Need Money Now? 27 Ways to Make Cash Right Now

Today, we are dealing with one of the worst crises in our lifetimes. The global COVID-19 pandemic is closing businesses and leaving workers saying, “I need money NOW!” With so many people not able to work, people are looking for quick access to cash to make ends meet. 

The good news is, there are plenty of ways to get cash in your pocket in the next 24 hours. They may not all be glamorous, but you could rely on these methods in a pinch. There are also some businesses that are hiring today. Take a look at this list to pick up some quick cash now. One of the best ways is through online survey sites, and Survey Junkie is the best platform we’ve found.

I do want to mention that, often you can find money by lowering your recurring expenses like debt, which is why I’ve included some of these options in the list below.

Top 27 Best Ways to Make Money When You Need it Now

1. Refinance Student Loans
2. Survey Junkie: Online Survey
3. Ibotta: Grocery Rebates
4. Vindale Research
5. Trim: Negotiate bills
6. Paribus: Collect Refunds
7. Drive with Lyft
8. Borrow from friends
9. Get a personal loan
10. Sell on Craigslist
11. Sell at a pawn shop
12. Work on Fiverr
13. Save with ReceiptHog
14. Babysit
15. Have a yardsale
16. Be a street performer
17. Dogsit with Rover
18. Find money
19. Ask for an advance
20. Become a server
21. Turn in gift cards
22. Sell nice clothes
23. Clean houses
24. Be a handyman
25. Use TaskRabbit
26. Use credit card points
27. Make Returns

Need cash now? Work your way through this list to find a few ways to put money in your pocket in just a few hours.

#1: Lower Your Student Loan Payment

Did you know that 44.7 million Americans have student loan debt? If you have student loan debt, have you considered refinancing?

Refinancing means a lender pays off your existing loans and creates a new, single loan to be paid back at (ideally) a lower interest rate. This is beneficial to those with student loans because it consolidates monthly loan payments and saves you money!

In addition to saving money and lowering your monthly loan payments, many refinancing companies will also pay you to refinance with their company!

Check out our review of the best student loan refinance companies.

#2: Make Up To $5 Per Survey – Survey Junkie

A great way to get some fast cash is taking surveys. Companies will actually pay you for your opinions.

One of my favorite survey sites with a great track record is Survey Junkie. Survey Junkie uses a point system for their rewards. For every survey you complete, you’ll get anywhere from 50 – 450 points. 100 points equals $1.

You’ll be able to cash out your points either through PayPal or with a gift card. If you request a payout through PayPal and it can take up to 24 hours, but in most cases it is immediate.

Learn more about our top survey sites for money now.

#3: Get Paid to Grocery Shop

Everybody buys food, right? So here is yet another way to make some money. You can actually do your grocery shopping using rebate apps.

Apps like Ibotta can offer cash rebates on your food purchases by taking a picture of your receipt with your smart phone. You do your regular grocery shopping at the usual stores, and you can get rebates when you purchase basic items like meat, bread and eggs.

Once again, technically this is not an income source, but it does offer you cash back on normal purchases, which is basically just as good.

Earn a $10 BONUS when you signup today and complete your first purchase.

#4: Vindale Research

Vindale Research is one of the oldest survey sites out there, which means the company knows what they are doing. You’ll earn anywhere from $1 to $5 for every survey, which isn’t bad money for the time that you’ll invest. The more detailed a survey is, the more you’ll get paid.

You can also complete product evaluations which can get you more cash since they are more time-consuming. They will give you a product or service, and you’ll be required to write an honest review on it. This can pay anywhere from $5 to $75.

#5: Negotiate a bill.

Before your bills are due, call up a few of your service providers to see if you can negotiate a better deal. If you were able to bring your cable bill from $110 down to $70, for example, you would save $40 and pocket that money each month instead.

We were able to save almost $70 from our satellite bill by doing this. All we had to do was call and casually mention we were switching to one of their competitors and by the time the call ended we netted a huge savings and got all of our hardware upgraded.

PRO TIP: There’s an app for that, Trim. Trim is easy to use and does all the work.

#6: Figure out who owes you money.

Chances are good you have loaned people money in the past, but did they ever pay you back? If someone owes you $20, $50, or $100 and you can feasibly collect, this is a great way to get money quickly.

