11 smart ways to get paid to do nothing

Earning money without constant effort is actually more realistic than most people think. You only need to set up some apps once, then you let them run in the background. Sharing unused internet bandwidth, creating design templates, and earning from royalties, or rewarding yourself with cashback for your shopping spree. You name it. 

1. Run passive earning apps in the background

If you’re thinking of passive income ideas, some apps pay you just for keeping them open. These apps let you earn extra cash for sharing unused internet bandwidth with businesses that need it for tasks like market research and content delivery.

• What it is: These are legit apps that pay you “free money” for sharing your unused internet connection or device data. You just download and install the app, and it runs quietly in the background without interfering with your internet connection or device performance.
• How you earn: Bandwidth-sharing platforms like Honeygain offer passive income for just letting their app run on your device. You accumulate credits based on how much bandwidth or traffic you share. 
• Typical payout: On Honeygain, you earn $1 for every 1,000 credits earned. On average, Reddit users say that they make 150-300 credits per day. However, these are estimates only, as your earnings depend on your device, location, and internet connection.
• Effort required: You don’t even need a few hours to set up bandwidth-sharing apps. It might take 3-5 minutes to properly set it up, then it’s fully passive after that.

2. Get paid as a product or bed tester

Retail and tech brands need real people to test their products before fully selling them on the market. If you like trying new things and sharing your feedback, product testing can feel like getting paid to do everyday activities. 

Some mattress companies would even pay you to test mattresses and share your experience. Now, that’s a dream job if there ever was one, right?

• What it is: Apps, websites, gadget manufacturers, and mattress brands send you products before launch and ask for honest feedback. You can test the products in your free time, making extra money without much effort. 
• How you earn: You can sign up across different testing platforms, including UserTesting, BetaTesting, or Respondent. Once you pass a screener, you follow a set of instructions to test products and participate in sleep studies. 
• Typical payout: For the most part, you earn around $10 for every successful testing session on UserTesting and other platforms. This number might fluctuate, depending on the length and complexity of your task.
• Effort required: The effort is low per task, but there might be long periods of waiting time for testing opportunities. Bed-testing roles are particularly rare. We recommend turning on your email notifications so you can immediately grab the opportunity when it comes up.

3. House sit or pet sit for travellers

You can also start making money by taking care of pets and watching over homes. Basically, you stay in someone’s home, follow simple routines, and get paid more money while they’re away. 

This gig does demand relatively more effort than most options in this list. But once you’re done doing several required chores, you can just sit back and do almost nothing while waiting for your clients to return home.

• What it is: You stay in a client’s home or property while they are away. Your tasks are usually on the lighter side, including feeding pets, watering plants, collecting mail, and locking up for the night.  
• How you earn: Create a profile on popular sites like TrustedHousesitters, Rover, or Nomador. These platforms will connect you with homeowners around your area. You can also offer your services to your neighbors, that is, if you’ve maintained a good relationship with them.
• Typical payout: Typically, you can start earning around $20-$75 for pet sitting, and $30-$80 per day for house sitting. 
• Effort required: Tasks would often involve accompanying pets or watering plants, which require little effort from your part. 

4. Rent out unused space or storage

If you have any unused space in your house, you can use it for rental income. You can rent out an empty attic, parking space, or even your spare bedroom. If you’ve properly maintained these areas, then you can earn a certain amount with minimal effort.

Essentially, you just collect payments every month for assets that you already own. It doesn’t require any initial investment, except for cleaning and fixing any physical issues before renting the space out.

• What it is: You list your unused garage, basement, or storage areas, and local renters can book them to store their boxes, RVs, or vehicles. It’s one of the best passive income streams for assets that you already own.
• How you earn: Sign up on listing platforms such as Neighbor (storage, SpotHero (parking), or Airbnb (spare rooms). Once your listing is live, you just wait for renters to book and pay through the platform. Keep your account details up-to-date to avoid misaligned expectations.
• Typical payout: According to Neighbor, the average person can earn around $200 monthly for renting out their parking space. This way, you can earn passively while keeping your current job.
• Effort required: Initial work requires uploading clear photos, description, and pricing. You might occasionally communicate with renters if they have concerns, but the effort required is virtually nothing. 

5. Earn cashback and loyalty rewards on everyday spending

If you already shop online or pay for your purchases with cards, you can take advantage of cashback programs and loyalty rewards. These programs are a fun way to earn points and get a small percentage back from your usual shopping spending.

• What it is: These are apps and browser extensions that track your purchases and reward you with cashback or points. It works because retailers pay these apps a commission, and they share a part of that commission with you.
• How you earn: You sign up for cashback platforms like Rakuten, Dosh, or TopCashback. Then, you install a browser extension or link your debit or credit card.  
• Typical payout: On Rakuten, you can receive up to 10% cashback on your purchases, though it varies by retailer. Cashback platforms like Rakuten often list the cashback percentage for each partner retailer.
• Effort required: Absolutely nothing. After downloading the app, you can just keep shopping as usual and earn for every purchase you make.

