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Freeeee money — straight to your PayPal account. Sounds dreamy, right? Especially when you’re just trying to make a little extra cash without jumping through scammy hoops or spending hours on pointless surveys.
I’ve tested dozens of money-making sites over the past few years, and I pulled together 45+ legit places that actually paid me (or people I trust) directly to PayPal. Some take a bit of effort, some are super quick wins, and a few can even run passively in the background while you’re living your life.
Before we dive in, let’s keep it real: none of these will make you rich overnight — but they will help you earn real money, fit around your schedule, and stop you from wasting time on garbage apps that don’t pay.
One example? I earned $10 just for uploading a single photo… and that’s only one of the 45 options waiting below.
Let’s get you earning.
What “Free PayPal Money” Really Means
When people search for “free PayPal money,” they’re usually looking for legit ways to earn extra cash online without paying upfront. It’s not magic money, it’s small but real earnings from apps, surveys, microtasks, or selling items you already own. These methods take time, but they pay out actual money to your PayPal account once you hit the minimum cashout.
Legitimate Ways to Earn PayPal Cash
There are dozens of trusted platforms that pay directly to PayPal for simple online activities. Below are some of the most popular and beginner-friendly methods. None of these require special skills, and you can mix and match multiple options to increase your earning potential.
Paid Online Surveys
Survey sites pay you for sharing your opinions on brands, products, and trends. Most surveys take 5–15 minutes, and payouts add up faster than people expect. The key is joining reputable survey panels that consistently offer paid opportunities and fast PayPal withdrawals.
Survey Junkie – Online Surveys
One of my favorite ways to make extra money is by taking surveys online. I cycle through a few different websites depending on how I feel and how many surveys are available, but one website I always go back to is Survey Junkie.
I’ve found that
Sign Up Requirements: You need to be at least 18+, and you can be from anywhere in the world.
Average Earnings: About $.10 – $5+ per survey. There are also product testing opportunities that pay $50+
Minimum Payment Threshold: Depends on the rewards, anywhere from $5 – $10
Opinion Outpost – Online Surveys
I’ve been using Opinion Outpost for over FIVE years! They’re one of the easiest websites to use for making money with surveys, and they seem to always have something available!
Every survey you attempt you will earn points (even if you get screened out!) and you can turn these points into rewards.
With Opinion Outpost, you can earn PayPal cash or other gift cards like Visa and Amazon.
Sign Up Requirements: You must be at least 18+ and live in the USA, Canada, or the UK
Average Earnings: $.50 – $3+ per survey
Minimum Payment Threshold: You can get rewards with just 500 points ($5).
Vindale Research – Online Surveys
**As of November 1, 2021 Vindale Research is closing.
Vindale Research is a great website to make extra money taking surveys. One of the things I like about them is that you don’t earn points, you earn cash, so no having to convert your points.
They also have some of the highest-paying surveys that I’ve seen!
Sign Up Requirements: You must be at least 18+ and live in the USA, Canada, the UK, or Australia.
Average Earnings: You can earn up to $50 per survey
Minimum Payment Threshold: You can withdraw your money once your account reaches $50
Pinecone Research – Online Surveys
I’ve been a part of the Pinecone Research panel for years, and I can’t say enough good things about it! This is one of the higher-paying surveys panels, you get at LEAST $3 per survey, and you can even get opportunities to test products (for an increased rate).
Sign Up Requirements: You must be at least 18, and live in the US, UK, Canada, or AUS
The downsides of this panel are that there aren’t many surveys available at once, and your account has to go through an approval process before you can start taking surveys.
Average Earnings: $3+ per survey
Minimum Payment Threshold: $3
PrizeRebel – Online Surveys
Prize Rebel is a website where you can earn money for taking surveys and completing different offers.
For each survey or offer you complete you will earn points, and then you can convert the points to rewards like PayPal cash, Amazon gift cards, and other types of retail gift cards.
Sign Up Requirements: You must be 18+ and live in the USA, Canada, or the UK
Average Earnings: It depends on the survey, but you can expect anywhere from $0.10 – $3
Minimum Payment Threshold: $5 is the minimum for PayPal cash, but you can get a gift card with just $2 in your account
LifePoints – Online Surveys
LifePoints is a pretty simple survey panel, you sign up, fill out your profile, and take surveys! You can redeem your earnings for different gift cards or PayPal cash! Easy!
