A strike is an action taken by a group of employees who stop working in an attempt to pressure their employer into meeting their demands. Workers strike over a wide array of issues, but the most common demands include higher wages, safer working conditions and better benefits.
A strike is a powerful tool for workers looking to effect change in their workplace. Halting production can impact a company’s bottom line and draw public attention to workers’ complaints.
For example, you have probably seen reports of screenwriters and actors striking in Hollywood over fair pay and other issues. The strikes include members of the Writers Guild of America, a union representing 11,500 screenwriters, and the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers. The strikes effectively shut down Hollywood, canceling or postponing new movies and new seasons of TV shows. The strikes will do more than interrupt people’s media consumption, though. The last time TV and film writers went on strike in 2007, the economic impact was calculated at $2.1 billion, including 37,700 lost jobs, according to a report by the Milken Institute, a think tank focused on economic development.
Even the threat of a strike (especially one involving hundreds of thousands of workers), can compel an employer to make the changes called for by employees. Recently, the Teamsters union, which represents 340,000 UPS workers, threatened a strike over demands for higher pay, more jobs and new workplace protections. UPS and the Teamsters reached a deal on a tentative five-year contract just days before the strike was set to start.
A strike would’ve disrupted package delivery on a massive scale, wreaking havoc on businesses and the economy. According to one estimate by Anderson Economic Group, a consulting firm, a 10-day UPS strike could’ve cost the company more than $800 million. The wider economic impact could’ve reached $7 billion.
How a strike works
The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 gives U.S. employees the right to strike.
Deciding to strike
Workers decide to strike for a variety of reasons. In 2022, the top reason was pay, followed by health and safety issues and staffing, according to the Labor Action Tracker, an annual report on work stoppages by unionized and nonunionized workers compiled by researchers with the Cornell University ILR School.
Often, strikes are organized by labor unions, which have the role of representing their members in contract negotiations with employers. For a union to go on strike, it has to have support from union members who cast secret ballots in a strike authorization vote. Voting to authorize a strike doesn’t guarantee a union will go on strike. Instead, authorizing a strike shows the employer on the other side of the bargaining table that the threat of a strike is credible because members have authorized union leaders to call for a strike.
SAG-AFTRA, the performers’ union, authorized a strike in early June. Then, on July 13, its national board held a second vote to launch the strike.
Can you strike without a union?
U.S. workers don’t have to be part of a union to go on strike.
The Fight for $15 campaign is a high-profile example of nonunionized workers organizing a strike. In 2012, fast-food workers in New York walked off the job in protest of low wages and poor working conditions. That soon grew into a nationwide campaign to demand a $15-per-hour minimum wage. As it has grown, Fight for $15 has amassed an eclectic group of low-wage workers. The impact of a Fight for $15 strike held in November 2016 rippled across the service sector, with workers walking off the job at airports, restaurants, child care centers and other job sites.
What happens to a striker’s job?
Because striking is a legally protected action, workers have some job protections when they go on strike. How much protection depends on the purpose of the strike. The purpose of a strike can be categorized in a couple of ways:
Economic strikes include workers who go on strike over demands like higher wages, shorter hours and better working conditions. When workers strike for economic reasons, they can’t be fired by their employer, but they can be replaced. If an employer hires permanent replacements, strikers don’t automatically get their jobs back at the end of the strike. Instead, strikers are given the first chance to be rehired if a job opens with the employer.
The threat of being replaced during an economic strike is real. Since the 1980s, when the Reagan administration took a harder stance against organized labor, employers followed suit and more often have used or threatened to use their right to permanently replace workers. However, that isn’t without consequences. Researchers have noted that replacing striking workers can escalate tension and prevent a resolution of the strike.
Also, employers who hire permanent replacements could have their motives closely scrutinized. The National Labor Relations Board, which protects workers’ right to collective bargaining, issued a ruling in 2016 that said Piedmont Gardens, a care facility in Oakland, California, committed an unfair labor practice by replacing strikers because that action was motivated by a desire to punish strikers and avoid future strikes, which violates workers’ right to strike.
Unfair labor practice strikes include workers who go on strike because their employer broke the law. Common unfair labor practices by an employer include interfering with employees’ right to organize or join a union or refusing to bargain in good faith with a union. When workers strike over unfair labor practices, they can’t be fired and they can’t be permanently replaced. Employers can hire temporary replacements during an unfair labor practice strike, but once the strike ends, workers are entitled to have their jobs back.
However, there are some instances when a strike violates the law. When that happens, workers’ jobs aren’t protected. Here are a few cases where the right to strike is limited:
Workers at health care institutions must give 10 days’ notice before going on strike.
Workers can’t go on strike to compel an employer to commit an unfair labor practice or to support an unfair labor practice committed by a union. For example, workers can’t use a strike to pressure an employer to fire someone who’s not paying union dues.
Even if their strike is legal, workers could lose their jobs if their behavior during the strike violates the law. For example, workers who strike can’t physically interfere with people attempting to work or threaten workers who aren’t striking.
Being part of a union during a strike can add a layer of job protection. During a strike, when a union and employer reach an agreement on a new contract, it’s common for the union to insist that all striking workers be reinstated to their original jobs. Knowing that condition would likely be part of the contract, employers are unlikely to hire permanent replacements for workers who strike.
Do workers get paid while on strike?
Workers are in a tough spot financially while on strike. They don’t collect a paycheck and, in most states, they don’t qualify for unemployment benefits, according to LawInfo, a legal services site owned by Thomson Reuters. One exception is in New York, where striking workers can collect unemployment if a strike goes longer than 14 days.
Unions typically manage a strike fund — a pot of money used to keep workers afloat during a strike. Union members may be entitled to a certain amount from the strike fund, depending on union rules.
Workers who receive medical benefits through their employer may lose coverage if their employer stops paying its share of their insurance premiums. Workers on strike can maintain coverage under COBRA — a federal law that requires employers to temporarily extend coverage after employment ends. But, in that case, striking workers are on the hook for their insurance premiums during a strike. Some unions can afford to help members cover these added costs.
How long do strikes usually last?
In 2022, the majority of strikes lasted less than five days, according to Cornell’s Labor Action Tracker. About a third of strikes lasted more than five days, including some that went on for more than a month.
That’s a drastic change from earlier decades. In 1979, which is the last year comprehensive work stoppage data is available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), strikes lasted 32 days, on average. And half of strikes lasted more than 16 days.
