Everybody welcomes free money. I mean, who wouldn’t, right? And, while you may have heard the saying, there’s no such thing as free money, that’s not exactly the case. Believe it or not, many websites offer just that – all you have to do is sign up and get free money. Not a bad way to make a buck!
In this post, you’ll find out exactly which platforms do this. Sites will offer you plenty of incentives (like free money) just to get you to download their app and click on their website.
So, is it really possible to sign up and get money instantly? Most of the time, these claims are legit! But if you’ve been concerned about which platforms to trust with your information, I have some of the most popular websites and apps that offer you free money just for signing up.
In some cases, these apps offer cash-back incentives for shopping; some are designed for investing, and others are meant for watching videos and participating in surveys.
There are plenty of ways to earn instant free money! And if you stick around with them, you can probably earn even more. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
While you won’t become a millionaire with these signup bonuses and apps, it is technically free money that could go straight into your pocket. Within a matter of minutes, you can earn some extra cash to go towards that item you’ve been saving for or your much-loved vacation fund.
To start earning your free money, check out these 17 apps and websites that allow you to sign up and get money instantly.
Cashback Apps to Sign Up and Get Money Instantly
Cashback apps help you earn a little bit of money when you shop online using their service. The apps below offer an additional welcome bonus you can turn into free cash just for signing up for a new account.
Simply install them on your mobile device via Android or iOS and get started!
Please note: Each site’s offers may change from time to time – you may get even more cash if they are running special promotions!
1. Ibotta
Get a $5-$10 welcome bonus when you register for Ibotta using a referral code. Many people use the Ibotta app to save on grocery shopping. With the app, you can scan your receipts and earn cashback. You can also link loyalty accounts that automatically apply codes at checkout when shopping online.
After uploading your first receipt, you can receive your sign-up bonus via PayPal, Venmo, or a gift card. You have 30 days from joining to upload that first receipt to get your bonus.
2. BeFrugal
Another cashback app, BeFrugal, helps you earn up to 40% cashback from more than 4,000 stores. Once you have earned your first $10 in cashback, you can also get a $10 signup bonus.
This ensures that you actually use the app before you get your bonus. Your earnings will be deposited into your bank account via direct deposit, PayPal, or other means.
Plus, if you share with a friend via a referral code, you can get a $15 referral bonus as well. Of course, this one may not be as instant as others, but it’s still a notable deal!
3. Rakuten
Sometimes, you have to spend money to make money, and when it comes to coupon sites and cashback apps, no one does it better than Rakuten. This app allows you to earn cashback when you make an online purchase at one of their partnered sites!
When you make your first purchase using the app, you can get a cash bonus! Plus, you can currently refer a friend for a $40 reward after their first qualifying purchase.
Choose to receive your payment via check or PayPal cash.
4. TopCashback
TopCashback labels itself as the USA’s most generous cashback app, saying that members earn an average of $345 cashback a year.
While we don’t know how much you have to use the app to get that much cashback, we do know that you can often get a signup bonus and earn cashback on over 4,000 of their partnered retailers.
Use the app, desktop extension, or website directly when you shop online, and you’ll earn that cashback and bonus in no time.
5. Drop
Making a little extra cash is easy with Drop since everything is automated. Rather than scan your receipts, you can link your debit and credit cards through the app, and you will receive automatic cashback in the form of points.
With those points, you can get free gift cards from most top retailers, including Amazon.
Plus, to get a signup bonus, all you have to do is link your first card. Once you do, you’ll get an instant $5 worth of points to redeem. And if you sign up using a friend’s referral code, you’ll both receive a $10 bonus.
6. Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is one of the top market research companies offering you cash back for simply photographing your receipts. Shop grocery stores, electronics, and other retailers to receive free gift cards and cash sweepstakes entries.
While Fetch doesn’t offer direct cash, you can earn Amazon gift cards and Visa gift cards to maximize your spending potential.
If you sign up using a friend’s referral link, you’ll receive bonus points; just remember to enter the code before uploading your first receipt!
Survey Sites and Apps to Sign Up and Get Free Money
Use these apps to complete surveys and earn points that can be redeemed for cashback or gift cards. Of course, they all offer a welcome bonus for installing and using the app!
7. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is about as instant as it gets, making it one of the best survey sites to earn cash. The second you complete your registration and verify your email address, new users can instantly get $5.
For even more, you can also complete the list in the top right corner of quick activities to earn an additional 50¢ bonus for each one.
You can take online surveys, play games, use their search engine, watch videos, use coupons, and more to earn cashback through the app. When your account reaches the $30 threshold, you can receive your money via a check or choose to redeem it for gift cards instead.
8. MyPoints
One of the oldest cashback and survey sites, MyPoints, dates all the way back to 1996 when it partnered with United Airlines. You can earn points by shopping online, taking surveys, watching videos, buying groceries, and more. Once you’ve completed your first five surveys, you can get $5.
One great thing about this site is that you only need a $3 minimum cash credit to receive a payout. You can deposit the cash reward through PayPal or exchange your points for gift cards or travel miles.
