13 Real Ways to Make Money Watching Videos

Some side hustles require specialized skills. However, there are many gigs you can perform with minimal experience. For example, you can get paid to watch videos.

Earning extra money by watching online videos is a terrific way to help pay off debt or save for a vacation. Not only is it a legitimate choice to make money, but you can do it in your free time.

Ways to Get Paid to Watch Videos

While you won’t become wealthy from this side hustle, you can make a few dollars per hour by watching ads, TV shows, or movie trailers. Some sites even offer additional ways to earn, including paid surveys and games.

Your payment options may consist of PayPal and gift cards, including free Amazon gift certificates. These options vary by platform.

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a loyalty rewards site that allows you to earn money by doing various tasks online. The site has a section that lets you get paid to watch videos.

Swagbucks normally asks you to watch a single video or a batch of videos in exchange for points. The most common videos on Swagbucks are:

• Sports highlights
• News from around the world
• Other themed videos
• Sponsored videos

Make sure to rate each video after you watch it. Between each video, you may have to watch an ad before the next one starts. Some of the ads can be up to 75 seconds long.

As your points add up, you can redeem them for gift cards or cash via PayPal. You can start redeeming points for gift cards as low as $1. Keep in mind you’ll need at least $5 to redeem for PayPal cash.

Watching videos isn’t the only way to earn money with Swagbucks. You can also make money by:

• Answering surveys
• Using their online shopping portal
• Testing new products
• Using their search engine
• Playing online games
• Completing various online tasks
• Referring friends

The service gives you a $10 bonus when you open an account.

Read our Swagbucks review to learn more and find out how you can use it to earn money watching videos.

Trustpilot score: 4.3 out of 5

2. National Consumer Panel

Consider using the National Consumer Panel if you like to watch videos but also want to earn points when you shop.

You primarily earn points by scanning product barcodes of items that you buy. For instance, you can earn points each time you buy groceries.

National Consumer Panel sends videos and online survey opportunities that you can do in your free time. Gift card redemptions start at 5,000 points ($5).

Regularly scanning grocery receipts can give you sweepstakes entries to win as much as $5,000.

Trustpilot score: Unavailable

3. InboxDollars

InboxDollars works similarly to Swagbucks but can offer different earning opportunities.

*Related: Read our guide on the top alternatives to Swagbucks to identify other options to make money completing small tasks online.

You can make money by watching videos online at InboxDollars. Expect to watch short clips of TV shows and movies. Other categories include food and recipes, entertainment, and celebrities.

Not only can you get paid to watch videos with InboxDollars, but you can also earn money by doing the following:

• Playing games online
• Downloading coupons
• Reading sponsored emails
• Shopping online

This platform is one of the best paid survey sites to make extra money.

InboxDollars lets you redeem points for gift cards or have cash sent directly to your PayPal account. While they have a $30 minimum redemption amount for cash, they also offer a $5 bonus when you open an account.

Since 2000, InboxDollars has paid out over $60 million in cash rewards for simple tasks like watching videos.

Read our InboxDollars review to learn more.

Trustpilot score: 4.3 out of 5

4. MyPoints

MyPoints is another get-paid-to (GPT) site that pays you to perform tasks online. You can earn rewards on MyPoints in one of the following ways:

• Taking surveys
• Watching sponsored videos
• Downloading apps and games
• Reading sponsored emails

MyPoints is free to join. You can sign up as long as you are at least 13 years old, making it one of the better online jobs for students.

Points are awarded for each task you complete. You can convert them to cash, gift cards, or travel rewards. The one drawback to MyPoints is they cap points at 500 per day for watching videos.

MyPoints will pay you to watch videos online and from your mobile device. It’s also possible to earn in any of the other ways to increase earnings.

The site gives you a free $10 Visa cash card or Amazon gift card after opening an account and making a qualifying purchase.

Gift card redemptions start at $3. PayPal cash rewards start at $10.

Trustpilot score: 4.4 out of 5

5. Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is one of the largest sites to take online surveys. The average payment of $1 (10 points) is competitive, and some surveys pay up to $25.

However, the highest-paying surveys can be challenging to qualify for, and you must be at least 17 years old to join in the United States.

In addition to completing online surveys, these tasks earn rewards:

• Watching advertisements
• Testing products
• Completing local research missions

The platform has a competitive redemption threshold of $5 (50 points) for free Amazon gift cards and $10 (100 points) for PayPal cash or other gift card rewards.

You can receive five bonus points after providing your basic information. However, the site doesn’t pay more to complete the profile surveys than other survey apps.

While this is one of the oldest survey platforms, its customer rating has decreased in recent years. The prevalent reasons include an increased redemption minimum that previously started at $3.

Additionally, there are many unpaid activities, and you won’t earn bonus points after receiving loyalty badges.

Trustpilot score: 3.4 out of 5

6. FusionCash

FusionCash offers a variety of ways to earn money with short online tasks. One option is to watch videos for money.

Product testing can be an exciting option as well. Each product is different. Sometimes you must test an app. Other times it is something physical.

You may have to purchase a product or cancel before a free trial offer ends. In the latter case, you may want to set a calendar reminder so you don’t forget to cancel. FusionCash pays you after you finish testing the product or app.

