The Best Apps That Pay You Real Cash (And What to Know Before You Start)

By Anthony Vion

edited by Doug Garfinkel

Let me start out by saying that I use apps like these all the time to either save or make money. 

Just ask my wife, who gets annoyed with me every so often for leaving piles of receipts on the kitchen table that I haven’t had a chance to snap yet. 

Between Ibotta, Fetch, Rakuten, Upside and a few others, I’ve made over $3,500 in the last three years or so. Over $800 from Ibotta alone just for snapping grocery receipts from all the different stores I go to. 

When I get gas and use the Upside app, the cashback offer can be anywhere between 4-15 cents a gallon. Sometimes they have bigger offers, too. So, when I fill up and claim, say a 10 cents per gallon offer, I’m getting over a dollar back right there.

I absolutely love paying less for things than other people. 

It’s quick, you get paid for things you are basically doing anyway and you can do it when it works for you. 

A dollar fifty, here. 47 cents there. It may not sound like a lot, but you’ll see how fast it adds up once you start doing it. 

Cashback And Rewards Apps

I love this. Getting cash back just for buying things that you were going to buy anyway.  

Groceries, gas, retail shopping and pretty much anything else you can think of. Even lawn mowers. Yep. I bought a ride-on mower at Lowe’s going through the Rakuten app and got $24.17 cash back. It was awesome.  Buying through the app or having the service installed on your browser makes it easy to get cash back for places and things you buy daily.

And there’s not much to getting started. Download the app you want to use, go though an easy signup process and link the credit cards and/or store accounts you use. That’s the way you get credit for your purchases.

Then the app will scan your email address for digital receipts or you can do it the old school like me and snap pics of them.

Then you’ll get a chunk of change back in cash or points. 

You have to hit a certain number to cash out either to your bank, PayPal or Venmo. Most have an option where you can redeem your earnings for a gift card, too. My redemptions pretty much always go for Amazon gift cards since I’m spending money there all the time.

The other great cashback apps that I use are Ibotta and Fetch (for grocery receipts and more) and Upside for gas. With gas prices going through the roof again, it’s nice to get a little money back here. And if you’re not doing it, it’s like you’re throwing money away.

Offers may change frequently so you want to stay on top of that. But otherwise, these are big wins with little effort.

Gig and Task-Based Apps

The ones you already probably know are for driving people around or delivering food. The big three are Uber, DoorDash and Instacart, but there are tons more. 

My daughter is an all-too-frequent DoorDash user, but she just gives me that look when I tell her she can make money delivering food to other people. Maybe someday…

Finish a small task and get paid. That’s it. 

TaskRabbit is good for moving furniture or putting it together. If you’re into writing or design, you can check out Fiverr. Think I’m going to do that right after finishing this article. And Amazon Flex lets you deliver packages around town. You won’t get to drive the cool Amazon vans though. 

The flexible hours are nice and with the rating systems some apps have, you can get more and even higher paying gigs if you do a great job.

Selling and Resale Apps

Another way to earn money is by selling things you already own that you don’t use or just don’t want anymore. Or by finding stuff that other people are getting rid of and scooping it up. 

Thrift stores are great places to scope out. My sister is big into those these days. She’s on a kick now where she is trying to find Blue Willow chinaware. You’d be surprised what it’s worth and most people have no idea.

You can sell clothes, accessories, electronics, household items, collectibles, anything at all. 

I’ve sold stuff like baseball cards and vinyl albums. And I can tell you there are people out there who will buy pretty much anything. I once sold a used vampire Pez dispenser on eBay. More on that in another piece I wrote: Side hustles that can earn you $500 a month. 

Sell bigger ticket items or small stuff, but either way you have the opportunity to make some cash. And a bonus benefit, you’ll have more room after you get rid of some of the stuff you never use anyway.

Survey and Market Research Apps

Swagbucks and InboxDollars are big ones that actually pay you for sharing your thoughts on products, experiences and more.

Find short surveys that take a few minutes with smaller payouts. Or go for longer surveys that take a half an hour or more with bigger payouts. 

Honestly, for the time it takes though, most longer surveys aren’t worth it. 

One annoying thing I’ve experienced is that I get disqualified before starting a survey sometimes or even when I’m ten minutes into one. Also, some apps limit the amount they will pay out as well, so make sure you keep an eye on that. 

Possible Pitfalls

Some apps start off rewarding you quickly for little things, but then it takes more and more and more work to get to the cashout level. I learned this the hard way with Swagbucks (mostly because I hate taking surveys). Once I got there, I bailed.

You may see apps offering you $10 to take a survey. It’s probably true but it also may take you four hours. Not such a great return. Also, I only use free apps. For everything. If you find one that wants to charge you a one-time or monthly fee, find something similar and move on.

Final Thoughts

There are apps out there just waiting to give you money. You just have to head on over to the App Store or Play Store and find them.

Get cashback for things that you buy every week. Deliver someone their Taco Bell Quesadilla that they are paying three times too much for. 

Sell that sweater that Aunt Sarah got you for Christmas four years ago that you never wear. Take a survey about how much you liked or hated the last pair of Crocs you had. 

Start small. Get a feel for it. If you’re like me, it’s going to snowball fast enough.

And cash out regularly. Sometimes though if I’m using an app a lot, I’ll hold off and wait until I hit the next cashout level because the points to cash payout is better. 

But either way, make sure you get your money.

Anthony Vion is a savings enthusiast from Long Island, NY who’s all about finding great deals, cutting everyday expenses and helping people avoid wasting money. He takes a hands-on approach to comparing prices and evaluating products, and likes sharing simple, practical tips that help others stretch their dollars and make smarter buying decisions.

(Disclaimer: This article and apps mentioned are for informational and educational purposes only. The advice given isn’t a guarantee for specific money earnings or savings. You are responsible for your own actions.)