31 Different Ways to Get Paid Today

You worked today, get paid today.

Are you interested in downloading the apps where you can get paid today?

Today I’m going to show you some new strategies to make some extra money fast simply by clicking a few buttons on your cell phone (in under 5 minutes).

The best part? A lot of these require no effort at all.

I get it.

Life happens.

Sometimes you need some extra cash to pay a bill or you’re trying to save up for something you want.

You don’t want to fall behind on bills and are wondering how to make money today or what apps can pay you today?

Sure, another 500 dollars paid out early wouldn’t hurt. We’ve all been there, but what do you usually do when that happens? This is an exhaustive list of things that anyone can do, today, in order to get your paycheck early so you can earn money today.

If you're strapped for time, I'll go ahead and share the best get paid today apps to land your next paycheck.

These 11 Apps Can Help You Make It to Your Next Payday

These cash advance apps help you get your paycheck early can help you borrow money instantly. I mean you worked today, get paid today.

Try these free mobile applications available in the App Store and Google Play Store — so you can get paid today and earn money fast:

4.8
4.8
  • App Store: 4.8 – ‎146k reviews
  • App Store: 4.8 – ‎652k reviews
Fees: $8/mo
Fees: $1/mo
4.8
  • App Store: 4.8 – ‎146k reviews
Fees: $8/mo
4.8
  • App Store: 4.8 – ‎652k reviews
Fees: $1/mo

1. Empower

Empower is an app designed for today’s generation. No matter what lies ahead, they’ll help you thrive by letting you borrow money. By downloading the app you can get a cash advance of up to $250 when you need it most, and save for your future.

get paid today

You can count on them to have your back and get a cash advance up to $250 directly to your account. No applications, no interest or late fees, no credit checks or credit risk. You just pay them back automatically when you receive your next direct deposit. There's no catch. It's that simple.

2. Dave

dave

Apps like Dave pride themselves on being banking for humans. Meet the banking app that puts your financial mind at ease. Get paid up to two days early, build your credit history and get up to $500 advances without paying a fee. 7 million members and counting consider Dave one of the top reliable cash advance apps.

Get up to $500
Dave
4.8
  • Dave is an app that provides an advance of up to $500 on your next paycheck
  • Only required fee is a monthly $1 subscription fee
  • An optional express fee from $1.99 to $13.99 to receive funds within an hour (instead of the standard two to three days)
GET UP TO $500

3. Brigit

Brigit is another instant loan app that can help anyone get paid today. By downloading the free app on iOS or Android — you can join 3 million members who get paid up to $250, budget, and save smarter with Brigit. Only takes 2-minutes. No credit check. No interest.

4. Chime

chime

Traditional banks took $11 Billion in overdraft fees in 2019. At Chime, they do things differently. Instead of charging you an overdraft fee, they allow you to overdraft up to $200* with no fees. So if you need to pay for something but don't have any money, you can still buy it with Chime SpotMe covering you. There are a ton of apps that work with Chime so it's a flexible option for any consumer.

5. MoneyLion

moneylion get paid today app

MoneyLion is banking that gives you more, a lot more so you can get paid today. You can get spotted $250 at any time with no interest with Instacash. This gets you 0% APR cash advances up to $250 to help you cover essentials and surprises, just apply here and link your checking account (no monthly fee). Plus, you can get your paycheck up to two days early with RoarMoney – plus easy ways to borrow, save, invest, and earn. All in one app.

6. Earnin

earnin get paid today app

With Earnin, you get paid today and can access up to $100 per day from the pay you’ve already earned, without hidden fees or interest. With apps like Earnin, there are no mandatory monthly fees or interest. You choose what you want to pay to support the service. This is a radical change from the way the American financial system typically functions.

7. Albert

Albert can spot you up to $250 so you can make ends meet. No late fees, interest, credit check, or hidden hands in your pocket. As long as you have a paycheck and have repaid your past advances, you can request up to 3 cash advances per pay period. There's no catch and they are offering a 30-day free trial.

8. Branch

brand get paid today app

Apps like Branch offer a mobile digital wallet for working Americans. An on-demand hub that helps them meet their everyday financial needs, this get paid today app allows any employee to receive a payroll advance (up to $500 in earned wages per paycheck), manage their cash flow, and spend anywhere – all from their smartphone.

9. DailyPay

With apps like DailyPay, you can work and get paid today. Employees have access to their pay when they need it and in between paydays even. However, these types of daily pay apps are different than cash advance apps as your employer must sign up and offer DailyPay as a benefit.

