The old saying goes, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Perhaps—I haven’t checked every diner on the planet to verify that claim—but that doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally get something for nothing. Indeed, if you just turn on your smartphone and open up your app store, you’ll find a swarm of apps that give you money just for signing up.
In many cases, you’ll even get your money instantly.
Of course, you don’t want to download an app just for the instant sign-up bonus. Why go through the hassle? So ideally, you want to find great apps that fill some sort of need you already have that also pay out instant sign-up bonuses.
So today, I’m going to introduce you to several apps that give you money for signing up—and that you’ll want to keep after you’ve collected your bonus. Some of them help you save money. Others let you play games, watch videos, or complete other easy tasks for rewards. And still others invest your money and help it grow. For each app, I’ll explain the advantages of using it, and outline exactly how to get your sign-up bonus.
If you’re ready to get money instantly (or, at the worst, quickly) and enjoy other financial benefits, consider downloading one or more of the apps below—and then you can take yourself out for a free lunch.
Do Apps Give You a Sign-Up Bonus for Opening an Account?
Yes. Some apps do provide free money or other sign-up bonuses—but how exactly you qualify for it might differ from app to app.
In some cases, you might only need to literally sign up for the account. But in other cases, there might be other requirements, such as funding an account, receiving your first direct deposit in an account, hitting a minimum cash-out amount, or making a first purchase.
Below, I’ll cover the best apps that give you money for signing up. First, I’ll highlight apps that often require more involved actions after sign-up (but also usually offer bigger sign-up bonuses), and then I’ll provide examples of apps that will reward you just for signing up.
Sign-Up Bonuses: Our Top Picks
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Self-Directed Investing App
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Best Stock Trading App for Beginners
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Robo-Advisor w/DIY Customization
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Primary Rating:
4.9
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Primary Rating:
4.5
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Primary Rating:
4.2
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Earn $100 in free cash and a 2% match on your initial deposit.
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Get $5-$200 toward free fractional shares.
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Get a $50 deposit bonus.
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Best Apps That Give You Money for Signing Up (With Additional Action Required)
Let’s start out with apps where you might be required to, say, fund an account, spend a little money, or execute some other small action before earning a bonus.
1. Webull ($100 Bonus, 2% Match)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $100 bonus and 2% match on initial deposit ($2,000 minimum deposit)
Webull is a wallet-friendly brokerage account that offers no-commission stocks, ETFs, and options, $0 contract fees on many options, and requires no deposit minimums.
It also offers fractional-share investing, which allows investors to start buying for as little as $1. In other words: Beginners working with small dollar amounts can still easily diversify their portfolio across numerous investments. Newer investors can also learn trading skills through the courses in Webull’s education center, and even practice their skills via Webull’s paper trading service.
Webull is available across just about every platform, allowing you to research, trade, and track your stocks on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
Why choose Webull to trade stocks?
Webull provides investors with several useful features and tools, including:
- Charting tools
- Free real-time stock quotes and stock alerts
- Customizable screeners for both stocks and ETFs
- Preset lists—including Top Gainers, Top Losers, Most Active, and Best-Performing Industries—investors can use to identify opportunities
- Voice commands: Simply speak to buy, sell, or look up information about a ticker
- “Big Button Mode”: Populates giant buttons on your screen that allow you to quickly make trades with just a push
Webull also offers extended trading hours (pre- and after-market trading) and 24/7 online help. And you can get more than just brokerage accounts—you can also sign up for tax-advantaged retirements such as traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, including contribution matches.
You can also subscribe to the paid Webull Premium tier, which provides a higher APY on uninvested cash, IRA rollover and transfer matches, higher IRA contribution matches, better margin rates, and more.
On top of all that, Webull frequently runs promotions that typically involve earning free stock.
→ How to get Webull’s cash and match bonuses
Currently, Webull is offering new users a litany of bonuses connected to making an initial deposit.
If you sign up through this link and deposit at least $2,000, you will receive a $100 cash bonus and a 2% match on your initial deposit. (The match is capped at $20,000, which would be awarded with a $1 million deposit).
Read more in our Webull review, or use our link to sign up with Webull today.
- Webull is a low-cost trading and investing app that allows you to invest in stocks, ETFs, options, futures, commodities, and crypto, and even participate in initial public offerings (IPOs).
- No-commission stock, ETF, and option trades (and many options have $0 contract fees).
