20 Best Ways To Make $20 Right Now

Written by Jason Michaels Last Updated: May 8, 2024

Want to make $20 right now?

Twenty bucks may not seem like a lot of cash to some people, but for others it can be the right amount to get you by until your next paycheck…

…or until the next $20 you can scrounge up.

That $20 could cover a few cheap lunches, give your gas tank enough mileage to last the week, or even help you pay your Netflix and Hulu bill.

Some folks can even stretch that $20 and make a few meals for dinner.

Below I’ve identified 30 different ways you can earn $20 bucks right now.

In some situations you may even luck out and earn more.

Make sure to bookmark this post to come back and read for later.

Let’s get started.

1. Take Online Surveys

Taking online surveys may not sound like the most fun way to earn some cash, but it is a great way to make side cash with minimal effort.

Not all of these are just about taking surveys, some of these opportunities you can earn points just from searching the web or watching a video.

Some of the top survey sites with the best earning potential are:

• Survey Junkie – My personal favorite survey site that allows me to earn anywhere between $5 – $18 per hour.
• SwagBucks – $5 registration bonus. You can also make money playing games, shopping online and more.
• LifePoints – One of the highest-paying survey apps with a wide variety of surveys. Most surveys pay between $.50 – $1 and take a short amount of time.
• Toluna (formerly Springboard America) – The highest-paying survey site on this list. Some surveys can pay up to $50, but these may take a couple of hours.
• Vindale Research – $1 sign-up bonus once you fill out your profile. One of the survey sites with the most abundant survey offers.

You can view more survey sites by going here.

2. Use Shopping Apps

Individually, some of these apps won’t get you your $20 instantly, but they all do work to give you extra cash, which we have to admit will always come in handy.

Here are a few awesome shopping apps just to get started:

• Ibotta – Get a $10 bonus when you scan your first receipt. Get $5 for every friend referred and take advantage of monthly bonuses. You can cash out as soon as you reach $20 in earnings.
• TopCashback – Get a $10 bonus for signing up.
• Rakuten (formerly Ebates) – Get a $10 bonus for signing up and earn from cash-back offers, coupons, and promo codes. You can even get as much as $25 for referring a friend.
• Trunow – Get $2 for signing-up with promo TOF19 and get 1% cash back on all gas receipts that you take a picture of.

Shopping apps can work in a variety of ways, to help you earn cashback, get money off your purchase while checking out, get the best deals and sales, and more.

It’s like getting paid to go shopping.

Do not miss out on these shopping apps.

Some of the them, like Rakuten, even include a convenient browser extension you can install for free that will identify savings opportunities for every web page you visit!

To learn more about cashback apps, read about all these cashback opportunities at retailers like Lowes, TJ Maxx, Amaon, and more.

3. Work in the Gig Economy with Steady

The new Steady app allows you to find local gigs in your area.

Most of these gigs are part-time, meaning it can make for a great side hustle and that you can work when you want and where you want.

This app was originally created to help struggling Americans quickly find a way to earn some extra cash.

For more information, read our full Steady App review.

4. Sell Your Gift Cards

Some of you may have been given a gift card for your birthday or at Christmas and never got around to using it.

If it’s not a gift card you ever plan on using, you can opt to sell it to friends or family at a cheaper price.

For instance, if the gift card is priced at $50, you can sell it for $40.

And just like that you will have made double the $20 you may have needed in the first place.

Can’t sell to your friends?

You can sell gift cards online through sites like Raise and Cardpool.

Receive your cash within a couple of weeks.

5. Sell Old Electronics

Those random videos, DVDs and CDs cluttering the storage space in your entertainment center can finally go to a new home and for a price too.

Apps like Decluttr and sites like Gazelle, will gladly accept your used merchandise and pay you for them.

You won’t make as much as you spent on the items, but at least you’ll be earning something and clearing up space as well.

6. Deliver Food with DoorDash

DoorDash is a food delivery service like UberEats or Postmates.

Instead of simply ordering food from them, you can use their service to make extra cash by working your own hours on your own time.

Register and get signed-up as a DoorDasher.

Take food orders, deliver them to houses, receive great tips and receive a minimum wage.

This is the perfect complement to your main job, helping you earn hundreds or thousands of dollars in extra income every month.

7. Take Advantage of Investment Apps

If you’re hoping to earn $20 right now, but not necessarily spend it, then using investment apps can help.

