Decades ago, Western Union drew in customers with its crooning “Everybody Needs Some Money Sometimes” ad. Times might have changed, but people’s occasional need for a little extra money hasn’t—maybe you need to pay back a friend, or you don’t have enough for a movie ticket, but for whatever reason, you need to score a free $20 instantly.
Well, I’ve put together 10 ways to make 20 dollars fast—or in some cases, almost instantly. (Sorry, Western Union, you didn’t make the list.) Some of these methods involve getting paid for doing something you already wanted to do (or should do), like shopping online or opening an investment account. In other cases, you can even get paid for playing games and having fun.
Of course, since you’re looking to earn that money quickly, let’s move right along to the list!
Best Ways to Earn $20 Quickly—Our Top Picks
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Investment App for Beginners
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Trading Platform
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Top Shopping Deals App
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4.6
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4.2
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4.0
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Get up to $85 in bonuses.
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Get $45-$3
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Get up to $50 in bonuses.
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How to Get $20 (Or Even More) Fast
Below is my look at 10 different ways you can easily score $10—or in most cases, even more—pretty quickly, and sometimes even instantly.
1. Investment Account Sign-Up Bonuses
First up: Sign-up bonuses for starting an investment account. This is a very common way for online stock brokers to attract fresh customers—most brokers offer some sort of giveaway or bonus, though they often change over time.
Below are a few of our favorite brokerage sign-up bonuses.
Plynk™ Invest ($85 in free cash bonuses)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Earn $10 for signing up; Plynk will also double your deposit up to $75
Plynk™ is an app designed to help you start investing and learn along the way, and they’re currently offering up to $60 in bonuses for new accounts.
The Plynk app helps beginner investors put their money into an investment portfolio. Specifically, Plynk offers access to a selection of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and crypto—all starting at a single dollar. The platform uses straightforward, easy-to-understand language to explain investing concepts. No jargon. No complex charts and tables. Just simple-language tips and how-tos.
One of Plynk’s most interesting features involves, of all things, gift cards. Specifically, you can redeem unused gift cards for money that you can use to buy stocks in your favorite companies.
If this sounds interesting to you, consider opening an account with Plynk. To make it more worth your while, they have a few special offers.
→ How to get free bonuses with Plynk
Simply open an account and link your bank account to get a $10 signup bonus. Plynk is also offering a special bonus promotion through Dec. 14, 2023. If you make a deposit, Plynk will double it to $75. Customers must have a minimum of $25 in net deposits during the promotional period to receive a match. That means you may be eligible for up to $85 in signup bonuses from Plynk by taking qualifying actions.
Read more in our Plynk review.
- Start investing for as little as $1.
- Answer just a few questions, and find suitable investments for your needs.
- Invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and crypto commission-free**.
- Plynk™ lets you redeem unused gift cards for money that you can use to invest in your favorite companies.
- Signup bonus: Plynk offers two signup bonuses worth up to $85 combined: (1) Plynk will match up to $75 in net deposits made to your account through Dec. 14, 2023, subject to certain terms; (2) Plynk will pay a $10 sign-up bonus for downloading the Plynk app, opening an account and linking a bank account as a new customer (or existing customer who hasn't previously linked a bank account).
- Designed for beginning investors
- Redeem unused gift cards to invest
- Helpful educational resources
- Some features may require a fee in the future
Related: 11 Best Free Investing Apps [Invest for Free]
Fidelity Youth™ Account ($50 bonus for teens, $100 for parents)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: No account fees, no account minimum, no trading commissions*
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Teens get $501 on Fidelity® when they download the Fidelity Youth™ app and activate their Youth Account; parents get $100 when they fund a new account
Learning early about saving, spending and investing can pay off big when you start on the right foot. And one tool that can help your teen get that jump is the Fidelity Youth™ Account—an account owned by teens 13 to 17 that’s designed to help them start their money journey. They can start investing by buying most U.S. stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and Fidelity mutual funds for as little as $1!⁴
Your teen will also get a free debit card with no subscription fees, no account fees³, no minimum balances, and no domestic ATM fees⁵. And they can use this free debit card for teens to manage their cash and spend it whenever they need.
A parent or guardian must have or open a brokerage account with Fidelity® to open a Fidelity Youth™ Account. For new Fidelity® customers, opening an account is easy, and there are no minimums and no account fees.
If your teen has an interest in learning about investing and taking their first steps toward building their financial journey, you should consider downloading the Fidelity Youth™ app and opening a Fidelity Youth™ Account. The account comes custom-built for their needs, which will help them become financially independent and start investing for their future.
