Are you looking for ways to generate a part-time to full-time income while working a flexible schedule? What if I told you your smartphone could help you do just that?
I spent some time researching ways to make money using smartphone apps. I was happily surprised by what I found. I had no idea there were so many ways to use your smartphone to earn anywhere from a few dollars a month to thousands of dollars a month.
How much you can earn depends largely on your skill set and your location. Anyone can use a coupon app to earn a gift card, but not everyone is going to be able to use a tutor app to help someone study for college level psychology. The more populated areas have more opportunities so if you live in a small town you won’t have as many app earning opportunities as those who live in the major cities–but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn something.
19 Ways To Turn YourSmartphone Into A Money Making Machine
(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information)
Please note that this is one of those rare times where I have listed apps that I have not tried out myself. I wanted to make sure that all ways to earn money with your smartphone were covered so you know all your options and that means I ran into ways I haven’t tried. I did, however, take the time to check the app’s ratings and read a few reviews.
Use caution when signing up to work for all apps. Spend time researching them, read reviews, ask your Facebook friends if they have tried them. If you can, try them out as a buyer first to give you a feel of how they work.
1. Earn Money By Taking Photos
Foap
Snap a picture and upload it to Foap. If someone buys it, Foap gets half the proceeds and you get to keep the other half-–this video says the current selling price is $10–meaning you would get $5 per photo. Brands are also willing to pay people to perform photo missions. If your photo gets picked for a photo mission, you could earn some serious cash; some are reported to pay well over $1,000. (info all came from video)
Snapwire
Snapwire also offers a 50/50 share with photographers. I clicked around and discovered photos ranging from $5 to $500. They have what they call a leveling system–basically you earn points for good work, and those points can boost your exposure on the site. They also have a request area where you can submit a photo for a specific meme that a company is requesting. Should yours be chosen you get 70% of the selling price.
2. Earn Money By Reselling Your Stuff
Poshmark
Poshmark is an app for selling clothing. You can sell women’s, boys’, girls’ and even baby clothing. You can also sell accessories, bags, and shoes. Press the “sell tab” in the app to upload pictures of items from you closest you don’t want, follow the directions and within minutes have it for sale (get $5 off your first purchase when you use my referral code SNAILPACER when you download and sign up in the app).
Poshmark takes a $2.95 fee for all items that sell and are under $15. For those over $15 you get 80% and Poshmark gets 20%.
ThredUp
Simply sign up for an account here (this is my referral link and when you use it you get $10 off your first order) then download the app. Whenever you clean out your closet or your children’s closet, request a Clean Out Kit and send your clothes into ThredUp free of charge. Make sure everything you send is defect free, on trend and brand name (there is a full list of accepted brands on their site–might be in the app too, I am not sure). You can either take store credit, a PayPal deposit (fee applied) or a ThredUP prepaid visa card.
eBay
I sold items on eBay on a relatively regular basis for a few years when my children were all little. Back then I listed things using my desktop computer, but now it is possible to list items using just the eBay app on your smartphone.
Letgo
Letgo is a 100% free to use app for reselling your no longer wanted items. From cars to electronics, to the kitchen sink, you can sell it all on Letgo. Although free, I did notice that it says there are some in-app purchases you can make if you want to gain your item better exposure.
3. Earn Money By Giving Others A Ride
Turn your vehicle into a taxi. The app that gets you the most work might depend on your area.
Lyft Driver
Uber Driver
4. Earn Money Watching Videos
Swagbucks
When you sign up for Swagbucks, you gain a way to earn gift cards for things you already do online like search the web and shopping. But Swagbucks also allows you to earn points by watching videos through seven different apps.
- Swagbucks TV App: 36 daily SB points
- EntertainNow App: 18 daily SB points
- Sportly.TV App: 18 daily SB points
- Lifestylz App: 18 daily SB points
- MovieCli.ps: 18 daily SB points
- Amped 360: 18 daily SB points
- IndyMusic.tv: 18 daily SB points
5. Earn Money By Helping Others Move Big Things
Do you own a truck and have a pretty good set of muscles? Well, you might want to look into apps where you can hire yourself out to do moving jobs big and small.
Lugg
Sign up under the “Become a Lugger” tab on their website and then use the app to book jobs and get paid.
TaskRabbit
As with Lugg, you need to sign up on their website first using the “Become A Tasker” tab.
6. Earn Money Delivering Restaurant Food
Sign up to work at one of the companies below, get their app and then get paid to deliver food from a restaurant to a hungry person. Some of these apps don’t even require you to have a car, a bike or a scooter might be OK too.
Doordash
Caviar
Uber Eats
7. Earn Money Answering Surveys
SB Answer
This is another way to earn Swagbucks through your smartphone. You can also find surveys that will earn you SB points that add up to gift card cash outs using the general Swagbucks app.
Go here and open up a Swagbucks account and then download the apps and start earning gift cards in those “waiting” moments; waiting on kids, waiting for food, waiting in line, etc.
Psst…Swagbucks is one of many points earning companies that allow you to cash out for Paypal gift cards. That is real money in your bank account! Here is my list of other programs that I know of that offer the Paypal option.
