Got 30 Min? How To Make 50 Dollars Fast or Instantly (Seriously)

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You can use this list to get some free moolah and make that quick $50 today.

Looking to learn how to make 50 dollars fast?

Life happens. Sometimes you need to make some extra cash to pay a bill or you're trying to save up for something you want. We've all been there, but what do you usually do when that happens?

This is an exhaustive list of 17 things that anyone can do, today, in order to make $50 of fast cash.

6 Ways To Get $50 Fast Through Bonuses

Let's get started with the freebies… basically, get free money for no effort.

The first thing you'll want to do is check if you have any unclaimed money.

You might have an old bank account that you opened as a kid, a check from a former employer from your high school job or a utility deposit on an account you closed.

You can go to NAUPA and see if you’re owed any money.

Next, you can use this list to get some free moolah and make that quick $50 today:

1. Claim a Bank Bonus

The best way to claim a free $50 instantly or fast is by venturing into the world of bank bonuses.

Many banks offer sign up bonuses for opening a new account or meeting certain requirements, such as setting up direct deposit or maintaining a minimum balance.

These bonuses are usually advertised on the bank's website or through promotional materials. To get a glimpse of what you can earn, here are some of the latest bank bonuses available:

Intro bonus: $300
Intro bonus: $50-300
Intro Bonus: $300
(Nationwide)
(Nationwide)
(Nationwide)
(Nationwide)
  • Bonus Offer: $300
  • Minimum Deposit: $500
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 4/17/24
  • Bonus Offer: $50-$300
  • Minimum Deposit: $1,000-$5,000
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 6/30/24
  • Bank Bonus: $400
  • Minimum Deposit: $2,000
  • Direct Deposit: No
  • Expiration Date: 4/18/24
  • Bonus Offer: Up to $300
  • Minimum Deposit: $7,000
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 6/30/24
Intro bonus: $300
(Nationwide)
  • Bonus Offer: $300
  • Minimum Deposit: $500
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 4/17/24
Intro bonus: $50-300
(Nationwide)
  • Bonus Offer: $50-$300
  • Minimum Deposit: $1,000-$5,000
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 6/30/24
Intro Bonus: $400
(Nationwide)
  • Bank Bonus: $400
  • Minimum Deposit: $2,000
  • Direct Deposit: No
  • Expiration Date: 4/18/24
Intro Bonus: $300
(Nationwide)
  • Bonus Offer: Up to $300
  • Minimum Deposit: $7,000
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Expiration Date: 6/30/24

See the full list of bank bonuses

2. Upgrade – Banking – $200 Bonus

upgrade

Upgrade Bonus Link – Apply for an Upgrade card using the link and fund a new account and use the card to make at least 3 purchases to get a $200 statement credit.

You'll earn a $200 welcome bonus when you apply for an Upgrade Card and then open a new Rewards Checking account.

To be eligible for this promotion, you'll need to sign up for their Upgrade Card first. This card is a cross between a credit card and line of credit.

Next, you'll need to open a free Rewards Checking account. Finally, you'll only have to make three transactions with either your Upgrade Card or your new debit card.

upgrade rewards card

All things considered, this is a bonus that requires little effort to earn. While it's possible opening a line of credit results in a hard credit pull, we have seen Upgrade only do soft pulls based on customer input.

Compared to other cash offers, this one is significantly higher and does not have any requirements such as a direct deposit, minimum balance, or monthly fees. It's a legit offer.

Claim $200 at Upgrade

3. Upromise – 529 College Savings – $30 Bonus

upromise bonus

Upromise Bonus Link – Sign up for Upromise and link a 529 account and get $30 instantly.

Upromise® is a free service with a mission to help families save for college. Upromise provides unique opportunities for consumers to earn cash-back rewards for shopping, dining out, and using the Upromise Mastercard.

Families have saved over $1 Billion for college using Upromise and they currently have a $30 sign up bonus offer for new members. You can join Upromise for free a receive a $5.29 bonus when you sign up and $30 when you link a 529 plan.

What to do:
  • Go to the Upromise registration page.
  • Enter your email address and create a password.
  • Confirm your email address to get $5.29
  • Link a 529 account to get $30 instantly

Claim $30 Upromise bonus

4. Chase Total Checking® – Banking – $300 Bonus

chase total checking bonus

Chase Promo Link – Enjoy $300 as a new Chase checking customer, when you open up a new checking account and set up direct deposit within 90 days of enrollment.

