Unlike a wallet that makes it easy to spend money, your phone helps you make money! And, you don’t need to have your wallet to make money from your phone.
Since there are so many ways to earn extra money with your phone, it’s hard to know where to start. So, this list is organized by how much time it takes to complete each activity.
In This Article
How To Make Money With Your Phone
One of my favorite ways to make money from your phone is micro tasks. In most cases, you only need 15 minutes to complete the job.
After each task, you get paid. And, there is a wide variety of tasks, so you should never get bored.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a great way for getting paid to do small tasks from your phone.
Some tasks only take five minutes to complete. These tasks include daily surveys, watching videos and playing games. And, Swagbucks pays you to search the web too! Sometimes, it will feel as if these tasks aren’t even “work.”
You will receive points for each completed task. You can redeem your points for PayPal cash or gift cards.
For gift cards, your redemptions start at $3 for your favorite restaurants and stores. And, you can earn your first $5 as a sign-up bonus!
2. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is probably the next largest “get-paid-to” platform after Swagbucks. There are many different ways to make money with InboxDollars. Some of these include reading emails, playing games, taking surveys and watching videos.
To double your daily earning potential, you might consider joining two platforms. Besides InboxDollars, you might join Swagbucks. Or, you can join one of the other platforms on this page.
If you prefer earning cash to gift cards, InboxDollars can be a better option. Plus, you receive a $5 bonus for joining.
3. MyPoints
MyPoints is the sister site to Swagbucks. The earning options are identical, but the award options can be different.
For example, you might earn 1,000 points from MyPoints and only 500 points at Swagbucks for an activity. Or, MyPoints might have a gift card sale when Swagbucks doesn’t.
You may not appreciate the overlap with Swagbucks. But, at least you know what to expect from MyPoints!
4. instaGC
If you want to earn gift cards, instaGC can be a good option to make money from your phone. You make the most money taking surveys. But, you can also make money by watching videos, shopping online and playing games.
There are more than 360 gift card options to choose from. And, all gift cards are digital, so you receive them instantly.
5. Mechanical Turk
Do you want to earn gift cards with little effort? You should consider Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) as an income stream. To be honest, MTurk is best for tablets and computers.
This means your iPhone might not be MTurk-friendly. But, there are some mobile-friendly tasks (HITs) as well.
You will need to determine what works best for your phone. Two options include taking surveys and entering data from images.
6. Survey Junkie
Do you only have time for surveys? If so, Survey Junkie is one of the best survey apps! By taking surveys, you help shape new products designs. You will receive points for every survey good for cash and gift cards.
Survey Junkie is available in both the Google Play and IOS App Store.
7. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost lets you earn cash or gift cards by taking surveys. As an added bonus, you enter into the quarterly $10,000 cash prize drawing with each survey too.
You will be able to complete surveys on a variety of topics. For example, today you might answer questions about the brands you use.
Tomorrow, you might take a survey about your personal beliefs. With Opinion Outpost, variety makes each survey fun.
8. Ipsos I-Say
Ipsos I-Say is one of the oldest online survey communities. You will earn points for taking paid surveys and user-generated polls.
At the end of each year, you also earn a loyalty bonus. So, loyalty has its benefits with Ipsos I-Say! With Ipsos, your points are good for gift cards or contest drawings.
9. National Consumer Panel
National Consumer Panel is another way to make money from your phone that only requires one hour of your time every week.
Right before you go to bed one night, share your shopping activity for the week. To get paid, scan the receipts of products you buy with the NCP Mobile app. For each product, share the purchase price and the place of purchase too.
With each scan, you earn points that are good for cash, gift cards and prizes. And, NCP also increases your point payout the longer you remain an active member.
To get the bonus, share your shopping history every week.
10. Ibotta
Ibotta is a mobile app that helps you earn cash back every time you visit the grocery. Before you check out, activate the cash back offers within the app.
With Ibotta, you can get cash back at nearly any grocery store. Plus, the app also works at discount stores like Walmart and Target too.
There are two different types of cash back offers to activate. For example, you might get $2 back buying a 12-pack of Coca-Cola. Or, you can earn cash back when you purchase a loaf of bread, regardless of the brand.
Most importantly, you don’t have to clip paper coupons to enjoy the savings.
When you cash out, you can request payment by PayPal, Venmo, or gift cards.
11. Rakuten
Rakuten is one of my favorite apps! Here’s why. You and I can get up to 40% cash back on nearly any online purchase.
