quick-money-in-one-day

20+ Ways To Make Quick Money In One Day

Presented byTom Blake Hours Fresh Since

If you're in a tricky financial situation, you might be wondering how to make quick money in one day. But, the great news is that there are plenty of side hustle ideas out there you can turn to if you want to make a quick buck.

Thanks to the gig economy and power of the Internet, there are so many ways you can boost your daily income without needing a traditional job.

I've personally made money in short notice to pay rent or other expenses before, and there are definitely some creative hustles out there you can use if you're in a pinch.

How To Make Quick Money In One Day

1. Use Paid Survey Sites

One of the easiest ways to make quick money in one day is to use survey sites that pay you cash. And I know this idea works since I've been using these types of sites ever since college, and have earned hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the years from them.

Some leading paid survey sites include:

My YouTube video covers even more of my favorite sites that you can use. I'd start with a site like Branded Surveys if you just want to answer surveys and don't care about other types of online gigs.

2. Deliver Food For Money

Food delivery gigs pay you to deliver food and groceries to people's homes. And you can sign up in many countries if you're 18 or older and have a bike, car, or scooter.

Several leading gig apps you can apply to include:

Make-Money-Uber-Eats
Screenshots from my friend's Uber Eats delivery experience.

One of my good friends Grant makes money with Uber Eats and DoorDash, and he can often earn $50 to $100 in a day or so just by biking around during busy meal times. And I've found it's a flexible, high-paying delivery side hustle.

Gigs like Uber Eats are also nice because they're flexible, so you deliver the hours you want to. And if you get lucky with tips, you can earn pretty decent money per hour.

Start making money with Uber Eats and DoorDash!

3. Play Games For Money

If you're an avid gamer, the thought of playing video games for money is probably pretty enticing. And, the great news is that there are several ways to play games for PayPal cash or free gift cards if you know where to look.

I've personally tested out dozens of gaming reward apps over the years. Some of my favorite apps include:

If you have an iPhone, you can also read my post on the best iPhone games that pay you for even more ideas!

Start earning with Cash Giraffe and Mistplay today!

4. Freelance Online

Selling your freelance skills online is another way you can make money in one day, provided you have the right skills to sell.

And, I know this is true because I make a lot of my income from freelance writing and have been writing and blogging full-time for the last few years.

In fact, freelancing online is what let me quit my job a few years ago and travel the world, making money with my laptop while living the digital nomad lifestyle.

Tom-Blake-skydiving
From my 2021 trip to Dubai. Freelancing has been great money and also helped me travel to new places.

But writing is just one example of a freelancing field you can use to make money. Other popular freelancing gigs include:

  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Coding
  • Email marketing
  • Digital marketing
  • HR help
  • Graphic design
  • Editing and proofreading
  • SEO
  • Social media management
  • Online tutoring
  • Website design
  • Video editing
  • Virtual assistant work

Hourly rates for plenty of freelance work can be $25 to $50+ or even more depending on your level of experience. And many gigs pay per project, so you can complete your work, send an invoice, and get paid pretty quickly.

Personally, I used my blog as a portfolio piece to find freelance writing gigs. Turning to my own network was also very helpful. I suggest doing something similar, but you can also find jobs on Upwork, Fiverr, and plenty of remote job websites.

Pro Tip: Find high-paying, flexible remote jobs and freelance gigs with FlexJobs!

5. Sell Stuff You Own

I've personally sold things like apparel, electronics, furniture, and even old guitars back in college when I needed some fast cash. So, if you have a lot of stuff laying around that you don't use anymore, you can always sell it online or in-person to do the exact same thing.

Examples of popular things to sell for quick cash include:

  • Clothing
  • Electronics
  • Jewelry
  • Instruments
  • Shoes
  • Toys
  • Video games
  • Watches

For an easy way to start selling, you can try selling on the Facebook Marketplace to find local buyers for in-person cash sales. Throwing a garage sale or selling stuff to pawn shops can also work if you need money ASAP.

