9 Best Ways to Get Free Money Online (2023)
Does free money sound like a scam? In fact, in the digital age, there are plenty of legit and real ways for people to earn free money with very little time and effort. If you don’t want to miss out on them, check out this post. Here is a list of things you can do to get free cash easily from the comfort of your home.
Easiest Side Hustles
Earn money online by taking surveys
1. Find unclaimed money
Unclaimed money or property is considered completely free money because it’s rightfully yours and waiting for your collection. They may be abandoned checking and saving accounts, inactive stocks, uncollected tax refunds, deposits for utility bills, and other valuables that have been forgotten or not aware of. About 1 in 10 US individuals is owed missing cash, so you may want to check if you are too.
Unclaim.org allows people to search for unclaimed properties under their name. But if your state’s website or portal is out of service, you may dig up public databases manually.
2. Apply for government assistance
If you’re stuck in financial hardships, it’s a good idea to apply for government assistance programs and get help with living expenses or business costs. Check the programs below and see which you’re eligible for:
- Benefits.gov – food, housing, health care, child care, Social Security, and more
- GovLoans.go – small business, education, housing, and more
- Grants.gov – only for organizations working with government-funded programs and projects
3. Get paid by doing surveys
Taking paid surveys is the easiest way to get extra cash in daily life. Without any threshold, it suits people of different ages, educations, or careers, and is especially perfect for people to earn while sparing pockets of time on the subway, waiting for a bus, etc.
For maximum earning opportunities, try some reputable and high-paying survey websites.
| Survey Website | AVG PAYOUT (PER SURVEY) | PAYMENT METHOD |
| Branded Surveys | $1 – $3 | PayPal, Branded Pay, or e-gift Cards |
| Toluna USA | $0.5 – $2.5 | PayPal, gift cards, or monthly drawings |
| InboxDollars | $0.5 – $5 | Check, prepaid VISA or gift cards |
| MyPoints | $0.35 – $2 | Gift cards |
| Lifepoints | $0.60 – $1 | PayPal |
4. Join focus groups
If you would like to take a step further, you can participate in focus groups. Like in-depth surveys, they provide valuable insights for market researchers. Typically, a small group of people is invited to share their opinions and feedback on products and services, either in person or online.
Compared with regular surveys, focus groups may require participants of specific professions or skills, etc, and the earning is much higher, up to $150 per hour. To find available paid user research, here are two working websites to try.
- Survey Junkie – Up to $150 per focus group. Available in the United States, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom.
- Respondent.io – $50 – $250 per research. Available internationally.
5. Complete simple tasks
Many get-paid-to websites pay you not only for surveys but also for a variety of short tasks online. For example, Swagbucks allows you to earn money for free by playing games, downloading apps, watching videos, testing products, answering questions, and so on.
If you’re expert in specific fields, you can apply to be an expert on JustAnswerand make money by answering people’s questions. Alternatively, you could answer students’ academic questions on different subjects after signing up as a tutor on Studypool. You may earn up to $7,500 monthly.
6. Earn cashback
Believe it or not. Shopping can also make you money! If you’re frequently shopping online or in-store, you can slash your cost by using coupons and gaining lucrative rewards and cashback. Simply install a cashback app or browser extension. Then shop normally with your favorite retailers and some dollars will get back to your pocket.
After testing several cashback sites, here are our recommendations:
Option 1 – Coupert
Coupert is a 100% free browser extension used by 8M+ global users to save money and earn cashback. It partners with 100,000+ stores, covering the most popular brands like Grubhub, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dell, Walmart, and more. And it’s very straightforward to activate the cashback.
1) Install Coupert to your browser. (For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.)
2) Shop online as you normally do. During checkout, click the Coupert icon at the top left corner. If the cashback is available, click Activate Now.
Apart from placing orders, you can earn money (known as Gold in Coupert) through daily check-in, referring friends, or special events. When meeting the minimum withdrawal amount of $10, you can redeem the balance via PayPal or e-gift cards.
Option 2 – ibotta
Ibotta is another great and convenient website offering cashback on your everyday purchases both online and offline. You could install its browser extension to unlock cashback online. If you’re shopping in major stores such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, or Walgreens, you could scan the paper receipts via the app to get cashback.
1) Install the ibotta browser extension or app on your Android or iOS.
2) Shop online as you always do. Ibotta supports 2000+ retailers. When cashback is available, simply click Activate. Also don’t forget to find and upload your old grocery receipts to maximize the earnings.
After reaching $20 in your account, you’ll be able to withdraw the cash.
7. Rent out spare space for storage
If you have a spare room or space or an entire vacant property, it’s a good idea to rent it out for cash. Instead of being a host on Airbnb or Vrbo, where you’ll need to spend a lot of time and resources managing the house for each stay, there’s a simpler (but less obvious) option, that is to rent out the space for storing vehicles and belongings.
Neighbor.com is a leading peer-to-peer storage platform. This website connects storage hosts with people who have demands for storage. Whether it’s an empty attic, garage, basement, closet, bedroom, shed, or any other potential space, you can make it a substantial source of income.
8. Get credit card sign-up offers
If you’re in need of applying for a credit card, many cards, even those with zero annual fees, offer generous perks worth hundreds of dollars for new cardholders. Depending on your consumption habits and financial goals, you may choose a top-rated rewards credit card, which will give you extra benefits for every dollar spent, including cashback, points, or travel miles.
Note that most welcome offers, though tempting, require a minimum spending amount. So make sure to take your budget and financial plan into consideration before applying. If you’re planning for large purchases, it would be smart to take advantage of such offers.
Editor’s Pick
Unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases
Welcomes Offer: $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 within 3 months of account opening
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 0% for 15 mon. Then 19.99% – 29.99%
9. Gain referral bonuses
Apart from sign-up offers, loads of online services and brands, from retailers, food delivery, and cashback sites, to banks, provide rewards or bonuses for referrals as part of their promotions. Always check if the service you’re using has a referral program. If so, refer your friends or family to sign up with the company, and you will receive rewards, which may be in the form of credits, vouchers, or real hard cash.
So these are 9 easy ways for you to get free money. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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