Everyone could use some extra cash. Pre the 1990s, earning a salary of any size involved individuals getting out and about in the world to ply a trade. Today, however, thanks to the internet and ever-growing global dependence on technology, more and more aspects of everyday life are moving online, including employment opportunities.

Hence, it is now possible for virtually anyone from anywhere to make money via websites and apps that pay instantly. The planet is chock-full of digital nomads that do not have nine to five jobs but are still collecting decent paychecks based on work done at their convenience, in a scope that suits them. According to a study conducted by Upwork and the Freelancer Union, up to 57 million Americans are now freelancing. Of these, 86% do so from home, which is a staggering percentage.

Even though attaining a steady stream of revenue over the internet often requires time and effort, there are a few ways that anyone can win money online fast. Below, we highlight the five best options.

1. Play Casino Games

In most cases, the only accurate answer to the question – of how to win real money online instantly is – to visit online real money casinos and play the products they offer. Naturally, this involves the risk of potentially losing cash. Nevertheless, that does not apply to all instances of casino-style gaming, as some sites provide no deposit bonuses. These promotions allow players to do some on-the-house betting with looming real money prizes. Often, such promos get supplied for high variance slots, which means that the win probability will not be super likely, but it is free gambling, and who can say no to that?

Another route involving casino gaming is choosing to enjoy picks like blackjack or roulette, as these feature almost 50/50 odds. In games of twenty-one, gamblers can lower the house edge to 0.5% with optimal strategy, and in roulette, sticking to red/black, odd/even, hi/low wagers, they face an operator advantage of only 2.7%.  

2. Take Surveys

Here is a tried-and-tested simple method of making money fast online. Marketing departments of big brand companies crave to understand customer needs to tailor their offered goods and services to meet market demands better. They now do this through survey sites/apps that pay their user pools for nothing more than sharing their opinions. The most popular options that offer such a service are Swagbucks, LifePoints, Survey Junkie, InboxDollars, i-Say, and Opinion Outpost.

The downside of many of the mentioned platforms is that they often pay via gift cards. Moreover, they implement point-collecting schemes, where users gather credits for completing surveys that they can later redeem for said gift cards after reaching specific milestones. Nonetheless, some sites, like InboxDollars and Survey Junkie, allow their clients to cash out via PayPal.

3. Look for Jobs on TaskRabbit & ClickWorker

Thousands of job listing sites exist on the Web. Yet, only a few focus on errands, minor tasks that do not involve a sizable effort investment. TaskRabbit and ClickWorker are two examples of platforms that concentrate precisely on this, letting people quickly find jobs that can get completed simply and swiftly.

TaskRabbit is the successor of RunMyErrand, founded in 2008. It lists a diverse range of tasks, many that must get completed in the real world and others that can get done remotely, such as assisting in research projects or data entry. ClickWorker, on the other hand, got up and running in 2006 and primarily centers on IT-related assignments. Both have user pools in the millions and offer dedicated mobile software.

4. Test Websites/Apps

Investigating the behavior of software is a vital task for businesses as it delivers objective information concerning its quality and the risk of it failing to meet user needs. Usually, software testing involves analyzing a virtual product’s correctness in various contexts, UX competence, overall design, and deployment infrastructure. It is an essential aspect of the success of every online project.

Sites like Respondent, UserTesting, Enroll, UserFeel, Testing Time, and TryMyUI pay anywhere between $10 to $50 for tests that incur a time investment that may range from twenty to ninety minutes. Many of these must be conducted over Skype or Zoom, and some may include testing games that pay real money online, learning apps, and various other digital products.

5. Snap & Sell Photos

Dozens of third-party websites that buy and sell stock photos have an open door policy to anyone that can offer high-quality in-focus images. Dominant brands in this field include Dreamstime, Shutterstock, Alamy, iStockPhoto, and 123RF.

Snapping and selling photos online can be a highly profitable hobby for those in super populated metropolitan cities with loads of varied visual content. These amateur photographers make somewhere in the neighborhood of $0.02 to $0.05 per image per month.

This article was written in collaboration with iGaming analysts from OUSC