- Trading features such as charting tools, technical indicators, customizable screeners, real-time stock alerts, and group orders.
- Let Webull manage your money for you with Webull Smart Advisor, which combines Webull's in-house investment expertise and artificial intelligence to build, manage, and rebalance an ETF portfolio for you.
- Sign up for Webull Cash Management to earn up to a 4.1% APY on uninvested cash.
- New users get one free month of Nasdaq TotalView's Level 2 Quotes service. (That subscription costs $2.99/mo. thereafter.)
- Subscribe to Webull Premium and receive a premium APY on uninvested cash in individual and joint cash accounts, premium margin rates, a 3% match when you transfer or roll over your IRA, and an extra 3.5% match on qualifying IRA contributions.
- Special offer: Make an initial deposit of at least $2,000 and receive 1.) a $100 cash bonus, 2.) a 2% match of your deposit (up to a maximum bonus of $20,000), 3.) a 30-day voucher for Webull Premium, 4.) a 30-day 4.0% APY booster on uninvested cash (for a total of 8.1%).**
- Good selection of available investments
- Fractional shares
- Powerful technical analysis tools
- Offers robo-advisory services
- Accessible to beginning and intermediate users
- Voice commands
- Offers highly competitive APY through Webull Cash Management
- Does not support mutual funds
Related: 7 Best Stock Portfolio Management Software Tools + Apps
2. Robinhood ($5-$200 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $5-$200 to be spent on fractional shares
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.
Robinhood’s other noteworthy investing features include IRAs and Roth IRAs (with matching funds no less), advanced charts, options strategy builders, 24/7 commission-free cryptocurrency trading, extended-hours trading, and stock lending.
If you want to keep your banking and investing close together, you can also add a Robinhood spending account. This FDIC-insured account includes a Robinhood Cash Card issued by Sutton Bank—however, if you don’t want this physical debit card, you do have the option of having a virtual debit card only. The Cash Card is compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and also provides you with access to fee-free withdrawals from more than 90,000 ATMs. The card allows you to round up purchases and invest the money into your brokerage or crypto account.
→ How to earn free money to put toward stock on Robinhood
While several other media outlets refer to Robinhood’s offer as “free stock,” that’s a little oversimplified. The bonus is a randomly selected cash amount of between $5 and $200 that can be put toward fractional shares of certain U.S. stocks. Here’s how to get your bonus:
- Use our link to start the account opening process.
- Link your bank account.
- Fund your account with at least $10.
(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 a pioneer in the investing app world, offering commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrency, as well as one of the deepest libraries of investing educational content.
- Investing for retirement? 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 you can get a 3% match on any new contributions if you subscribe to Robinhood Gold.
- Want more advanced trading tools? Download Robinhoold Legend—a desktop trading platform with real-time data, customizable layouts, deeper asset analysis, and more—for free.
- Robinhood's robo-advisory service, Robinhood Strategies, will build you a custom portfolio of stock and bond ETFs (and individual stocks for accounts with at least $500), for a low 0.25% in AUM, which is capped at $250 annually for Robinhood Gold members.
- Robinhood Gold also includes Level II market data provided by Nasdaq, higher interest rates on uninvested brokerage cash, lower margin trading rates, bigger Instant Deposits, and access to the Robinhood Gold Card (a 3% cash-back Visa credit card).
- 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 certain fractional shares.
- Very good selection of available investments in brokerage accounts
- 1% match on rollovers, IRA transfers, and new contributions to IRAs and Roth IRAs (3% new-contribution match with Robinhood Gold)
- Automated recommended portfolios
- Intuitive interface
- Robo-advisory service (Robinhood Strategies)
- Extensive educational library
- No mutual funds in brokerage or IRAs
- Match doesn't apply to Robinhood Strategies accounts
Related: How to Get Free Stocks for Signing Up: 9 Apps w/Free Shares
3. Wealthfront ($50 Deposit Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop web app, Apple iOS and Google Android.
- Sign-up bonus: $50 deposit bonus
Wealthfront is a popular robo-advisor that offers numerous account types, including individual, joint, and trust taxable brokerage accounts, Traditional, Roth, SEP, and Rollover IRAs and 529 plans.
