How To Get Free $20 Instantly

So, you're wondering how to get $20 now and want a few ideas to get started.

Well, the great news is that there are so many different side hustle ideas and ways to make money fast thanks to the power of technology and the Internet.

I've personally been using these sorts of money-making methods since my time in college. And when money is tight, I know that even a bit of extra pocket money can make a massive difference.

That's why I'm covering some realistic ways to get a free $20 instantly if you're in a pinch and need some fast cash.

1. Shop Online With Rakuten

One simple way to get 20 dollars instantly for free is to shop online with Rakuten to get a free sign up bonus.

Rakuten is a leading rewards shopping extension that pays you real cash for shopping at thousands of different brands. I've been using the extension for years when I shop online, and to date, I've earned over $800 in lifetime cash back from it.

Creating an account is free, and Rakuten lets you earn cash back at popular retailers like:

Best Buy
Macy's
Nike
Sephora
Target
Walmart

And, Rakuten is also giving a free $30 sign up bonus right now when you sign up and make an eligible purchase of at least $30. This is basically 100% in free money, and it's a super simple way to make $20 instantly.

The only catch with Rakuten is that it pays out cash back quarterly through check or with PayPal money, so you have to wait a tiny bit to actually access your funds.

That said, if you regularly shop online, you definitely need to use extensions like Rakuten to maximize your rewards.

Get $30 for free with Rakuten!

2. Use Paid Survey Websites

There are lots of survey websites that pay cash out there. And, while this isn't my personal favorite, survey sites are a realistic way to get a free $20 dollars.

I've tested out dozens of survey sites as well over the years, and with a few hours of grinding, you can get $20 pretty fast and without needing any special skills.

Some leading survey sites that let you get money and free gift cards include:

Pinecone Research: Earn $3 for every survey you complete with this premium survey site.
Freecash: One of my all-time favorite reward websites.
Branded Surveys: Another survey site with a low $5 cash out requirement.
Swagbucks: Earn cash and gift cards for answering surveys, watching ads, playing games, downloading apps, and shopping online.
Survey Junkie: Use this leading survey site to earn gift cards or PayPal money and cash out at $5.

I also made a YouTube video on some of the best survey sites and highest paying apps you can use to get $20 for free.

With enough survey panels, you can make $20 within a day or few days of grinding out surveys. And it's a flexible side hustle that you can do from the comfort of your own home.

3. Play Games For Money

If you want to earn money for playing video games, you're in luck. There are actually lots of gaming reward websites and apps that pay you for gaming!

And with a few hours each week, you can make a free $20 right now and also have some fun in the process.

Some of the most popular options include:

Mistplay: Play new Android games and earn free gift cards with Mistplay.
Gamehag: Earn rewards like gift cards and Steam games for playing PC and mobile games.
Solitaire Cash: One of my favorite iOS money games.
Bubble Cash: Pop bubbles on your phone in this competitive game to win cash prizes.
Blackout Bingo: A fun way to play Bingo on your phone for money.
JustPlay: Another leading gaming rewards app like Mistplay.

My YouTube video covers some other money-making apps and ways to play games for money if you're curious.

Now, this method to make a free $20 instantly is only suitable if you already enjoy playing video games and put time into this sort of thing. But in this case, it's a pretty fun side hustle to test out.

If you're not a gamer, I think the earning potential is a bit too low for this to be worth your while.

4. Sell Stuff You Own

If you're still wondering how to make $20 fast, the simplest option might be to just sell stuff you own for fast cash.

This is also pretty easy given how many selling apps and websites are out there these days.

For example, you can sell almost anything on Facebook's Marketplace if you want to make some quick cash and don't mind meeting buyers in person. Websites like Mercari and eBay are also great online platforms you can use to sell stuff quickly.

Finally, websites like Poshmark and Depop are two popular marketplaces where you can sell stuff like clothing, accessories, and shoes.

I've sold things like old clothing, guitars, and furniture in the past. And sometimes, you can find a nearby buyer in a day or so for a very fast local sale that's also in cash.

5. Make Money With Gig Apps

While this option isn't exactly instant, gig economy jobs are still an effective way to make $20 instantly or much, more more.

Gig economy jobs are also ideal because they're flexible, so you can work as much or as little as you want whenever you need to boost your income.

Some popular gig jobs that pay well include:

DoorDash: Make money with the leading food delivery app in North America.
Instacart: Deliver groceries to people to make money as an Instacart shopper.
Shipt: Another popular grocery delivery service job like Instacart.
Grubhub: One more food delivery gig that's similar to DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Rideshare Apps: Drive for companies like Uber and Lyft to make extra cash.
Uber Eats: Make money with another popular food delivery service.

