How to Make Money in One Hour (Legitimately!)
Most of us are motivated by the thought of making some extra cash, but what if you set yourself a rapid challenge to find ways to make money in one hour?
Sixty minutes isn’t long, but you’d be surprised at how many quick earners you can find, especially with your phone.
In this blog, we’ll look at how to make money in one hour legitimately, with real earnings, not dodgy “get rich quick” scams (more on those later).
We’ll cover everything from fun gaming apps to genuine quick-turnaround jobs to prime you for rapid earning success. Let’s go!
Can You REALLY Make Money in One Hour?
It’s definitely possible to make money in one hour online or by working in your community.
Different factors will affect how much money you make in practice. These include your location, experience, and work availability.
To maximize your results, focus on high-paying opportunities or stack up different easy earners to earn cash from your sofa!
Who Might Want to Earn Money in One Hour?
All kinds of people want to make fast, legitimate money in an hour. For example:
- Stay-at-home parents who want to combine childcare with easy and flexible earning opportunities
- Students looking for a little extra to make their loans go further.
- Working people who are setting themselves side-hustle challenges or trying to grow their savings.
- People with a special occasion coming up, who want some extra spending money.
- Anyone keen to develop a side-hustle and see what routes are available for earning more money on the side.
How to make money in one hour legit
There are plenty of ways to make money online legitimately but you must be careful. There are plenty of scams, fake check schemes and MLM “opportunities” out there that leave you poorer, rather than richer!
How to Make Money in One Hour: Our Top 16 Ways
Wondering how to make money in one hour without a job? Here are our top favorite ways to get started. Some only require a few minutes of setup and no skills or experience, and others require a little more time and effort and existing skills.
Pick the one that best suits your situation and interests, or stack up a couple to maximize your earnings.
1. Play fun gaming apps and use offerwall sites
Earn $10 in an hour with fun gaming apps like Scrambly and offerwall sites like Swagbucks. Register online with Scrambly, Swagbucks, or InboxDollars to see which offers are currently available.
These sites let you earn money by trialing games, signing up for offers, reviewing apps, and taking surveys.
Top Tips for Success
- Look for the highest payout tasks and quick approval to access your money quickly. For example, with Scrambly, you cash out at just $1.
- Use referrals for an instant cash boost. (If you don’t know anyone with a code, search online for a published referral.)
- Look for sign-up offers to instantly boost your earnings.
- Climb different tiers or levels where applicable to boost your earnings.
- Combine different fun gaming sites to maximize your easy earnings. These are great ways to earn money in an hour while waiting for an appointment, relaxing at home, or between tasks.
2. Deliver Food or Groceries
Earn £15-$30 an hour by delivering food or groceries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Instacart. You’ll need a car or a bike, and you’ll also need to set up your account in advance.
Top Tips for Success
- Work when it’s busy! Lunch and dinner rushes are good bets for plenty of well-paid work.
- Check your insurance carefully if using your car.
- Deliver great service for positive reviews and possible tips.
3.Use Gig Apps
Earn $15-$30 per hour by working on gig apps like TaskRabbit, GigWalk, and Field Agent. Local tasks could include assembling furniture, removing junk, mowing grass, or doing a mystery shopping assignment.
Cashout options vary, but some tasks offer instant availability.
Top Tips for Success
- Stack up different gig apps to keep an eye on opportunities
- Build up a strong profile by prioritizing good reviews. Be reliable, punctual, friendly, and service-oriented.
4. Do Quick Jobs on Freelance Sites
Earn $15-$45 by offering fast one-hour freelance gigs such as CV optimization, blog writing, or proofreading. This is a good option if you already have a profile and an active presence on your chosen site, such as Upwork or Fiverr, with plenty of positive reviews.
Top Tips for Success
- If you have in-demand and niche skills, you’ll earn more.
- Create a strong online portfolio to share via a link
- Use available marketing tools to maximize your visibility
- Consider using paid promo features if you’re keen to leverage your profile for extra work.
