The Apps That Pay Me for Doing Almost Nothing
Here at House of Six, we talk about saving money in small ways that add up over time. How about earning money in small ways that add up over time? There are certain cash-back apps, programs, and survey apps that you can actually earn money from. I’ve done it myself, and while the money you gain will not pay your rent or even a utility bill, it is a bit of extra money that might go toward a few groceries, birthday gifts, or even just a small treat for yourself.
Use your phone to earn
Earn a little bit of cash from cash-back apps and programs, and surveys
Cash Back Apps and Programs
Let’s start with the cash back apps. I’ve used Rakuten for a number of years now. If you are going to shop online anyway, why not use Rakuten? I installed the Chrome extension in my web browser so anytime I shop at places like Walmart, Old Navy, or Indigo, Rakuten automatically pops up to activate cash back. I don’t shop online very often, so in the last year, I earned $101.85. Recently, I had some items printed at Vistaprint for $89.00 and earned $12.46 back. It doesn’t sound like a lot, and realistically, it isn’t. However, if you shop online anyway, it doesn’t hurt to use this cash back app for all your online shopping, and Rakuten supports a number of stores.
I’ve recently joined the Nielsen IQ Homescan Consumer Panel. I tried three times to apply for this program and was finally able to join on the third attempt. This company sends you a handheld scanner that allows you to scan any groceries or products you buy. You submit the scan and earn points in exchange for a selection of digital gift cards. You will need to have an extra port on your router to connect the base that holds the scanner, allowing your transmission to be recorded. I have only been doing this scanning for less than a month now, so I haven’t earned a lot yet. I believe 9000 points equate to $10.00. So, it’s not a lot, but it’s a little something that can help pay for a shopping trip on Amazon, Air Canada, Apple Store, Cineplex, DoorDash, Google Play, Hotels.com, Indigo, Uber, Uber Eats, and Virtual Visa.
Another cashback that I use is PC Optimum. This is a Canadian-based program. If you shop at Loblaws, No Frills, or Shoppers Drug Mart, you can earn points that turn into dollars off groceries and essentials. I don’t regularly shop at No Frills, but I did pick up some groceries there a couple of weeks ago. The bill came to $98.37, and I had enough points to take off $90.00 from my bill. I walked out of the store with groceries that only cost me $8.37. Not bad!
Survey and Micro-Task Apps
Some survey apps can be a waste of time, but I use one in particular that I’ve been able to cash out, and cash has been sent directly to my PayPal account several times.
This app has easy surveys daily, and you can earn over $1.00 for some surveys. Most will pay $0.10, but even this minute amount adds up quickly. Last night I took a 5-minute survey that paid $1.09. Right now, I have $20.87 that I have earned and can cash out. I really like this app. It’s easy to use, the surveys are not long and not complicated, and surveys are always available - at least one survey per day. I usually open this app when I sit down for the evening and watch a little TV.
Paid Viewpoint
An easy survey app where you can earn cash to take easy, uncomplicated surveys
I have never tried Swagbucks, but you can earn points (called SB) for watching short videos, taking surveys, and even searching the web. You can exchange your points for gift cards to Amazon, Home Depot, Sephora, Nike, Walmart, and more.
This one is a little harder to get into. I was recently accepted, but every time they email me that a survey is available, it’s already closed. So I haven’t had much luck with Pinecone Research yet, but apparently the surveys pay well, usually around $3.00 each. Hopefully, I will have more luck with this site soon.
I’ve most recently joined Freecash, so I am just at the beginning stages. You start off playing certain games, and levels open up as you complete certain tasks. I'm not sure I like this app. So far, I have to download games onto my phone in order to play and earn. I’m not a fan of downloading things onto my phone unless it’s something specific that I need. I’ll give it a bit of time and see what happens.
So these are just a few of the apps and programs you can use to earn a little bit of cash. As I said, none of these apps are going to pay your rent, but they do help stretch your budget a little bit. All the above apps you can click on to take you directly to their sites. I m not affliated with any of these apps or prgrams. I just wanted to share a few ways I earn a little extra cash.
I would love to hear from you if you use any of these apps, or if you have others that you use. Comment below so we can all earn some money to put in our pockets!