One of the cool things about LifePoints is that they have an iOS and an Android app, which means you can take surveys while on the go!
With the app, you can also earn money for completing daily challenges, tracking behavior, and testing products!
Sign Up Requirements: You must be at least 14 years old and live in the US, Canada, or the UK.
Average Earnings: Depends on the survey
Minimum Payment Threshold: You need at least $5 to withdraw your earnings.
Other Survey Websites:
- iSurveyWorld
- MyPoints
- Survey Voices
- Prolific
Cashback & Rewards Apps
Cashback apps reward you for everyday purchases you’re already making. Instead of giving you gift cards, many now offer direct PayPal payouts, making it one of the easiest ways to earn while shopping. Just upload receipts, activate offers, or shop through the app to earn real cash back.
iBotta – Cashback From Grocery Stores
ibotta is a phone app that least you earn money from getting groceries (and other things!). Through the app you can select the store you will be going to, and you can add offers for different products.
Once you purchase the products, you can scan your receipt through the iBotta app and the money will be added to your account!
While iBotta (in my opinion) is best when used for your grocery purchases, you can also earn money from shopping online using the portal on their mobile app.
Sign Up Requirements: You must be 18+ and live in the US or Canada
Average Earnings: Depends on the product and what bonuses you’re eligible for. On average you’ll get between $.25 – $3 for buying certain products.
Minimum Payment Threshold: You need to have at least $20 in your account
TopCashback – Cashback From Online Shopping
TopCashback is another website that has been around for a while. According to their website, users make an average of $345 a year in cash back (not too shabby!). And you can get paid directly to your bank account, through PayPal, or you can select a gift cards of your choosing.
What makes TopCashback a great choice (over Rakuten) is that you can withdraw your earnings as soon as the amount is approved. No waiting until the end of the quarter to get your money!
Sign Up Requirements: Be at least 18 and located in the US or Canada.
Average Earnings: Depends on the store! On average you can get 1 – 3% cashback
Minimum Payment Threshold: You can start withdrawing your earnings at $1
Rakuten – Cashback From Online Shopping
Rakuten is one of my secret weapons for making extra money by doing something I already do: shop online!
Here’s how it works, you can install the Rakuten browser extension or the phone app (or both) and whenever you decide to shop online, if you’re on a computer you can click the “activate” button to activate the cashback (the extension will also show you any available coupons or sale), and you can shop and checkout like normal.
After your order is processed the cashback should be added to your Rakuten account, and each quarter they will either send you a check or money through PayPal.
Easy, right?
Also, they offer a $25+ signup bonus if you create an account and spend at least $30! Rakuten is completely free to use, so definitely sign up and get that free money!
Sign Up Requirements: You need to be 18+ and located in the US or Canada
Average Earnings: Anywhere from 1% – 10% cashback depending on the store
Minimum Payment Threshold: $5
Other Cashback Websites:
- Fetch Rewards
- Paribus
- Get Upside
- BeFrugal
- ShopAtHome (now Tada)
- Dosh
- Pei
- Shopkick
- Honey
- Nielson Computer and Mobile Panel
Microtasks & Offers
Microtask platforms pay small amounts for quick actions — watching videos, downloading apps, answering polls, or trying new services. These tasks don’t pay much individually, but they’re simple, stackable, and perfect for earning a few dollars whenever you have downtime.
Swagbucks – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
If you want a little variety when it comes to making extra money, definitely check out Swagbucks. It’s a website that has been around since 2008, and it has plenty of opportunities to make extra money!
You can take polls, complete surveys, scan your receipts, and you can earn cashback from shopping using their portal or you can earn bonus rewards for completing offers!
If you’re interested, you can create an account, and get a $5 welcome bonus!
Sign Up Requirements: You need to be at least 18, and live in the US, UK, or Canada
Average Earnings: Depends on the tasks you choose to do. Surveys can make you up to a few bucks, and you could make anywhere from $1 to over $100 for completing certain offers.
Minimum Payment Threshold: You can get a gift card reward with just 300 SBs (or $3), but if you’re looking to get PayPal cash you need at least 500 SBs (or $5).
