Trust me, you can make money online in a multitude of ways. I should know because I’ve been doing it since 2016, shortly after retiring from the corporate world. Today, I want to talk about 3 of the best ways to make money online for free.
Yes, these three easy options really are free. What’s more, you can start making some extra money today.
Are there more lucrative options for online earnings than the suggestions I make in this post? Absolutely! But if you want to earn more, there’s a tradeoff. You will probably need to invest a little money upfront and it may take a few months to see a return on your investment.
No one is making a life-changing income with the methods we’ll discuss below. But with consistent use, it’s possible to add an extra two or three hundred dollars of cash to your wallet per month or perhaps a bit more.
Does that sound like something that could help?
Let’s explore a little further, shall we?
3 Of The Best Ways To Make Money Online For Free
For me, some of the best ways to make money online for free include Survey Sites, GPT (Get-Paid-To) Rewards Websites, and Receipt Scanning apps. I regularly join and review these types of money-making options to ensure they’re legitimate. Some have become favorites and I’ve used them for years receiving multiple payouts,
I look for features like ease of use, low payout thresholds, and the ability to get real cash through PayPal. I’m also just fine with Amazon gift cards because I shop online several times a month and it’s convenient to apply gift cards to my account.
Below are some websites you may want to consider in each of these categories. All of these sites are reputable platforms that have been around for years and have paid millions of dollars in rewards.
Survey Sites
Many brands and organizations seek consumer input and feedback to improve their products and services. Companies are willing to pay for your opinions. This can be a very flexible way of earning a little extra cash because you can fit surveys into your schedule.
If you decide to go this route, I recommend that you select multiple sites to join. Why? Because surveys are targeted to particular demographic groups. You’re not going to fit the ideal profile for all surveys. in general, you will qualify for 1 in 5 surveys you attempt.
By joining several different survey platforms, you are more likely to have surveys available when you have the time to complete them.
Here are some legitimate survey sites you can try to get started. I have used them all and received multiple payouts from each.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a platform where consumers can express their opinions on diverse industries, brands, and products.
Surveys are completed for Points where 1 Point converts to 1 cent. As I view the available questionnaires today, I see surveys paying anywhere from 18 to 206 Points.
You must be 18 or older and live in the US, Canada, or Australia to join Survey Junkie. Enter your email address, create a password, complete your profile, and you’ll be on your way to earning a little extra cash.
One appealing aspect of Survey Junkie is the low minimum threshold. Payouts are also flexible. You can receive your earnings in your PayPal account, connect your bank account, or choose from a list of popular digital gift cards. Earn 500 Points ($5) to be eligible for your first payment.
Read my full Survey Junkie review.
Forthright
Forthright is hands down my favorite survey site. I will tell you upfront that they don’t have a large number of their own surveys available. I may only be offered 4 or 5 surveys a month. I receive a text message when a survey opens and I tend to jump right on it.
For me, there are several appealing aspects of the Forthright platform. Firstly, their surveys are interesting. In addition to consumer product surveys, they often offer surveys associated with academic research studies. Many cover social or political topics.
Secondly, Forthright’s surveys pay better than those of many other sites. My typical reward is $1.50 to $2.50 to answer questions I find engaging. In addition to the individual survey reward, I receive a loyalty credit. Once I amass 3 loyalty credits in my account, I am immediately credited with an additional $2 bonus.
Finally, there are no minimum payout thresholds. If you make money you can immediately withdraw your entire balance either through PayPal or in the form of a digital gift card. I often let my balance build a little to receive a larger payout but it’s my choice. It’s nice to know that instant gratification is possible.
On one occasion, I was pleasantly surprised to be selected for a research study where I earned a $100 Amazon Gift Card. That study involved multiple sessions but I felt it was a decent return on the time spent and I found the topic intriguing. This isn’t something you can count on but it seems the possibility exists.
Forthright also offers partner surveys from other providers through their site to expand your earning capabilities.
Please read my full Forthright review.
GPT (Get-Paid-To) Rewards Websites
Think of GPT rewards websites as amplified survey sites. They all offer survey opportunities because consumer opinions are very much in demand. Businesses need buyer perspectives to develop new products and improve their current products.
But GPT sites also offer additional ways to earn such as accepting offers from organizations that include incentives. You can also make a little money by performing micro-tasks, downloading apps, viewing ads, playing games, and watching videos.
The sites listed below all offer a variety of ways to earn a little extra money. All of these sites are completely legit. Rest assured that if you become a member and earn rewards on these sites you will be paid promptly.
Rewarding Ways
Membership in Rewarding Ways is open to anyone 18 or older regardless of where you live in the world. This platform works with multiple survey providers and features several Offer Walls. There is more than enough activity to keep you busy for several hours a day if that’s your choice.