10. PayActiv

PayActiv gives workers a complete solution to access cash, pay bills, get around and prepare for the future. Avoid late fees, overdraft fees, and high-interest loans with on-demand access to the money you've already earned. You can get paid today and withdraw the greater of $500 or up to 50% of your earned wages. However, this is another app where your employer must offer PayActiv as a benefit.

11. FlexWage

FlexWage is another employee-sponsored platform where you can get paid today if your employer offers it. If they offer it you can get access to your paycheck via a reloadable card tied to your earned wages. If your employer offers this, the fees will be determined by the employer. You can typically get 70% to 80% of earned income with instant funding with apps like FlexWage.

15 Best Apps That Can Make You Money Fast

These get paid daily apps can only get you so far. Sometimes you just need to increase your income sources in order to make cash daily. Want to learn about other apps that pay you real money?

I’ll only list legit ways that I’ve personally used to make money online, and make it fast. We will first start with the quick wins, companies that’ll (legit) pay you money just for signing up:

Next, we’ll move on to other ways to earn with your mobile phone and side hustles.

12. Survey Junkie

Taking online surveys to make that extra money is a no-brainer!

You definitely won’t get rich or make thousands of dollars per day with surveys alone, but you won’t waste much time, and you can make some money the easy way. Here is my favorite (and highest paying) survey site:

Survey Junkie pays between $2 and $50 per survey, and many of them take less than 5 minutes to complete. So if you took on average 10 surveys per day, every day for a month, you could make $375+ per month. If you took more surveys a day — the possibilities are endless.

There are a lot of scammy survey sites out there, but Survey Junkie has over 11,000 positive reviews on TrustPilot, the highest of any survey site. It’s legitimate.

Sounds like fun? Sign-up for Survey Junkie, take surveys and earn money from your phone fast. You can also get a registration bonus through here.

13. Solitaire Cube

Solitaire Cube is an addicting game where you can play Solitaire on your phone and compete in cash tournaments.

Solitaire Cube includes tournaments and head-to-head competitions with real cash prizes (where available).

It's pretty easy to get started and the game will match you up with other players who have the same level of skills in real-time.

Cash outs are through PayPal and I had no issues withdrawing or depositing money.

How to play? Stack cards into piles to sort them by their suit. Sound easy? It is!

14. Nielsen Mobile

One of my favorite apps that not many people know about is Nielsen. If you have a cell phone or laptop then you can earn $50 fast right now. All you have to do is register for free (they’ll track your browser usage) and you’re set to earn $50 per year passively.

It’s really noninvasive, requires basically no storage, and won’t impact your device performance. After you installed the app, just use the internet as you usually would (but now you’re getting paid — cha-ching!).

Nielsen gives out $10,000 each month so you can win real money for about 60 seconds of work. A no brainer.

Best for: passive income
Nielsen Mobile Panel
5.0
Cost: free

By participating in Nielsen research, you can improve products and services you use online today. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel combines your unique internet usage with people like you to build a picture of internet behavior.

GET PAID $60 FOR DOWNLOADING

15. Mistplay

We all heard the old saying “time is money” right?

Instead of playing games on your phone like everyone else and feeling bad for wasting your time — now you can get paid for it.

Getting paid for playing games sounds like a dream. But if you download a free new app, and then download games from it and play, you earn money.

As you level up you can earn more money for cash rewards or gift cards.

This is a great opportunity for those looking to get paid for something they enjoy, like winning free gift cards and cash for playing games. I use it and it is legit and has over 131,404+ positive reviews in the Google Play store.

If you’re interested, I recommend you download the app from the Google Play store for free by clicking here.

16. Robinhood

Are you ready to say goodbye to fees for when you buy and sell stocks and hello to commission-free trades?

That’s right, Robinhood lets you do everything for free and takes no fees — ever.

Robinhood is a free investing app for your phone. I really mean free all around – free to join and they don’t charge any fees to buy or sell the stock or cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. You can get a share of stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint for free when you join through this link.

They are also offering a free stock promotion and you don't even have to deposit any money to receive the stock.

Just sign up and wait a few days for it to show up in your app. You can also cash out immediately and transfer the funds to your bank account — if you wanted to.

If you wanted to learn you can sign up for information from Robinhood through here.

Swagbucks offers you the opportunity to earn cash for just searching the web.

Earn cash for searching for cute puppy pics?

