Remember coupons?

Believed to be the first coupon ever, this ticket for a free glass of Coca-Cola was first distributed in 1888 to help promote the drink. By 1913, the company had redeemed 8.5 million tickets.

Atlanta businessman Asa Candler created the first coupon in 1887 to promote Coke Nowadays, the physical, old-school coupon is long-gone. It’s since been effectively replaced by apps that help you earn cash back while you shop for groceries and other items. You could say that there’s been a coupon d’etat.

    1. Zap Surveys

If Zap Surveys could talk, it would probably say something like, “Hi, I partner with brand research companies. They keep asking me for your opinion on stuff like food and clothes… and it turns out I have your opinion thank to the surveys I wrote for you to take.” You either nod thoughtfully and move on or take a second to download Zap Surveys on your phone in the middle of the party where this hypothetical personified Zap Surveys just gave you the lowdown.

Out of all the apps in this list, Zap Surveys gives you the biggest reward for your first survey!

HOW IT WORKS

Zap Surveys lets you make money by answering surveys. Simple enough.

PROS

• When you finish your first survey, you’ll make $6.25.

• Integrated product scanner.

CONS

• The app will not allow you to take photos of your receipts.
  

   2. Postmates

Similar to DoorDash, Postmates is a major player in the food delivery business. Plus, they have an affiliation with Dallas, TX singer Post Malone. When you sign up to deliver food for Postmates, you become a Postmate. While this doesn’t mean you and Post Malone moved to London and you became his mate, friend, pal, or buddy.

It does mean that you have quite the chance to make good money on the hour every hour when you’re helping people satisfy that rumbling in your stomach. You get exposed to food you may have never tried before, too. It’s like having food critics work for you and expand your ever increasing knowledge of local restaurants wherever you are. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert to the food and drink in your city or town… as soon as you stop counting all that money you make as a Postmate.

HOW IT WORKS

You get a order notification on your mobile device. GPS is used by the company to match demand and supply in the shortest possible time. Once you deliver the ordered item(s), you record so within the app!

 PROS

• You are paid 80 percent of the delivery fee.

• You are paid weekly.

CONS

• It can be difficult to locate customers.

  3. Instacart

Just like Instagram, Instacart runs with the insta-noun model. Another portmanteau. The app was founded so that rich people never have to do their own grocery shopping again. Until you’re rich enough to have your own Instacarter, this is an excellent side hustle to get your racks up. Plus, grocery stores are wonderful, well-lit, bright, happy places. Just don’t go in there hungry! You’re just asking for trouble at that point!

HOW IT WORKS

Instacart allows customers to shop at local grocery stores via a mobile app or their website, creating a virtual shopping cart that is later fulfilled by a “personal shopper” on a designated day. Normally, Instacart offers same-day delivery within a five-hour window for customers who need groceries sooner rather than later. Shoppers can head to the store of your choice and later deliver the order all in one day using their own car — or you can also plan an order in advance for delivery on a different day. Since Instacart doesn’t sell any groceries itself, your shopper will notify you in the app if something you’ve purchased is out of stock or unavailable, and will work with you to find a suitable replacement. Full-service shoppers’ pay depends on the order. Instacart provides an estimate of potential earnings for every order and guarantees shoppers will earn at least $5 for each delivery-only order and $7 to $10 for each full-service (shop and deliver) order.

PROS

• You can decide which orders to accept.

CONS

• Parking can be tricky in city streets unfamiliar to you.

  4. DoorDash

You deliver food to hungry people! You feel good about yourself for looking after the hunger of paying strangers who happily fork over their hard-earned money for the convenience of food delivered directly to them. With the decline of dine-in restaurants, this is an excellent time to get started making money with DoorDash!

HOW IT WORKS

Ah, delivery. This delivery app, while second to Postmates, is a great option. The app pays its drivers, known as Dashers, a minimum amount per order. They guarantee that a Dasher will earn at least $1 no matter what, a number calculated based on the size of the order. PLUS 100% of the tips. 

PROS 

• You can select which meals you want to deliver.

CONS

• Not everybody tips well!

5. Earnin

We’re no old frontier poets, but we reckon you’re yearnin’ for an earnin’. If that’s not the slogan of Earnin, formerly called Activehours, an app that lets you draw small amounts of your earned wages before payday, it should be. The dinosaur that is a payday loan takes the backseat here to an iOS app that’s digitized the loan in a way never before seen.