Read more in our Fidelity Youth™ Account review.
→ How to earn the Fidelity cash bonus
Open a Fidelity Youth™ Account for your teen, and Fidelity will drop $50 into their account. Get $100 for yourself when you open a new Fidelity account and fund with $50¹.
- Your teen will get a $50 reward once they download the Fidelity Youth app and activate their Youth Account.
- The app is free²—plus, no monthly fees or account minimums to open.³
- They can invest in stocks for as little as $1 with fractional shares.⁴
- Your teen can learn to save and spend smarter with their own debit card with no domestic ATM fees.⁵
- Teens can link their account to mobile payment apps like Venmo and PayPal.⁶
- Parents can set up alerts and monitor their teen's account activity online, and through statements, trade confirmations and debit card transactions.
- The Fidelity Youth app will have a dedicated Youth Learn tab to help jumpstart your teen's financial learning and build better money habits.
- No monthly account fees
- Signup offer available to new users
- Comprehensive financial suite for teens
- Parent must be a Fidelity account holder
- Account balance doesn't accumulate interest
- No chore or allowance system
Related: Best Stock Apps for Teens
Robinhood ($5-$200 worth of free stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotions: Free stock worth between $5 and $200
Robinhood is a pioneer of commission-free trading, jumping into the investing public’s consciousness in 2013 when they rolled out commission-free trading. They remain a standout option for cost-minded investors thanks to their continued $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options, as well as for its fractional trading, which allows people to invest with as little as $1.
→ How to get your free stock with Robinhood
Robinhood offers anywhere between $5 and $200 in free stock, just for signing up and linking an account.
Once you’ve signed up with this link and are approved for a brokerage account, simply link your bank account or debit card, and Robinhood will give you between $5 and $200 that you can use to buy fractional stock, chosen from a list of “20 of America’s leading companies.”
(Note: You must wait three trading days to sell your gift stock. Once you’ve sold your stock, you can use the money to buy other stocks right away. But if you want to withdraw the funds for cash, you have to wait at least 30 days.)
- Robinhood is an investing app that became famous for offering commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrency.
- The platform has added a new innovation in the retirement space: the only individual retirement accounts (IRAs) with a 1% match. Robinhood will match 1% of any IRA transfers or 401(k) rollovers, as well as any annual contributions*, made to your Robinhood Retirement account—and it will upgrade that match to 3% if you subscribe to Robinhood Gold.
- Robinhood Gold also includes Level II market data provided by Nasdaq, higher interest rates on uninvested brokerage cash, lower margin trading rates, and bigger Instant Deposits.
- Special offer: Sign up for Robinhood, link a bank account, and fund your account with at least $10, and receive a randomly selected cash amount between $5 and $200 to put toward fractional shares.
- Good selection of available investments in brokerage accounts
- 1% match on rollovers, IRA transfers, and contributions to IRAs and Roth IRAs (3% with Robinhood Gold)
- Automated portfolio builder in IRAs and Roth IRAs
- Intuitive interface
- Extensive educational library
- Lackluster investment selection in IRAs and Roth IRAs
- No mutual funds in brokerage or IRAs
- No robo-advisor functionality
Related: 20 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites
Moomoo (15 free shares worth $45-$30,000 + share of TSLA or GOOG)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 15 free stocks, each valued between $3-$2,000, plus a $50 cash bonus, plus a share of Tesla (TSLA) or Alphabet (GOOG)
Moomoo is a commission-free trading platform for stocks, ETFs, and options. While Moomoo is best for advanced traders, offering powerful tools to empower your trading insights and strategies, it takes a different approach from other similarly targeted platforms, favoring simple interfaces and high ease of use. The desktop platform is highly customizable, while the mobile app is straightforward, allowing you to search for stocks and trade with minimal hassle.
Still, Moomoo has more than enough under the hood for advanced traders to get the job done. Its charting system, for instance, includes 62 technical analysis indicators and 22 drawing tools. You can set up alerts based on changes in price, bids, turnover ratio, and more. Free Level 2 market data helps you get a greater understanding of a stock’s value, determine how liquid a stock truly really is, and better time your trades. You can even enjoy 24/7 financial news handpicked by Moomoo’s editorial team.
