Did you know you can get paid to watch ads? You can, but before you get too excited, understand that watching ads won't replace your day job or buy you a new car. They do, however, create great opportunities to monetize your downtime.
How To Watch Ads for Money
If you own a smartphone, there are many ways to earn money in this gig economy. Watching ads is an excellent way for 14 and 15-year-olds looking for work to make money.
Make money by watching ads in short bursts in your free time, like when your kids are napping or during a coffee break. You may also be able to redeem points for free Amazon gift cards or gift cards from other retailers.
Which brings us to the question, how exactly do you get paid to watch ads, and how much money can you expect to make? What sites should you use?
Brands and companies pay advertisers to promote their products/services through video channels and TV. The advertisers, in turn, share their revenue with users, members, and subscribers.
The amount of money you can earn varies with the platform you use and the time you spend watching videos. What you watch depends entirely on you.
You can decide to watch channels, including sports and entertainment, movie trailers, fashion, news clips, parenting, and much more!
Whether on a long road trip, waiting for an appointment, or just bored, here are 13 apps to use to earn money watching ads online.
Best Sites That Pay You To Watch Ads
With just a few clicks and taps, you can earn cash for passively streaming commercials – no skills or special training required!
1. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is one of the highest-paying survey sites, but you can also make real money watching videos online and short clips of movies and TV shows.
Videos vary in categories, the common ones being entertainment, food and recipes, and celebrities. InboxDollars is legit and has paid out over $56 million in cash rewards to members since 2000.
You will receive a $5 signup bonus when you open a new account.
You can redeem your points for gift cards or get cash via PayPal or in the form of a check in the mail when you reach the $30 minimum redemption amount.
Get Paid To Watch Ads With InboxDollars
2. My Points
My Points is another popular app you can use to earn money by watching ads on your phone. Accumulate virtual points by shopping at your favorite stores, searching the web, taking surveys, reading emails, and watching ads.
To watch and earn up to 500 points per day, complete playlists. Pick a category to watch videos on your favorite topics. Besides ads, you can watch entertaining videos, including Golden Globes coverage and gossip from Hollywood.
When you join, you will get a $10 welcome bonus.
Once you accrue enough points, you can redeem them for a gift card from popular stores and restaurants, travel miles, or PayPal cash – the minimum withdrawal amount is $25.
In addition, you earn 10 percent of your friend's qualifying points when you refer a friend. There are unlimited invitations and unlimited points.
Get Paid To Watch Ads With MyPoints
3. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a fun loyalty rewards site that pays you for completing short online tasks and allows you to earn money by watching ads.
Besides answering polls, testing new products, playing online games, answering surveys, and referring friends, Swagbucks also has a video section where you can watch ads for money.
Big companies and advertisers pay Swagbucks to conduct market research. The company will pay you for your time. To date, over $383 million has been awarded to members.
You can watch a single or series of videos in exchange for points or Swagbucks. Popular videos include sponsored videos, themed videos, sports highlights, home and garden, entertainment, and news from around the world.
After watching each video, you will rate it. Ads can be played between the videos and be up to 75 seconds long.
You can redeem your Swagbucks for PayPal cash or gift cards as your points accumulate.
While points can be redeemed for gift cards from as low as $3, you need at least $25 (or 2,500) points to redeem for cash.
Get Paid To Watch Ads With Swagbucks
4. Prize Rebel
PrizeRebel is a fantastic membership rewards site that offers cash for watching ads. It's perfect for those looking to take advantage of short gaps in their day to make some extra income — no matter how small it may be.
It's easy to join if you're 18 or over, with quick signups available through Facebook and minimal personal information needed.
Redeem your points for gift cards from popular places like:
- Amazon
- PayPal
- Visa
- Google Play
Rewards start at a low payout of just $2. With more than $22 million paid out to members since 2017, PrizeRebel is here to stay!
Get Paid To Watch Ads With Prize Rebel
5. Ibotta
If you're in the mood to get real cash or a quick coupon, useful when shopping for groceries and electronics, then Ibotta is an excellent choice.