9. Swagbucks
Another popular app, Swagbucks, allows you to earn Swagbucks points (aka SB) in various ways. Answer surveys, watch videos, search the app, print coupons, and shop online or in-store to rack up those Swagbucks.
If you make a purchase through the site, you can currently get a $5 bonus. To receive an additional $10 bonus, make a purchase of $25 or more from one of their listed merchants; this is called a “Swag Up.”
You can use your Swagbucks to get cashback via PayPal or earn gift cards to popular retailers like Walmart and Amazon. You have up to 30 days to make your first purchase to qualify for your bonus.
Investment Apps to Sign Up and Get Money Instantly
These apps are designed to help you make money. To kick-start things, they all offer sign-up bonus offers that you can either cash out to your checking account or use for your investment portfolio.
10. Robinhood
Robinhood allows you to invest and trade fractional shares of stocks, crypto, funds, and more without a commission fee.
As a welcome bonus, you can receive one free stock. The stock you get will be chosen completely randomly. This could be worth anywhere from $3 to $225. Likely, it will be worth less than $10, but it’s still a super simple way to get some extra cash.
Once you have your stock, you’re welcome to do with it as you wish. Hold onto it and hope it increases in value, or you can trade it in right away!
11. Acorns
Acorns is one of the most popular investing apps, as it allows you to invest your spare change when you make a purchase with an Acorns Visa or another linked card. It can automatically round up your payments to the nearest dollar, so you can effortlessly invest money in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) or Bitcoin.
When you sign up for the app, you get an instant $5. This bonus fluctuates and has recently been as high as $20.
But hold on! If you sign up for Acorns through Swagbucks, you’ll actually earn more. First, sign up for Swagbucks (listed here) and then search for Acorns. By signing up through Swagbucks, you’ll get an additional 5,000 Swagbucks for signing up – this equals $50!
After seven days, you can payout those Swagbucks into PayPal or your gift card of choice. Since Acorns has a monthly fee, be sure to cancel the account if you don’t want to continue using the app.
12. Public
Through Public, you can do free stock trading without needing any investment or account minimums. With no costs whatsoever, it’s pretty easy to sign up and get a nice welcome bonus offer.
Create a new Public account, and once approved, make a deposit to your account to get a slice of free stock. You’ll randomly receive one of nine stocks valued from $3 to $300. However, the average user gets around $10 in free stock.
13. Webull
While fairly new to the market, Webull is a new stock trading app that is commission-free. Regulated by FINRA and SPIC insured, it’s 100% safe to use despite its new status.
Like most of the investment apps listed here, it also offers a welcome bonus of free stock. In this case, you get one free stock valued between $2.50 and $250 just for signing up.
Then, you can receive one more free stock valued between $12 and $1,400 when you make a qualifying deposit of $100 within 30 days of signing up. You can earn quite a bit in free stock, though you’ll likely receive something between $5 and $10.
You can either use the app for investing or choose to cash out once you have received your bonus.
14. Fundrise
Fundrise creates online investment portfolios for over 2 million users, specializing in direct-to-consumer investments spanning real estate, private credit, and venture capital.
They offer new users a $10 signup promotion, which must be used within 30 days of signing up.
Banking Apps to Sign Up and Get Free Money
Banks are prolific for offering cash bonuses upon sign-up, but many involve a credit card with a yearly fee. These banking apps are all free to use.
15. Current
Current is a mobile banking app designed to help you build your credit with zero annual fees. All funds are FDIC-insured, and new checking accounts are eligible for a $50 sign-up bonus when you use the code WELCOME50.
A note for this bonus: You actually have to USE the app to receive the cash reward. Their terms state a mandatory direct deposit of $200 within the first 45 days of signing up.
16. PayPal
PayPal is a longtime leader in online payment systems. It offers safe, secure money transfers for personal and professional use, and you can even use it to transfer cryptocurrency.
Low usage fees and free conversions make this site a go-to for 426 million worldwide users. In other words – in PayPal, we trust!
PayPal offers a referral bonus system. To take advantage of this, send your friend a personalized referral code. When that friend signs up using a new banking account and makes a minimum $5 purchase through PayPal, you both earn a $10 bonus.
You can repeat this up to 10 times for a maximum $100 bonus!
17. Yotta
Yotta is a revolutionary financing app featured by publications such as Forbes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Its most basic function is an online-only savings account, partnering with banks to keep your funds secure. But the real draw is the daily cash prizes offered to its users.
Yotta offers daily draws for cold-hard-cash. Each awarded cash prize is listed for transparency, with winnings ranging from 40 cents to $1,000,000.
The platform is fee-free, offering you more daily entries the larger your account balance is.
Final Thoughts on Ways to Sign Up and Get Money Instantly
That covers the top 17 websites and apps that allow you to sign up and get free money. Some are better than others, and some are quicker at getting that cash in your savings accounts. But when it comes to free money, it’s hard to complain.
Remember, these apps and websites are just the tip of the iceberg. Before signing up for an account, always look for those valuable welcome and sign-up bonuses!
Originally published July 18, 2022. Content updated June 2024.
