How to Make Money From Your Phone: 30 Proven Methods
Love your phone? Don’t we all! But your humble handset is more than just a fast track to shopping, entertainment, and unwanted messages from your boss. It’s a great way to earn extra cash.
Read on to discover how to make money from your phone… without even leaving the couch.
Can You Really Make Money from Your Phone?
Absolutely. Making money from your phone is easy, and you choose your commitment level.
- Cash on the side? Hit up those survey, game, and task apps.
- Looking for a steady flow of income? Use your phone to build an e-commerce store, offer freelance services, or get into investing.
You can make money from your phone in a few minutes a day, or focus your efforts to amplify results. And with millions of Americans working the gig economy to make extra money, now’s the perfect time to dive in!
Choose the Best Way to Make Money from Your Phone Based on Your Style
Top 30 Ways to Make Money From Your Phone
Research shows the average American spends nearly 4.5 hours on their smartphone each day, so put that time to good use!
From casual side-hustles to digital businesses, making money from your phone is surprisingly easy.
Whether you’re looking to earn a few bucks from your sofa or use your phone to build a business, these ideas will get you started.
Easy Ways to Make Money From Your Phone
Start to unlock the money-making potential of your phone with minimal time commitment. Think of them as your entry level.
1. Answer surveys
Survey sites are quick, easy, and fun to use. Take a few minutes to share your opinions, and watch your earnings grow.
- Some user favorites include Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and Branded Surveys.
- For the best earnings, head to Prolific, where users earn up to $100 a month.
- Sign up to add your name to the Prolific waiting list; places are released according to specific demographic research needs.
2. Take part in market research
Companies want to know what consumers think, and they’ll pay well for opinions with paid interviews and focus groups.
- Earn money from your phone with market research. Sign up for platforms such as Askable, User Interviews, Research Opinions, Saros, and Take Part in Research.
- Pay varies greatly, but hourly earnings of $35 to $100 are realistic. Longer ‘diary style’ projects pay around $150 for a week
3. Become a digital user tester
Love browsing websites and apps? Become a user tester.
- Platforms such as Intellizoom, UserFeel, UserTesting, and Trybe link companies with end users to test dev sites and apps.
- Expect to earn around $5+ for a 10-minute test. They’re quick, easy, and fun.
4. Play mobile games
Download apps such as Scrambly, Skillz, and Mistplay, and earn money from your phone for gaming.
Scrambly also offers cash, gift cards, and other rewards for testing apps and completing surveys. It’s an all-in-one site for your side-hustle hobby.
5. Cash in with Cashback sites
Not strictly earning, but one of the easiest ways to make money using a phone is to click through a cashback site every time you shop, and see if there’s a partner offer. You then get a percentage of your spend back as cash or points.
- Look at TopCashBack, Rakuten, SwagBucks, Dosh, or Ibotta.
- Some users save hundreds of dollars a year.
6. Watch ads
Wondering how to make money with your phone as a student? Easy. Simply sign up at sites such as Scrambly, InboxDollars, and Swagbucks and earn redeemable points every time you watch an ad or video.
7. Sell unwanted items online
Use platforms such as eBay, Vinted, Mercari, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace to sell your unwanted items. Research suggests the average American has $3,675 of unwanted goods in their home.
This is one of the easiest ways to make money from your phone, and if you’re currently paying for storage or a larger living space than you need, a good clearout saves $$$ too!
How to Make Money From Your Phone with Freelancing
Many freelancers build up profitable side-hustles (or full-time careers) through platform listings, LinkedIn profiles, and websites they manage on their phones. Try these ideas:
8. Offer Professional Services
Create a freelancer profile to make money from your phone with freelance work. Head to Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork to offer services in writing, proofing, and graphic design. Freelancer rates vary, but typically start from $20-$50 per hour.
For students and graduates, this is a great way to build up a portfolio for a sustainable freelance career or a route into a permanent role.