Before you go door-to-door, think of people and situations where you may have loaned out money in the past. Perhaps you paid for someone’s dinner when your waitress wouldn’t split the check. You can always politely ask for it back

PRO TIP: If you do online shopping, there’s a good chance companies owe you money. Use Paribus to automatically scan for refunds you are owed.

#7. Earn a Guaranteed $1,000 with Lyft

Lyft is offering a guaranteed $1,000 to become a driver.

It’s part of a program called Earnings Guaranteed. According to the Lyft website, the promotion says drivers will earn a guaranteed amount within a certain time frame. If the driver does not make the guaranteed amount within the time frame, Lyft will cover the difference!

And right now the guaranteed amount is $1,000! Easy money.

#8: Borrow from friends or family.

Need money quickly? It may pay to turn to family and friends for a temporary loan. While this situation may be uncomfortable, it can work in a pinch. Just make sure you get the loan terms in writing to avoid hurt feelings and get everyone on the same page.

If you want more reinforcement, you can facilitate a loan from family or friends through an app like Ledge, Apply Pay, Cash App or Venmo. By using one of these services, you can create a digital history of your loan, plus set up a repayment plan that makes sense.

#9: Consider a personal loan.

The days of researching, calling and comparing personal loan quotes are over, thanks to technology. So if you need money and want to avoid the hassle, I recommend a personal loan aggregator that will do all the heavy lifting for you and make taking out a personal loan easy.

But which aggregator to choose to find and compare quotes for personal loans and other financial products?

I highly recommend Fiona, which lets you compare personal loans, credit cards, savings accounts, and student loan refinancing options. Search for the right loan for you with Fiona today:

Also see: Best Personal Loans

#10: Sell stuff on Craigslist.

We all have used stuff we don’t want anymore. Why not sell it? By setting up a few simple (and free) ads on craiglist, you can offload things like furniture, CDs, electronics, and even clothing.

If you belong to any Facebook resale groups, you can also post your items for sale there. Just make sure to price your items so they will sell quickly. With the right item, the right price, and a little bit of luck, you could have cash in your hands (and less stuff to worry about) in no time.

#11: Pawn something you really don’t want.

Pawn shops offer quick cash for items you don’t want, yet offer just a fraction of the actual value of your item. Items that can help you score big at a pawn shop include things like guns, jewelry, and electronics, although other items might work well, too.

I once had dreams of being the next Led Zeppelin and saved to buy a Fender guitar. You know how many times I played it? Maybe two. Recognizing I wouldn’t be taking the main stage anytime soon, I was able to get some of my money back at a local pawn shop.

#12: Complete a task through Fiverr.

If you have technical or design skills, advertising your services on a website like Fiverr is a smart move. Not only can you score ongoing work, but you can pick up one-off jobs that lead to cash fairly quickly.

The jobs you’ll get hired for really depend on your current skillset and list of abilities. Setting up a profile on Fiverr is a smart way to earn cash fast if you know what you’re doing online.

#13: Scan receipts into ReceiptHog.

ReceiptHog is an app that lets you earn cash back just for scanning in receipts for stuff you already bought.

They don’t even have to be your receipts, really. I mean, ReceiptHog won’t know if you scan your mom’s grocery receipt and claim it as your own! If you want quick money, you better start scanning!

#14: Babysit some kids.

Chances are, someone you know needs some child care within the next few days. By placing an ad on Facebook or messaging some friends, you may be able to score a fairly quick babysitting gig. 

Babysitters charge different rates, but you should be able to earn at least $7 or $8 per hour. Even if you only babysit three hours, that’s at least $21 in your pocket in the next few days. 

#15: Have a garage sale…..now.

If you live in a neighborhood with any type of foot or car traffic, there’s no reason you can’t have a garage sale today. And thanks to the internet, you can advertise your sale on Facebook and sites like craigslist.org for free.

If you have clothes and electronics to add to your sale, that’s even better! The more stuff you can sell, the better off you’ll be!

#16: Become a street performer.

If you can sing, perform physical stunts, play the guitar or a piano, or do standup comedy, you could feasibly do it by the side of the road for cash, right? At the very least, you could give it a whirl!

No matter what your “skill” is, you could probably earn at least some money for performing in an area with lots of street traffic. Make sure to sit out a bucket or hat to let people know you’re taking donations, and let the good times roll.

