I need money now! This is a situation that everyone has encountered at one point in life – you need that cash so desperately. But, you need not panic. Here are some great make-money-now hacks that you can use to get yourself out of that situation.
No matter how good you are at saving and budgeting for your needs, you are not 100% insured against the surprises life serves you. Emergencies are bound to arise, be it a flat tire in the middle of the night or an incident requiring a visit to the hospital. Sometimes, you might even be dealing with a job loss or an in-between jobs scenario.
But, when you find yourself thinking, “I need money now!” don’t rush to borrow money from friends or relatives. We’ve searched high and low for the best ways to make quick cash and now offer the results for your benefit.
And the best news is you have more than enough incredible options to sort you out. So, when you need that cash urgently, this list includes some excellent ways to make money now.
Try it out:
Table of Contents
Top Ways How to Get Money Now
1. Do Paid Surveys
SurveyJunkie and MyPoints are among the best-paid survey sites today.
a. SurveyJunkie
Become a member
SurveyJunkie is the easiest survey site to sign up for a newbie. Plus, it is free! The only requirement here is that you are at least 18 years old.
After signing up, you can view the available offers, which range from paid surveys to clinical trial opportunities. The work involves answering some simple questions. This means money can be made even when you are watching TV or waiting to see your doctor.
See also: SurveyJunkie Review
Payment
You can make approximately $100 to $300 in a week with survey Junkie, depending on your capacity. On completing a survey, you are rewarded with points that can be converted to gift cards at your preferred store. Cash payments are sent via PayPal.
Why SurveyJunkey?
The high quality and intuitive interface of SurveyJunkie are among its advantages. And with an 8.9/10 rating on TrustPilot, it prides itself on offering members the best experience.
Get paid for sharing your opinion and completing surveys whenever and wherever you want. It is quite easy, convenient, and rewarding.
Go to: SurveyJunkie’s Website
b. MyPoints
How it works
MyPoints will reward you in unique ways when you participate in its online activities. These include playing games, shopping online, reading emails, doing online surveys, or printing out coupons.
However, the main activities here are paid surveys and shopping. Take a survey at any time and earn cash via cell phone, tablet, PC, or laptop. Also, when you shop at qualifying stores, you get some good cashback for purchases.
See also: MyPoints Review
Payment
Members are paid in a currency called “points.” These points are redeemable for cash via PayPal, gift cards, or travel miles, among other options.
The minimum payout for the rewards is $10, but due to PayPal’s restrictions, you ought to have a minimum payout of $25. When the “points” are redeemed for cash via PayPal, the request is processed in 4 to 5 days. For the remaining rewards, however, the wait times tend to vary.
2. Use Your Smartphone to Earn on Swagbucks
How do you earn?
Instead of wasting your time on pointless activities on your phone, why not use the device to make get money? Swagbucks pays you for doing this. In other words, you will get money for doing the things you like doing in your spare time.
Make extra money on Swagbucks by completing simple tasks like taking surveys, doing online shopping, or playing games.
See also: Swagbucks Review
Unique bonuses
Outside surveys, you can make money with cashback. It works like this: you watch videos and get a $5 bonus, search the web and get a $5 bonus, or get a cashback program for shopping online or dining at selected restaurants.
Did you know?
You can cash out your Swagbucks as a gift card accepted by millions of merchants. The money can also be sent by PayPal.
Research has shown that Swagbucks offers more ways to earn cash compared to other options. Even though you may not earn much through Swagbucks, the site will help you with your daily expenses.
3. Sell CDs & DVDs
How it works
Do you have a pile of CDs and DVDs taking up space in your house? Why not dispose of them and earn some quick cash? With Decluttr, you can quickly sell your CDs and DVDs and make money. It also buys games, books, LEGO toys, and cell phones.
See also: Best Places to Sell Textbooks for Money
Become a member
Visit the official website of Decluttr and enter the barcodes of the items you would like to sell. Once this is done, Decluttr will tell you the amount it will pay for each of the items.
Pricing and payment
The price will be determined by the demand for the item. After your sell list is approved and the price offered accepted, the company will send you a free shipping label.
Upon its arrival, label the box containing the CDS and/or DVDs to be sold, then take it to the nearest accredited store. Payment is made a day after your stuff is received. No seller or auction fees are charged.
4. Earn $25 from JOANY
What is it?
JOANY is a healthcare company helping people find and compare different health insurance schemes, navigate medical bills, and locate the best doctors. It is currently carrying out a study to get feedback from customers about its insurance scheme.
Qualification requirements
To qualify for the survey, you should meet the following requirements:
- You have not enrolled for a short-term plan;
- You have active health insurance;
- You are not receiving medical insurance through your university/college/school;
- You are not on VA, Medicaid, or Medicare health insurance;
- You do not receive any medical insurance from your employer;
- You bought health insurance for 2017 through Healthcare.gov, a state exchange, or a plan like Aetna.
