If you’re a Basic Traveler, then you know that we LOVE to make extra money in the easiest ways possible. We haven’t really talked about this before but we decided it was time to share our good fortunes and tips to extra cash with all of you. Some of the time these types of deals seem to be ‘too good to be true’, but sometimes, they might just surprise you!
So without further ado, we have gathered up our top-earning extra money strategies below! We will be updating this list regularly when we come across a new deal or earning avenue, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often!
Top BASIC Ways to Earn Extra Money
1. Checking/Savings account Bonuses
This is 100% top of our list if we are looking for cold hard cash to spend. For one reason, it is typically easy to do. (If you look at it from the right bank account). Secondly, it is the fastest way to usually earn cash bonuses.
There are always Various hot offers going around via all of the big banks. I sat down during the Buffalo Bills game a few weeks ago and racked up a quick $1,000 in sign-up bonuses. If you have been reading our blog for a while, you might remember seeing how Lisa made $1,7000 with a broken leg!
Click Here for This Months Top Bank Account Offers
2. Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses
The ONLY reason this isn’t number one, is because Credit Card Welcome Offers typically have a higher “Points” value when redeemed for travel than they do for Bank Bonuses. Credit Card Welcome offers are usually an offer you get when you reach a certain Spend limit to earn the bonus points.
There are a lot of huge sign-up bonuses through various banks. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. We value those 60,000 points at a minimum of $600 if using as cashback. Using the points through the travel portal will give provide an added bonus of 25% more value with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card which brings the bonus up to $750. You’ll find this offer and more via our Top Credit Cards Ranking Page!
Click Here for This Months Top Credit Card Offers
3. QAPITAL Saving & Investing Mobile App
For a limited time, you can earn an easy $20 Bonus for making a new Qapital account.
A quick overview of Qapital is that you basically create savings goals and money automatically contributes to them based on whatever you select. I actually created an account last summer and still have it in active mode. You can set different financial goals through the app which can help with saving money for big trips or even a downpayment on a house.
If anything, try it out a few months and get an extra $20! I personally liked that you could ‘round-up’ from purchases. All that extra change adds up so fast!
Click Here To Learn More About Qapital
4. Cashback Online Portals
There are a ton of online cashback portals that offer a percentage of money back after clicking through their portal before making an online purchase. Usually, the cashback being offered is pretty consistent among the portals, however, these portals often run different promotions which can really save you a ton of money!
I suggest signing up for all of them and making it a point to check the Cashback Monitor’s Website for the different percentages of cashback being offered at any given time. Here are some of the most popular cashback portals on the market!
- Rakuten – $10 Signup Promotion
- BeFrugal – $10 Signup Promotion
- Lemoney – Earn a Turbo Cashback for signing up
- TopCashBack – $10 Signup Promotion
- RebatesMe – $5 Signup Promotion
5. Everyday purchases with the Dosh App
The Dosh Mobile app provides cashback automatically on everyday purchases. It’s FREE to Signup and doesn’t require any sort of opting in order to receive cashback. Download the app to your smartphone, add the credit or debit card that you’re using for everyday purchases, and go about living your life. When you swipe your card for a purchase that qualifies for cash back; you’ll receive a notification via the app and through your email.
Click Here on Your Smartphone to Get Started with Dosh
6. Scan your receipts for cashback
Similar to cashback online, Ibotta gives you money back for everyday purchases!
I always forget to check coupons and things before going to the store. The cool thing about Ibotta is AFTER you make a purchase, you just scan your receipts to reap the rewards. We love this app because you can actually combine it with other coupons and discounts to get more bang for your buck. You could even triple-dip if something like DOSH worked in unison with a store AND also you had coupons.
Another thing I like is once you open an account, you can refer your friends too to get some other bonuses! Cha-Ching!
Click Here to Get Started with Ibotta
7. Complete Surveys for Money
This is not a get-rich-quick-scheme but every little bit helps. Our favorite company is Survey Junkie who pays out instantaneously. It’s a really easy platform to use and you can cash out your survey money via PayPal or for various gift cards.
8. Rent out your home!
Airbnb – Rent out a spare room or while on vacation/during prime times where you live. We have often considered renting out our place, especially in the summer when we travel. There are just so many people who travel to Niagara Falls each year they would make this rentable. I’m not a huge fan of the idea but Dave is all for it. If we do try it out, we will update our results.
Vacation Rentals By Owner or VRBO is another great website you can use to rent out your house or room. Works similar to Air BnB in which you can list your house or a room for rent. VRBO has a larger focus on the entire home or apartment. Airbnb, on the other hand, includes entire homes but also has home-sharing and room rentals.
VRBO offers annual subscription fees, which is a cheaper alternative for hosts that offer year-round booking availability. Airbnb’s fee is a “pay-per-booking” style.