Sounds too good to be true, but you read it right. Just switch from using Google or Bing to Swagbucks' search engine and you'll expect to earn up to $50 per month for active use. Plus, you can get a $10 sign up bonus through this link.

Best for: getting paid to search web
Swagbucks
Bonus: $10 sign up bonus

Sign up for free and start using Swagbucks Search, powered by Yahoo!, every time you search the web - you get paid!

GET PAID TO SWITCH YOUR SEARCH ENGINE

18. InboxDollars

Another app that offers you the opportunity to play games for real money is InboxDollars.

If you sign up before the end of this month, they also give you a $5 free bonus just to give it a try.

By spending just 5-10 minutes per day on this (either on your lunch break or during TV commercial breaks) you can earn and earn an extra $50 fast each month just for playing games. They also offer you the opportunity to earn cash for sharing your opinion and completing surveys.

More people should be doing this.

InboxDollars
4.5

InboxDollars is a legitimate way to make extra money online. It's been around for 20 years, and the company says it's paid its members more than $59 million since 2000.

CLAIM $5 BONUS

19. ZippyLoan

If you actually need money now, then you can opt for a personal loan. When you need money in a hurry ZippyLoan is where to go.

ZippyLoan offers you online personal loans in about 5 minutes on their completely secure website.

This website connects you to lenders which means that waiting times are minimized unlike at a bank. The money is usually deposited in your account the next day you apply for a loan.

You review the loan details and e-sign if you like what you see. No risk in checking what offers you’ll get. You can borrow between $100 and $15,000 as soon as tomorrow.

Loans service for up to 60 months.

ZippyLoan connects borrowers to lenders through their network of lenders. They’ll find you the lowest interest rate and is one of the best no credit check loan. You can visit ZippyLoan here.

ZippyLoan
3.5
Not available in: New York, Oregon, West Virginia or Washington, D.C.

While ZippyLoan is relatively new, they're a legit company – with a BBB rating and everything. You can get a personal loan quickly if you need cash fast without a credit check.

APPLY NOW

20. Gig Economy Apps

make money with food delivery

Gig economy workers are the real winners in the COVID-19 era, as the demand for food delivery is booming.

If you wanted to cash in and earn over $50-100 each day — here are the best food delivery apps that pay the most:

  1. DoorDash: DoorDash is the #1 food delivery app to make money delivering food. You can earn on your bike or even by walking and earn for each delivery made.
  2. Instacart Shopper: If you have a car then you can use it to deliver groceries with Instacart. Just log into the app whenever you want to make extra cash and the orders will come. You can earn $20 an hour.

If you do plan picking a delivery app to make extra cash in your free time, consider driving for multiple food delivery apps at the same time in order to be more profitable and make more money in between orders

If you haven’t yet, click through to become an Instacart Shopper and DoorDash Driver!

21. Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is currently offering a $10 cash bonus if you sign up before the end of the month.

Rakuten has been around for years and is probably the easiest ways to get cash back and they partner with any store you could imagine.

Before checking out, go through Rakuten and you're getting cash back.

Every time you shop online, start at Rakuten and then I get cash back deposited into your PayPal account. Hello, free money! Join now for free here.

22. Arrived

arrived

Arrived is a great real estate investing platform to use if you want a low minimum investment threshold for real estate investing. You can get started with as little as $100!

It’s an especially useful tool to use if you want to diversify your portfolio and have someone else handle all the work that comes with being a landlord. All you really need to do is sign up, and collect your rental income each quarter.

The management fee is a modest 1% asset management fee, but it's worth it considering how easy it is to get started. You can sign up for free and view the different properties available to invest in. Buy shares of properties, earn rental income and appreciation — let Arrived take care of the rest.

Then you can literally beat the stock market year after year and start making money in your sleep. If you want to earn the big bucks then you can learn how to get started by getting more information from Arrived here.

Top offer pick
Arrived
5.0

Arrived lets you invest in residential real estate and vacation rentals with only $100. It's an excellent option for anyone looking to earn passive income with rental units. And the platform is available to non-accredited investors.

START INVESTING NOW

23. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a pretty legit app where you can get free gift cards for scanning receipts.

It works with literally any receipt which sets it apart from all other cash back apps. Plus, you don't have to clip coupons or click offers — scan receipts and you're earning real money.

This is a great way to make extra dough, the easy way, and can add up to a large wad of cash rewards quickly. How to start earning with Fetch Rewards:

  1. Download Fetch for (iOS or Android)
  2. Scan any receipt from any stores that you use daily
  3. Get free gift cards

They are conveniently offering a $2 signup bonus after scanning your first receipt, so act fast!

