be able to earn some extra cash by recycling your old electronics.

You can get paid with PayPal when you sell your old phones, tablets, laptops, or video game consoles to a site like Decluttr. Both of these sites will pay you more for newer devices.

For example, you will receive more for an iPhone X than an iPhone 7. Also, it is worth noting that shipping is free and that you will be paid within one or two days of receiving the shipment.

8. Shop Online with Rakuten

Another way to make money with PayPal is by shopping with Rakuten. This option requires you to spend money to make money, but you can earn cash back ranging from 1% to 40% of each online purchase, depending on the retailer’s cash-back policy.

With the ability to earn cash back at over 2,000 online stores, there’s no reason you can’t get cash back on a routine basis from your online purchases.

Rakuten will pay you by PayPal on a quarterly basis once your reward balance reaches $5. New Rakuten members can also receive a $10 cash bonus on their first purchase.

In addition to getting paid by PayPal, you can also opt to receive a “Big Fat Check” for free.

Other Online Shopping Sites

  • MyPoints – Earn points for every dollar you spend on everyday purchases like groceries and online purchases. Members have access to exclusive deals and coupon codes to save more money. You can redeem your points for many prizes, including PayPal cash.
  • TopCashback – Earn cashback for your online purchases by shopping through TopCashBack. They partner with thousands of top brands that pay cash back for your purchases. TopCashBack pays its members 100% of the commission earned for your purchase while they make money from sponsors and other advertising opportunities.
  • Honey – Honey is a Chrome extension owned by PayPal that automatically finds deals when you shop online. If it finds a deal, it alerts you of the code and automatically applies it to your cart. You can also add items to your ‘Droplist,’ and Honey will send you an alert when the price drops.

9. Become a Virtual Assistant

You can also make money online when you become a virtual assistant. This position can come in many different forms.

For example, you can manage a website by optimizing website content for search engines, managing email accounts, or supervising networking on social media, to name just a few different possibilities.

Each client has different needs and might be looking to hire on a part-time or full-time basis. If you are savvy with social media, you might consider asking your favorite blog if they need a social media virtual assistant to manage tweets or Facebook groups.

These are tasks the blog owner wants to implement to reach a wider audience but might be too busy to do.

10. Become a Transcriptionist

Another way to make real money with PayPal in your spare time is to become a transcriptionist. Sites like TranscribeMe! pay you to transcribe audio recordings from corporate, legal, and medical clients. Payments are weekly, and you can earn up to $25 per audio hour.

If you are a certified legal or medical transcriptionist, your starting salary can be even higher.

It is free to get started with many transcriptionist sites like TranscribeMe after you pass an exam to prove your skills and adherence to their style guide.

Want to learn more about how to become a transcriptionist? Check out Transcribe Anywhere’s free mini course today.

11. Sell Your Old Books

If you have books or textbooks that are only collecting dust on your shelf, you can make money selling your old books to sites like Bookscouter.

You can also check out ValoreBooks, a buyback comparison site that can quickly help you find the merchant offering the best price.

Many of these sites focus on buying back used college and other textbooks. However, some will also buy back other types of books.

Most book buyback services will pay you with store credit, check, or PayPal.

12. Sell Your Used DVDs

When you want to thin out your movie collection, you can also make extra money with PayPal by selling your used DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

Whether it is one movie or the complete Seinfeld series, you can sell your used DVDs to a site like Decluttr. Shipping is free, and they will send you PayPal cash once they receive your movies.

Here’s how it works: First, you enter the barcode numbers of the DVDs you want to sell onto the Decluttr site. Decluttr will give you an instant buy number on every barcode you enter.

Once you get all of your offers, you can accept or reject them. For the items you accept offers on, Decluttr will email you a free shipping label. You box up the items securely and send them to Decluttr.

After Decluttr receives your package, they’ll go through it and make sure all of the items you sent were as described. Then they’ll send a payment to your PayPal account.

You get to help a fellow movie lover find a great deal by earning a little money in the process.

13. Rent Out a Room in Your Home

Do you have a spare room in your home? Why not rent it out to travelers and make some extra cash?

When you become an Airbnb host, you can get paid to rent your spare bedroom(s) out to travelers. They might be traveling for business or for a concert in your area.

Or, they may just be passing through on their way to another destination. It’s not uncommon to earn $50-$75 per night per room, or more, depending on where you live.

If you don’t mind entertaining people and sharing your home, you could make money with Airbnb and get paid via PayPal.

14. Cash Back App Rewards

Cash-back apps pay you cash for buying certain items, including gas and dining out. They require a little work, including activating offers and uploading receipts, but the rewards can be worth it.

Here are some of the top cashback apps.

Upside

Upside works with local businesses to earn you cashback. They began primarily as a cash-back app for gas purchases but have since branched into other areas, including retail stores and restaurants.

