10 Best Ways On How To Make $1 Dollar A Day Online

Written by Jason Michaels Last Updated: May 8, 2024

While it may not sound like much money, making just $1 dollar a day online can help in many ways.

One dollar can be used as a tip at a restaurant, pay for gas or slowly help contribute to your savings.

Yet there are so many ways to make money online that you may not know where to start.

This can lead lead to confusion as to which ways are the most lucrative or which jobs you’re most suited for.

In this article, we’re going to break down in detail legit methods to help you make $1 dollar per day with minimal effort.\

10 Ways On How To Make $1 Dollar A Day Online

Let’s go ahead and get started with our list.

Here are 10 ways on how to make $1 dollar a day online for free.

1. Survey Sites

Before we dive right into the details, here’s a quick recap of some of our favorite survey sites:

• Survey Junkie (25 point sign-up bonus with great earnings)
• Swagbucks ($10 sign-up bonus with other tasks aside from surveys)
• LifePoints (10-point sign-up bonus with high-paying surveys)
• Branded Surveys ($1 sign-up bonus with some of the best surveys on the web)
• Vindale Research ($1 sign-up bonus with lots of surveys)

Survey sites are one of the easiest ways to make money online.

Taking surveys usually just take a few minutes to complete and can be done anywhere with internet.

I do them when I need to kill time, waiting in line at the bank or post office or waiting to go into an appointment.

Not all survey sites are created equal, however.

Some don’t pay enough to make them worth your time, and some don’t have a cash payout option, just free gift cards.

There’s nothing wrong with gift cards as a form of payment, but we promised you ways to make cash, so we’re going to stick to the sites that have a cash payment option.

And for most of these sites, all you need is an email address (don’t forget to verify) and to create a password to get started.

Now let’s go into the details of some of the best survey sites out there for some quick and easy cash.

#1 Survey Junkie

If you concentrate on taking the surveys with high payouts, you’ll be able to make $12-$18 dollars per hour on Survey Junkie.

It’s by far one of the best survey sites out there.

New surveys are added to the site often so you’ll have lots of opportunities to make money.

There is a minimum payout of $10, and you can have your earnings sent to your PayPal account or for free target gift cards.

#2 Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of my favorite sites to make extra money online.

Just for signing-up as a new user, you’ll get a $10 registration bonus.

Get paid for the following tasks:

• Watching videos
• Taking surveys
• Shopping online
• Clipping coupons
• Playing games
• More

Swagbucks is simply a great choice because it’s one of the best small task sites out there to make extra money online.

Not only that, but most of these tasks you’re probably doing already.

You need to earn (registration bonus doesn’t count) a minimum of $5 to cash out for free gift cards or free PayPal cash.

For those looking to maximize their earnings, check out our Swagbucks guide that teaches you which tasks are best for earning the most money.

#3 Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research pays a flat fee of $3 each for most surveys, so it’s easier to calculate how much you’re earning on their site than most others who often use a point system.

You can earn $12-$18 dollars per hour with Pinecone Research.

Pinecone allows users to cash out in increments of $3, $5, and $15 and the money can be sent to your PayPal account, or you can choose to get a paper check.

If you’re looking for more information, read our full review of Pinecone Research.

#4 Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is quickly becoming one of the most popular survey sites out there.

Why?

They give you a $1 sign-up bonus, have really high-paying surveys and have excellent cash out options such as PayPal deposits or free Visa gift cards.

Not only that, but most of the users actually find the surveys quite interesting.

They also come with an extremely low payout rate of 1,000 points (equal to $1 dollar not counting the sign-up bonus).

This is unlike most survey sites in which you need to earn a high amount before you claim your cash. If you’re really looking to earn $1 dollar per day, this is one of the best ways.

#5 Zap Surveys

Zap Surveys is one of our favorites if you’re looking for fast cash.

They guarantee you $6.25 on the first survey you take!