You can shop online and watch ads for money. Registering for an account is free and easy. Ibotta has an extremely user-friendly website.
No flashy junk or spammy links. Once you join, you can browse through various options and offers on the site. When you find a coupon you want to use, tap it. Then, watch a 15-second ad or answer a simple question to put the coupon to use.
Once you achieve the minimum payout of $20, buy a gift card or cash out via PayPal.
Get Paid To Watch Ads With Ibotta
6. National Consumer Panel
The NCP app will pay you to watch videos online. NCP is a market research company formed by IRI and Nielsen. National Consumer Panel occasionally hires people to watch videos. The video surveys help collect data for advertising campaigns.
Organizations then use this data to adjust their marketing strategy wherever necessary. You can earn points to redeem gift cards and various merchandise.
The more video surveys you watch, the more cash you make. While the pay is not significant, the work is exciting.
7. QuickRewards
QuickRewards is a free loyalty program open to permanent residents of the United States. The site has been around since 2002 and features an old-school simple design that some people might disregard as shady, but rest assured; the site is legit.
With QuickRewards, there are a couple of ways to earn extra money, including cashback shopping, playing games, paid surveys, referring friends, and watching online videos.
You can process your PayPal payment within 72 hours, plus QuickRewards does not require a minimum amount to cash out. You can also redeem gift cards starting at $5 within seven days.
There are 50+ redemption options, including:
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Applebee's
- Disney store
- Red Lobster
- Olive Garden
- And more…
If you have any issues or queries, you will get same-day email responses from customer care.
8. Slidejoy
Slidejoy is no newcomer; the app has been around for a long time. The app rewards you for unlocking your phone. However, for it to work correctly, your smartphone needs to be in a locked position.
Slidejoy rents your device's lock screen in exchange for cash rewards. In addition, it displays beautiful, creative, full-screen ads on your phone.
To earn money by watching ads, download and activate the app. Slidejoy will load news stories and quick ads onto your smartphone's home screen. The content will be relevant to your interests.
Swipe left to check out the ad or news story — swipe right to ignore the ad and proceed to your home screen. No matter which way you slide, you'll still earn points.
Your points will come in the form of “carats” with 1,000 carats equaling one dollar. When you accumulate 2,000 carats (or $2), you can redeem gift cards to popular retailers and brands, cash out via PayPal, or donate your earnings to your favorite charity if you're feeling generous.
9. CreationsRewards
CreationsRewards works a lot like the other reward-based sites on our list.
It rewards you CR points for everyday phone activities – shopping online, exploring other sites, completing offers, answering trivia questions, and watching videos.
As one of the oldest and best rewarding apps on this list, CreationsRewards boasts a free and simple registration procedure.
New members receive a $5 signup bonus, but you must earn at least 5k points within the first two months of being a new member to get the bonus.
To earn, visit certain websites and watch entertaining videos. Once you reach the threshold (1,000 CR points), visit the rewards page and pick from various offers. Then, redeem your points for cash through PayPal or gift cards from your favorite stores.
10. Viggle
Here's something for TV addicts – Viggle rewards you for interacting with all of your favorite entertainment!
You'll earn “perk points” by watching your favorite shows on streaming platforms like:
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Amazon Prime Video
You can set custom reminders so you never miss a show. To earn, check into the app while watching live TV. You will earn a perk point per minute plus any bonuses. Check out the bonus section to receive a higher payout per minute of watch time.
Commenting on the shows and interacting with friends will get you more points. In addition, you can easily exchange your perk points for over 200 gift card options, including Amazon and Walmart, Prizes, or Cash.
You can also donate to over 1000 charities, including the American Cancer Society, Wounded Warrior Project, and Autism Speaks.
11. CheckPoints
CheckPoints is a get-paid-to website where you can earn money by completing online activities like shopping online, taking quizzes, and watching videos.
Advertisers pay CheckPoints, and when you finish watching a video, CheckPoints pays you!
They offer hundreds of different rewards, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon gift cards. Sign up with your Facebook account to start earning today. The minimum cashout is just a dollar, which you can withdraw only a few hours after creating your account.