The best feature of Rewarding Ways is that getting paid is super easy and almost instantaneous. You can withdraw your earnings through PayPal as soon as you earn $1. The site says to allow up to 8 hours for processing but I’ve seen cash withdrawals in as little as 20 minutes. If you’re a regular user, you can request withdrawals daily.
As a Rewarding Ways member you are also automatically entered into the $1,000 Cash Contest that’s held in each 90-day period. The top 20 earners on the site over the previous 90 days split the prize pool with the number 1 earner receiving $350.
Read my complete Rewarding Ways review.
Drumo
Drumo is a safe and legit rewards website that continues to expand, There are a bunch of different ways to make some extra money including surveys, hand-picked offers, multiple Offer Walls, playing games, and watching videos. They also recently introduced a cashback feature that helps you save on purchases.
If you use the site regularly there are also bonuses available for completing weekly goals.
Your payment options include PayPal and gift cards from your favorite vendors such as Amazon. Best Buy, Walmart, and Home Depot. You can cash out to PayPal as soon as you’ve earned $1. You need a minimum of $5 to receive a gift card.
Receipt Scanning Apps
If you’re still tossing out all those paper receipts we all accumulate over the course of a week as we buy groceries or gas, make a quick stop at the convenience store, or eat out at restaurants, you might want to reconsider. Your purchasing habits have value for market researchers and they’re all a source of fun gift cards from Amazon or other vendors.
Personally, I love the idea of getting rewards from multiple sites for the same transaction. So, I accumulate my receipts and every few days I’ll take a couple of minutes to line them up and submit them to both apps listed below.
Use these apps to earn free gift cards. They’re both free to join and simple to use. So why not give it a try?
Fetch
Fetch is a mobile app that lets you scan receipts for most consumer purchases. Think groceries, pet supplies, hardware, clothing, and gas. Just snap a picture using the app and submit the receipts for points. You receive at least 25 points for every receipt and more if the receipt shows a purchase from a Fetch partner organization.
If you purchase everyday brands like General Mills, Hellman’s, Betty Crocker, or Sara Lee (among dozens of others) your bonus points will add up quickly.
Once you have 12500 points, just click the Rewards tab to convert your points to a $10 Amazon gift card. Gotta love it!
You can read my full Fetch Rewards review here.
Receipt Hog
Receipt Hog is a mobile receipt-scanning app that’s owned by a market research firm called Market Track, LLC. It’s free to join for residents of the US, Canada, or the UK. Members open the app and click the camera icon to snap pictures of everyday retail purchase receipts.
Most consumer purchases qualify and you submit them for coins or spins of the Hog slot machine. Your spins may earn additional coins. After a receipt is uploaded, you are typically asked who participated in the shopping trip (number of people and gender). There may also be a quick multiple-choice question on buyer behaviors.
You can request a redemption as soon as you accumulate at least 1,000 coins which equate to $5. Your reward choices are an Amazon gift card, a prepaid Visa card, or a PayPal distribution.
Click here to read my full Receipt Hog review.
Summing Up
I highly recommend these three options for anyone eager to find the best ways to make money online for free. Will you earn anything close to a full-time income? No. But you can definitely supplement your income with no risk, cash investments, or downsides.
To be honest, there are far more lucrative ways to work from home and make money online. That’s why many years ago (back in 2016), I decided to go in a different direction. I investigated this platform where I learned to create my blog. It does involve a bigger time investment and a modest financial investment. But the rewards are well worth it.
I hope you found these tips helpful. All 6 apps discussed are trustworthy and safe to use.
Join the Conversation
Do you have any experience using these survey, GPT, or receipt-scanning apps? Please feel free to share your thoughts or ask any questions in the comment section below.
Like It? Please Share It!
I was very impressed with how many different options you gave for ways to make money online for free. I have actually been using Fetch since February when my mom convinced me to sign up. It helps that I work in a store and shop there too. Your conclusion was very honest and that makes people want to try out what you are talking about. Definitely a good topic to discuss and plan for in the future.
Hi Liz,
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with Fetch. I think with a few more options you’ll begin to see some decent monthly results. It all adds up.
Thanks for jumping in and sharing your thoughts!
I enjoyed reading your article and exploring your blog. It is well written and informative.
I am a retiree over 60. My only experience with earning online income is with running an ebay store for the past 2 years. It has remained a hobby as I do not want it to take over my life.
Is doing surveys and article scanning apps a pastime activity rather than a serious income?
I am 67 so I only want to do things that are fun and interesting.
Hi John.
