Make money online

Why not use your screen time to boost your coffers? You could earn £1,000s/year by clicking and swiping, with no special skill needed. This guide lists 20+ (legit) ways to make money online – you can get paid just to watch videos, write, search on Google, sell photos, make your own YouTube clips and much more.

Quick tips for making money online

Before you start earning money online, there are a few things worth knowing. The main thing to remember is that while some of these sites only pay small amounts, add them all together and you could be looking at an annual bonanza of £1,000s.

Don't store cash in online-earning accounts

Companies that offer you the opportunity to earn online aren't banks. There's no protection if one goes under, taking your cash with it. So withdraw your cash as soon as you reach the payment threshold.

Do set up a dedicated email address

Set up a dedicated email address for online earning. When it comes to powerful free options, Gmail is among the best. Doing this is also a quick way to check when new paid tasks become available.

Don't expect to be instantly rolling in it

With some sites, it can take a while to earn enough to be able to withdraw your money. And if you give up, it means you did the tasks for free.

For this reason, it's important to understand it's not quick cash. But it is nice extra income, provided you're consistent and have a little patience.

Do spend gift vouchers ASAP

If you're given the choice, opt to get paid in cash. If you get paid in gift vouchers, spend them ASAP. Doing so reduces your chances of being left with invalid vouchers should the retailer go bust on you. Plus it means you can't lose them or forget about them until they go out of date. For more info on this, see our Gift Voucher Warning.

Don't forget to check if some of your dosh belongs to the taxman

For most people this won't be the case, especially if you're just doing it as a bit of extra cash. But get serious with it, or already have income from self-employment, and you might need to pay tax.

The trading allowance means you don't have to report the first £1,000 you earn from self-employment or selling goods/services 'for profit'. However if you earn more than a grand from the tricks in this guide, or have income over £1,000 from this and other self-employment, you'll need to declare it to HMRC, regardless of whether you're self-employed or PAYE.

HMRC told us everyone must do this by registering for Self Assessment, if not already registered, and filling in a tax return. If PAYE, it says it can collect your tax bill through a change to your tax code, providing you meet specific criteria.

Don't believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' earn cash online ads

Scam adverts litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promotes Bitcoin, binary trading or investments. These are scams and not genuine. See Fake ads warning.

1. Play games, watch videos and earn

   

   Swagbucks* is a fun site that pays you for completing short online tasks such as playing games. You can then exchange this for gift cards, cash via PayPal or other rewards. Many MoneySavers are dedicated users.
   
   Tasks include filling in polls, playing games and searching using its page instead of Google. Advertisers pay Swagbucks to publicise their wares or do market research, and the site passes a cut to you. The more dedicated you are, the more you earn, though every task pays a different amount.

   We've previously had reports of some people being charged after completing tasks to receive Swagbucks. Please make sure you do not sign up to any third-party, as by leaving the Swagbucks site, you may sign up to platforms which charge. We're looking into this, but to prevent it happening to you, please don't sign up to any third-party platforms.

   For motivation, join other points-chasers in the forum's popular Swagbucking thread. One committed 'swagger' from the forum, cally6008, says:
   

   Swagbucks is one of several online earning sites I use, but it's one of my favourites. I know for a fact that you can earn £25 a month using the site, because I do so nearly every month!
   - cally6008

   • See a full list of ways to earn Swagbucks

   Quick summary

   • Who's it good for? People who want to grab quick cash for fun tasks
   • Typical earnings: £25/month
   • Payment method: Cash or vouchers, eg, Amazon and John Lewis
   • Amount you need to earn before it pays: £3ish (depends on reward)
   • Have you tried it? Share your experiences on the Swagbucks forum thread

2. Online survey sites

   Willing to give views on activewear, washing-up liquid or current affairs? If so, it's possible to earn £100s a year, without any special skill or talent.
   

   It's all about stashing cash by filling in online surveys. For a full rundown of 22 of the top free sites, see the Top Online Survey Sites and Apps guide.

3. Make money playing games on your phone

   It might sound like a dream scenario, it's possible to make some extra cash just by playing games on your mobile. Apps that pay you to do this are funded by adverts and they pass on some of that money to you.  
   
   MSE Sarah made £5 in less than a day when she tested this out. For more, see our full list of the Top 'get paid to play' apps and websites.

4. Earn hard cash for fun tasks, for example, watching videos

   

   Online earning site Gift Hunter Club doles out points for watching videos, doing polls, entering competitions and completing other easy tasks.
   

   You can convert these into cash through PayPal or buy Amazon vouchers with your points. Just sign up and check your dashboard. It shows the tasks available and what they pay. 

   MoneySavers reckon the site's fun, payment is quick and they earn a decent amount each week. Forumite mizzame says:

   I made £10 in PayPal cash very easily last week, £8 the week before. Mainly from videos and easy tasks. My best earning site at the moment!
   - mizzame

   Aim to redeem your points on rewards giving better value

   A £5 Amazon gift card costs 850 points or a $5 (£4-ish) PayPal payment costs 530 points. While Gift Hunter Club lists cash payments in US dollars, PayPal converts the cash into pounds.
   

   Quick summary

   • Who's it good for? Those already using Swagbucks who want to join a similar site
   • Typical earnings: £7/week
   • Payment method: PayPal, Amazon vouchers and more
   • How much you need to earn before it pays: £4ish
   • Have you tried it? Share your experiences on the Gift Hunter Club forum thread

5. Get paid to google

   

   It's possible to get paid hard cash just for searching the web with Qmee*. It just involves downloading an add-on that sits on your internet browser. You then search online as you normally would on Google, Chrome, eBay, Safari and more

   Qmee will show extra results or adverts alongside normal search results. Some firms pay Qmee to appear in these ads, and Qmee gives you a cut of the cash. If the Qmee result interests you, click it and you'll earn a few pence, usually 7p-15p, so this is a slow burner.
   
   You can also download its app on Google Play or the iTunes Store, which focuses on surveys, usually paying 30p to £1.50. You can also see these on the 'surveys' tab of its desktop site.

   Forumite scarab2019 says:

   I am at £600 total, average £30 a month. Great little earner this is. 
   - scarab2019

   Quick summary

   • Who's it good for? Folks with the patience to click ads for a few pence
   • Typical earnings: £5/month
   • Payment method: Cash via PayPal or a range of gift cards
   • How much you need to earn before it pays: No minimum
   • Have you tried it? Share your experiences in the Qmee forum thread

   Quick questions

   • What exactly do I have to do?

   • Can I boost earnings by repeating searches?

   • What does Qmee do with my data?

6. Enter contests as a cash-boosting hobby

   From cars to £20,000 cash, five-star holidays to £10,000 of Tesco gift cards, MoneySavers have won it all. It's all about 'comping', a potentially profitable online hobby for the lucky.
   

   It's about systematically sourcing and entering hundreds of the right contests. To learn the techniques, see our 40+ Comping Tips guide.

7. Grab FREE cashback

   Cashback sites work by giving you a cut of the cash they earn for channelling web traffic. Yet you don't have to buy anything to earn cash via these sites – they often pay you just for clicking links on the internet.
   

   For example, Topcashback often pays you to take out free trials of products – its free cashback section lists the top offers. For full info, see Top Cashback Sites.