→ How to get your free money with Moomoo
You can receive up to 15 free shares (collectively worth anywhere between $45 and $30,000), $50 in free cash, and an extra share of Tesla (TSLA) or Alphabet (GOOG) from Moomoo. Here’s how:
- If you open a new brokerage account with Moomoo and fund it with $100, you’ll earn five free stocks valued between $3 and $2,000 each, as well as a $50 cash reward.
- If you make a net deposit of $1,000 or more in the promotion period, you’ll get a total of 15 free stocks valued between $3 and $2,000 each, as well as a $50 cash reward.
- If you make a net deposit of $5,000 or more in the promotion period, you’ll get a total of 15 free stocks valued between $3 and $2,000 each, as well as a $50 cash reward, and one free share of either TSLA or GOOG.
Enjoy these free bonus shares by opening an account with Moomoo through our link and making a qualifying deposit.
For Moomoo disclaimer, please see the fine print at the bottom of this article.
- Moomoo is an all-in-one investment app geared toward stock, ETF, and options traders who want to work with real-time market data at the ready.
- The service offers free Level 2 market data, offering more insight into the trading activity below the NBBO surface shown on many financial data sites.
- Use the service's powerful stock charting software capabilities to find trading opportunities.
- Get a great return on uninvested cash: Moomoo currently offers a 5.1% APY from its cash sweep program.
- Special offer: Get up to 15 free stocks plus 1 exclusive share of either TSLA or GOOG stock when you sign up through WealthUp, for opening a new account and funding it with certain minimums.*
- Free Level 2 market data
- Free powerful stock charting software
- Free paper trading
- Low margin rates
- Fewer features than peers
- No robo-advisor functionality
Related: 11 Best Stock Portfolio Tracking Apps [Stock Portfolio Trackers]
2. Bank Account Bonuses
It’s also very common for banks to offer sign-up bonuses, typically on checking and savings accounts.
SoFi Checking and Savings Account (Up to $250 in free cash)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Earn $50 to $250 in free cash
The SoFi Checking and Savings Account sounds like your run-of-the-mill bank account, but it’s more: It’s also a high-yield savings account that earns 10 times the national average percentage yield (APY) and more than the average high-yield account. Better still, it boosts your ability to save right off the bat by rewarding you with $50 to $250 upon sign-up.
Sofi Checking and Savings covers all of the basics: no monthly account fees, no minimum balances, and website and mobile app access. But it also has several perks that match or top the competition. Features include:
- Early paycheck reception when you sign up for direct deposit
- FDIC insurance of up to $2 million (vs. $250,000 for most accounts)
- Up to 15% cash back when you spend with local retailers
- No-fee overdraft coverage up to $50
- Round-ups on debit card purchases, which are deposited into your savings “Vault”
→ How to get your free money with SoFi
First, you’ll need to Sign up with SoFi. Then you’ll receive $50 in bonus cash if $1,000.00 to $4,999.99 is sent to your account within a 25-day period, starting from when you receive the first direct deposit. That number jumps to $250 when you receive $5,000 or more.
The higher cash bonus requires you to hit an admittedly high threshold, but the $50 is still a reasonable bonus for a much more manageable threshold.
- SoFi's Checking and Savings Account is a free, no-monthly fee account that offers an above-average yield on the savings side, and up to 15% cash back when using your checking account's debit card.
- SoFi's high-yield savings account currently pays 4.60% APY, which is 10x the national average savings rate, and higher than the average high-yield rate.
- Available FDIC insurance of up to $2 million is 8x the typical insured amount at most financial institutions.*
- Round up debit card purchases, and the excess is automatically sent to your savings Vault.
- Special Offer: If you set up a qualifying direct deposit within the promotion period, you can earn up to a $250 cash bonus.**
- No account fees
- Above-average yield (4.40% APY) on its high-yield savings account
- Offers up to $50 of overdraft coverage with minimum monthly direct deposits in place
- Round-ups
- Up to $2 million in FDIC insurance
- Not as competitive yield as other banking institutions
- High direct deposit threshold for maximum cash bonus
Related: 11 Best Free Investing Apps [Invest for Free]
3. Survey Sites
Make money just for sharing your thoughts through paid survey sites. It’s not exactly the most lucrative side hustle, but it is a way to earn money with virtually zero effort. And in some cases, you can get a jump on your cash goals with a sign-up bonus.
Swagbucks ($10 bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $10 sign-up bonus
Swagbucks is one of the most popular money-making apps because it allows you to earn money or gift cards by doing everyday activities. For example, you can make money by taking online surveys, playing games, watching videos, even doing live trivia.
