Whether you’re looking to boost your savings or get a small burst of capital, finding ways to increase your income can be challenging, especially if work or school is taking up a large portion of your time. The good news is that the internet offers a variety of ways for anyone to make a quick buck or potentially create a sustainable income in the long term.
By simply dabbling in online income streams, you could find yourself doing anything from earning a bit more cash for daily necessities to potentially transforming your work and personal life through a newfound career. Even if you enjoy your job or your studies are taking you towards your desired line of work, a few bucks on the side always helps.
To help you discover what the internet can do for your bank account, we’ve put together a list of seven quick and easy ways to increase your income online. Be sure to keep an open mind when approaching any of these methods, as they all have the potential to be transformed into something greater.
Survey Websites
Surveys are probably one of the easiest and most accessible ways for anyone to make cash online. Research companies around the world are always recruiting more respondents. Some survey websites also feature focus group studies that pay upwards of R1000. Springvale, Opinion Outpost, Survey Junkie and Valued Opinions are some of the most popular.
Leveraging the Potential of Your Smartphone
We all have a pretty good idea of just how powerful the glass and metal slabs in our pockets are. Smartphones are pretty good at satisfying many of our daily needs. But have you ever considered using it as something to earn an income with? The app economy is home to many potential ways to earn a quick buck, so we’ve listed a few of the best below.
Task Rabbit: This app offers users the ability to choose from a number of potential jobs in your area. This can be anything from handy work and cleaning to deliveries and moving help. All you have to do is sign up, choose a job that you know you can complete and submit an invoice once everything is done.
eBates: With eBates, you can receive a cashback reward for things that you already spend your money on. All you have to do is buy whatever you were planning to purchase from sites such as Amazon and eBay and you’ll automatically be credited once the purchase is complete.
Uber or Taxify: With both of their services reaching more and more major cities in South Africa, it’s easier than ever to become a driver for Uber or Taxify. Granted, you’ll need the right car and insurance policies, but as long as you meet their fairly simple requirements, you’re set for a flexible and potentially profitable side job.
Inbox Dollars: This app offers a number of ways for you to make money, including surveys, rebates and watching sponsored videos. It’s similar to Swagbucks, another app that pays you in either gift cards or cash rewards. Offers tend to vary between regions, but they’re worth taking a look at for a potential quick buck.
The Lottery
These days, most banks allow you to play the lotto through their website or app. If you don’t have access to those services, almost every major retailer has a Powerball Plus service in their store. Of course, winning isn’t guaranteed, but knowing the right technique can greatly increase your chances. You can learn how to play the different lottos here.
Qmee
Qmee is a pretty innovative way to make a bit of extra cash online, especially if you browse the web often. In exchange for showing a few sponsored search results, you get paid to use Google, Yahoo or Bing like you normally would. It requires nothing more than a PayPal account and a measly minimum cash-out of around R10.
Clickworker
Clickworker is similar to Amazon’s popular MTURK website, but the latter is currently unavailable to South Africans. It works by offering users scalable tasks from businesses that need to carry out market research or advertising campaigns. Work is simple on Clickworker, as tasks range from mindless data entry to form filling.
You can choose the volume of work that you wish to undertake and you can complete it at any time within the given period. Clickworker pays via PayPal in cash. It’s by no means a full-time job, but it does make for a solid quick buck whenever you need it.
Sell Your Stuff Online
Countless websites exist for the sole purpose of advertising your old stuff online. The benefit is that your items are exposed to a much wider audience and websites such as Gumtree and OLX allow you to post your ads for free. It’s a far better idea than pawning them, as you’re free to charge whatever (reasonable and sellable) price you want.
Create Your Own Blog
Granted, starting a blog and bringing it to the point where it starts earning any money will take a few days or weeks of work. However, it has serious potential. As long as you understand the necessary steps that you need to take in order to make your blog profitable, it’s a fairly straightforward process.
All you need is a unique idea that people will be interested in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be posts about what you did today, or your favourite clothes in your wardrobe. You can earn a handsome amount of money from doing roundup lists of products and linking those products to websites through your affiliate link. Just be sure that your idea stands out.
These are just some of the countless cash-earning opportunities that the internet has to offer. Once you start making your first withdrawals, your newfound income stream could ignite a spark in your imagination and bring you towards something great. Many people have found major success using the internet as their means of survival.
As long as you get into it with the right mindset, something great is bound to happen. Even if it turns out that making money online isn’t your thing, at least you know how to make a quick buck whenever you need one. Good luck!