If you have a bit more time, apps like Poshmark and Depop are useful if you're selling clothing or accessories. You can also sell stuff on Mercari or eBay for quick and snappy sales if you have a variety of stuff to sell.

6. Develop Passive Income Streams

Creating passive income streams is one of the best ways to diversify your income and to scale your income. And, what's nice is that there are so many ways you can create small or large passive income streams for yourself.

For example, some other passive income ideas include:

Mediavine Income report
My all-time Mediavine income and rpm.

Personally, I earn passive income as a blogger and with my YouTube channel. In fact, my blog made $272,000 in 2022, and a lot of it is now passive income. So, you never know where a passive income stream can take you!

7. Use Micro Task Websites

Microtask sites pay you for completing a variety of simple online tasks like data entry, image matching, transcription, and virtual assistant work. And I've used them in the past to make money and free PayPal cash during school.

Several popular microtask websites and apps you can use include:

You can also read my post on the best sites like Appen for even more ideas!

8. Use Reward Apps

Another way to get money in one day is to use popular reward apps that pay you small amounts of cash or gift cards for completing offers.

I've used these sorts of apps for years, and they're an easy way to get paid to shop for products you normally buy anyways. There are lots of options here as well:

  • Fetch Rewards: Upload grocery receipts and earn free gift cards.
  • Receipt Hog: Upload different shopping receipts and earn PayPal money and Amazon gift cards.
  • Pogo: Earn small amounts of PayPal money for every purchase you make.
  • Bridge Money: This app also pays you whenever you shop like Pogo.
  • Upside: Save up to $0.25 per gallon at thousands of gas stations with the Upside app.
  • Ibotta: Another leading cashback app in the United States that lets you earn free gift cards.

Like some of the other reward app ideas in this post, you're not going to make hundreds of dollars per month with these methods. But in aggregate, it all adds up. Plus, reward apps are a fun and simple method to make quick and easy money.

Extra Reading – 10 Best Apps Like Fetch Rewards.

9. Pet Sitting

People are willing to pay for other people to look after their pets when they go on vacation or even during the work day. And, high paying apps like Rover let you start your own pet sitting and walking side hustle so you can find pet owners in your area who need help.

Rover profile
Maggie, one of the writers at WebMonkey, makes great side money with Rover!

Rover lets you set your own availability, rates, and the types of services you offer. According to Rover, the top sitters and walkers earn over $1,000 per week, although even a few steady clients can make a few hundred dollars in extra income per month.

You can read our guide on the best Rover headlines for tips on setting up your profile and getting your first clients.

10. Invest In Real Estate

Traditionally, you've needed a lot of money to invest in real estate. After all, buying a rental home can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, you can still create real estate income for yourself by investing in REITs or through real estate investing companies.

For example, companies like Arrived let you invest in individual real estate properties starting with only $100. You then earn income from the rent these properties generate.

Arrived real estate investing

Once you invest, Arrived pays you through quarterly dividends, and your shares can also appreciate in value. And I like how it has such a low minimum investment requirement.

And this is just scratching the surface. You can also try out other real estate investment platforms like:

  • RealtyMogul: Invest in exclusive commercial real estate deals starting with $5,000.
  • Fundrise: A leading platform to invest in income-generating rentals with just $10.

Again, like creating passive income sources, this isn't going to make you rich over night. But you can realistically create new income sources for yourself with just a day of work and research, which is pretty cool if you ask me!

Learn more about Arrived!

Disclaimer: This is an endorsement in partnership with Fundrise. We earn a commission from partner links. All opinions are my own.

11. Do Odd Jobs For Cash

If you don't mind working with your hands, there are lots of odd jobs apps and websites you can use to make quick money in a day.

Companies like TaskRabbit are a perfect example. As a Tasker, you can offer different services to people in your city like:

  • Errand running
  • Babysitting
  • Cleaning help
  • Furniture assembly
  • Helping people move
  • Handyman help
  • Landscaping
  • Painting
  • Tech support

TaskRabbit

Taskers also set their own hourly rates and which days of the week they're willing to work. And TaskRabbit is just one example of ways to find quick cash gigs near you.