Upside partners with some of the largest brands with over 50,000 locations throughout the nation.

To earn cash back, you must first find and activate the offer in the app. Only activate an offer when you’re ready to use it because you have limited time to purchase. Some offers allow you to check in, and Upside verifies the purchase with your linked credit or debit card. Others require you to upload your receipt as proof of purchase.

Dosh

Having a Dosh account makes earning cash back a breeze! You don’t have to activate offers or upload receipts. Simply sign up for an account and link your most used credit or debit card. Then, when you purchase from a store or company that partners with Dosh, you’ll automatically earn cashback in your account.

When you have $15 earned in cash back, you can redeem it via PayPal, Venmo, or your bank account. You can also donate the earnings to charity.

Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog makes earning cash back fun. It requires a little work because you must upload your receipts to earn points, but there’s a benefit to snapping your receipts in Receipt Hog. Not only can you earn cash back, but Receipt Hog stores your receipts so you can use them for returns or budgeting.

Receipt Hog pays in coins, and 1,000 coins earns you $5 PayPal cash, a $5 Amazon gift card, or a $5 Visa card.

15. Fitness Apps

It sounds crazy, but you can earn free Paypal money using fitness apps. The top fitness apps have challenges to help you earn cash for losing weight or exercising. They do this because society benefits when more people are healthy.

Here are the top apps that pay you to exercise or lose weight.

SweatCoin

Sweatcoin pays members in ‘sweatcoins’ for steps. It even tracks your steps automatically, and for every 1,000 steps, you earn 0.95 sweatcoins. If you take 10,000 steps a day, you’ll earn 9.5 sweatcoins.

You can turn your sweatcoins in for various prizes, each of which has different redemption values. Prizes include PayPal cash and Amazon credits.

HealthyWage

HealthyWage is a weight loss app that pays you to lose weight. You can join a team challenge to earn money. Each member pays an entry fee when you wager on your weight loss as a team. If you have weight loss of 6% or higher, you win a part of the pot.

DietBet

DietBet is a game you can play to win money to lose weight. You choose the game you want to play, either losing 4% or 10% or creating a custom game with friends and family. When you join the game, you pay a fee and have a chance to win a portion of the pot.

StepBet

StepBet is another app that allows you to wager how many steps you’ll take. You set personalized goals and win money. If you meet your goals for the entire duration of the game, you split the pot with other winners.

16. PayPal Referral Bonus

You can even make money with PayPal when you refer friends. Just let others know how much you love PayPal and encourage them to join too, by using your link. Every person that signs up for PayPal and makes a $5 purchase using it earns you (and them) $10.

17. Play Games

If you love playing games, why not get paid for it? You can earn cash prizes by playing free games and showing off your skills.

  • Mistplay – Mistplay rewards you for playing games. The longer you play, the more you make. Mistplay creates a game catalog based on your preferences and pays you in units for your playtime. You can redeem your units for rewards, including Paypal cash and Amazon gift cards.
  • Skillz Games – You can get paid to play your favorite games like bubble shooters and solitaire on Skillz Games. You’ll use your skills in these games to go head-to-head with competitors to win cash prizes.Skillz matches you with players with similar abilities, so you aren’t wiped out every time by people with higher skills than you.
  • Blackout Bingo – Bingo is more than a game of luck! In Blackout Bingo (For IOS and Android), you can play in tournaments and win cash prizes if you deposit cash into your account. You also have the option to play free versions if you want to brush up on your skills before risking money. Like most cash games, you’re matched against people with similar skills to even the playing field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PayPal Free?

It’s free to open and use a PayPal account; however, they charge fees in certain instances, including the following:

– Send payments via debit or credit card
– Receive payments from a sale
– Receive money from another country
– Transfer money from your PayPal account to a debit or credit card

How Do I Create a PayPal Account?

PayPal accounts are easy to create with these steps:

1. Choose a personal or business account
2. Provide your email and created password
3. Answer the personal detail questions
4. Link your bank account, credit, or debit card to send and receive payments
5. Verify your mobile number

You should also consider having a ‘verified PayPal account.’ To do this, set up direct deposit with your PayPal account, and they’ll send test deposits to your bank account to verify you own the accounts you linked to your PayPal account.

How Do You Cash Out on Paypal?

It’s easy to cash out on PayPal. It’s free if you use the standard transfer, which can take 1 – 3 business days, or there’s a small fee for an instant transfer.

To withdraw your funds, do the following:

– Log into your account
– Access your wallet
– Click ‘transfer’
– Select ‘in minutes’ or’ in 1 – 3 days’
– Enter the amount you want to withdraw
– Click ‘transfer’

Summary

There are many ways to earn free Paypal money. Whether you take surveys, sell homemade products or learn affiliate marketing, you can get paid quickly and securely with PayPal.

The next time you look to make money, check to see if you can get paid with PayPal.