How to Make Easy Money on Your Phone (and Earn All Day Long)

Last Updated on March 19, 2023 by Erin

We are lucky to live in the age of smartphones and there are plenty of ways to make easy money on your phone. Cash-back rewards are by far the easiest method. By taking advantage of cash-back rewards programs, I’m able to easily and quickly save on the things I buy every day. Whether it’s groceries, gas, or clothes, all I have to do is make the purchase and watch my rewards accumulate. Plus, it’s a great way to keep track of how much I’m spending – so when I see how much I’m saving, it’s like a bonus surprise!

Not only will you save money, but you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you’re taking charge of your finances. So why not give it a try and see how much you can save? You may be surprised at how quickly the rewards add up!

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Download These 5 Cash Back Reward Apps

Cash back rewards apps are a great way to save money and get discounts on everyday purchases. There are five popular cash back reward apps that I personally use and recommend: Rakuten, ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Swagbucks, and Upside. Each of these apps have unique features that make them beneficial for different types of shopping.

1. Easy Money Online with Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly known as eBates) is a great option for those who want to get cash back on a variety of purchases. With Rakuten, you can earn up to 40% cash back from over 2,500 stores and restaurants. You can even get additional bonuses when you refer friends and family to the app.

Here is your easy step-by-step guide to using Rakuten and making easy money on your phone:

1. Use this link to sign up and get a $30 bonus.
2. Confirm your email and download the app from the App store or Google Play store.
3. Open the app and log in with your existing account details.
4. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see the Rakuten homepage with various deals and promotions available.
5. In order to receive Cash Back rewards you need to go to your account profile in the app and select “Choose How to Get Paid.” Here you can add your address for a check to be mailed to your house OR link your PayPal account.
6. To start shopping, use the search bar at the top of the screen or browse through the various stores listed.
7. The site will open with your cash back rewards activated. Shop like you normally would and place an order.
8. Cash back is automatically added to your Rakuten account! It could take a few hours to a few days depending on the store, but you don’t have to worry about a thing.
9. Every 3 months, you will receive the Cash Back you’ve earned.
10. If you have any questions or need help, click on the Help Center link in your account profile.

How Legit and Reputable Is Rakuten?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a non-profit organization that collects and provides free business reviews and ratings to consumers. Trustpilot is an online review platform that allows consumers to leave feedback and reviews about their experiences with various businesses. Here are the BBB and Trustpilot ratings for Rakuten:

1. Better Business Bureau (BBB): Rakuten has a B rating with the BBB. Although they have over 1K recorded complaints, Rakuten appears to have a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and attempts to resolve any complaints. You can see their responses on the BBB website.
2. Trustpilot: Rakuten has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 23,000 reviews. The majority of the reviews are positive, with customers praising Rakuten for its cashback rewards, ease of use, and customer service.

Overall, Rakuten has good ratings on both the BBB and Trustpilot, indicating that it is a reputable and trustworthy company to do business with.

2. Make Money with Your Phone Using ibotta

If you frequently find yourself shopping for groceries, ibotta is the perfect option to make money on your phone. With ibotta, you can get cash back on over 1,500 grocery items including produce, dairy products, and snacks. Plus, you can even get bonuses for referring friends and family to the app.

Here’s a simple guide to using the ibotta app:

1. Use this link to sign up with ibotta and get instant $5 bonus!
2. Download the Ibotta app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Then open the app and log in with your account details.
3. Make a grocery list of the items you need to purchase and check the ibotta app to see if any of the items are eligible for cash back.
4. Select the offers that you want to redeem by clicking on them and adding them to your “My Offers” list.
5. Go to the grocery store and purchase the eligible items. Be sure to keep the receipt as you’ll need to scan it to redeem your cashback.
6. After you’re done shopping, open the Ibotta app and select the “Redeem” button at the bottom of the screen.
7. Follow the instructions to take a photo of your receipt. (You have 7 days to get the receipt submitted)
8. Ibotta will credit the cashback amount to your account within 48 hours.
9. Once you’ve accumulated at least $20, you can withdraw the money via PayPal, your bank, or a gift card.
10. You can also refer friends to Ibotta and earn bonus cashback for each referral.