Making money with DoorDash is ideal if you just want to deliver food and don't want to shop for groceries or transport people around town.

In contrast, becoming an Instacart Shopper is a great fit if you don't mind grocery shopping and want to put fewer miles on your vehicle.

Finally, you can try ridesharing apps if you don't mind driving people around, although the sign-up and vehicle requirements are a bit more strict than food delivery gigs.

Whatever the case, just be sure to track your mileage whenever you use apps that pay you to drive!

Extra Reading – Is DoorDash Worth Working For?

6. Do Odd Jobs For Cash

Like gig jobs, there are plenty of odd jobs apps you can use to find extra work in your area. Websites like TaskRabbit are the most popular example of this and let you make money by offering services like:

Cleaning
Errand running
Furniture assembly
Handyman work
Painting
Landscaping
Tech help

But there are numerous websites and apps you can also use to find some quick work if TaskRabbit lets you down.

Wonolo is one example, and this company helps you find same-day temporary work jobs in your city. You can also use Handy to make money as a handyman or cleaner if you need fast cash jobs.

Finally, there are plenty of under the table job opportunities on websites like Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace, so don't be afraid to get creative!

7. Try Online Freelancing

Selling your skills for money is another realistic way to make $20 online right now, and the earning ceiling is much higher than you might think.

Currently, I make pretty much all of my income from freelance writing, consulting work, and my blog. I've also been making money online with these methods for the last few years quite consistently.

It took a while to find enough clients to go-full time, but even a modest freelancing gig can pay you $20 or way more in a short amount of time.

Some popular industries to make money with freelancing include:

Coding
Graphic design
Digital marketing
SEO
Social media management
Web development
Video editing
Virtual assistant work

The hourly rates for many freelancing gigs is $15 to $25+ or even more if you have serious experience, so you can definitely get $20 right now with this method.

Landing clients is the trickiest part to all this. However, with remote job sites or finding jobs on Upwork or Fiverr, you can get the ball rolling.

8. Rent Out Stuff For Money

There are lots of assets you can rent out to make money, and this option is ideal if you prefer passive vs active income.

And, the best part about this method to make $20 right now is that many rental ideas are recurring, meaning you can get the income month-after-month.

Here are some popular examples:

Renting out storage space with Neighbor
Making money with a spare room by becoming an Airbnb host
Renting out a parking space with SpotHero
Renting out an RV with RVShare or vehicle with Turo
Renting out things like cameras, instruments, and tools with Fat Llama

It can take a while to find renters, but once you do, the autopilot income that you get is worth it.

I mean, options like Neighbor can easily make $20 to $100 per month in free money depending on the size of storage space you're renting out.

9. Create Passive Income Streams

Speaking of renting things out, why not create enough passive income streams to get $20 now (or more) every single day?

This is honestly one of my favorite ideas for building wealth, and it's basically to create multiple income streams for yourself that pay you daily.

Here are some of my current income streams:

Blogging: I earn money every day with Mediavine ads and from affiliate income.
YouTube: My YouTube channel makes around $20 to $40 per day in advertising revenue.
Crypto Lending: I just started using Nexo to earn passive income from some Cardano I hold.
Dividend Stocks: I regularly invest in stocks and ETFs, some of which pay me quarterly dividends.
Real Estate: You can invest in income-generating real estate with companies like Arrived.

The downside to this strategy is that it can take time to build up income streams and grow them.

For example, it took me months to earn money with YouTube, and even longer to turn my blog into a business. But now Mediavine makes $500 a day or more, and this is largely passive income from posts I wrote a long time ago.

And overall, both streams earned around $100,000 for me in 2021, so the work is worth it if you put in the effort!

Plus, many ideas are quite simple to start out with, and you don't need a lot of upfront capital.

For example, you can invest in dividend-paying stocks through your bank or with commission-free brokers like M1. Furthermore, platforms like Arrived only require $100 to begin investing, so it's very beginner friendly.

10. Try User Testing Gigs

Another idea you can use to get a free $20 instantly is to work for various user testing gigs. These are gigs that pay you for testing new websites and apps and sharing your feedback.

Typically, you apply to user testing companies and get approved as a tester. From there, you get test invitations via email and earn around $10 for every short test you complete.

This isn't a way to make a full-time income online, but for making 20 dollars instantly, it's a viable option.

Some popular user testing gigs you can try include:

Again, it's hard to find enough consistent testing gigs to make hundreds of dollars per month. But I've tested out several of these types of platforms, and they do pay you for completing short testing sessions and for sharing your opiniion.

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs You Can Do From Your Phone.