If you meet the above requirements, you will pocket a quick $25 for only 10 minutes of your time. It is that simple!
See also: Best Internet Jobs
5. Earn $15 from Ebates and Dosh
One of the most popular ways of earning credits, points, or cash for your online shopping is through cashback. Sites like Ebates and Dosh are usually free, and you will earn small commissions on each and every purchase made.
And having partnered with plenty of stores, the sites will accommodate your taste, needs, and preference.
a. Ebates
About the company
Ebates is a cashback and shopping rewards company. But, you can only make money there if you are an official member – that is, you need to register.
More than 2,000 online dealers are partnering with Ebates to make your shopping experience better and more rewarding. To learn if there are any special offers available, you will be required to regularly check the Ebates official website.
Earnings
Basically, you can earn a cashback of up to 40% at any of the stores. Some eBay purchases may also earn you cashback.
New users get a welcome bonus of $10. And as a newbie, you can request a payout as soon as you have earned $5.
Nonetheless, a minimum qualifying purchase of at least $25 is expected of you. This should be done within 90 days of becoming a new member. No fees or forms will be required from you.
Simply put, Ebates pays you for accepting to become one of its official members.
b. Dosh
Earn from Dosh
Dosh allows you to link up your debit and credit cards and get cashback whenever you eat, travel, or shop at any of the registered local and state retailers. There are different offers at Dosh that can earn you quick money.
Awesome Bonuses
You can earn a $5 cash bonus just for downloading the Dosh App through a referral link. I tried this, and it worked.
Additionally, you will get a $5 bonus when you link your first card. You get another $5 sign-up bonus, which can sometimes go up to $10. Also, a $15 referral bonus is offered to the current members who participate in the referral program.
It is important to know that you will be required to have at least $15 in cashback rewards in order to transfer your cash to your bank or PayPal account. Therefore, you will need to earn an extra $10 in cashback rewards besides the $5 card-linking bonus to redeem your cash.
6. Earn $5 from InboxDollars
About the company
InboxDollars is an online platform that prides itself on giving quick and easy cash to its customers for the minimum effort of simply being site members.
And there are many ways through which you can earn money here. For instance, get paid to take online surveys, complete offers, read magazines and emails, play games, watch videos, surf, refer friends, and even go shopping.
Become a member
Enroll and get a sign-up bonus of $5 just for joining the site. Each activity you complete earns you real cash.
How to make money
Once you have an account, you can log in at your leisure and get some easy money.
The company provides a list of surveys on its homepage, which you can access. And at any given time, you will get around ten survey options just for you. More will always be added.
For some surveys, the topics are listed, and an approximate length is disclosed. The highest amount paid for a survey is $5.
After you pick one survey, a new tab opens. The amount earned from the survey is reflected in your account immediately.
From here, all you need is to follow the instructions given to complete the survey. And since you will be getting multiple emails as a result of your activities, it is best to sign up at InboxDollars with an alternative email address.
7. Earn $5 from Acorns
How it works
If you want a micro-savings platform, Acorns will suit you well. It lets you invest in the most simple manner. For example, every purchase made with a linked debit or credit card guarantees you some cash. The purchase amount is rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the difference is micro-invested.
In simple terms, investments are made for you. These automatic savings will quickly stack up, and you’ll see some great saving progress. The sooner you begin, the better.
Investing with Acorns costs $1 monthly if you have an account balance of up to $5,000. A $5 bonus in stocks is also offered when you make your first investment.
You will also get a $5 bonus for signing up. Once you have completed your registration, the sum will be credited to your account.
The platform also has a referral program. And depending on the available offer, inviting 10 of your friends could secure you a $1,000 bonus!
The Acorns app is free to download.
Membership
Opening an account takes less than 5 minutes, and no minimum investment amount is required. You will be asked a few questions, including about your age, risk tolerance, and deposit preferences.
The app will round up the purchase prices to the nearest dollar and move the surplus amount to your new Acorns account. You may also make large deposits with the FoundMoney Program.
8. Make Money with Your Car
Transportation is one of the fields where technological advances have had a particularly marked effect. Technology-based companies have gone out of their way to help fill the gap in public transportation by offering various alternatives.
One of them involves renting vehicles from private owners with nothing more than a smartphone. As such, when you want to make money now, this becomes an easy way out.
Let’s find out how.
a. Uber
Is your car sitting idle in the garage? If so, Uber offers you an opportunity to put it to good use and make money fast today!
Once your car has met the minimum requirements, you can rent it out and reap the rewards of this generous act. With Uber, you can earn as much money as you want, depending on your location.