The investment apps below are great for the new investor or those people who can’t commit to investing a large amount of money up front.

They’ll take the guesswork out of investing and you’ll be saving money without even trying.

Some of the top investment apps to check out are:

• Acorns – $5 bonus for registering as a new user. Click here for a thorough review.
• WealthSimple – $50 bonus when you deposit your first $500

8. Use Money Saving Apps

Saving money isn’t always easily done, but that is where handy savings apps come in.

I’ve listed three of my favorites below, but this article is a good source for others as well.

• Trim – Trim is an awesome app that can work to help lower your bills (by negotiating prices for you), give you text alerts when you’re overspending, and even offer cash back bonuses.
• Digit – Digit works by analyzing your spending and automatically saving money for you daily.
• Mint – Mint connects with your bank and monitors your transactions. The app will shape a budget for you, so you can see how much you are spending and where.

9. Become A Sitter

Another great weekend or evening job that will let you make a fast $20, would be to offer your services as a sitter.

There are several sitting options you can choose from.

You can opt to watch someone’s dog, cat, ferret, or whatever animal they have for a set fee.

Rover is a great site to look for jobs such as this.

Babysitting is another option.

This type of work is always available as parents may be looking for a date night or a chance to get away for a bit.

Care.com is a good place to start looking for babysitting jobs.

It’s also a good source for pet sitting jobs and elderly care jobs.

Finally, if watching an animal or child doesn’t interest you, you can always choose to house sit.

Check out mindahome.com for some available house sitting scenarios in your area.

10. Trade in Your Used Electronics

Trade in your phone, tablet, game consoles, smartwatches, kindles, Macs and more, as a great way to make money on the trade-in value.

As the U.S.’s #1 price comparison site for trading old phones and electronics, SellCell.com is a great solution for you.

They compare all the main buyback companies to ensure the user ALWAYS gets the maximum cash when selling their old device.

The comparison site has been in operation for over a decade and offers the user a best price guarantee, so if the user finds the trade-in value of their device higher anywhere else, they pay double the difference.

You can find the trade-in value of your device in seconds!

How it works:

To find the value of your old device, first enter the model.

Then, you’ll be presented with prices from all of the best buyback companies in the U.S.

Make your decision on the company you’ll allow to buy back your device and earn cash!

SellCell.com is a big time saver, helping you review a ton of different sites quickly and easily, ensuring that you always get the most cash.

To learn more about how to make money with your old electronic devices, check out SellCell.com.

Another great site to check out to sell used electronics is Gazelle.

11. Open A New Credit Card

Opening a new credit card is a great way to take advantage of sign-up bonuses.

Several credit card companies offer you cash if you spend a certain amount of money in a specific amount of time.

While this is a good way to make extra cash, just be careful not to completely overspend so that you don’t end up struggling to pay off your credit card debt.

Here are 3 credit cards that offer excellent sign-up bonuses:

• Capital One Quicksilver Card – $150 when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months.
• Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card – $500 sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. (If you can, throw your monthly rent on there to help).
• Chase Freedom Unlimited – Earn $150 after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

12. Drive for Uber

If you own a car, then a great way to earn a quick $20 or more, would be to become a driver for Uber.

With Uber, you get to keep a large portion the tips earned and you have a chance to make more money during peak hours.

As an Uber driver, you could end up averaging about $18 an hour if you work peak hours.

One weekend of work for a few hours will give you that $20 you needed fast and leave you with extra.

12. Sell Your Photography

Taking pictures and selling them will probably never get old.

Companies, families, and individuals will always be interested in photos, whether they are generic landscapes for an office space or something cool and funky for a bedroom wall.

You can check out sites like Foap and DeviantART as places to sell your art.

With Foap, you can earn $5 for every one of your photos that they sell.

That doesn’t seem like much, but with just 4 photos sold, you’ll have easily made $20.

ShutterStock is also a great choice.

Similarly, DeviantART lets you upload your own photos and market yourself for your customers and you keep your own profits.

You get paid when someone clicks and downloads your work.

Both sites also accept videos and digital art if photography isn’t your forte.

13. Check Your Pockets, Couch Cushions and Shoes

I’m sure plenty of us are guilty of shoving a $5, $10 or even a $20 into a pair of jeans for a night out and then forgetting all about it.