The decline of strikes in the U.S.
Strike activity has declined dramatically in the U.S. in recent decades.
In 2022, U.S. workers were involved in 424 work stoppages, which included 417 strikes and seven lockouts, according to Cornell’s Labor Action Tracker.
🤓Nerdy Tip
A lockout is a work stoppage initiated by an employer. It prevents workers from returning to work until they agree to certain terms.
Compare that to 1979, when 4,827 work stoppages were recorded, according to BLS. That year, work stoppages involved 1.7 million workers. At the time, that was typical. BLS stopped tracking work stoppages involving fewer than 1,000 people in 1980, making 1979 the last year for which comprehensive data is available. But data going back to the 1930s shows it was normal for millions of U.S. workers to engage in thousands of strikes per year.
Strikes have declined because striking has become riskier. Since the 1980s, employers have been more forceful with unions by threatening to replace strikers. At the same time, union membership became less common as the U.S. economy shifted away from traditionally unionized industries like manufacturing. In 1983, about 20% of U.S. workers belonged to a union. Now, it’s just over 10%, according to BLS.
A resurgence of strikes in the U.S.
Despite the long-term decline, strikes appear to be having a resurgence now, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate in labor relations at the Cornell University ILR School. Kallas leads the Labor Action Tracker project.
Without comprehensive strike data from BLS, historical comparisons are tricky. But the Labor Action Tracker shows work stoppages increased by 52% from 2021 to 2022. The number of workers involved in work stoppages also increased last year, from 140,000 in 2021 to 224,000 in 2022.
In part, the uptick in strike activity stems from the pandemic, Kallas says. Since COVID-19 shut down businesses, maxed out supply chains and made in-person interactions riskier, there have been numerous examples of frontline workers organizing strikes over staffing issues and safety procedures. Those concerns spanned multiple fields, including education, health care, trucking and food service.
“The pandemic had a huge impact on labor activism and strikes in the United States,” Kallas says. “Not that these issues didn’t exist beforehand, but I think they were exacerbated.”
More generally, organized labor seems to be having a moment. The number of unionized workers in the U.S. is on the rise again, according to BLS. And workers at well-known companies like Starbucks, Google and Apple are leading unionization efforts. Meanwhile, public support for unions is at its highest point since 1965, according to an August 2022 Gallup Poll. The survey found that 71% of Americans approve of labor unions. That figure has climbed steadily since 2009, when just 48% of Americans approved of labor unions.
You just walked out of an interview, and it’s time to reflect: Are you worried it went badly?
“Badly” can mean a lot of things. You might have a strong sense that you screwed up the interview, or the hiring team seemed unimpressed. Or you might’ve walked away feeling less enamored with the role than you expected because the interviewer didn’t dazzle you or the way the interview was conducted felt like a waste of your time.
First, consider that there are any number of reasons you might’ve left with a bad impression, but they’re not all trustworthy, according to Diane Farrell, career services director with the University of North Georgia. An unfriendly interviewer could just be having a bad day, or they could be at the mercy of a restrictive process that makes them come across as disinterested (more on that below).
“I have left an interview and thought I blew it and then they offered me the job,” Farrell says. “We’re not always the best judge of how it went.”
Still, it’s valuable to reflect on your experience, according to Amy Yandell, a North Carolina-based career specialist with coaching firm Ama La Vida. She recommends taking a few minutes right after your interview to write down the questions you received and how you answered them, as well as your overall impressions.
It is possible it was a bad interview — either because you blew it (sorry), or they did. But note that this is a chance for you to judge their suitability while they’re judging yours. As you evaluate those first impressions, here are some signs an interview might have gone badly.
1. The interview was cut short. This would need to be a significant reduction in meeting time — not just a few minutes, Farrell says.
2. You didn’t get many details about the job. Instead, they focused on your resume and a set of interview questions. Maybe they dwelled on a weak point like they were trying to get you to prove something.
3. They didn’t ask follow-up questions. This could signify a lack of interest in you as a candidate. However, some companies have interview protocols that prevent them from straying from a prescribed list of questions, so don’t rely on this one too heavily, Yandell says.
4. You lost eye contact with the interviewer. Body language isn’t the most reliable sign, especially if you’re in a Zoom interview. But when the interviewer is not physically engaged in the conversation, it’s easy to come away feeling like it was a bad interview.
5. You didn’t meet other people. If an interview went well, you might be introduced around to other people you’d work with, Farrell says.
6. They didn’t ask about your availability. If they’re not gauging when you could start in the role, it may be a sign they aren’t interested. But it could also mean they’re not yet at that point in the interview process.
7. They didn’t tell you about the next steps. If they don’t offer to lay out the next steps in the interview process, it could mean they don’t expect you to move forward.
8. The job sounds different than described. They may have given you details that don’t match the job description that piqued your interest when you applied.
9. You don’t feel excited about a potential job offer. Sometimes the vibes are just off. If you walk away from an interview feeling less enthusiastic about the role or the company, something went wrong. You may want to reflect on what exactly got you deflated.
10. You didn’t connect with the people you met. These are people you’ll have to work with, so consider whether you liked them enough to spend every day with them.
11. The process felt irksome. There are plenty of things that could go wrong in the interview process, like slow communication or scheduling hiccups. The interview process can offer context clues about how the company functions, Yandell says.
If you’re worried you left a bad impression, then it’s more important than ever to follow up with a gracious thank-you email to end on a positive note. That email also could be an opportunity to revisit a question that you wish you’d answered differently, Farrell says.
But if the interview left you feeling uninterested in the role or the employer, reflect on why that is. That information could help you identify more fitting opportunities in the future.
A union is a group of workers who join together to negotiate with an employer over pay, benefits, scheduling, and other workplace policies and conditions. The process of negotiating with an employer as a unified entity is known as collective bargaining, and it gives workers some power to set the terms of their employment.
The size and scope of each union varies. For example, you may have seen the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the news; it represents more than 1.2 million people in a wide array of occupations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, according to its website. The Teamsters union represents 340,000 UPS workers, and it recently negotiated a deal with UPS after threatening a strike.
Or maybe you’ve read headlines about the Writers Guild of America (WGA) — a union representing 11,500 screenwriters — and the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers. Both unions are on strike, meaning they’re refusing to work as a way to compel employers to agree to the unions’ demands.