Sign up
It only takes about 3 minutes to sign up. From there on, you will be your own boss and set your working hours.
In short, you will do things your way. And you can decide whether you wish to make money by delivering items or driving people around.
Income
On average, working for Uber guarantees you an income of between $15 to $25, although some drivers are known to make up to $50 an hour. The amount is solely dependent on your efforts, strategy, and location.
If you want to maximize your earnings, consider working during peak hours and peak days.
The amount you receive in a day will depend on:
- Number of trips made in a day
- The average revenue per trip
- Incentives offered by Uber
b. Lyft
Why is it more appealing to use Lyft instead of a local taxi service? For starters, Lyft’s rates are considered significantly lower. Also, customers find their service more personalized and private.
You can make money with Lyft by starting a “smart business.” Success nowadays goes beyond services or products – there MUST be some “smartness.”
Glassdoor estimates that, on average, Lyft drivers make at least $18 an hour. So, if you are working for 8 hours a day for five days a week, this will translate to $720 a week. In a year, you just need to multiply this by 52 weeks to get $37,440.
Now, this is good money, especially if you were dealing with a job loss.
c. Getaround
About Getaround
Getaround is a car-sharing company that allows you to rent a vehicle from a private owner. It carefully matches the renter and the car owner and helps them reach an agreement. The renter gets the vehicle to use for commercial purposes.
On the other hand, the car’s owner gets a percentage of the income generated through the use of the car. This amount is first negotiated by the two parties and ought to cover the car’s payment.
Getaround is available to residents of major cities in the US. Some include Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Portland, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Requirements
For your private car to qualify for Getaround, it must meet some of these criteria:
- Be a model released no earlier than 2007;
- Be less than an 8-seater;
- Have either manual or automatic transmission.
- Have not more than 200,000 miles on the odometer
How it works
Before accepting the terms, be sure to check out the lease terms to see if they limit car-sharing. Note that renters can take the vehicles for as little as one hour.
Getaround will install a device in your car that enables its app to lock and unlock it and track its location. Therefore, the renters can get the car even without meeting you in person.
With Getaround, you can schedule the times your car will be available using an online calendar tool. Whenever your car has been rented out, you will always know its exact location. Once the renter is done using it, he/she will drop it at the pick-up spot.
Earn
If you need money now and do not have the time to drive people, then Getaround will help you. For starters, you will be covered with $1 million as an insurance policy. Therefore, you will not have to worry about your vehicle being damaged.
Plus, there’s no limit to how much money you can earn with the app. It will all depend on how frequently your vehicle is rented and the number of hours.
9. Negotiate Your Bills Skillfully
How it works
Had I not tried this option, I would not have believed its potential to generate cash!
Let’s assume you have cable, and the bill is too much for you. You can contact your cable company and let it know you are planning to switch providers. Inquire if it would consider lowering the bill, so you stay with it.
Surprisingly, the answer can be yes!
Try it out
Trim is a free tool that scrutinizes and analyzes the way you spend your income, finds subscriptions that can be canceled, negotiates your bills, and even helps you find a better insurance option for your car.
Using it has enabled me to eliminate unnecessary costs that I wasn’t even aware I had! You can give it a try and see it working for you too.
10. Deliver Groceries with Instacart
You can do it
Everyone is looking for convenience, which is why people will NEVER mind having someone deliver groceries to their doorsteps. You could be this someone!
Instacart allows you to sign up in its app and make yourself available for grocery deliveries. As a personal grocery shopper on Instacart, you will be doing the shopping alone.
Your pay rate will depend on various factors, such as the number of orders, their average size, and the average number of miles covered per trip.
Earnings
Other than the basic income, you can get additional tips coming directly from the site. Generally, Instacart grocery shoppers have reported average pay of $15 an hour. This means you can easily make up to $120 a day if you worked for 8 hours.
To make sufficient cash, take your time to ensure you get everything the customer has requested, deliver the goods on time, and keep the vehicle you are using as neat as possible.
11. Deliver Food with Uber Eats
Here’s something funny: delivering food instead of driving people will leave you with a slightly higher income.
And to qualify as an Uber Eats delivery person, you will need a scooter, bike, or car.
12. Get Cashbacks on Your Receipts Using Ibotta
I have experience!
Ever heard of receipt-scanning apps? Ibotta is one of them. It gives you a cashback on every daily purchase you make.
On learning this, I had to rummage through my trash bin to retrieve the receipts I had thrown out earlier that week. Now I carefully store them since I know they will always earn me some cashback at Ibotta.
Sign-up
Once you have signed up with Ibotta, take a picture of your receipt from any store and send it. I promise this act will get you money. Payment is made through gift cards, Venmo, or PayPal.
Let me whisper this secret into your ear: the receipt doesn’t even have to be yours.