9. Become a virtual assistant
If you’re organised, responsible, and asking how to make money from your phone, consider virtual assistant work. VA rates generally range from $10 to $75+ per hour.
Help businesses manage their schedules, communications, or social media accounts via apps like Fancy Hands or Belay.
For students, this way of making money on your phone can lead to a flexible career.
10. Work as a transcriber
If you have a good ear for nuance and fast, accurate typing skills, sign up at sites such as Rev or GoTranscript to register as a transcriber. You’ll receive audio files to transcribe to text for a fixed or hourly payment ($15 to $25 per hour. is typical).
Service-based gigs are the ideal way to make money from your phone without investment, and transcription services are always in demand.
11. Deliver data entry services
Make easy money from your phone and apply for data entry gigs.
Great for a low-commitment side hustle, find postings on mobile job boards and tasking platforms, like TaskRabbit and Indeed.
12. Side-hustle as a tasker
Wondering how to make money from your phone in a low-commitment way? Get into tasking. TaskRabbit and AirTasker are two great sites that connect ready ‘taskers’ with customers.
Browse through categories in your area to find listings for:
- house clearances
- Shopping
- Painting
- lawn mowing
- spreadsheet creation, and everything in between!
Many self-employed people use these tasking sites to make money with a smartphone between jobs. The average US TaskRabbit Tasker earns around $27 per hour.
For students, tasking is the ultimate no-commitment side-earner.
13. Offer tutoring
Register as a tutor on Tutor.com and Teacheron to leverage your skills and make money from your phone.
- Set your rates and tutor directly from your handset.
- Online tutoring rates typically range from $25 to $50 per hour.
- This is a great option for graduates, in particular.
How to Make Money From Your Phone with Finance
Most of us are used to spending cash online, but why not make money with your phone too? These ideas are all ideal for generating some extra cash!14. Start micro-investing
Download micro-investing sites such as Robinhood or Acorn and buy fractional stock shares with your spare change.
If you’re prepared to invest time and effort in understanding the stock market, a good way to make money with your phone is to look at day trading or crypto.
15. Get financially savvy
Make money from your phone easily, and review your current financial products. Check whether you are on the best interest rates, and switch to take advantage of better deals and switch fees.
For example, many banks offer switching incentives, and you can handle the admin from your smartphone. Use comparison sites to see which providers are currently offering the best rates.
16. Earn referrals
Referral marketing isn’t just for professional influencers. Find and share retailer referral codes with friends and family. If they buy something with your code, you’ll both get a $$$ incentive.
17. Consider matched betting
If you’re wondering, ‘How can I make money from my phone?’ and you have a sharp mind, desire to learn, and an interest in earning around $250 a month, consider matched betting.
- Note, this isn’t gambling. Matched betting involves scooping up free bets and bookie offers to make money at home.
- There’s a huge community of committed matched betters out there, and some of them make serious cash!
- Try sites such as ProfitDuel, OddsJam, and DarkHorse Odds.
(ProfitDuel homepage in navy blue with white and hot pink text. Pink rounded edge sign up box advertising $1 trial and online chatbot function.)
Make Money With Your Phone As a Creator
Monetize your knowledge and creativity—create fresh content to sell via your phone. Use AI to support the build, develop a subscriber base, and manage your sales channels and platforms via your handset for ease.
Content isn’t an overnight earner, but it can become a significant income source. It also demonstrates that making money from your phone needn’t require a big financial investment.
18. Make video content
If you’re a content creator, start a YouTube Channel, using tools such as YouTube Studio and CapCut. Over time, you can grow your audience and monetize your site with:
- Creator funds
- Sponsorships
- Subscriptions
- Affiliate deals, and
- Ad-revenue programs.
YouTube mid-tier influencers earn c. $10,000 per video.
19. Record Podcasts
For would-be podcasters wondering how to get money on your phone, record and create a podcast directly from your handset. Try using Spotify or Anchor for this money-making journey.
