How to Make 30 Dollars Fast: 7 Real Ways to Make $30

Need to make 30 dollars fast? The quickest way is to sell something you own or do one odd job for cash, because both of those can pay you today.

Need it tonight? Jump straight to those two.

Want to make it from your phone? Start with three apps.

Bigcash lets you cash out from $1. Freecash needs $5 to $20 before your first withdrawal. Testerup gives you $10 for signing up, but its tasks run 15 to 20 minutes each, so it’s the slowest of the three.

I get it. Life happens.

Sometimes you need some extra cash to pay a bill or you’re trying to save up for something you want.

So how fast is fast?

No app on this page pays $30 the minute you sign up. Below are 7 ways to make $30, and each one says how soon it really pays and what the catch is. There are three quick plans that add up, too.

How to make 30 dollars fast

The apps are up first. None of them will hand you $30 today, so check how soon each one really pays before you count on it.

1. Bigcash

Bigcash has the lowest bar of the three apps. You can cash out at $1.

It pays you coins for playing mobile games and finishing offers, and 250 coins is $1. There are more than 3,000 offers on it, most take 5 to 10 minutes, and the biggest pay up to $170.

So how long until you have $30?

Bigcash calls $10 to $50 a week a realistic goal if you put in consistent effort. At that pace, $30 takes anywhere from four days to three weeks.

You get paid by PayPal or gift card. PayPal payouts take 24 to 48 hours and PayPal can take its own cut, which is a big bite out of a $1 cash out, so let your balance build before you pull it.

Two more things. Bigcash’s terms let it raise the minimum on your account. And skip any offer that wants you to spend money to finish it.

2. Freecash

Freecash pays you for playing games, trying apps, taking surveys and shopping through its offers.

Where it runs a sign-up bonus, that bonus is a $10 account credit, added once you verify your email and start your first offer.

The catch: your first withdrawal needs an ID check and a minimum of $5 to $20, depending on your region. After that, PayPal withdrawals start at $5, and Freecash takes 5% of each one.

You get paid by PayPal, Venmo, gift cards or crypto, and it says PayPal and Venmo payouts usually process the same day. It also says most users earn from a few dollars up to around $50 in a typical month.

Freecash is here because of that sign-up credit. Where you can get it, that’s a third of your $30 before you’ve really started.

The typical month is the slow part.

Once the credit is in, the other $20 could take you two weeks or the whole month.

3. Testerup

Testerup pays you to test mobile games and apps and to answer surveys. New members get a $10 sign-up bonus, and it lists 90+ games and surveys to choose from.

Every offer shows its reward before you start, and Testerup says some goals pay over $170. Most pay far less, so pick the games you’d play anyway.

The catch is the wait: tasks run 15 to 20 minutes each, and the $10 welcome bonus is only a head start.

You get paid by PayPal, gift card or bank transfer. Its sign-up page says payout requests are approved within hours. Its FAQ says to allow up to 3 business days.

Testerup gives you the most up front and makes you wait the longest.

Is it worth it for $30? Only if you’d play the games anyway.

Think of Testerup as the app for going past $30, not the one that gets you there this week.

It’s for adults 18 and up. You need a PayPal account in your own name, and Testerup checks your face before it pays you.

Want the details first? Our reviews of Bigcash, Freecash and Testerup go deeper on each one.

Like playing for money? Here are more game apps that pay real money.

4. ReferralWallet and SavingLoop

These two are free sites that show you which sign-up bonuses are live right now. Neither one pays you itself.

On ReferralWallet you open a free digital pack and it reveals a sign-up bonus from an app or brand, with no deposit and no card to start.

SavingLoop is a wheel. You get one free spin a day, and each spin shows you a sign-up offer worth up to $75. The bigger ones come up less often.

The catch is that you still have to sign up on that company’s own site and meet its terms, and then that company pays you on its own timeline, not yours.