Earn more
Ibotta also pays you $5 for every referral you make, so tell your friends to start filing their receipts. Refer as many friends as possible and increase your total earnings.
13. Get Gigs on Upwork and Fiverr
Are you passionate about article writing, web development, resume writing, graphic design, or something else? Fiverr and Upwork can be of help.
a. Upwork
Many companies and even individuals are looking for proficient freelancers, especially on Upwork. They go there when they need work done but have no time to look for a permanent employee.
The freelancing jobs on Upwork can be a side hustle since they are usually finished in 1 or 2 days. You will have the benefit of working when you want.
Payment rates vary depending on skill level, project duration, and client budget.
b. Fiverr
Fiverr was recently ranked among the top sources of micro-outsourced services on the net. It increasingly tries to help people across the globe find a quick and easy way of earning money.
Because of the high demand from Fiverr’s clients, your income can receive a major boost. So, if you are highly skilled in one area, you can make lots of money. You could become a micro-entrepreneur!
Depending on how good you are, you can earn up to $4,000 per month. Moreover, for every $5 gig you get and effectively deliver, Fiverr credits your account with $4.
14. Carry Out Tasks on TaskRabbit
Sign up as a tasker on TaskRabbit and start running errands, cleaning, making deliveries, putting furniture together, or carrying out some home repairs.
Upon approval of your application, the company will be notifying you of the tasks available in your location. This is done through its free app.
You will choose the task that suits your preferences and set your availability. Once you are done, you will be required to submit your invoice, after which you can collect payment from your client.
You will be receiving your paycheck from TaskRabbit on a weekly basis.
15. Find Gigs on Craigslist
If you are looking for gigs, make sure you give Craigslist a try. It has computer-related, writing-related, and manual jobs.
The company helps people find different well-paying tasks. Some might be simple and take as little as 5 minutes or 1 hour.
You will know the amount a job is paying before you decide to choose it. And depending on the task, a gig on Craigslist can pay anything from $3 to $100. The payments are made via PayPal.
This is one of the best ways to get money fast; just make sure you write a decent cover letter when you apply for gigs.
16. Take Out a Loan
Sometimes, the emergency can’t wait, or you might require a larger amount that is hard to achieve with the above-mentioned options. In this case, a quick loan is your best alternative. And we have several loan options that can work for you.
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Payday Loans
If you need money quickly to your bank account, you’re in luck because quite a few payday lenders can help – regardless of your credit score or if you have bad credit. In fact, most won’t do a credit check on you. This makes them ideal for borrowers with low credit scores as they mostly focus on your income and ability to pay.
Therefore, whether you’re facing car trouble, medical invoice, or any other unexpected expense, online payday loans could help you out with short-term loans. The only drawback here is that the lenders charge higher interest rates than normal loans. But, your problem will be sorted out as fast as possible.
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Personal Loans
A personal loan is when you take a lump sum loan amount from your bank or credit union and pay it in several installments over a certain period. They are also referred to as installment loans and are an excellent option when you need that money now.
Some personal loans have fair interest rates and an easy loan application process. For instance, some can approve your loan application almost on the same business day and send you the money to your checking account. However, you must also ensure that you make prompt repayments to avoid penalties.
A personal loan can be for any purpose. You can take one for your home improvement, car repair, emergency medical situation, or even for a dream vacation. In essence, its use is not restricted.
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Credit Card Cash Advance
If you have a credit card and your credit scores aren’t something to worry about, a credit card can come to your rescue at any time. Credit card issuers can give you a cash advance based on your credit rating, which you should clear before your next billing date.
It works the same way you would withdraw some money from your debit card, except that with a credit card advance, it is limited to your card’s limit. Plus, it will attract some interest.
So, when you need that money ASAP, you can always request that cash loan with your credit card and sort out your emergency. But, as with any loan, ensure that you are aware of the repayment terms and any charges that the loan attracts.
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Title Loans
These are loans that require security or collateral. In other words, you place something with the lender to guarantee the loan they extend to you.
A car title loan is the most common one here. All you need is your logbook, and you are one step away from sorting out your cash emergency.
The best thing with these loans is that they don’t consider credit scores or credit histories. This is mainly because the loan is already secured. And if you don’t repay on time, you risk losing your car.
In most cases, the lender will offer loan amounts up to around 25% of your car’s value. So, if you have your car’s title and need some fast cash, this one you can get within a day.
I Need Money Now: Final Thoughts
If you need money right away or if you need money fast, you have plenty of options to earn some. I have offered you a few ways of making quick cash without resorting to family members or unscrupulous ways. All you need to do is decide which one suits you best.
So, rather than sitting on your couch and moaning miserably, “I need money fast,” pick a side hustle to tide you over until your next paycheck. Who knows? It may even turn into a steady gig. Good luck!
