Need $20 right now? You’d be surprised how many ways there are to make extra money fast.
Whether you’re a kid, prefer making money online, or are a work-from-home person, this comprehensive guide covers 40 proven ways to instantly make that free $20.
From traditional methods like babysitting and selling used items to online gigs like paid surveys and freelancing, we cover a wide range of options to help you get that much-needed cash in no time.
Key Takeaways
- Make $20 fast by doing everything from online research to freelancing and selling old items.
- Kids can earn $20 from babysitting, pet sitting, and other age-appropriate chores.
- Online opportunities include tutoring, transcription, social media management, and proofreading.
- Other quick ways to make $20 include equipment rentals, renting your car, and donating plasma.
- When using these methods, remember to follow regulations, consider parental consent, and prioritize safety.
How to Make $20 Fast as a Kid
1. Babysitting
Offer your services as a babysitter to neighbors or family friends. Rates vary, but an average of $14 per hour is common.
2. Pet Sitting
Take care of pets while their owners are away. Charge a reasonable fee based on the duration of care. The average salary is around $12.40 per hour.
3. Sell Old Things
Gather toys, clothes, or books you no longer need and organize a garage sale or list them on local online platforms. Earnings depend on sales and traffic.
4. Yard Work
For a small fee, you can mow the lawn, rake leaves, or shovel snow nearby. Putting in a few hours of gardening can make you $20 or more.
5. Set up a Lemonade Stand
Set up a lemonade stand in your front yard or at a local event, selling refreshing drinks and homemade snacks. Depending on sales and traffic, you can easily earn $20 or more a day.
6. Offer Errand Service
Help busy neighbors with chores like grocery shopping, dry cleaner pickup, or other errands for a fee. You can easily earn $10 or more by performing multiple tasks for different clients.
7. Bakery Bazaar
If your kids love to bake or have a talent for cooking, they can turn their culinary skills into a side hustle. Earnings depend on sales and traffic, but you can make $20 fast on a good day.
How to Make $20 Fast Online
8. Take Paid Surveys
Sign up for reputable survey websites like Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, or PrizeRebel to earn cash or gift cards by sharing your opinions. You can earn up to $25 per hour on average for the best sites.
Swagbucks
$10 welcome bonus
Offers various ways to make money
Low payout threshold from $3
Cash-out with PayPal, gift cards, etc.
9. Sell Old Clothes
Use platforms like Poshmark, ThredUP, or Depop to sell your gently used clothes and accessories. You can make $20 quickly, depending on sales and traffic.
10. Freelance on Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer:
Offer your skills in areas like graphic design, writing, or social media management to clients worldwide. A typical freelancer can earn from $23 to $34 per hour.
11. Copywriting
Copywriters create compelling content for a range of purposes, such as advertising, marketing, and public relations. They get paid per project or word count.
Copywriters earn $26.59 per hour on average.
12. Create Websites or Apps
If you have web development skills, create websites or apps for clients or explore building your own digital products. You can make $33.54 per hour with this gig.
13. Participate in Affiliate Marketing
Promote products or services through affiliate links and earn a commission for each sale made through your referral.
Affiliate Marketers earn an average of $94,000 per year, according to Glassdoor.
14: Offer Virtual Assistance
If you have an internet connection and a computer, this is a quick way to earn $20.
Virtual Assistants or VAs, provide administrative support to busy professionals remotely, handling tasks like scheduling, email management, and research. VAs make an average of $27.32 per hour.
15. Proofreading
A proofreader is someone who checks a document for errors. These include reviewing articles, company brochures, chapters of books or magazines, and personal documents such as resumes.
You can earn as much as $21.85 per hour as a proofreader.
16. Be a Transcriptionist
The job of a transcriptionist involves creating transcripts or subtitles from audio and video recordings. On average, you can earn around $20.47 per hour from this gig.
17. Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is about keeping track of the financial health of a company by recording the money coming in and going out of the accounts.
You can make $21.23 per hour on average as a bookkeeper.
18. Teach English as a Second Language (ESL)
ESL teachers are people who teach English as a second language to students who are not native English speakers.
You can make an average of $23.22 per hour as an ESL teacher.
19. Sell E-books
Thanks to online platforms like Amazon, it’s now easier than ever to publish and sell electronic books or E-books. Earnings vary depending on sales and traffic.
20. Sell Stock Photos
Selling photos online is a great way to earn money fast. With platforms like Shutterstock, you get paid for every photo you sell.
It doesn’t matter if it’s only $1 or $2; it adds up when you’re selling hundreds of photos a day.
Other Ways to Make $20 Fast
21. Drive for Uber or Lyft
Sign up as a driver and earn money by providing rides to passengers. Like other gig-based apps, you can ride as much as you want, making it a flexible way to earn cash.
On average, an Uber driver earns about $19.19 per hour.
22. Deliver Food
Join food delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub and earn money by delivering meals to customers. These platforms make it easy to earn $20 instantly.
For example, if you sign up as a Dasher, you can make quick money with pickup and delivery. Minimum pay ranges between $2 to $10 per delivery.
23. Rent Out Your Parking Space
If you have a parking space in a desirable location, list it on platforms like Spacer for others to rent.
You can earn $450 a month by just renting out your own idle parking space to someone.