How do unions work?
A group of workers interested in bargaining collectively with their employer can organize a new, independent union or join an existing union. After a group agrees to unionize, the union can negotiate a collective bargaining agreement — a legally binding contract between the union and employer.
Forming a union
To form a union, workers must take a couple of official steps to both show interest in forming a union and gain that recognition from their employer. Here’s how they can do that.
Voluntary recognition. A majority of employees can sign union authorization cards, which are forms that record a person’s interest in a union. At that point, workers can request recognition as a union from the employer, and the employer can voluntarily do so.
A majority vote in an election. If the employer doesn’t voluntarily recognize the union, but at least 30% of employees sign union authorization cards, the employees can file a petition for an election conducted by a labor agency such as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is tasked with protecting workers’ rights to collective bargaining.
If the majority of employees vote to unionize, the labor agency will certify the group as a union. Then the employer is required to bargain with the union in good faith.
The NLRB conducted 1,363 elections in 2022, according to the agency’s records. Unions won 1,041 of those elections.
Joining a union
In a unionized workplace, union membership is optional. All workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement are known as a bargaining unit, and workers don’t have to be union members to be part of the bargaining unit.
Union members pay dues, participate in union activities and agree to follow union rules. Dues are used to fund union operations, including paying staff, lobbying and supporting members during a strike.
Someone who opts out of union membership may still have to pay a portion of union dues to cover the cost of collective bargaining. However, in 26 states with “right-to-work” laws, workers can’t be required to pay fees to a union as a condition of employment. Even then, those workers are still covered by the collective bargaining agreement.
An employer may work with multiple unions representing different bargaining units in its workforce. For example, public schools may have contracts with one union representing teachers and another representing clerical or janitorial staff.
Negotiating as a union
A union’s main purpose is negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. These contracts typically cover pay, benefits, time off, working conditions and worker protections.
Union members play a role in deciding what’s included in a contract. They elect union representatives, vote on what changes to make when contracts are negotiated, and approve new agreements. When contract talks stall because the union and the employer can’t agree on terms, union members might vote to strike.
What’s covered in a union contract can vary by industry.
Changes in technology are at the root of the contract changes proposed by TV and film writers. The WGA wants its contract to address the impact streaming services have had on compensation and the potential threat artificial intelligence poses to creative professionals.
For unions with members who were on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, understaffing and safety protocols have been a common concern. Those issues have compelled Starbucks workers to unionize at more than 330 U.S. stores since 2021.
In another example, a new contract that the Minnesota Nurses Association negotiated in 2022 gave nurses a say in setting staffing levels, requiring consensus between nurses and management before any staffing reductions take place.
Unions also have used collective bargaining agreements to make “common good” demands — proposals that would impact the community beyond the bargaining unit. For instance, Oakland, California, teachers went on strike in May to secure higher pay and a better schedule, as well as a commitment from the school district to provide support for unhoused students.
How many union workers are in the U.S.?
About 14.3 million workers are part of a union, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS report on union membership, released in January, found that the number of unionized workers increased by 273,000 from the previous year.
Despite the year-over-year increase, the percentage of U.S. workers who belong to a union is at a record low. In 2022, 10.1% of workers belonged to a union, down from 20.1% of workers in 1983, which is the earliest comparable data available from BLS.
The BLS report gives a current portrait of America’s union workers:
About a third of federal, state and local government workers are part of a union. Just 6% of private sector workers are unionized.
Jobs with the highest unionization rates include protective services (34.6%), education (33.7%), utilities (19.6%) and construction (16.4%).
Black workers have higher unionization rates than white, Hispanic or Asian workers. In 2022, 11.6% of Black workers belonged to a union, compared to 10% of white workers, 8.8% of Hispanic workers and 8.3% of Asian workers.
While 14.3 million workers count themselves as union members, the number of workers represented by unions is actually 16 million. That’s because 1.7 million people who don’t affiliate with a union work in jobs that are covered by a union contract.
Job fairs are designed to connect employers with prospective employees. They can be geared toward specific industries, skill levels or workers from a specific demographic — for example, a job fair geared exclusively toward women, people of color or veterans, according to the careers website Monster.
Of course, there are plenty of job fairs that cater toward multiple industries, and generally aim to connect people with companies looking to grow their workforces.
The main objective of a job fair is simple: to meet employers and other professionals in your industry, learn about career opportunities, sell yourself and your skills, and (hopefully!) make a connection that leads to a job. Knowing how to best utilize job fairs can ensure you get the most out of the experience.
How do you find job fairs?
You can find information about upcoming job fairs online, especially on LinkedIn. Since the goal of job fairs is to attract as many companies and candidates as possible, the fairs are typically well-advertised online. A simple Google search for career or job fairs in your area can show you upcoming fairs and events.
You can also search for job fairs by industry or demographic — for instance, job fairs that cater to STEM companies or the LGBTQ+ community. On that note, double check that the job fair you’re planning to attend isn’t designed for an industry or group that’s irrelevant to you. And if you don’t have access to a computer, your local public library should offer internet access free of charge.
Also, if you’re going to a job fair, make sure you’re not accidentally signed up for a hiring event. Hiring events are very different from job or career fairs. At hiring events, companies conduct on-site interviews with candidates for open positions, according to Indeed, the career listings website. These events require much more specific preparation than job fairs or career fairs, where the objective is to connect candidates with their peers and employers in their industry.
What to wear to a job fair
You can dress business casual for most job fairs, according to Jobcase, a careers resource website. Think, not quite a suit with cufflinks, but definitely not blue jeans. Jobcase recommends you dress “one level up” from your current role; so if you’d be OK wearing slacks and a polo to work, consider wearing dress pants, a shirt and a tie.
Some ideal tops include button-downs, polo shirts, blouses and dress shirts — if possible, something with a collar.
Pants, slacks, chinos, khakis, dress pants or a skirt are all great options for a job fair. Wear solid and neutral colors, keeping patterns to a minimum (unless you’re interviewing at Chanel, of course). And make sure anything you wear is clean, crisp, ironed and stain-free.
If you wear a skirt or dress, it’s best to play it safe and not wear anything cut above the knee, according to the Career Services Office at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. It’s a little antiquated, but lots of people have traditional ideas of what constitutes an “office-appropriate” outfit — and one of them might be in a position to hire you.
