Ways for College Students to Make Extra Cash At Home
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As college students are getting used to their home as both a space to live and a classroom (attend class lying in bed? sure!), there could be additional time on your hands.
You feel like you should be doing something productive with the extra time, but where to start?
Others have taken up new hobbies like fine-tuning cooking, creating IG-worthy drinks, taking extra courses online, or finally hitting that stack of books they meant to read. But you want something more productive for your wallet. “If I’m home, how can I make some extra money?”
All you need is reliable internet and a smartphone or laptop. We go over our favorite ways for students to make money, even while at home.
1. Scan the Stuff You Buy & Get Free Rewards
The exclusive Nielsen Panel program is opening up again for more participants! This is your opportunity to make your consumer voice heard! (And get paid for it!)
When you become a panelist, just use the app to scan the barcodes of items you purchase, provide a few additional transaction details, and you’ll earn points for:
- Gift Cards
- Tablets
- Electronic Equipment
- Flat Screen TVs
- and much more from their gift catalog!
Plus, all panelists are automatically entered into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual drawings to win extra points and gift cards – even a quarterly sweepstakes to win $5,000!
The more you share your shopping habits (scan barcodes), the more rewards you can get. You can also answer surveys and share information about your overall shopping trip.
“Scanning my purchases is fun! I also enjoy taking the surveys. Earning points is fast and easy and they have a great selection of rewards.” – Jennifer B.
It’s a fun way to earn more rewards on items you’ve already purchased and at no extra cost to you.
Register now to see if you’re eligible to be a Nielsen Panelist. Eligibility will be based on your location. If you don’t get accepted this time, don’t worry! They’re always expanding locations, so check back again.
2. School Competitors in Solitaire and Ca$h In
When you’re looking for something to do at home, check out Solitaire Cube, which is like regular Solitaire, except you get to play for real cash.
The game matches you with players of the same skill level, so all is fair. If you’re a good Solitaire player, you could win some serious cash, like Katie N. who took home $380,984 last year as one of the Top 10 Solitaire Cube players! Even casual players like Amanda, a stay-at-home mom from IL, won a 55″ TV, $6,000 and more!
So if you think you can handle playing some Solitaire Cube to win legit cash, definitely download this game for free.
Cash tournaments aren’t available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN.
3. Get Paid To Share Your Opinion Anytime
Your opinion is valuable. So valuable you deserve to earn extra cash for sharing it.
You can do it with Survey Junkie. They pay cash to members who participate in surveys about their shopping habits, cell phone usage, and more. Basic stuff.
Completing a survey earns you 20 to 100 points. Each point is worth one cent, and when you hit 1,000 points (or $10) you can cash out.
Redeem via:
- Online gift cards
- Paypal cash
- Bank transfer
Signing up for Survey Junkie only takes a few minutes and you’ll earn your first 100 ($1 value!) points just by creating an account, filling out an intro questionnaire, and verifying your email address. Easy.
After that, you’re free to dive into surveys. They have surveys with various durations (5 to 20 minutes) to complete and new ones pop up constantly so you’ll never be bored! Fill one out when you’re waiting for someone or have time to kill.
Survey Junkie won’t get you rich quick (no survey sites ever do), but it’s an easy way to make some extra cash by doing nothing other than giving your opinions.
4. Fun Times in 3 Minute Increments – A Classic Game for $
3 minutes.
Make as many 21s as you can within that time or until you run out of moves.
That’s the basic gist of 21 Blitz, a modern take on a classic game where you’re no longer just playing against the dealer but with actual people around the world.
It’s fast-paced and it basically does all of the math for you. This game is great for killing time and earning cash all at once which is perfect for home!
You can play for free against real people for prizes or switch over to cash games to win…well, cash! Cash game winners can win up to $7,000 or more in the mini-tournament.
Cash tournaments not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN.
5. This Paid Survey Panel Gives Out 7,000 Gift Cards Daily
There are a lot of survey programs out there, but none as popular as Swagbucks, a free rewards program where you can earn cash for your time and opinion. Members can earn an average of $50 a month!
You get rewarded for doing surveys, searching the web, reading articles, watching videos, and playing fun games but the one activity that earns you the most points is completing surveys. (Don’t skip out on those!)
Points can then be redeemed for free gift cards, cash, and sweepstakes entries. All just by completing fun activities and giving your opinions.
New members can get a free $5 just for signing up, so join the other 10 million members already part of Swagbucks and start earning free rewards!