These are definitely not serious or significantly taxing activities. Surveys can sometimes be fun and interesting depending on the topic. There are also light activities on Rewarding Ways and Drumo that you might find fun like playing games and watching videos. Receipt scanning is simple and only takes a minute or two to accomplish.
These are ways to supplement your retirement income a bit so you have a few more bucks to spend on the fun stuff that goes with retirement. You won’t make a lot but you also don’t have to work hard.
You have nothing to lose by giving these apps a try. I hope one or more works out for you.
Glad to see that you are making the most of your retirement and helping others out to do the same.
I see you do quite well with surveys and reward sites, which I have tried in the past and never had success with. I think the reason for this is that I am living in the wrong country for this type of income opportunity, as most of these types of sites are for US citizens only and others I have joined don’t have many offers for people in Africa.
Hi Michel.
The country you live in is a big factor. It’s true there are many more options for those living in the US or UK. But I do recommend that you give Rewarding Ways a try. The platform is available worldwide.
Good luck and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hello dear!
I have tried surveys for so long but it never really paid off! I think it may depend on many factors, maybe my location(being in Africa) also is not really favorable to get well-paid surveys. All I could get was paid so low that I would have to make it a full-time job in order to earn a minimum of $100. So, I decided to do affiliate marketing and this pays better for me.
Thanks
Your location can definitely impact survey opportunities. I’m happy to hear that affiliate marketing is working better for you. Affiliate marketing has excellent earning potential, particularly for those willing to invest some time and effort in building a website.
Good luck in your endeavors!
Thank you for sharing so many different ways and sites where one can earn money online. You do mention that one might not earn a huge amount, but could add a few hundred dollars to your bottom line every month. I have tried a different online survey site, but find that the reward is so little, that it is not worth the time to complete them.
An app to scan your receipts, sounds like a very good alternative to survey sites. I am always clearing receipts out of my wallet, and if I can earn some gift cards or even real money by scanning them, I will certainly be downloading those apps.
I love receipt-scanning apps. Turning trash into gift cards is very satisfying particularly since it requires a minuscule amount of my time.
I can’t disagree that taking surveys can be frustrating. No one is always going to fit the demographic profile that market researchers are looking for. As I stated above, I like Forthright because they pay a little better. And, I almost never get disqualified. Receiving a text message instead of having to search for a survey is also convenient.
I will say that Rewarding Ways is also a good site because of the sheer volume of surveys that are consistently available.
I hope receipt scanning works out for you. Thanks for sharing your opinions.
Hey Linda, thank you for this very comprehensive post! It’s refreshing to see someone who doesn’t oversell these methods as get-rich-quick schemes, but rather presents them as an honest and realistic source of supplemental income. I appreciate the level of detail you’ve given on each platform, particularly regarding the payment thresholds and payout methods. It’s great to see some options that are available to international users too.
In my own experience, I’ve found Survey Junkie to be pretty rewarding, especially with its low minimum payout. I have also tried Fetch and I like the simplicity of it – it’s a quick, no-fuss way of gaining some perks from my everyday purchases.
Though you’re right, these methods won’t replace a full-time job, they do offer a neat way to earn a bit extra on the side without too much of a time investment. Plus, it’s good to remember, every little bit helps! I look forward to trying out Forthright and Drumo based on your recommendations.
Hi John.
Thanks for sharing your personal experiences. I agree that a little bit of extra income is often very helpful and exactly what many people need.
I hope Forthright and Drumo work out well for you!
How interesting!
I tried doing surveys a few years ago, but it was such a pain in the neck that i stopped. But what you say about joining multiple sites in order to be in more demographics, and have more available options makes a lot of sense. Forthright sounds interesting. As does the GPT stuff. I have to wonder about scanning receipts though. I’m sure it’s legit and all, it’s just that I hardly ever buy any kind of brand name stuff. Just produce, mostly. Still…it might be worth a try.
Thanks for such a thoughtfully presented article. Keep up the good work!
Anna
Hi Anna,
Just to clarify. neither Fetch nor Receipt Hog requires you to buy brand-name stuff. You can scan any receipt. Things like gas, clothing, cleaning supplies, and even haircuts will work.
Check it out!
I’m glad to hear that you have found Fetch to be a useful tool. It’s always great to have recommendations from friends and family when it comes to trying out new apps or services.
Fetch is a great way to earn rewards for something you already do: shopping. By simply scanning your receipts, you can earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards to popular retailers. It’s an easy way to earn a little extra cash without having to spend any money upfront.
Of course, there are many other ways to make money online for free, from taking surveys to freelancing. It’s all about finding what works best for you and your lifestyle. With a little bit of research and some trial and error, you may just find a new way to make money that you never even thought of before.
