They say the best things in life are free, and that is certainly true for money!
But is there such a thing as free money?
If there is, how do we get it?
Free money comes in the form of cash bonuses and rewards we receive when we sign up for a credit card, checking or savings account.
It can also be cash back we get when making purchases online. Most of us shop online anyway; wouldn’t it be nice to get free money along the way?
Getting up to 40% of your purchases would help put some money in our pocket.
Free Money: an overview
Free money is money you get from performing a certain financial activity. In other words, you have to do something to earn the money.
For example, if you use cash rebate programs, you’re able to get cash back.
One site gives you free money just for making purchases.
Another free app puts your pocket change to work, and grows your money for you without much effort from you. You also get a cash bonus just to sign up.
Below, we’ll show you how to get money that is absolutely free.
How to Get Free Money: 15 Legitimate Ways
While getting free money from these sources will not get you rich, they will however make you extra cash and save money.
Find lost money.
Finding money that may be owed to you is literally free money in your hand.
A $800 rent deposit you forgot about may be sitting somewhere for you to reclaim.
A government check that you never received because you had moved to another state.
Fortunately, there are two free databases that exist to see if you are owed money:
1) MissingMoney.com and 2) Unclaimed.org.
Those are two free and legit websites to get your money recommended by the government.
Earn with Rakuten
Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) is a website that gives you a percentage off when you shop online.
To get your free money, you simply go to their website www.rakuten.com, create or login to your account.
There are over 2,500 stores. All of the major stores are in there. And you can earn up to 40% cash back.
There are no fees, no forms to fill out. You simply click on the store of your choice and start earning cash back on your purchases.
You get your free money by getting a check or via PayPal payment.
Join Rakuten for free and get a $10 bonus money today just for signing up.
Earn through higher APY – Online savings accounts.
Online savings account provides a free, safe and secure way to grow your money.
One of the best ways to save money is knowing where to put it. Under your mattress is not a good place. But an online savings account is the best place to park your hard-earned cash.
The reason is simply because the interest rate is much higher than a traditional bank account.
CIT Bank is a good online bank, which offers a great interest rate of 1.85% APY for its savings account.
Ready to start saving? Open an online savings account today!
401k match: literally free money.
In case you did not know, a 401k plan can be a great source of free money.
A 401k plan is a retirement account provided by your employer. Your company deducts a certain amount from your paycheck upon your request and puts it into the account for you.
Your money in the 401k plan grows free of taxes until you take it out. But the biggest advantage of participating in your employer’s 401k plan is the free money you get when your employer offers a match.
For example, in some cases, your employer offers to match the amount you contribute to your 401k plan.
It can be a dollar for dollar match or 50 cents for each dollar you as an employee put in. It is essentially free money.
Let’s take an example where your employer’s match is dollar-for-dollar. Let’s say you earn a salary of $45,000. If you contribute 6% of your earning to your 401k, i.e., $2,700, and your employer contribute 100% of what you put in.
That’s another $2,700 of easy money you’ll earn.
So, if your job offers a 401k plan and your employer offers a match, make sure you participate. Not doing so is literally leaving free money on the table.
Free money with Survey Junkie.
Survey Junkie pays an average of $1 to $3 per survey. And it only takes you between 5 to 20 minutes to complete a survey.
So, after a quick math, you can make up to $45 in 20 minutes by taking surveys.
Indeed, Survey Junkie works in 3 ways:
1) Take surveys: after you build your profile, you take the surveys.
2) Earn rewards: after you complete your surveys, you earn rewards in the form of points.
3) Get paid: you can redeem your points for cash via PayPal or by gift cards.
Start taking surveys and getting paid
Free money with credit cards.
You can earn significant free money with the right credit cards.
There are credit cards with large sign up bonus and ongoing cash rewards.
For instance, some credit cards offer $500 money back after you spend $5,000 within a certain period of time, plus 1% cash back on purchases.
To get the most money from your credit cards, you can put as many expenses on them including groceries, gas, electricity, restaurants, etc.
But remember to pay off your bills in full on time. Paying late fees and interest can wipe put any rewards and free money you might have earned.
First, you will need to have a good credit score to get approved.
Of all the credit card companies that gives money back, the Capital One Quicksilver credit card is one of the best, because it has a low fee, low interest and high percentage of money back.
Indeed, it pays 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
Get free money for your opinion and completing surveys.