The Chase Total Checking® account remains a top choice as it's the most popular account from one of the country's best banks. With over 4,700 branch locations, 16,000 ATMs, and a highly-rated mobile app, you'll have ample access to your money.

Opening a new account is a breeze with the online application, and earning the bonus is simple: receive a qualifying direct deposit within 90 days, and Chase will credit the reward within 15 days.

While the account comes with a $12 monthly maintenance fee, it can be waived through various means, such as maintaining a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or making at least $500 in electronic deposits each month.

As long as you can avoid the maintenance fee, we highly recommend seizing this legit cash bonus from Chase!

Claim $300 at Chase

5. Moomoo – Investing App – 16 Free Shares of Stock

moomoo free stock app bonus

Moomoo Promo Link – You could get up to 16 free shares of stock, each valued at $3-$2,000.

Moomoo is a free online investing app that enables users to make zero-commission stock trades and also provides them with many innovative research and technical tools.

Moomoo also offers a referral program, where if you sign up you can get up to 16 free stocks valued up to $2,000 each:

  • Sign up for a Moomoo account through a promo link.
  • Deposit $100 to get a chance to win a free stock worth between $3 and $2,000. Keep an average balance of $100 for 60 days to unlock the stocks.
  • Deposit $1,000 for more chances to win free stocks. Maintain an average balance of $1,000 for 60 days to unlock them.
  • Deposit $5,000 to receive a bonus share of either $TSLA or $GOOG. Keep an average balance of $5,000 for 60 days to unlock the stock.

Although selling your shares or cashing out is allowed at any time without fees or penalties, you must first keep the deposited bonus amount for 60 days.

In addition to stock trades, Moomoo allows users to trade options and ETFs with no commission fees.

Claim free stocks at Moomoo

6. Acorns App – Automatic Investing – $5 $20 Bonus

Acorns Bonus Link – Acorns can help you invest, save and spend responsibly for just $3 per month. Get a $5 $20 bonus investment when you sign up and set up recurring investments.

Acorns is one of the most popular micro-investing platforms. Acorns lets you turn your spare change into investments by stacking up your change over time and with the Acorns “round-up” feature.

With Acorns, you can invest at your own pace in smart portfolios and maximize your growth and costs $3 per month.

Acorns also provides a checking account that has many of the features of a traditional bank account including, direct deposit, mobile check deposit, a debit card for you or your kids.

Additionally, they offer fee-free withdrawal from over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs around the world.

Sounds like fun? Sign up for Acorns, collect your $20, and double your money by investing.

You can also get a registration bonus through here when you set up recurring investments.

Get your $20 bonus

How to Make 50 Dollars Fast Online

Ready to get paid and make money online? Here are more ideas on how to make 50 fast.

7. Take Surveys on Survey Junkie

highest paying survey sites

Yes, you do get paid to give your opinion!

Taking online surveys to make extra money is a no-brainer.

You definitely won’t get rich or make hundreds of dollars per day with a survey alone, but you won’t waste much time, and you can make some money the easy way.

Survey Junkie pays between $.50 and $1.25 per survey, and many of them take less than 5 minutes to complete.

So if you took 10 surveys per day, every day for a month, you could make $375 per month.

If you took more surveys a day… the possibilities are endless.

If you wanted to sign up for Survey Junkie to make extra money you can get started here.

$1.6M+ monthly payout to its members
Survey Junkie
4.5
Over $55,000 Paid to Survey Junkie members daily

Survey Junkie is one of the highest-paying survey sites available. Complete three or more surveys a day, and you can earn as much as $100 monthly. With $76 Million paid out to date, Survey Junkie is one of the best survey sites available.

Start Earning Survey Junkie Review

Here are some other trusted survey companies that pay you in cash via PayPal:

Our Pick
 
 
4.5
4.5
4.5
  • App Store: 4.4 – ‎68,233 reviews
  • App Store: 4.5 – ‎54,149 reviews
  • App Store: 4.5 – ‎152,516 reviews
Our Pick
4.5
  • App Store: 4.4 – ‎68,233 reviews
4.5
  • App Store: 4.5 – ‎54,149 reviews
4.5
  • App Store: 4.5 – ‎152,516 reviews

8. Play Online Games for Money

games that pay real money
Photo by Keira Burton/Pexels

Playing games for money sounds too much like gambling for some folks, but if you like to play games on your phone, this side hustle is for you. 