5. Sell Unwanted Stuff Online
Earn potentially hundreds of dollars in an hour by selling your unwanted items on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Poshmark, Vinted, or OfferUp. This is a fast way to earn money as the sales platforms offer plenty of tools to make it easy to load and create product pages.
Top Tips for Success
- For fast cash sales with local buyers, choose Facebook Marketplace. However, for safety, meet during daylight hours and in busy, public areas.
- Invest in great photos, provide accurate, complete information at sites like eBay and Poshmark for maximum visibility, and optimize product titles so they appear in search results.
6. Do Market Research
Earn up to $100 an hour for easy market research assignments. Sign up for a platform like Respondent.io, Branded Surveys, Scrambly, SurveyMonkey, Toluna, Ipsos, and Survey Junkie to find opportunities for market research.
This could include a focus group, an in-house interview with a professional market researcher, or a one-to-one online interview.
Top Tips for Success
- Complete your profile fully to be matched with the right paid opportunity.
- Regularly check your chosen market research accounts, as opportunities come online regularly and recruitment is fast.
- Answer your phone and check your email. If you’re listed as a possible respondent, the market researcher will contact you to discuss your answers.
7. Do User Testing
Earn $8 for a 15-minute test with User Testing, Userlytics, and Userfeel. These jobs are fast and easy, and require no prior experience. Simply give your feedback on prototypes.
Top Tips for Success
- Learn what makes a great user test response (each platform provides guidance and training material)
- Complete your profile to be matched to the most opportunities
- Enable notifications and check your email regularly as new opportunities get snapped up by participants quickly.
- Deliver thorough, high-quality test reviews for high ratings and further work.
8. Take Part in Fast Surveys
Earn up to $2 per hour by doing fast online surveys. The highest paying is Prolific, but other good sites include Survey Junkie, Google Opinion Rewards, and Branded Surveys. Generally speaking, these aren’t high-earning ways to earn money in one hour without a job, but they’re great for stacking around other earners, and for doing when you’re filling in time.
Top Tips for Success
- Spend your time wisely. Some surveys simply aren’t worth your time!
- Get onto the Prolific waiting list at the first opportunity for serious earning academic surveys that easily net you $12 an hour or more. The surveys are also interesting, and new ones come online constantly. Keep your browser window open to catch them quickly!
9. Donate Plasma
Earn up to $100 per donation by donating plasma. The process takes about an hour, and you must meet health and ID requirements. Plasma donation reimbursements are usually made after the donation.
Top Tips for Success
- Check the rules in your state. Most blood plasma collection companies allow donations up to twice in seven days, in return for a reimbursement payment.
- Arrive hydrated and eat good nutrition.
- Rest for the allotted time after your donation slot.
- Ask plenty of questions beforehand to check that you are comfortable with the process.
10. Chat for Cash
Earn up to $12 an hour chatting in English with students on Cambly. This is an easy way to support people in their language journey while earning easy cash online.
Alternatively, earn $19 - $38 per hour as a chat operator at Cloudworkers or Cloudchatters. Provide friendship and social connection on these social community platforms to people who want connection, providing a service as you earn.
Top Tips for Success
- When using chat sites, follow the privacy processes carefully. These are designed to protect your identity and keep you safe.
- Ensure you have a strong and reliable internet connection for privacy.
- Think about your professional backdrop when chatting on Cambly. Use a digital background where necessary.
11. Babysit or Pet-Sit
Earn $40 by babysitting for local families or sitting pets on demand. Register at platforms such as Rover, Care.com, and Nextdoor to find jobs.
Jobs include short one-hour emergency jobs, and private jobs tend to involve direct payment at the end of the shift.
Top Tips for Success
- Get prior references and use your local network to get quick and easily available jobs through referrals.
- Work on building up a strong local reputation for repeat work.
- Charge more for additional services like meal prep, medication dispensing for pets, or overnight care.
12. Do a Driving Job
Earn $15-$35 during a peak driving hour at Uber or Lyft, with an active driver account.