While some of its robo-advisor competitors have a relatively high minimum balance requirement of a few thousand dollars or much more, Wealthfront requires a fairly small initial deposit of $500 to open an account. (Again, that’s high for an investment account, but low for a robo-advisory product.) So if you don’t have a huge sum invested already to move into the account or to rollover from an existing account like a 401(k) or other IRA, this account might be a good choice.
Wealthfront offers some valuable perks with its accounts, including automatic tax-loss harvesting, automatic rebalancing, automatic trading, and the option to customize your expert-built portfolio. This top robo-advisor also offers access to a 529 plan (or the ability to link an external one to your account) to help with saving for educational expenses. This is an uncommon feature for most standalone robo-advisors outside of a traditional brokerage, so it’s well worth noting.
If you’re considering putting this on your shortlist, just note that Wealthfront does charge a 0.25% annual management fee across the board. That’s more affordable than some robo-advisors, but it’s also not free. Learn more on Wealthfront’s website.
→ How to get your $50 deposit bonus on Wealthfront
If you use our link to open a new taxable brokerage account with Wealthfront, fund it with $500 or more within 30 days of account opening, and leave the funds there for at least seven days, you’ll receive a $50 deposit bonus in your account.
- Wealthfront provides the power of robo-investing for investors with a small starting deposit ($500 minimum).
- Answer just a few questions, and Wealthfront will build you a portfolio of low-cost index ETFs from up to 17 different asset classes, then manage rebalancing and trading as long as you have the account.
- Wealthfront allows you to link an outside 529 educational savings plan or open one through Wealthfront (plan is sponsored by the state of Nevada).
- Bonus: Get a $50 deposit bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account
- Low minimum investment for a *robo-investing product*
- Tax-loss harvesting
- Offers 529 plan management, investment account
- High minimum investment for an *investment account*
- Few investment choices
- No access to human financial advisors (CFPs)
4. SoFi Invest® ($5-$1,000 in Bonus Stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $5-$1,000 in stock
SoFi is a multi-faceted financial company that offers everything from credit cards and insurance to student loans and mortgages … and they also allow you to trade and invest through its SoFi Invest app.
With SoFi Invest, you can invest as actively or as passively as you’d like. The Active SoFi Invest Brokerage Account has no required minimum balance, charges no commissions on stock, ETF, and options trades, and its options trading has no contract fees, either. Want to put your portfolio on autopilot? SoFi’s robo-advisory services will create a portfolio for you for an annual 0.25% assets under management fee (that can be designed to address one or several goals) and auto-rebalance it for you as necessary over time.
The interface is still very much geared toward younger, less experienced investors—everything is focused on simplicity and ease of use, rather than an expanse of sophisticated tools. SoFi also offers budget-friendly features such as fractional shares, which allow you to invest for as little as $5. And SoFi even provides a social element, such as bringing SoFi members together at exclusive events.
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. Better still, you can subscribe to SoFi Plus to unlock an additional $1,000 per year in extra value across all of SoFi’s financial arms.
→ How to earn bonus stock from SoFi Invest
SoFi Invest allows you to win a randomly selected dollar amount worth of bonus stock: $5, $10, $25, $100, or $1,000. To qualify:
- Use our link to open a new brokerage account with SoFi.
- Fund your account with $50 or more within 30 days of the account opening.
Your bonus should post to your account in 10 business days.
- SoFi Invest allows you to trade or invest in stocks, ETFs, and options with no commissions and no account minimums. You can also participate in some initial public offerings (IPOs).
- Invest for as little as $5 with fractional shares.
- Robo-advisory services, including goal planning and auto-rebalancing, available for annual 0.25% AUM fee.
- Subscribe to SoFi Plus to unlock more than $1,000 per year in extra value, including a 1% match on recurring investment deposits, preferred IPO access, higher cash-back rewards on certain SoFi credit cards, a six-month APY boost, and more.
- Special offer: Fund a new account with at least $50 within 30 days of opening an account, and get up to $1,000 in stock.*
- Good selection of available investments
- No options contract fees
- DIY and robo-investing options
- Fractional shares
- No mutual funds
- Limited trading tools
- No tax-loss harvesting
- No socially responsible robo-advisor functionality
Related: 15 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites
5. Moomoo (Up to $1,000 in NVDA Stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock with qualifying deposit
Moomoo is a cost-friendly trading platform that offers no-commission stocks, ETFs, and options, and no contract fees on equity options.
