How to Make $40 Fast

Life happens, and even when you carefully plan, things don’t always pan out the way you predict. Whether you need extra money to cover a bill or unexpected expense, there are ways to make $40 dollars fast without having to borrow from a friend or family member.

You’ll find plenty of money-making ideas on the internet, but they aren’t all legit. So, before you dive headfirst into something that seems too good to be true, check out these proven ways to make money fast.

While these methods won’t pay your mortgage, they are guaranteed to help you earn quick money when you’re in a pinch.

Need $40 Right Now?

The methods we’ve listed below require some work on your end and may take a few weeks to show up in your bank account. If you’re in a pinch and need money right now, you may want to consider a cash advance.

These cash advance apps will spot you the cash you need to help you get by until your next paycheck.

  • Empower: Empower offers up to $250 in instant funds, with no interest, fees, or credit checks.
  • Chime: SpotMe is a free service for accountholders that lets you overdraw on debit card purchases by up to $200.

15 Simple Ways to Make $40 Dollars Fast

  1. Swagbucks
  2. Rent Out Space on Airbnb
  3. Make Deliveries with Doordash
  4. Freelance Writing
  5. Clickworker
  6. Fetch Rewards
  7. MyPoints
  8. Drive with Uber
  9. Sell Items Online
  10. Ibotta
  11. Rocket Money
  12. Taskrabbit
  13. Trim
  14. Gaming Apps
  15. Survey Apps

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks offers easy money. They pay you for tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, surfing the internet, and online shopping. They pay a $20 sign-up bonus, and you earn ‘Swagbucks’ for each activity you complete.

They’ve paid their members over $758 million so far, and you can earn gift cards to your favorite stores or cash out via PayPal to get cash rewards right away.

100 Swagbucks is equal to one dollar, and you can cash out your rewards in any increment. This means you can cash out as soon as you have the money, whether a few dollars or several hundred dollars.

If you need to earn forty dollars fast, look for the highest-paying surveys and paid offers first. For example, if you sign up for Uber or Lyft through their site, they often run a deal that you earn a decent amount of SBs. You must qualify for market research surveys, so don’t put all your effort into them since you may not be eligible for everyone, but adding a few into your day can help you reach your $40 threshold quickly.

It’s free and easy to sign up. You must provide your email address and create a password. From there, follow the prompts to complete your profile. Provide as many details as possible in the profile to increase your chances of winning free gift cards and earning money online. The more information you provide, the easier it is for Swagbucks to match you with surveys and provide qualified offers.

2. Rent Out Space on Airbnb

If you have a spare room or extra space in your home, consider renting it on Airbnb. This means you’ll share your area with someone, unless you’re away while they are there, but you can make more than 40 dollars in a single booking.

You are in charge of what you rent out, the dates, the cost, and even the amenities. So whether you rent your room out only when you need extra cash fast or rent it regularly, it’s a great way to make good money on a room you don’t use.

If you have a finished basement no one uses or an extra bedroom, it can be a quick way to earn money. Just ensure you are honest in your listing and provide great customer service, and Airbnb can be a great way to continue making money when you need it.

You don’t have to rent out an entire home on Airbnb either. Many people rent a spare room or rent their space out when they are on vacation to make a little money.

3. Make Deliveries with DoorDash

Working for DoorDash, you create your own schedule and choose which deliveries you’ll take. You get paid a base fee from DoorDash for each delivery, plus you keep the tips all customers pay. The better customer service you provide, the higher tips you’ll earn.

You can schedule your shifts or just click ‘Dash Now’ and pick up orders when you have free time. If you deliver food during peak times or DoorDash ‘challenges’, you can earn extra cash delivering food.

To be a Dasher, you must be at least 18 years old, have a reliable vehicle (or scooter), and a valid driver’s license and Social Security card. To sign up, you must download the app and create an account. After you provide the required information and agree to a background and motor vehicle check, you’ll receive approval to start dashing.

4. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is a good way to make higher earnings. Like most side gigs, you can work it when you want and as little or as much as you want- but the pay is good.

Writing is one of the easiest ways to make $40 because you can make that with just one assignment, depending on what you write about. When you start, you might write for content mills, or you can try sites like Fiverr or Upwork.

Millions of businesses need content since most business owners don’t have the time to keep up with it. The best way to make money writing is to brush up on your writing skills and familiarize yourself with SEO practices. This allows you to market your services to small businesses trying to rank in Google and other search engines.

Depending on where you write, you can usually set your own prices and make extra money fast- typically anywhere between $0.01 per word and $0.25 per word.

There are many options to earn money writing too. For example, you can write blog posts, website content, sales copy, and video scripts.

5. Clickworker

If you don’t mind microtasks, you can earn money with Clickworker. Once you sign up, you choose from the jobs available. Some examples include:

  • Creating texts
  • Categorizing data
  • Proofreading
  • Research
  • Market research surveys
  • Mystery visits
  • App testing
  • Take photos
  • Record audio clips
  • Record videos

After you create an account, you must take assessments to accept jobs. This tells Clickworker what tasks you’re capable of doing. Then, as you gain experience, you’ll get access to more and higher-paying jobs.