InboxDollars – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
If you enjoy Swagbucks and are looking for something similar, InboxDollars is a great choice! Just like Swagbucks, with InboxDollars you can also make money from taking surveys, completing offers, and doing other microtasks like watching short videos and using their search engine to complete your normal searches!
If you’re interested in signing up, you can get a $5 bonus added to your account!
Sign Up Requirements: Must be at least 18+ and live in the US or Canada
Average Earnings: Depends on the task
Minimum Payment Threshold: You need to have at least $25 to withdraw your earnings.
Other Microtask Websites:
- FushionCash – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
- Earnably – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
- ZoomBucks – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
- GrindABuck – Microtasks, Surveys, and Money For Completing Offers
Sweatcoin – Walking and Running
Do you want to get paid for getting your daily steps in?
Sweatcoin is an iOS and Android app that keeps track of your physical activity, and lets you earn “sweatcoins” which can be turned into prizes like headphones, movie tickets, and CASH!
What’s great about Sweatcoin is that it can just run in the background, which means you earn money passively – just do your regular daily activities!
Sign Up Requirements: Must be 18+ or order, and app is only available in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia
Average Earnings: You earn an average of 1 sweatcoin for every 1,000 steps, and you can also earn sweatcoins for referring friends.
Minimum Payment Threshold: Depends on what you want to redeem your points for.
Skillz Games – Play Games
Are you competitive? Do you also enjoy video games?
You can earn money by playing (and winning!) different mobile games thanks to Skillz Games. Skillz Games partners with mobile game developers to help offer incentives to encourage people to test out different mobile games.
You can play games like solitaire and pool and earn your share of a $100+ million monthly prize pool!
Sign Up Requirements: You must be 18+ years or older and located in the US.
Average Earnings: Depends on the game, how long you play, and if you are eligible for any bonuses.
Minimum Payment Threshold: Depends on withdraw method
Sell Your Stuff for PayPal Cash
If you want fast money, selling unused items is one of the most reliable methods. Clothing, electronics, collectibles, books, and even digital items can be sold through marketplaces that deposit your earnings straight into PayPal. It’s a quick way to turn clutter into cash.
- Poshmark – Sell Clothes and Accessories
- Bookscouter – Sell Used Books
- Fiverr – Sell Your Skills
- Decluttr – Sell Used Electronics
- Make Money By Selling Things:
- Raise – Selling Gift Cards
- CardCash – Selling Gift Cards
Other Creative Ways to Earn Free PayPal Money
Outside of apps and surveys, there are plenty of unconventional ways to earn PayPal cash — like playing games, walking apps, browser extensions, referral bonuses, or testing new tools. These methods vary in payout, but most are easy to start and require little commitment.
- GetAround – Rent Your Car
- Mistplay – Test Games
- Acorns – Microinvesting
- Stash – Microinvesting
- Screenlift – Ads On Your Phone Lockscreen
- S’more – Ads On Your Phone Lockscreen
- Usertesting – Website Testing
- Respondent.io – Focus Groups and Interviews
- HealthyWage – Make Money by Reaching Weight Loss Goals
Tips to Avoid Scams
Because the phrase “free PayPal money” is popular, scammers often use it to trick people into giving away personal info. Here’s how to stay safe:
- Never pay upfront fees. Legit money-earning apps are always free to join.
- Avoid anything promising instant or unrealistic payouts. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
- Never share your PayPal login or password. No legitimate site will ever ask for this.
- Look for well-known platforms with clear reviews. Search the app or site name + “reviews” before joining.
- Use a spam-free email for signups. Helps keep your primary inbox safe.
- Don’t download apps from random links. Only install from official app stores or verified websites.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for some free PayPal money, there are a few different things you can do, like taking surveys, participating in focus groups, and selling things you no longer need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really possible to get free PayPal money?
Yes, you can earn money through surveys, cashback apps, and online tasks that let you cash out to PayPal, but it usually requires time or effort rather than being truly “free.”
Are there risks or scams to watch out for?
Yes, offers that promise instant cash with little or no effort often turn out to be scams. Always avoid giving sensitive info or paying upfront fees.
Do I need a PayPal account to cash out?
Yes, to receive money directly, you’ll need a verified PayPal account that matches the name/email you use on earning platforms.
What’s the easiest way to earn PayPal cash?
Many people start with survey sites or cashback apps, since they’re free to join and pay directly to PayPal once you hit the minimum payout.