11. Become A Sitter

This is also quite easy to get started with thanks to the gig economy. For example, companies like Rover let you offer pet walking and sitting services to make extra money on the side.

Rover focuses on dogs, but you can also offer pet sitting services for cats.

What's nice about Rover is that you set your own rates and availability. You can even choose the size of pets you work with and list the services you offer.

Rover workers earn about $22 per hour on average, so you can make way more than 20 dollars with a single client.

Rover-hourly-pay — Average hourly pay for Rover walkers.

The same premise applies for babysitting gigs as well. Websites like Sitter City help sitters find work, and you can always turn to families you know as well to see if anyone needs a babysitter.

You can check out our post on the best Rover headlines if you need a helping hand with setting up your profile.

12. Use Micro Task Sites

To make $20 quickly from home, another viable option is to use different micro task websites and apps that pay you for completing short online gigs.

Companies like Appen and Amazon MTurk are two popular examples here. In a nutshell, both companies let you make money online by completing gigs like:

Data entry
Content moderation
Image identification
Social media moderation
Transcription

Now, micro task sites don't make you rich, but again, they're a realistic way to get $20 right now without needing much skill. And they're ideal if you want to make money with your laptop from home and on your own schedule.

You can also try similar apps to make money by completing tasks in your city.

For example, both Gigwalk and the Premise app pay you for completing odd jobs in your city like taking photos of buildings or confirming information about different businesses.

13. Pawn Stuff For Money

There are lots of things you can pawn for money, and this is a great option if you also want to declutter your home.

Examples of popular things to pawn include:

Artwork
Collectibles like coins, Pokemon cards, and sports cards
Gold and silver
Watches
Jewelry
Wedding rings
Tools
Expensive clothing and handbags

Just keep in mind, the value of the item you're pawning is going to be much higher than the amount of money you get!

So, to get $20 instantly, stick with more expensive items like jewelry or watches that are sure to pawn quickly. And for even more ideas, you can read our post on the most surprising things that you can pawn.

14. Use Reward Apps

Reward apps are an easy yet effective way to earn small amounts of extra cash and free gift cards. And, with enough apps, it's certainly possible to make $20 quickly and for free.

I've also been testing out reward apps since college, and I have a few on my phone that consistently pay me every month with nice cash rewards or free gift cards.

Some leading reward apps you can try include:

Fetch Rewards: A grocery receipt scanning app that pays you with free gift cards for shopping.
Bumped: Lets you earn fractional shares of your favorite companies when you shop.
Checkout 51: Another grocery and gas rewards app that pays you cash back for shopping.
Receipt Hog: A receipt-scanning app that pays you with gift cards or PayPal money.
Amazon Shopper Panel: Lets you earn $10 per month in free Amazon gift cards for uploading your shopping receipts.

Apps like Fetch Rewards are best if you do most of the shopping for your household, but rewards still add up for occasional shoppers.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as well for how many apps you can use to make fast cash.

For example, passive income apps like Cash Magnet and Mobile Performance Meter can potentially make around $20 per month in free income when used together.

15. Workout For Cash

One final way to get $20 immediately is to use apps that pay you for working out.

For example, apps like HealthyWage and DietBet pay you for completing weightloss goals you set and bet on. Similarly, you can use StepBet to make money by completing weekly step-based challenges you bet on yourself to complete.

Even apps like Sweatcoin and Miles can gradually earn you some cool freebies as you walk and exercise.

Granted, you really have to workout to make your free $20, but hey, you're getting paid to get fit which is basically a win-win scenario.

Extra Reading – How To Make $1,000 In 24 Hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Make $20 Right Now?

To make 20 dollars instantly, you really need to leverage $20 sign up bonuses that pay you just for signing up and trying a service.

For example, Rakuten pays you $20 in PayPal cash or more for joining and completing a few simple steps. Alternatively, you can always work for apps like DoorDash and make $20 by completing a few orders in your spare time.

My post on the best apps with instant sign up bonuses also has plenty of companies you can use to make this sort of money immediately.

What's The Best Passive Option?

Personally, I use blogging and YouTube to make way more than $20 per day in passive income. And I think this approach is the most scalable based on my experience with each platform.

But you have a lot of ways to get started, ranging from investing in real estate with Arrived to selling Etsy print on demand products.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to make $20 fast, you're ready to head out there and hustle!

Just remember: even a small goal like making $20 per day can grow into something much more substantial, like $200, $300, or even $400 a day or more.

As long as you put in the work and stay consistent, you can definitely create new income streams your future self will thank you for.

Looking for other fast money-making ideas? Checkout:

How To Get Free $20 Instantly – 15 Best Methods For 2024!