22 Legit Ways to Earn Free PayPal Money Instantly

You’ve probably heard the saying there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But have you ever heard there’s no such thing as free PayPal money?

Probably not. I know I haven’t.

Maybe that’s because free PayPal money does exist thanks to a growing number of ways to earn PayPal money instantly.

If you ever sent money to someone online or used eBay before, chances are that you’ve used PayPal in the past. PayPal is a great way to send money (actually #1 ranked money transfer app).

If you think it’s crazy to get free money — think again.

There are some websites, gigs, and apps that’ll pay you cash via PayPal for doing little tasks or simply signing up. They are basically incentives for using the site or app, but you don’t have to. That’s up to you.

22 Legit Ways to Earn Free PayPal Money Instantly

If you think I’ve gone crazy for thinking you can really get free PayPal money in your account – then take a look at these fool-proof methods.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services I’ve personally used and stand behind.

1. Survey Junkie

How it works: So, let me preface by saying I’m not a fan of wasting my time taking boring surveys. But Survey Junkie is one of the best ways to make money on your phone, quickly. It is one of the most popular online survey sites and has a beautiful interface that makes it easy to earn money online.

Payment

You can get paid around $3 per survey and once you hit $10 you can cash out via PayPal.

Pros

Survey Junkie lets you get paid for taking online surveys from brands you use every day. You can also participate in focus groups, try new products (free stuff, yay!) and get paid to listen to new music.

Cons

Not a lucrative sign up bonus offer like Swagbucks or InboxDollars.

2. Mistplay

Getting paid for playing games sounds like a dream. But if you download Mistplay, and then download games from it and play, you earn free PayPal money.

This is a great opportunity for those looking to get paid for something they enjoy, like winning free gift cards and cash for playing games. I use it and it is legit and has over 35,404 positive reviews in the Google Play store. If you’re interested, I recommend you download the app from the Google Play store for free by clicking here.

Payment

As you level up you can earn more money for cash rewards or gift cards.

Pros

We all heard the old saying “time is money” right? Instead of playing games on your phone like everyone else and feeling bad for wasting your time — now you can get paid PayPal cash for it.

Cons

Not available for iPhones.

3. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is one of the world’s leading market research communities – rewarding you for your opinion. Branded Surveys asks for information about you so that they can match you with fitting surveys. At up to $5-10 a pop for some surveys and a free 100 points for signing up, it pays to check in daily to see which ones are available to you.

Payment

Cashouts are through PayPal or gift cards. You’ll earn money just for signing up and they pay you straight cash via PayPal.

Pros

Branded also offers a rewards program (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) where you can level up by collecting credits, which is exhilarating. As you level up, you can unlock higher earning opportunities to earn even more.

Cons

As with other competitor sites, some surveys will require you to visit another website to complete the task. The sites they route you to can be more difficult to use than Branded’s site, which is a downfall. Also, they do not have a mobile app available, but you can take surveys on mobile web or your desktop.

4. InboxDollars

InboxDollars lets you can earn cash for taking surveys, playing games, searching the web, and watching videos. Yes, it is possible! InboxDollars allows you to earn PayPal cash for watching tv and movie previews. If you sign up before the end of this month, they also give you a $5 free bonus just to give it a try right into your PayPal account or another payment method. More people should be using this money-making app.

Payment

By spending just 5-10 minutes per day on this (either on your lunch break or during TV commercial breaks) you can earn and earn an extra $50 per month and get paid via PayPal, gift card or check.

Pros

InboxDollars offers a plethora of ways to make money, including getting paid to play games. It was listed highly on our list of game apps to win real money, it’s a legit money maker.

Cons

It’ll require a ton of time to reach the minimum payout of $30.

5. Swagbucks

There are a lot of sites like Swagbucks but nothing can beat the king of reward apps. Here you can earn a special currency called Swagbucks for completing offers, answering surveys and logging online activity.

You can redeem the currency for gift cards or cash rewards once you’ve accumulated enough. This is one of the best apps that pays you through PayPal. You can read our full Swagbucks Review here.

