5 Free Apps That Can Put Your Phone To Work For You

By Philip Bennett | Updated: February 28, 2020

You probably paid a good amount of money to get yourself a smartphone, so why not use it to offset the cost? These free apps can help you make money by earning rewards redeemable for cash and gift cards. You can you them as an easy way to earn spending money, extra cash you can put towards your credit card balance, or a few bucks to beef up your savings account. The dollars and cents all add up, and even though you probably won’t make enough to quit your full-time job, you’ll be earning money without putting in a lot of time. Here are a few free apps that can bring in some dough…

Google Opinion Rewards

Grab your Android and get ready to make some easy money. Google Opinion Rewards lets Android users earn free apps, movies, music, books, and games through the Google Play store. In exchange for taking short, anonymous surveys on your phone, you’ll receive credits; the amount of credits earned varies depending on the length of the survey.

Foap

Picture this: you can make money by taking photographs and posting them on Foap, a stock photography website. Download the app, sign up for an account, and then add your photos to the marketplace. When someone purchases your photo, you make $5, which means if 20 people buy the same photo, you’ll rake in $100.

Ibotta

Whether you’re looking to buy a bottle of wine at your local liquor store or a wheel of cheese at the grocery store, Ibotta is a simple cash-back app. It works at many different types of retailers, including liquor and grocery stores, restaurants, and more. To get going, just download the app, select your store, choose your rebates, and shop. When you’re done, take a photo of your receipt through the app; the cash-back money will show up in your account within 48 hours. When you’re ready, you can choose to cash out with either a gift card or a PayPal deposit.

Mobee

With this free app, you’re not clueless when it comes to making extra money. Mobee, a mystery shopping app, asks you to rate customer service, cleanliness, and other criteria at stores in your area. All you need do is complete a “mission” by answering questions, collect the points, and then redeem those points for gift cards or prizes.

InboxDollars

Downtime dollars can really add up if you’re into filling out easy surveys. InboxDollars, a survey site, offers several short, daily surveys you can take at your leisure. If you take all of them each day, you could earn an extra $730 a year – not too shabby for sitting on your couch and taking a breather from binge watching your favorite comedy show.