Leave the sandals or sneakers at home in favor of dressier shoes, according to advice from the State University of New York. Closed-toe dress shoes — like Oxfords, brogues and loafers — are always a good bet.
Flats, dressy mules and heels — all closed toe — are great options, too, though you might want to save the strappy stilettos for a night out. Your heels shouldn’t be more than 1 or 2 inches high, according to Rutgers University’s Office of Career Exploration and Success.
If in doubt, Rutgers recommends you check the dress code requirements for some companies in your industry, or even a company you’d like to work for.
What to bring to a job fair
What you should bring to a job fair depends on your industry. Generally speaking, you’ll want to bring several copies of your resume and business cards, according to Randstad, an international human resources firm. Also, depending on your industry, you should bring a portfolio showcasing your past projects, designs or campaigns.
You can also bring “targeted resumes,” according to Indeed. Unlike a standard resume, targeted resumes highlight skills and achievements relevant to a specific industry. For example, if you’re in sales but want to pivot to customer service, a targeted resume might highlight your customer retention or communication skills.
Make sure your business cards include your name, home city, contact information — phone and email — and links to your LinkedIn or professional website, per Indeed. You should also include either your existing job title and employer, or a general job title that covers the breadth of your experience.
Finally, don’t forget to prepare your “elevator pitch,” recommends Randstad. That means being able to summarize yourself, your skills and your career goals in 30 seconds or less.
How to prepare for a job fair
The night before the job fair, go to your LinkedIn and make a post about the job fair, says Johnny Roccia, director of career services at Ama La Vida, a career and life coaching firm. (And if you don’t have a LinkedIn, make one, Roccia says.)
According to Roccia, a job fair will most likely have a hashtag, so look it up and include it in your post. You can then use your LinkedIn to keep track of everybody you meet at the fair by quickly sending connection requests. You can even make a QR code that links back to your LinkedIn profile, Roccia says. Include the QR code on business cards, a professional folio, or even set it as your phone background for easy accessibility.
Another big tip from Roccia: Don’t think of job fairs only as places to get jobs. Rather, think of them as networking fairs that’ll get you closer to the job you want — and help you meet people who could advance your career in the future.
“Job hunting is something that fades away, and you don’t have to do as much if you focus on building your network throughout your whole career,” says Roccia.
And don’t think of a job fair as a failure if you don’t walk away with a job. Rather, think of it as a chance for you to meet people in your industry and build connections that could eventually lead to jobs.
“You can be 50 steps closer to your next goal because you don’t know which one of the recruiters at that job fair is going to be hiring for your perfect thing next month,” says Roccia.
How early — or late — you arrive to an interview is the first thing you communicate about your timeliness and respect, so it’s something to take seriously.
As a general rule, experts recommend that you plan to arrive at a job interview 15 minutes early. On top of that time, they also recommended that you build a 15- to 20-minute cushion into your commute, to ensure that factors like traffic or construction don’t keep you from arriving when you should.
So, if you have a 2 p.m. interview, plan to walk into the interview at 1:45 p.m. and leave home with enough time to arrive at the workplace by around 1:30 p.m.
“It’s all about showing that you’re responsible,” says Michael Steinitz, senior executive director of professional talent solutions at Robert Half, a human resources consulting firm.
After arriving early, you may want to wait a few minutes before checking in for the interview. It’s best not to show up more than 15 minutes early to an interview, according to HuffPost. You don’t want employees or the hiring manager to feel like they have to entertain you beforehand. If you have time to spare, you can run through any last-minute prep in your car, at a nearby coffee shop or in the building’s lobby. Or explore the surrounding area.
If you’re running late, call the hiring manager or the person conducting your interview as soon as possible with your estimated arrival time. Apologize sincerely, briefly explain what happened and ask about next steps. Do they still want you to come if you’ll be 15 minutes — or an hour — late? If not, humbly request to reschedule.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Aim to commute to the interview site a few days beforehand. It’ll help you get familiar with the route and work through any wonky directions that might otherwise delay you on the big day.
How early should you join a video interview?
For virtual interviews, Steinitz recommends opening the teleconference software you’re using at least five minutes before the interview starts. That way, you can test out your tech, make sure your microphone works and check your internet connection.
And if you’re having technical issues that prevent you from joining on time, Steinitz says it’s best to email your interviewer ASAP to let them know what’s going on. Stuff happens; just be as communicative and punctual as possible and show how much you care about this interview.
“You just want to show that being late is not your habit,” Steinitz says. “Your habit is to be punctual and professional.”
Still in the dark about how to make money online? Side hustles are all the rage, but not everyone has tried one. You’re a beginner, and that can be the case at any age.
The internet has opened up a lot of ways to make side money, but so many options can be overwhelming. That’s why we say to do a little personal discovery first to decide what you like. Then dive in with a positive attitude and flexible mindset. Because the money is out there, but it isn’t guaranteed.
Here are four steps to get you started.
Step 1: Take inventory of your skills
The term “side hustle” assumes you already have a full-time obligation, like a job, school or family responsibilities. If you’re going to spend your precious few hours of free time on another form of work, you ought to do something you enjoy. Start with a personal assessment of your interests and emphasize the ones with online earning potential. Grab a piece of paper and jot down your answers to these questions:
What do I like to do the most? Consider the hobbies, interests and activities that bring you joy, but add a work slant because you probably won’t get paid to watch videos.
Of the interests listed, which ones do I do well? Narrow down your initial list to the areas where you have the most skill. Do you write well? Do you know the ins and outs of a certain category of collectible merchandise?
What kind of work would I be happy doing for hours on end? Make sure going all in on a potentially paying hobby won’t make you hate it.
Step 2: Focus on monetizable skills and ideas
Did you identify any skills with earning potential? You can probably answer this with common sense. You’re more likely to be paid to design a logo than make a meme.
Do you know how to code and do you like it? How about writing website copy, articles or marketing emails? You might have a future in freelancing, and that’s a side hustle tailor-made for making money online.
Maybe you listed vintage fashion as a top interest, and you know more than most about clothes. Do you like selling stuff and communicating with potential customers, too? Because reselling clothes is a way to monetize a hobby (and support a habit) from your laptop. If you have crafts or bespoke products to sell, you could open an Etsy shop online.
Once you match a passion, skill or idea with a monetizable opportunity, you can find the right online service or platform to facilitate your business.
