Earning extra money is something we all like to do to make ends meet or reach a specific goal. But, making money on the side often takes time that we don’t have. If this describes you, your best bet is to find a way to monetize your free time. One terrific option for this is to get paid to watch ads on your phone or laptop.
Yes, it sounds like a scam, but watching ads for money is an excellent way to earn spending money or help achieve a goal. If you want to learn how to make money in your free time, this guide shares the best ways to make money on your phone.
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Real Ways to Get Paid to Watch Ads
Do you like to fill up your downtime in the evenings? If so, you can earn money on your phone. Many platforms pay you through a point system. Each video or playlist of videos earns you a certain amount of points.
In most instances, you can convert those points into gift cards or transfer cash to a PayPal account. You won’t get rich, but it’s possible to earn $20 or $25 monthly per platform. Some of the platforms on our list even offer bonuses, or other ways to earn.
Here are a few of the best platforms to view ads on your phone.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the leaders in the online side hustle space. You can earn Swagbucks (known as SB points) for shopping, gaming, watching videos, and other small tasks.
You earn Swagbucks that you can convert to gift cards from dozens of retailers. Swagbucks has several different categories of video ads you can view, including:
- News and Politics
- Health
- Technology
- Parenting
- Fashion
- Hobbies
The video will open in a separate window from the watch home page. Make sure you have pop-ups enabled, or you won’t see the ads come up.
Once you view the video ads, you receive SB points and have a chance to rate the videos.
This is your time to let Swagbucks know if you liked the videos. If you give it a thumbs down, you won’t have to watch that video or anything similar again.
You aren’t able to watch another ad until you rate the previous one. Swagbucks typically displays how much you can earn and how long each video is towards the top of the page.
Swagbucks gives you $10 when you open an account, and you can redeem once you reach $25. However, some retailers offer gift cards as low as $3 for you to redeem.
Read our Swagbucks review to learn more.
2. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is another top site that allows you to get paid to view ads. Like other platforms, brands pay InboxDollars to get consumers to watch short ads about their product or service.
You can also get paid to receive emails through InboxDollars.
The ad content is usually something as simple as a movie trailer or promotion of a new product. You typically will watch content from different retailers.
A sample of retailers InboxDollars has worked with in the past include:
- Target.com
- Publishers Clearing House
- Walmart
- H&R Block
You receive $5 for becoming a new member with InboxDollars, and you can redeem gift cards or cash once you reach $30. Since 2000, InboxDollars has paid its members over $56 million in cash rewards.
Read our InboxDollars review to learn more.
3. MyPoints
If you like Swagbucks, MyPoints is another terrific choice to get paid to watch ads. The two platforms belong to the same parent company, so they both have a similar look and feel.
Like Swagbucks, MyPoints offers other ways to earn money, including paid surveys. When attempting to get paid to look at ads, you do so by watching video playlists.
The MyPoints playlists come in various lengths, and the videos auto-play once you begin. You must stay on the page for the duration of the video, or the ad will pause.
Some playlists offer four points for watching 40 videos, but the points awarded all depend on the playlist. Once you complete a playlist, your points automatically post to your account.
You earn a free $10 when you open a MyPoints account and make a qualifying $20 purchase through their shopping portal within the first 30 days.
You can redeem cash for gift cards or transfer to PayPal once you reach a $25 balance.
4. FusionCash
FusionCash is similar to others on this list, as it’s a micro task site that pays you to perform various small tasks online.
The primary method to make money through FusionCash is product testing, but you can earn in other ways, including:
- Taking paid surveys
- Using their online shopping portal
- Reading sponsored emails
Video ads aren’t as plentiful on FusionCash, but there are enough to make it worth your effort. If you participate in product testing, make sure you know what’s expected before joining a trial.
Some opportunities require you to purchase a service, so you want to set a reminder to cancel it before the end of your free trial.
