18 Ways to Get Free Money Fast
Unfortunately, our government didn’t print enough of it, so a lot of people are lacking in hard currency. This is where you come in. There are a ton of ways you can get free money, and we are going to introduce you to more of them here.
The funny thing is that many people just don’t know that there are several ways to create an income that costs you nothing. In fact, some of them might already be happening in your life!
These ways are so effective that they will bring you money while you sleep. Did you hear us right? These methods will bring you money while you sleep. All you have to do is apply them correctly.
A note about these methods: Please do not endanger yourself. It is not always safe to do the things listed in these webpages, so please always take precaution.
Refinance Student Loans
If you are a young person who recently finished school and are saddled with student loan debt, refinancing may be an attractive option to help you reduce your monthly payments. There are tons of different lenders offering great deals, so you should compare several of them. The worst thing you can do is simply refinance with whatever offer pops up first. Most of these companies charge high fees for refinancing student loans. Make sure that you use a company that has a low fee structure like SoFi.
If you find that your interest rates are in the double digits, it would be worth considering refinancing to avoid paying such high interest rates in the future. The average student loan interest rates right now are trending below 4%, so you can refinance and save a ton of money over the years. Before refinancing your loans, you should consider consolidating them first since you can only refinance federal student loans and not private loans.
Give your opinions for money.
Research is pretty easy to find online and can be done from home. Start with these sites.
Lower your mortgage payment.
If you are having trouble affording your payments, contact your mortgage lender to see if they will adjust your mortgage.
Consolidate your debt to find extra money.
If you could find a way to reduce your debt, you would end up having some extra money each month. Use extra money toward snowball debt payments.
Get rebates at local retailers.
Ibotta
If you love to shop for household goods such as cleaning products, groceries, pet foods, baby foods, diapers, and other household essentials, you might have considered the rebate apps, such as Ibotta.
Ibotta is a money saving app through which you can save a lot of money by earning cash rebates. You earn rebates with every purchase that you make at participating stores (e.g., Walmart, Target, Costco, Kohl’s).
Once you’ve made a purchase at one of the stores, you take a photo of your receipt, complete a few tasks (such as answering some simple questions, watch some videos) and submit your rebate for approval. If you’ve submitted all the info and fulfilled all the tasks, then you’ll get the cash rebate deposited directly into your PayPal or Venmo account or you can receive a physical check after a certain time period.
Here’s what you need to remember – you have to submit the receipts within 7 days after making a purchase and the expiration periods of each rebate offer are different. So it’s always a good idea to check the requirements of each retailer and to search for the best deals before making a purchase.
MyPoints
Earn a free $5 with Inbox Dollars.
Rack up some Swagbucks.
You might not realize it, but you can actually get gift cards for rewards from a number of different, completely free reward sites … including Swagbucks.
These rewards programs work by allowing you to complete surveys and offers online and in return you receive a payment into your account that you can then use to redeem for gift cards and other perks like charitable donations and event tickets.
Now, one thing that I would like to note is that some of the rewards programs that are out there are actually scams. But the quality rewards programs, like Swagbucks, are legitimate and are the best way to get free money fast.
Score an easy $10 with Ebates.
Let Trim save you money automatically.
Join Trim, it’s FREE!
Chip-enabled cards make online shopping safer than ever. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely in the clear. Fraud is still present, and no matter how easy it looks for a company to process this new form of payment, the path isn’t always clear-cut.
For merchants, inviting card-accepting consumers into their online structures is a great way to increase their presence within the Internet world and gain access to a new customer base they’ve never had before. In addition to that, cardholders get to enjoy cart perks, loyalty rewards, and other benefits that are tailored for a digital environment.
But it takes a lot to make a payment “ any payment “ happen from start to finish. During the process, multiple parties are involved. That includes businesses, banks, card processors, and more. So how exactly does a card work? What technologies are used? And what’s the point of it all?
In essence, it’s a system that involves two main processes: authorization and capture. These are the mechanisms that live at the heart of card transactions, and while they may seem simple, the coding and intricate maze of security systems behind them are far from it.
Get refunds with Paribus.
Did you know that you can get cash back if a store you made a purchase from drops the price of a product you bought within 30 days? This service will automatically monitor your orders and location for you and send you notifications when stores drop the price of the item you bought. It will then give you a link to your purchase and payments for the difference will be refunded to you. (You get 90 days to get your money back.)
Collect Cash from Microinvesting Apps
Killer personal finance app Stash is one of my favorites and it has an awesome way to get cash back when you shop on Amazon.
It’s called “Swagbucksâ�� and it allows you to earn cash back on things you probably already do. I use it all the time and have earned over a thousand dollars in cold, hard cash!
There are literally hundreds of opportunities to earn cash back using this app.
