Earning extra cash at home is a great way to spend your free time wisely, especially when prices of commodities continue to increase each day. It’s a good thing there are apps that pay you money to use them, and all you need to have is a phone to get started. Some of these apps include Fetch Rewards, Ibotta, Swagbucks, and HealthyWage.
Fetch Rewards is one of the best apps to earn real money easily with its great welcome bonus and referral program, apart from its easy-to-use receipt scanning function that also lets you scan ereceipts.
Making real money through mobile and desktop apps has been one of the most popular ways of generating extra cash in recent times, especially among younger generations, but it has been a challenging journey looking for the best ones that work.
Part of that challenge is to find legit apps to make money, apps that are not fraudulent in any way or that have complex withdrawal procedures. To help overcome this dilemma, we have compiled a list of some of the best apps that’ll make you real money and will help you get ahead in 2023.
Best Apps That Make Real Money
The six best apps to make money this 2023 are:
- Fetch Rewards
- Ibotta
- Swagbucks
- HealthyWage
- Upside
- Survey Junkie
- Rakuten
Let’s look at each one in turn.
1. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is a platform that offers cash back on your purchases by scanning and uploading your receipts to the app. The service is free, completely safe, and they pay you for anonymous user information related to your purchasing habits. Fetch points are valued at 1,000 points per dollar, and you can redeem the points for different rewards, including gift cards from famous brick-and-mortar stores, popular online games like Fortnite and Roblox, as well as online retailers.
You can use this app to effortlessly create a source of passive income, especially if you take advantage of the different bonuses and special offers it constantly offers.
Features
- Generate passive income.
- Accepts receipts from all popular retailers.
- Accepts ereceipts.
- Base rate of 25 points.
- Bonus points for buying qualifying items.
- Redeem your points for gift cards.
- Earn a 3,000-point signup bonus.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Earn up to 5,000 points for recommending Fetch Rewards to your friends and family member | The points you get will be limited if you buy a product outside the Special offers |
| 3,000-point signup bonus + a great referral program | Points Expire After 90 Days |
| Fetch Rewards accepts both physical and eReceipts. |
2. Ibotta
Ibotta is a cash back rewards application that is available for both web and mobile platforms. Much like all the other cash back apps out there, Ibotta works by partnering with other brands and retailers. What sets Ibotta apart is that it works for both in-store and online purchases, which only a few cash back applications offer.
The application is 100% free to use, so you do not have to pay any fees to get your cash back. Furthermore, Ibotta gives its users three options on how they can redeem their money from the app:
- Option 1: Connect your bank account to the app for direct deposit.
- Option 2: Link your PayPal account to facilitate the transfer.
- Option 3: Redeem your money through gift cards from Ibotta’s partner retailers.
To redeem their cash, users must have at least $20 to enable transfers via bank or PayPal. On the other hand, transferring funds through gift cards requires at least $25 of accumulated cash back. New users who sign up using an Ibotta referral code will also get a $10 signup bonus as long as they spend $15 upon creating their account.
Features
- Ibotta browser extension that allows users to compare prices and find the best deals.
- Loyalty account linking that enables cash back within 24 hours.
- Nearby offer alerts to always get notified for cash back opportunities.
- Over 300 supported in-store retailers and more than 500,000 online shopping locations.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Competitive referral system | Relatively high requirement of $20-$25 before cashing out |
| Cash back for in-store purchases are received within 24 hours | Annoying ads appear constantly while using the app |
| Proofs of purchases may be sent within 7 days from the date of purchase |
3. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is among the web’s oldest and most popular loyalty and consumer rewards programs, having launched in 2008. Members of this application are entitled to win cash and gift cards after completing various tasks—browsing the web, playing games, watching videos, or answering surveys being the most common. Swagbucks has a point system where users collect SB points which can be redeemed for cash, gift cards, and other prizes.
As of writing, Swagbucks has paid its members over $850 million worth of cash and gifts, and they continue to do so through the many ways they help people earn legitimate cash. Aside from doing various activities, Swagbucks also has cash back shopping which is made possible through their partnerships with over 1,500 retailers across America.
Swagbucks offers a $5 bonus for all new users who will sign up for the free-to-use application, and they also have a browser extension that grants users additional SB points just for installing it. The biggest strength this application has to offer over any other app is the many ways in which users can earn legitimate cash, depending on which activity they find the easiest to do.
Features:
- Cash back shopping.
- Print grocery coupons.
- Redeemable swag codes for extra cash.
- Swagstakes, the app’s own version of Sweepstakes that provides chances to win cash and gadgets.
- Customer care team with dedicated responses for activity-related and general questions.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Wide variety of activities to earn SB points | Some requirements to earn SB points require a lot of effort |
| Partnerships with major stores like Amazon make more rewarding shopping experiences | Payments are sometimes delayed and there are long waiting times to cash out. |
| Its very own sweepstakes program called Swagstakes that lets users earn bigger rewards |
4. HealthyWage
HealthyWage is a legitimate money-making application that allows users to get fit while earning money. Unlike other apps that require users to perform certain activities online or make purchases to earn money, HealthyWage banks on the users’ motivation to become fit and healthy as a means of earning money.
The application works by first calculating your desired prize at the end of your weight loss journey. HealthyWage has a built-in calculator where users can put the number of pounds they intend to lose in a specific timeframe and the amount of money they are willing to bet to make a wager. Once a wager has been made, all that is left to do is start your fitness journey and achieve the goal of winning the bet.
