Most people would love to receive free money, but they might not know how to get free cash. If you want to add funds to your bank account, earning free PayPal money is an option.
While you won’t receive PayPal cash without putting in a little effort, there are dozens of apps that pay free money for completing simple tasks.
Performing these tasks won’t make you wealthy, but they are an easy way to increase your account balance.
Table of Contents
Best Ways to Earn Free PayPal Money Instantly
It typically requires minimal effort to earn free PayPal cash. Legit get paid to sites make it simple to make money in your free time.
| Site | Ways to Earn | Bonus? | Min. Redemption | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swagbucks | Surveys, small tasks | $5 | $5 | Learn more |
| Survey Junkie | Surveys | No | $5 | Learn more |
| Pinecone Research | Surveys, product testing | No | $3 | Learn more |
| Ibotta | Rebates | $5 | $20 | Learn more |
| InboxDollars | Surveys, small tasks | $5 | $30 | Learn more |
| Toluna | Surveys | No | $10 | Learn more |
| Rakuten | Rebates | $10 | $5.01 | Learn more |
| Shopkick | Small tasks | $5 | $10 | Learn more |
| Decluttr | Sell items | No | N/A | Learn more |
| Gigwalk | Small tasks | No | N/A | Learn more |
| UserTesting.com | Test websites | No | N/A | Learn more |
Keep the following in mind when looking for opportunities:
- A small processing fee is usually deducted when receiving your payout
- Using a secondary email address can keep your main inbox clean
- You can often transfer earnings to your Venmo account if you prefer
To help with your endeavors, we’ve researched the 12 best rewards sites to make money on the side.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the best sites to earn extra cash. The platform is a get-paid-to (GPT) site that lets you earn points, known as SB points, for completing small tasks.
Examples of typical tasks include:
- Taking surveys
- Using their online shopping portal
- Playing games online
- Using their search engine
The site offers nearly 20 ways to make money, so you’re bound to find options to earn PayPal cash.
The registration process takes less than five minutes. You’ll fill out a few qualifying questions to match you more effectively with survey options. After you create your account, you’re able to log in and start earning.
Every 100 points you earn equals $1. Once you’ve reached at least 500 points (worth $5), you can cash out your Swagbucks for rewards.
You can earn points and redeem them whenever you want after reaching the minimum redemption amount. They also give you a $5 bonus when you open an account.
Payment methods: Swagbucks lets users redeem earnings via gift cards to numerous retailers and cash to your PayPal account.
Minimum redemption amount: You must have at least $5 in your account to redeem points for a cash payment or gift card. Some retailers will occasionally allow you to redeem earnings for gift cards with as little as 300 points.
Read our review of Swagbucks to learn more.
2. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a great way to earn free PayPal money. The company runs one of the top paid survey sites online since it offers instant redemption of points and has tons of surveys you can take.
This site primarily has surveys, but you can also make money via product testing. However, there isn’t as much opportunity for paid product testing.
Like Swagbucks, 100 points equals $1 of earnings at Survey Junkie. Most surveys offer 100 to 300 points, while others award up to 500 points. Earning more points is better, but it may not be worth your time.
Each opportunity tells you how long it will take to complete, so keep that in mind as you consider which surveys to fill out. The site regularly adds new surveys throughout the day.
Take a few minutes daily to find new opportunities, as most have a cap on how many people can complete each survey.
Payment methods: Like other online survey sites, you can receive funds electronically via PayPal or choose a gift card from selected retailers.
Minimum redemption amount: Survey Junkie has a low minimum redemption of $5 or 500 points. With typical surveys ranging from 100 to 300 points, you can amass enough earnings rather quickly.
Read our review of the Survey Junkie app to learn more.
3. Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is one of our favorite ways to get free PayPal money. It’s available on an invite-only basis or through our link. This allows them to them be more selective and offer better opportunities to earn rewards.
The site offers paid surveys and product testing. Testing products often pays more and can range from trying a not-yet sold food product to evaluating other items.
These opportunities aren’t available frequently, so you want to jump on them when they are offered.
Like other surveys for money sites, 100 points equals $1. All surveys pay 300 points, which is also the minimum redemption amount for the platform.
You must have earning activity at least once every 12 months. Otherwise, your account will be deactivated.
