How to Make $500 Fast: 12 Fast-Track Ideas You Can Start Now

Need to learn how to make $500 fast with zero money to start? Here's exactly how to do it with these 18 clever ways to make 500 fast.

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Do you need quick cash but don’t know where to start? Whether it's for an unexpected bill, something special, or just extra money, there are plenty of legit ways to make $500 fast!

No need for complicated side hustles or time-consuming gigs. We’re diving into simple methods that can help boost your bank account quickly.

Ready to turn your money stress into extra cash? Keep reading for easy ideas you can start today!

Ways to Make an Extra $500 Fast

1. Take Advantage of Gig Economy Apps

Offer: Get $20 per hour delivering food in the gig economy

Start earning money after work or on the weekends with food delivery apps. Every time you open apps like Postmates, DoorDash, or Instacart you can get sent delivery orders right to your phone.

Pick up the orders and deliver them to the customer and earn money right on the spot. You can likely earn $500 fast in a week or two with just a few hours a couple of days.

DoorDash Driver
5.0

Earn extra money for your short-term or long-term dreams with DoorDash. As a Dasher, you can be your own boss and enjoy the flexibility of choosing when, where, and how much you earn. All you need is a mode of transportation and a smartphone to start making money. It’s that simple.

Start Earning DoorDash Review

2. Up To 40% Cash Back Automatically? Sign Us Up!

Offer: $10 sign up bonus plus up to 40% cash back

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.

Rakuten is my favorite way to get cash back when I shop online and right now they are offering a $10 sign up bonus through this link.

rakuten review

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

For more details on how to earn money with Rakuten, check out our complete Rakuten review.

3. Make $500 Fast Taking Online Surveys

how to make money in college

Offer: Get a registration bonus and earn up to $50 per survey

Taking online surveys to make money fast is easy money. You definitely won’t become the next Bill Gates or make hundreds of dollars per day with surveys alone, but you won’t waste much time, and you can make money fast.

The survey company that I use and recommend is Survey Junkie — it pays between $2 and $50 per survey, and many of them take less than 5 minutes to complete. So if you took on average 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.

There are a lot of scammy survey sites out there, but Survey Junkie has over 11,000 positive reviews on TrustPilot, the highest of any survey site. It's legitimate.

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

If you’re still stuck wondering if Survey Junkie is worth it, I wrote a hands-on review that goes through the income potential it can bring you and the different ways you can make money 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

4. Get $500 Now with ZippyLoan Even if You Have Bad Credit

zippyloan

Just remember that if you actually need money now, then you can opt for a personal loan. When you need money in a hurry 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.

get $500 with zippyloan

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

Loans service 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 can visit ZippyLoan here.

Loan options for poor credit
ZippyLoan
4.0
  • Borrow between $100 and $15,000
  • No risk in checking what offers you’ll get
  • Quick approval and fund disbursement (if approved)
  • No minimum credit score requirement
Apply Now Our Zippyloan Review

5. Make $500 in Rental Income

Offer: Build a passive income stream with rental income

Wouldn’t it be great if you could become a landlord of rental properties without dealing with all the hassle of buying, improving, and re-selling real estate?

You don't have to be a millionaire to invest in these types of properties. You can now find your inner property owner with Ark7.

As with any other rental property, investors earn returns from the rental cash flow and any appreciation in the property value when it’s sold, and all without painting a wall or getting your hands dirty.

There is a reason why the number of investors on its platform increased last year, the sector is booming with investors clamoring to get a return outside of stocks and bonds.

If you’re interested, I recommend you sign up for more information from Ark7 by clicking here.

Ark7 - Invest in Rental Homes
4.5

Ark7 helps you invest in real estate as easily as buying stocks. Browse vetted properties, diversify your portfolio, and earn passive income. Ark7 can offer you some of the best features in the marketplace for investing in rental real estate, especially when it comes to investing directly in a rental property.

Open Account Ark7 Review

6. Use Beer Money Apps to Make $500 Fast

make $500 fast

Offer: Use beer money apps to earn $500 fast

Getting paid to download and use beer money apps to earn $500 fast sounds like a dream. But beer money apps actually pays you for watching videos, playing games, taking surveys — you get the idea.

