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Wanna make more money? Of course you do! But we don’t all have time for starting a business or committing to a side hustle. That’s why I love money making apps!
There are so many ways to make money from your phone. Did you know you can use apps to earn money for answering surveys, taking pictures, watching videos, or even downloading more apps?
The best thing is that most of these apps are so quick and easy to use.
Got five minutes to spare waiting for the bus? Open up one of these money apps, and see how much you can make! You’ll be surprised how much a few minutes here and there can add up.
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If you’re thinking ‘Yes! How can I make money on my phone?!’ then read on. Here are my all time best money apps that I use to put a little extra money in my pocket each month.
Also just to note, I’m in the UK, so this is a list of money making apps UK residents like myself can use. If you’re based elsewhere, a lot of these apps do work globally but some might not, so please check what’s available in your country.
Task apps to make money on the go
I’m starting off with my favourite task apps, because these are the highest paying apps out there!
Task apps send you off on little jobs around town. Sometimes these are mystery shopping-type jobs. Sometimes you have to check addresses or take pictures of displays, and so on. The availability of these jobs does depend on the area, but if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with lots of work, you can make a killing!
These apps typically pay £5-£10 for a 10-20 minute job, making these the best paid apps in the UK.
Be My Eye
BeMyEye (formerly Task 360) is a top tasking app, which is kind of mystery shopping app. A typical task is to visit a high street store and check the availability of certain products. You usually have to snap a few photos. These tasks are really fun and easy to fit into your lunch break or a shopping trip. It also pays well – a typical 15 minute job pays around £5.
Field Agent
Another mystery shopping app with lots of opportunities to get paid by snapping products in shops.
Roamler
Roamler is a slick tasking app that often has well paid jobs. I’ve seen a lot of mystery shops in bars on Roamler – you get your drink paid for, as well as making extra money! Depending on your region, you may need an invite code to sign up but people often share these in forums and other places online if you Google it.
Streetspotr
Another UK task app. Doesn’t seem to have quite as many jobs, but they are quite well paid. You can sometimes get reimbursed for your supermarket shopping through this one!
Related post: 75 Ways to Make Extra Cash in the UK
Survey apps to make money fast
Survey apps are usually the quickest and easiest way to get started when you want to earn money on your phone. You can do surveys in your spare time, wherever you are – great for filling time when you’re waiting around.
They don’t pay as well as task apps, but there are usually plenty of surveys available, so the amount you can earn depends how much time you put in.
Here are the best survey apps to start with:
Qmee
Qmee is a survey app that lets you earn by answering questions on your phone. Install the web app too, and you can get paid for searching and clicking on ads. It pays to PayPal, and you can cash out at any amount! Get 50p free after you cash out for the first time with my referral link.
YouGov
YouGov is one of my favourite survey apps because the surveys are pretty interesting. They are the sort of public opinion surveys you’ll often see quoted in the news. It’s also fairly well paying, but the catch is you have to earn £50 before you can cash out.
CitizenMe
CitizenMe is a survey app that’s very easy to use. Each survey typically only has three to five questions and only takes seconds to do. The best thing is, they pay you instantly to your PayPal as soon as you submit your answers!
VoxPopMe
VoxPopMe is a survey app with a difference. Instead of typing your answers, you record a short video of yourself answering the question. The app usually asks for your opinion on various brands. A very easy way to earn money from your phone and fun to do. Pays well too!
iPhone / Android
Streetbees
Streetbees is an easy to use survey app that asks you questions in a chat format. It pays well – often up to £5 for a single easy survey! They sometimes also have little tasks where you go and take pictures in a shop or somewhere for money.
Curious Cat
Curious Cat is another survey app. It pays to PayPal. You can cash out from as little as £1, which you can normally earn in just a couple of surveys. There are always loads of surveys available. This is one of the best apps to earn money if you need cash fast.
Google Opinion Rewards
This is a popular money making app for your Android.The surveys are usually very quick and pay up to 60p each time. Your earnings can only be spent in the Google Play store – so that’s apps, music and film downloads, audio books and so on. I only have an iPhone so haven’t been able to test this one myself. Any Android users want to share their experience in the comments?
Toluna
Toluna is a well-known paid survey company that mainly does market research for big brands. Now they have an app for iPhone and Android where you can earn cash, rewards or gift cards for doing surveys from your phone.
Vypr
Vypr is a survey app that asks you questions about food and drinks. It has lots of pictures and is very easy to use. You earn points which you can exchange for PayPal cash. I’ve found that it takes a very long time for your points to add up on Vypr. But it’s kind of fun and strangely addictive, so you might want to check this one out if you have time to kill!
Related post: The Ultimate List of Paid Survey Sites in the UK
Free money for downloading apps (£30!)
Did you do you can earn money by installing apps? These are not ongoing ways to make money, but if you want a bit of cash quickly you can make an easy 30 quid by downloading these apps and working through these simple sign up offers.
