How to Make Quick Money in One Day: 7 Platforms to Help You Earn

When you’re not quite ready to sell a kidney but the bills are racking up fast, where do you turn for legitimate ways to earn extra cash? Many opportunities in the gig economy are fast to start, but if you truly need a one-time gig with a one-day start, online babysitting and ridesharing platforms won’t get you where you need to be. You need to know how to make quick money in one day. You need an opportunity that expedites the process of getting money into your bank account — and they exist.
In this guide, we’ll share seven types of digital platforms that will help you make some extra money for anything from sudden medical bills to past-due credit card payments.

1. Survey Sites

Survey sites provide incredibly low-effort opportunities for you to make money online. The majority of online survey websites work the same way: Qualify for surveys, complete questionnaires, and earn extra cash via common payment methods like gift cards and PayPal. Here’s a small selection of popular survey sites for your convenience:

• Survey Junkie: Survey Junkie is one of the top survey websites that users choose to make money on. Starting up is easy, with few requirements, and you can easily earn money every day by contributing to market research.
• Swagbucks: This platform offers many opportunities for you to rack up points to redeem prizes. You can take surveys, complete polls, and even watch videos about consumer-facing brands. You can even get a $10 sign-up bonus if you complete specified offers.
• LifePoints: Formerly known as MySurvey, LifePoints offers a wide variety of surveys to align with your interests. Sometimes, you’ll even get products mailed to you to test and respond to surveys about.

2. Freelance Platforms

Unlike TaskRabbit, pet sitting platforms, and Uber, which can take several days to run background checks and approve users, many freelance platforms allow you to sign up, list your services, and accept one-time opportunities all in one day. The following two websites are perfect for anyone ranging from professional freelance writers and social media experts to hobbyists looking to make money through music or graphic design.

• Fiverr: Fiverr is one of the largest freelance marketplaces around. Once you create your seller profile on the platform, you’ll be able to start accepting requests. While Fiverr will take a 20% cut of your earnings, sellers have enormous flexibility with their pricing — anywhere between $5 and $995 is acceptable, though most Fiverr customers seek lower-end pricing.
• Upwork: This platform uniquely allows freelancers to directly pitch their services and even land long-term contracts or side gigs. Though Upwork is slightly slower-paced than Fiverr, you can still complete your prepare and send proposals as soon as you complete your portfolio and Upwork-provided skills tests. Plus, you’ll likely land higher-paying gigs than on Fiverr. To make Upwork even better: Your platform fee will only be 10% for enterprise clients, and will actually drop from 20% to 5% as you earn more from most clients.

3. Reselling Apps

When you don’t have professional skills to offer, but you do have plenty of items you don’t need, making money fast starts with downloading a reselling app. On these digital platforms, you’ll typically just need to make an account, list your items, and get quick cash once you have an interested buyer.
Ditch your used items without wasting time on a yard sale and gain a wider customer base when you sell stuff online with these apps:

• OfferUp: OfferUp is a rapidly growing reselling app that connects sellers to a huge network of local buyers. Almost any item can be listed here for any price, and you’ll have the option to meet buyers face-to-face or offer delivery.
• Poshmark: For the fashionistas, Poshmark is an excellent place to earn. All your name brand clothing can find a stylish new home while helping you make money. Poshmark isn’t limited to expensive brands like Michael Kors and Adidas (though these luxury brands have huge followings seeking the next big deal). Even affordable, trendy brands like H&M and Forever 21 have popular listings on the site.
• Facebook: There’s a good chance you’re already a member on Facebook, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of Facebook Marketplace. This platform allows anyone in your area to discover your listed items, message you, and view mutual friends for an additional layer of trust.
• DeCluttr: Hoarding some old cell phones, textbooks, video games, or laptops? DeCluttr will give you immediate offerings based on the condition of your device or media. You won’t have to worry about spending on shipments or losing out on payments. DeCluttr will help you ship for free and return your items if your items weren’t as high-quality as they expected.

Of course, these listed platforms aren’t your limit. Reselling apps are everywhere, ranging from the niche to the more traditional, like Craigslist and eBay.

4. Search Engines

How often do you find yourself needing to Google a question? If you’re constantly finding answers on the internet, search engine rewards will help you make money fast. Simply use the following search engines and receive points to exchange for gift cards:

• Swagbucks: The amazing Swagbucks platform is truly an efficient place to make money. In addition to earning from surveys, you can default the company’s Yahoo-powered search engine as your browser’s preferred tool. Then, you’ll earn points for extra income during your search sessions each day.
• Bing: Microsoft Rewards allows you to earn points for amazing gift cards every time you search on Bing. Don’t have enough to search? Completing daily activities, using Microsoft Edge, and more will also help you increase your points balance, so you can get free money as soon as possible.