Track all the money you make
See the ins and outs of your cash, cards, and bank accounts at a glance.
Step 3: Research the top places to make money online
There are plenty of online platforms that can connect you with customers, gigs and tasks. The hard part is narrowing the list down to the ones that are worth your time. We can help you focus on real ways to make money online (and offline, for that matter) and explore home business ideas. The work you did in the skills inventory step should help you quickly eliminate the noncontenders.
Be realistic about how much you can make
Once you pick a skill and a platform, you can give your online side hustle a try. How much money you’ll make (and when it comes) will vary.
Online freelance work may take time to gain traction, but you can pick a site like Upwork or Fiverr that connects you with paying clients and post your pitch today.
Places to sell stuff online typically have few barriers to entry, which is great for beginners. But make sure profit margins are worth your time. Selling a used book on eBay for $7.50 won’t amount to much side money when you factor in fees and shipping.
Using an online service to get task-based work can be a way for a beginner to make real money with less wait time. Depending on where you live, quick gigs like driving people or delivering packages and groceries can be in high demand. And signing up for gigs through a service like Uber or Instacart can connect you with customers and have you driving in no time.
Walking dogs is one of the highest paid side hustles by average hourly wage, according to an analysis from online tutoring platform Preply. Rover and Wag are two sites that match dog walkers with paying customers.
Other ways may require more patience
Some popular ways to make money online, like starting a blog, making YouTube videos or sharing influential advice on social media can require a lot of effort and time before you’ll see a dime. Don’t let us discourage you from your dreams of content creator stardom, but influencers typically need a sizable following to see big money.
Step 4: Evaluate and pivot
Flexibility is key when it comes to making money online. Give it a couple of weeks (or months) and evaluate your progress. If the dough is low, you might need to adjust your approach or switch to another platform. Maybe it’s time to pivot to a different monetizable hobby. Go back to your skills inventory and give something else a try. Enjoy the experience, and don’t quit your day job.
By Melissa1 Comment – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 18, 2016.
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It’s November. November!
Life is busy and full now, but I know after Thanksgiving, life will hit full on crazy because our family schedule will be so busy.
Is Your Busy Day As Busy As You Think?
Every night, I crash into bed and think of how busy my day was. How I didn’t get done all of the many things I wanted to do.
For instance, one of my goals this year is to make 12 homemade Christmas presents for my family. I set this goal in January and figured I’d make one present a month. Manageable, right? Now that it’s November, I should theoretically have 10 Christmas presents completed.
Guess how many I do have completed?
One.
Yep, just one.
But even though I have this supposed time shortage, I have time to check Facebook several times a day for five to twenty minutes at a shot.
Making Christmas presents with supplies I have on hand will save me a lot of money come December. But I’m not making the presents. I’m too busy checking Facebook.
My day is busy, sure, but I’m making it busier by wasting my precious time throughout the day.
Can you relate? Likely you can, as “CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the average US consumer spends 40 minutes on Facebook per day” (Business Insider).
Common Time Sucks
The problem with our hyper-connected society is that there are so many ways to waste time. There is Facebook, as we’ve already mentioned, and all the many other social media platforms—Twitter, Periscope, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. Don’t forget blogs and online games as distractions.
With smartphones, you don’t have to limit wasting your time to home; you can waste your time on the go, too.
But it’s not just electronics that waste our time.
How cluttered is your house? How much time do you waste just looking for things?
Our house is much more cluttered than I would like, so I waste a lot of time looking for things. Today my husband and daughter spent 10 minutes looking for her school folder. Last weekend I spent 20 minutes looking for the cord to our external hard drive. I still have not found it, and because I can’t access what I need on there, I had to waste time recreating what is already on the hard drive. That sucked another 60 minutes of my time.
Simple Schedule Changes Can Help You Save Or Make Money
Now that I’m aware of how much time I’m really wasting, I’ve decided to make changes. I’ve set a schedule to check Facebook once in the morning and once at night. I cannot spend more than 10 minutes total. I’m also on a mission to declutter the house once and for all (and maybe even make a little money).
By not checking Facebook throughout the day, but only twice a day, I will easily have another 20 to 30 minutes in my day. There are roughly seven weeks until Christmas. Seven weeks times 30 minutes a day is 1,470 minutes or 24.5 hours!! I could very easily complete all of my homemade Christmas presents in that time and save myself a bundle of money.
There is nothing wrong with relaxing in the evening, after you’re already tired and unproductive, to read your favorite blog or look through Facebook. But when those things take up our time during our most productive hours, we must admit that we’re not as busy as we think. If we make smarter choices with the use of our time, we’ll have more opportunities to both make and save money.
Have you taken the time to observe how much time you waste during the day? Are you as shocked as I am about the amount of wasted time in your day? If you changed your habits and created more time by limiting distractions, how could you save or make more money?
Free money sounds too good to be true, but there are actually a number of different ways to get your hands on money with no cost and very low effort on your part.
Here, we’ll take a look at more than 20 free money apps that will put some extra money in your pocket with minimal time or effort.
While you’re not going to get rich or generate a full-time income from these apps, you will be able to get a little bit of extra money that you can spend, save, or invest. And best of all, anyone can do it.
Best Free Money Apps
1. Swagbucks
Best for: Earning easy money in lots of different ways during your spare time.
If you’re looking to make some extra money in your down time, you’ll definitely want to check out Swagbucks. This popular website and app gives you several different ways to make money including:
Taking short surveys
Watching videos
Playing games
Downloading and installing apps
Taking advantage of special offers
Cashback for your online purchases
Using the Swagbucks search engine
Most people know Swagbucks as a survey app, and while that’s true, you can make more money with Swagbucks than most other survey apps because there are so many different ways to earn.
Each task or activity will earn you a specified number of points (referred to as “Swagbucks” or SB). After you’ve accumulated some SB, they can be redeemed for your choice of rewards, including cash via PayPal or a wide variety of gift cards.
The best way to earn significant amounts of money with Swagbucks is to take advantage of special offers. When you’re logged in to the dashboard, click on “Discover” to see the offers that are currently available. You might be able to earn Swagbucks by creating an account at a website, opening a bank account, starting a free trial, or any number of other things. The offers change frequently and if you take advantage of the highest-paying offers while they’re available, you can do pretty well with Swagbucks.