To get started, sign up for a Swagbucks account and begin participating in some routine tasks offered through the app. Each task earns you “SB” (Swagbucks), which you can cash in for gift cards or redeem for free PayPal money.
→ How to earn free money with Swagbucks
SwagBucks will pay new users 1,000 SB, which is worth $10. All you have to do is:
- Sign up using our link.
- “Activate” the bonus in the Swag Ups section of your account.
- Spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop. (You must receive at least 25 SB for the purchase, and you must complete it within 30 days of registration.)
- Get paid to answer surveys, watch videos, and shop online with Swagbucks.
- Earn "SB," which you can redeem for PayPal cash, prepaid MasterCards, or gift cards at dozens of retailers, including Amazon, Target, Dunkin', and GameStop.
- Minimum cash-out: $3 (300 SB)
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 13 years old to participate.
- Special offer: New users receive a $10 bonus when you spend at least $25.*
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Teens can participate (ages 13+)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: How to Invest Money: 5 Steps to Start Investing w/Little Money
Survey Junkie (Paid surveys)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
Survey Junkie is a paid-survey service that’s trusted by millions of users to earn money. The platform matches users with surveys that are most relevant to them. You complete surveys on your own time and earn points for doing so.
Each point earned through Survey Junkie is worth 1 cent. Once you have at least $5 worth of Survey Junkie points, you can redeem them for virtual gift cards from popular merchants including Starbucks, Target, and iTunes. You can also get Visa gift cards or even receive cash back via PayPal or bank transfer. While not always the most lucrative way to make money online, the service routinely has new surveys available for you to fill out.
- Survey Junkie lets you get paid for taking surveys and sharing your online browsing history.
- On average, members who take 3 surveys daily and opt-in to share their browsing info earn as much as $40 per month.
- Survey Junkie points can be redeemed for rewards including cash through PayPal or bank transfer and gift cards for Amazon, Target, Walmart, Sephora, Starbucks, Visa, iTunes, and more.
- Minimum cash-out: $5 (500 points).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Some teens can participate (ages 16+)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: 7 Best Paid Surveys for Kids and Teens [Online Surveys]
Branded Surveys ($1 bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $1 sign-up bonus
Branded Surveys has paid out more than $36 million to more than 3 million users.
The surveys made available to you will depend on your interests and profile information, as well as what research partners currently need. Each survey earns points; you can cash out once you’ve accumulated at least 500 points. Depending on survey length, users make anywhere from 50 cents to $5 per survey.
You can use your points toward gift cards from more than 100 brands, receive cash in your PayPal or bank account, or even make a charitable donation.
→ How to earn free money with Branded Surveys
Simply sign up for Branded Surveys and you’ll receive 100 points, which is worth $1.
Related: 14 Best Apps That Give You Money for Signing Up [Free Money]
4. Free Cryptocurrency
As I mentioned above, many online brokers frequently offer free stocks or cash as sign-up bonuses. However, on occasion, they also try to reel in customers by offering free cryptocurrency.
SoFi Invest ($10-$100 in free Bitcoin, $5-$1,000 in free stock)
- Available: Desktop sign-up | iOS sign-up | Android sign-up
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $10-$100 in free Bitcoin, $5-$1,000 in free stock
Invest as actively or as passively as you’d like with SoFi Invest.
The Active SoFi Invest Brokerage Account has no required minimum balance, charges no commissions on stock, ETF, and options trades, and its options trading is free of contract fees, too. SoFi also offers 24/7 trading of 30 cryptocurrencies, access to initial public offerings (IPOs), and fractional stock buying for as little as $5.
Want to put your portfolio on autopilot? SoFi’s robo-advisory services will create a portfolio for you free of charge (that can be designed to address one or several goals) and auto-rebalance it for you as necessary over time.
And one thing that sets SoFi apart is your ability to handle many financial tasks within the very same app. SoFi’s app allows you to tackle anything from banking and investing to student loans, insurance, and mortgages.
→ How to earn free Bitcoin with SoFi Invest
You can earn between $10 and $100 worth of Bitcoin when you sign up and make your first cryptocurrency trade. Here’s how:
- Open a new account with SoFi.
- Buy a minimum of $50 worth of any cryptocurrency within seven days.
The following trade sizes earn the corresponding Bitcoin bonuses:
- $50-$99.99 earns $10 worth of Bitcoin.
- $100-$499.99 earns $15 worth of Bitcoin.