I have suggested it to thousands of people and have only gotten 3 complaints. These people said it didn’t work but actually they just didn’t do their homework and didn’t understand the app.
There is often a delay of a few days after you complete a transaction for the money to post.
Use a shopping portal (if your online store has one) and search for the store using the search bar in your Swagbucks member account. You can then visit Amazon and do your usual shopping.
Stash Invest
The mobile app image is hosted by the image upload service provider Cloudinary. It's fee based for the service. Upon quick inspection I found that hosting the image directly on the Stack Exchange servers is allowed (you will have to verify pictures as you have done here), which is probably what you did already.
Regarding the disclaimed (18 Easy Ways To Get Free Money Fast), I have found the following information on this Stack Exchange site:
FAAWW (Is it dishonest to promote Stack Overflow when taking it as a source?)
Update: As a consequence of this discussion, a duplicate of this question was posted to the Faq of the Stack Overflow website, which I have posted below. The original Stack Overflow question also includes a policy statement about posting sources and disclaimers.
Update: There are now (as of 2015-03-21) guidelines on how to post an image with a link to the original source. See How do I smugly protect an image that I posted on Stack Exchange.
My question would be: Why did you post the question here on Stack Exchange (and not on the Stack Exchange site itself), and why did you fail to mention the commercial aspect of the app in your question?
Original source:
My disclaimer: No, I don't have any connection with Stash Investing.
Original Image:
Acorns
Acorns is a micro-investing app that uses the spare change from your everyday purchases to invest in the stock market. It’s incredibly simple to use “ just link your bank account and select the amount of money you’re comfortable investing each week.
If you use their “round-up” feature to buy things like coffee, candy bars, gas, etc., Acorns will invest the additional money that you don’t spend. If you have credit card rewards, you can even use those to invest in Acorns. It’s not crazy to make hundreds of dollars a year in interest from spare change.
Score a bank bonus.
Many new banking customers are often surprised by the amount of incentives and introductory perks banks offer to those that open an account with them. In fact, many banks will come up with creative ways to attract new customers. Some of the best perks available are cash back and interest rate bonuses. You can often earn thousands of dollars just for signing up with the right bank and it’s typically pretty easy to get.
Here’s the one thing you have to keep in mind: the best bonuses come with a catch. If you don’t meet the minimum requirements for the account, you’re not eligible to receive the bonus. The importance of that catch is that it will ensure that you will have to pay attention to your account and avoid doing something dumb like overdrafting.
Here are 12 banks offering great bank bonuses you can check out today.
Discover
Do you ever get frustrated? Frustrated with your job? Frustrated with bills? Frustrated with finances?
If so, you’re certainly not alone.
But with a little hard work and the right information, your frustration can be turned into a surprising sense of relief and, even better, cash in the bank.
Citibank
Price Rewind
If you purchased a product in the last thirty days, register it with Citi’s product price rewind service and they will do a price check on it for you every week. If they find that within the last thirty days you’ve purchased the same product for less, the difference will be sent directly to your account.
The CitiPriceRewind program covers a wide range of products including computers, flatscreens, laptops, cell phones, cars, and virtually anything else you may consider buying.
You can register up to four products at a time. In addition to this being a great way to save some extra money, it’s also a great way to discover new discounts. For example, if you buy five laptops from Dell in one week, you’re not going to be saving that much money each time. But if you do, and spread your purchases out over five weeks, you can actually save a lot of money.
The offers available with Citi’s price rewind service are updated every week. So check back once a week and see if Citi has found you a better price. In most cases, it’s a great way to get money back for nothing.
bank of america
chase
Invest money with Stockpile.
The best way to invest the money you’ve earned is to do it automatically via an investment app like Stash or Acorns. Once you have your money automating into a good, low-cost index fund (that will save you tons of money in fees over time), you can forget about it. That also means you can set aside the money you want to invest in online games.
Investing is by far the best way to build a real retirement fund, but you need a good online service. Stash and Acorns offer the best value for young investors, with no minimum deposit and no cost to open an account.
Get Paid to Budget
Budgeting and planning your spending is a critical part of your financial education. And budgeting is a part of many emergency preparedness planning efforts as well. The American Red Cross recommends budgeting at least 2-3 weeks’ worth of expenses in the event of unexpected emergency.
This can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t already have a budget or if you are unfamiliar with financial planning tools. But hopefully, these budgeting tips will give you some direction to help you out.
One of the easiest ways to get a budget going is to use a free online budget calculator like the ones at Mint and You Need A Budget.
Then, keep track of your spending for a full month to gain some familiarity with how much you spend on items like groceries, eating out, gas, etc. This will give you a starting point to work with and help you fill in the gaps in your budget.
Cleo
Digit
If you're looking for a completely free way to save money, check out Digit. It's a free app that rounds up your debit/credit card purchases and saves the change for you.