One of the many reasons to love Swagbucks is that you can redeem your rewards very quickly. While some sites/apps don’t allow you to cash out until you’ve earned $20 – $30 in rewards, Swagbucks allows you to redeem your rewards for as little as $3. They also run a lot of sales, which allows you to get a higher value gift card for your points.
Get Swagbucks here|Read our Swagbucks review
2. InboxDollars
Best for: Supplementing Swagbucks as another way to make money with easy tasks.
InboxDollars is very similar to Swagbucks. As an InboxDollars user, you’ll be able to make money by:
Taking surveys
Watching videos
Playing games
Printing coupons
Shopping online
Claiming special offers
Like Swagbucks, the best way to earn money quickly with InboxDollars is through the special offers. The available offers will change periodically, but as an example of what you’ll find, right now here are a few of the offers that I see in my dashboard:
$10 to get a free insurance quote
$2 to enter a competition/giveaway
$1.50 to download an app and create a free account
$2 to get a free credit score and credit report analysis
Those are just a few examples of what’s available. If you take advantage of these easy offers, you can earn a decent amount of money with very little effort.
Unlike Swagbucks and many other similar sites, InboxDollars doesn’t work on a point system. Instead of earning points that will be redeemed for prizes, you’ll earn real cash. Each task or offer has an assigned dollar amount that you’ll earn.
InboxDollars requires you to have a balance of at least $10 in order to redeem your cash.
Get InboxDollars here| Read our InboxDollars review
3. Survey Junkie
Best for: Making money with simple online surveys.
While you can make money by taking surveys with both Swagbucks and InboxDollars, Survey Junkie is a bit different. Instead of offering surveys plus several other ways to make money, Survey Junkie focuses exclusively on surveys.
If you want to earn cash through online surveys, the best approach is to use a few different websites and apps. If you’re really active, you may run out of available surveys from a particular app, until new surveys are added. Using a few different sites or apps gives you more possibilities. Plus, you can pick and choose the surveys you take since you’ll have more selection. You can opt to take only the surveys that allow you to earn the most money for your time.
Since Survey Junkie focuses exclusively on surveys, most people are able to make more at other sites like Swagbucks that have more options. However, if you’re looking specifically for surveys, there’s no better place to find them than Survey Junkie.
When you create an account and login to the dashboard, you’ll need to take a brief profile survey with some details about yourself so you can be matched up to the right surveys (you’ll also earn a little money for completing this intro survey).
Then you’ll see a list of the available surveys. Each one will list the amount that you’ll earn for completing it, as well as the estimated amount of time it will take to complete the survey.
Get Survey Junkie here.
4. Vindale Research
Best for: Supplementing Survey Junkie as a source of paid surveys.
Vindale Research is another survey website/app that allows you to earn money by:
Completing short surveys
Watching videos
Opening promotional emails
Referring your friends
Although Vindale offers a few different ways to make money, taking surveys is the primary offer here. You’ll earn real cash that can be redeemed by PayPal.
Vindale Research is a good option for anyone who wants to make money with online surveys. The income potential is not as high as Swagbucks or InboxDollars, but Vindale is worth including in your collection of sites/apps that you use for surveys.
Get Vindale Research here
5. Rakuten
Best for: Easy cashback for online purchases at thousands of websites.
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is the most popular cashback website/app and you can save money on many of the purchases that you would be making anyway.
With a free Rakuten account, you’ll earn cash back at thousands of their partner stores and websites. While there are some options for cashback on in-store purchases, the majority of the offers are for online purchases.
Thankfully, using Rakuten is extremely simple. They offer a convenient browser extension you can install, and then whenever you visit a website that offers cashback through Rakuten, you’ll see a notice in your browser. All you need to do is click on that notification and Rakuten will track any purchases that you make and credit your count with the appropriate amount of cashback.
If you do any shopping online, using Rakuten is a no-brainer. It takes no extra effort and you can save money on a lot of the things you need to buy. The browser extension is awesome because you don’t even have to remember, it will notify you of opportunities. The browser extension will also automatically search for and apply coupon codes when you’re checking out, which will also save you a lot of money.
The amount of cashback you’ll earn will vary depending on the store and the specific purchase. It can range from 1% up to 50%.
One of my favorite things about Rakuten is the fact that you can stack these rewards on top of credit card rewards and other loyalty rewards to save even more.
Get Rakuten here | Read our Rakuten review
6. Ibotta
Best for: Cash back on grocery shopping.
Ibotta is another must-have cashback app. Unlike Rakuten, Ibotta is great for in-store purchase, as well as online shopping.
There are a few different ways you can use Ibotta:
Claim offers in the app and then scan your receipt after purchasing.
Link your store loyalty accounts from your favorite retailers to earn cashback faster.
Buy gift cards for your favorite stores and restaurants to earn cash back on the entire amount.
Earn cash back for online purchases that originate through the app or website.
With the help of Ibotta, you can save money on groceries, clothing, home goods, and more. Ibotta is easily one of the best ways to save money on groceries since they are partnered with many leading grocery stores and there are always a lot of offers available.
Before you go shopping, you’ll simply browse the current offers in the Ibotta app and claim the items that you want to purchase. After the purchase, you’ll scan the receipt using the Ibotta app and you’ll be credited for the offered items that you purchased. Alternatively, you can link your store loyalty account to Ibotta so you won’t need to scan receipts.
And just like Rakuten, Ibotta is great for stacking rewards on multiple levels. If you’re shopping for groceries, you can earn cashback through Ibotta, earn cashback or rewards through your credit card, and rack up loyalty points through the store’s program.
Get Ibotta here | Read our Ibotta review
7. Fetch Rewards
Best for: Supplementing Ibotta to save more money on groceries.
Fetch Rewards is another cashback app, but it was created specifically for grocery shopping. It works a little bit differently than Ibotta. You don’t need to claim offers ahead of time. You’ll simply do your shopping and then scan the receipt with your phone or submit the digital receipt for your online grocery shopping.
The best thing about Fetch Rewards is that it’s very easy to use since you don’t need to browse and claim offers before you go shopping. You’ll simply open the app and scan your receipts. At any time, you can browse the app to see the available offers and see what purchases will earn you money, but you don’t need to claim anything. The cashback will be automatically added when your receipt is scanned.
In general, most people earn more cashback with Ibotta, but Fetch Rewards is great to use in addition.
Once you’ve accumulated some rewards, you’ll be able redeem them for your choice of gift cards.
