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
|
Stock App for Beginners
|
Stock App for Intermediate Investors
|
Stock App for All Levels
|
Paid Surveys + Other Ways to EArn
|
|
Primary Rating:
4.7
|
Primary Rating:
4.9
|
Primary Rating:
4.2
|
Primary Rating:
4.0
|
|
Get $5-$200 to put toward fractional shares.
|
New investors get a $100 bonus and a 2% match on their initial deposit.
|
Get up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock.
|
Get a $10 bonus and earn money easily.
|
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.
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.
Related: Best Stock Apps for Teens
1. Robinhood ($5-$200 Toward Fractional Stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $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.
→ How to get your free money to put toward stock at 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: 15 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites
2. Webull ($100 Bonus, 2% Match)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $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. Other features include charting tools, customizable screeners, free real-time stock quotes and stock alerts, preset lists, voice commands, and more. It also offers extended trading hours (pre- and after-market trading) and 24/7 online help.
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. Here’s how to collect a $100 cash bonus and 2% deposit match:
- Use our link to sign up with Webull.
- Deposit at least $2,000.
Note: The match is capped at $20,000, which would be awarded if you made a $1 million deposit.
- 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
3. Moomoo (Up to $1,000 in NVDA Stock)
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 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: 8 Best Stock Portfolio Tracking Apps [Stock Portfolio Trackers]
4. SoFi Invest® ($5-$1,000 in Bonus Stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $5-$1,000 in bonus 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
5. Upromise ($5.29 Sign-Up Bonus, $25 Linking Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Get a total of $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, 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.
6. Wealthfront ($50 Deposit Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $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. It’s not free, but it’s more affordable than many other robo-advisors.
→ 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)
7. E-Trade ($50-$10,000 Deposit Bonus)
- Promotion: Get $50-$10,000 for meeting various deposit tiers
E-Trade is a tried-and-true investing platform which has led the retail investing industry for many years.
Of note, E-Trade provides access to educational resources which can assist you with learning how to choose from your multiple investing options, conducting investment research software and analysis, trading stock futures and diversifying your portfolio.
They have additional trading options and data as a result of acquiring OptionsHouse. This can assist with making more-informed options investment decisions.
As another service, E-Trade also offers retirement planning to clients as well as in-person informational sessions annually in certain areas.
E-Trade has three platforms. All are free and have no minimum investment limit.
- Power E-Trade offers investors real-time data and studies.
- E-Trade Web provides live market commentary and stock analysis.
- E-Trade Pro gives you strategy scanners and back-testing.
Each program gives you access to a dashboard where you keep track of your accounts, investments, and make your trades. E-trade does have small fees for options contracts and some fees involved with retirement accounts.
→ How to get E*Trade’s new-account deposit bonus
Getting a funding bonus from E*Trade only requires you to open an account and deposit/transfer/rollover funds: click the “Open Account” button below to open and fund your new account. The E*Trade sign-up bonus ranges as follows:
Currently, the service offers a cash bonus in the following increments:
- $1,000-$4,999 earns $50
- $5,000-$19,999 earns $150.
- $20,000-$99,999 earns $300.
- $100,000-$199,999 earns $600.
- $200,000-$499,999 earns $800.
- $500,000-$999,999 earns $1,000.
- $1,000,000-$1,499,999 earns $3,000.
- $1,500,000-$1,999,999 earns $5,000.
- $2,000,000-$4,999,999 earns $6,000.
- $5,000,000 or more earns $10,000.
- E*Trade is one of the best online and mobile trading platforms among discount brokers, offering a full range of investments (including professionally managed accounts). It allows you to invest in stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, bonds, futures, micro futures, and futures options.
- $0 commission trading for online U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, Treasuries, and new-issue bonds. (Options have a 65¢ contract fee, or 50¢ at certain volume thresholds.)
- Opening an account is easy and only takes a couple of minutes.
