How To Get Free Money: 13 Quick Ways

Free money? Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Every year businesses (and the government) give away thousands of dollars in free money and extra money as a way of promoting their websites or products.

It's true and I've put together a list of my favorites that will give you more than $1,000 in free cash right now. Some of them only require filling out a form or downloading a free money app. Some of them take a bit more effort, but you can easily knock out all of these in a weekend to get free money online.

How to Get Free Money

Is free money really free? I know you're probably skeptical, because there are a ton of ways to get free money. Here's some ideas for you…

1. Get Free Money from the Government

If you are in need of assistance then you can look to get free money from the government. Here's how with these legitimate free money earning sites:

Unclaimed.org

Your first stop should be checking out Unclaimed.org for “missing” money that you may be owed. Unclaimed is endorsed by The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) and would typically include old security deposits that you've paid in the past and those sorts of things. This would be a great way to get free money sent by mail that is owed to you.

MissingMoney.com

This is a similar site to Unclaimed.org and is also endorsed by the NAUPA. MissingMoney.com features collective records from all states of all resident's unclaimed property. You don't even have to sign up to get free money all you do is a free search to see if you're owed anything.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plan serves as the application for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds by providing a description of, and assurance about, the grantee’s child care program and all services available to eligible families that need free cash and funds as aid.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps keep families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families with energy costs. If you legitimately need payment assistance and money today for free then it is worth checking out.

Federal Pell Grant for Education

Federal Pell Grants are usually awarded to undergraduates. The amount depends on financial need and the cost of attendance at the college. This is a great way to grants to avoid taking out student loans. You can learn more at the Federal Student Aid website.

HeathCare.gov

If you have health insurance coverage through the government's health insurance marketplace (healthcare.gov), you can lower your monthly payments with a credit. This credit can be paid directly to your insurance provider.

InsureKidsNow.gov

Millions of kids and teens qualify for free or low-cost health and dental coverage through Medicaid & the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  Learn about coverage options for your family and get free or low-cost health insurance coverage!

2. Join Sites that Give You Free Money to Invest in Stocks (up to $1,000)

I know it sounds absurd, but yes, there are online companies offering you free stocks in major companies like VISA, Microsoft and many more immediately once your open an account.

This is a good opportunity that can immediately increase your net worth and score you up to $1,000 quickly. A good example of an investing app that offers this is Robinhood. The investing app serves over 10 million customers globally and provides free stocks of up to $200 once you sign up for a free account. The shares are credited to your account after creating your account. Additionally, trading of stocks, cryptocurrency, ETFS and options is free within the popular investing app.

Other major investing apps that alow offer free stocks for joining include M1 Finance, Public, Webull and Acorns.

You simply create an account with each of these apps and immediately get free shares of stock, which start increasing in value over time and can make you money passively.

3. Earn Credit Card Signup Bonuses

One of the best ways to make some serious extra cash is to take advantage of credit card signup bonuses.

My favorite credit card is the Discover it® credit card which has no fees at all and because you can earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.

You can also get a lower interest rate — 0% Intro APR for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers, so if you have any credit card debt with high-interest rates, it's worth switching over so you save on interest. Then you can find ways to pay off the credit card debt while saving on interest.

Also, this card is beneficial if you wanted to claim a $50 bonus after you make any purchase with your new Card in your first 3 months. You will receive the $50 back in the form of a statement credit.

Click here to apply and get a $50 bonus!

4. Get Free Money from Bill Negotiation Apps

Oftentimes, you may be spending more than necessary on your monthly bills, probably due to inflated bills, higher prices on some products, or even redundant subscriptions (hello Netflix and Hulu 👋).

However, there are new bill negotiation tools on the market like Rocket Money that help you save money by negotiating cable, internet, phone, and medical bills.

Rocket Money is a top choice for those who want a budgeting app that can assist in lowering expenses. It allows you to monitor your bank account spending and establish a budget.

Additionally, the app's noteworthy attribute is its Bill Negotiation feature, which can evaluate whether you can receive the same service from a company at a reduced price if you upload a copy of your bill.

5. Shopping and Cash Back Apps Can Help

There are cash back apps that can really help you with your buying needs. These types of apps search through the different stores to get you the best deals, trending deals, price cut alerts, featured offers and coupons to help you find free money.

Some of these cash back apps to help you score $100 fast in one day include:

Rakuten

Rakuten collaborates with some of the world’s biggest brands like Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Kohls to give you cashback discounts once you shop in the stores. Some of the stores offer up to 20p cashback which is moved to your account and is dispatched after every quarter year to your PayPal or bank account.

Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards also rewards subscribers for purchasing goods in participating stores just like other cash back apps. You simply send proof of purchase by scanning the receipt and for every successful upload, you get 5 points. Additionally, you can earn points accruing to 2000 points for every referral.

GetUpside

GetUpside partners with businesses to provide you with bonuses on all purchases made. Most of their partners are in the gas station business, restaurants and grocery stores. On subscribing, you get a map of participating stores in your area to view offers. On getting the offer, you can redeem the points totaling to 1 dollar and above to your PayPal account or Check.

6. Survey Websites and Apps

Market research is an easy way for brands to learn about the acceptability of a product in the market using online buyers. There are several market research companies that’ll pay you for your opinion. Upon signing up to each, you get access to top paying survey opportunities and you can earn money fast today.