Get Fetch Rewards here | Read our Fetch Rewards review
8. MyPoints
Best for: Alternative to Rakuten, plus surveys and other ways to make money.
MyPoints has a cashback component that is similar to Rakuten. You’ll earn cashback for your purchases at all of their partner websites. MyPoints also has a browser extension you can install that will notify you of money-saving opportunities while you’re browsing.
In addition, you can also earn money in a few other ways like taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, and printing coupons. Like Swagbucks and InboxDollars, there are also special offers available through the dashboard that allow you to earn points quickly.
MyPoints uses a points system and then those points can be redeemed for gift cards or your choice of rewards. However, the conversion of points to dollars is not as straightforward as Swagbucks, so MyPoints can be a little confusing. For example, a $10 gift card might cost you 1,590 points. The fact that it’s not a round number makes it a little more challenging to know how much your points are worth.
If you’re looking to make money with surveys, special offers, or cashback, MyPoints is definitely and app that you should be using.
Get MyPoints here
9. TopCashback
Best for: Maximizing your cashback for online purchases (offers are sometimes better than Rakuten).
TopCashback is very similar to Rakuten and it’s one of the best ways to get easy cash back for your online purchases. They have a huge collection of more than 4,000 partner retailers offering cash back through their platform.
Rakuten is the most-well-known cashback program and probably the easiest to use, but TopCashback actually offers higher amounts of cashback in many cases. Of course, the details vary from one retailer to the next, but TopCashback has done a really great job of providing users with the best offers possible.
If you’re looking to maximize the cashback you earn, you should be using TopCashback in addition to Rakuten. Like Rakuten, TopCashback also offers a browser extension and mobile app that provide easy and convenient ways to save on many of the purchases you need to make anyway.
Get TopCashback here
10. Dosh
Best for: Automated cashback from participating merchants, including local retailers and restuarants.
Dosh is a cashback app that provides automatic cashback. When you download and install the app, you’ll link it to your credit cards or debit cards and then whenever you make a purchase at a participating retailer, you’ll automatically earn the cashback for your purchase.
When you’re in the Dosh app, you can view the offers from retailers and restaurants that are near you. You can also shop online through the app and earn cashback.
One of the nice things about Dosh is that you’ll find cashback offers from many smaller businesses and local restaurants, not just the major retailers and chains.
After you’ve earned some cashback, you can redeem it by having it transferred directly to your bank account.
Get Dosh here | Read our Dosh review
11. Pei
Best for: Automated cashback, plus savings through the app/website.
Pei is another cashback app that allows you to link a credit or debit card to earn automatic cashback. You’ll earn cashback automatically from purchases made in-store at participating retailers, and you can also browse the app or website to find offers for shopping online.
You can even use Pei as a search engine to search for merchants or products and see if there are any current offers.
Pei is a great app for earning cashback on in-store purchases because it’s so simple to use and there’s really nothing you need to do after linking your cards.
One of the most interesting things about Pei is that you can claim your rewards in Bitcoin instead of cash, if you prefer.
12. Lucktastic
Best for: A chance at winning large prizes by playing games.
Lucktastic is a free app that allows you to earn money and rewards by playing games. You can win expensive trips and huge cash prizes (up to $1 million) with Lucktastic.
If you’re not lucky enough to win one of the big prizes, you can still earn tokens as you play and redeem those tokens for your choice of gift cards.
While hitting it big with Lucktastic certainly isn’t something that everyone is going to do, it can still be a fun way to try and make some money while playing games in your spare time. If you’re looking for something that gives you a more predictable way to earn money, the options covered earlier in the article would be more appropriate for you.
Get Lucktastic here
13. Mistplay
Best for: Earning smaller rewards, like gift cards, for playing games.
Mistplay is another app (available only for Android) that pays users for playing games. You can find and discover new games, earn units based on how long you play, and redeem those units for your choice of rewards.
As you use the app, you’ll be able to unlock different achievement badges and earn more units.
To date, Mistplay has paid out more than $13 million in rewards. Try another app that pays you to game here: Gamehag
Get Mistplay here
14. Zap Surveys
Best for: A good source for surveys that actually pay out.
Zap Surveys is the #1 survey app, and by using the app you can get paid to share your opinion on a variety of topics. To date they’ve paid out over $30 million dollars in rewards to Zap Surveys members, and when you sign up with our link you’ll earn $6.25 on your first survey.
Types of surveys they have include:
High paying surveys where you will not only be rewarded, but we will also donate to child starvation every completed survey!
Logo polling – get paid to tell companies what design they should use for their next logo!
Surveys that appear based on your location!
There is no limit to the number of times you can cash out, but the minimum cash out is $25.00. Cash out with PayPal, Amazon gift cards or Visa gift cards!
Get Zap Surveys here
15. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
Best for: A chance at monthly prizes, in exchange for your browsing data.
Nielsen is a data research company that’s willing to pay for your browsing data. Nielsen can be used on laptops in addition to mobile devices.
You’ll simply download it to your computer or device and let it run in the background. In exchange, you’ll be rewarded for leaving it active and have a chance to win the $10,000 that Nielsen gives away each month.
Get Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel here
16. Embee Meter CX
Best for: Passive rewards for your mobile browsing data.
Embee Meter CX is another mobile data research app (Android only) that rewards you for providing access to your device. Simply install the app on your device and you’ll earn “meter points” for leaving it active.
You can redeem the meter points for cash through PayPal or your choice of gift cards. Like Nielsen and MobileXpression, Embee Meter CX is an easy way to earn a little something extra.
Get Embee Meter CX here
17. UpVoice
Best for: Passive rewards for visiting websites you probably already visit.
UpVoice is another easy way to earn something for the things you’re already doing. You probably already visit websites like Amazon, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter on a daily basis, so why not get some rewards for it?
All you need to do is download UpVoice to your computer and let it run in the background. You’ll earn tokens whenever you visit these sites. After you’ve earned enough tokens, they can be redeemed for your choice of gift cards.
UpVoice obviously monitors your browsing, however, it’s anonymous and no personal data is tracked.
Get UpVoice here
18. Honeygain
Best for: Payment for sharing your internet access.
Honeygain is another option for earning money passively, but you don’t have to provide access to your data in order to do it. Instead, you’ll install Honeygain and it will allow users to access the internet from your location. There are a number of reasons why a business would want to do this, including testing to see what ads are being shown to a user at your location.
