How to Make 500 Dollars Fast: 20+ Ways to Earn Extra Money

Learn about the best ways to score some extra money.

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moneygatorNeed to make $500 dollars fast?

There are so many reasons for needing to make an extra 500 dollars. Sh*t happens. I don't know why you need extra money, but heck, we all do. That's why I searched the web for โ€œhow to make $500 fastโ€ and found the best ways.

Whatever your reason is for needing extra cash, you'll benefit from reading this article. It's kind of lengthy, but trust me, you'll want to read it to the very end. I'm going to show you exactly how to make 500 dollars fast. Some of the methods require downloading an app, others will be a bit more involving. What you earn depends on how much effort you put in. People get want they need, not what they want. If you need money now, put in the work.

There are many options to earn money online that are quick, simple and don't require much effort. We all have limited time, life is fickle. For this reason, I have compiled 20 ways to earn money that are actually possible and can net you some money, the easy way.

Legit ways to make $500 dollars fast

There are many options to earn money online that are quick, simple and don't require much effort. We all have limited time, life is fickle. For this reason, I have compiled ways to earn money that are actually possible and can net you some money, the easy way.

We will first start with the quick wins, companies that'll (legit) pay you money just for signing up:

Need Easy Extra Money Right Now?

Next, we'll move on to other ways to earn your $500.00 quickly.

1. Make $500 fast playing games

make money fast playing games

We love to play games online. Theyโ€™re super addictive. Theyโ€™re great time-killers.

But I found ways you can actually make money playing games with fun apps.

I'm probably not talking about a ton of money. But itโ€™s possible to scratch up a little cash and/or save some money playing games from your phone.

Especially if youโ€™re just bored in your apartment, waiting in line at the grocery store or just trying to pass the time at work.

I road-tested some of the best (and fun) gaming apps that you can actually download these and start getting paid cash and rewards immediately.

Mistplay

mistplay

So far Mistplay is exactly as advertised, it really pays you to play fun games that it has in your โ€˜mixlist'.

I found one game (pretty addicting) to play and I have played for about a day and I have over 500 pts (2,000 gets most $5 gift cards). Cool stuff.

It's not too invasive or overwhelming on my screen. My only complaint? I wish there more games to choose from, but it's very simple to earn money with this legit gaming app. You sign up through here for a registration bonus (android devices only).

Swagbucks

swagbucks

Swagbucks is another nifty site that I've been using for years to earn some side income. It's not a lot but I can usually earn $50-100 per month doing little tasks.

Apart from earning money from playing games in its library, you can earn by watching videos, searching the web, shopping, and taking polls/surveys.

Plus, they even give new users a $10 signup bonus. They have already paid out its members over $400M, so join the fun.

Recap

Here is a quick recap of my favorite games that can help you earn some extra cash:

mistplayMistplay lets you earn cash incentives for every game you play on your Android device. There are no gimmicks that waste your time. It has over โ€Ž+100,993 positive reviews in the Google Play store.

MAKE MONEY PLAYING GAMES

swagbucksSwagbucks offer you the opportunity to win valuable cash prizes or cool merchandise for playing free online games. With +44,958 positive reviews in the Google Play store, it's legit.

GET $10 FOR JOINING

2. Lower your monthly bills

โ€œI could not believe how easy this was to do. It took me about 5 mins of work and I had about $70 in my account.โ€

how to make 200 dollars fast

When you want to make a quick $500, one of the easiest ways you may overlook is finding easy ways to lower your expenses.

I didn't realize how much I was overspending on my cable, phone bill and to random subscriptions that are on autopay.

Most people don't bother with the trouble of calling up AT&T, Verizon, Sprint (or whatever cell phone provider you use) to try to get their cell phone bill lowered. So let someone else do it for you.

Avoid overpaying on bills by using Cushion, a free bot that will negotiate down bills for you. It will even check on those pesky subscriptions for you.

You'll need a Facebook account to use it, as it communicates with you over Facebook messenger (or via text).

It's pretty simple to sign up using your Facebook account and takes a minute. You'll likely be able to save over $500 this year by using it!

Say Goodbye to Overpaying with Cushion

3. Rent your car when youโ€™re not using it

how to make 1000 fast

Driving for Lyft is legit and the current driver promotion of $1,000 guaranteed is the icing on the cake. But, I can't always do drive people around with my schedule.

I have 2 other jobs and that means my car is just sitting in the parking lot 15 hours a day.

Being the smart side hustler I am, I turned to make money with my idle car and you can too.

You've got an asset if you have a car, why not make money with it on Turo?