Payment

Swagbucks offers a great opportunity to earn free PayPal money with little work. A popular way to earn is through referrals. You and your referral get a 300 SB bonus when your referral earns 300 SB within their first 30 days. Plus, you’ll also earn 10% of their SB earnings for the life of their account (cha-ching).

Pros

I personally use it and usually earn money taking surveys while watching TV, and it does add up. They even give new members a $10 sign up bonus with a qualifying $25 purchase.

Cons

You won’t qualify for every task or survey and users often report getting kicked out of surveys randomly.

6. MyPoints

MyPoints has it all — whether you want to shop at all your favorite retailers from the convenience of your phone or take surveys on the go, the MyPoints app has you covered. You can even find coupons and deals for many big-name retailers including Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.

Find a fancy hotel or shop for a new pair of kicks at your favorite retailer. Shopping not your bag? Like to share your opinion? Who doesn’t? Share feedback on a variety of topics including movies, TV shows, shopping experiences and even new products and services. Reward yourself with great experiences as well as free gift cards with MyPoints.

Payment

Paypal or gift cards.

Pros

You can earn money through cash back shopping and through taking surveys, reading emails, watching videos and more. They offer a $10 welcome bonus for new members if you make two qualifying purchases through MyPoints during your first 30 days of membership.

Cons

MyPoints is limited to those who live in the US or Canada.

7. Ibotta

With Ibotta, you’ll get paid to shop by receiving lucrative cash back offers. Ibotta pays you real money on your everyday purchases. Download the free app to receive offers and earn real cash back in stores and online. Download the app and start a free account to browse deals in your area.

You can get cash back at any bar and liquor store, retail, grocery store and more. This app is so good there are a ton of apps like Ibotta that try and copy it. However, nothing beats the original grocery rebate app.

Payment

Once you reach $20, you can cash out via PayPal or gift cards. Eazy peezy.

Pros

It’s a great way to save time and earn cash, even get a $10 new user bonus which you can cash out via PayPal.

Cons

No cash back on gas.

8. Swagbucks Live

Swagbucks Live (available for iPhone and Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game app you play from your phone! You’ll be ‘paid’ in Swagbucks points (shortened to ‘SB’) which can then be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash.

For example, what is the most popular drink in the world that does not contain alcohol? What the official national anthem of the United States of America? What is the Capital of Australia? If you answered coffee, star-spangled banner, and Canberra, then you may want to look into the new trivia app that pays you huge cash prizes for your smarts.

Payment

Today’s prize is worth over $1,000 — which you can cash out for PayPal if you win. If you are interested in playing, click here to download the free trivia app and start winning free PayPal cash daily.

Pros

One of the best trivia game show apps running.

Cons

Even if you win you’ll share the earnings with the pool of other winners which can make it not worthwhile.

9. Dosh Rewards

Dosh is a free cash back app that finds you money for shopping, dining out, and booking hotels and travel activities with more than 100,000 merchants and brands nationwide. This company not only allows you to get cash back on everyday purchases, but no receipt scanning required.

Those who are interested can read an informative Dosh Review to see how much cash back they are eligible to earn starting today.

Payment

Direct to a bank account, PayPal, or Venmo

Pros

No receipt scanning is required and it is one of the best rebate back apps that I personally use on a daily basis. Members who join can link their first credit card or debit card for a $1 instant bonus added to their Dosh wallet.

Cons

None, one of the best money-saving apps available to consumers currently.

10. Rakuten

Rakuten is where you can get cash back for shopping at over 2,500 stores. Stores pay Rakuten a commission for sending you their way, and Rakuten shares the commission with you as cash back. You can get paid every three months, plus earn a cash bonus when you join and shop. Rakuten is a popular way to get cash back whenever you shop online and right now they are offering a $10 sign-up bonus through this link.

Payment

Every time you shop online, start at Rakuten and then get cash back deposited into your PayPal account. Hello, free PayPal money.

Pros

Thanks to the internet, there is an endless number of ways to make money online (and offline) for free. Did you know that you can get cash back for items you would have bought anyway? You can do this by shopping online with Rakuten.

Cons

Rakuten members receive their Big Fat Checks or PayPal payments every three months for cash Back from store purchases. This is a long time to wait.

11. PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel is a rewards site where members earn points by doing a variety of tasks that include answering paid surveys, watching videos, and completing offers. Surveys are your best bet at making money on PrizeRebel. They are the simplest and easiest way.  The answers to these surveys are anonymous and confidential. The responses are used to help research companies and organizations figure out better ways to market and understand habits.

Payment

The points earned are used to exchange for PayPal cash or free Walmart gift cards, Amazon gift cards, Target gift cards, or Starbucks gift cards at a 1 point to 1 cent ratio.

Pros

The tasks that PrizeRebel offer are a great way to earn money in your free time.

Cons

PrizeRebel cons are that some rewards pay only a few points and demographics affect which surveys you can take.

12. Upside

Upside is a gas rebate app that saves you money on things you need – like gas & groceries – and restaurants you love. Getting paid for getting gas sounds like a dream. But this free cash back app for gas is saving users an average of $124 in a year. There is no minimum for cash outs, but a $1 fee will be made on withdrawals under $15.

To score the best gas prices, grocery prices, and restaurant offers with Upside, all you need is your phone and your receipt. There’s no limit on how much you can earn, and you can even use it with other coupons, discounts, and loyalty programs.

Payment

Paypal or gift cards.

Pros

It’s a free app, and thousands of gas stations are offering cash back.

Cons

You can earn cash back on gas in over 40 states, but if you want to earn using its grocery stores and restaurants features it is more limited.

13. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards works directly with popular brands to bring you everyday savings on thousands of products throughout any grocery store. You can earn points and save without jumping through hoops. Buy what you want, where you want, and save.

They work directly with popular brands to bring you savings on thousands of products every day, no matter where you get your groceries. Just scan your receipts and make money fast. Once you scan your first receipt, you’ll get 3,000 points which you can claim for a $3.00 Visa Gift Card. If you want to get cash from a Visa gift card, you may have some options.

Payment

Visa gift cards or retailer gift cards.

Pros

You can use this cash back app with any receipt. The app’s interface is marvelous to use and earning money with Fetch Rewards is fun as they offer plenty of incentives and monthly bonuses/sweepstakes.

Cons

Your cash back earnings can’t be withdrawn via PayPal, however, you can convert your Visa gift cards to cash if you really wanted to.

14. Drop

The Drop app tracks your purchases when you link up your credit card and debit cards to the free app.  Then, it automatically adds Drop points to your account when you spend at certain merchants you’ve picked from their list. It’s simple. When you reach a certain threshold, you can redeem Drop points for gift cards to popular retailers.

You can read a full Drop Review to get more insight into the app.

Payment

PayPal or gift cards.

Pros

Even if you are using Dosh or Ibotta, you can still use Drop in order to maximize your cash back efforts.

Cons

Drop only gives you the option to redeem your points for gift cards. Compared to other cash back apps on this list, it is a slower earner.

15. Sweatcoin

On the off chance that you need some additional inspiration to get out the door and take a walk, or in the event that you as of now love strolling/running, you might need to download Sweatcoin.

This innovative app pays you to walk. Every step you take is converted over into Sweatcoins.

This app is legit, here are some reviews from top publications:

• Techcrunch: “Sweatcoin has risen to the top of the App Store for helping folks get something more than just a glow for taking those daily steps”
• New York Times: ‘Sweatcoin’s “first premise is that physical movement has economic value”’
• Forbes: “New UK health app Sweatcoin launched in the Apple app store this week and has been an instant hit”
• Reuters: “New Apple app launches in Britain that pays people to get fit”
• Daily Mail: “The app that PAYS you to get fit: Sweatcoin rewards people for the number of steps they make every day”
• The Telegram: “If ever you’ve needed an incentive to exercise, a new app could give you a much-needed boost to get active.”

Payment

For each 1,000 steps, you will earn 1 Sweatcoins, which are redeemable for gift cards, app downloads, physical things (for example: iPhones) and, here and there, PayPal money.

Pros

Getting paid for walking, what’s not to love?

Cons

Really slow earner, don’t expect to make much unless you can refer a ton of friends.