5. Receipt Rebate Apps

If you unfailingly hoard receipts in your wallet for weeks, this opportunity to earn cash is for you. Receipt rebate apps aren’t made for money-making on a grand scale, but if you want to earn a few dollars every grocery trip by buying items you already need, here are a few platforms that make it possible:

• Ibotta: This leading rebate app allows you to get cash back for eligible receipts, product purchases, and online shopping trips from your favorite retailers and grocery stores.
• Receipt Hog: If you’re looking to make money with receipts from diverse retailers, Receipt Hog is the best money-making idea for you. Different receipts will allow you to claim different prizes, but rest assured that almost every purchase you make will fulfill a purpose on this platform.
• Fetch Rewards: Do you pay attention to brands when grocery shopping? Fetch Rewards offers points for every eligible receipt you upload, plus bonus points for listed brands that can be traded in for your desired gift card from an enormous list of options. This receipt rebate app enables you to put in extremely low effort by automatically pulling eligible items from your receipts for you.

If you’re an avid online shopper and prefer to gain cash back on digital purchases, you can also consider Ebates, which offers rebates on plenty of popular online retailers.

6. Affiliate Marketing Opportunities

If you’re an industry influencer or a successful marketer, many companies will offer you affiliate marketing opportunities. These earning opportunities allow you to take home a percentage of profits from purchases made directly from your promotions — and you typically just need to share a link. The following are a few great affiliate programs available today:

• Rakuten: Rakuten, which owns the aforementioned Ebates, also operates a huge affiliate network that can connect you to affiliate marketing opportunities with large corporations. As long as you have your own website or blog, this platform can help you rake in larger percentages for good money.
• Amazon Associates: Working with a trusted brand that already boasts an enormous network of customers can increase the likelihood of your followers making a purchase. Amazon Affiliates allows you to select any eligible items from Amazon.com’s gigantic catalog to share with your audience and make up to 10% in advertising fees.
• Shopify: Have a lot of people in your network that could benefit from an online store? Shopify offers a hefty 20% commission — plus up to $2,000 every time you convert a user.
• ClickBank: If you’re interested in earning from a wide variety of products, ClickBank has a huge selection of items for you to promote. Plus, you can make anywhere from 20% to 75% depending on your selected product’s merchant.

7. Budgeting Tools

Sometimes, cutting costs is the best way to earn. When you save money and keep track of your personal finances, you’ll already be “earning” more than anticipated. After all, forgoing one latte is already $5 extra in your pocket. Here are two helpful budgeting tools that keep the bills in your wallet for when you need money most:

• Stride Tax: If you’re earning money as a Lyft driver, dog walker, or any other type of independent contractor, you’ll need to keep track of how much you’re saving for taxes. Stride Tax helps you do this, while helping you write off purchases that qualify for tax deductions in your industry.
• Mint: Mint is a great budgeting app to help you keep track of where you’re spending. The app connects to your bank account and credit cards, so you’ll know to cut down your spending on food delivery services the moment you surpass your monthly limit. You’ll also see when payments are due, so your student loan interest rates don’t get the best of you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know how to make money in a hurry, or just in your free time, you can put your knowledge into practice. Take a look at these frequently asked questions to learn more about making opportunities to make extra money:
1. Are there any quick earning opportunities that will make a direct deposit into my bank account?
Most likely, no. By offering you cash through secure platforms like PayPal and Venmo, or by offering gift cards in place of cash earnings, companies are ensuring the safest possible earning experience for you. Regardless, you can transfer funds from your PayPal account into your bank account, or select Visa gift cards (which function like cash) whenever possible.
2. Is it possible to make a living through these platforms?
While it certainly is possible to live fairly comfortably using freelance platforms, affiliate marketing opportunities, and even reselling apps, it’s doubtful that these will immediately replace your full-time job. Dabbling on these platforms as a side hustle can give you an idea of whether you can and want to pursue a related career.
3. Will my earnings from these platforms be taxed?
In most cases, yes. Anything you earn from these platforms is considered a part of your income, so it’s important to keep your earnings in mind. Earnings from receipt rebate apps are exceptions, as rebates are generally not taxable. We recommend consulting with an accountant to gain clarity on your specific situation.

Earn Today and Rest Tomorrow

Whether you need to make money fast for an urgent payment, or you just want to save for a rainy day, the internet has an extraordinary amount of opportunities for you. Find the platform you’re most comfortable with and earn quick money — even within 24 hours.
Ready to be proactive so you’re not in a time crunch in the future? Consider these additional opportunities to earn extra cash, or these hassle-free methods of earning a passive income.