20. Design Printables
Love design? Make money with your phone number and set up your design and vendor accounts online to get started. Here are some possibilities:
Use Canva to create printables to sell on Etsy.
People buy everything from wedding planners to colouring pages for kids.
Look at print-on-demand services
Register with platforms like Teespring or Redbubble to sell unique designs.
Use Etsy to sell your own handmade crafts
See what people are buying to find the trends and most lucrative areas.
21. Take stock photographs
Wondering how to get money on your phone by using its camera? Learn how to take and sell stock photographs.
Teach yourself photography skills, take great snaps, and upload them to Adobe Stock and Shutterstock to earn a commission when people license and use them.
22. Develop digital courses
Digital courses are a multi-million-dollar business, so if you have expertise in any area, from fishing to families, write and publish a course or guide.
Sign up with Google Docs and Notion through your phone and sell the finished piece via Gumroad or your own optimized website.
How to Make Money With Your Phone Using Referral Marketing
Brands use referral marketing as part of ‘word of mouth’ strategies. Today, UCG creators take referrals up a notch to build an income, recording and editing content on their phones.
23. Become an influencer
Make money on your phone working for brands, and become an influencer. Influencers earn about $76 per hour.
There’s a sharp learning curve involved. However, you can grow an audience on social media, such as TikTok, and earn commissions through affiliate marketing, sponsorships, brand partnerships, and more. Film directly from your phone, edit, and upload to your platform. Here are the financial possibilities:
24. Learn affiliate marketing and consider UGC
- Learn about UCG and affiliate marketing. Brands value both as part of their referral marketing strategies. Making money from your phone can be as easy as filming a review and sharing it.
- Brands pay UCG partners to create videos for them, and give commissions to affiliate partners.
- Search for UCG agencies to see which ones match your niche and which are hiring.
- Affiliate marketing opportunities can come over time, as you build your following.
How to Make Money With Your Phone Outdoors
Making money from your phone doesn’t mean being stuck indoors! Get outside with these great earning ideas.
25. Walk dogs and sit pets
If you’re wondering how to make money from your phone without being glued to it all day… The answer is to view it as a tool for ‘real world’ side-gigs.
Download the Pawshake, Wag!, TrustedHousesitters, or Rover apps and find local gigs for dog walking and pet sitting. Earn from $15 per hour. Create your profile and use it to build a fun side-hustle outdoors!
26. Become a property agent
Want a quirky way to earn money from your phone? Spot abandoned or empty properties, report them to an app, and potentially earn a $1,000 referral fee on a converted development deal.
Some popular apps to look at are Findvacanthouses.com, You Spot Property, DealMachine, and Fergmar.
27. Track your steps
Did you know you can make money from your phone by…walking? Look at apps such as Sweatcoin, WeWard, Macadam, and CashWalk. Start stepping and begin earning.
The phone app tracks your steps, which are converted to points for cash, rewards, or charity donations.
28. Become a mystery shopper
Get paid a fee to shop, eat, and drink, under cover! Mystery shoppers work on a flexible basis for retailers, restaurants, pubs, cafes, bars, and venues.
- Sign up to mystery shopper platforms such as MarketForce, Best Mark, Secret Shopper, or iShop for Ipsos, and start making money with your phone.
- You’ll use it to take photos and recordings during your ‘mission’.
- Expect to earn around $18 per hour on average, plus reimbursements.
How to Make Money With Your Phone As an Entrepreneur
Want to make more serious money from a phone? Then use it as your gateway to business building!
29. Build Apps
Got dev skills? Use the latest AI-enabled systems to create an app. You need an idea to monetize and coding skills. Test, soft-launch, and list with a small subscription fee.
This is a great way to make money with a phone, as you can handle everything from your handset.
30. Look at E-Commerce & Dropshipping
Consider these options to make money from your phone with e-commerce:
Inspired to Make Money From Your Phone?
Hopefully, these ways to make money from your phone have inspired you! Which will you try to make some extra bucks this month?