Clickworker pays PayPal cash weekly or monthly, making it easy to earn quick cash when needed.

6. Fetch Rewards

If you love shopping online and in-person, get rewarded for your receipts. Fetch Rewards pays you to upload your receipts to any store, but they also pay bonuses for certain purchases. You won’t earn cash, but you can turn your rewards in for gift cards to your favorite stores.

If you choose stores like Target or Walmart, you can use the gift cards to make your everyday purchases, and it’s like cash in your pocket. It takes 3,000 points to earn a $3 reward, which is the minimum to cash out.

You can also earn rewards for redeeming special offers, referring friends, buying popular brands, and linking your Amazon account to earn points for your online purchases.

7. MyPoints

MyPoints is another cashback site that pays you to shop online and take surveys. When you shop through MyPoints, you can search for coupon codes and deals at your favorite stores, plus earn points for your purchases.

MyPoints also pays points for you to answer surveys from some of the country’s largest stores and brands. Then, when you’re ready to cash out, you can choose gift cards to your favorite stores or PayPal money.

MyPoints pays you $10 when you sign up, and with a few purchases of everyday items, you’ll be well on your way to earning 40 dollars fast.

8. Uber

If you don’t mind driving, you can make money driving for Uber. You choose your schedule and even which rides you want to accept. Uber pays a base fee for each ride, and you keep 100% of the customer tips. They also run promotions at certain times. So if you meet the requirements, you can earn extra money.

On average, Uber drivers earn $15 to $22 an hour, which means you’d only have to work a few hours to earn 40 dollars.

Uber pays out weekly, so you can have your money fast, and if you live in a market where they offer Instant Pay, you can cash out as often as five times a day for a fee.

It’s easy to sign up for Uber. First, download the app and provide some basic information about yourself and the car you’ll drive. You’ll also provide your driver’s license number and other information so they can run a background check on you.

Once approved, you can open the app and click ‘Go.’ You’ll be matched with a rider and have the option to accept or decline the request. You’ll know everything about the trip, including the amount you’d earn. Once you complete the trip, the earnings immediately go into your account.

9. Sell on Popular Apps and Websites

You can make money selling stuff on popular sites like eBay, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace. First, look around your home and find items you no longer use that are in good condition, such as household goods, clothes, toys, and sporting goods. Then, do a quick search to see if anyone else has something similar listed to check out their pricing or how much money items sold for in the past.

Ebay

eBay is good for antiques, household items, hard-to-find products, electronics, and sports memorabilia. You can set up a fixed-price listing or an auction. An auction-style listing may make you even more money if you have a popular item because its popularity will increase the price.

Poshmark

Poshmark is good for designer clothes and accessories. You can set up a ‘closet’ and sell your items for the prices you set. Buyers can negotiate with you, but you aren’t required to accept the offers.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is good for larger items you wouldn’t sell online because they are too hard to ship, but you can also sell smaller items if you’re willing to ship. In addition, it’s free to list and sell on Facebook, which is another nice feature since eBay takes a portion of your sale.

10. Ibotta

iBotta was one of the first cashback grocery apps, paying you to shop for food and household goods. Today you can earn cash rewards for grocery shopping, travel, and online shopping.

Ibotta pays as much as 30% of your purchase at online stores and offers special deals for grocery purchases too. Once you download the app and activate your offers, you’re on your way to earning money.

Currently, Ibotta has an offer for new members to earn $5 when you spend $15, making it easy to earn $40 fast.

11. Rocket Money (formerly Truebill)

Truebill, now Rocket Money, helps you save more and spend less. With 3.4 million members and a 4.5-star rating, it’s easy to convince yourself to use the app to save money.

First, Rocket Money helps you cancel any unwanted subscriptions. It finds the subscriptions linked to your financial accounts and asks for approval to cancel them. This can put more money in your pocket immediately.

It also helps you stay on top of your spending, alerting you of any serious situations, such as you’re about to go over your limit or you spent more money on certain items. Rocket Money also negotiates certain bills to get you the best rates, creates a budget for you, and tracks your credit score.

Finally, Truebill, now known as Rocket Money, will get familiar with your spending habits and find money you can save, putting your savings on autopilot. Before you know it, you’ll have more than 40 dollars saved for those unexpected times.

12. Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit is a great way to earn money doing side jobs. Taskrabbit is available in 60 cities, allowing you to advertise your services or what you’re willing to do to make money. You set your own rates, but subscribers can also tip you, increasing your earnings.

To use Taskrabbit, you must be at least 18 years old, have a checking account, and pass a background check. If approved, you’ll write a ‘pitch’ that explains why buyers should hire you for the job. Since buyers can rate and review you on the app, make sure you only choose tasks you know you’ll perform well.