- $500-$4,999.99 earns $50 worth of Bitcoin.
- $5,000 or more earns $100 worth of Bitcoin.
→ How to earn free stock with SoFi Invest
You can also earn between $5 and $1,000 worth of free stock from SoFi Invest. Here’s how:
- Open a new account with SoFi.
- Fund your account with at least $10 within 30 days of opening it.
Once you fund your account, you’ll receive $5, $10, $25, $100, or $1,000 worth of stock. (Prize level awarded at random—the greater the prize, the lower the odds.)
- SoFi Invest allows you to trade or invest in stocks, ETFs, and options with no commissions and no account minimums. You can also invest in cryptocurrency and participate in some initial public offerings (IPOs).
- Invest for as little as $1 with fractional shares.
- Free robo-advisory services, including goal planning and auto-rebalancing.
- Special offer 1: Fund a new account with at least $10 within 30 days of opening an account, and receive $5, $10, $25, $100, or $1,000 worth of stock. (Prize level awarded at random.)
- Special offer 2: You can receive up to $100 in Bitcoin when you make you first cryptocurrency trade with SoFi.*
- Good selection of available investments
- No options contract fees
- DIY and automated investing options
- Fractional shares
- No mutual funds
- Limited trading tools
- No tax-loss harvesting
- No socially responsible robo-advisor functionality
- Higher-than-average cryptocurrency trading fees
Related: 75 Cryptocurrency Statistics Show Crypto’s Gone Mainstream
5. Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses
Many premium credit cards offer sign-up bonuses for new users who spend a minimum amount of money within a predetermined time frame. Assuming users only make purchases they would have regardless of the new card, the sign-up bonus is free money.
However, some credit cards have a potential catch: Namely, those with generous sign-up bonuses often charge an annual fee. While this fee is usually waived the first year, it can eat up your sign-up bonus. My advice? Ignore great promotional freebies on annual-fee cards, and instead seek out simply good bonuses on no-fee cards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited ($200 in free money)
You don’t have to pay to get a Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card—and in fact, if you spend enough, they’ll pay you $200.
Chase Freedom Unlimited is a no-fee credit card that offers generous cash-back rewards:
- 5% cash back on travel purchases booked using the card through the Ultimate Rewards program
- 3% cash back on purchases at drugstores and restaurants
- 1.5% cash back for every $1 spent in all other categories (excluding gambling)
And points never expire as long as the account remains open.
→ How to earn free money with Chase Freedom Unlimited
You can earn a healthy $200 in free money from Chase in two easy steps:
- Open up a Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card account.
- Spend $500 on qualified purchases within the first three months after you open an account.
That $500 threshold is quite low compared to many other credit cards, which sometimes require thousands of dollars in spending to receive a bonus—putting you at risk of running up credit card debit just to nab some extra cash.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited is a no-annual fee credit card offering generous cash-back rewards that never expire as long as your account stays open.
- Earn 5% cash back on travel*; 3% on shopping at drugstores, as well as dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services; and 1.5% on all other purchases.**
- Start with a 0% intro APR for your first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. Variable APR of 20.49%-29.24% applies after the introductory period.
- Special offer: Earn a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from the date of account opening.
Related: 50+ Best Money-Making Apps That Pay You Real Money
6. Online Games
Companies need to conduct user testing, and they’ll pay to have it done. All you need to do is find paid gaming opportunities through a website that connects companies to players.
Scrambly (Play games, try apps, earn money)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web
Scrambly lets you play games to earn rewards. Users test companies’ products on their phones with various in-game steps. In exchange for testing the apps and playing online games, they get coins. These can be exchanged for gift cards or cash back to a PayPal account.
To earn rewards faster, people can also take surveys and invite friends. When you recruit friends, you get a commission on their lifetime earnings.
There is no minimum or maximum amount of time you have to spend. You can do this occasionally for just a bit more spending cash or more frequently to rack up rewards faster.
- Scrambly pays you for a variety of tasks, including testing out apps and games, and filling out surveys.
- Cash out instantly with PayPal cash or gift cards.
- Minimum cash-out: $1 (1,000 coins) for PayPal, $5 (5,000 coins) for gift cards.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 13 years old to participate.
- Special Offer: Use code "YOUNGNINVESTED" to get a 20% coin-boost for 24 hours*.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Low payout minimum
- Teens can participate (ages 13+)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
- No mobile app
- Gift card program supports a small number of vendors
Related: 30 NFT Statistics to Understand [Market, Sales & Trends]
7. Shopping Online
If you’re going to shop anyways, why not earn some free money online while you’re at it? Let’s look at apps that dole out shopping rewards.
