Ways to make $$$ on the Internet--some excellent, some stupid--by the woman who has tried them all

I recently passed the dubious milestone of having made $500 on the internet over the last few years, so I figured it was high time I collate all of my knowledge on the subject into one handy blog post for y'all.



There are a lot of ways to make a little cash on the internet. Some are amazing. Some are dumb. Let me help you sort the wheat from the chaff.



EBATES

If I could recommend but a single website for making a little money on the internet, it would be Ebates. Ebates offers cash back (right into your PayPal account!) at practically every online retailer you can think of. I've gotten $62.05 through Ebates in the last year with virtually no effort. If that's not enough, you get a free $10 gift card (I picked Target) after you make your first purchase. There is literally no reason you should not use this for online shopping! If you stack your cash back with a coupon code (I love retailmenot for coupon codes), you can ridiculous deals. If you decide to sign up, use my referral code and I'll get a little kickback.

TOTAL I'VE MADE: $72.05 ($62.05 cash and $10 gc) since 2011
QUIDQUID RATING: A++: MANDATORY FOR ONLINE SHOPPERS



SWAGBUCKS

Swagbucks is a strange, addictive little site that offers a zillion different ways to earn Swagbucks, which are redeemable for gift cards and trinkets and other stuff. For some reason the prevailing wisdom on this site seems to be that the $5 Amazon gift cards are the best value. I guess that's why I've gotten $220 worth of them in the last couple of years. You can earn Swagbucks by searching through their search engine, watching videos, taking polls, doing tasks, etc etc etc. They also give Swagbucks away via codes posted on their blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Sign up for this awesome email group to get email alerts when there are Swagcodes to be found. If you decide to sign up, use my referral code and I'll get a few extra Swagbucks.

TOTAL I'VE MADE: $220 in Amazon gift cards since 2010
QUIDQUID RATING: B+: GREAT PAYOUT BUT OPTIONS CAN BE OVERWHELMING



WRAPP

This crazy little app allows you to send free gift cards to friends. I've been sending out free $5 Sephora, H+M, Threadless, and GAP gift cards to my pals all week, so you'd better believe I've gotten some back. I literally do not understand how this is free. Y'all better jump on this before these people bankrupt themselves.

TOTAL I'VE MADE: $30 in various gift cards just this week alone
QUIDQUID RATING: A+: LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY



UPROMISE

Upromise is a neat site that gives cash back for groceries, travel, online shopping, and all kinds of other neat stuff. You just enter your store loyalty cards, and if you choose your credit cards, and you'll get a percentage back on some items. The money goes into a college savings fund, but you can get the money out at any time. I've made $141.92 over the last 10 years doing absolutely nothing. And hey! I've got a leg up on my future kids' college funds.

TOTAL I'VE MADE: $141.92 since 2003
QUIDQUID RATING: B-: I MEAN WHY NOT?



INBOX DOLLARS

I signed up for InboxDollars a few years back when I was really hard up for cash. They have a few different ways of earning, like polls and special offers (like Netflix free trials), but the main event is the paid emails--you get 2 cents for clicking a link in an email. Yes, I said 2 cents. Once you get to $35, they'll send you a check.

Y'all, don't do this. That's like 1750 emails you have to open to get $35. I can't quit this stupid site. After I finally got to $35, they gave me like a $10 bonus, which sucked me back into trying to get to $35 again. WHYYYY. Every time I try to delete my account, I see my balance (now at $18.25) taunting me. If you care to join me in this torture, at least use my referral code.

TOTAL I'VE MADE: $53.25 since 2007
QUIDQUID RATING: F--: WHY GOD WHY


I also can't forget gems like Groupon, which has given me several hundred dollars in credit for referring friends (and in turn a boatload of free goods and services); Foodler, which gives nice, fat rewards for ordering takeout; and LevelUp, an app that allows you to pay at certain businesses using your phone and gives you rewards for doing so. Paying for stuff with my phone makes me feel like a wizard, and it has saved me $18 so far at my favorite lunch spot. (If you sign up for LevelUp, use my referral code 66221.)

Thanks for all the money, internet!

Discussion Question:
What's your favorite way to make a little $$ on the internet?