Even though Rakuten is accessible on a tablet or computer, the Rakuten app offers bonus cash back. For select retailers, you get special in-app bonus cashback.
Each calendar quarter, Rakuten will send you a “Big Fat Check” in the mail. Or, you can also get PayPal cash or a gift card. As a new Rakuten member, you get $10 bonus cash by making your first $25 purchase with Rakuten.
12. Shopkick
No purchase is necessary to earn points with Shopkick. Shopkick is an app available for iOS and Andriod. Although, you will earn more points when you make a purchase.
To make money with Shopkick, you first need to download the app, then enable your phone’s location services.
First, you will earn points for walking into the store. Then, you can earn more points by scanning product barcodes.
This can be a fun way to get your exercise and interact with the public. Plus, you might be able to earn a free gift card each time you leave the house!
13. Bookscouter
While there are many places to sell used books, Bookscouter is one of the easiest. Indeed, you can sell used textbooks at the best price.
First, enter scan the book barcode. At once, you get buyback prices from more than 42 vendors. After you finish scanning each book, it’s time to pick the best vendor.
Most vendors provide a prepaid shipping label. When they receive your books, they send PayPal cash within 48 hours.
14. Decluttr
Decluttr is an app that buys your used DVDs, CDs, books and electronics. Their app scans barcodes so you can sell multiple items quickly.
After that, Decluttr emails you a prepaid shipping label. However, if you don’t have shipping supplies, they will mail you those too.
Every order has free shipping. And, you will receive PayPal payment the day after Decluttr receives your goods.
You could also sell items on Ebay if you are willing to put in the work needed to list items individually.
15. Foap
Foap is one of the few apps that let you sell pictures online taken with your phone’s camera. This photo-selling app works with Apple and Android devices. And, you get paid when a company buys one of your photos
To start, take pictures of everyday life or your most recent trip. With Foap, there’s a chance you can make money!
16. Poshmark
Poshmark is a leading clothing resale site my wife uses to buy and sell clothing. To make money, snap a picture with your phone in the app.
Then, upload the pricing details. In a matter of minutes, you can list several items. No doubt, it’s easy to sell on Poshmark.
When an item sells, Poshmark provides a prepaid shipping label. Finally, attach it to the package put it in the mail. At this point, you get paid!
Besides Poshmark, learn where else you can sell clothes online.
17. Craigslist
When you want to sell unwanted items locally, install the Craigslist app.
It’s free to list and sell on Craigslist. Notably, there are no “middleman” commissions or shipping fees! And, you might also like this option if you have bulky items to sell like furniture. Also, you can sell exercise equipment or old television sets too.
As an alternative to Craigslist, you might also consider Offerup or Facebook Marketplace. All of these groups are free to list and sell. And, some sellers consider these apps to be smartphone-friendly. As a result, some buyers don’t even use Craigslist.
18. DoorDash
You no longer have to work for a pizza company to deliver food for cash. Instead, DoorDash partners with many take-out restaurants. So, you can deliver a variety of different cuisine.
For example, you might deliver
So far, DoorDash has delivered over 10 million orders to hungry customers!
To begin, you only need a reliable vehicle, moped, or good walking shoes. Of course, don’t forget a smartphone with the DoorDash app!
To become a Dasher, you will also need:
- Valid drivers license
- Valid insurance
With DoorDash, you get paid weekly and can even earn tips!
19. Airbnb
So, you need a spare bedroom or a whole house to make money with Airbnb. Even if you don’t own a second home, you can rent your home when you travel. If you travel often, you can rent your home multiple times a year.
As an Airbnb host, you open your doors to travelers who don’t want to stay at a hotel. As a result, they pay less, and you make more money!
20. Lyft
If you own a reliable, 4-door vehicle, you can become a Lyft driver. As a driver, you get paid to drive people around town.
Once you pass a background check and your car passes a safety check, it’s drive time! In the app, accept a ride request to earn your first dollar!
To earn the most cash possible, be sure to read our Lyft driver tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the easiest ways to make money with your phone is by taking surveys. Certain companies will even pay you cash via PayPal in the same day.
It is possible to make a full time living working from your phone. However, opportunities to work full time are limited. Lyft and DoorDash would be two examples of where you could make a living from using your phone.
No, you can use either an Android or iOS smartphone in order to use most of the apps you can make money from.
Which Is The Best Way To Make Money With A Phone?
The best way to make money with your phone depends on the amount of time you have and how much work you want to do.
Use this list as a guide to determine which method makes the most sense for you.
With so many options you can start making money with your hobbies smartphone as soon as today.