These Are The Best Survey Sites to Make The Most Money

I sat down and studied all of the best survey apps to find out for myself which ones are legit (and high paying), and which ones are not.

If you wanted to compare some more, here is the list of the best money making surveys:

24. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie's interface is super smooth and intuitive (unlike the majority of survey company websites that look like they were built in 1997), and members are paid in cash via Paypal.

Oh, and Survey Junkie also has an 8.9/10 rating on TrustPilot — the highest of any online survey company.

This is one is the more reputable survey companies out there and millions of users have already joined.

  • Where it’s available: United States, Canada, and Australia
  • Age requirements: 13+ years old
  • Average earnings: $0.50 – $3 per survey
  • Payment method: PayPal cash in all countries, or gift cards and direct bank transfers in the United States
  • Minimum to cash out: $10
  • Where to sign up: Survey Junkie Official Site

Join Survey Junkie

25. Swagbucks

Swagbucks lets you earn money in so many ways like taking surveys, shopping online, or playing games, but many people love racking up money by watching videos in their spare time.

You can cash out your ‘Swagbucks' as gift cards to hundreds of merchants or get your cash by PayPal (legit cash to your bank account). Many claim this to be one of the best reward sites in 2020 and they are currently offering a $10 sign up bonus.

  • Where it’s available: Most of the Americas, Asia and Europe, and some areas in Africa.
  • Age requirements: 13+ years old
  • Average earnings: $0.40 – $2 per survey
  • Payment method: PayPal cash or gift cards
  • Minimum to cash out: $3 in gift cards or $25 in PayPal cash
  • Where to sign up: Swagbucks Official Site

Join Swagbucks

26. InboxDollars

InboxDollars pays members to read emails, take surveys online, playing games, and search the web!

Overall, Inbox Dollars is super easy to navigate. I’ve tried other paid survey sites and just end up overwhelmed.

They also do a nice job of breaking down the offers into categories. And you’ll always see the amount of money you’ve earned at the top of your window, which is exhilarating.

Right now they are offering a $5 cash bonus just for joining.

  • Where it’s available: United States
  • Age requirements: 18+ years old
  • Average earnings: $0.50 – $5.00 per survey and up to $10 and $20 or more for people in certain demographics
  • Payment method: Gift cards, prepaid Visa card, or a check in the mail
  • Minimum to cash out: $30
  • Where to sign up: InboxDollars Official Site

Join InboxDollars

27. Branded Surveys – $1 Signup Bonus

branded surveys

Get paid to take online paid surveys with Branded Surveys.

Here, you’ll take surveys for money about products created by some of the world’s most famous companies – including Disney, Volkswagon, Amazon, Nike, Samsung, and more.

For each survey you complete, you’ll earn money. They pay you straight cash. You don’t have to convert your points into cash, you can see your earnings on the dashboard.

Payout is through Paypal or check.

To get started, simply create your free account. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll receive a nifty $1 signup bonus when you do.

  • Where it’s available: United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.
  • Age requirements: 18+ years old
  • Average earnings: $0.50 – $3.00 per survey
  • Payment method: PayPal or a check in the mail
  • Minimum to cash out: $5
  • Where to sign up: Branded Surveys Official Site

Join Branded Surveys

Once You Have $1,000 in Your Checking Account, Do These 5 Things

Once you built some cushion in your bank account — you're on the right path. Get paid today apps can only get you so far, it's time to think about longer-term financial goals. What’s the next step you should take? Here are ways to take your finances to the next level:

28. Leave Your Family $1M

  • Smarts rating: ★★★★★

Who doesn't want to be a millionaire?

While we don't all have trust funds waiting for us, there is still a way to provide protection for your loved ones with up to $1 million in term life insurance.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could do this for as little as $8 a month without dealing with all the hassle of wasting your time or money?

You don't have to have money in your pockets to get a free quote from the best life insurance companies:

Best for Quick Coverage
4.9
  • Term life insurance
  • Online quote
  • A A.M. Best Rating
Best for Quick Coverage
4.9
  • Term life insurance
  • Online quote
  • A A.M. Best Rating

29. Get Paid to Save

  • Smarts rating: ★★★★★
axos bank

Having money in the bank for emergencies can help you improve your financial standing. You'll want three to six months' worth of expenses in your emergency fund. Be sure to stash your money in the right savings account that'll grow your money.