Turo lets you make money by sharing your car. It's pretty simple to use, just list your car and they handle everything else (insurance, logistics of renting it out, scheduling, handing over keys)โ€ฆ they pretty much do all the work for you.

You can make $500 fast with this side hustle depending on your car and how many hours you can share it per week.

I'm paid monthly and make an extra $520 a month by sharing my car around 26 hours per week (an extra $6,240 a year).

4. Claim the best internet freebies you can get right now

how to make $1000 fast

When trying to make $500 fast, every dollar counts.

Thankfully, you can easily pad your wallet or purse with cash back apps like Ibotta ($10 sign up bonus), Checkout 51 (free groceries), and Pei ($15 sign up bonus) that pay you for the shopping you do daily.

Sign up for all three and that's a quick $25 just for downloading three apps โ€“ not bad.

Here are some other companies that pay you for downloading:

  • Survey Junkie: Make $2-50 in your spare time each day by taking surveys, participating in focus groups, and testing new products.ย Join Survey Junkie here.
  • Swagbucks: Similar to Survey Junkie, but with a few more ways to earn (such as watching videos and using their search engine). Get aย $10 signup bonusย for joining.
  • Acorns:ย  Once you connect the app to your card, it rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and funnels your digital change into an investment account. Sign up to try it risk-free with aย $20 sign up bonus

5. Host guests with Airbnb

make money now

Another smart way to make $500 fast is by listing your space on Airbnb.

It's smart because it's simple and free to list and you easily make $500 in under a week.

You can actually see how much you're able to make by using their cash pay-out calculator to do some quick research beforehand.

By creating a free account, setting up a 5-minute listing and setting whatever prices you want, you have the potential to skyrocket your income. Of course, the nicer your home and location the better.

However, you don't even need to have a spare room or home to share to earn with Airbnb since they now offer โ€œhost experiencesโ€œ.

This is a really unique thing that they offer and are expanding into. If you ever had friends from out of town visit and you showed them the cool things to do in your city, now you can get paid for doing just thatโ€ฆ for strangers.

Sounds like a fun way to get your hands on $500.

6. Let a chatbot save you $500 this year

make money

The next idea for you to save an extra $500 this year is by letting automation do the work for you.

Trim is a money saving bot that sends you messages via Facebook messenger and can help you save money.

After a quick 2 minute sign up the bot will go through your spending habits, show you all the subscriptions you're signed up for (and should cancel), and even negotiate your utility bills for you.

Basically, a free personal financial advisor that you don't have a pay a cent for, in fact, this chatbot will actually save you money.ย 

make $1000 fast

It's also worth mentioning another bot that has a black belt in fee negotiation is Cushion (I use both since they're both free).

7. Download Nielsen Panel on your devices

how to make 300 dollars fast

By using the internet as you do every day,ย Nielsenย invites you to make a difference โ€“ย and you can make money too.

I downloaded this app on all of my devices and make around $500 a year passively.

You donโ€™t really have to do anything other than initially registering your devices (phone, laptop, tablet) and they'll pay $60 per device.

This is a smart way to make extra money as even if you just install it on your phone they'll pay you $60 a year keep their app on it.

They also keep things interesting for me since they give away a modest $10,000 each month. I like to think I have better chances of getting it than the lottery, so consider it a free lotto ticket each month, too.

If you are interested in getting paid passively, I recommend that you sign up through hereย for a registration bonus.

Get $60/Year Per Device

8. Build a more perfect portfolio

how to make $1000 fast

Wouldnโ€™t it be great if youย could invest in commercial real estateย and apartmentsย without dealing with all the hassleย of buying, improving, and re-selling real estate?

You donโ€™t have to be a millionaire to invest in these types of properties.ย Fundriseย allows you to nowย invest in large-scale real estate for as little as $10.

For example, I invested in $1,000 in February (to diversify my portfolio) and my account has gained $15.98 in profit since then, it's actually quite exhilarating!

make money

Through their real estate investment products, investorsย earned an average of 8.74 โ€“ 12.4 percentย on their money last year, and all without painting a wall or dealing with unruly tenants.

  • 8.74% โ€“ 12.4%ย historical annual returns
  • Diversifyย your portfolio with realย estate
  • Maximizeย your earnings with a low-fee approach

There is a reason why they currentlyย have over 500,000+ users, this app really pays us!

If youโ€™re interested, I recommend youย sign up for more information from Fundriseย by clicking here.

Invest in Real Estate with Only $10

9. Deliver Groceries

how to make money fast

You can also make money fast by delivering groceries.

Instacartย delivers groceries from local stores in two hours from stores like Whole Foods Market, Target, Costco and Petco. Why should you care? Because this is a lucrative opportunity for you to make money fast.