Companies like Thumbtack cater to more serious service professionals. Similarly, you can become a Handy Pro to find handyman and cleaning gigs.

If none of these options work, you can also search for cash gigs on local websites like Craigslist to make some quick cash. And apps like Steady are also useful for finding new side hustle opportunities.

12. Make Money With Reddit

While it might surprise you, there are actually so many ways to make money on Reddit if you know which subreddits to look in.

Reddit actually has lots of subreddits that focus on freelancing or ways to make money online like:

  • r/Beermoney: All about reward apps, survey sites, and cool ways to make some extra beermoney.
  • r/ForHire: This is basically Reddit's freelance job board.
  • r/HireAWriter: A cool community where you can find content writing gigs and creative writing jobs.

There are also lots of industry-specific subs to find work if you're a programmer, blogger, or graphic designer. It might take a bit of time to find the right subreddit for you, but I've found writing gigs and awesome contacts on Reddit before so the effort is worth it.

13. Borrow The Money

Sometimes, turning to your own network or borrowing money is what you need to do to get out of a financial pinch.

Now, turning to your family or friends for cash really depends on how comfortable you are with talking about money. For small amounts of cash, I'd say more people are comfortable, but larger sums of money get tricky questions.

Of course, you can also turn to your bank or credit card, but this should usually be a last resort. Similarly, companies like ZippyLoan let you borrow sums from $100 to $15,000, and you get the money as soon as the next business day.

If this option doesn't work, you can also use various cash advance apps like Dave to get up to $500 by tomorrow if you really need quick money.

14. Return Cans And Bottles

If you're looking for a college side hustle, this is an obvious one since you probably have a small mountain of bottles and cans under your stairs or in your garage right now.

My friend Grant did this back in college. After two semesters of collecting cans, he made over $100 by returning them to our local beer store. However, this is also a realistic way to make some quick change if you're willing to walk around parks and neighborhoods to collect cans.

15. Leverage Sign-Up Bonuses

If you want to score some free money, you can always leverage different sign up bonuses to make some quick cash in one day.

Plenty of apps and websites pay users for signing up and trying out their platforms. Some of my favorite freebies include:

  • Rakuten (Free $30!): Get $30 for free when you sign up for Rakuten and shop online through its cash-back rewards portal and spend at least $30.
  • Current: This digital banking solution lets you earn 4% APY and also has an awesome $50 sign up bonus!
  • Drop: Get $5 to $15 in free Drop points which are redeemable for free gift cards.
  • InboxDollars: A U.S. rewards site with a $5 instant bonus.
  • MyPoints: A sister-site to InboxDollars with a $5 bonus as well.

These sign-up bonuses won't make you rich of course, but it's a very low-effort way to make some easy and quick money today.

You can also read my post on the best cash referral bonuses to find some easy ways to get money quickly just by inviting your friends to join some apps and websites.

16. Look For Unclaimed Money

Did you know that it's sometimes possible to find “unclaimed money” that might be owed to you by a certain state?

That's right: if you're moved around over the years, there's a chance you're owed federal or state tax if you live in the United States. And databases like Unclaimed.org help you find unclaimed money and property in your name.

As an alternative, you can try digging through your house to find loose change in places like your sofa or basement. I once found a $20 bill in an old winter jacket, so you never know where money might be hiding.

Finally, you can also search your house or wallet for old or unwanted gift cards and then sell those gift cards for cash on various online marketplaces like Gift Card Granny.

17. Sell Stuff On Etsy

Etsy is one of the most popular marketplaces for selling anything artsy, handmade, or vintage. And, it's also a viable strategy to start an online business and to get sales quickly even if you're new to ecommerce.

For example, I tried making money with memes back in college by selling print on demand mugs on Etsy. I had no idea what I was doing, but I could still get traffic to my shop and someone even bought one of my horrendous meme mugs.

Etsy-Instagram-Marketing
These were the mugs I sold, and I used Instagram to market the store.

The point is that Etsy is very beginner friendly and the marketplace has a ton of existing traffic, so it's easier to sell on than starting your own ecommerce store. And, the best part is that you don't have to make your own merchandise either.

