5 Ways to Make Money from your Smartphone
While it sounds incredibly appealing in concept, for most of us the reality of working online from home is more complex than it sounds. It’s a job. Literally.
However, there is more than one way to earn extra cash in your spare time and a variety of opportunities that are far simpler than building a career. In fact, one of the best ways to pad your pocket may be sitting inside it right now: your smartphone.
The Truth about Advertising in the Digital Age
In the age of multi-media everything and complete information overload, companies are constantly shuffling to find new and unique ways to reach out to their customers and capture their attention. Active involvement in multiple media streams has always been critical if you wanted to survive as a business. From billboards and television commercials to email marketing and social media, there are many ways to reach modern consumers. But competition online is a whole different ballgame. It is a fierce, dog-eat-dog reality that forces thinking outside the box.
Thus, the advent of smartphones and their complete permeation of our culture has led many companies to find ways to use them as a new means for customer outreach.
This has directly led to the creation of apps and other web development ideas for advertising that has directly fueled the growth of the technology sector (as well as made more than a few work-from-home careers). But you don’t need to know computer code to get in on this action.
One of the happy consequences of many of these apps is that savvy consumers have new and interesting ways to save and earn money from companies simply trying to get on their radar. Here are some of the top apps for doing just that:
Ibotta
Anyone who regularly uses Living Rich With Coupons knows Ibotta well. This savings app gives you rebates on hundreds of popular items purchased in 161 different stores across the country and online. Available for both iPhone and Andriod, Ibotta is a key tool for use in stacking deals that pays you cash through PayPal or Venmo. You can also opt to use your earnings on gift cards.
However, what makes this app stand out from other rebate apps (i.e. Checkout51, SavingStar, Snap, etc.) is the ability to maximize your savings by working with friends. Ibotta connects to users’ Facebook accounts and allows people to develop a “team” of savers who then work together each month to complete tasks to earn extra money.
Swagbucks
So much more than just an app, Swagbucks is an entire online platform that awards points, called SB, for everything from taking surveys and watching videos to shopping and searching the web. It is available through iPhone and Android platforms and offers users bonuses for recruiting friends.
Once you have earned the required amount of SB, the app allows you to trade them in for gift cards valued between $5 and $25 to places such as Amazon, Target, Starbucks, and more or have cash deposited straight into a PayPal account. Swagbucks is incredibly successful, having paid its over 11 million users nearly $112 million dollars in rewards over its short history.
Gigwalk
If you are looking for something more like a “real” job, then Gigwalk is the smartphone app you need. A great way to earn extra cash or a second paycheck, this app helps you become part of a “mobile workforce” that helps major businesses get large-scale crowdsourcing tasks completed as well as find quick contract workers.
Through the app, users locate pins which identify the location of simple “gigs” which they can perform on an as-needed basis. Taking anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour or more, these tasks pay anywhere between $3-$100 and may include anything from making deliveries and scouting road signs to checking mobile apps and mystery shopping. Users get paid via a linked PayPal account.
EasyShift
EasyShift is another contract work app that allows users to earn money by performing simple local jobs on an as-needed basis. Most tasks are shopping-related and may include taking photos of items, posting reviews, or verifying products.
Available in most major U.S. cities, both iOS and Android users have access to EasyShift and can start earning money immediately after downloading the app. Payments are made through PayPal, generally within 48 hours after completing each task.
Viggle
For a more casual way to make money and enjoy all the benefits your smartphone has to offer, consider the Viggle app which pays users to watch videos and listen to music – two of the most popular smartphone activities – through its iPhone or Android app or online at Wetpaint.com. When you use the Viggle app to check into your favorite shows or match music you earn “Viggle Points.”
There are also additional ways to earn points through the app including using it to purchase music through iTunes, playing Viggle LIVE, and checking in and viewing featured bonus television shows. In general, users earn one point per minute of media consumed, plus bonuses which they can redeem for a variety of entertainment options.
