There are more ways to make extra money than ever before, both online and offline. That's great, but knowing where to invest your time can be tricky.
Use this list and discover new ideas to make money online and from home. Earn cash from walking, recycling, reviewing music and even searching the web.
We'll update this page with fresh ways to make money fast, so go ahead and bookmark it.
These are the best ways to start making extra money today.
No-risk matched betting
Hands down the quickest way to make a lot of money from home. Lots of students have genuinely made £100s from this technique. It's completely legal, risk-free, tax-free, and anyone over 18 in the UK can do it. (Not in the UK? Skip to no. 2).
Matched betting works by taking advantage of free bets offered by betting sites and 'matching' them at a betting exchange. This removes the risk as you are betting both for and against an outcome.
You can then squeeze out the free bet, which can be as much as £100. Multiply this by all the betting sites there are, and you can quite easily be in profit by a few hundred pounds.
We walk you through how to make your first £13 profit (using a real example) in this gem of a guide to matched betting. If you know of any better way to make £40 an hour sitting at home, please let us know!
Online paid surveys
A popular way for people to make money online is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members worldwide to answer surveys and test new products.
For a few minutes of form filling, you can quickly make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!
A few good ones to try are: Branded Surveys, Swagbucks, Toluna, Pinecone, LifePoints, OnePoll, i-Say, Opinion Outpost, YouGov, Prizerebel, Marketagent, InboxPounds, Valued Opinions, The Opinion Panel, Mingle, Opinion Bureau, Maru Voice, Panel Base, Y Live, Survey Junkie.
Update: See our full guide to the best paid survey sites!
Searching the web
Interested in how to make money fast by doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online.
Qmee.com rewards you for searching on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay. Install a simple browser extension and sponsored results will show alongside your normal search results.
Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached. If you are interested, simply click on it and collect your reward. You can also complete surveys to top up your earnings.
The best thing is there is no minimum to cash out. Our first one was just 72p wired to our Paypal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.
Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches!
Online market trading
Investing in the stock market isn't necessarily an easy way to make money, but it can be lucrative if you learn to do it properly. By the same token, you may suffer significant losses if you don't take it seriously.
Today there is no need to fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.
Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been using the popular platform eToro.com.
eToro has over 20 million users worldwide and offers free practice accounts. They featured in the BBC Two documentary "Traders: Millions by the Minute" and sponsor several Premier League football clubs.
One of the best things on eToro is the CopyTrader feature. This lets you see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.
Follow George's complete guide to trading on eToro to learn more. $50 is a good amount to maximise the learning curve by trying out different markets. If nothing else, you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.
Visit eToro »
Please be aware that all trading involves risk. eToro is a multi-asset platform that offers real asset ownership and high risk leveraged 'CFD' products. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is not financial or investment advice.
Start your own website
Interested in generating passive income? You need a website. It's the way to make money while you sleep.
Starting a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done by an 82 year-old.
It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetise your site.
Save the Student is just one example of a successful website. Started at university by Owen Burek, it has since grown to serve over 1 million visitors a month.
Read Owen's step-by-step guide on how to create a website in 20 minutes from home. It's really one of the best assets you can have.
Review websites & apps
Well, it seems like you're pretty nifty with a web browser. So perhaps it's time to turn pro and browse websites as a paid and fun job!
Introducing UserTesting - a platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes around 20 minutes and bags you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.
Simply sign up here, complete a test review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.
The 'Disney Vault' secret
To keep demand high across generations, Disney Studios restrict the supply of some home release classics. Physical blu-rays are locked away in the 'vault' for 8-10 years before being released for a short time.
Buy them in this window at normal retail price, and you can turn a nice profit when they go off sale for another decade or so.
For example, in 2011 you could buy Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray 3D for just £24.99. In just a couple of years it was on Amazon for a staggering £74.99!
Importantly, not all Disney releases are subject to the vault and only the true classics will maintain such demand.
Right now there are just 2 titles out of the vault which I would recommend snapping up. They are Bambi Diamond Edition Blu-ray and The Lion King Diamond Edition Blu-ray.
'Get Paid To' sites
Similar to making money from online surveys, GPT sites reward you in cash and vouchers for completing various offers or activities online.
The most popular sites today are Toluna, Swagbucks and InboxPounds.
Become a delivery rider or driver
Own a bicycle, motorbike or car? What about a Smartphone? That's all you need to make extra money by delivering food or people whenever you have some spare time.
Sign up to delivery specialist companies like Deliveroo which are always on the hunt for new riders. They allow you total flexibility to work when you want, delivering food from restaurants to the customers' door. You can make up to £16 an hour.
Double-up your opportunities by directly contacting local takeaways and bigger chains like Dominos to see if they have any delivery jobs going.
Publish a Kindle eBook
If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With the Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money on Amazon.
The Kindle app is now available on any device so your global market is huge!
List your book for £1.49 - £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember, people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.
The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Bundling information you have researched and compiled on a common problem (eg. 'secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.
Have a professional cover designed so it stands out (browse these).
Once your eBook is live on the Kindle store, it's important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.
The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn a passive income for years to come!
For more tips see our guide on making money from eBooks.
Affiliate marketing
If you have a social media following or a website, you can start making money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.
Sign up as a publisher on the Awin network. Check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your followers would be interested in. Then grab your affiliate link and share it.
If someone buys using your link you'll make a nice commission (can be within up to 90 days).
Learn more with our guide to affiliate marketing.
Mobile phone recycling
You can earn money and help the environment by recycling your old mobile phones and other unused devices. Ask your parents if they have any lying around too.
Head to our page on making money from old phones for the best companies to use and how to ensure you get all the cash quoted to you online.
Become a 'Clickworker'
The Clickworker.com concept is based on 'internet crowd-sourcing' where businesses advertise specific, scalable tasks they need completing quickly. And for us, it's an easy way to make money fast from home.
There are a variety of tasks, but most commonly they involve mindless data entry, web research or form filling.
You are paid in cash (via Paypal) for the work you choose to do.
Join Clickworker »
Claim tax back
Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. If you are a student working during the year, you will probably be overpaying income tax.
Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each year. However, they are often put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn't be.
To calculate how much tax back you might be due, see our guide on student tax refunds.
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