How Reputable is the ibotta app?

1. Better Business Bureau (BBB): Ibotta has a B rating with the BBB. Complaints are typically responded to and closed and seem to be related to account issues. If a user attempts to have multiple accounts on the same phone, their account is shut down because it goes against terms of use. So, don’t do that!
2. Trustpilot: Ibotta has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 51,000 reviews. The majority of the reviews are positive, with customers praising Ibotta for its cashback rewards, ease of use, and customer service.

With these strong ratings and high number of reviews, you can be assured ibotta is a trustworthy cash back program.

3. Make Easy Money with Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is another great way to make fast money on your phone. It’s my personal favorite! Motley Fool actually rated this app the #1 overall cash back app for 2023.

This app allows you to earn rewards points on select purchases from specific brands. You can then redeem those points for cash back or gift cards. You can use my code D15XU to earn an automatic 100 cash back points.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the Fetch Rewards app:

1. Download the Fetch Rewards app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Use my code to earn cash back instantly.
2. Open the app and create an account or log in with your existing account details. Make sure you email is connected, because one of the amazing things about Fetch is that it can check your email for online receipts. You don’t even need to leave the app! Talk about an easy way to make money on your phone!
3. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see the Fetch Rewards home screen with various offers available.
4. To start earning rewards, click on the “Scan” button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Scan your receipts. The app will automatically recognize the store and purchase details.
6. Wait for the app to process your receipt and add the rewards points to your account.
7. If any of the items on your receipt are eligible for bonus rewards, the app will notify you and add them to your account.
8. You can also earn bonus rewards by referring friends to the app.
9. Once you’ve accumulated enough rewards points, you can redeem them for gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon, Target, and Starbucks.
10. To redeem your rewards, click on the “Rewards” button at the bottom of the screen and select the gift card you want to redeem.

How Legit Is Fetch Rewards?

Here are the BBB and Trustpilot ratings for Fetch Rewards:

1. Better Business Bureau (BBB): Fetch Rewards is not currently accredited with the BBB and has no rating with the organization.
2. Trustpilot: Fetch Rewards has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 10,000 reviews. The majority of the reviews are positive, with customers praising Fetch Rewards for its easy-to-use app, quick reward payouts, and good customer service.

Overall, Fetch Rewards has a strong rating on Trustpilot, indicating that it is a reputable company to do business with. However, it’s worth noting that Fetch Rewards is not currently accredited with the Better Business Bureau and therefore does not have a BBB rating.

I know my opinion may not be worth much, but I have had a great experience with the app for all the positive review reasons mentioned on Trustpilot. It’s incredibly easy to use, you are rewarded quickly, and I’ve had zero difficulty redeeming my gift cards. I will update this post if anything changes.

4. Swagbucks: The Easiest Way to Make Money on Your Phone

Ah, Swagbucks, how I love thee. Swagbucks offers a variety of ways how to make money online. It’s by far the most versatile of the apps on my list. From paid surveys and watching videos to playing games and shopping, you can easily make some extra money with this app. Plus, you’ll even get cash back on select purchases.

I have a very detailed post dedicated to Swagbucks, so be sure to check that out.

Is Swagbucks Legit?

1. Better Business Bureau (BBB): Swagbucks is accredited with the BBB and has an B rating with the organization. Swagbucks tries to resolve any complaints in a timely manner. Most complaints are due to difficulties accessing user accounts.
2. Trustpilot: Swagbucks has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 16,000 reviews. The majority of the reviews are positive, with customers praising Swagbucks for its easy-to-use platform, variety of earning opportunities, and good customer service.

Swagbucks has awarded over $800 million dollars in cash to its users. It has been around for a while and many people trust it. Give it a try!

5. Making Money on Your Phone with Upside

Upside is an app that helps you earn cash back on your everyday purchases. I primarily use it at the gas station, but you can also earn cash back rewards at grocery stores and restaurants. Who wouldn’t love earning cash back on every gallon of gas you purchase? It might seem small, but it adds up quickly.

