Are you looking to make extra money fast? I know asking that question may sound like a bad advertisement in the making, but let’s face the facts. Most people could use some extra cash, and there’s no time better than the present.
Thanks to the internet, there are many flexible and easy ways to make money online. And some of those legitimate opportunities don’t require a long wait to get paid.
Whether something pops up and you’re facing an unexpected expense or you just need extra money ASAP, these 17 legit ways to make money online will help you get paid today or this week.
17 Ways to Make Money Online and Get Paid Today
1. Review Websites
We all have an opinion. You can cash in on yours by reviewing websites and apps from home. Several companies will pay you to test out websites and offer your honest feedback.
Sites like UserTesting and User Interviews are the most popular, and they generally pay $10 per 20-minute review video from you as you test out a website. UserFeel pays via PayPal by the end of each week.
Learn more about other website testing sites that pay here.
2. Sell Your Stuff
You probably have stuff lying around your house right now that can be sold for extra cash. Take a few minutes to sort through the items you no longer want or need and list them for sale online.
Take clear pictures and cross-post items on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, and Craigslist. Popular items can often sell the day they post, as is common on Facebook Marketplace. Meet in a public location and bring a friend when meeting with the buyer to sell your item and collect payment.
Don’t forget: You can post items for sale on Amazon and eBay as well. Two important things to remember: first, these sites charge sellers a fee, and second, be ready to ship your item quickly once it sells.
3. Sell Unused Gift Cards
Need money but only have gift cards? My husband and I always hold onto gift cards when we receive them. We like to use them when it’s convenient, but if a card has been sitting in my wallet for months, I might sell it.
Sites like CardSell and CardCash allow you to sell your gift cards and get paid fast. CardSell will give you an offer, and once approved, you’ll be paid via PayPal within 48 hours.
With CardCash, you get an instant quote. Just type in the store and the gift card amount; it will give you a cash offer and a trade-in offer. You’ll get up to 11% more in value when you trade in your gift card. If you choose the cash offer, you can get your money via check, direct deposit, or PayPay.
For more companies that will buy your unused gift cards, check out this post.
4. Take Online Surveys
Another easy way to make money online and get paid today is by taking surveys. Survey sites like Survey Junkie, Opinion Outpost, and Pinecone Research will pay you per survey and allow you to redeem your earnings within 24 hours.
Survey Junkie requires you to have a $5 balance, Pinecone Research requires you to have at least a $1 balance, and Opinion Outpost requires a $10 minimum balance before being able to redeem your earnings.
Another survey site that offers quick, same-day payments is Swagbucks. Swagbucks is more of a loyalty rewards site where you can get paid for short tasks.
However, they offer many survey opportunities, and you can cash in your points for gift cards or cash via your PayPal account. With Swagbucks, you can cash out 100 points for a $1 Amazon gift card; most other offers require 500 points, which is equivalent to $5.
5. Freelance on Upwork
Upwork is one of the biggest online freelance marketplace sites around. You can use this site to advertise your skills in blog post writing, graphic design, web development, customer service, podcast, and marketing services, among a few others.
It’s free to sign up, and you’ll want to complete your profile as soon as possible. Clients will post jobs, and you can bid on them, so having a complete profile and some references is so important.
The great thing about Upwork is that freelancers can also get hired for regular work. Plus, clients have the option to pay the freelancer half the rate upfront, which is nice. If you’re looking to get paid quickly, consider requesting this option. Upwork deducts a fee from your earnings as a freelancer, so quote your rates accordingly.
6. Freelance on Fiverr
Fiverr is another popular site for freelancers to sell their skills and services. In the past, Fiverr was a site where you could find cheap services for $5 each. Fiverr has since evolved into a more sophisticated platform where freelancers can earn a livable wage.
As a Fiverr seller, you can create different service packages and set higher rates accordingly. Fiverr customers pay for gigs or services as soon as they request them. That means whenever you complete an order, you automatically get paid. This means if you take on a job and complete it on the same day, you’ll also get paid that day.
7. Clickworker
Clickworker is another short task site that pays you to complete tasks like copy editing, writing product descriptions and articles, proofreading, research, and more.
You do have to pass an assessment during the application process, but you can set your own schedule, and work is guaranteed.
This is a site you should sign up for in advance, but once you’re ready to complete the work, you can get paid weekly via PayPal or Payoneer.
8. TranscribeMe!
If you are an efficient typist, consider working from home with TranscribeMe! This company hires transcriptionists from anywhere in the world. All you need is a computer, a high-speed internet connection, fast and accurate typing skills, and excellent spelling and grammar.
Transcriptionists will have to pass an online assessment, but once you pass, you’ll earn $15-$22 per audio hour for general transcription projects. You should note that audio hour is different from an hourly rate. An audio hour means you’ll earn that much for one hour of transcribed audio, so you need to be a proficient typist.
You can request payment once a week (at any time) via PayPal.