Ziglu (£5)
Ziglu is an app for trading cryptocurrency. You can get an easy £5 for free by using the app to buy just £1 of crypto.
To claim this offer,sign up using this link. Create your account and upload a snap of your ID. Wait for your account to be verified (should just be a few minutes).
Then, transfer £1.10 to Ziglu and use it to buy £1.10 of any cryptocurrency. You should see your free £5 in your account right away. Now you can exchange your crypto back into GBP and withdraw it all to your bank account, including the bonus.
I highly recommend this offer as it takes less than 10 minutes and you’ll have an extra £5 right away!
(Note: although the minimum you need to exchange to claim your bonus is just £1, I recommend you send slightly more. This is because there is a 1.25% exchange fee, and you can’t withdraw less than £1 – so if you only exchange £1 you will end up with around 99p of Bitcoin that you can’t withdraw.)
>> Full Ziglu offer instructions (with screenshots) here.
Cash App (£10)
Cash App is an app for sending money to your friends. You can claim £5 free money when you sign up and transfer £5 within 14 days. And, if you invite a friend to do this offer with you, you get an extra £5 for inviting them – meaning this offer is worth £10!
To claim your free cash:
Download Cash App, register an account and enter my referral codeMKWNTHM when prompted. Link your debit card. Invite a friend using the green button you’ll find under your profile. Send your friend £5 and get them to send it back to you. Now you’ve qualified for a free £10, and they’ve got a free £5! You can withdraw it to your bank account right away.
See Cash App referral code hack UK for full details.
Curve (£5)
Curve is an app and card that lets you combine all your different cards, bank accounts and loyalty cards into one! It’s a really great idea and so convenient as you only need to carry the one card with you. Plus, the app gives you cashback on selected retailers, and spending insights to help you budget.
You can earn £5 free simply by signing up for the free card with code N3M7934D and using it a few times.
To activate the bonus, you need to make 5 transactions totalling £5 within 10 days of signing up. 5 transactions seems a lot but you literally just use your Curve card in place of your usual debit card and the money is taken from your usual bank.
To claim your free £5, sign up for thefree Curve Standard card and enter the promo code N3M7934D when asked for it.
Chip (£10)
To claim your free £5, sign up for thefree Curve Standard card and enter the promo code N3M7934D when asked for it.
Chip is an app that helps you save money. Their AI savings robot calculates what you can comfortably afford to save and transfers small regular amounts from your bank account. You will hardly notice it because it’s just a few pounds here and there, but it really adds up!
To claim a free £10:download Chipand create a new account. Enter referral codeCHIP-TZA033. (Do this in your profile section under ‘promos & rewards’ if you aren’t prompted during sign up.) Deposit at least £1 into your Chip account.
You must keep your £1 in your account for 30 days, and don’t delete the app during this time. After 30 days, you will receive your free £10 bonus into your Chip savings account, which you can then withdraw.
More offers like these:
- Free Money Offers In The UK (£200+ currently available)
- Free PayPal Money UK! 15 Ways To Get Free PayPal Cash
- Free Crypto UK: Get Free Bitcoin And More!
- 15+ Easy Ways to Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards UK
‘Get paid to’ apps to make money online with your phone
‘Get paid to’ or GPT sites and apps give you various ways to make money from your phone, including surveys, cash back, watching videos, playing games and more.
Most GPT sites in the UK have more opportunities if you use their desktop version, but some of them also have apps which give you limited options to make money. I would usually recommend signing up for the online website first to unlock the full range of money making opportunities. Then you can use your same login details on the app version for additional ways to earn!
Freecash.com – best money app
Recently, we have seen a huge surge in apps that claim to let you earn money. Unfortunately, many of them don’t work, but I found one platform that allows you to make money and is 100% legit.
I’m talking about Freecash.com, one of the fastest-growing platforms to make money online. They assure you not only the highest payouts, instant cashouts, or low minimum withdrawals but also a clean, modern, and user-friendly design, active direct support, featured offers & international signups.
You can earn money by filling out surveys, completing tasks, signing up, or playing games. Users already earned $41,000,000+.
You can access the platform with your desktop browser, mobile browser, or the Android app, available in the Google Play Store.
You can withdraw your money through PayPal, crypto like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, or Doge, and Gift Cards (Amazon, Steam, Google Play, Netflix, Spotify, Zalando, Play Station, Xbox, and many others) instantly. They also offer several other withdrawal methods like buying skins for the most popular games like CS: GO, Fortnite, LoL, or Valorant.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is the king of money making websites, and of course it has its own app. You can get paid to do surveys, watch videos, or even shop thanks to the cash back feature.
I recommend signing up online first because it is easier to navigate and there are more features available, then you can use the same account on the app.
InboxPounds
InboxPounds is a GPT site like Swagbucks that also has an app. At the moment, the app only has surveys available, but if you log in to their website you can also earn from searching the web, reading paid email, playing online games and shopping.
