Best Of The Best Apps For Making Money In 2023: Top 5 Rewards Programs Most Recommended By Experts -

The economy is getting tougher, with inflation still high and layoffs mounting. People are looking for ways to easily save and earn money. But regardless of our job status or income level, most of us would welcome extra money in our bank accounts. Thankfully, this can be a reality, and it can happen in the palm of your hand. That said, many programs are more talk than walk, and it’s always important to know which services that offer rewards or cash are not actually pulling your leg or even potential scams. We turned to expert reviews to find the best and most recommended apps for earning money.

Due to the recent pandemic, financial stress has been rising. Money issues are keeping many people up at night. A study delving into Americans’ finances reports that 60 percent of survey respondents have woken up in the middle of the night thinking about their finances. And two in three find themselves wide awake feeling they’re not where they should be financially in life.

Another study examined 33,391 employed participants between the ages of 18 and 65, who provided 1,725,994 reports on their well-being. The point? To see if making more money makes people happier. Turns out, it does. All forms of well-being continued to rise with income. That’s because money gives people more choices and flexibility.

If you’re interested in making more money, there’s good news. Now that we have numerous mobile and desktop applications, people can earn extra money nearly 24/7. We’ve put together the list below featuring the five best apps for earning money, according to 12 experts. Our list is compiled of the apps that appeared most frequently across the experts’ review. We hope it helps you add a little jingle to your pocket or another digit to your bank account.

The List: Best Apps For Making Money, According To Finance Experts

1. Swagbucks

Millenial Money explains how you earn bucks with this app: “Swagbucks is a cash rewards app and website that pays its members in exchange for completing online tasks, playing games, filling out surveys, and more! You join for free and then earn Swagbucks points by doing simple tasks. Then, you can redeem your Swagbucks points for gift cards or cash via PayPal. The easiest way to earn these points is by using the Swagbucks search engine to do your daily web browsing. This way you’ll earn points without even thinking twice about it.”

“It helps you earn quick bucks to watch videos, browse the web, and shop online. Furthermore, you can participate in online games, polls, or online surveys, and the rewards are redeemable via cash, a gift card, or particular merchandise,” MoneyTamer claims.

Small Business Trends also recommends this app, writing, “Swagbucks is a nice little app to make some money through your usual online activities. You can earn SB (reward points) as you create an internet browsing history, shop online and spend time watching videos. You also can find many in-app shopping deals for saving money.”

2. Rakuten

According to Bankrate, “Rakuten is an app that earns you cash back for shopping at over 3,000 stores. Some popular brands that Rakuten partners with include Etsy, Macy’s, StubHub and Best Buy. A few stores come with the opportunity to earn over 10 percent cash back on purchases. It’s also possible to collect earnings from in-store purchases by linking a card to Rakuten in the app and then using the linked card to pay in store.”

“Rakuten is one of my favorite online best earning apps because you get cash back for things you’re going to buy anyway, as long as you do it through their app. How? Stores pay Rakuten a commission for sending customers to their store. Rakuten splits that commission with you, so you both win,” Tried and True Mom Jobs writes.

The Ways To Wealth says this is a great online shopping tool: “Rakuten is one of the highest-rated cash-back apps, paying as much as 40% cash-back when you shop. Using Rakuten is easy. Just open the app and search for the retailer you want to shop at. Click the link to visit their store, then shop as you normally would. One of The Ways To Wealth’s editors is a consistent Rakuten user and has saved nearly $800 over a span of three years.”

3. Ibotta

Clever Girl Finance says, “Ibotta is another cash back app (available on iOS and android) that can help you maximize your savings. So, every time you go shopping, you can potentially earn cash back through Ibotta. The app got started with grocery store cash back rewards. But you can earn cash back at a wide range of retailers today. It’s one of the easiest money-making apps to use!”

NerdWallet lists the positives: “Ibotta lets you earn cash back on in-store and online purchases at over 2,000 supported retailers. You’ll receive cash back on in-store purchases quickly — typically within 24 hours. Ibotta also offers a welcome bonus to new users, referral bonuses and a variety of payment methods.”

4. Google Opinion Rewards

Opinionated? The Balance suggests trying this app: “If you like sharing your opinions and want to get paid for them, this app might be a good option for you. To use it, you’ll need to download the survey app and complete short surveys on everything from hotels to TV shows to merchants whenever you have a free moment. You’ll be paid with Google Play credits or via PayPal for each survey you complete. Pay ranges from $0.10 to $1 per survey, and it’s available for Apple and Android users.”

“The concept is very straightforward. Complete a short survey on a wide range of potential topics. The surveys are short enough that you can take them while waiting in line for a cup of coffee. You can earn extra money by sharing your TV and internet usage with Google Opinion Rewards. Just continue browsing online and watching TV like you normally do,” I Will Teach You To Be Rich writes.

5. Shopkick

FortuneBuilders says you can easily build up your rewards: “You can earn rewards at more than 250,000 retail locations, which is a pretty impressive number. But the really cool thing about Shopkick is that you can earn rewards just for browsing. Some rewards require you to scan product barcodes on your way through the store, but in other cases, you get paid just for walking through the front entrance. In addition to retail rewards, you can also earn additional rewards just for watching videos or filling out surveys in the app.”

“They’ve partnered with over 250,000 stores and will reward you with ‘kicks’ for: walking into those stores, scanning barcodes for specific products, purchasing products with a linked card, [and] purchasing products and scanning the receipt. Here’s how online shoppers can earn kicks: Visiting online stores, viewing select products, making mobile purchases, [and] watching videos,” Swift Salary claims.

We want to hear about the apps you use to earn money! Leave us a comment with your best money makers.