9. Slice the Pie
Slice the Pie is a review site that pays users twice per week. You can sign up and review music, clothing, and other products for cash.
You do need at least $10 to cash out your earnings, but this is still a super-easy way to make money fast and during your spare time.
Related content: How to Get Paid to Listen to Music Online
10. Earnin
We all have unexpected emergencies that pop up from time to time. If you have an expense that can’t wait until payday, consider using the Earnin app to advance some of your paychecks for free.
To set up Earnin, connect your bank account and enter your employer info. You can borrow up to $100 from a future paycheck to help cover a minor expense or bill. As you continue to use the app, your maximum borrowing amount can increase to $500.
What I love about Earnin is that there are no fees or interest like payday loans. Even though $100 isn’t a lot, it’s a cash advance that will help and won’t dig you into a deeper hole. Some people use high-interest payday loans and struggle to pay them back due to the interest and the high amount of the loan.
Borrowing $100 from your future self can be easily repaid, allowing you to get paid today.
11. Dog Walkers
If you love animals, you can make extra money using the Wag! smartphone app. This dog walking app allows you to walk dogs, make drop-in visits, host overnight visits, or provide wellness or training services. Standard payments go out weekly via direct deposit, or you can get your earnings today with their Instant Pay debit card. The Wag! app is available for Android and iOS devices, and it’s available in 5,300+ cities across the US.
Another viable option is Rover. With their app, you can care for any kind of pet, offering boarding, drop-in, or walking services. With Rover, payments are available two days after you provide the service, which is still pretty fast!
12. Rent Your Stuff
If you have a spare room or an entire house that you’re not using, you can get paid today by renting on Airbnb! People rent everything from stationary campers to houseboats, cabins, extra rooms, and even whole houses! With Airbnb, you’ll create your listing, add available dates and prices, and then wait for guests to rent your property. Depending on your payment method, rental funds are generally available 24 hours after your guest’s check-in time.
Renting stuff can be a great side gig, or you can turn it into a full-time business! Check out this post for a complete list of things you can rent for fast cash.
13. Use the Gig Economy
If you have a car and don’t mind getting out and about, you can make money and get paid today with the Lyft, Uber, Instacart, Uber Eats, and DoorDash apps! With these on-demand delivery apps, you’ll either drive people to their destinations or deliver restaurant orders. You will need to complete an application online and pass a background check before you can begin working with them.
With Uber and Uber Eats, payments go out weekly via direct deposit, or you can cash out fast with Instant Pay (up to 6 times per day – with a small fee of $0.85 for each transaction). On DoorDash, payments go out weekly via direct deposit, or you can request daily payments using Fast Pay, which is $1.99 to use.
Instacart shoppers handpick items for customers from grocery stores, Costco, and more and then deliver them to the customer’s home.
14. Promote Referral Programs
If you have a large network of people, you can get paid today by participating in referral programs. Referral programs benefit companies because they can be more effective than traditional advertising. One of the advantages of these programs is that you don’t need to own a website to be successful because you can refer friends through social media, text messages, email, and more.
There are many options out there to take advantage of. Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) and Ibotta are cash back programs that save you money on all your shopping needs. With Rakuten, you can earn $30 for every referral you make (and they run periodic promotions where you can even earn $40 per referral). With Ibotta, you usually get paid $10 for each referral, but they also run promotions occasionally where you can make more.
Some sites, like Respondent, will pay you to participate in research studies and complete surveys, but they also pay you to refer friends and family.
15. Become a Bookkeeper
As a freelance bookkeeper, you help business owners track financial transactions, including payroll, paying bills, and recording payments. In contrast with accounting, you don’t need any special degree to be a bookkeeper.
This in-demand field allows you to work from home and offers tons of versatility. You can work as an independent contractor, as a full-time employee for a company, or you can even start your own bookkeeping company and work directly with clients. Get paid weekly or daily, based on the arrangement you make with your clients.
16. Be a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants (or VAs, for short) help business owners complete behind-the-scenes tasks they don’t have time to do. You can specialize in one area, or you can help in a variety of ways. Depending on the arrangement you set up, you can get paid daily or weekly.
Business owners hire virtual assistants to complete tasks like:
- Social media management
- Content writing
- Publishing blog posts
- Scheduling appointments
17. Proofreading
As more and more people publish content on various platforms, they need help with proofreading. Proofreaders correct punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors.
You can find proofreading jobs through gig economy marketplaces such as Guru, Fiverr, and Upwork, or you can work for agencies such as Scribe Media or Proofreading Pal.
Get Paid Today Wrap-Up
If funds are tight and you need to get paid today, you don’t have to resort to a credit card or costly loan. Thanks to legit online opportunities, there are plenty of ways to make money today or within a week.
Consider trying several of these options when you need cash fast, and don’t forget that you can move expenses around and rely on emergency savings to help make ends meet.
Originally published August 26, 2019. Content updated November 2023.