- Bonus: Get between $50 and $10,000* when you click the box below, then open and fund a new investment account using promo code "OFFER25."
- Excellent selection of available investments
- Commission-free mutual funds and Treasuries
- Automated portfolio builders and prebuilt mutual fund and ETF portfolios
- Separate apps for power users and casual users
- Limited availability of fractional shares (only in DRIP plans or robo-created portfolio)
- No direct cryptocurrency trading
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.
8. Swagbucks ($10 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $10 sign-up bonus
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 can typically earn a free bonus for signing up for Swagbucks via our link. You can also earn additional money by referring friends to the app.
→ How to Get Your $10 bonus on Swagbucks
New users receive a $10 bonus for signing up and spending with Swagbucks. Here’s how:
- Use our link to sign up with Swagbucks.
- Spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop within 30 days of registration. (You must receive a minimum of 25 SB for the purchase.)
You’ll receive a 1,000 SB bonus (equivalent to $10), which should post to your account in 10 business days.
- 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: How to Invest Money: 5 Steps to Start Investing w/Little Money
9. 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. 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¢. 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]
10. 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 $72 million to its 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.
→ How to earn free money with Branded Surveys
Simply sign up for Branded Surveys and you’ll receive 100 points, which is worth $1.
- 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: 12 Best Apps That Give You Money for Signing Up [Free Money]
Other Options
Here’s a look at a few other ideas that can generate $20 quickly for you.
11. Scrambly (Play Games, Try Apps, Earn Money)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web
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 rewards you for a number of tasks, including completing online surveys, testing companies’ products, and playing games on their phones.
In exchange for completing tasks, you get coins that can be exchanged for cash back to a PayPal account, Visa gift cards, or gift cards to a small number of vendors, including Amazon, Google Play, and Apple. And if users invite friends, they earn a commission on their friends’ lifetime earnings.
The survey aspect of the site is pretty straightforward—you’ll receive questionnaires similar to what you get with other paid survey sites. But what makes Scrambly stand out is the ability to earn money by trying out products and services from the likes of AARP, Cash App Taxes, and Disney+.
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 16 years old to participate.
- Special Offer: Sign up with our link and get 500 coins, then get another 5,000 coins when you've earned your first 5,000 coins.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Low payout minimum
- Teens can participate (ages 16+)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
- No iOS app
- Gift card program supports a small number of vendors
Related: 30 NFT Statistics to Understand [Market, Sales & Trends]
12. 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]
13. IRA Match With Robinhood Retirement
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 1% match on IRA contributions (3% match with Robinhood Gold)
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, rarely pony up money for your IRA.
Rarely … but it does happen.
Robinhood, which is known for being ahead of the curve in offering new features, now offers a match for users. Robinhood Retirement matches up to 1% of your contributions (or 3%, if you subscribe to Robinhood Gold) on its own—allowing you to save money for retirement even faster!
→ How to get your free money in an IRA on Robinhood
If you open up an IRA with Robinhood Retirement, Robinhood will match 1% of any IRA transfers, 401(k) rollovers, and annual contributions to your account—and 3% if you pay for the Robinhood Gold service ($5 per month)—typically almost immediately after you make your contribution. Better still: Any matches made on annual contributions don’t count toward your contribution limit. So for instance, if you’re under age 30 in 2025, and contribute the maximum allowable $7,000 …
- 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 Young and the Invested 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.)
Get your free IRA money by signing up for a Robinhood retirement account today.
- Robinhood is a pioneer in the investing app world, offering no-commission equity trades on stocks and ETFs, plus on options and cryptocurrency.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Extensive educational library
- Robo-advisory service (Robinhood Strategies)
- No mutual funds
- Match doesn't apply to Robinhood Strategies accounts
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]
- 33 Best Passive Income Ideas [Income Investments to Consider]
- Free $10 Instantly: Make $10 Fast With Bonuses + Cash Back
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.