Payment methods: You can redeem funds via a PayPal gift card or paper check.
Minimum redemption amount: You only need 300 points or $3 to redeem earnings, making Pinecone a top choice to get free Paypal money.
Read our detailed review of Pinecone Research to learn more.
4. Ibotta
If the idea of completing surveys doesn’t excite you, consider earning free money by using Ibotta when you shop at the grocery store or online.
Ibotta is one of the top cash back apps to use when shopping. Think of Ibotta as a digital alternative to clipping coupons.
After downloading the app, you shop normally. Then, after finishing your shopping trip, you take a picture of the receipt. The app will work to identify active rebate offers.
You can also pre-select offers before going to the store. Simply log into the app to claim offers on anything you plan on purchasing. Take a picture of your receipt after shopping, and it will credit your account.
The app works with over 350 retailers and online stores. Some of these retailers include:
- Amazon
- Costco
- Dollar General
- Kroger
- Sam’s Club
- Target
- Walmart
Just install the browser extension, and it will locate rebates on your purchases.
Ibotta gives all new users $5 when they make their first qualifying purchase.
Payment methods: Ibotta lets users redeem earnings via a PayPal deposit or a transfer to your Venmo account. You can also select a gift card to your favorite retailers.
Minimum redemption amount: You need to have a balance of $20 to cash out. Some retailers may require a minimum redemption of $25.
Read our detailed review of Ibotta to learn more.
5. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is another popular paid survey site. The site is owned by Swagbucks, so it operates similarly.
You can earn points in several ways on InboxDollars, including:
- Reading emails
- Playing games online
- Watching videos
- Shopping online
- Testing new products
The emails are the lowest paying opportunity, but you do receive a few almost every day. This makes them the easiest way to get money in your spare time.
Swagbucks is a bit more robust in its offerings, but InboxDollars is simpler to navigate and find offers. Conversely, InboxDollars may restrict access if you don’t log in at least once over a ten-day period or open one sponsored email.
Similar to Swagbucks, InboxDollars gives new users a $5 bonus after opening an account.
Payment methods: You can receive money via PayPal or redeem earnings for free gift cards.
Minimum redemption amount: InboxDollars has one of the higher redemption minimums of $30. It doesn’t matter if you choose cash or gift cards. Both are $30.
Read our detailed review of InboxDollars to learn more.
6. Toluna
Toluna is another survey site you can use to earn free PayPal money. With ten million active members, it’s one of the largest providers in the space.
You can receive 3,000 to 6,000 points for each survey you take. Toluna also offers longer surveys that pay as much as 50,000 points.
However, like Survey Junkie, it’s essential to determine if the increased points are worth the time it takes to earn them.
Toluna gives all new users an account opening bonus of 500 points. You also receive 15 points for each survey you attempt but don’t qualify for.
Users can even earn rewards for buying apps or magazine subscriptions. Additionally, Toluna runs regular sweepstakes for points.
Payment methods: You can transfer earnings to your PayPal account or redeem for gift cards.
Minimum redemption amount: Toluna has a higher redemption minimum of 90,000 points, which equals $30 in cash. Gift card redemptions begin at 30,000 points, which equals $10.
7. Rakuten
Do you shop online frequently? If so, Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) is a helpful site that lets you earn cash back on your shopping.
The shopping portal works at over 2,500 stores. Some give back 40 percent of the purchase price.
While it’s difficult to find those high cash back opportunities, the extension often nets you up to ten percent back on your purchases.
Signing up is easy and takes under ten minutes. Once you’ve signed up, you go to the portal to do your shopping like normal.
Each store clearly displays the rebate opportunity. This lets you know how much you’ll receive back from your shopping.
The one drawback is Rakuten only sends payouts quarterly. But, you can stack promo or discount codes to increase savings.
Rakuten gives new users a $10 bonus after making a qualifying $20 purchase within 30 days of opening an account.
Payment methods: You can redeem earnings via PayPal or paper check.
Minimum redemption amount: You need to earn at least $5.01 to redeem earnings.
Read our review of Rakuten to learn more about the shopping portal.
8. Shopkick
Shopkick is like Ibotta, but with a twist. The platform is a shopping app that gives you points, known as “kicks,” for purchasing items both in-store and online.