16. Fiverr

Fiverr is an independent freelancing website. Probably the most prominent “gigs” on the site are regular independent employments like copywriting, editing and visual computerization. In any case, there are so many different categories where you can post a gig to earn money via PayPal.

Payment

Fiverr offers a couple of various payout choices, however the least expensive and most advantageous one is cashouts through PayPal. Once you’re paid your money will be in “pending” status for 14 days during a processing time. When that period is finished, you can move them to your PayPal account and get it in seconds.

Pros

It’s called Fiverr because gigs start at $5, but you can set your costs to anything and likely earn $40+ hour in whatever field you specialize in.

Cons

A competitive marketplace for newbies, as most gigs start at $5. If you’re an experienced freelancer, switch to taking gigs on Upwork.

17. UserTesting

With UserTesting, you get paid to offer feedback on a website. The pay is $10 per test, and it involves visiting a website, completing some tasks, then recording your feedback about the user experience. The tasks take about 10 to 20 minutes to complete. You will normally watch a short video, visit a site or app, complete many basic undertakings, and record your criticism by means of video or sound.

Payment

PayPal installments are sent every week after finishing your tasks.

Pros

It’s a pretty straightforward method of earning free PayPal money. And the site does not ask you to pay anything to get enrolled as a tester.

Cons

The income is variable. At most, you can likely make $80 per week. Definitely more of a cash supplement than a legitimate work-at-home job.

18. Prolific

Prolific offers you a few unique ways to earn, it sends you reviews and surveys from top organizations and colleges, which can be a decent change in pace from a portion of the other (increasingly conventional) ways to earn money.

Payment

Keep in mind that a majority of Prolific’s studies pay at least $6.50 every hour and offer payments through PayPal. That is not a lot of money, but it is better than some alternatives.

Pros

The earnings are definitely better than most survey sites. You can just keep the Prolific site up and it’ll notify you of any new surveys from top organizations to take. This site has a bunch of positive user reviews on Reddit.

Cons

The studies and surveys are hard to come by, you may go weeks or months without an offer.

19. Field Agent

Field Agent allows you to do fun shopping tasks around your neighborhood and earn some instant Paypal cash into your account. All you have to do is bring the ordered items in time and you’re getting money in your PayPal account. It’s a great way to make money in a small town where not a ton of options may be available to earn.

Payment

You can likely make $150 a year by using it passively, based on honest user reviews and cash out via PayPal.

Pros

Field Agent is worth downloading to earn extra money. It’s mostly good for when you’re already going to the store or can use something they want you to try.

Cons

Not the largest payouts but there are always jobs available.

20. Points Prizes

Points Prizes pays you to complete downloads, signing up for app bonuses, and joining newsletters for which you will receive reward points, which can be converted into Paypal cash.

Payment

PayPal or gift cards

Pros

You can earn a lot by referring people and friends.

Cons

A royal pain in the a** to cash out.

21. S’more

S’more is a lock screen rewards app that allows you to earn money in exchange for placing ads and content on your lock screen. You can really make money by placing ads on your Android mobile device or tablet. To maximize earnings, opt to display ads and promotions every time you check your device.

Payment

Once you hit $10.50, you can redeem your earnings for PayPal cash or your choice of a gift card.

Pros

Truly a passive income app, if you wanted to see other passive income ideas you can see our list here.

Cons

Not available for iPhones.

22. Grindabuck

Grindabuck offers 15 unique approaches to profit from home. You can watch recordings, audit promotions, take studies, attempt new items, complete micro-tasks, and the sky is the limit from there.

Payment

When you have enough points, you can convert them to PayPal money. You can also have the alternative option of being paid in Bitcoins if you wanted to.

Pros

When you join you, you will start off with 100 free Grindabucks.

Cons

You’re out of luck if you don’t live in the list of allowed countries.

Free PayPal Money FAQs

The Bottom Line

Ever since the digital world evolved, PayPal has become one of the easiest methods of sending money across the world.

From grocery bills to sending payments, all kinds of transactions take place on PayPal.

But you can also use the platform to earn free money. Just make sure you are up to date on the best ways to avoid PayPal fees so you can maximize your earnings.

There are so many ways to earn free cash via PayPal — so what’s stopping you?