This is another way to invest your 1,000 dollars. It’s much more profitable than the normal savings account. Your money can sit in there and accrue some interest until you are ready to invest in bigger and more profitable ventures.

Most experts recommend Axos Bank’s High Yield Savings, where you can earn a very impressive 0.61% annual percentage yield which is an APY that’s 6X the national average. Comes with zero monthly maintenance fees and zero minimum balance requirements.

Open account and start earning

30. Get Free Stocks Instantly

  • Smarts rating: ★★★★★
robinhood

While you're at it, why not increase your net worth with a free stock?

Robinhood is a free investing app for your phone. I really mean free all around – free to join and they don’t charge any fees to buy or sell the stock.

Better yet, if you join through this link you can get a free stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint when you join (must complete signup).

The value of the free share may be anywhere between $2.50 and $200 and fluctuates based on market movements. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Get a free stock at Robinhood

31. Start Building Passive Income

  • Smarts rating: ★★★★★

Arrived is a great real estate investing platform to use if you want a low minimum investment threshold for real estate investing. You can get started with as little as $100!

It’s an especially useful tool to use if you want to diversify your portfolio and have someone else handle all the work that comes with being a landlord. All you really need to do is sign up, and collect your rental income each quarter.

The management fee is a modest 1% asset management fee, but it's worth it considering how easy it is to get started. You can sign up for free and view the different properties available to invest in. Buy shares of properties, earn rental income and appreciation — let Arrived take care of the rest.

Then you can literally beat the stock market year after year and start making money in your sleep. If you want to earn the big bucks then you can learn how to get started by getting more information from Arrived here.

Make money with real estate

More Financial Assistance

How can I get paid today?

There are payday apps like Empower that can help you get your paycheck early so you get paid today. When you need cash to make it to payday, these apps can be a huge help. All these payday apps are listed in this article.

How can I get paid instantly?

There are websites where you can get paid instantly by completing online activities. You essentially get paid to do something on sites like Swagbucks or InboxDollars.

What apps will give you money?

There are a few apps that will you free money, which we've listed in this article.

External resources, so you don’t have to do the research:

1) Have you lost your job? You can file for unemployment. Apps like Brigit also have automatic advance extensions for any user who has filed for unemployment. No questions asked. 

2) Looking to earn money? We have two articles about this, one for people looking for full-time online jobs and another for people looking for part time income (the gig economy).

3) Worried about bills? Here is an article from our team on ways to save money on groceries. Credit card companies and some banks are also delaying payments, waiving fees, and removing interest charges. Read about it here. You can get out ahead of these problems.

4) Trying to stretch your budget? Check out our guide on living cheap. Maybe you already know it all, but maybe there are some tidbits in there to help.

Need More Get Paid Today Apps?

A ton of people are searching online for the best get paid today apps. Well, look no further, because if you wanted more ways to make money online then these are literally the best free money making apps that'll pay you real money. So consider scrolling back up and taking a second look.

Also, cash in on the following signup bonuses that pay cash on the spot and you will be on your way to making an extra $100:

  1. Swagbucks: $10 welcome bonus! Swagbucks is a legit rewards site with lots of different ways available to earn money. You can take surveys, play games, watch fun videos, and search the internet.
  2. Ibotta: $20 welcome bonus! Ibotta pays you real money on your everyday purchases. Download the free app to receive offers and earn real cash back in stores and online.
  3. Rakuten (formerly Ebates): $10 welcome bonus! Rakuten is where you can get cash back for shopping at over 2,500 stores.
  4. MyPoints: $10 welcome bonus! MyPoints offers a daily rewards program and is another cashback website that works similarly to Rakuten.
  5. InboxDollars: $5 welcome bonus! Earn dollars for small tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos, and playing addicting games.

Signup bonuses offer a great way to kick start your earnings with quick cash rewards. Good luck with getting paid today!

Get up to $500
Dave
4.8
  • Dave is an app that provides an advance of up to $500 on your next paycheck
  • Only required fee is a monthly $1 subscription fee
  • An optional express fee from $1.99 to $13.99 to receive funds within an hour (instead of the standard two to three days)
GET UP TO $500
Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs is a personal finance expert, and the founder of Smarts, a personal finance site helping you easily explore your best money options. He helps readers follow the smart money in order to increase their earning potential and start building wealth for the future. He regularly writes about side hustles, investing, and general personal finance topics aimed to help anyone earn more, pay off debt, and reach financial freedom. He has been quoted as a top personal finance blogger in major publications including Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, NASDAQ, Discover, and more.
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