Some platforms have instant payout features. If you’re new to driving work, have your ID ready for verification. Platforms carry out a full background check on drivers.
Top Tips for Success
- Sign up for different platforms to maximize opportunities
- Work at peak times for the most work and surge pricing
- Take advantage of promotions to earn more.
13. Do A Mystery Shopping Assignment
Earn up to $100 an hour for a mystery shopping assignment. Sign up at platforms such as Second to None, A Closer Look, and Market Force Information. You’ll get reimbursed for any purchases, too.
Top tips for Success:
- Provide all required information to build a full profile.
- Sign up for alerts and respond quickly.
- Be professional, reliable, smart, and follow all guidelines carefully.
- Produce high-quality reports, with good photography, to stand out.
14. Return Something Unused to Store
If you have an unused item and a receipt, you can earn back the cost of the purchase. Stores like Target and Walmart offer refunds in cash or a gift card within a certain time period. This is a great choice if you’ve changed your mind about a recent purchase.
Top tips for Success:
- Keep the receipt and original packaging where possible
- Ensure the item is completely unused
- Check the returns policy carefully
- Remember that the easiest way to end up with more $$$ at month-end is to minimize future unwanted purchases!
15.Do an Online Transcription Job
Work for $10-$25 per hour as an online transcriber. If you have strong listening skills, type quickly, and have excellent attention to detail, register on platforms such as GoTranscript, Rev, or TranscribeMe.
This is a very flexible option that only requires headphones and a keyboard. It’s a popular choice for night owls or people who prefer quieter, more introverted jobs. Some people also do transcription work full-time.
16. Pick Up Local Casual Work
Earn up to $30 an hour doing casual local work in your community. You could hand out advertising flyers for a local business, work in a bar or a coffee shop, or do a casual cleaning job for an hourly rate.
Find these types of flexible, casual jobs on local noticeboards and agencies, and speak to your network for any leads they might have.
How To Make More Money in One Hour Efficiently
Maximize the amount of money you earn in an hour by being efficient. For example:
- Use different methods to stack your earnings. For example, play games for cash on an app like Scrambly or Toluna while you pet-sit for a neighbour.
- Set up your accounts before your one-hour cash challenge so you don’t waste time on administration.
- Have your ID and payment information on hand as part of online verification processes.
- Use referral bonuses to begin using new platforms with a cash boost. Look online for advertised codes.
- Work at peak times on platforms that use demand pricing, such as driving services.
The key to maximizing your earnings is to focus on effort vs reward when weighing up different options.
How to Stay Safe When Making Money Fast
It’s important to stay safe when looking for ways to earn fast cash, so follow these tips to protect yourself.
- Watch out for scams and always verify the legitimacy of any new earning platform. Look for reviews, trustmarks, clear payment methods, policies, and security features.
- Be smart about the tasks that you choose and read the fine print quickly. Some tasks require a learning curve, so they take longer in the first hour. Others simply aren’t worth the time involved for the payment on offer.
- Keep your software up to date and consider using a VPN for an extra privacy layer. Avoid using public WiFi wherever possible.
- To receive your cash quickly, focus on apps with fast payouts and avoid those with minimum threshold payments or delayed payouts.
- Limit the amount of personal information you share. It should be possible to create a full user profile without oversharing. The exception is for market research sites, which need precise information to match users to opportunities. Information is provided about codes of practice and privacy to explain how data is saved, shared, and used.
How to Earn Money in One Hour: Concluding Thoughts
Whether you’re just looking for some extra spending money or a boost to your regular earnings, there are some great ways to make money in one hour, if you have the right mindset and know where to look.
Add in preparation time too, because some methods do require set-up and approval before you begin your earning challenge.
Why not try a few and see which ones work best for you? Have some fun and be realistic. Some of these opportunities are great for a bit of bonus side cash rather than primary income.
Having said that, many people are stacking up gig economy jobs and side hustles now to actually replace their primary jobs, so the opportunities are always there if you enjoy what you do, choose the right jobs, and work hard at your hustles. See where it takes you!