Related post: How To Get Paid To Text UK
FeaturePoints
Love apps? Why not get paid to download apps! FeaturePoints pays you to download apps – usually games. You usually have to play with the app for a couple of minutes to validate, then you’re free to delete them. They also have paid surveys and cashback offers. You can cash out your points to PayPal or as various vouchers. Enter code 8TQMQ6for 50 instant points!
Pocket Bounty
Related post: OhMyDosh Review: How I Made £20 in 30 Minutes!
Receipt scanning apps that pay you for shopping
These are apps that make you money just for scanning in your receipts after you shop, using the camera function on your smartphone.
These are usually pretty slow burners and won’t make you rich overnight. Also, you’re limited by the amount you actually go shopping! But, it only takes a few seconds to upload your receipts each time you shop. If you get into the habit, you can earn enough vouchers to treat yourself every few months.
Shoppix
With Shoppix, you can earn money just for uploading pictures of your receipts after shopping. Once you get enough points you can cash out to PayPal or vouchers for various shops.
Storewards
Storewards works the same way as Shoppix basically. This app has replaced the similar app Receipt Hog, which no longer works in the UK.
Selling apps to earn money from your stuff
Ziffit
If you have piles of unwanted books, games, DVDs and CDs sitting around, why not have a declutter and earn some extra cash?
Ziffit is an app where you can sell used books and other second hand goods. Simply download the app and use the in-app barcode scanner to get an instant price.
Warning: this is quite addictive and you’ll end up scanning everything you own to see what gets the highest price! Once you’re ready to sell, Ziffit will generate a free postage label to send your goods off, and you’ll be paid a few weeks later.
We Buy Books
We Buy Books works just like Ziffit (and despite the name, they take DVDs, CDs and games too). The prices can vary between the two apps, so I always try both to see which gives me the best offer!
Music Magpie
Similar to the above two, Music Magpie is an app for scanning and selling second hand books, games, CDs and tech. I recommend trying all to compare prices.
Shpock
Known as the boot sale app because you can sell all kinds of bits and bobs from around your house. Shpock is great for having a clear out and making money from your clutter. The idea is that you sell locally (like Facebook Marketplace) so bear in mind that some cities are more active than others.
Vinted
An app for buying, selling and swapping clothes.
Preloved
You can sell your second hand clothes, furniture and pretty much anything else. You can also give away items for free – useful if you just need to have a clear out but your items aren’t worth much.
Depop
Depop is a selling app specialising in unique fashion. This is your best bet to get a good price if you have rare, vintage or brand pieces to sell.
Related post: What Can I Sell to Make Money From Home?
Cashback apps that earn you money for shopping
Cashback sites and apps are one of the easiest ways to make money with no effort. You get paid simply for clicking through from the cashback site before you make a purchase.
Quidco
Quidco is my favourite cash back site.
You can earn a bonus £10 when you make your first qualifying purchase through their website at this link!
TopCashback
TopCashback is Quidco’s main rival. Sometimes the offers are different, so it can be worth checking both. iPhone / Android / Online
Related post: 6 Smart Ways to Get Paid to Shop
Passive income apps for free money!
These free money apps pay you for doing nothing! Simply download and earn money in the background while the apps do their thing. Warning: these apps can be heavy on battery life and/or data, so keep an eye out.
Nielsen mobile panel
This is an app that monitors data usage. You accumulate points for as long as you leave it running, which you can exchange for rewards such as vouchers or products from a catalogue.
Sign up online first, and if you qualify you’ll be given a link to download the app.
Online
Honeygain
This is another one that runs in the background to make passive income. I have heard that Honeygain eats up data, but if you have a good unlimited data plan you might want to check it out. There is also a desktop version which you can run on your computer, I’ve used this version and it didn’t seem to slow anything down.
Sign up here for $5 bonus
Sweatcoin
It’s not totally passive, but Sweatcoin rewards you for walking – so if you walk a fair bit anyway, you can earn money for nothing. The app tracks your step count each day, and rewards you with coins. You can cash out your coins as various free goods, or sometimes vouchers. I find this one does take a long time to see any decent reward, but I just let it run in the background until I have enough for something fun.
iPhone /Android
Related post: 5 Insanely Smart Money Making Hacks: No-Effort Ways to Make Extra Cash
Gig apps to find extra work from your phone
Looking for some casual work to earn extra cash? These apps can hook you up with small jobs.
Appjobs
Appjobs is not an app itself but it matches you up with app-based jobs depending on availability in your area. I searched it for London and there are lots of well-paid part time jobs such as walking tour guides and chauffeur jobs.
Taskrabbit
An app for finding odd jobs such as handyman work, help with moving house and chores.
Money making apps for 2022: download and earn!
There are loads more money making apps out there, but these some of the best UK apps to make money, based on my own experience and research! Do you know any other apps that can earn money? Which apps have you tried? Let us know your experience in the comments!
This post was first published on 13 July 2018 and was last updated on 22 April 2022.
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