Once you know what to look for, you’ll find more game apps to win real money than you first thought. These apps include: 

  • Blackout Bingo: A dynamic bingo game that puts a modern twist on the classic game. Players can compete in live, fast-paced matches against others for the chance to win real money or prizes.
  • Bingo Cash: This app offers pairs you in head-to-head bingo games against real people and whoever plays the fastest, wins real cash.
  • Solitaire Cash: Earn cash by testing your solitaire skills in swift, 2-minute matchups against others from your mobile phone.
  • Mistplay: A unique platform where players can earn rewards by playing different mobile games.

Playing these games consistently won’t make you as much money as other side hustles. But it can be fun to pass the time and earn cash. 

9. Start Earning with Capital One Shopping

make $50 fast

If you do any shopping online then you should know about the free shopping browser extension and app called Capital One Shopping that helps you find savings.

You can get price comparisons, automatic coupons, shopping rewards, and it even offers price drop monitoring.

Best of all, you can get free gift cards just for adding this free extension to your browser.

You can do this by shopping online with Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping is my favorite way to make money when I shop online and right now they are offering a welcome bonus through this link.

You'd be silly to pass up on using Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping
4.5

Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension that optimizes your online shopping experience. It automatically searches for coupons and deals across 100,000+ retailers, showing you incredible deals, including tax and shipping. Plus, you can earn Shopping Rewards on purchases, redeemable for gift cards at top stores.

Add Free Browser Extension
We earn a commission if you make a purchase or sign up through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up using the links we provided.

10. Use Rocket Money to Save Money and Earn $50 Fast

make $50 fast

The free app, Rocket Money, lets you save money with automation and within a few days, I saved an extra $50.

I linked my financial accounts and Rocket Money went to work.

It found ways to lower my bills and cancel subscriptions; negotiate my Verizon bill, found subscriptions to cancel, and analyzed my spending habits, and more.

The app is free and was able to save me some money.

#1 Money Saving App
Rocket Money
4.5
Rocket Money is free to use

Rocket Money helps 3.4+ million members save hundreds. Get the app and start saving today. Save more, spend less, and take back control of your financial life.

Start Saving Now Read Review

11. Take Surveys at Branded Surveys

best money making apps

Branded Surveys asks for information about you so that they can match you with fitting surveys.

At up to $50 a pop for some surveys and a free $1 just for signing up, it pays to check in daily to see which ones are available to you.

While it won't be free money instantly, you can still cash out through PayPal when you reach 1,000 points or $10.

Pays by bank transfer, PayPal & gift cards
Branded Surveys
4.0

Branded Surveys is quickly becoming one of the top survey sites. 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.

Start Earning Branded Surveys Review

12. Collect $60 by Downloading Nielsen App

make 30 fast

By using the internet as you do every day, Nielsen invites you to make a difference – and you can make $60 for doing so.

You don’t even have to do anything other than register your computer or phone.

Nielsen will pay you $60 a year to keep their app on your favorite internet browsing device and they also give away $10,000 each month.

You'll also get special invites for unique survey and research opportunities to earn even more rewards!

Get $60 for installing app
Nielsen Mobile Panel
5.0

This company will pay you $60 a year to keep their app on your favorite internet browsing device and they also give away $10,000 each month. You don’t have to do anything other than initially registering your computer or phone.

Join Nielsen Panel Nielsen Review

13. Get Paid Playing Games

get paid to play games

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 for it.

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

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

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.

100% free, no deposits required
Mistplay (Android Only)
4.5

Earning money by playing games on your phone sounds like a dream. But Mistplay really pays you for playing new games with free gift cards. It is 100% free to play and you never have to deposit any money.

Start Playing Mistplay Review

6 Side Gigs That Require More Work Get Your $50

Use your free time and your freedom to get your $50.

14. Make Money Driving for Uber

uber car requirements

If you’re free nights and weekends, you can earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around. You can earn money by driving with Uber – if you have a car, it’s a perfect way to earn extra cash whenever it’s convenient for you. A lot of people do this full time, so you can imagine that it’s possible to do this on the side and make extra money and be able to save it.

Once you’re a driver with Uber, you can choose to turn the app on or off and drive whenever you have some time to spare. They also have a feature that allows you to select your destination, so if you are leaving work (or any other long commute), you could pick up a ride that was going in the same direction. You can do this 2-4 times a week on your commute and can easily make extra money.

15. Sell Your Stuff Near You

sell clothes online

Have an old laptop, used textbooks, old clothes, or even used DVDs lying around? That's basically $50 or more in junk just lying around your house!