For example, Etsy print on demand integrations like Printify let you upload your designs to hundreds of different products to then sell on Etsy.

When you make a sale, Printify handles all of the manufacturing and shipping too, so you can focus on growing your store and creating new designs.

18. Participate In Focus Groups

Focus groups can pay a lot of money in a short amount of time. And this is one side hustle I've been testing lately with some success.

For example, I recently made $65 in just 45 minutes by taking part in an online focus group with User Interviews. You can also use FocusGroup.com, and this website pays you for sharing your opinion, taking part in focus groups, and testing products.

FocusGroup

Platforms like Apex Focus Group and Respondent.io are also effective ways to find paid research opportunities in your area or online. It can take a while to qualify for studies. But it's possible to make $100 to $250 a day or even more with the right study and focus group.

19. Become A Rideshare Driver

Food delivery jobs like Instacart are a popular way to make money with your vehicle.

However, you can also try rideshare driving with companies like Uber and Lyft. According to Indeed, these rideshare drivers earn about $18 per hour, and you can cash out the same day with instant pay features.

The main difference is you're transporting people, not food. Uber and Lyft also have slightly stricter driver and vehicle requirements than food delivery apps for this reason.

Try out Uber!

20. Test Websites And Apps

There are lots of companies out there that are looking for website testers who can test new websites and apps to give their feedback.

Companies like UserTesting are a perfect example. Once you sign up for UserTesting, you can earn $10 for completing short testing sessions for various websites and apps.

Some other popular website testing gigs you can checkout include:

You can't replace your day job with testing gigs, but it's a simple way to make $10 fast for the occasional short test. So, if you're wondering how to make quick money in one day online, I definitely suggest looking into user testing gigs.

21. Flip Stuff For Money

Flipping money is one of the oldest side hustles in the book, and it basically involves buying stuff and flipping it for a quick profit.

This is also known as retail arbitrage, and it involves buying popular products and reselling them online for a profit. Usually, retail arbitrage sellers buy clearance products from stores like Walmart and then sell through Amazon FBA, eBay, or other popular online marketplaces.

Examples of common things to flip include:

  • Clothing
  • Collectibles like sports cards, coins, watches, and even random things like Pokemon and Yugioh cards
  • Electronics
  • Jewelry
  • Toys
  • Video games and consoles

The downside to this method to get quick money in one day is that you have to spend money to buy inventory, which is also a risk if inventory doesn't sell.

But I've interviewed retail arbitrage sellers before, and even though it's a hard business, there is a lot of potential. I mean, the couple I interviewed makes over $1 million in revenue from their business, so it's clearly a scalable business model.

Extra Reading – How To Earn Money Online For Beginners.

Tips For Getting Started

Now that we've covered how to make quick cash in one day, here are a few tips to remember as you get your hustle on.

  • Set Income Goals: Setting trackable income goals is an important part of tracking side hustle success, so make sure you set some realistic expectations. It could be an extra $50 a day, $200, or more; you know what your number is.
  • Try Several Ideas: Testing a few side hustle ideas is the best way to find what pays the most in your market and which gigs you actually enjoy. It doesn't matter if that means delivering for Uber Eats and DoorDash, starting a pet sitting business, or investing with Arrived; don't be afraid to mix and match!
  • Track Expenses: Some expenses like mileage or business inventory costs can be tax deductible, so always keep your receipts and track your spending.

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs That Pay $3,000 Per Month.

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide on how to make fast money in one day lets you reach your income goal as quickly as possible.

There are really so many ideas to test out there, so pick a few that play to your strengths and jump right in!

And remember: many of these ideas can also be excellent long-term side hustles as well. So, consider sticking with a few of them to build up a cushion of savings so you're always prepared.

Looking for even more ideas to make money fast? Checkout:

Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and making money online. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Forbes, and more.

Tom also founded the blog This Online World - a finance site dedicated to helping people make money online - in 2018. After 6 years, that site merged with WebMonkey, with the goal of helping even more people earn their first dollar of online income.

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