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 several 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
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Stock App for Beginners
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Stock App for Intermediate Investors
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Stock App for All Levels
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Paid Surveys + Other Ways to EArn
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Primary Rating:
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Primary Rating:
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Get $5-$200 to put toward fractional shares.
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New investors get a $100 bonus and a 2% match on their initial deposit.
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Get up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock.
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Get a $10 bonus and earn money easily.
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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 Investing Apps for Teens Under 18 [Stock Trading Apps]
1. 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 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, which is similar to many robo-investing offerings. Acorns’ basic approach makes it one of the best investment apps for beginners.
Here’s more about what you can expect from Acorns’ varying subscription options:
- Acorns Bronze: Includes an Acorns Invest investment account, as well as Acorns Later for tax-advantaged investment options such as Roth IRAs. Also includes Acorns Checking, a bank account that has no account fees, lets you withdraw fee-free from more than 55,000 ATMs nationwide, and is paired with a debit card that can go into your digital wallet; Smart Deposit, which allows you to automatically invest a bit of each paycheck into your Acorns accounts; and, of course, Round-Ups.
- Acorns Silver: Everything in Acorns Bronze (Acorns Invest, Later, Checking, etc.), plus Premium Education, which includes live Q&As with Acorns’ expert investment team, invite-only sessions with the Acorns Support Team, access to a quarterly market report, and more; Emergency Savings with a high APY; and a 25% bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month).
- Acorns Gold: Everything in Silver, plus custom portfolios that allow you to hold individual stocks; live Q&As with financial experts; a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); $10,000 in life insurance; even the ability to set up a will for free. Parents also get Acorns Early access for up to four children. And Gold is the only way to unlock Acorns Early Invest: a custodial account for your child that lets you invest for them while they’re a minor.
→ How to get Acorns’ sign-up investment bonus
Acorns offers $20 when you sign up and set up recurring investments. It’s one of the best investment bonuses currently on offer because there’s no luck involved to earn the maximum amount. To earn $20 from Acorns, you have to complete a few steps:
- Sign up for an Acorns account.
- Set up recurring investments ($5 minimum)
- Make your first successful recurring investment.
Your $20 bonus will be awarded within 10 days of the following month.
Learn more in our Acorns review, or use our link to sign up with Acorns today.
- 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, and picking individual stocks for your portfolio.
- Gold also comes with a free Acorns Early account for up to four children. It's also the only tier to offer Acorns Early Invest: a UGMA/UTMA custodial account where you can save toward your kids' future and get a 1% match on up to $7,000 in contributions annually.
- 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: 14 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites [2026]
2. Webull ($3-$300 in Fractional Shares, APY Boost + Free Premium)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 1 free month of Premium, 1 month of boosted APY, 10 fractional shares worth $3-$300
Webull is a wallet-friendly brokerage account that offers no-commission stocks, ETFs, and options, charges $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. That means 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.
Currently, Webull is offering new users a litany of bonuses connected to making an initial deposit. Here’s how to collect a free month of Premium, an APY boost, and $3-$300 in fractional stock: Use our link to sign up with Webull and get a free month of Premium just for opening your account. Deposit at least 1¢ and get one month of boosted APY in Webull Cash Management. Deposit at least $100 and receive 10 fractional shares worth between $3 and $300.
→ How to get Webull’s various bonuses
Currently, Webull is offering new users a litany of bonuses connected to making an initial deposit. Here’s how to collect a free month of Premium, an APY boost, and $3-$300 in fractional stock:
- Use our link to sign up with Webull and get a free month of Premium just for opening your account.
- Deposit at least 1¢ and get one month of boosted APY in Webull Cash Management.
- Deposit at least $100 and receive 10 fractional shares worth between $3 and $300.
- 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 3.6% 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: Open an account and get one free month of Premium, make an initial deposit of at least 1¢ to unlock a one-month 1.4% APY boost*, and deposit $100 to receive 10 free fractional shares worth between $3 and $300.**
- 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® (Up to $1,000 in Bonus Stock)
- Available: Sign up below
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Up to $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 SoFi Active 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, up to $1,000, worth of bonus stock. To qualify:
- Click the link below 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.
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.
- The Upromise Mastercard earns 1.529% in cash-back rewards on purchases when linked to an eligible college savings plan, or 1.25% when linked to any other account.
- Enjoy $0 fraud liability protection, no foreign transaction fees on international purchases, and free online access to your FICO credit score.
- Special offer 1: Earn $100 bonus cash-back rewards after spending $500 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days.
- Special offer 2: Join now and you could win $20,000 (plus a $1,000 Mastercard Prepaid card).*
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)
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.
7. 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
8. Sproutful ($1 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, mobile web (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 100-point sign-up bonus
Sproutful is a free platform that offers you real money just by playing mobile games and sharing your opinion. And it features one of the most flexible sets of payout options in the industry.
