Five bucks might not seem like a lot of money. But if you can earn $5 quickly, and you can do it over and over again, those $5 earnings will really start to add up.
Heck, let’s say it takes you just five minutes to earn $5. That’s $60 per hour. Not bad, right?
Fortunately, there are many ways to earn 5 dollars fast that are easy—and plenty of them are downright fun to boot.
Today, I’ll go over several ways you can get a free $5 instantly (or at least pretty darn quickly). In fact, you’ll find that you can monetize several of the activities you’re already doing! You can do one or two, or take advantage of more offers to make more money.
Whether you’re trying to save money for an important expense or just need a few dollars more to afford a luxury, you’re in the right place. Let me show you how to make a little extra cash.
Best Ways to Earn $5 Quickly—Our Top Pick: E*Trade
Other Ways to Earn $5 Fast
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Stock App for Beginner Investors
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Stock App for Intermediate Investors
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Earn Cash Back Toward Your 529
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Paid Surveys + Other Ways to Earn
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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 a $5.29 sign-up bonus, then a $25 linking bonus.
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Get a $10 bonus and earn money easily.
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- Webull: $100 bonus, 2% deposit match
- Robinhood: $5-$200 to put toward stock
- Moomoo: Up to $1,000 in NVDA stock
- Upromise: $5.29 sign-up bonus, $25 linking bonus
- SoFi Invest: $5-$1,000 in bonus stock
- Swagbucks: $10 sign-up bonus
- InboxDollars: $5 sign-up bonus
1. Free Stocks + Cash Bonuses on Stock Apps
Sign up. Make a deposit. Profit.
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.
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
Related: 7 Best Wealth + Net Worth Tracker Apps [View All Your Assets]
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
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: 11 Best Stock Trading Apps [Free + Paid]
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.
Related: 11 Best Free Investing Apps [Invest for Free]
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 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 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
2. Sign-Up Bonuses on Survey Sites
Join for the sign-up bonuses. Stick around for more easy money.
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: 25 Best Jobs for 15-Year-Olds [In-Person + Online]
InboxDollars ($5 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $5 for signing up.
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
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: 7 Best Paid Surveys for Kids and Teens [Online Surveys]
3. Playing Games on Your Phone
You read that right. You can get rewarded just for playing games on your phone. Your mother won’t believe you, though.
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]
4. Cash-Back Apps
You’re going to shop anyway. You might as well get rewarded for it.
Rakuten ($30 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile (iOS, Android, Galaxy Store)
- Promotion: $30 bonus when you spend $30
Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) has become one of the most popular apps among shoppers because of the rewards and savings it offers when you buy through the app. To date, it has paid members more than $2 billion via cash-back rewards.
To take advantage of the shopping savings, you can either shop through Rakuten’s online platform or install the Rakuten Chrome browser extension, which identifies potential shopping savings as you browse online retailers. Rakuten leverages its massive scale to extract affiliate revenue from more than 2,500 retailers—when you use Rakuten to get shopping savings, brands pay Rakuten a commission, which it then shares with you every three months (an admittedly infrequent payout schedule) via PayPal or check.
Currently, if you sign up with Rakuten using our link, you’ll receive a $30 bonus when you spend $30.
- When you shop with Rakuten (formerly Ebates) activated, Rakuten automatically identifies potential shopping savings at thousands of retailers, and it pays you cash-back rewards for buying with those merchants.
- Offers available both online and in-store.
- Cash-back rewards add up as you complete offers. Payments are then sent out every three months, via PayPal or check.
- Minimum cash-out: $5.01.
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Special offer: Sign up by using our link and receive a $30 bonus when you spend $30.*
- Easily earn savings for shopping
- Offers cash back
- Convenient Chrome extension
- Payments only sent out once per quarter
Related:
- How to Get Free Money Now [15 Ways to Earn Money]
- How to Invest Money: 5 Steps to Start Investing w/Little Money
- 15 Best Investment Apps and Platforms [Free + Paid]
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.