Zap is only an App – there is no desktop site, so you’ll need a smartphone or tablet to participate.

The only downside to Zap is the relatively steep threshold to cash out, $25. Once you hit that amount, your money will be sent to your PayPal account.

Expect to earn at a rate of anywhere between $7 – $15 per hour with Zap.

We also put together this review of Zaps Surveys if you’re looking for more information.

2. Deliver Food With DoorDash

You can also make money delivering food, although you’ll probably only spend about 50% of your time online.

DoorDash is quickly becoming one of the most popular food delivery services out there.

They’ve partnered with hundreds if not thousands of restaurants across the nation to help make food delivery to your door that much more convenient through their mobile app.

You can apply to become a DoorDash Driver to help make these deliveries.

As a driver, you get paid a base fee along with any tips that your customers pay.

An easy way to increase tips is to make sure to dress professional, be courteous and make your deliveries fast.

You’ll be spending about 50% of your time online accepting orders and the other half of your time making deliveries.

This is a great way to make money, and you’ll probably be earning much more than just one dollar per day.

Expect to make anywhere between $10 – $25 per hour, and you can even make as much as $100 or more per day.

For many this turns into a long-term side gig.

You can also save money on DoorDash as a customer by getting your first delivery free.

3. Investing With Acorns – Your First $5 Free With A $1 Investment

When you start an Acorns account and invest just $1, you get $5 for free as a sign-up bonus.

When you create your account, you’ll need to connect your debit or credit cards.

Each time you make a transaction, Acorns will round the amount up to the next dollar.

For example, let’s say you buy a magazine for $3.50. Acorns will round up this amount to $4 and put the remaining $.50 cents as an investment into your Acorns account.

But What If I Don’t Know How To Invest?

The best part about Acorns is that you don’t need to know how to invest.

Acorns the best robo-investing apps out there. They’ve partnered with financial experts who will automatically invest your spare change to create the best portfolio possible.

What does this mean?

You’re essentially make passive income since you’re having someone else put your money to work for you. Make money without any effort at all.

However, do keep in mind that this is a paid service. You need to pay a minimum of $3/month to use Acorns.

4. Cash Back Websites & Apps

Cash back websites and apps are a really simple way to earn cash back.

All you have to do is a few extra steps to attain anywhere between 1% – 20% cash back on almost every purchase.

Let’s walk through a few of our favorite services that allow you to do this.

#1 Ibotta

Ibotta is a cash back app that gives you a $20 bonus when you scan your first receipt.

Before you go shopping, browse through the offers on the App. Choose the ones for items on your shopping list and they’ll be linked to your account.

When you buy the linked items, upload a photo of your receipt to Ibotta and the cash back will be sent to your account within 48 hours.

The minimum cash out is $20. You can transfer the money from your Ibotta account into your PayPal account. It’s not difficult at all to reach that $20 minimum with Ibotta.

The offers aren’t for things like ten cents off three rolls of paper towels. Some recent ones include $3 back on chips and soda, $0.75 back on milk, and $4 back on dog treats.

You can meet that $20 with just one week’s worth of grocery shopping!

I usually find that I can make at least a few dollars per day using this app.

If you’re still interested in learning more, be sure to check out our full Ibotta review.

#2 Rakuten

Next comes Rakuten. This popular cash back site pays you to shop online.

When you click on one of their links, they install a cookie in your browser that tracks your purchases automatically and then redirects you to a shopping site of your choice.

After you make a purchase on a retailer’s webpage, Rakuten earns a commission. Instead of keeping all of that money for themselves, they give the majority (if not all of it) back to you in the form of cash back.

It’s a win-win situation.

The best part?

You automatically earn a free $10 sign-up bonus in the form of a free Walmart gift card or other cash prizes.

For those really interested in making money with Rakuten, get paid $25 for every friend you refer that makes their first purchase through the site.

Putting your referral link on social media can be a great way to increase your earnings.