When you use these apps, you earn cash rewards and gift cards.

If you wanted to learn more we have a full list of beer money apps here or you can go ahead and see my favorites below:

AppInfo

getupside promo codeVISIT GETUPSIDE

GetUpside is an app available on both Android and iOS that gives you cash back on gas, groceries and restaurants. You can get up to $0.25 per gallon of gas (or up to $0.50 per gallon twice per day), 15% on groceries, and 35% at restaurants. 
survey junkieVISIT SURVEY JUNKIESurvey Junkie is a research company. They have many offer walls and survey providers available. You can earn bonus points for meeting your daily goals, and they offer focus groups, paying you for trying new products, and lucrative survey offers.
fetchVISIT FETCHFetch is an app available for both Android and iOS where users earn money for scanning receipts and for purchasing specific products or brands. You get points for every receipt from a grocery retailer, supermarket, club wholesaler, home improvement/hardware store, pet store or convenience stores, regardless of what you buy.  You can get 3,000 points ($3) immediately after using it once.
swagbucksVISIT SWAGBUCKSSwagbucks is one of the oldest, most well known GPT (Get-Paid-To) sites. They have plenty to offer, so you shouldn't get too bored. You can earn bonus points for meeting your daily goals, and you can earn up to 300 points ($3) for meeting your goal each day. 
Ibotta LogoVISIT IBOTTAIbotta is an app available for both Android and iOS that gives cash back for shopping at Ibotta's retail and then scanning your receipts to prove what purchases were made. They currently support around 160 stores. Most offers are for newer brands, but they often have well-known names such as Glade or Kraft.

7. Win $500 on Your Phone

android games that pay real money
Photo by Muha Ajjan on Unsplash

Offer: Win cash on your phone with game apps

Ready to win some cash? This next idea is super easy…

Whether you're a glued-to-your-phone owner who is looking for a way to make extra cash, or just looking for a fun side hustle, I've got you covered.

I have personally done a ton of research on these types of game apps.

Here are some legitimate game apps that pay real money:

  • Bingo Cash: A free, skill-based game with classic bingo elements that offer opportunities to compete against other players for real money in cash tournaments
  • Solitaire Cash: A game that pays you real money for winning at Solitaire when you play in cash tournaments against other players
  • Mistplay: Pays you to play mobile games and discover new games (for Android devices only)

Other legitimate game apps that pay real money include: Blackout Bingo, Bubble Cash, Solitaire Cube, and Money Well. You can see the full list of these sorts of apps here.

Best overall
Best for instant wins
MMG Rating:
4.7
MMG Rating:
4.6
Over 107.1K reviews
Over 271K reviews
  • Make money play bingo in your free time
  • Real-money tournaments and no ads
  • Cash out securely using PayPal
  • Earn up to $83 every time you win
  • Free to play with many opportunities to win cash
  • Cash out with PayPal and Apple Pay
  • Cash games not available in all states
  • Entry fees of at least $1 per game
Best overall
MMG Rating:
4.7
Over 107.1K reviews
  • Make money play bingo in your free time
  • Real-money tournaments and no ads
  • Cash out securely using PayPal
  • Cash games not available in all states
Best for instant wins
MMG Rating:
4.6
Over 271K reviews
  • Earn up to $83 every time you win
  • Free to play with many opportunities to win cash
  • Cash out with PayPal and Apple Pay
  • Entry fees of at least $1 per game

8. Free Gift Cards Just for Going Shopping? Yes, Please.

Offer: Get paid to watch videos and other online activities at Swagbucks

Swagbucks is another great survey site to make some extra money. It’s similar to Survey Junkie, but there are also a few other ways you can earn money as a member (including a $10 bonus just for signing up).

Overall, we have reviewed dozens of online survey sites, and Swagbucks is one of the best. Offering a variety of ways to earn “Swagbucks,” ranging from completing surveys to surfing the web, watching videos, or online shopping — it is a profitable option to make money with your free time. I used it for a few days and earned $10 fast in no time.