While Moomoo is great for advanced traders, offering powerful tools to empower your trading insights and strategies, its differentiated approach (simple interfaces and high ease of use) make it a match for some intermediate and beginner investors, too. The desktop platform is highly customizable, while the mobile app is straightforward, allowing you to search for stocks and trade with minimal hassle.
But again: 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 shares on Moomoo
Moomoo is currently offering new users a deposit bonus of up to $1,000 in free NVDA shares. Here’s how to collect it:
- Use our link to open a new brokerage account with Moomoo.
- Make a deposit within the promotional period. Amount of stock is determined by deposit size; $100 or greater gets $20 in stock; $2,000 or greater gets $50 in stock, $10,000 or greater gets $300 in stock, and $50,000 or greater gets $1,000 in stock.
- 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 4.1% APY from its cash sweep program, though current promo offers 8.1% for a limited time.
- Special offer: New users get up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock when they sign up using our link and make a qualifying deposit,* as well as a three-month APY boost (to a total 8.1% APY on uninvested cash).
- Additional special offer for transfers: New customers who transfer assets into a Moomoo account can also receive a 3% match on their transfer up to $20,000 (for a reward cap of $600). New users who transfer in $50,000 or more and maintain for three days will also receive two suite tickets to a New York Mets game.
- 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 Trading Apps [Free + Paid]
6. Acorns ($20 Bonus Investment)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Bonus: $20 bonus investment
Acorns is a micro-investing app geared toward minors, young adults, and millennials that’s perhaps best-known for its “Round-Ups” program.
With Acorns Round-Ups, the app rounds up purchases made on linked debit and credit cards to the nearest dollar, investing the difference on your behalf. For example, if you purchase a coffee for $2.60 on a linked credit card, Acorns automatically rounds this charge up to $3.00 and puts the 40-cent difference aside. Once those Round-Ups reach at least $5, they can be transferred to your Acorns account to be invested.
The Acorns investment offering itself is a simple, automated platform that uses pre-built portfolios of ETFs to keep investors exposed to stocks and bonds. While it doesn’t have much to offer intermediate investors who want variety in their portfolios, Acorns’ basic approach makes it one of the best investment apps for beginners.
It also features a powerful way to accelerate your savings: Later Match. While most people are aware that employers will sometimes match funds you contribute to your 401(k), “matches” are virtually unheard of in retirement accounts like IRAs, where there’s no employer to kick in extra cash. However, Acorns itself will match 1% or 3% on new contributions to IRAs for Personal Plus and Premium subscribers, respectively.
Here’s more about what you can expect from Acorns’ varying subscription options:
- Acorns Bronze ($3 per month): Includes an Acorns Invest investment account, as well as Acorns Later for tax-advantaged investment options such as IRAs and Roth IRAs. Also includes Acorns Checking, a bank account that has no account fees and lets you withdraw fee-free from more than 55,000 ATMs nationwide; and Acorns Earn, which lets you earn bonus investments by shopping at top brands like Walmart, Apple, eBay, Uber Eats, and more.
- Acorns Silver ($6 per month): Everything in Acorns Personal (Acorns Invest, Later, and Checking), as well as a 1% IRA match on new contributions to Acorns Later in your first year; upgraded Mighty Oak Banking, which offers high APYs on Checking and Emergency Fund; a 25% matching bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); and live Q&As with investing experts.
- Acorns Gold ($12 per month): Everything in Acorns Personal Plus, as well as Acorns Early, a money app and debit card that also allows you to open a custodial investment account for your child (Acorns Early Invest) so you can begin investing for them while they’re a minor; custom portfolios that allow you to hold individual stocks; a 3% IRA match on new contributions to Acorns Later in your first year; a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); and exclusive Acorns Gold benefits, including $10,000 in life insurance and no-cost setup of wills.
→ How to get Acorns’ sign-up investment bonus
To receive your free bonus investment from Acorns, you’ll need to use our link to open an account and make a minimum $5 recurring investment. After your first successful recurring investment, you’ll receive $20 within 10 days of the following month.
- Acorns allows you to sign up for investment, retirement, and checking accounts for you and your family, learn how to earn more money, and grow your investing knowledge.
- Famous for investing spare change automatically through Round-Ups, this all-in-one financial app helps younger generations start investing earlier.
- Invest in expert-built portfolios made up of diversified ETFs.
- Silver tier includes perks such as a 25% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), generous APYs on Checking and Emergency Fund, and live Q&As with investing experts.