Here’s how to use Upside:

1. Download the Upside app from the App store or Google Play store. Use my promo code ERIN74588 to get an extra $0.15/gallon bonus on your first gasoline purchase.
2. Open the app when you need gas, groceries, or if you’re eating out at a restaurant.
3. Claim the offer BEFORE you make your purchase. (This is key).
4. Pay as you normally would with your credit or debit card. Cash and gift card purchases are not eligible.
5. Follow the directions in the app by uploading your receipt or tapping the “I paid!” button
6. Receive cash back on your transactions. This could take 2-4 days but you receive an email when the offer is processed.
7. Cash out earnings via PayPal, e-gift cards, or your bank account.
8. Make sure to refer your friends! Upside has an amazing referral program. When you share your code, you get a bonus for their first successful cash back redemption AND cash back for every gallon of gas they buy in the future AND a bonus when their referrals get gas. Holy moly!

Is Upside a Trustworthy App?

1. Better Business Bureau (BBB): Upside is accredited with the BBB and has a B+ rating with the organization. It’s the highest rated app out of all that I’ve mentioned in this post. The average review is 4.8/5, with almost 4K reviews. That’s a lot of happy customers!
2. Trustpilot: Upside is not yet registered on the Trustpilot website, but I’ll update this post if something changes. It looks like there are multiple Upside companies and that created some confusion when I tried to research. The cash back app is not yet registered.

Something I particularly enjoy about Upside is they have an extensive FAQ section and help center. They definitely care about the user experience.

Example Day Earning Easy Money on Your Phone

AM

I wake up and take a quick survey on Swagbucks while I’m scrolling my phone in the morning. I earn $1.00 in cash back.

My car is running on empty, so I stop by the gas station on the way to drop off the kids at school. When I check Upside, I see that the Casey’s nearby is offering $0.12/gallon on regular gasoline. First, I claim my offer and then fill up the car. I also make sure to get a receipt. I scan the receipt in both Fetch Rewards and Swagbucks for an instant $0.27.

After dropping off the older two, I return home to start on my grocery list and meal planning. I check for offers in ibotta and claim them if they happen to be things I plan on purchasing. It looks like I’m going to earn about $10 for this trip, which is awesome!

When I return from my grocery shopping, I scan my receipt in several apps to make sure I’m getting the most bang for my buck. I discover that I earn a few extra points in Swagbucks AND Fetch for one of the items on my receipt. That earns me an extra $3.

PM

Later that afternoon, I remember my daughter has an upcoming birthday party to attend. I look in the Rakuten app and see that I can earn up to 3% cash back on toy purchases at Walmart. I should earn about $1, and then I’ll scan the receipt into several cash back apps to get up to $2.

It’s date night, so my husband and I are going out to eat. I check Rakuten and see that we can get 6% back at the local brewery. Score! That will likely be another $3.

When I get home, I take another quick survey on Swagbucks and play the live trivia game in the app to earn another $1.

By the end of the day, I’ve accumulated around $20. That amount is spread out between apps, but I’m well on my way to earning free gift cards just from carrying out my everyday tasks. On any given day, you could be earning at least $5. That adds up quickly!

Make Money on Your Phone By Referring Friends

Another way to earn money fast through cash back reward apps is by referring friends. Many cash back reward apps offer referral bonuses to users who refer friends. For example, Rakuten offers a $30 referral bonus to users who refer friends who sign up and make a qualifying purchase. Upside gives you cash back for all of your referrals and their referrals. You can’t pass that up!

Once you realize how amazingly easy it is to make money on your phone and earn cash back, you will want to share the love 🙂

Final Thoughts

You can absolutely make easy money on your phone using cash back reward apps. It sounds too good to be true, but it is a very easy way to save and make money. By downloading cash back reward apps, browsing the offers, making purchases, redeeming rewards, and referring friends, you can quickly and easily earn cash back rewards.

So why wait? Download a cash back reward app today and start earning money!

Sincerely,
Erin