6. Share referral links for ongoing commissions

To gain new customers, brands often launch referral programs. They’re willing to pay you for sharing your referral link, and you collect rewards every time a new user joins the platform. You can post your link in a blog post or in your social channels, and you can generate earnings with no further effort.

• What it is: Digital platforms give you a unique referral link that you can use to refer your friends and other people in your community. Many tech brands do this as an effective way to grow their user base. 
• How you earn: You join referral programs from tech platforms like PayPal, Dropbox, Revolut, or Chime. You accumulate rewards as soon as your referrals sign up and meet the program’s requirements. 
• Typical payout: PayPal offers a $10 reward to both the referrer and the referee. Meanwhile, Dropbox doesn’t offer cash, but they give free storage when you successfully send a referral.
• Effort required: You just need a few minutes to find your code and share it through your social channels. 

7. Sell a pre-made online course or digital product

You might have to exert extra effort in creating digital assets like online courses, art classes, ebooks, stock photos, or website templates. But once you’ve finished the creation process, you can sell printables, templates, and digital art models without further effort.

• What it is: You create digital products like online courses, graphic design templates, or even new music. Then, you list them on platforms like Udemy, Teachable, Gumroad, Etsy, or Playlist Push (for music). 
• How you earn: The marketplaces we mentioned above offer you real money for just hosting your digital files on their servers. You accumulate sales when users buy or subscribe to your content or products. 
• Typical payout: On average, Udemy instructors earn around $3-$9 per student on discounted sales. As for Gumroad, they take a flat 10% fee per transaction for all sales.
• Effort required: There’s heavy effort upfront for creating your products. But once the product is live, it becomes fully passive. If you’re from an art school or if you like teaching, it’s one of the best ways on how to make passive income.

8. Rent out unused cars, bikes, or tools

If you own a car, bike, or power tools that are sitting unused, you might as well rent them out and earn an income. There are peer-to-peer marketplaces that turn your depreciating assets into a steady source of revenue.

• What it is: You connect with people who need to borrow your car, bike, or home improvement tools. The key is to maintain a digital calendar, where you set the availability of your assets.  
• How you earn: Platforms like Turo, Spinlister, and Sparetoolz offer passive income for your idle assets. You earn a rental income, while these platforms handle the insurance and payment processing. 
• Typical payout: According to Turo, cars listed on their platform earn an average of $906 per month. You earn 70% of vehicle earnings, which translates to a net income of $634 per month.
• Effort required: You just need to set up your listing with photos, pricing, and policies. Then, you need to exert a bit of effort in ongoing maintenance and cleaning.

9. Host ads on your car, home, or property

There are companies that pay for “mobile billboards” and signage in high-traffic areas. As such, you can host placement ads on your car, home, and other properties. This way, you get paid for something that you already use daily.

• What it is: Companies provide you with ads to place on your car, home exterior, or property walls. If you’re driving or living in the city center, you might get more advertising opportunities.   
• How you earn: Apply to platforms like Wrapify, Carvertise, or AdsOnYourHome. If approved, they’ll match you with advertising campaigns based on your location. 
• Typical payout: Wrapify estimates monthly earnings of around $264-$452 for 360 advertising, which means you need to set up ads around the entire body of your car.
• Effort required: It’s a one-off installation process, so you gain a fully passive income during the campaign contract.

10. Use micro-investing and auto-savings apps

You can have your money earn interest every week through micro-investing and auto-saving apps. There are platforms that allow you to start with a few cents, so you don’t need any huge upfront deposit.

• What it is: These legit apps round up your purchases or move small amounts of your money into savings and investment accounts. This way, you can invest spare change in your account and earn based on the platform’s interest rate.
• How you earn: Sign up for micro-investing apps like Acorns, Oportun, or Chip. You link your bank account, then the app tracks your spending and moves small amounts automatically. 
• Typical payout: Acorns offers an average annual return of 8% for your money. However, these returns are not fixed, as they depend on market conditions and how much you invest.
• Effort required: You just need around five minutes to link your savings accounts and enable round-ups. Then, you can live the good life, as the investment process becomes fully automated after setup.

11. Join a market research panel

Even without a high school diploma or any credentials, you can contribute to global consumer studies and get paid. Big brands and media companies need to understand how people use the Internet, so they launch market research panels. 

• What it is: Market research panels collect anonymized data about your browsing habits and device usage. These platforms don’t collect your personal messages, passwords, or user IDs, so you don’t have to worry about your privacy.
• How you earn: You can sign up for platforms like Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel, and you just let their app run on your device. You can accumulate points when you browse during your lunch break or even while watching TV. 
• Typical payout: A Reddit user says that they earn around $5-$10 per month by installing Nielsen’s app on their laptop. 
• Effort required: You just install the app on your device, and the process becomes fully passive after onboarding.

Key Takeaways

• Try stacking multiple low-effort options to cover small monthly expenses. You can use bandwidth-sharing apps like Honeygain while waiting for market research opportunities on Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel.
• Leverage your online reach by sharing referral links and promoting your digital products. If you already have a huge influence online, you can earn more by referring people or selling digital assets.
• Take a look at your location and available assets. Your passive income earnings might depend on these two elements.