Is your phone with you 24/7? Instead of spending hours doom-scrolling, why not use your time on your phone to make some extra cash?
You don’t need to build an online storefront, open an Etsy shop, or start a full-scale side hustle to make cash online. You just need a smartphone and a few minutes of free time to take advantage of apps that pay mobile users to complete simple tasks like taking surveys, watching videos, testing websites, or even playing games.
Read on to learn more about how to make money with your phone, including a list of apps that can help you convert your idle phone time into a money-making investment.
How much money can you realistically make on your phone?
You’re not going to replace your day job or get rich with these casual mobile money-makers. But you can earn enough to cover your Netflix subscription, fill up your gas tank, or get groceries if you consistently spend some time on these apps.
Earnings vary widely depending on which apps you join and how much time you log. For real examples of mobile earnings, check out Reddit’s beermoney subreddit, specifically the posts with earnings report tags. Many Reddit users report earning $50-$200 per month with casual daily activity. Hustlers regularly report earning $400-$600 per month.
You’ll also see some redditors posting earnings of over $2,000 per month, but these typically include some skilled work or online work that can’t easily be done on your phone (like freelance coding, for example).
5 ways to make money with your phone
Here are the top five ways to make money quickly and easily with your phone.
1. Take online surveys
Get paid to offer your opinions. Survey sites ask questions about your experiences or preconceptions to be used in market research, political forecasting, or academia.
Surveys often have demographic parameters, so you may need to answer a few questions to find out if you qualify to take a survey. For example, a survey about car features may be limited to licensed drivers who currently own or lease a vehicle.
Your earning potential may be limited by how many surveys you can qualify for and how quickly you can respond to survey requests.
Here are some of the best survey apps currently available on your phone:
- Swagbucks. Swagbucks is one of the most widely used mobile platforms for quick earnings. Earn SB points, which can be converted to cash for taking surveys, watching videos, shopping online, and more.
- InboxDollars. Similar to Swagbucks, InboxDollars offers rewards for surveys, watching ads, and playing games.
- Prolific. This platform focuses on academic surveys with better pay and less fluff than more generic survey sites.
- YouGov. This ongoing opinion panel is used for political and brand research.
- CloudResearch Connect. This survey platform is often used by universities and researchers to study human behavior and social sciences. A laptop may provide a better user interface, but these surveys can be taken from your phone.
- Branded Surveys. Branded Surveys offers lots of shorter surveys with quick payouts.
2. Scan receipts to earn cash back
Get paid for spending money as usual. Cash-back apps reward you for spending at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Simply upload your receipts or link your loyalty accounts to confirm your spending.
The best cash-back apps include:
- Fetch Rewards. Snap a photo of any receipt (from grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc.) to earn points, no need to pre-select offers. You earn bonus points for buying specific brands, but all receipts get something.
- Receipt Hog. This gamified cash-back app allows you to win extra rewards through spins and sweepstakes. It accepts a variety of receipt types and occasionally offers short surveys for bonuses.
- Upside. With Upside, you activate offers in the app before making a purchase and then upload a receipt to confirm the purchase.
- Ibotta. Like Upside, Ibotta has you choose from available offers before shopping, then upload your receipts (or link your loyalty account) to confirm your purchases. Some users report bigger rewards on name-brand products with Ibotta.
3. Watch videos or play games
That’s right; you can get paid to play games and watch videos on your phone. These opportunities don’t pay as much as other money-makers, but they require very little effort and can be fun. You can even let the videos play in the background while you cook, clean, or otherwise multitask for some zero-effort income.
Here are some of the best apps that pay you to watch videos or play games:
- Swagbucks. The popular survey site also offers opportunities to earn more points through videos and games.
- InboxDollars. Like Swagbucks, InboxDollars is more well-known as a survey site, but offers points for trying certain games.
- Mypoints. Mypoints is another app that offers multiple ways to make money, including videos and games, as well as shopping and surveys.
- Mistplay (Android only). Earn points by downloading and playing new mobile games. The more you play, the more you earn, especially for reaching milestones.