Capital One Shopping (Save money on shopping)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $10-$50
The Capital One Shopping app can help save you money while shopping online. There’s no need for you to search for deals and clip coupons. The app applies the best available deals at checkout, potentially giving you some jaw-dropping prices. Plus, the service offers rewards you can redeem for free gift cards.
The Capital One Shopping app always compares prices between Amazon and other retailers, helping you potentially pay a lower price. Users can also put items on a watchlist, and the app will notify them when the item goes on sale (or if the price otherwise drops).
The app is free, it works with more than 100,000 stores, and it doesn’t require you to be a Capital One credit card holder to use it.
While the app is convenient, some people may prefer to do their online shopping on a web browser. After downloading the app, you can add Capital One Shopping to Safari as a browser extension and get rewarded there too.
→ How to get your free money with Capital One Shopping
To get your free bonus with Capital One Shopping, you’ll need to download the app to your iPhone and sign up for an account. From there, you’ll be prompted with the option to earn $10 for signing up through the app to install the browser extension on Safari, $10 for installing the desktop app and up to $30 for inviting your friends.
- Capital One Shopping searches for discounts and promo codes while you shop, and it can automatically apply any deals it finds at jaw-dropping prices to your cart.
- Want an item but it's too expensive right now? If you're searching on Amazon, Capital One Shopping can identify whether that item is cheaper elsewhere. And if it's not, you can put the item on a watchlist; the app will alert you when there's a price drop.
- In addition to potentially earning savings, you may be able to accumulate shopping rewards that you can spend on e-gift cards.
- Works with more than 100,000 stores.
- Does not require you to be a Capital One cardholder to use.
- Minimum cash-out: $5.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Easily earn savings for shopping
- Offers e-gift card rewards
- Convenient Chrome extension
- Limited gift card selection
- Long time (up to 60 days) for rewards to appear
Related: 8 Best Personal Capital Alternatives
Rakuten ($10 bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile (iOS, Android, Galaxy Store)
- Promotion: $10 sign-up bonus
Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) has become one of the most popular apps among shoppers because of the rewards and savings it offers when you buy through the app. To date, it has paid members more than $2 billion via cash-back rewards, making it an easy and powerful way to make money.
To take advantage of the shopping savings, you can either shop through Rakuten’s online platform or install the Rakuten Chrome browser extension, which identifies potential shopping savings as you browse online retailers. Rakuten leverages its massive scale to extract affiliate revenue from more than 2,500 retailers—when you use Rakuten to get shopping savings, brands pay Rakuten a commission, which it then shares with you every three months (an admittedly infrequent payout schedule) via PayPal or check.
→ How to get your free money with Rakuten
Currently, all you have to do is sign up with Rakuten, you’ll receive a $10 bonus.
- When you shop with Rakuten (formerly Ebates) activated, Rakuten automatically identifies potential shopping savings at thousands of retailers, and it pays you cash-back rewards for buying with those merchants.
- Offers available both online and in-store.
- Cash-back rewards add up as you complete offers. Payments are then sent out every three months, via PayPal or check.
- Minimum cash-out: $5.01.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Special offer: Receive a $10 bonus just for signing up!
- Easily earn savings for shopping
- Offers cash back
- Convenient Chrome extension
- Payments only sent out once per quarter
Related: 31 Millennial Spending Habits & Income Statistics to Know
8. Cash-Back Apps to Earn Money While Shopping
You’re going to shop anyway. You might as well get some of your money back. Cash-back apps are simple: Spend money, then get some of it back. The “free money” from cash-back apps is, of course, the cash-back rewards you earn, but some of them even offer immediate bonuses for signing up.
GoCashBack ($8 bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS)
- Promotion: $8 sign-up bonus
GoCashBack is a cash-back app trusted by more than 700,000 users who’ve collectively earned more than $8 million in rewards. The free platform allows users to shop online at retailers like eBay, Walmart, Home Depot, Macy’s, GNC, and more, and get up to 40% back on their purchases. (However, actual cash-back rates are more commonly in the low- to mid-single-digit range for most offers.)
You can shop through GoCashBack’s website or app, or use their Chrome browser extension to claim coupons and deals through various participating retailers. You can use their GoCashBack app to check your cash-back status from anywhere and click through while on the go to save when you shop on your phone. You can withdraw via PayPal, check, and gift cards.