Be sure to check out our Rakuten review for the full details.

#3 BeFrugal

BeFrugal is a cash back website that works exactly like Rakuten.

Each time you click on one of their links to make a purchase, you earn a certain amount of cash back depending on the retailer.

This site also gives you a $10 bonus just for signing-up.

So you may be thinking: why should I use BeFrugal when I can just use Rakuten mentioned above?

This is because sometimes you’ll find different cash back rates between the two sites.

We suggest checking with both sites really quickly when you’re looking to purchase. Whichever service has a higher cash back rate, use that cash back portal for your online shopping.

The one thing I really like about BeFrugal is their live chat service in case you have any issues. You can connect to someone almost immediately during work hours.

5. Gift Card Sites

Check around the house, do you have some old gift cards laying around that you never used? Check your email too; you might have some old eGift cards floating around. If you do, you can earn extra cash by selling them online.

Cardpool is a gift card exchange site. You can sell unwanted gift cards, both physical and digital and store credits for up to 92% of their value.

You can sell gift cards with only partial balances so long as the balance is between $25 and $1,000. If you have a $100 gift card and you spent $25 of it, you can sell the remainder.

Cardpool will pay you by paper check, but if you need cash fast, Cardpool has partnered with places like check-cashing, grocery, and department stores who will give you cash for your gift cards or another gift card right on the spot.

Raise is a similar site, but sellers are allowed to set the sale price for their cards. You can’t sell a physical gift card worth less than $10 or more than $2,000. An eGift card can have a balance between $5-2,000.

You have three options for you payouts from Raise. You can choose to have your money direct deposited; Raise will mail you a paper check (this is the option that takes the longest, up to 14 days), or via PayPal (which can take up to three business days).

Both these sites are great if you’re shopping for gift cards too because they both offer cards at a discount. Something to keep in mind for the upcoming holidays!

6. Sell Your Old Devices

While you’re looking around for old gift cards, keep an eye out for old tech devices. Gazelle buys things like old smartphones and iPods.

They give you an offer online and the instructions on how to mail your device in. Keep in mind that the entire process can take several days or even a few weeks.

But there is a shortcut if you need to get money fast.

Gazelle has dozens of kiosks in places like Walmart. You can take your device to a kiosk, get an offer, and if you accept it, you’ll get money on the spot.

I love Gazelle. Not only do they pay you for stuff you aren’t using, but they’re also easy to use, entirely legitimate, and they recycle or properly dispose of items that are dangerous to the environment when dumped into a landfill.

Make money and be green at the same time!

Don’t want to use Gazelle? Amazon also has a great trade-in program for old electronics.

7. Sell Your Stuff

We all have too much stuff in our houses, stuff we never use that is just taking up space.

Use an online platform to sell some of that stuff.

Selling things on eBay or Amazon takes some effort as it takes time to set up an account, but you can quickly and easily sell items locally using a local Facebook group or posting on Nextdoor and CraigsList.

Some of the best items to sell on local sites include big, heavy items like furniture, appliances, and tools since there is no shipping involved.

Other items that sell well include children’s clothes and toys, shoes, purses, and musical instruments.

All you have to do is upload a photo, description, and price of the item and let the offers come to you.

Do keep in mind you might end up “selling” the item more than once.

Buyers from these sites sometimes agree to buy something and then just flake. Don’t be discouraged if that happens, just re-list the item and try again.

This is definitely one of the best ways to make extra money while also a great way to get paid to get rid of unwanted clutter in your home.

8. Sell Your Photos

Everyone is a photographer these days thanks to the fancy cameras in our smartphones. It can be a tough living being a professional photographer; there is a lot of competition.

But remember, we’re just trying to make $1 per day online. So you’re not going to pitch your work to magazines or betrothed couples, they’re going to hire pros.

But all of you amateur shutterbugs can try your hand at making a little money by selling your photographs on Shutterstock.