If you wanted to become an Instacart personal grocery shopper, you'll earn anย average of $15 per hour!

How to make that $500 fast though?

Sign up as a personal grocery shopperย and start to receive grocery orders through an app on your smartphone and then shop and deliver groceries to the customerโ€™s door. You can start earning quickly and get paid weekly and schedule hours based on your schedule.

10. Fill out surveys

make 300 fast There are many sites on the Internet that pay people to fill out surveys. For each survey you complete, the website allows you to earn points that you can exchange for money.

Most sites like Survey Junkie or Swagbucks allow you even cash out your earnings for real cash through PayPal. You could probably make $500 bucks in a month by spending an hour taking surveys a few days a week.

You won't get rich, but you will earn some money and that's what this article is all about.

You will findย more information and more recommended survey sitesย and ways to earn money in this article on the best money apps.

11. Sell your old clothes

make money fast If you have a lot of old clothes, that you have not used for many years and that you honestly do not know why you keep, do not hesitate to sell it and get money.ย There are many websites, like Ebay or selling apps that can help you get rid of clothes, shoes, and accessories that you do not use.

If in your country there is still no platform to help you sell your clothes, you can organize a garage sale among your neighbors, in order to declutter your wardrobe and earn money.

12. Get $500 from Dave

dave

Want to getย spotted a free $500ย without having to take out a personal loan?

Simply sign up forย Dave, and the banking app will lend you cash for free, you just relax while it will spot you up to $500 any time. Thereโ€™s no catch.

This bank account is legit and only takes two minutes to sign up for an account. Now you can get some beer money at any time โ€” for free!

You didnโ€™t have to do anything, other than originallyย sign up for Dave. Itโ€™s as simple as that.

Get $500 now from Dave

13. Get $500 now with ZippyLoan

self directed iras

If you actually need money now, then you can opt for a personal loan. When you need money in a hurryย ZippyLoan is where to go. You apply for a loan through the Zippy Loan site, if approved they send your loan application to one of many loan providers.

You review the loan details and e-sign if you like what you see. No risk in checking what offers you'll get.ย You can borrow between $100 and $15,000 as soon as tomorrow.ย Loans service for up to 60 months.

ZippyLoan connects borrowers to lenders through their network of lenders. They'll find you the lowest interest rate and is one of the best no credit check loan. You canย visit ZippyLoan here.

Get $500 Right Now

14. Sign up for Rakuten

side hustle make money

If you enjoy shopping online and always look for the best deals, Rakutenย is a solid choice to make money the easy way.

Rakuten gives you money back on your purchases made. To get started all you need to do is register and before you shop next time, visit Rakuten first then your favorite store after. I do this every time I shop online because Rakuten works with almost every online store I can think of.

From the moment you start using Rakuten your savings is sure to add up and you can make $500 quickly depending on how often you shop. You can get paid via PayPal too. Rakuten also gives you a $10 sign up bonus to start. Get your bonus here.

Sign up Free - Claim $10 Cash

15. Sell on Shopify

sell money make money Use your creativity to make money if you have knowledge of creating personalized items! You can offer T-shirts, mugs, pillows, sweatshirts, among other products, with customized designs to the clients' taste on Etsy.

I've got a friend that creates art and he can charge whatever he wants. It's all about creating a lucrative brand, then you can earn a lot. Selling personalized products will help you get money, and you can also use social media to promote yourself and use Facebook ads to reach people all over the country. You can learn more by visiting online stores like Shopify and Etsy.

Claim 3-Day Free Trial at Shopify

16. Offer your services on Fiverr

earn 300 now From the comfort of your home, it is very easy to earn money online using Fiverr. By using Fiverr you can offer your services for $5 or more, and you can easily create an account and start earning money right now. No joke.

On Fiverr, thanks to a large number of service categories, you can offer a variety of services: from unconventional services, such as writing a phrase on your face or body, writing names with legos or dancing to a song, or professional services such as logo designs, website design, proofreading or writing articles.

Fiverr opens up a whole range of possibilities. One of the advantages of Fiverr is that it allows you to manage your own time and schedule.

17. Download GetUpside

make 300 fast Have you ever dreamed of paying less for gas each week? Well, that time has come, with GetUpside you can earn money by sharing your purchase receipts and shopping at local stores. I heard about this app on the radio and decided to try it out for myself.