→ How to get your free bonus with GoCashBack
Get an $8 sign-up bonus today simply by … well, signing up for GoCashBack.
- GoCashBack has delivered more than $8 million in rewards to users who shop at major retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, Macy's, GNC, and more.
- Shop through GoCashBack's website or app, or shop like you normally would online while using its Chrome browser extension.
- Minimum cash-out: $10.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Special offer: Sign up today and earn an $8 cash bonus.
- Easily earn cash back for everyday purchases
- Offers cash back
- Convenient Chrome extension
- No significant cons
Related: 10 Best Micro Investing Apps [Small, Automated Stock Trading]
9. Sell Unwanted Stuff Online
Selling items you don’t want online is a win-win as you simultaneously create more space in your home and make money. Two of the most popular websites for selling items online are Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
You can post on these websites for free. You’ll need a Facebook account to start selling on Facebook Marketplace, though.
If you have larger items, such as furniture, you can make 20 dollars fast selling these items. For smaller items, such as clothes, you might want to bundle several items together to make more with each transaction.
Just be prepared to negotiate. When shopping online for used items, people often try to haggle to buy for less than the posted price.
Related: 30 Best Side Hustles for Teens [In-Person + Online]
10. IRA Matches
You might be asking yourself, “Wait, what do you mean an IRA match?”
Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are a type of retirement account that enjoys certain tax benefits. However, unlike with 401(k)s, which are run through employers and often offer a match, you directly open up an IRA through a broker. So whereas you might very well receive an employer match when you contribute to a 401(k), brokers, generous as they might be, don’t pony up money for your IRA.
Or at least, they didn’t … until recently.
Robinhood (1% or 3% IRA match)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 1% match on IRA contributions (3% match with Robinhood Gold)
Robinhood has evolved from a bare-bones app appealing to mostly beginner investors to a fuller-featured account suitable for a wider range of experience levels. For instance, Robinhood now offers individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and Roth IRAs via Robinhood Retirement.
And Robinhood is back to innovating by becoming the first IRA to offer a match on contributions.
→ How to get your free money in an IRA with Robinhood
If you open up an IRA with Robinhood Retirement, Robinhood will match 1% of any contributions, IRA transfers, or 401(k) rollovers into your account—and 3% if you pay for the Robinhood Gold service ($5 per month). The match, which typically hits your account almost immediately, applies to any contributions up to the IRS’s annual limits but does not count toward your contribution limit. So for instance, if you’re under age 30 in 2023, and contribute the maximum allowable $6,500 …
- If you have a Robinhood Retirement account, Robinhood would match 1%, giving you an additional $65 in IRA funds.
- If you have a Robinhood Retirement account and subscribe to Robinhood Gold, Robinhood would match 3%, giving you an additional $195 in IRA funds. (That’s $130 more than the normal account, more than paying for the $60 per year you’d spend on Robinhood Gold.)
(Friendly message from your WealthUp tax expert: The reason the IRA match doesn’t count toward your annual IRA contribution limit is because Robinhood treats it as interest income in your IRA.)
Robinhood’s IRA itself doesn’t offer as many investment options as other brokerages’ IRAs (for instance, you can’t get mutual funds through Robinhood), but if all you need is stocks and exchange-traded funds, it will get the job done. You can choose your IRA investments yourself, but Robinhood’s Portfolio Builder can also provide you with a custom recommended portfolio made up of five to eight ETFs.
Get your free IRA money by signing up for a Robinhood retirement account today.
- Robinhood is an investing app that became famous for offering commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrency.
- The platform has added a new innovation in the retirement space: the only individual retirement accounts (IRAs) with a 1% match. Robinhood will match 1% of any IRA transfers or 401(k) rollovers, as well as any annual contributions*, made to your Robinhood Retirement account—and it will upgrade that match to 3% if you subscribe to Robinhood Gold.
- Robinhood Gold also includes Level II market data provided by Nasdaq, higher interest rates on uninvested brokerage cash, lower margin trading rates, and bigger Instant Deposits.
- 1% match on rollovers, IRA transfers, and contributions to IRAs and Roth IRAs (3% with Robinhood Gold)
- Automated portfolio builder
- Intuitive interface
- Extensive educational library
- Lackluster investment selection
- No mutual funds
- No robo-advisor functionality
Related: 10 Best Roth IRA Providers + Accounts
How to Make 20 Dollars Fast: FAQs
What are some free money-making ideas to make $20 fast?