#17: Watch dogs with Rover.com.

Do you love dogs? If you do, you can make some easy money for doing something that comes naturally. With a service like Rover.com, you can connect with dog owners who need someone to watch their pets overnight.

Best of all, you can easily earn up to $49 per night per pet depending on your location and the rates people charge nearby.

#18: Tear your house and car apart to find money.

Most of us have money stashed all over the place. We might have a dollar stuck in the back of our wallet, a $20 bill in an old jacket, and an ashtray in our car stuffed to the brim with quarters and dimes.

If you really need money fast, you should get to work tearing your place apart. 

You may not get a lot of cash with this method, but anything you find will help!

#19: Ask your boss for an advance on your check.

I would never, ever suggest someone get a payday loan. However, it can’t hurt to ask your boss for an advance on your paycheck.

If you really, seriously need the money, explain the situation to your boss to see if they want to help. At worst, they will say no and send you on your way. At best, they will agree to give you a few hundred bucks from next week’s paycheck.

#20: Pick up a serving job.

This one might take you up to a week, but it can put cash in your pocket fairly fast. If you need real cash and can’t wait too long, a part-time job as a server or bartender could fit the bill.

Once you are training, you should start earning tips right away. This may not be the best way to earn cash fast, but it could pay the bills. Plus, you don’t have to work there forever, right?

#21: Turn in your gift cards for cash.

Did you know that some Coinstar machines let you turn in new or used gift cards for cash?

The good news is, you’ll get cash instantly and on-the-spot. The bad news is, you’ll forfeit up to 20 percent of your gift card’s value in the process. If you have unused gift cards you won’t use, however, this is a smart way to turn them into dollars.

#22: Sell nice clothes for cash.

Certain stores geared at both adults and teens (but mostly women) will give you cold, hard cash in exchange for your brand name used clothing. Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange are two such options, with each offering you money in exchange for your nicest stuff.

You’ll generally need to keep your clothing in excellent shape to get actual money back, but this strategy works well if you have a lot of nice clothes.

#23: Clean houses.

Do you know someone whose house is unkempt? Offer to clean it for them in exchange for a fee, and see what they say. Lots of people don’t have the desire or time to clean their own homes, and some of them are perfectly willing to pay for the service.

If you don’t know anyone personally you can ask, you can always place a free ad on craigslist.org or Facebook. Chances are, you’ll reach someone who could benefit from your cleaning skills and a few hours of your time.

#24: Become a handyman…right now.

Believe it or not, many people earn a living performing odd jobs. If you know a lot about construction and are able to fix most household issues, you may be able to earn cash with your own handyman business.

After placing an ad online, you could easily connect with people who might pay you to clean out their dryer vent, replace interior lighting, or do basic maintenance work. Most of the time, you can get paid in cash and earn up to $40 an hour!

#25: Use TaskRabbit.

The wonders of the internet have led to a number of ways people can make money quickly. One website that helps in this respect is TaskRabbit. By signing up, you can run errands for people and earn cash in return.

Jobs can vary greatly, but common tasks include picking up laundry from the cleaners, making a grocery run, picking up prescriptions, and walking dogs. If you don’t mind doing random stuff in exchange for fast cash, this is an option you should definitely consider.

#26: Cash in all of your credit card points.

If you have a rewards credit card or two, chances are good you’ve got some rogue points hanging around. They might not seem like a lot, but they can add up fast!

Turn in your points for a statement credit if you can, then use your credit card for any immediate purchases you need to make. If you can wait a few days or up to a week, certain rewards credit cards will also let you redeem points for a check in the mail.

#27: Return stuff you don’t want…and get cash!

We all make purchases that don’t work out the way we want. If you have stuff you can return, you should definitely try. With or without a receipt, some retailers will give you cash back for your purchase, or at the very least, store credit.

This is more of a refund on your own money, but hey, it works! Before you look for more ways to earn money fast, check around your house for stuff you bought, never used, and could potentially return.

Score!

Final Thoughts

If you need money now, chances are good one of these suggestions will provide the immediate influx of cash you need. If not, I challenge you to come up with other creative ways to earn money fast.

When it comes to earning money, some skill and a little creative thinking can go a long way.

What would you add to this list? What is your favorite way to get cash quickly when you need money now?