Hopefully you didn’t make the mistake of washing those jeans…though the cash would probably still be okay…maybe.

Sometimes an easy way to get the money you’re needing is to go through your own stuff.

Dig through jeans pockets, coat pockets, couch cushions, drawers and even lift the sole of your shoe (some people store cash here when they travel internationally).

You might just luck out and find some cash you didn’t even realize was missing.

14. Collect Spare Change

While you are digging through those jeans, jackets, and couch cushions for money you may have misplaced, don’t forget to collect any miscellaneous coins you may find along the way.

Couch cushions are notorious for gobbling up spare change from you and your guests.

Set a jar to the side somewhere and randomly drop in your spare change as you find or receive it.

You can later cash out at a CoinStar and come out with more money than the jar of coins may have hinted at.

P.S. Don’t be afraid to pick up those random dimes and nickels you see while out and about.

It’s dirty, but it’s still money.

15. Sell Scrap Metal

Who knew you could make a profit off of what most would consider junk.

Scrap metal is still worth something, especially aluminum and copper.

In most states, you can expect to get over $2 per pound.

So gather those old wires sitting in your garage and start stockpiling soda cans.

You can even hit up friends and family for their scrap metal too.

When you have a decent load, head to your local recycling company or search for a specific scrap metal buyer in your area.

Here are the 19 best things to scrap for money.

16. Offer to Do Tasks for Friends and Family

A great way to make cash on the spot is to offer to do menial tasks for friends and family for a flat fee of $20 (or more depending on the task).

This could be mowing the lawn, washing their cars, raking up leaves, or assembling an Ikea entertainment center.

Chances are, they’ll appreciate someone taking the extra work off their hands and you’ll appreciate the extra money in your wallet.

17. Work Freelance

Freelance work is an awesome side hustle. I have a friend who works as a personal trainer, but also does freelance graphic design work for her clients.

If you have special skills, try seeing if there’s anyone interested in someone working on an assignment per assignment basis.

Some freelance options are graphic design, photography, web designing, copy writing and several others.

You can also check out Fiverr and market yourself as a freelancer.

You can start as low as $5 per gig and would just need to land 4 gigs to make $20 right now.

18. Become a Tasker with TaskRabbit

Similar to volunteering to perform tasks for friends and families, TaskRabbit allows you to snag jobs for the people you don’t know.

With TaskRabbit you can find pretty much any kind of job that needs to be done around the house, from electrical installations to painting the walls of a basement.

Once you sign up and pass the background check, you’ll need to sit through a two-hour orientation session before you can work as a Tasker.

From there, you get to select your own jobs and rates, with 15% going to TaskRabbit to cover their fees.

19. Become a Thumbtack Pro

Similar to TaskRabbit, Thumbtack lets you find various jobs in your area, based on your skill set.

You could find jobs cleaning houses, helping someone move, or helping someone with repairs.

The only downside to Thumbtack is that they do charge you for leads, i.e. a customer who has seen what you have to offer and wants to learn more.

You’ll only get charged once per customer, but it is something to be aware of.

The charge amount will vary based on the cost of the job.

20. Register With Gigwalk

Becoming a Gigwalker is as simple as downloading the app and registering with all your basic information, plus your education level, occupation, and PayPal info.

After that, you can start searching Gigwalk for jobs in your area.

Applying for a gig doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get it, so it’s a good idea to apply for several at once.

Gigs can vary, from checking out a restaurant and evaluating the service, to perusing a store to see how well their inventory is stocked.

Most gigs will pay anywhere from $4-$12, so landing a few at once will get you $20 that much faster.

21. Sell Stuff Off the Street

While I would never encourage someone to dumpster dive, you can actually find some pretty cool items discarded in there.

Or alongside of the road.

It really doesn’t matter where you find the stuff, it just needs to be in good, sell-able condition.

Once you clean the items up, you can then put them up for sale on sites like eBay or Craigslist.

Similarly, you can peruse the free section of Craigslist and try to grab anything that might have some resale value.

22. Sell Used Textbooks and Books

If you’re college days are over, you should start thinking about selling your old textbooks.

And unless you’re actively trying to grow your home library, you can start thinking about clearing some space and selling your old books as well.

Sites like halfpricebooks.com and half.com (this is basically eBay) allow you to sell your books.

They generally want recent bestsellers and collectibles, but will accept other books if they are in good condition.

They’ll even accept your old CDs and movies.