So one bonus could cover the whole $30. When it shows up isn’t up to you.

Want more? Read the ReferralWallet review and the SavingLoop review. Our list of the best app sign-up bonuses has more.

5. Upside

I’ve been using Upside for years.

Upside gives you cash back on gas, groceries and restaurants. You claim an offer in the app before you pay, and the cash back lands in your account after the purchase.

There’s a $5 bonus with code MMGCASH.

It isn’t fast money, though.

You only earn when you buy something. And when you cash out to your bank the transfer tends to take 5 to 7 business days, and a $1 charge may apply if you cash out less than $10. A gift card is the other way to get paid.

So don’t plan this week’s $30 around Upside. Use it because you’re buying gas anyway.

Our Upside review has the details, and here are more cash back apps for gas.

The last two are the ones that can pay you today.

6. Sell something you own

This is the only way here that can put the whole $30 in your hand tonight.

Think a video game you finished or a kitchen gadget you never use, the kind of thing that’s been sitting in a closet and that somebody nearby would pay $20 or $30 for.

List it on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp and meet the buyer somewhere public. Get paid before you hand it over.

Don’t ship it if you’re in a hurry. On eBay it typically takes 1 to 2 days after the buyer pays before you can send the money to your bank, and the transfer adds 1 to 3 business days.

Not sure where to list it? Start with our rundown of the best selling apps.

7. Do one paid odd job

There’s no application and no payout to wait on. You do the work and you get paid.

Mow a lawn, help somebody move a couch, haul a load of junk, walk a dog. People pay for this stuff the day it’s done, and for $30 you only need one job.

The hard part is finding one.

Replies can take a day or two, so post in your neighborhood groups right now, even if you plan to start with an app while you wait. Say what you’ll do and when you’re free, and settle the price before you start.

Need more ideas? Here are apps and sites that can pay you today.

Three plans that add up to $30

You don’t need one way to carry all of it. Here’s the math three ways.

Tonight. Sell one thing you own for $20 and do a $10 job for a neighbor. $20 + $10 = $30, in cash, today. If the thing you sell goes for $30, you’re already done.

By the weekend. Line up one $20 odd job and earn $10 on Bigcash, which is the low end of what it calls a realistic week. $20 + $10 = $30.

Phone only. Take the $10 Freecash credit if your region gets it, earn another $10 there, and earn $11 on Bigcash. Freecash keeps 5% of a PayPal withdrawal, so your $20 shows up as $19. $19 + $11 = $30. Plan on a week or two if you keep at it.

What about Testerup?

It isn’t the app to count on for $30 this week. The $10 bonus plus a few game goals takes you past $30 over time.

The dollar amounts for selling and odd jobs are examples. Yours depend on what you own and what you charge. And the math leaves out PayPal’s cut on a Bigcash payout, so earn a little extra to be safe.

What to skip when you need $30 this week

Anything that asks you to pay first. An offer that wants a deposit or a purchase can cost you more than it pays, and that’s the last thing you need when you’re already $30 short.

Survey sites by themselves. They’re a grind for $30. If you like surveys, Testerup and Freecash both have them, and our list of the best survey sites ranks the rest.

Class action settlements, for now. FileYourClaim lists open ones and filing costs nothing, but the money shows up months after a claim deadline closes. File if one fits you. Just don’t count it toward this week.

Borrowing it. A cash advance is your own next paycheck showing up early, so your next check starts $30 short.

So what should you do first?

Bottom line: if you need $30 tonight, sell something or do a job. Nothing on your phone beats cash from a person standing in front of you.

Got a week? Start Bigcash today and add Freecash for the $10 credit, and keep an odd job in your back pocket in case the apps run slow.

Sign up for Testerup if you plan to keep going past $30.

And don’t pay anything to earn anything.

Quick answers about a fast $30

Need more than $30? These go bigger.

Disclosures

Bonuses, minimums and payout times change, so check the number in the app before you count on it.