Getting started is simple: You sign up for free. Then you start taking paid surveys, or playing a variety of games (casual, puzzles, board games, adventure/RPG, slots, and more). You earn points, which you can redeem once you’ve accumulated just $5 worth of earnings.
Sproutful allows users to cash out via PayPal or Venmo, or get paid via gift cards from literally hundreds of brands, including Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, DoorDash, Google, PlayStation, Spotify, Starbucks, Uber, and Walmart. That’s one of the broadest payout selections among paid-survey sites we cover.
While this is one of the newest such apps on the market, it has quickly built up a sterling reputation, earning an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot.
→ How to Get Your $1 bonus on Sproutful
Getting your $1 bonus on Sproutful couldn’t be easier. Just sign up with our link, and you’ll start with a free 100-point bonus (worth $1).
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: 5 Best Paid Surveys for Kids and Teens [Online Surveys]
10. Surveys On The Go (Survey App That Pays)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Mobile App (Apple iOS, Android)
Surveys On The Go is a simple paid-survey app that rewards you for other activities and even doing nothing.
As the name suggests, surveys are at the core of this rewards app. Surveys pop up on your phone and you get paid for the ones you take. You can also find surveys in the Surveys section of your Home tab. Diary surveys, which are completed over multiple days, are worth the most, with payouts ranging from $20 to $50.
Surveys on the Go also has a pair of data-sharing programs:
- With Link & Earn, you connect accounts such as Gmail, Amazon, and ChatGPT; every merchant pays you a welcome bonus, as well as a monthly payout for every month you’re active and meet activity requirements.
- Payday is a separate program within Surveys On The Go that encourages weekly data-sharing. After you enroll, which means granting location and digital survey access, you receive weekly Payday rewards. The longer you’re active, the more you earn. Sometimes, Bonus Gigs, such as app downloads, are also available and earn points.
Your data is anonymized, meaning it can’t be traced back to you.
To earn even more, you can do in-home product testing or even refer your friends. And you can cash out through PayPal, Amazon, Venmo, Visa, or Starbucks once you’ve earned as little as $10. Use our link to sign up with Surveys On The Go.
- The Surveys On The Go paid-survey app boasts one of the largest selections of survey types in the industry, and it lets you earn money in other ways.
- Surveys have a wide range of time commitments, but pay anywhere between $1 and $50.
- No points system—just straight cash earnings.
- Cash out via PayPal, Venmo, Amazon, and more.
- Minimum cash-out: $10.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Pays you for passively sharing data
- High potential payouts on some surveys
- Offers cash back via PayPal, Venmo, Amazon and more
Related: 11 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. Pogo (Cash Back on Everything)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web (extension), mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
Pogo is a wide-ranging rewards-and-cash-back app that’s easy to use (and in many cases, automatic).
You can link your cards to Pogo and accumulate rewards from the shopping you do already—no opt-ins or coupon-clicking necessary. The app also automatically rewards you for playing games, scrolling your favorite social apps, and even for chatting with a connected ChatGPT account.
Among other ways to earn:
- Scanning receipts
- Linking your email and retailer accounts for e-receipt rewards
- Paid surveys and interviews about brands
- Class action settlements (beta)
Some of the most popular cashout methods are PayPal and gift cards to Target, Walmart, and Amazon, but there are dozens of other options to choose from. You can redeem rewards from the mobile app as soon as you reach at least $3.
In addition to earning you money, Pogo can save you money too. It can scan your bank account for sneaky fees you can be reimbursed for, helps you find lower auto insurance rates, and sends location-based offers straight to your phone when you enter a store.
Sign up for Pogo to enjoy passive earnings. (Note: If you’re signing up from a desktop, go to “Pogo for Consumers.”)
- Pogo lets you earn rewards and save on everyday purchases, plus it pays you for a wide variety of easy activities.
- Link your cards to Pogo, and the app will rack up rewards as you shop.
- Earn points from paid surveys, playing games, being on social media, talking to ChatGPT, scanning receipts, and more.
- Minimum cash-out: $3 (3,000 points)
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Pays you for shopping and provides discounts
- Offers cash back via PayPal
- Offers gift cards from dozens of merchants
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: The Best Dividend Stocks: 10 Pro-Grade Income Picks to Buy
13. 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: 29 Best Side Hustles for Teens [In-Person + Online]
14. IRA Match With Acorns
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotions: $20 when you sign up with our link and start making recurring investments
The aforementioned Acorns app also offers 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 Acorns Later IRAs for Silver and Gold subscribers, respectively.
Learn more in our Acorns review, or use our link to sign up with Acorns today.
Related: 9 Best Roth IRA Accounts [Top Places to Open a Roth IRA]
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.
Read More on Young and the Invested
- 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
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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.