- Gold tier includes perks such as a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), $10,000 in life insurance, picking individual stocks for your portfolio, a free Acorns Early account, and Acorns Early Invest custodial accounts for children with 1% contribution matches.
- Earn even more with Later Match: Acorns will match up to 1% (Silver) or 3% (Gold) of all new IRA contributions in your first year.*
- Special offer: Get a free $20 bonus investment when you sign up with our link and start making recurring investments.**
- Robo-advisor with affordable fees (on larger portfolios)
- Fixed fee model
- Round-ups
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- IRA match (Silver and Gold)
- High fixed fees for small balances
- Limited investment selections
- Must subscribe to Gold for any self-directed investing options
Related: Best Custodial Accounts: How to Start Investing for Kids
7. Swagbucks ($10 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Bonus: $10
Making money online through Swagbucks is simple. Swagbucks lets users earn Swagbucks points (SBs) by completing simple tasks—that includes taking surveys, yes, but also shopping online, playing video games, or even just doing web searches.
Users can redeem SBs for gift cards from popular retailers, such as Apple, Amazon, and Target; the website awards more than 7,000 gift cards every day. However, if you just want cash, you can redeem points that way, too, and receive the money in a PayPal account. You’ll need your own bank account if you want to transfer this money for you to use.
Users also earn SB points for every dollar spent shopping online through the service and get access to exclusive coupons and deals, even for prescriptions. You can also get cash back for groceries and other essentials at popular stores like Apple, Amazon, and Target, and more, when you take a picture of the receipt. Swagbucks even offers opportunities to get cash back for dining.
→ How to get your Swagbucks bonus cash
To get your $10 sign-up bonus from Swagbucks, do the following:
- Use our link to sign up with Swagbucks.
- Activate the Bonus in the Swag Ups section of your account.
- Spend a minimum of $25 on a single purchase at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop within 30 days.
Usually, the purchase credits within 32 days, and the bonus is rewarded a couple of days after that. The bonus comes in the form of 1,000 SB, which is $10 in value.
- 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: Amazon gift cards: $1 (100 SB); most other cards: $3 (300 SB); PayPal: $25 (2,500 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: 11 Best Alternative Investments [Options to Consider]
8. Groundfloor ($50 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Bonus: $100
Groundfloor accounts allow accredited and non-accredited investors alike to participate in real estate investment loans.
Groundfloor says more than 200,000 users have invested over $1 billion on its platform to date. It has seemingly returned the favor: Groundfloor says it has delivered more than 10% average annual returns since the service got off the ground.
On this platform, you invest in Groundfloor Notes—short-term investments backed by loans made out to real estate investors. Groundfloor Notes typically mature in 30 days, 90 days, or 12 months, and interest rates on Notes vary based on several factors, including bond rates, investor demand, and level of risk in the loan.
Groundfloor users can choose their own investments or let the experts choose for them. Investors must have a $1,000 minimum to start, and they can invest in $1,000 increments.
→ How to earn Groundfloor’s $100 bonus
- Use our link to open a new Groundfloor account and answer a few questions.
- Connect to a bank account.
- Transfer at least $100.
You’ll receive a $100 credit that you can use to invest in Groundfloor. The credit will typically come 30 days after you complete your qualifying transfer.
- Groundfloor is a crowdsourced real estate investing platform which offers high-yield, short-term real estate debt investments.
- Offers collateralized, secured real estate debt with 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month terms.
- Has delivered consistent 10%+ returns over past eight years with repayments received in 6-9 months on average.
- Offers after-tax and IRA investment options.
- Special offer: When you sign up with our link, create your account and transfer your first $100, you'll receive a $100 credit to invest on Groundfloor.*
Related: 19 Best Investment Apps and Platforms [Free + Paid]
9. Cash App ($5 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Bonus: $5
Cash App markets itself as a smarter way to manage your money. Whether you’re looking to send, spend, bank, or buy stocks or bitcoin, Cash App has several useful features that allow you to handle, save, and invest your money.
Sending and receiving payments is free with Cash App, so you can rest assured knowing that your money is always accounted for when you transfer funds to friends and family.
Similar to Venmo, Cash App lets you instantly send money to anyone for free. You can even send stocks or Bitcoin. Your balance updates immediately, so you always know your transaction was successful. If you don’t have any funds in your account, the money is drawn from a linked card or financial account.