The site pays 25 cents every time one of your images is downloaded, with a tiered set of raises to 33 cents, 36 cents and 38 cents per download as you reach the $500, $3,000 and $ 10,000-lifetime earnings milestones.

The site pays via PayPal. Some of my clients use images from Shutterstock on their sites.

While some clients on the site might be looking for moody, arty shots, most of them are looking for stock photos so take and upload lots of mundane stuff like cups of coffee, a hand holding a smartphone, and a laptop with a pair of glasses on the keyboard!

9. Sell Your Lessons

Are you a teacher? If so, this one is for you. Teachers Pay Teachers is an online community where teachers can buy and sell lesson plans. Teachers can set their own prices for their materials and the site pays once a month via PayPal.

Some teachers have been so successful in selling their materials on the site that they’ve quit teaching because it was paying less!

It’s no wonder. It’s been reported that two-thirds of American teachers use the site to buy classroom lessons and materials. If you’re a teacher, this is without question something you should try.

10. Open an Online Bank Account

Currently, PNC Bank is giving away money! When you open a “virtual wallet” which is an online bank account, they will give you $50, $200, or $300, depending on how much you direct deposit into your new account.

When you open an account and set up a direct deposit of at least $500 and pay one bill from the account, you’ll get $50. To get $200, direct deposit at least $2,000 and pay one bill from the account.

If you want that free $300, direct deposit at least $5,000 and pay one bill through the account.

There are also many different bank refer a friend programs to help you earn money.

11. Freelance Sites

When people think of freelancing, they think of jobs like writing or graphic design but not everyone has those skills.

There are dozens of other kinds of jobs available on freelancing sites like Upwork, Fiverr and Guru.

You can do everything from research to social media or marketing to subtitling.

It’s free to create an account on all of these sites.

Bid low on a few jobs to get experience.

This will help your profile get more views.

I’ve made a lot of money in the past three years on freelancing sites by becoming a freelance writer.

Working as a freelance writer is one of the better side hustles that are great for introverts and is the primary method of how I make money online.

12. Rent Your Home

You can start making money by renting your home on Airbnb.

The average host is making almost $1,000 a month! Even if you just rented your home out for one weekend, you’d indeed have more than your $1 a day online.

And don’t think that you have to live in a super popular tourist city to earn some extra money either.

Is there a college near you? Rent your place on game weekends, parent’s weekends, and during graduation.

Do you have a big concert venue nearby? Rent your home out when there’s a big act in town.

Even if you live next to the middle of nowhere, somebody’s in-laws live near you, and they don’t want to bunk up with them over the holidays!

I have a friend who made $36,000 a year renting out her home in New Orleans last year, and it’s nowhere near the French Quarter or the race track where Jazz Fest is held but it’s near Tulane and Loyola Universities, so I know you can make money outside of your typical touristy areas.

Where will you stay while your home is rented? A cheap hotel or a friend’s couch. It’s worth it to give up your home for a few nights.

This is one of the better ways of making money that also generates a semi-passive income and can even turn into a long-term gig.

For those who want to try other ways to make money through renting, try renting out your RV with RVShare.

How Can I Make $1 Dollar A Day?

The goal of this article is to prove that you really can make money online without investing a lot of time or effort.

While it may not be much money, for many living on one dollar per day is all they need to cover the costs of food and shelter.

We can’t promise that all of the methods on this list will work for you.

However, we suggest trying as many as you can out and then sticking to the few that actually work. Most of the options on this list are an easy way to get free money.

The really important thing to take away is to start earning today and save up as soon as you can with just a little time and effort.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like the following:

• 60 Legit Online Jobs That Are Flexible & Pay Well
• 12 Best Side Jobs For Nurses To Make Extra Money
• 20 Best Second Jobs To Make Extra Money

Do you have any other best ways on how to make a dollar a day online or on how to earn money in a short amount of time? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.