- Rewarded Play (Android only). Earn points by playing games and completing goals. You’ll need to hit daily play targets to maximize your rewards.
4. Share your data
Earn money by allowing apps to track how you use your phone. You install these apps and permit them to run in the background, collecting anonymized data from your phone while you go about your life. This may be the easiest way to earn mobile passive income. Most data-sharing apps offer $5-$10 per month per device and don’t require any specific task after installation. You can even stack multiple data-sharing apps, allowing multiple apps to run at the same time to maximize income.
However, this does allow companies to track your phone usage, which could potentially include online searches, communications, and location. Read the terms and conditions to make sure you’re comfortable making that much information available before installing these apps.
Here are the most popular data-sharing apps:
- Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel. Nielsen is a well-known name in market research and allows you to install their data-sharing software on multiple devices (your phone, laptop, desktop, tablet, etc.).
- MobileXpression. MobileXpression tracks mobile browsing data to help companies understand usage trends.
5. Try product testing and mini gigs
Earn money by testing websites and apps or taking your phone out in the world to snap local pics for research. These opportunities may require a little more effort, but that can also mean they pay better.
- UserTesting. UserTesting allows you to get paid to test websites and apps. You may need to complete a short qualification test at enrollment to make sure you know what you’re looking for in the testing.
- Field Agent. Field Agent offers cash for mini-gigs like checking local in-store prices or taking pictures of local store shelves.
- Premise. Earn money by collecting real-time data for organizations that want insights into local markets and communities.
Tips for getting your money from mobile apps
To maximize your earnings, enroll in multiple platforms using a mix of surveys, receipt scanning, and media consumption.
Payment for your work varies by app. The payment methods may include:
- Digital money transfers to your PayPal or Venmo account
- Direct deposits to your bank account
- Digital gift cards
- Direct deposits to a prepaid debit card (that may or may not be linked to a bank account)
These apps typically have a minimum payout threshold, meaning that you need to earn a certain amount before your payment will be processed. The lower the threshold, the sooner and more often you can access your money.
Some apps don’t automatically issue payments. Instead, you’ll need to cash out regularly to prompt the app to send your money. Make sure you cash out often to avoid losing money to account inactivity or expiration of funds.
It’s also worth noting that some apps have VPN (virtual private network) bans. So, using a VPN could cause you to forfeit your earnings. Check the platform’s terms first to avoid any payment issues.
How to avoid online passive-income scams
Here’s a practical guide to protect yourself while using survey sites, offer walls, gig apps, and other money-making tools:
- Stick to legit, well-reviewed platforms. Only use apps or websites with a solid reputation, active user base, and consistent payouts. Check resources like Reddit’s beermoney subreddit, Trustpilot, and SiteJabber for recent user experiences. Avoid sites with no reviews, too-good-to-be-true promises, or fake celebrity endorsements.
- Don’t pay to join. Legit platforms nearly always allow users to sign up for free. Don’t pay upfront to access “exclusive survey panels,” “job kits,” or “premium accounts.” However, some cash-back or investing apps may require purchases or deposits to earn rewards. Only move forward with these if you were already planning to use the product and clearly understand the terms.
- Use a separate email address. Creating a dedicated email account for your money-making efforts keeps spam and phishing attempts out of your personal inbox.
- Avoid giving bank access unless absolutely necessary. While many passive-income apps allow you to collect payment without a bank account, some ask to link your bank account for payments or cash back. Before providing your bank account details, make sure the app is widely used and has encrypted security. You might even consider using a secondary bank account with minimal funds, if possible.
- Confirm proof of payment. Before enrolling, check Reddit threads, forums, and YouTube videos to see recent payout screenshots of other users getting paid. Once you’re a user, make sure you’re receiving the payments the apps say you should be getting.
Turn screen time into cash today
With a few strategic apps, your phone can become a tool for consistent, low-effort income. Whether you’re taking surveys, scanning receipts, playing games, or letting data-run apps do the work, you can legitimately earn money with apps. This income won’t replace your paycheck, but it can cover small expenses or help you save for the future. Choose a few apps to download, and start making money with your phone today.