9. Rent out your Car!
Like Airbnb or VRBO, you can now rent out your car! So if you are traveling or don’t need your car, you can rent out your car to earn some money back for your trip!
You can earn extra money with Turo when you allow others to rent out your car. Turo provides insurance up to $1 million in liability insurance, contractual protection for damage and theft, and 24/7 roadside assistance throughout the trip in the US. This is always a great service to check, especially when car rentals are really expensive for the area.
While we haven’t rented out our own cars (mainly because it is not in Buffalo), we did have a great experience renting a Mistubishi Eclipse Spider in Fort Lauderdale though! It was so fun and actually cheaper than even getting a basic economy car for a few days. , and since I am gone a lot of times now, we might look into this option to help pay for her car while she’s away at work!
10. Get paid to drive people around
Uber and Lyft are the most popular services around. They are so convenient, especially when traveling. The great news is that there are definitely sign up bonuses for doing this, and it’s a really easy way to work on your own time and schedule.
Click Here to Get Started With Lyft
11. Get paid to bring people food
Don’t want to deal with people in your car? No problem. Deliver them food instead! It seems like a pretty easy gig to me, and maybe a bit safer than driving people around. Personally I feel like delivering food could be fun, and maybe you’d even get more tips, like the pizza delivery guy?
Click Here To Get Started with Uber Eats
12. Deliver Products to People in Other Countries when Traveling
Note: We have not personally done these but have seen other bloggers talk about them and they seem to be a good moneymaker so we wanted to include it.
AirMule – Get paid to deliver products that are pre-purchased and provided to you in a travel box. This only works on certain routes from the USA to Europe and Asia. Essentially you enter your flight details and if there is a product that someone wants which isn’t available in that country you can make money by bringing it there. Typically these products are electronics like MacBooks and iPhones.
Click Here to Get Started with AirMule
Grabr – Get paid to deliver the products that you purchase. Just like AirMule, however, instead of the company giving you the product to travel with, you pre-purchase it yourself. This is a nice way to earn some points and miles, along with some extra cash for delivering a product to someone in another country. Same as AirMule, the products are typically various electronics.
Click Here to Get Started with Grabr
13. Donate your Plasma
Donating plasma is just like donating blood. You sit in a chair (that is actually more comfortable) and they let you hang out for 1-2 hours. They don’t actually take your blood so they use a smaller needle which is more comfortable. The blood runs through a machine that separates the plasma and then returns the blood to you. Because of this, you can donate plasma up to 2 times a week. You have to wait 1 day in between donations though.
Check to see if you have a Local Center Near You
14. Become a Brand Ambassador
Do you have an engaging personality and like to hand out free swag? Become a Brand Ambassador! Create a profile with various companies to learn about jobs in your area. I started in the promotional world almost 10ish years ago now and it has created SO many opportunities for me. Dave even joined in and a lot of times we even get to work events together! Not to mention it is SUPER flexible, and the pay is usually $17 an hour and higher.
Most of these jobs you have to apply through a company and then they will email you when there are positions open in the area. So, create a few profiles now and then sign up for email alerts.
Some of our Favorite Brand Ambassador Companies Below
- Assist Marketing
- TEAM
- GMR
- PPD
- Events-Promotions
- Stuck for Staff
- Advantage Sales and Marketing
- Two Dots Promotions
- HART Agency
You can always google “Promotional Companies” or “Brand Ambassador” to find different jobs. Sometimes you even get free perks, like I have gotten a Kitchen Aid mixer, and numerous jackets from companies I have worked promos for.
15. Start a Blog
Interested in starting your own blog? It can be of anything of interest to you. Food blog, mom blog, sewing blog, fashion, anything you’d want. You can make money from promoting affiliate links too!
Click Here to Get Started With Bluehost
16. Respondent Interviews
Another option for Surveys and Interviews is Respondent. They pay pretty well but have some very random niches they are looking for. Most recently I saw that you could make $200 in one hour if you have any say in the hand soap used in your company.
Click Here to Get Started with Respondent
17. PFS Buyers Club
PFS Buyers Club is a program where members are offered exclusive deals to earn money for helping them source limited edition items. The offers we have done are usually US Mint Coins. Very simple and easy. I’ve worked with this company for a while on a bunch of different orders. They typically buy different items like electronics and tickets from their affiliates and pay good commissions. The steps below are how it works.
Click Here to Get Started With PFS Buyers Club
As always, if you earn some money via one or more of our strategies we would love to hear what you do with it. Feel free to send us a message with a photo or tag us on Instagram to be featured on our #BasicTravelBlog.
I’d love to hear in the comments below or over in our 8,700+ Member Basic Travel Facebook Group!
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