You have many ways at your disposal if you need to make 20 dollars fast.
Sometimes, you can earn extra money through a one-time deal, such as sign-up bonuses. Other ways to earn money quickly are repeatable. You might win real cash prizes for playing games, get paid every time you watch videos, or receive cash-back rewards while shopping for essentials.
How can you make some extra cash from your phone?
Nearly all of the ways you can earn cash that I’ve listed in this article can be done from a smartphone. You can easily earn money playing cash games, taking surveys, signing up for services, and more—all from your phone.
Most people have their phones on them all the time, and I’ll assume you do too. If so, you can make money while riding on the bus, standing in a long line, sitting … ahem, in the washroom … or any other time you have a few extra minutes.
Just remember: Sometimes the reward isn’t cash. Some services pay you with free gift cards or a special credit instead.
Is your opinion really worth money?
Yes, survey sites offer cash rewards to people who take their online surveys. The amount of extra money you can earn will vary by survey. More general paid surveys tend to pay less, whereas the tougher it is to find qualified people to survey, the more money it will pay.
For example, most people could qualify for online surveys about their favorite chip brands. Significantly fewer people could qualify for a survey that only wants to hear from females between the ages of 30-35 with alopecia.
A few popular survey sites to consider are Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, and Branded Surveys (all explained in more detail in earlier sections).
Do you have to pay taxes on the extra cash you earn online?
When you earn money online, that is considered taxable income. Many ways you make money online, such as online surveys or selling items, are considered part of the gig workforce. You’re required to report any gig economy money earned—and thus pay taxes on them.
If you’re selling items to make money, whether you’re taxed depends on whether you made a profit. If you sold at a loss, the IRS considers this a “nondeductible loss.” Good news: You don’t pay taxes on the earning. The bad news? You can’t deduct the loss.
Usually, credit cards don’t report your rewards, and you don’t need to pay taxes on them. If you receive cash-back rewards, points, or airline miles, you won’t owe taxes because the IRS considers these to be rebates or discounts instead of income. The same holds for welcome bonuses when you open a new card or conduct a certain number of transactions to receive extra cash.
Are there fun ways to get $20 fast online?
Yes. While many people work challenging online jobs, there are also fun ways to win real-world rewards online. You can earn real cash prizes by playing games, taking surveys, and more. You can even watch videos to earn extra cash or free gift cards.
Related:
- 11 Best Alternative Investments [Options to Consider]
- 36 Best Passive Income Ideas [Income Investments to Consider]
- Free $10 Instantly: Make $10 Fast With Bonuses + Cash Back
Moomoo Disclaimer
Moomoo’s parent company is Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU). Their subsidiaries are licensed and regulated in the United States, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.
Terms and Conditions for Fidelity Youth™ Account
The Fidelity Youth™ Account can only be opened by a parent/guardian. Account eligibility limited to teens aged 13-17.
* $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. equity trades and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). Other exclusions and conditions may apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for details. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through Fidelity Institutional® are subject to different commission schedules.
¹ Limited Time Offer. Terms Apply. Before opening a Fidelity Youth™ Account, you should carefully read the account agreement and ensure that you fully understand your responsibilities to monitor and supervise your teen’s activity in the account.
² The Fidelity Youth™ app is free to download. Fees associated with your account positions or transacting in your account apply.
³ Zero account minimums and zero account fees apply to retail brokerage accounts only. Expenses charged by investments (e.g., funds, managed accounts, and certain HSAs) and commissions, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions may still apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for further details.
⁴ Fractional share quantities can be entered out to 3 decimal places (.001) as long as the value of the order is at least $0.01. Dollar-based trades can be entered out to 2 decimal places (e.g. $250.00).
⁵ Your Youth Account will automatically be reimbursed for all ATM fees charged by other institutions while using the Fidelity® Debit Card at any ATM displaying the Visa®, Plus®, or Star® logos. The reimbursement will be credited to the account the same day the ATM fee is debited. Please note, for foreign transactions, there may be a 1% fee included in the amount charged to your account. The Fidelity® Debit Card is issued by PNC Bank, N.A., and the debit card program is administered by BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company. These entities are not affiliated with each other, and Fidelity is not affiliated with PNC Bank or BNY Mellon. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association, and is used by PNC Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
⁶ Venmo is a service of PayPal, Inc. Fidelity Investments and PayPal are independent entities and are not legally affiliated. Use a Venmo or PayPal account may be subject to their terms and conditions, including age requirements.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917
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