In addition to product testing and watching videos, you can earn money in the following ways:

• Taking surveys
• Using their shopping portal
• Reading sponsored emails
• Using their search engine

The minimum redemption amount for FusionCash is $25. They give you a $5 bonus for opening an account to help you reach the initial amount.

Trustpilot score: 2.3 out of 5

7. InstaGC

InstaGC is one of the most popular video watching apps since you can get $1 gift cards. You can earn points for these activities:

• Watching videos
• Completing online surveys
• Shopping online
• Web searches

Over 330 gift cards are available. Some, including Amazon gift cards, are available with a $1 balance (100 points).

New members can earn a signup bonus of 10 points.

Trustpilot score: 3.5 out of 5

8. Kashkick

Kashkick offers a fun way to earn cash in your spare time. The app pays users to watch movie trailers for upcoming films.

Other “missions” that earn cash rewards consist of online surveys, shopping online, and surfing the web. Members can request payment once they reach a $5 balance via PayPal.

Trustpilot score: 2.9 out of 5

9. iRazoo

iRazoo lets you get paid to watch short videos and ads on over 50 video channels.

Some of the video topics include:

• Ads
• App trailers
• Cooking tutorials
• Movie reviews

You can also earn points by downloading apps, taking surveys, and completing shopping offers.

*Related: Want to donate plasma but don’t know how to start? Read our guide on how to donate plasma for money to learn the requirements and how much you can earn each month.*

PayPal and gift card redemptions start at $3 (3,000 points).

Joining iRazoo is free. Providing your email address lets you earn your first 100 points.

Trustpilot score: 3.8 out of 5

10. Slidejoy

Slidejoy is one of the most interesting video watching apps. You earn money by watching ads on your phone lockscreen.

Once you download and activate the app, you receive a prompt to view a quick ad or news story from Slidejoy.

To see the ad or news story, just swipe left. You can also ignore the ad and unlock your phone for your normal use.

The more content you watch through Slidejoy, the more money you can earn. It rewards you in cash or gift cards to popular retailers and brands. You can also donate your earnings to your favorite charity.

The app is available to download for Android users in the Google Play Store. Slidejoy isn’t available for Apple iOS devices.

Cash and gift card redemptions start at $2 (2,000 points).

Trustpilot score: 3.2 out of 5

11. Nielsen Digital voice

You may recognize Nielsen Digital Voice from the Nielsen TV ratings family of companies. Nielsen pays users $50 per year to watch anything they want online.

The opportunity with Nielsen is a bit different than other ways to get paid for watching videos. You don’t watch sponsored videos or ads. Instead, you download the app, create an account, and start watching anything you wish.

To earn cash rewards, you need to register a mobile device. It’s possible to register multiple devices to increase earnings, but it’s not clear how much you receive with multiple accounts.

In exchange for the $50 annual payment, the app collects some of your browsing data, including how long you spend on each site.

Like other video websites, it’s possible to earn cash by watching videos on a desktop. However, desktop activity only qualifies you for the monthly sweepstakes.

Nielsen awards up to $10,000 in monthly sweepstakes prizes.

Trustpilot score: 2.4 out of 5

12. Watch Netflix for Money

Believe it or not, you can make money from home watching Netflix. These jobs don’t come up that regularly, but there are occasionally opportunities to get paid to watch movies.

The goal of this job is to ensure videos are correctly categorized. Netflix refers to people in this role as “taggers.” If you watch Netflix frequently, this can be a good way to earn money.

Check out the Netflix jobs board to find opportunities.

13. Earnably

Earnably is one of the most flexible sites that pay you to watch videos for money.

You earn points for these activities:

• Watching videos
• Answering surveys
• Completing simple tasks
• Signing up for product offers

PayPal, digital gift cards, and wallet codes are available with a $1 balance.

Trustpilot score: 4.4 out of 5

How much money can you make watching videos?

As with any side hustle, it’s important to be realistic with potential earnings. If you watch videos daily, you can potentially earn up to $200 per month. You will need to use multiple apps to reach that amount.

If you aren’t diligent about watching videos online, you will not earn as much. That said, you can still earn a few dollars per day when you set aside an hour or two.

This amount may not seem worth your efforts, but you must remember that you can do this side hustle while doing something else, such as watching TV. You can let the videos play on your device during that time and earn upwards of $10.

If you do that ten to twelve times a month, you can earn up to $200. While it’s not the most lucrative side hustle, you can use the funds to supplement your other needs.

Read our guide on the top side hustle apps to consider if you need to earn more.

Can You Get Paid to Watch TikTok Videos?

Currently, it doesn’t appear that there are many legit apps focused on getting paid to watch TikTok videos.

One real way to make money watching TikTok is to use Niesen Smart Voice. You can earn up to $50 per year to watch online videos on TikTok and other outlets.

Where Can I Watch Ads For Money?

There are many apps to get paid to watch ads on your phone or computer. You can earn points that are redeemable for cash and gift cards.

Many of these platforms also let you make money by answering online surveys, reading email, playing games, and shopping online. These tasks may require additional effort, but you can earn more points and request payment sooner.

Summary

You can get paid to watch videos in many ways. If you want a side hustle that doesn’t require a specialized skill and can be done from anywhere, earning money watching videos is a great option to consider.

Not only can this be a fun side hustle, but it’s one that requires little effort.

What are some other services you’ve used to earn money by watching videos? What are some other overlooked ways you’ve used to make extra money?