It’s not much of a secret that you can easily get money for those items you have stored in the closet, attic or basement that are just collecting dust.

Here are some articles for you to use to get rid of your junk for cold hard cash near you:

16. Delivery and Errand Service

DoorDash Driver Sign Up

With all of the on-demand apps out there today this one is an easy one. All you need to have is a car or bike, in most cases.

Apps like DoorDash and Instacart are easy to sign up for and start making money.

There are always people that are looking for a ride or looking to get something delivered.

Another great part about doing this is that you can pick your hours.

If you have 30 minutes between classes you can do a ride or two.

If you are only available 8-11 at night then you can work then. It is extremely flexible and you can make at least $50 a day when you sign up to be a Dasher or shop for Instacart.

Highest paying?
Delivery Jobs

DoorDash provides more stable hourly pay but has lower earning potential. Instacart has higher earning potential but you must book your schedule in advance. Most gig workers sign up for both to maximize their earning potential.

Become a DoorDash Dasher Become an Instacart Shopper

17. Host Guests on Airbnb

airbnb success strategy

Like Uber did for Taxis before it, Airbnb is fast revolutionizing the holiday and travel accommodation industry, and you’re set to profit from it!

If you’ve traveled recently, chances are you’ve rented a place to stay via Airbnb, or at the very least give it a look.

An online marketplace for people with space, rooms, or even entire houses to spare, Airbnb lets you list your place for rent just like a hotel or motel.

Maybe you’re traveling overseas yourself and want to make the most of your empty place while you’re away?

Perhaps you have a spare room that currently houses nothing more than empty boxes?

With Airbnb, you can turn to fill that empty space in your home, and fill that empty spot in your wallet with some easy passive income (way more than $50).

18. Start Dropshipping on Shopify

dropshipping

Chances are you’ve heard of Dropshipping before: the retail method where you sell products from other businesses without ever having to hold on to stock.

You simply purchase the item from the retailer once you’ve made a sale, and ship it directly to your customer.

It’s an easy way to run an online store without any of the hassles!

No stock to manage. No shipping to take care of. You just sell the products and rake in the profit.

With the likes of Shopify and Oberlo, there’s never been an easier – or better – time to take up drop shipping.

Simply set up your online storefront with Shopify, and then use Oberlo to quickly and easily import the products you want to sell into your store.

No hassle. No fuss. It couldn’t be easier!

Shopify

Bring your idea to life with the tools you need to start selling. Create your online store today with Shopify with a 3-day free trial. No credit card required.

Start Free Trial

19. Start a Podcast

how to start a podcast

Go get a microphone and you’re ready to give it a go.

If you can build an audience for your podcast, then you can make some money through sponsorships, affiliate advertising, and other offerings.

Companies regularly pay $250 to $500 for a 30-second advertisement on podcasts.

Pssst… We also have a guide for starting your podcast and how to profit.

There is money to be made with this side hustle idea.

Making Extra Money Gives You Options

With this list of realistic ways to make money fast I hope you are able to make much more than 50 dollars. It’s no wonder why Millennials seem to love side hustles.

In fact, 44% of workers aged 25-34 and 39% aged 18-24 also have side gigs, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of 3,244 people.

Almost half of Millennials work on top of their full-time jobs! But why?

Did you know that the online outsourcing market is projected to grow to $16 Billion by 2020?

Millennials, especially those in the age group of 20-25 years, form a large part of this outsourcing market.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that nearly 80% of students work part-time and about 30% of working professionals make money in ways that we like to call, side hustles.

Whether you're looking to make $10 fast or $1,000 extra this month — if you want to take complete advantage of the opportunities available to you then the list above are some of the best ways on how to make money fast.

Like these types of lists?

Here’s an even bigger one for you: 100+ fun and easy ways to Make Extra Money Today.

Have you tried any of these side hustles? Are there any other ways you’ve learned how to make $50 fast that we missed?

About the author

Brian Meiggs
Hi, I'm Brian Meiggs! A personal finance expert, entrepreneur, and the founder of My Millennial Guide. My drive is to help others unlock the wealth of freedom and pave the path to financial success. With my bachelor's degree in finance, I help millennials follow the smart money in order to increase their earning potential and start building wealth for the future. I write regularly about side hustles, investing, and general personal finance topics aimed to help anyone earn more, pay off debt, and reach financial freedom. I have been quoted in major publications including Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, NASDAQ, Discover, GoDaddy, BiggerPockets, Fox News, Debt.com, Quick Sprout, Money Geek, MSN Money and many more!