However, you don’t necessarily need to buy something to earn kicks. You can also earn kicks in other ways, such as:
- Scanning item barcodes
- Walking into stores or visiting them online
- Watching sponsored videos
250 “kicks” is equal to $1 in cash. The shopping app works both on Android and iOS-based devices.
Payment methods: You can transfer funds to your PayPal account or redeem them for a free gift card.
Minimum redemption amount: You must have at least $2 in rewards to redeem earnings for gift cards or $10 for PayPal. You can get a $5 signup bonus using code FRUGALRULES.
9. RebatesMe
RebatesMe is another alternative to get cash back on what you buy. It has both a browser extension and an app you can use on your phone to shop from over 4,000 retailers.
When you use RebatesMe you’ll get pop-up reminders if there are coupons for the items you’re interested in buying. They also show you the current cash back rate for that store to help you identify additional savings possibilities.
Other ways to save with RebatesMe include double cash back possibilities and buying gift cards to gift or use while earning more cash back.
The app works with stores that carry items such as:
- Sporting Goods
- Pet Supplies
- Home Improvement Items
- Food
- Clothing
- Shoes
Just use the app or browser extension to save money on your purchases.
RebatesMe gives new members $30 redeemable once you’ve accumulated $10 cash back.
Payment methods: Users can redeem earnings via a PayPal, credit card, or gift card.
Minimum redemption amount: Your account must have a balance of at least $10 in cash back to request a payment.
10. Decluttr
If survey sites or shopping apps don’t interest you, it’s still possible to earn free PayPal money. A unique way to do this is by reducing clutter around your house using a platform like Decluttr.
Decluttr is a site that buys and sells used items to help people make or save money. The platform buys back various items, including:
- CDs and DVDs
- Used phones
- Books
- Legos
- Tablets, including iPads and Kindles
- Video games and consoles
To see how much you can receive for your items, go to the site and take their short survey to see what they will offer. The questions are quick and ask simple things like how old the item is and if it’s damaged.
Once you fill out the survey, Decluttr will give you a quote. If you accept it, they will provide you with a postage-paid slip to mail in the item(s). They will pay you when they receive the item.
Payment methods: You can receive funds either via PayPal or direct deposit to your bank account.
Minimum redemption amount: There is no minimum redemption amount as your payouts are based on what you sell to the site.
11. Gigwalk
Gigwalk is a platform that pays you for completing small tasks when you’re out and about. After downloading the Gigwalk app, you complete “gigs” to earn cash.
These tasks aren’t difficult and can usually be completed quickly. Possible tasks include:
- Taking a photo of a shelf at the grocery store
- Finding the price of milk at your local store
- Verifying if a product is displayed correctly
Payouts vary by gig. You can anticipate earning at least $3, but more involved ones can be up to $100.
All you have to do to start as a Gigwalker is sign up and connect your PayPal account. Once you’ve done that, you can begin accepting new tasks in your city right away.
When you complete a gig and it’s approved, Gigwalk transfers the money into your account. There are no waiting or thresholds to meet.
Payment methods: The only payout method is PayPal.
Minimum redemption amount: There is no minimum redemption amount. After completing a task, you receive the funds directly to your account. This is a terrific way to make money instantly.
12. UserTesting.com
Companies thrive on receiving feedback on their websites. If you like spending time online and are detail-oriented, UserTesting.com is an online platform that pays you to review websites.
There is no charge to use the site. Fortune 100 companies use it to test their sites, so it’s a trustworthy platform to use.
You do have to perform a pre-qualifying review before being eligible. If you pass, you’ll start receiving other website reviews instantly.
You can earn $10 per review and can even perform reviews on your phone if you download the UserTesting app.
Most reviews take 20 minutes to complete, so this is a terrific way to earn $20 or $30 an hour if you’re able to do multiple reviews.
Payment methods: Payments are made electronically via PayPal.
Minimum redemption amount: There is no minimum redemption amount. Payment is sent one week after you complete testing a site.
Summary
These options merely scratch the surface of ways to make money with PayPal. You can pursue a side hustle to earn money, but the above options require less work and often provide money instantly.
You won’t become wealthy with any of these opportunities. However, if you want extra spending money or want to boost your savings account, they can help.
What are some other ways you like to earn money on the side? How do you find lucrative side hustles?
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