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You feel it.
2020.
This is the year to get your finances in check and to actually see them in 2020 (vision) because it’s the new decade, baby! And to help get it straight, you’re going to need more cash.
Keep your day job (or look for another in our Jobs section) and check out our list of easy and legal ways to make that extra cash in 2020. With most of these options, you can get started immediately!
1. Get Free Money Back on All Your Shopping Hauls
Check your pockets; check your purse. And keep receipts for your iPhone.
Just grab all your recent receipts from your coffee runs, grocery trips, restaurants, and gas station fill-ups, scan them into Fetch Rewards on iOS, and earn points for free money! Connect your email account, as well, to count DIGITAL receipts from Amazon, Instacart, and more.
Basically, snap a pic of your receipt from anywhere, and that’s it; you’ve got points for money. There’s no minimum spend, no need to select items manually, scan in any receipt from any store or gas station, and it’ll automatically reward you.
It’s free and easy to use and is a must-have iOS app for anyone who buys stuff!
2. Free Rewards Program Gives Out 7,000 Gift Cards Daily
There are a lot of survey programs out there, but none are as popular as Swagbucks, a free rewards program where you can earn free cash for your time and opinion. They’ve paid out over $885 million to their members already and they’ve been in business for 15 years.
Earn points for doing surveys, online shopping, uploading receipts, and playing fun games then redeem the points for free gift cards to Amazon and Walmart or choose PayPal cash.
New members can get a free $10 just for signing up, so join the other 10 million members already part of Swagbucks and start earning free rewards!
3.
4. Get Cash Back for All the Uber and Lyft Rides You’re Already Taking
Everyone uses ride-sharing services nowadays, primarily Uber and Lyft. It’s made going out for dinner and drinks so much easier now that you can rely on a phone app to get you home safely after a night out.
But here’s another phone app you’ll want because it can recoup some of your social life money, which we all know, can get pretty expensive. It also gives you points (redeemable for cash) on every ride you take anywhere!
Use Freebird to request your next Uber or Lyft to the bar, restaurant, movies, shopping, airport, (basically anywhere!) and get cash back and points for your ride.
Here’s how it works:
- Download Freebird
- Connect your Uber or Lyft account
- Connect the card(s) you want to get cash back on
- Ride anywhere to participating locations to get cashback
- Ride anywhere else to get points that turn into cash rewards
To earn cash rewards, just visit a participating location that has a cash offer and make a purchase there with your connected card. Once the transaction clears, you’ll see the cash reward in your Freebird account!
You’ll also earn points just for taking an Uber or Lyft anywhere which can be redeemed for cash rewards. However, to get the cash back and points rewards you have to request your Uber or Lyft through the Freebird app. You still earn Uber rewards through the Freebird app though, so there are no losses!
BONUS: For our readers only, use promo code SMARTWALLET to get $5 off the first 3 rides ($15 value!)
5. Empower Yourself Financially, Especially for Women
Whether you think about it or not, there are important realities in a women’s life.
Gender pay gaps where women make less than men, career breaks where women’s earnings drop significantly after having a child,(*) and longer than average lifespan meaning women need more money to live.
That’s why it’s vital to save for retirement and invest, especially if you’re female and why
Ellevest exists, an investment service and money membership created by and designed for women.
Men and those that identify as non-binary are welcome to join as well but it’s the first company to take on women’s unique set of obstacles when constructing an investment portfolio.
With affordable flat monthly fees starting at $1 and maxing at $9, you can be sure that your financial health is taken care of with personalized retirement planning (Plus and Executive memberships), investments with no asset management fees outside of your membership fee, and discounted sessions with career coaches and financial planners. Membership also includes an Ellevest debit card,* which gives you the option to round up spare change to help you save further** as well as unlimited ATM fee refunds.***
With the current world events, it’s even more important to make sure that your “future you” will be comfortable, so take advantage of the first free month and see how it can help you.
6. Never Wait 2 Weeks for Your Paycheck Again - Here’s How
“People should have their money once they earn it. That’s how businesses work. When you buy something, you have to pay at once. But when you work, you wait two weeks for your own pay.”
If you agree with this statement, then you’re on the same page with Ram Palaniappan, the CEO, and Founder of Earnin, an app that’ll fast forward your paycheck to today.
In order words, if you worked today, you get paid today with Earnin.
Not everyone is eligible, but most are. If you have the following, you’re golden:
- Direct deposits from your employer into a checking account
- A regular pay schedule (like weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly etc)
- A fixed work location OR an online timekeeping system at work
That’s it. And after you connect your bank and employment info, you’ll get immediate access to your earnings.
You then choose what portion of your paycheck you want to Cash Out. Then, when your normal paycheck arrives via direct deposit, Earnin will just debit the amount you had previously cashed out. Simple!
It’s like having an advance payday loan but without the fees or interest. There is no charge to use Earnin as the app runs on tips by the community. Pay what you wish!
Even if you have a side gig of on-demand jobs, like Uber, Grubhub, Instacart etc, Earnin will work!
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