XPAD
Digit is my personal favorite but it only offers services for the U.S. If you want a free app that works for everyone, check out XPAD. Sign up, connect your bank account and let XPAD automatically save money for you.
Get Paid for Selfies
Getting paid to take pictures of yourself seems too good to be true, but it’s not. There is an app called MugBooth that pays you in bitcoin for taking selfies. The photos you take are applied to stock photography used for marketing, so they want photos that reflect that goal- these need to be decently lit (even flash is fine), definitely need to have a human being in them and not to have any logos or graphics.
The pay ranges based on the quality of the photo. There is another app called Bunny Inc (yes, it is another selfie app) that pays you in Bitcoin for taking pictures of products. The images you shoot are converted into digital catalogs that companies can use for their online stores.
This can be a fun way to make a little extra money, get free stuff, or just get free Bitcoin.
Sign up for a rewards credit card.
Rewards credit cards are unique in that they can be incredibly easy to use and make money.
Most of these cards are not only easy to maximize their reporting functions, but are also easy to use. Two of the best, the Chase Freedom card and the Discover Card, were highlighted by Forbes for exactly this reason. The cards are more than just rewards cards; they can be used to make money if you use them properly.
An easy way to earn money from a credit card is to sign up for a credit card that offers rewards. But don’t just aim for the highest rewards credit cards. Also opt for one that has no annual fees.
Next, you should make sure you’re earning the maximum rewards possible if you have a credit card that offers cash back rewards.
If you don’t have one of these, or if there is another reason that you might need extra credit card money, there’s a solution to that, too. Use your credit card to pay off private student loans or your debt.
While you do have to pay a fee to use your credit card for a private loan, the fee is worth it to get rid of private student loans.
Earn a Guaranteed $1,000 with Lyft
Signing up with Lyft requires you to classify yourself as either “driver” or “driver”.
In my experience, the “drivers” are doing Lyft to supplement their income … and are making great money, driving around town renting out their spare time.
The “drivers” are more interested in signing up with Lyft because they need to pay their bills and want to make some extra cash.
If you’re good with local projects and enjoy helping people, this is a great way to supplement your income.
Book reservations with Seated
Not everyone’s a fan of paying for fast food and sit-down restaurant meals, but who has the time (and money) to get yourself out to a reservation every time? Seated, a mobile app that gives you fast food and restaurant reservations, has a few ways for you to get free money.
For every reservation you make on Seated, you receive 20% of your food order back in the form of a Virtual Visa gift card. Some restrictions apply, but the points do add up. You can also earn extra points by sharing your reservations on social media, including photos, which also earns you extra entries into the Seated raffle.
For those who don’t like a lot of fried food, but still crave the occasional fried food fix without having to spend the money, Seated is also partnered with Beyond Fried Chicken, where you can use your virtual Visa card at any of their locations.
Another way to earn a Virtual Visa card is with Seated Coupons. Simply visit the Seated website to find the latest deals, scan your receipt after purchasing a meal, and you can earn rewards.
The Bottom Line
Sometimes people just need a little economic bump, and there are a lot of ways a credit card can help provide it.
I like to think of the credit card as a short-term loan. If you need to borrow a little money, you can pay for stuff you needed anyway, and later on, you can pay the balance. You get your immediate needs met, and you can pay it back over time without interest.
The credit card is a great financial tool if you learn how to use it wisely. It’s a powerful, but dangerous weapon, because some people are so used to spending what they don’t have, they’re out of control. The consequences of that are bankruptcy and foreclosure (or holding the bag as a renter).
On the other hand, you can be a credit card user who got himself out of debt, and has been for years. How? First, you have to learn how to budget. I’ll share a few tips on that later in this article.
And second, you have to be smart with your credit. Let’s look at a few credit card tips that will help you get that short-term loan and pay it back without going into debt.
About the Author
Jasmine holds a BA in English from UC Berkeley and a MA in Mental Health Counseling from San Francisco State University. She has a passion for writing and enjoys sharing her knowledge while adding value to others.
For a long time, I couldn’t figure out how I could possibly spend all the money I was making. I thought I was being frugal by saying no to any purchases of unnecessary items, but the money was just piling up.
Then, I started learning about all the different ways you can get money for free. It’s still hard for me to think of money without feeling nervous about spending it, but knowing there are so many different ways to get this money gives me a sense of relief. Some of these opportunities don’t involve actually spending any money, others could provide you with just the amount of money you’re looking for.
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Easy Ways To Double Your Money
Saving money is dependent on earning more than you spend. Therefore, doubling your money is dependent on earning twice as much cash. Whether you are playing the lottery, flipping houses, or seeking quick cash from an online venture, there are many ways to double your money fast.