24. Sell Your Gold and Silver

Chances are, some of us have some nice jewelry we’re holding on to but not wearing or using.

If the item doesn’t hold any sentimental value, then you can opt to sell your gold and silver for some cash.

This could be anything from earrings, to necklaces or watches.

When selling your gold and silver, always choose to go with a local buyer versus online.

Going local ensures you get your money that much faster and likely in cash too.

25. Sell Plasma

There are plasma donation centers that will pay you cash for your generous donation.

Depending on where you live and where you donate, compensation prices will vary.

In general, you can expect $20 – $50 per donation and you can do this every few days or weekly, depending on how you feel.

While donating plasma isn’t dangerous, you can experience minor fatigue and dehydration afterward.

26. Work As a Virtual Assistant

Not a lot of us may have the skill or patience to work as a Virtual Assistant, but if you are that kind of person than it’s a perfect way to make money on the side.

A Virtual Assistant is someone who will provide administrative and business support services to a company or individual.

VANetworking.com is a wonderful site to find the right virtual assistant position that is a good fit for you.

27. Cook and Get Paid

That’s right, you can have people pay you to cook meals and host dinners.

If you are someone with skills in the kitchen, then Eatwith is worth checking out.

Eatwith allows you to post events, create menus and share your culinary skills with people from around the world, whether visitors from out of state or neighbors down the street.

This is a great side job for someone that wants to meet people and share their passion for food. Hosts generally get paid within 48 hours after the hosted event.

28. Work As a Brand Ambassador

Working as a brand ambassador is a fun side hustle for anyone who is energetic and friendly.

As a brand ambassador you are essentially representing the brand and trying to sell their product.

There are always companies, especially newer ones, out there looking for brand ambassadors to help get their products to a broader audience.

To start small, you can check in with your local grocery stores to see if they are working with a specific brand at the moment.

Sometimes you’ll see brand ambassadors in the liquor aisle, pouring samples for store shoppers.

It’s easy enough, so why not give it a try.

29. Street Perform

Performing on the streets of your city or town takes both guts and talent.

If that’s you, then grab your guitar, violin, or even a tuba and take to the streets.

And it doesn’t have to only be playing musical instruments, you could pretend to be a robot or even a clown…though musicians probably make more money.

Street performing is an excellent way to collect cash on the spot.

It could take a few hours to get enough dollar bills collected, but by the end of your set you should definitely be able to earn $20 bucks, if not more.

30. Get Paid As A Tester

You can make an easy $10 via PayPal for every 20 minute video you watch through the website UserTesting.

UserTesting pays you to visits apps or sites and perform a series of tasks, and share your thoughts out loud (so yes you’ll need a microphone handy).

Doing this twice a day can make you an easy $20 in under an hour!

That’s $100 just after five days of sharing your thoughts.

There’s no harm in trying it and the earning potential is great, that’s assuming you meet a certain demographic and criteria, but you’ll only find out by signing up.

31. Borrow From A Friend or Family Member

When all else fails and you literally want $20 right now, then your best bet is to ask a friend or family member if you can borrow $20 and offer to pay them back during your next payday.

More likely than not, they’ll be happy to help and may even decline your need to pay them back.

Don’t forget to do something nice for these generous friends and family members from time to time, and don’t make it such a habit that they feel taken advantage of.

32. Gamble

No, I’m not encouraging you to hit up the casinos and try your luck at the slot machines or Blackjack tables.

Though, that would potentially be a nice way to make an easy $20…if you’re willing to part with some money in the first place.

Instead, a safer option would be to check out an app like Lucktastic.

Lucktastic allows you to play free scratch games online.

Simply download the app, register and start to play.

You can cash in for gift cards and there is a daily chance to win $5,000 or $10,000.

As the name suggests, it’s all about luck, but it’s a fun way to earn some money.

33. Pawn Items

This one isn’t always a fan favorite, because let’s be real, something about heading to the pawn shop makes you feel as if you’ve hit rock bottom.

But pawn shops can actually be beneficial when you’re looking for a quick $20.

If you have something of value lying around the house, you might be able to make some money off of it at the pawn shop.

Plus, even if you pawn the item, you have thirty days to get the item back, though you will have to pay interest.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully one of the tips on this list will get you the $20 you need.

If you try any of them out, let me know in the comments below.

Good luck and happy earning!