Participate in win giveaways to receive:
- Gift cards
- Free gas cards
- Shopping sprees
- And more…
12. GrabPoints
Advertisers pay GrabPoints for engagements, and you can get gift cards and PayPal cash for engaging in simple online activities such as downloading apps, completing offers, answering surveys, and watching videos.
GrabPoints promises high payouts and an excellent all-around experience. However, the rewards site has only been around since 2014, making it relatively new compared to veterans such as Swagbucks and InboxDollars.
However, in that period of time, they've built an impressive, loyal user base. GrabPoints has many video channels catering to diverse interests like fashion, tech, and lifestyle.
You can choose to watch a video that interests you, and up to 20 points will be credited to your account when you finish watching. Referring your friends will earn you 250 points per referral.
The points will add up quickly after watching a couple of videos. Rewards are processed and sent out within 48 hours; the minimum payout is $3 (3,000 points).
PayPal and Skrill pay out cash rewards, but if you prefer gift cards, you can choose from the following:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Netflix codes
- Google Play gift codes
- Pokémon GO coins
- iTunes redemption codes
- And more…
13. You-Cubez
You-Cubez is a Paid-To-Click (PTC) website that enables users to earn cash incentives and gift cards by:
- Completing tasks
- Participating in surveys
- Watching videos
- Viewing ads
With over 360k members and 20k payments sent, You-Cubez is a legit way of making money online. To earn from ads, click on an ad offer and view it for a few seconds.
Before you receive the reward offered, you will have to wait for 10 seconds and key in the code provided. While it doesn't pay much, it takes little effort to earn.
Plus, they have other ways to earn, which pay more. For example, when someone uses your referral link to join the site, you get paid – you'll earn up to 15% commission from your referrals.
Once you reach the payout threshold of $10, you can request payment via PayPal or Bitcoin. You pay a 5% processing fee each time you cash out.
How To Protect Yourself From Scams
Anytime you're making money on the internet, protecting yourself from online scams is essential.
Here are a few ways to stay safe:
- Never enter personal details into a website you're uncomfortable with
- Don't share too much of your personal info, like your social security number on these websites
- Create an email account specifically for signing up for apps and websites related to this kind of work
- Install anti-virus software on your device before getting started
- Periodically take a break between different signup processes
- Never pay anything to take surveys or enter your credit card information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Watching ads for money is an easy and convenient way to make a few extra bucks. But there are some common questions that come up about the process.
Can You Get Paid for Watching Ads?
Getting paid to watch ads can be a great way to make some extra money. Sites like Inbox Dollars and Swagbucks are fantastic for this purpose; when you sign up, you'll be presented with various ads that you can watch for cash rewards. The amount of money you can earn will vary depending on the length and type of ad, so it's important to do your research in advance.
Plus, the more ads you watch, the stronger your user profile gets — giving you access to higher-paying opportunities! It can be a reliable way to earn more money if you're willing to spend a little time watching sometimes-lengthy ads.
Where Can I Get Paid for Watching Ads?
Watching ads could earn you extra cash. Unbelievable, but true!
Websites like these offer users payment for watching ads online:
The exact amount will vary depending on the length and type of advertisement – it might be a few cents or even up to several dollars for playing a game.
So if you're bored at home and want to make extra money while you watch your favorite show or kill some time on the Internet – check out these sites and get paid just for watching ads.
Should You Watch Ads for Money?
Like any side hustle, being realistic with potential earnings is essential. While some sites only pay a small amount, adding them together will increase your supplementary income.
With at least three money-making platforms, you can earn up to $30 quickly. Consider annual earnings – $50 a month doesn't sound much, but it's $600 yearly.
It may take you a while to earn enough to withdraw your cash. If you give up halfway, it means you did the tasks for free. Once you reach your payment threshold, withdraw your money. Also, if you get paid in gift vouchers, spend them ASAP. Gift vouchers become invalid after the expiration date.
So go ahead, take your pick, and earn money by watching ads from your recliner or sofa.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.