For more details on how to earn money with Swagbucks, check out our complete Swagbucks review.

Earn around $50 to $1,000 per year
Swagbucks
5.0
$10 welcome bonus

Swagbucks offers a variety of ways to earn money online. You can take surveys, play games, surf the web, watch videos and more to earn points towards gift cards or cash.

Start Earning Swagbucks Review

9. Download Nielsen App and Collect $60

self employed health insurance

Offer: Download an app and collect $60

Have a phone, laptop, or tablet? Then you're eligible to earn $60 fast (per device) by installing an app.

This company will pay you to install its app on your favorite browsing device and they will unobtrusively collect the URLs of websites and apps you visit and how long you spend on them.

If that's all right with you then they 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. 

Sign up through here for a registration bonus.

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

10. Your Gas Receipts Can Make You Money

cash back apps for gas

Offer: Get cash back on your gas purchases

Upside provides users with a variety of helpful information. First, it gives you 25 cents back on every gas station receipt you submit. It also shows you the best gas station deals and the cheapest gas.

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.

How does it work?

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!

  1. Click here to download for free.
  2. Claim your offer for the best gas price, restaurant or grocery offer
  3. Snap a photo of your receipt or receipts

Profit! Earn cash back, and cash out whenever you want via PayPal, gift card or check. A true way to make money fast, if you ever needed one.

Upside
4.5

Upside (which used to be called GetUpside) lets you save up to 25 cents for every gallon of gas you buy at certain gas stations. You can also get up to 35% back when you shop for groceries or eat out at over 45,000 places that work with Upside. If you use the app a lot, you might earn more than $100 in a year.

Start Saving Best Gas Apps

11. Make $500 Fast Just for Losing Weight

Is HealthyWage Legit

Offer: Make a weight loss bet and get paid at Healthywage

HealthyWage offers people the opportunity to earn cash for losing weight. Earn cash for losing weight?

Sounds too good to be true, but you read it right. The company was founded in 2009, and its HQ is in New York, and part of its mission is to provide ways to have a measurable impact on the growing obesity epidemic in the US. They do this by legitimately offering cash prizes to make weight loss and fitness more fun and effective.

Since HealthyWage was founded they have been featured in literally hundreds of newspapers, magazines, TV shows, blogs, and websites.

How can you make money with it? You essentially bet on yourself and how much weight you can lose.

Since they are promoting ways to be healthy, your winnings depend on how much weight you lose and how much you bet. It's a great way to make money and be healthy at the same time. Click here to learn more about HealthyWage.

HealthyWage

HealthyWage is a program for people who want to start dieting in a way that is fun, competitive, and potentially rewarding. As a member, you and your friends, family, and coworkers can bet against yourselves and potentially walk away with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in your pocket.

See Prize Calculator →

12. Make $500 Fast Starting Your Own Dropshipping Company

ecommerce success

Offer: Start dropshipping to make $500 fast

shopify logo

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 and you can even build your way up to making $1,000 a week.

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, which is free, to quickly and easily import the products you want to sell into your store. No hassle. No fuss. It couldn’t be easier!

make $500 fast

Shopify is also offering a 3-day free trial for new users, so act fast.

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some resources for you to learn how to make an extra 500 dollars fast:

How to make 500 dollars fast without a job?

You can make 500 dollars fast without a job through a lot of ways like getting paid to drive your car, make money on Twitch, drop shipping, selling your plasma, and various other ways.

How to make a quick 500 dollars a day?

You can make a quick five hundred dollars a day by selling items that you have lying around your home on different selling apps.

How to make 500 dollars a month as a teenager?

You can make 500 dollars a month as a teenager by flipping cell phones for major profits, making money off YouTube, getting paid to take online surveys or getting paid to play games.

Go Make $500 Fast Today!

As you can see, we have you covered with our list of ways to make $500 fast.

One of the best ways to get started is by choosing one that fits your schedule. Once you find the right side hustle for you, the possibilities are endless.

Don't forget that when you earn your money — there are smart ways to invest $500 and double it!

If you wanted more ways to make money online besides these methods of how to make $500 fast, here’s my list of the best ways to make money online:

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!

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