Hi Herman,
Yes, there’s a wealth of opportunity. This post is focused on some options that don’t require any particular skills or a big investment of time. These are things that anyone in need of a little extra money should at least consider.
Thanks for jumping in and sharing your ideas!
Who knew there were so many survey sites? I have participated in a few but didn’t keep doing them out of lack of interest. But this site shows that, if you stick with it, you can make a fair sum after a time. The list of available survey sites is very helpful as is the way they pay and what it takes to make money by doing surveys.
Dierdre
Hi Dierdre,
Yes, it’s true. There are dozens of survey and GPT sites plus a variety of ways to save money on essentials that we really can’t avoid buying like gas or cleaning products. Surveys are in demand by market researchers because they help companies develop products that consumers want to buy,
You can’t support yourself with surveys because they don’t pay enough. But if you consistently devote a couple hours on survey sites you can earn enough supplemental income to make a difference in your lifestyle. If you earn a couple hundred dollars extra a month and save it that could fund a nice vacation. Or, maybe you just need enough to pay your cable bill.
Give it a try!
Thank you, Linda, for sharing these three options to make money online for free. It’s great to see that you have personally used and reviewed these platforms to ensure their legitimacy. Your insights and recommendations will undoubtedly be helpful for individuals who are looking to earn some extra cash online.
I appreciate that you mentioned the tradeoff between free options and more lucrative methods that may require upfront investments and longer timeframes for returns. It’s important for readers to understand the realistic expectations associated with these free options. While they may not lead to a life-changing income, they can certainly provide a supplemental source of income.
Hi Anoth.
Yes. I believe it’s important to be transparent and realistic in describing online money-making options. There are many options that can be lucrative like the blog you found this post on. But blogging requires a time commitment that not everyone is prepared to make.
On the other hand, things like surveys. GPT rewards sites. and receipt scanning apps are available to anyone who has a bit of downtime. They don’t pay a lot but even small amounts add up over the course of a month or year.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
Hey Linda, I really enjoyed your article discussing three easy options to try in order to make money online for free. This is an area that I am always interested in and have found that sometimes out of the box thinking provides the biggest and best opportunities.
I have found that most typical survey taking sites are not as simple nor do they pay as forthcoming as one would hope when signing up for the platform.
The GPT(Get Paid To) Rewards Websites sound like a twist on the traditional survey taking approach which may provide real options for people who need to increase their income in a hurry.
Receipt scanning apps do seem legitimate but are going to require a lot of spending on the part of the participant to really ad up to much of an income.
Are you as reticent to participate in the survey and receipt scanning platforms as I am or do you think these are legitimate sources of income that are really worth the effort to get involved with?
Hi Joseph,
I was never a fan of surveys until I found some sites like Forthright and Rewarding Ways that do them pretty well. As for receipt scanning, I do it all the time and it’s become a habit. To be clear, you don’t have to spend anything beyond what you’re already spending.
You don’t have to buy anything special. Virtually all receipts qualify, We all buy groceries, cleaning supplies, paper products and gas. I get my haircut and I get a receipt. I pickup pet supplies and there’s another receipt. The apps are so quick and simple. I have no problem spending 5 minutes a week to earn some gift cards.
Give it a try. These apps might surprise you.
Hi Linda,
It is a fantastic experience to use your free time to get real money. I consider no money is small. I have tried a few of these surveys, and I lost my patience and thought it was not worth it then. Some suspend you midway when you have invested a lot of time. However, I saw reviews many college students make money on the sites I was using. All I have made is $5.00 from Swag.
You have some sites like (Get-Paid-To) and receipt-scanning websites that are interesting to try. The world is changing every day, and businesses are changing. If you are searching for surveys to earn extra bucks, getting info and trying is the way to go.
Thank you for your share.
Hi Anusuya.
I can tell you based on personal experience that you want to be cautious and selective when choosing paid survey or GPT sites. I’ve joined and reviewed dozens of sites and witnessed huge differences in quality. All of the sites or apps discussed above are well-designed and easy to use.
If you make it a habit and devote a little time each day or even a few times a week, you can make enough to be worthwhile.
I hope your survey taking experiences improve with these recommendations.
Thanks so much for sharing, it so amazes me the many ways you can make money online without even leaving the comforts of your home. So many people are getting into this line of work because of the many rewards. You will have to put in the time however if you hope to turn this line of work into a full-time job. Thanks for sharing 3 of the best ways to make money online for free.
Hi Norman,
Just to be clear, options like survey and GPT reward websites will never generate a full-time income. It’s a sideline that can help people may ends meet or perhaps enjoy a few extra indulgences.
Thanks for stopping by!