Those signing up for an account at HealthyWage can receive an extra $50 on top of their prize without the need to enter any codes. By making cash incentives a motivation to get people to lose weight, HealthyWage continues to help people achieve the two goals of becoming fit and earning money simultaneously.
Features:
- Prize calculator to customize weight loss goals and expected prize.
- 100% turn-key implementation.
- Workplace and team challenges tailored for small and large groups.
- Build-Your-Own weight loss challenge for increased chances of winning.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Encourages a shift to a healthy lifestyle through monetary incentives | May not be a promising source of income if the user is not interested in placing high bets. |
| Individual and team challenges for bigger groups | If the user fails to achieve their weight goal by the end of the program, they’ll lose the money they bet |
| Allows users to set their health goals and the desired amount of money to bet in the program |
5. Upside
Established in 2013, Upside is a cash back app focusing on gas-fill-up cash backs. Aside from gas stations, Upside can also be used to seek cash back opportunities in grocery stores, restaurants, and other establishments the company has partnered with. They offer an opportunity for both consumers and business owners to thrive through partnerships and exclusive deals to earn additional profit.
In order to take advantage of Upside, one must first download the app, create an account, and find participating businesses within your area. Once an offer is claimed, the user is entitled to a limited time to make a purchase and take advantage of the deal. The user then must upload a receipt as proof of purchase, go through a checklist to see if every requirement is met, and they’ll finally be able to cash out.
Upside has three options to cash out earnings, which are Paypal, bank, or a digital gift card. The minimum amount of cash back required to freely cash out via Paypal is $15, while for bank transfers, it is $10. Gift cards, on the other hand, are only available in pre-set dollar amounts. Upside does allow its users to cash out money in lower amounts than the minimum requirement, but there is a service fee of $1 for these types of transactions.
Features:
- Referral system for additional earnings.
- Free gas rewards.
- “Unclaim” option for claimed offers which cannot be utilized within the time limit.
- Cheap gas finder map.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| List of participating stores can be filtered by choosing only gas stations or restaurants from the app’s list | Its receipt scanning system is not as efficient as other cash back applications |
| Provides the option to compare gas prices within the area and find the cheapest options | Cash back options are dependent on the locality of the users |
| App users can pay for their goods through several digital platforms, such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay |
6. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a popular survey platform that pays its users real cash by answering surveys and sharing their opinions across a variety of topics. It is completely free to use and is an ideal way of earning additional cash through paid surveys. With this app, users need to earn points which are then convertible to cash. Every point corresponds to a centavo, and each survey can have varying numbers of points which the user can receive after answering.
Aside from answering surveys, users can also earn points in the following ways:
- Product testing
- Data sharing with SJ Pulse
- Online focus groups
- In-person focus groups
The key to earning more with Survey Junkie is to have a detailed profile, as the surveys recommended per user are targeted and those with higher points are commonly sent to users with more defined profiles. The more credible your profile is, the higher your chances of earning more points you have.
When cashing out, Survey Junkie requires that you have at least 500 points or $5 in your account. App users can cash their money out through PayPal or directly to their bank account, but they may also come in the form of gift cards. Some of their retail partners include Starbucks, Walmart, and Amazon.
Features:
- Easy sign-up process where you can link your social media accounts to start.
- Virtually limitless amounts of surveys available.
- Earn extra points by doing additional tasks.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Points do not expire as fast as other paid survey apps | You have to have a detailed profile before being qualified for surveys with higher points |
| You can still earn points even if you do not qualify for a survey | Only available for users in Canada, US, and Australia |
| Bonus points are given when signing up for an account |
7. Rakuten
Another legit application that pays real money making our list is Rakuten, which is one of the most popular cash back applications in the US. In as little as three steps, users can begin earning money in the form of cash back:
- Crate and verify an account.
- Download the mobile app or the browser extension for desktop devices.
- Start earning cash back by making purchases through Rakuten.
Payout will be on the way three months after your purchases. Aside from Paypal, Rakuten also gives out payments in the form of checks.
Since 1999, Rakuten has paid a total of $2.2 billion to all its customers. Today, the company continues to grow its community of users through an enticing welcome bonus of $10 just for signing up to Rakuten, granted that users spend a minimum of $25 using the app.
Rakuten is entirely free to use, and there are no hidden fees to start earning. They have also partnered with over 2,500 stores, which makes it easier to earn more through shopping in different stores and finding better deals. Additionally, they give out coupon codes now and then for more savings and extra income.
Features
- In-app and in-store saving opportunities.
- Mobile app and web extension platforms.
- Double cash back deals.
- Referral programs which earn $40 for every successful referral.
- 24/7 customer service available.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| The application and web extension are easy to navigate and use to start earning | Payments are made quarterly, so immediate cash out is not an option |
| The company complies with the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which heightens the security of the platform | If the minimum amount of cash back of $5 is not met during the first quarter, users will not be able to withdraw it until next quarter. |
| Users can donate their cash back earnings to nonprofit partners as part of their social responsibility |
The Bottom Line
Because of the economic challenges brought on by the pandemic and the bad economic climate, there has been an increase in interest for applications that pay people for using them. However, this has also led to unscrupulous individuals developing apps to take advantage from the unwary and steal their money.
The apps mentioned above, are some of the most legit and high-paying options for students, part-timers, and everyone looking for additional income to use their phones or computers to earn extra cash. While these apps certainly pay cash, users must still weigh the pros and cons.
That said, the best choices for most users are Fetch Rewards and Ibotta. The first offers an easy way to earn real money with minimal input, while the second offers a wide variety of ways to earn money just by shopping through the app.