24. Rent Out Your Space on Airbnb
If you have a spare room or property, platforms like Airbnb allow you to earn money from short-term rentals.
Airbnb hosts make about $924 a month on average by just renting out their available spaces.
25. Rent Your Car
If you have a car that’s been sitting idle in your garage for weeks or months, consider renting it out to gig drivers or tourists.
Car rental platforms like Turo or Hyrecar allow car owners to earn quick cash by renting out their cars to others. Potential earnings range from $7,009 to $21,453 annually.
26. Invest in Stocks
Start investing in stocks on online platforms like Acorn, where you can make your money work for you.
Plus, they have a welcome bonus upon signing up, allowing you to earn money immediately.
27. Use Cash Back Apps
With this method, you can make $20 instantly by doing something you’re already doing
Cashback apps like Rakuten or Ibotta allow you to earn money while shopping for everyday items. Potential earnings can range from 1% to 20%.
And with Rakuten, you can get a $10 to $40 bonus after spending your first $30 upon sign-up.
28. Offer Social Media Management
Help businesses manage their social media accounts and engage with their audience.
Social media management involves creating and scheduling content, analyzing social media audiences, monitoring campaign results, posting social media ads, and more.
On average, you can earn around $21.47 per hour from this gig.
29. Unused Gift Cards
An easy way to get $20 immediately is to hunt around your house for unused gift cards.
While you probably won’t get the full value of the gift card by redeeming it, you can at least sell it for some of the balance.
30. Rent out your possessions
It is worth considering renting out things that you own but don’t use.
For instance, you can rent items you don’t use at Fat Llama. Items such as sports equipment or cameras are popular there.
31. Dog Walking
Pet owners engage dog walkers to take one or more of their pets for walks.
You can even bring together multiple clients by walking several dogs at once to ensure you are monetizing as efficiently as possible.
Platforms like Rover allow you to connect with local pet owners. Dog walkers earn an average of $2878 a month, according to ZipRecruiter.com
32. Donate Plasma
With plasma donation, blood is drawn, the plasma is extracted, and the rest of the blood is returned to the patient.
It’s certainly not something you can do every day. But if you meet the requirements (including a medical exam) and are between the ages of 18 and 65, you can earn an average of $100 per visit by donating blood.
33. Hunt for Unclaimed Cash
Another way to make $20 fast is to check all amounts owed to you for free at unclaimed.org.
The money available there can be found in all sorts of places people forget, like old bank accounts, stock or insurance payments, and gift certificates.
The site has reported that a total of $4 Billion has been returned to its rightful owners in 2022, so there is a chance that someone could be you.
34. Leverage your Personal Computer or Mobile Phone
Platforms like Nielsen will pay you $50 a year just for installing their app on your computer or phone.
It is a free program that pays you for what you already do. This includes surfing the web, watching videos, and checking email.
They take the data you provide and sell it to companies that use the information to improve their products and services. The information is anonymous and cannot be traced back to you.
35. Join a Clinical Trial
Clinical trials are studies that test medical, surgical, or behavioral treatments in humans.
These studies are the primary way researchers determine whether new forms of treatment or prevention are safe and effective in humans.
You can earn a median compensation of $3,070 by participating, and some of them pay cash upfront, thus allowing you to earn $20 instantly.
36. Join Surveys
Taking surveys is a great way to make money fast online.
Survey sites like Opinion Outpost or Survey Junkie allow you to earn extra money in your free time in just a few minutes.
You can earn up to $45 per survey by joining these survey platforms.
37. Play Online Games
There are a number of apps that can help you make money playing games, many of which can make you $20 fast.
One of these is Swagbucks. It’s one of the highest-grossing money-making apps, as it has paid out over $899 million to its users.
Every now and then, they offer sign-up bonuses that will allow you to earn instant cash by just joining.
38. Apply for a Credit Card
If you want to get your $20 right now, this could be your answer, although taking on more debt should not be your first choice if you need money.
Many credit card issuers offer welcome bonuses. These usually involve spending a certain amount, such as $500, within the first three months of owning the card.
This is not always the case, though. You can look for card issuers that pay you upfront.
39. Pawn Items
If you need $20 urgently, pawning items is another way to get your money as quickly as possible.
You probably won’t get as much money for your items, but it works.
Platforms like PawnAmerica and USA Pawn and Jewelry Company allow users to borrow money or sell items upfront for any item of value.
40. Advertise and Get Paid
That’s not going to get you $20 immediately, but it’s easy to become eligible to receive the money.
You get paid by agreeing to put a sticker on your car promoting a particular company.
Platforms like Wrapify offer this service and claim that you can earn about $264 to $452 a month by running their ads on your car.
FAQs
Is it possible to make $20 quickly online without any specialized skills?
You can make $20 fast online using methods like paid surveys, installing cash-back apps on your device, and freelance jobs that require minimal skills.
How do I make $20 fast online?
The time it takes to make $20 online depends on the method you choose, but tasks like online surveys or playing online games can be done in a few hours.
Can kids or teenagers participate in these money-making methods?
Yes, children and teens can participate in the earning methods mentioned in the article. For example, these could include babysitting, pet sitting, yard work, or a lemonade stand. But it is important to consider age restrictions, parental consent, and local regulations.