Sites such as Swagbucks, InboxDollars allow you to complete surveys and make money fast.
But the real free money comes in the form of bonuses you receive when you sign up.
- InboxDollars pays you in cash to watch fun videos and take surveys. They’ll also give you a $5 bonus for free just to give it a try. By spending just 5 to 10 minutes on your free time, you can earn $50 to $70 a month with InboxDollars.
- Swagbucks. Just as Inbox Dollars, Swagbucks pay you to watch videos, shop online, take polls etc.. Not only can you make extra cash answering surveys, you also make money searching the web, watch TV, playing games and shopping for cash back. In addition to the money from completing the survey, you can also earn a $ 5 cash bonus. Sign up for Swagbucks and get your $5 bonus here.
- MyPoints: MyPoints allow you to earn gift cards for answering surveys, taking polls, watching videos online, etc. In addition to the money from completing the survey, you also earn a free $5 bonus money after your first five surveys. Sign up and get your $5 bonus here.
OneOpinion: OneOpinion allows you to earn points by completing surveys. 1000 points equal $1. Click here to sign up for OneOpinion.
Free money by reducing your bills with Truebill.
Chances are you have cable and other monthly subscriptions. And I don’t blame you. Sometimes you just want to be lazy on the couch watching a few episodes of your best drama shows.
But have you ever wondered how and why your cable bill so high?
Truebill can reduce your bills (whether it’s cable, subscriptions) by finding hidden discounts and by cancelling unwanted subscriptions.
All you have to do is connect your bills and other subscriptions to Truebill. And they will take care of the rest so you don’t have to overpay on your bills anymore.
They will reduce your bills. Lower your bills with Truebill.
Free money by switching banks.
Some banks are offering free money just to open a checking or savings account with them.
For example, Chase is currently offering a $200 bonus for opening a checking account.
So you should take advantage of free money made available by banks through their sign up bonuses and promotions.
Free money with Acorns. + $5 when sign up.
Acorns is an investing app that rounds up your purchases up to the nearest dollar and puts the spare change into the stock market for you.
They can help you save without even thinking about it.
Acorns invests the money for you, allowing you to grow your savings without you studying stock prices or trades. It invests your money in a portfolio of low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETF) that you choose.
Plus, Acorns will give you a $5 bonus just for signing up.
Free money with Stash + $5 bonus when sign up.
Stash, just like Acorns, is a micro-investing app that lets you start with as little as $5 investment.
Your money is invested in low cost ETFs and stocks that pay dividends, which means you make money while you sleep.
It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus.
What makes Stash so different than the other micro-investing apps is that that is has no monthly or maintenance fees.
Make money while you sleep with Stash.
Free money by switching phone services.
If you’re not under any contract with your current phone carrier and no longer paying your phone, you can switch to less expensive carrier.
A plan with a less known carrier such as Tello can cost $30 to $40 less than the bigger carriers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, or Verizon.
With Tello, you can build your plan with as little as $5/month.
By just switching to Tello, you could be saving up to $50 a month. Free money indeed.
Free money when refinancing your mortgage with LendingTree.
Mortgage rates are at all times low. If you have a good credit score, you should consider refinancing your mortgage.
Refinancing can reduce your interest, thereby saving you thousands of thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.
LendingTree allows you to compare up to 5 mortgage lenders to select the best mortgage rates that fit your needs.
Start a blog.
If you enjoy writing, consider starting a blog.
You will have to do a lot of work at first, but after a while, you will have enough traffic and audience that you won’t have to do a lot.
Once your audience is big enough, you can start making money through programs like Google Adsense, Mediavine, Flexoffers, etc. .
I created a step-by-step guide that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.95 per month (this low price is only through my link) for blog hosting. In addition to this low price, you will receive a free blog domain (a $15 value through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting.
Earn free money by saving with Trim.
If your spending is out of control and cannot seem to save any money, use this free personal finance app called Trim.
Trim analyses your spending, cancels unnecessary subscriptions and negotiate bills — like your cable bills — on your behalf.
Click here to use Trim for Free and start saving money.
Final thought
As you can see, there are tons of ways to get free money. From switching banks to sharing your opinions to shopping online, these websites/companies offer easy ways to get cash that is absolutely free. So, go to the sites that make you money and get paid today.
Read more
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Work with the Right Financial Advisor
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