8. Earn Money Buying And Delivering Groceries
Instacart
So I couldn’t tell if you could technically work through the Instacart app. But I do know that if you go to the website, you can sign up to be either a shopper or a cashier if you don’t have a car and if you do have a car, you could try for either a shopper/deliverer or just a delivery position. I assume once you are hired you would get work through the Instacart app somehow.
9. Earn Money Renting Out A Room Or A Home
Airbnb
Got an extra room in your home? List it on Airbnb for others to rent and then communicate with guests and potential guests through the Airbnb app.
10. Earn Money By Being A Mystery Shopper
Download a Mystery Shopping app, sign up for an account and then see if there are any missions in your area. Complete a mission and you get paid. How you get paid and how much depends on the task and the app.
Easy Shift
mobee
I decided I wanted to try out this Mystery Shopping gig for myself so I signed up for mobee. Enter my referral code PN1F during sign-up (I get 300 points when you do and I think you get something too. If you use it, come back and tell me if you did get something and what it was).
11. Earn Money While Getting And Staying Fit
When I looked at apps that pay you to get and stay fit, I stayed away from ones that cost money. All the apps listed below are 100% free, but they do require that you own a device that tracks your activity or use an app that does so you may need to purchase one to use the app. Now I have another reason to add a Fitbit to my Christmas list.
Achievement
Walgreens Balance Rewards (looks like it is done within the Walgreens app)
12. Earn Money Babysitting
Love children? Sign up to be a babysitter. You, of course, have to go through a series of background checks first through the app you want to use.
Urbansitter
100% free to join. Urbansitter does not take a percentage of your earnings or charge fees for jobs.
Care.com
I found the hiring fees a bit difficult to understand when I researched Care.com, but from what I understand there are fees involved. I would assume that when you sign up those fees would be explained.
13. Earn Money Dogsitting
If you love pets and love walking them, then working through a pet sitting app might be a good source of income for you.
Rover
Through Rover you can get the following doggy oriented jobs: dog boarding, house sitting, drop-in sitting, dog daycare or dog walking. You get to set your fees.
14. Earn Money Housecleaning
Like to clean? Sign up and find a housekeeping job through these apps.
TaskRabbit
Care.com
15. Earn Money Tutoring
Apply and find tutoring jobs that are either in person ones or through video or text with these apps. Please note: as with other apps on this list you may have to sign up online to be a tutor, then you will use the app to find jobs and interact with students.
Wyzant for Tutors
Chegg Tutor
Care.com
16. Earn Money As A Handyman
TaskRabbit
Sign up online and offer your handyman services to others. Anything from assembling a desk, to raking leaves, to minor home repairs. Handle jobs and payments through the app.
17. Earn Money Freelancing
Fiverr
Are you good at making image quotes? Can you proofread? Edit video? If so you might want to look into the Fiverr app if your income could use a boost.
18. Earn Money Back On Your Grocery Shopping Or Almost Any Other Purchase
- Ibotta: not only can you use the Ibotta app at the grocery store, but you can also use it at the pet store, hardware store and much more.
- Fetch Rewards: (use my referral code RE9FU at sign up for 1500 points when you complete one receipt.) Fetch Rewards works with 150+ brands to bring you points that you can cash in for gift cards.
- Checkout 51: What I like about Checkout 51 is that it offers rebates on items like milk and bread regardless of the brand from time to time. (here is a tutorial I wrote on how to use Checkout 51)
- Ebates: Get cash back for shopping online and in stores. More than 2,000 qualifying stores. Go here to create an account then download the app and start earning.
19. Earn Money Back At The Gas Pump With GetUpside
1. Upside
Upside is an app that gives you cash back when you get gas. In our area my family is able to use this app at several different gas stations, saving anywhere from 1 cent per gallon to as much as 10 cents per gallon
The Upside app is simple to use; it takes less than a minute to find a gas station, claim the offer, and then enter the information needed to start processing the cash back. Generally, it takes less than 24 hours to receive your cash back in the “Cash Out” area of the app. You can opt to receive your cash out through PayPal, a mailed check, or a gift card (starting at $10).
Use my referral code YG5ZB during sign up and you will receive a one-time 15¢/gal bonus. Go here to sign up for Upside.
Bonus Tip:Earn Money Sharing Your Knowledge Of Your Hometown With Others
Airbnb
I knew you could post a room or a home for overnight guests at Airbnb, but I didn’t know until researching for this article that you can also create an experience for tourists and charge for it. Perhaps you have vast knowledge about the plants found on local trails. If so, create a guided nature hike experience. Or are you an instructor of some sort–yoga, surfing, etc.? Can you use your expertise to create a tourist specific class? Like a yoga class while watching the sunrise at the local park.
My suggestion: go over to Airbnb and check out the “Experiences” area for ideas of what you might be able to offer tourists for a fee.
Am I missing any great apps? Or perhaps a different way to make money through an app? If so, list them in the comment area below. I am looking forward to learning new ways to earn money with a smartphone.
Other posts on making money that you are going to want to read!
- 6 Ways To Turn Your Laptop Into A Money Making Machine
- My growing list of point programs that you can use to earn $50 or more each month in gift cards
- Reselling Tips To Help You Earn Cash Selling What You Own And Don’t Need
15 Websites And Apps You Can Use To Earn Gift Cards
Become A Snail Pacer
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