The highest paying survey sites that will pay you free PayPal money include:

Swagbucks

Swagbucks or ‘SB’ as it is commonly referred to, is a research portal that rewards its users for taking up easy tasks such as watching videos, participating in a survey, or searching in the web. You are rewarded through royalty points which can be redeemed to gift cards or cash via PayPal. The gift cards can be used in over 1,500 retailer shops globally, while cash is sent to your PayPal account. To get a $5 gift card you require a total of 500 points, or alternatively, accumulate a total of 10,000 points to cash out $100 which can be done within a few days of grinding.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie has a tagline that says ‘you will not be rich’ to me oozes honesty. It is true you can’t make a fortune from the site, but at least you can make some little pocket change as a part-time hustle. You earn by participating in surveys, and each can pay on average from $1 to $3. The money is rewarded in points form ranging from 20 to 200 depending on the survey. You can only cash out after accruing over 1000 points an equivalent of $10.

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is an online marketing site that rewards members for participating in simple tasks online such as watching TV, completing surveys, watching celebrity news videos, watching ads, and other tasks. When you sign up you get a free $5 welcome bonus, though you can only cash out after getting your balance to $30.

Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is an online community for like-minded individuals willing to share views on certain topics and make some cash out of it. You are rewarded through life points and you can only cash out after accumulating over 500 points which is equal to $5. You can either redeem it to your PayPal account or get gift cards for different online shops like eBay gift cards or Amazon gift cards.

7. Get Paid to Get in Shape

I know you can’t count the miles you walk in a day, but the news I am about to drop now will make you more concerned with that data.

Nowadays, there are platforms online conducting exercising surveys, and they are typically paying you to walk. Yes, you heard that right!

You simply sign up to the sites, and they track your walked distance and award you with points. Redeemable as either hand cash or points to buy in a store. Some of the best examples of such apps include Achievement, HealthyWage, and Sweatcoin.

8. Get Free Money Playing Games

Gone are the times when we used to scratch Charity Sweepstakes at a retailer’s center, nowadays these games are available on your smartphone and web. If you are a fan of these luck games, you can make a buck or two downloading game apps that pay real money.

There is a wide variety of game options and activities to choose from and make money. Some apps offer trivia questions, digital scratch-off cards, playing games and many more options and you can win free gift cards or cash to your mobile phone.

Some of the most reputable apps include Solitaire Cube, Mistplay (Android), and Blackout Bingo. You sign up for an account and start playing your favorite game immediately.

9. Get Free Money by Downloading an App

Search engines, websites and apps are known for selling your data at exorbitant rates, and often as a user you don’t get a dime from the money they make off your data. However, nowadays there are free apps online where you can sell your data and make some extra cash from home.

Some of them include: MobileXpression, Savvy Connect, Nielsen Mobile Panel, Data Coup and many others.

With these apps, you simply register an account and start making money by voluntarily sharing your browser usage and internet searching habits.

Nielsen Mobile Panel, for instance, tracks people’s internet usage by installing its app to your desktop or mobile device. If you agree to it, then you can make $50 per year just for installing its free app. This is the same case as the rest of these data collection apps, though it depends on the field of interest.

10. Earn Free Money for Reading Emails

There are a bunch of companies that are willing to pay you to get their emails read.

This is mainly for marketing purposes, and you can quickly make extra cash from the comfort of your home.

Some of the reputable agencies which offer these services include Swagbucks, InboxDollars, Vindale Research, InboxPays and Toluna.

11. Earn Passive Income with a High-Yield Savings Account

 Yes, I wouldn't think of a savings account as a good source of passive income but your cash should be getting something in return instead of just sitting in a checking account.

Online banks can offer over 20X more in interest — and consumers are missing out. The best high yield savings accounts offer a higher interest rate and there is absolutely no risk to your money (you'll actually earn 1% or more on your cash). 

One online bank that offers a .61% APY is Axos Bank. They are also offering a $100 bonus when you open a new Essential Checking account and a High Yield Savings account. Terms and conditions apply, and all deposits are FDIC insured. Use promo code GET100 here.

12. Earn Money Through Weight Loss

I know you can’t count the miles you walk in a day, but the news I am about to drop now will make you more concerned with that data.

Nowadays, there are platforms online conducting exercising surveys, and they are typically paying you to walk. Yes, you heard that right!

You simply sign up to the sites, and they track your walked distance and award you with points. Redeemable as either hand cash or points to buy in a store. Some of the best examples of such apps include Achievement, HealthyWage, Sweatcoin.

13. Safe and Fast Way To Get Money Now

If you actually need money now, then you can opt for a personal loan. When you need money in a hurry ZippyLoan is where to go.

You apply for a loan through the Zippy Loan site, if approved they send your loan application to one of many loan providers.

You review the loan details and e-sign if you like what you see. No risk in checking what offers you'll get. You can borrow between $100 and $15,000 as soon as tomorrow.

Loans service up to 60 months.

ZippyLoan connects borrowers to lenders through their network of lenders. They'll find you the lowest interest rate and is one of the best no credit check loan. You can visit ZippyLoan here.

Free Money FAQs

Free money is a benefit that has no costs. Here, it will mostly be sites that will not be asking for anything directly in return for the money.

Here are common questions people ask about how to get absolutely free money:

Beware of Free Money Scams

Don’t assume that all free money opportunities you receive are from legitimate companies or even people. Some free money offers online are scams.

Spurious agents may happen to pick up your phone number and call you to offer a free vacation or even free money. Therefore, be vigilant about anything you find that someone claims to be free.

A detailed guide on the subject elaborates on the several steps consumers can take to protect themselves against such scam collection calls claiming to offer anything for “free”.

You should start by asking questions. For example, ask the caller about the company he or she represents, or ask for a number to call them “right back.” Legitimate companies would readily provide this information. Even asking seemingly trivial questions like “what’s my full name,” can help keep the fraudulent callers away.

With that being said, good luck earning free money and stay vigilant!