Post-2007, we are living in a smartphone world, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that individuals and companies have found clever ways for people to make money on their phones while putting some in their pockets. Without question, people get drawn to the convenience smartphones boast.
Naturally, that also extends to generating income, which these devices now offer by transforming idle moments into potential earning opportunities. The variety of such choices is currently robust, catering to different preferences. In the following list, we get into the specifics of five such money-making picks. We explore their features, main pros, cons, and overall suitability for users looking to leverage them for financial gains.
Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys is a famed online survey app formerly known as Mintvine. It got rebranded in 2017 and began gaining sizeable popularity that it has maintained via its user-friendly interface and emphasis on point accumulation via participating in surveys, daily polls, and referrals. The points here get equivalent to cents redeemable for cash through gift cards, PayPal, and direct deposits.
Trustpilot rated Branded Surveys at 4.1 from over 85k reviews, most of which highlight this app’s credibility. We should also note that it features an Elite Program with different badge levels. These are Bronze, Silver, and Gold, each offering additional perks as users progress. The minimum cashout limit here is $5 through a five-hundred-point conversion. Branded Surveys also has top-end security measures, such as high-end firewalls, state-of-the-art encryption, and secure server software that ensure user safety.
Although PayPal transfers through Branded Surveys may take up to three weeks, many do not see this as a massive negative, as it is a comparable wait time with what other survey platforms offer. The referral scheme here gives users the opportunity to earn bonus points by referring friends who achieve Silver Branded Elite status on the app, and daily polls are a quick way to earn five points daily.
Poshmark
Launched in 2011, Poshmark is a popular online marketplace for fashion, homeware, beauty, and pet products that got started with second-hand women’s fashion. In the first few years of its existence, this service expanded its area, and it now allows its users to buy/sell new or gently used items, focusing chiefly on brand products.
Poshmark now boasts eighty million users, which makes selling easy for all. All interested parties must do is set prices, publish a listing, write compelling descriptions, and take photos, all possible via a super user-friendly app. While, according to loads of people around the globe, this is a highly legitimate platform, some users have raised concerns about its customer service and high fees. Still, these negatives can easily get offset by no listing fees, a broad audience, and detailed pricing control.
In short, for those looking to declutter their closets or build a side hustle, Poshmark is definitely worth considering.
Bustabit
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat since the Bustabit website has no dedicated mobile software that anyone can download. Nevertheless, this website is perfectly accessible through all devices and smartphone browsers, making remote access a breeze.
What is Bustabit? It is a digital coin-based gambling game. Crypto sportsbooks and casinos have become all the rage in recent years. Yet, old-school provably fair gaming products that accept virtual currencies paved the way for this genre. At the forefront of this revolution was Bustabit, a platform that inspired Crash-type crypto betting.
The reason that Bustabit gets added to this list is because it permits low-risk wagering. In this game, players stake funds and look to cash out before a growing multiplier crashes at random, which can hit a high of x4,458,563,631,096,791.04. Bustabit has a house edge of only 1%, better than all casino table games, and accepts tiny bets. Therefore, continuously cashing out at low multiplier values with small stakes is a decent way to snag minuscule profits at a steady rate.
Ibotta
Ibotta is an American tech entity operating out of Denver, Colorado. It is a brand renowned in the app landscape for its cashback browser extension and smartphone software of the same name. The deal with Ibotta is that it supplies rebate rewards to users on qualifying purchases. These can include online shopping, groceries, retail purchases, restaurant dining, travel, and more. In 2022, this service notched more than forty million users as the company itself surpassed $1.2 billion in paid-out rewards.
The nifty thing about Ibotta is that it is free to use, is available at more than two thousand retailers, and gives away $10 on sign-up. Users here can earn cashback on gift card purchases, and the app has extremely high grades on Google Play and the Apple Store, as users think highly of it. It delivers cash out at $20 with a set of redemption options. Like Branded Surveys, these include gift cards, bank transfers, and PayPal.
What many consider drawbacks at Ibotta are that receipts must get uploaded within seven days, many offers are brand-specific, and the app features plenty of ads.
Sweatcoins
Here is something few people will believe is really a thing. That is an app that incentivizes walking with rewards. That is right, Sweatcoins is a free piece of software that looks to motivate people to walk, and for verified steps, it gives away Sweatcoins that can get redeemed for merchandise through this app’s marketplace.
What is the earning rate here? So, for one thousand steps made (recorded by this software), users get 0.95 Sweatcoins, with a 5% commission that this app takes. At the time of writing, Sweatcoins had over 120 million users and chiefly only positive reviews. It partnered with the UK’s National Health Service and features a premium subscription that allows users to accumulate coins quickly.
Know that Sweatcoins cannot get exchanged for cash. Nonetheless, they can get used for products or gift cards from around sixty partners. The app is perfect for those seeking a side hustle that promotes physical activity, with Survey Junkie and Solitaire Clash getting noted as suggested alternatives for those with different preferences.