The system is simple: you take a photo of your gas receipt and upload it. Then the app will digitize the receipt information and you'll get up to 25 cents off each gallon. I'm surprised I don't hear about this app more often though, I make a killing with it:

make money

You can likely rack up an extra $500 this year by using it. And you can also save up to 35% at restaurants and 15% at grocery stores near you. The money you earn can be transferred to your Paypal account or redeemed for gift cards to buy at Amazon and other stores. You can get a download link sent to your phone here.

Start Paying Less for Gas

18. Get paid to be healthy

how to make 200 dollars

Do all your friends post flashy Instagram pictures and look amazingly good?

Even if they don't, I wanted to get fit and make it a habit, but it was tough to get started.

What helped me lose over 10 pounds was when I had my own money on the line.

In fact, I was able to do with HealthyWage, and won $1,050 after losing only 10 pounds.

So if you need some extra motivation and an extra $500 or more then head over to HealthyWage to learn more.

You'll have to decide on how much weight you want to lose and how long you need to reach your goal. You then bet on yourself and can win up to $10,000 depending on your HealthyWager.

Make Your Weight Loss Bet

19. Get paid to do market research

inboxdollars make money

InboxDollars is a survey site and one of the best survey sites. I've used them before and they are pretty legit. They make money by using the information you provide and use it as market research. So, you're actually getting paid to participate in surveys, watch videos, play video games, make purchases online, read emails with promotions, use discount coupons or simply make purchases online.

It's actually kind of fun to do this while you're watching TV or just bored. Obviously, you will not get rich just by responding to surveys, but it is a way to get extra income per month.

In the US, here are some of the highest rated paid survey websites:

  • Swagbucks is one of my favorite survey pages. A large variety of surveys and in different categories and they make payments via PayPal.
  • Another website that I like very much and that is available in several countries is Survey Junkie. You can earn money by taking surveys, watching videos, completing tasks, trying new products, etc โ€ฆ it also has a very cool interface!
  • With InboxDollars you could earn money mainly by watching advertisements but now the most interesting sections are surveys, videos, games, and searching. Plus, they give you a $5 sign up bonus here if you sign up before the end of this month.

    Join InboxDollars and Claim $5 Now

Here's how you can get $500 right now

20. Get a gator payday

If you didn't like any of the options above, and REALLY need money right now you can get a quick $500 personal loan.

We compared the best personal loans for people who need quick money fast. Don't worry, personal loans can be a great alternative to credit cards for large or unexpected expenses. In fact, you can enjoy fast and easy online applications with all the reputable lenders below (just be sure to pay it back quickly). Get $500 deposited into your bank account in a matter of seconds, here are your options:

LENDERRATES (APR)LOAN AMOUNTVISIT
sofi5.99% โ€“ 16.24%up to $100,000NEXT
credible5.99% โ€“ 35.99%up to $100,000NEXT
zippyloan7.99% โ€“ 35.89%up to $15,000NEXT
upgrade6.78% โ€“ 35.97%up to $35,000NEXT

If you wanted to compare more offers, you can compare and find the best online personal loans here.

Making $500 Fast FAQs

When you need more money, times can get difficult or even depressing. But, there is a way to combat your lack of funds:

How do I make money now ASAP?

If you need to make money now ASAP do the following: Find ways to get paid on your lunch break by taking top paying surveys with Swagbucks, join an online rewards club like Drop, use Truebill detect potential savings in your current bills, score beer money with gaming apps like Mistplay, and earn free gift cards with InboxDollars.

How can I make money in one hour?

If you want to make money in one hour, do the following: Join a rewards site like Swagbucks or InboxDollars where you can make money consistently. Or you can earn money playing games on apps like Blackout Bingo. This app lets you play bingo for money โ€” make $500 today. It is absolutely free to play Blackout Bingo and earn real-world rewards and cash prizes when you download through this link.

How can a beginner make money online?

Beginners can use the best survey sites to make money fast on PayPal. Free cash or free money is hard to come by but you can earn money on sites like Survey Junkie by referring friends and answering surveys to earn money online fast. You'll never need to enter your debit card or credit card either, these paid survey sites are free to use with no broker or platform fees.

Need $500 fast? go get it

Everyone wants to make money fast. However, if you search the internet for how to make 500 dollars online you'll find a bunch of affiliate marketers trying to promote affiliate links of spammy survey sites or services that haven't even tried out. Sure, the list I have provided may require a bit more work to earn your $500โ€ฆ. but they are real and honest ways you can ACTUALLY make 500 dollars. End rant. Got any more ways to make 500 dollars? Did I answer your question: how to make 500 dollars fast?

Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs teaches people how to make better money moves. Whether your focus is to make more money, save more money or better manage your finances, having a series of money moves will support your financial goals. He recommends for all of his readers to use the free Empower app to manage their cash flow and net worth.

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