The recipient doesn’t need to have a Cash App account. You can use an email or phone number to transfer money. However, they will need to create an account within 14 days or the money is returned to you.
Optionally, you can deposit your paychecks, tax returns, and more into the app. Direct deposits are available as soon as they are received, which may be up to two days faster than banks.
→ How to get your Cash App bonus
You and a friend can both get $5 bonuses when one of you uses the other’s Cash App referral code to sign up for Cash App. Here’s how to do it:
- Use our link to download and sign up with Cash App. You’ll need to register with your phone number.
- Link a debit card.
- Go to Settings, then Invite Code, and enter your referral code from a friend.
- Within 14 days, send at least $5 (lump sum or multiple payments) to anyone.
- Cash App is a money management app that allows you to send, spend, save and invest money
- You can transfer money for free to friends and family with a Cash App account
- Cash App allows you to invest in stocks commission-free
- Offers free payment transfers between friends and family
- Allows stock investment
- Can trade or purchase with Bitcoin
- Offers free tax software
- Requires verification to send more than $250 in a 7-day period or receive more than $1,000 in a 30-day period
Instant Sign-Up Bonuses: Our Top Picks
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Earn Cash Toward Your 529
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Earn Cash for Everyday Activities
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Earn more than $30 in free cash.
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Sign up and get $5.
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Best Apps That Give You Money for Signing Up (Instant Sign-Up Bonus)
Now, let’s move on to apps that provide immediate gratification, in the form of immediate bonuses. (Note: Some of the below apps have both an immediate sign-up bonus, as well as additional bonuses that require more actions.)
10. Upromise ($5.29 Sign-Up Bonus, $25 Linking Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $30.29 ($5.29 for signing up, and $25 for linking a 529 plan)
Upromise makes it easier to save for your child’s future higher education expenses, and has helped families save more than $1 billion for college to date.
After you create a Upromise account, you link it to either your 529 plan, student loan account, or a checking or savings account. You can also apply for a no-monthly-fee Upromise Mastercard that earns you cash rewards when you shop, eat at restaurants, and more, and the service will automatically deposit both your cash rewards and any monthly contributions into your 529 plan or linked bank account. You’ll also earn more in cash-back rewards with the Upromise Mastercard than you will with any other linked debit or credit card.
Also, every month, Upromise gives five families a $529 college scholarship. Every dollar of earned rewards gets you an entry.
→ How to get your free money on Upromise
As soon as you use our link to sign up with Upromise and verify your email, you’ll be awarded $5.29. To receive an additional $25, you must:
- Link a 529 plan account within 30 days.
- Keep the account active through the first cash-back rewards redemption cycle.
- Make sure your cash-back rewards account balance meets the minimum transfer amount to be able to transfer rewards into the linked account.
- Upromise helps families save for their children's education by letting them earn cash-back returns that are automatically deposited back into a Upromise account linked to a 529 plan, student loan account, or bank account.
- Earn 1.529% in cash-back rewards with the Upromise Mastercard, or 1.25% cash back with any other linked card.
- Earn a 2.5% bonus on your bill if you use a linked credit or debit card at more than 10,000 eligible restaurants, and earn a 5% bonus if you use the Upromise Mastercard.
- The Upromise Mastercard is a no-monthly-fee credit card that allows you to earn $100 in bonus cash-back rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days.
- Special offer: Earn $5.29 upon signing up for Upromise, then earn another $25 when you link a 529 plan.
Related: 11 Best Free Investing Apps [Invest for Free]
11. InboxDollars ($5 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $5
InboxDollars helps users make extra money from doing simple tasks. Like with other money-making apps, brands pay InboxDollars for consumer opinions—which is where you come in. You can earn free cash by participating in several activities, including taking surveys and reading emails.
You can also earn cash-back rewards for online shopping, buying groceries, even spending on games. InboxDollars is partnered with GSN Casino, and users earn 18% cash back with InboxDollars for every dollar they spend on GSN games.
Better still: There’s no complex points system. Your earnings show up as real cash. Simple as that.
This passive income app isn’t a substitute for a full-time job, but it’s a great way to earn some extra money with only a little additional work on your part. And to entice new customers, InboxDollars is currently offering a $5 bonus to get started.
→ How to get the InboxDollars sign-up bonus
InboxDollars gives you $5 free cash just for activating your account when you use our link. After you sign up, watch for your first PaidEmail® in your inbox (which might take a couple of minutes). Confirm that you received the email, and that’s it!