5. Shopkick
Shopkick gives shoppers a chance to earn by shopping online or in-store. You can even earn points known as “kicks” for simply walking into a store, whether you make a purchase or not.
Not only is Shopkick useful for shopping and checking into a store, but you can also use it to watch ads on your phone. Shopkick does have a site you can visit for information, but all of the earning happens through their mobile app.
Every 250 kicks you earn equals $1, and you can redeem for gift cards once you reach a $2 balance or PayPal with a $10 balance. You can earn a $5 signup bonus with code FRUGALRULES and earn money faster.
6. SlideJoy
SlideJoy is another legit app that lets you earn money for watching video ads on your phone. Once you download the app onto your Android device (it’s an Android-only app), the app will send notifications to your phone.
In effect, SlideJoy rents the lock screen on your phone to help you earn cash. From your phone’s lock screen, you can decide if you want to open the notification or not.
You have three choices regarding what to do next:
- Slide left to get additional information on the card
- Slide up to see a different card
- Or, slide right to bypass the SlideJoy app and go to your home screen
This action does not change your passcode; it merely operates in the background to help you make money.
Once you swipe, you are asked to put in the code for your device, so you’re only viewing content that you approve.
Points come in the form of Carats. Every 1,000 Carats equals $1, and you can redeem once you reach 2,000 Carats.
SlideJoy offers various gift cards, plus cash via PayPal.
7. Viggle
Viggle is a great app to use if you watch a lot of television. You receive points when you check into the app when you’re watching a show or movie on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
The amount of points you receive depends on the length of the show and the number of segments. When you are ready to start simply press “Check-In,” and you can start to earn while watching your favorite show.
You can even use Viggle on most recorded shows as well, so they don’t have to be live shows to earn.
You can redeem points from one of over 800 retailers, or you can redeem cash for a prepaid Visa cash card.
8. AppNana
AppNana is primarily used to pay users to download, test, and use apps. You earn points known as “Nanas” for performing this task, but the app also allows you to get paid to watch ads.
AppNana does not have a website version, but it does offer users the chance to earn from a mobile app.
You can redeem Nanas for gift cards or earn free Google Play credits.
It does take longer to earn points through this app, so it’s best to pursue other options on this list first.
9. AppTrailers
With AppTrailers, you receive points immediately after you sign up and confirm your email. After you receive your first 50 points for signing up, you can start earning more points by watching videos.
You have to pay attention while the videos play. Once they load, you have to press play, or they will not start.
A few ads may play before the video. The first three videos you watch each day are worth ten points each.
After that, each ad will get you less than ten points, even if it’s a longer ad. The movie trailer videos are about a minute long; users will also likely watch:
- DIY Videos
- Funny Videos
- Celebrity news
- Gaming Videos
On the app, you can also play trivia and other games right from the home screen to earn extra points when you aren’t earning by watching video ads.
10. QuickRewards
QuickRewards is the final choice on our list of ways to get money watching ads.
The service works similar to Swagbucks and InboxDollars as it offers multiple opportunities to earn cash, including:
- Watching ads on your phone
- Taking paid surveys
- Playing games online
- Using their shopping portal
However, the service is unique in that you can customize how you want to make money. You can broaden your opportunities to all the choices in the app, or you can narrow it to online shopping only, as an example.
The best part of QuickRewards is their low redemption amount. You can redeem earnings for gift cards or PayPal cash once you reach a $5 balance.
Summary
Reality is essential when you try to get paid to watch ads on your phone. You won’t replace your day job by any means, but you can still earn extra cash on the side with little effort.
The amount you can make varies per site, and you may even want to try signing up for multiple sites to maximize your earnings. Most sites offer a signup bonus so you can start earning points right away and are free to use.
You can use the earnings to help supplement your income, or apply towards a goal, but nothing more. However, if you have a lot of free time in your week, it’s an excellent way to put it to use.
What do you do to make money on the side? How much free time do you have in a typical week?
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