One of my absolute favorite things about the time that we are living in is that for most of us with basic internet or smartphone access, we can literally make money at ANY time. In pretty much any other time period, to make money, you first had to find an employer willing to pay for your goods, services or expertise. This process usually involved some combination of searching, face-to-face interviews, selling, billing, and frankly, a lot more effort than is required today. Now, we live in an age when simply by firing up your laptop or smartphone, you have the ability to choose how you make money and how much you make based on what you feel like doing and how much time you want to put in. There are thousands of apps to make money as a side gig, many of them requiring far less skill and red tape to get into than traditional careers. While these apps vary in the amount of time required to make money and the amount that you can actually earn, hopefully the list below will spark an idea for how you can start to make a few extra bucks using the technology available to you.
8 Apps to make money in your spare time
- Uber – This one has almost unlimited earning potential based on the amount of time and effort that you want to put in. However, Uber driving does require more than just a phone and has a longer registration process than many other money making apps will. You can read about my experience as an Uber driver to learn more about the basics.
- Lyft – Similar to Uber, Lyft allows you to make money at any time you feel like working by driving passengers around. This is a perfect side gig for nights, weekends, early mornings, or pretty much any time that you have a spare hour and want to make extra cash.
- Raise – If you are like me, you have a stack of at least five or ten gift cards with random amounts from stores, restaurants, or brands that you never really get around to spending. The Raise app allows you to sell your gift cards for a slightly discounted price and get cash out of it. As a bonus, you can use Raise to purchase discounted gift cards and save money when you know that you are going to make a purchase at a specific business.
- Amazon Flex – Similar to Uber and Lyft, signing up as an Amazon Flex driver gives you the ability to make extra money outside of your job by driving around town in your spare time. With Amazon Flex, you will be delivering packages for a combination of an hourly rate and tips, depending on the type you are delivering. For more details, check out Make Money Driving with Amazon Flex.
- Geekatoo – Have some nerd skills? Put them to work. Geekatoo find you one-off gigs as a tech support specialist for people who need anything from a TV mounted to their wifi network setup. You can specify what type of skills you have, then start getting contacted to accept jobs in your area.
- TaskRabbit – TaskRabbit, like Geekatoo allows you to take on tasks that other people have around their house and need a hand with. Unlike Geekatoo, TaskRabbit doesn’t require the tech chops. TaskRabbit will get you going on side gigs that range from cleaning to moving to delivery or handy work.
- Shopkick – While Shopkick is technically more of an app that is aimed at saving you money, it can also earn you small amounts of money by simply entering stores and scanning items while you are there. In most cases, it is pennies at a time, but it takes very little effort and you can start automatically earning “kicks” which can be exchanged for gift cards by simply walking into a store with your phone.
- Swagbucks – Swagbucks offers a lot of different ways through their apps to earn “swagbucks” which are similar to kicks in that they can be exchanged for Paypal money or gift cards. You can earn these Swagbucks by doing anything in the app from watching movie previews to filling out surveys, playing games, or shopping at retailers for cash back. I have found myself using Swagbucks when I’m killing time in line somewhere, or instead of playing games or browsing social media on my phone in the evening. Use this link to sign up and get an immediate $3 bonus.
This is the first in a series of posts that will detail ways to use apps to make money in your spare time, but take a look at the ones above and let me know in the comments about your experience. I’d also love to hear about others that you have discovered.
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