Other users don’t get any access to your data through Honeygain, and you’ll earn money for providing the internet access.
Like the other passive apps, you’re not going to get rich with Honeygain, but it does present an easy way to make a little bit of extra money.
Get Honeygain here
19. Rocket Money
Best for: Bill negotiation services to lower your monthly payments.
Rocket Money helps you to manage your finances in a few different ways, but the most significant is by reducing your monthly bills through negotiation. You can allow Rocket Money’s professional negotiators to work on your behalf to get you the best deal cable TV, internet access, mobile phone service, and more.
If Rocket Money isn’t able to save you any money, you’ll be charged nothing. If they are able to lower your bills, they’ll keep 40% of the savings.
Get Rocket Money here
20. Trim
Best for: Bill negotiation services to lower your monthly payments.
Trim is another bill negotiation service that’s similar to Rocket Money. Both companies offer some additional features and services as well, but the bill negotiation is the easiest way to save money.
Trim’s rates for bill negotiation are actually a little lower than Rocket Money. Just like Rocket Money, they won’t charge anything if they can’t save you any money, but they’ll take 33% of any savings.
Get Trim here
21. Paribus
Best for: Monitoring price changes for low-price guarantees and monitoring shipments from Amazon.
*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for Capital One Shopping using the links below.
Paribus from Capital One helps you to get easy money that is owed to you. You’ll sign up for free and link it to the email account you use for online shopping. Whenever Paribus sees a receipt it will automatically go to work.
After you’ve made a purchase, Paribus will monitor price changes and notifies you if the price has dropped on a purchase from a retailer with a price-match guarantee. They’ll tell you exactly what to do in order to get the refund that is owed to you.
Paribus also monitors shipments from retailers like Amazon and helps you to get compensation when a shipment is late.
Get Capital One’s other shopping tool, Capital One Shopping, to save money when you’re shopping online. The browser extenstion will tell you if you’re getting a good price, help you comparison shop and more. Read a full Capital One Shopping review here.
Get Paribus here | Get Capital One Shopping
22. Upside
Best for: Saving money on your gas.
Upside is a savings app that helps you to find the best prices on gas, and also get additional cash back savings once you find the best price.
Not only can you get cash back on gas, but many local restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores have cash back offers available as well.
Upside works with major gas stations like Shell, BP, Exxon, Speedway, Holiday Stations and more. See gas prices near you at 9000+ stations and earn fuel rewards with real cash back every time you fuel up.
I’ve found that the stations near me typically advertise around $0.25 cents/gallon savings on their gas prices. You can also save additional money on the price by referring other users to the app.
We’ve been using the app quite a bit for Burger King and Wendy’s restaurants in our area as they give anywhere from 25-40% cash back on your order. That’s pretty awesome, and it usually stacks with cash back from other services like Dosh or Pei!
In checking our cash back history just now I realized we’ve earned over $1210 in cash back using Upside. I’ll take that!
You can cash out whenever you want in the app, and they pay cash back via PayPal, check, or gift card.
Sign up for the app through our link below, and use promo code: AFF25 to get an extra 0.25 cents/gal cash back on gas on your first fill-up.
Get Upside here
23. ReceiptPal
Best for: Making money on all of your receipts, no matter where they come from.
ReceiptPal is a receipt scanning app, similar to Fetch Rewards mentioned above. Often you can use multiple apps like this to earn rewards at more than one service. I personally use ReceiptPal and Fetch Rewards for most of my grocery receipts.
With ReceiptPal you earn rewards points simply for scanning all of your paper receipts, along with getting points for linked Amazon or email accounts where additional receipts can be counted.
For every 4 receipts you can you’ll get 100 points that you can use towards a reward. You can redeem your points with as little as 2200 points for a $5 Amazon gift card, or a Target, Lowe’s Best Buy or Visa gift card, among a few others. You can also refer other users and earn 250 points per user.
While it takes a while to earn rewards with ReceiptPal, I like it because it’s easy, and you’re taking something that wouldn’t otherwise earn rewards, scanning receipts, and monetizing it.
I just started using it a few months ago and so far I’ve been able to cash in my points for several $5 and $10 Amazon gift cards.
Get ReceiptPal here
Make Money With Apps In Your Free Time
While these apps may not make you rich, even a small amount of extra money is a good thing.
These free money apps work in various ways, but they all help you to make or save money with little-to-no effort needed.
Have your own favorite apps that you’ve used to make money? Tell us what they are in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there apps that pay you cash?
Yes, there are countless apps that will pay you in cash, bitcoin and gift cards. I’ve earned thousands of dollars myself by using many of these apps, and you can too. Check out our full list of apps at Bible Money Matters for more information.
What apps pay you instantly?
Most apps allow you to earn points until you reach a certain payout threshold. Some secret shopper and gig apps like Field Agent, Gigwalk or Mobee will give you an instant payout. Uber and lyft will also allow you to do a same day cashout, although there are some limitations. Other services like DoorDash will offer an immediate payout once you’ve been with them for a while, but not before.
What cash back apps are the best?
My favorite cash back apps are Upside, Drop, Ibotta, Fetch Rewards and Dosh. Apps like Dosh, Drop, and Upside even work automatically with no receipt scanning or anything else, once you link a credit card. I use them the most becaause they’re the easiest to use.
What apps pay you money to play games?
There are a lot of apps and websites that pay you to play games. Some of the more popular ones include Swagbucks, Mistplay, Gamehag, Inbox Dollars, Lucktastic, MyPoints, and Bananatic.
Can you make money from apps?
Yes, you can make money from apps. Some apps will pay you for doing your online shopping using their app. Others will pay you to fill out surveys, or to scan your receipts from your in-store purchases. Others will pay you to perform small tasks, or to partake in the gig economy (dog walking, ridesharing, etc). Others you can use to sell your stuff, and then get a payout when it sells. It just comes down to deciding how much time you have to invest, and how much you want to make.
Which apps pay the most?
The highest paying apps are probably going to be the ones where you’re actually engaging in a side hustle to earn income. Apps like Uber, Lyft, Rover and other gig economy apps can help you to earn close to a full time income. Other apps will have good sign up bonuses that it pays to take advantage of. Empower has a $20 Amazon gift card to sign up, Ibotta has a $10 sign-up bonus. Otherwise, other apps may take a while to earn as much as you want.
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