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There are many different ways to make extra money using the internet. Some are more difficult and time consuming like starting a blog or working by gig on sites like Fiverr. Some are super easy and allow you to get paid for tasks you were already performing. For instance, did you know you can get paid to surf the web?
That’s right, there are multiple companies that will pay you to perform the internet searches you were already going to perform and visit the websites you already visit and subscribe to. What could be easier than that?
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What’s the catch? Why do companies do this?
The companies that pay you to browse the internet are typically market research companies. They often require you to use their website or install their toolbar (or app) that allows you to search just like normal. They use it to track your behavior online so their clients can better advertise to people in your demographic.
Other companies may have specific tasks you need to perform that requires browsing the web. This is your typical side hustle relationship. You perform an action for the company, they pay you for that action.
Easily Get Paid to Surf the Web
Most people should have no problem completing these gigs as they don’t typically require any special skills. As long as you have a computer and reliable internet connection, you should be able to easily make money using the internet.
Are you ready to make some easy cash using the internet? Without further ado…
9 Ways to Make Money Using the Internet
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a popular rewards website with many different activities you can do to earn Swagbucks (SB).
They use a point system that is redeemable for gift cards. 100 SBs is equal to $1.00 on Swagbucks.
The most passive activity you can perform is their web search app. You can either access the search bar from your Swagbucks home screen or you can make their web search your default search engine.
To earn points, use their web search tool like you would your normal search engine. As an added benefit, Swagbucks will notify you of any cash back or bonus SB opportunities while you shop online.
Swagbucks is popular for a myriad of reasons. One is the low requirements for payouts (you can get gift cards that are as low as $3 dollars).
Another is how easy it is to earn points (they have multiple, different activities to earn points).
Finally, Swagbucks is well trusted. Swagbucks has a trustpilot score of 8.6 and have paid over $271 million in cash back and gift cards to members.
InboxDollars
InboxDollars is another popular rewards website that is similar to Swagbucks in that is has various different activities you can perform to earn cash.
Similar to Swagbucks, InboxDollars offers the ability to use their search tool to perform your normal searches and earn cash.
InboxDollars has a trustpilot score of 8 and has paid over $60 million to its members. I like that It doesn’t use a points system, but clearly marks the cash value of the task. Also, I like that it allows a cash payout instead of gift cards.
Unfortunately, you need to get to $30 to cash out. You shouldn’t have any trouble quickly getting to $30 on InboxDollars as long as you stay committed.
SendEarnings
SendEarnings is owned and operated by the same parent company as InboxDollars.
It offers many of the same activities for earning money that InboxDollars does.
This includes the ability to use their search tool to perform web searches and earn extra money.
The cash and payouts limits are the same. The benefit to using both websites is that when one runs out of activities for you to perform, you can use the other to continue earning cash.
MyPoints
MyPoints is an online shopping portal that pays you cash back for shopping online and printing coupons.
If you complete most of your shopping online, you can easily find opportunities for cash back on most things you buy.
To get started: sign up, look through their offers, and make a purchase using the link in MyPoints. Points will be credited to your account. You can redeem them for gift cards to online retailers.
Qmee
Qmee is a browser extension that allows you make cash back while doing your normal searches (sound familiar?). In addition to getting paid to search, occasionally ads will come up on the left sidebar. You can get 4-6 cents for viewing each ad.
Like many of the sites listed above they also offer surveys as a way to make money. It doesn’t sound like much, but each little bit adds up.
Ask Wonder
Do you enjoy performing research or verifying information? Ask Wonder makes money by researching and thoroughly answering questions submitted by anyone from individuals to Fortune 500 companies.
Ask Wonder pays analysts to perform this research. Analysts earn money from home working when they want to. They don’t currently have any formal education requirements, but do prefer individuals with great research and writing skills.
To get started, fill out the application and take a quick online quiz and trial assignment. Once your approved, you can visit the research dashboard and get started making money.
Appen
Appen pays internet analysts for web search evaluation tasks.
To be considered, you’ll need: to be self-motivated, have excellent research skills and analytical abilities, access to high speed internet, a relatively new smartphone, and, in some cases, a college degree.
Search engine evaluators participate in various evaluation projects. They perform tasks and provide their feedback and evaluation of search results (websites, videos, images, etc.) and how well they meet the needs of the search engine users.
To get started, search for the assignment that best fits your credentials (in my case US, English Speaking) and fill out the application. The application is in depth and the qualification process requires a 3 part qualification exam to be considered.
Once approved, you should expect a few hours of work each week that can be completed when and where you want. You can expect to make $12 – $15 per hour.
Nielson Digital Voice
Nielson Digital Voice is backed by the Nielson Company. The Nielson Company has been around since 1923 and has an A+ rating with the BBB. Similar to how they used to send their television boxes out to qualifying homes, you now have the opportunity to download an app on your phone and influence the businesses on the internet.
They collect market research data such as your browsing habits, demographics, and location data. In exchange, you gain sweepstakes entries into their $10,000 per month sweepstakes. The longer you have the app, the higher your chances of winning.
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk uses crowdsourcing to provide companies the ability to outsource manual tasks that are simple and repetitive.
Amazon pays you to perform simple, tedious tasks such as classifying receipts, transcribing videos, tagging images, or even performing research.
You choose what tasks to perform, so you could target tasks that are specific to surfing the internet. The time it takes and payout depend on the task.
Because he company requesting the work approves the finished product before payment processing, there is an opportunity for scams.
To avoid scammers, you can do some independent research on the company and also join a community such as MTurkCrowd which includes members that can help you identify scams.
Start Getting Paid to Surf the Web Today!
None of the options above will make you rich, but they can help you earn extra money here and there by searching or performing tasks on the internet.
What’s easier than making cash surfing the web?
What other ways do you use to earn money using the internet? Please leave your answer in the comments below!