The tasks you can do on Taskrabbit are endless, but here are some of the common jobs:

  • Run errands
  • Do handy work
  • Assemble furniture
  • Clean houses
  • Do yardwork
  • Wait in line, on the phone, or at the person’s home for a delivery

The possibilities are endless. You list what you would do and create a listing that attracts Taskrabbit customers to it. Taskrabbit will keep a small percentage of the amount you earn in exchange for using the app.

13. Trim

If you know you should negotiate your utility, cable, and phone bills but don’t have time, Trim can do it for you. While this isn’t one of the traditional money-making apps, it does make you money by lowering your bills.

Trim saves customers an average of $620 a year, making it easy to earn your 40 dollars fast. Besides negotiating your most common bills, Trim checks for unwanted subscriptions, negotiates medical bills, and analyzes your spending habits to see what small changes you can make to save money.

One of their best services is negotiating the APR on your credit and bank account cards. They also help lower any financial fees you pay.

This free app helps you save money, just like money-making apps but without the work. Instead, you sit back while Trim does all the work.

14. Gaming Apps

If you love playing games, consider gaming apps that pay you to play. You won’t earn much money, but every bit adds up to help you reach $40.

We like to think of gaming apps as earning free money since you don’t have to do anything except play games in your free time.

Featured Games for Cash

Bubble Cash Logo

Bubble Cash

A bubble shooter game for iOS that lets you compete in real money tournaments.

Solitaire Cash logo

Solitaire Cash

Earn real money by playing games, including daily bonuses and rewards.

Solitaire Smash logo

Solitaire Smash

The faster you can clear the board, the higher your score and more cash you can earn.

15. Survey Apps

The highest-paying survey sites pay you to answer surveys about your favorite stores and brands. Complete a profile on the highest-paying survey sites with as many details as possible. The more detailed your profile is, the more surveys they can match you to, helping you earn money.

Most online surveys have a screener. If you don’t meet the requirements after taking the screener, you usually earn a little money (a dollar or two), which again can add up to help you reach your goal of earning real cash prizes.

Some of the best survey sites include Survey Junkie, InboxDollars, and Branded Surveys. Signing up for multiple survey sites increases your chances of qualifying for surveys. For example, if you take a few a day, you could reach your $40 quickly.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a market research company that lets you take surveys in exchange for cash. You can sign up for free, and then start taking surveys to earn money. You can also sign up for Survey Junkie’s partner program, which lets you earn even more money by taking surveys and referring friends. The more friends you refer, the more money you can make.

Inbox Dollars

InboxDollars is a company that pays people to read emails and take surveys. They also offer opportunities to earn cash by playing games and shopping online. Once you create an account, you’ll need to confirm your email address. After that, you can start completing activities to earn cash. Most of the tasks on InboxDollars are worth a few cents, but they can add up quickly if you complete a lot of them. There is no minimum cash-out amount, so you can cash out your earnings at any time.

Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is an online market research panel where members can earn rewards for taking online surveys, referring friends, completing profile surveys, and participating in focus groups and product testing opportunities.

To join, simply sign up with your email address or connect your Facebook account. Once you’re signed up, you’ll start receiving survey invitations in your email inbox. Just click on the link in the email to complete the survey.

Most surveys take about 15 minutes to complete, and you’ll typically earn between 50 and 500 points per survey. 100 points are equivalent to $1. You can redeem your earnings for cash or gift cards, and payments are made through PayPal, Branded Pay, or gift cards. You can also donate your earnings to charity.

FAQs

Can anyone learn how to make $40 online?

It’s easy to learn how to make money online. You don’t need special skills for tasks like taking online surveys or participating in paid-to-play games. You can also sign up for sites that lower your bills like Trim, start a side gig on Taskrabbit or drive for Uber. The possibilities are endless if you’re resourceful and try a few avenues.

Are there apps that can let users borrow $40 cash quickly?

If you want to avoid taking out online personal loans to make ends meet, cash advance apps allow you to borrow a little money in between your paydays. Apps like Earnin work when you’re in a pinch and need money fast, but don’t make a habit out of using them. Instead, learn how to make 40 dollars fast, so you have the extra money when you need it.

Is it possible to earn 40 dollars fast without doing any work?

It’s possible to earn money fast without doing any work. Initially, you must sign up for apps like Trim or Truebill. Once you sign up, they do the hard work for you, negotiating your bills, monitoring your spending, and offering solutions to help you earn and save more.

How do I tell if a side hustle is not legit?

While you can find many opportunities online, not all of them are legitimate.

Here are a few things to look out for that may indicate a side hustle is not on the up-and-up: the pay is too good to be true, you’re asked to pay upfront for something, the company is vague about what you’ll be doing, and/or you’re asked for personal information before you’ve even applied.

Legitimate companies will usually wait until after you’ve applied to request personal information. Keep these warning signs in mind when choosing your next side-hustle.

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