Even though I have a work at home job, I still love earning extra money. And I guess that’s clear because I do often post ways to earn extra money on this site.
However, there are a lot of things that are simply a waste of time, even for extra money. In my opinion, these five opportunities should be well worth it (and also fun to use) if “real” extra cash is what you need.
Note that these are not in order from best to worst.
1 – TELUS – Internet Raters
TELUS (formerly known as Lionbridge) is a site that is almost always looking for people to work at home as “raters.”
What this means (per the job description) is that “you’ll assess online search results to enhance their quality. You’ll analyze and rate content relevance to search terms, while also reviewing language for grammar, tone, and cultural appropriateness. Your contribution improves a major search engine’s quality by evaluating web content using your PC and smartphone.”
The requirements to start are pretty lax. It’s very entry-level. You can work whenever you want, and it pays $12 to $15 hourly.
They do ask that you work at least 10 hours per week, but you can work as much as 35. This is why it’s valuable for extra if you need that — you can easily use it for supplemental income since the time of day you work isn’t important.
TELUS pays via bank direct deposit every two weeks. There is some testing and assessments you have to spend time going through before you can officially start working, but once you do, it can be lucrative for you when you need it.
2 – uTest – Software Testers
uTest is a digital software testing community that lets you sign up (free) as a tester.
As a member, you will occasionally get matched up to paid testing projects (testing apps, websites, games, and so forth). You don’t have to accept the projects you’re invited to, but the more you do, the more you can make.
Depending on the project, you may only earn a few dollars for your time, or you may earn well over one hundred. It will ultimately depend on how complex the project is (length of time, your level of involvement, etc.).
They pay twice monthly once the projects you participated in are complete, and they do appear to be open to testers worldwide.
3 – UserTesting – App/Website Testers
You can sign up with UserTesting and get paid to leave your honest feedback on websites and apps. There are webmasters and app/game creators galore who desperately need outsiders to tell them how user-friendly their products are.
UserTesting will pay you $10 per test, and each test only takes about 20 minutes to do. Some of the shorter ones only pay $3 to $4, but it will still be worth your time for the short time spent.
Payments are made via Paypal after your tests are submitted and then approved (usually takes a few days).
One minor problem with this one is that tests aren’t always available. And when they are, you have to be extremely quick to grab them before they disappear.
Just like with survey panels, you have to answer screener questions to see if you qualify to complete tests. These don’t take long, though.
I have been reading that it’s best to be patient with this site. The more tests you do, the higher your rating will go. The higher your rating, the more tests you’ll get invited to do. It may take several months before it’s a consistent income stream, but some people do earn a few hundred bucks a month doing this if they are patient.
4 – Prolific – Research Studies & Tasks
People on the Beer Money Reddit are continually singing the praises of Prolific. You can join as a research participant and earn fair money for very easy work – studies and tasks.
The downside is that everyone KNOWS this site is good, and for that reason there is a waitlist to sign up. Some people have been on it for over two years!! I, myself, am also on the waitlist and have been for probably eight months.
Still, it’s worth getting on it. Regarding payment, the site says: “All participants receive a guaranteed minimum of $8 or £6 an hour, with instant cash-outs after your first 4 payments. Some studies even pay hourly rates of $20+ with additional bonuses.”
And yes, they are open worldwide! Go here to get on Prolific’s waitlist.
I would additionally recommend joining User Interviews and Respondent (two similar sites that may accept you faster that also have great reviews).
5 – Amazon MTurk – Short Tasks
This site has been around forever, and I’ve made some money there myself over the years. Some people love it, some people hate it.
I was never a full-time Turker, but my personal opinion was that it IS worth it if you’re lucky enough to get in on an easy, fair-paying task from a reputable requester. But that doesn’t always happen.
Still, most of the people on Beer Money who earn $100+ a month extra on extra cash sites are using Mturk here and there to get that.
If you don’t already have an account with them, registering for one doesn’t mean you’ll be approved. They are not always accepting new Turkers. But you can try again later if they don’t need you at this time.
Payments are made through Amazon Payments. You can sign up here.
If you want to try it, check out this informative Mturk 101 guide that may help and answer a lot of your questions plus help you to understand how to make real money there.
Good luck to you if you try any of these sites!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 13 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.