Just note that the minimum cash-out amount is $15, so you’ll have to complete a few surveys or other small tasks to earn enough to cash out your bonus.
- InboxDollars allows you to earn cash by taking surveys or reading emails, and earn cash-back rewards for online shopping and even spending on games.
- Minimum cash-out: $15.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old or the age of majority in your state or province, whichever is greater, to participate.
- Special offer: Sign up via our link and get a $5 bonus.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- No confusing points system
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: 9 Best Stocks for Beginners With Little Money
12. MyPoints ($2 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $2
With MyPoints, you participate in activities such as playing games/puzzles/trivia, taking surveys, watching ads, even shopping for groceries, to earn points. In some cases, you’ll also earn points for trying out trial services from the likes of Disney+, HelloFresh, and AT&T.
Depending on the activity, you can earn points toward gift cards from the likes of Target, Starbucks, and Sephora; coupon codes; cash; or cash back on purchases.
And MyPoints features a very low minimum withdrawal of just $3.
→ How to get your MyPoints sign-up bonus
You can receive a free $2 bonus by signing up today. Simply use our link to sign up with MyPoints, then wait for the confirmation email, and follow the directions therein.
- MyPoints lets you get paid for completing various tasks like surveys, but also for playing games, trivia, puzzles, bingo, and more.
- You can redeem your points earned within the app toward gift cards at stores including Target, Starbucks, Apple, Sephora, eBay, and more.
- Minimum cash-out: $3 (500 points).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 13 years old to participate. Teens age 13 to 17 must have parental consent.
- Special offer: Earn a $2 welcome bonus when you sign up for MyPoints via our link.*
- 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: The 13 Best Investment Apps for Beginners
13. Branded Surveys ($1 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Sign-up bonus: $1
Branded Surveys has paid out more than $72 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¢ 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. Once points are approved, earnings are processed in one to two business days.
→ How to get your free money on Branded Surveys
To receive your instant sign-up bonus, simply use our link to sign up for Branded Surveys and agree to the company’s Terms of Service. You’ll get a 50-point bonus (worth 50¢) right away. After you spend about five minutes filling out your extended profile, you get another 50 points.
- Branded Surveys, which boasts more than 3 million users, pays you to take surveys to share your thoughts on future products and services.
- You earn points for completing each survey and can redeem them toward cash (paid via direct deposit or PayPal), gift cards at more than 100 merchants including Amazon and Apple, or even donations to your favorite charity.
- Earn anywhere from 50¢ to $5 per completed survey (longer ones tend to pay more).
- Minimum cash-out: $5 (500 points).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 16 years old to participate normally. Those under 16 must have parental consent and use their parent's account.
- Special offer: Get 100 free points (worth $1) for signing up.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Teens can participate (younger teens need parental consent)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: 50+ Best Money-Making Apps That Pay You Real Money
Sign-Up Bonuses: FAQs
Which apps offer sign-up bonuses that allow you to get money instantly?
There are several apps where you earn money instantly, including the following:
While some of these apps pay money instantly, the instant sign-up bonus might be lower than the minimum withdrawal amount. Fortunately, many apps where you get money instantly provide enough to cash out right away, and usually, those that don’t only require slightly more effort to reach the minimum withdrawal amount.
What types of sign-up bonuses are available for the apps covered in this list?
The sign-up bonuses on this list let you earn cash, gift cards, crypto, or stocks. Some give you multiple options.
Are there apps that pay you to shop online?
Yes. Upromise, InboxDollars, MyPoints, and Swagbucks all pay you to shop online.
Do you need a bank account to get sign-up bonuses?
It depends on the app. Some apps let users take their sign-up bonus in the form of free gift cards or free money sent to a PayPal account. For these apps, you don’t need a bank account to get sign-up bonuses as you aren’t getting paid through direct deposit.
However, some apps require you to deposit money or make a minimum purchase. In this situation, you usually need an account to earn free cash.
Are there free sign-up bonus apps?
Yes. Several of the apps on this list provide a sign-up bonus where you get money instantly. Some of the other apps require a few more steps.
How do you convert points in some apps to cash?
When you sign up and get points from an app, always check the conversion rate between points and monetary rewards as this can vary. Frequently, a point equals 1¢, but this isn’t always the case.
Disclaimers
Moomoo
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.