HOW IT WORKS

Basically, Earnin works on a pay-as-you-can model and is available for Android and iOS devices. You make a withdrawal of up to $100 per day based on the hours you actually worked. Then you pay a “tip” on top of the withdrawal–usually just a few bucks or up to about $15. That’s a steal compared to the fees and interest you’ll be charged on a traditional payday loan.

The catch is that you can only use Earnin if you’re a salaried, hourly, or on-demand employee. Freelancers, remote workers, and those with several jobs won’t find what they need here. You also have to receive your paycheck via direct deposit to use Earnin.

Earnin has to be able to track the hours you work. For hourly workers, you can upload a photo of your daily timesheet or connect the app to your company’s online timesheet system. If you’re salaried, you can turn on location tracking so that Earnin can verify you went to work that day. If you’re an on-demand worker, you can upload photos of your task receipts, or the app automatically uploads Uber ride receipts if you’re a driver.

When you need money, Earnin verifies the number of hours you’ve worked for that paycheck. You’ll get the money the next day if you request on a weekday or the second business day if you request on a weekend. A few banks even support immediate fulfillment from Earnin deposits.

On payday, Earnin deducts the amount from your paycheck. You can also add a tip, typically between $0 and $14, to that withdrawal.

PROS

• There is no ongoing interest and fees.

CONS

• You can only use Earnin if you’re a salaried, hourly employee.
  

  6. Ibotta

Ibotta slices up the English language like fruit to sound like the three words “I bought a.” While it pains this writer to bear witness to such surgery upon the English language for the sake of e-commerce, the economic relief provided by the Denver, CO-based app soothes even the most painful  What’s so sad about I Bought A? Oh, well. Yes, when you download Ibotta, “you bought a…” item. Got 2:36? Watch this recap of the 2019 3rd annual MIS, or Mobile Innovation Summit, presented by Ibotta.

HOW IT WORKS

Ibotta gives users different ways to earn cash back. When you complete at least one task per product offer, the product is automatically added to your “Checklist” on the Ibotta app so you can earn money for purchasing the item.

PROS

• Ibotta is a reliable, trustworthy billion dollar company.

CONS

• You can’t transfer Ibotta balances between Ibotta accounts. Online purchase rebates and discounts are only available for purchases made through the Ibotta app.

  7. Swagbucks

Swag = Something We All Get. Bucks = Deer. Swagbucks = Free money Swagbucks has long been one of the best apps out there in its field. The name itself is a catchy portmanteau, or a linguistic blend of words, in which parts of multiple words or their phonemes are combined into a new word for all you guys who didn’t pay attention in English class.

HOW IT WORKS

Swagbucks allows you to collect virtual currency. Just as USD stands for United States Dollars, SB stands for Swag Bucks. For every survey you take, you will earn SB currency. Once you’ve generated income for yourself, head on over to the Rewards section where you can purchase PayPal credit and similar gifts.

PROS 

• Many reward options.

• Beneficial cash back options.

• The site is easy to use.

• In-store cashback.

• Many ways to earn and increase points.

• The browser extension.

CONS

• A few offers require a substantial amount of work to earn points.

• The platform pays out very small amounts for tasks completed making it hard to earn a substantial income.

• There are also occasional long waits to get paid.

8. Cash for Steps

Mike Posner once walked across the entire United States of America. Our accounting department is hard at work calculating how much money the “I Took A Pill in Ibiza” singer would have made to put on a cherry on top of the hit song’s royalties, but until then, let’s just suffice to say he would have made enough to never walk again. We’re not asking you to download the free Cash for Steps app and walk across the country, but we’re not not asking you to download the free Cash for Steps app and get to walking – anywhere. It’s in your own best interest.

HOW IT WORKS

The Cash for Steps app uses the pre-installed Health app to receive your latest fitness activity (Steps and Walking + Running Distance) and display it in the app. By using the Health app, Cash for Steps can also receive and sync fitness activity from your Apple Watch. So, get outside and start walking. Walk for exercise, for destination, whatever. Every day the app’s system will select 20 random users within the day before’s top 200 and they will get $1 each. From that point, you can reach “achievements”. For every achievement you reach with 5 stars, you’ll get $1. You can withdraw money with PayPal or Amazon gift cards.

PROS

• Timely return.

• Realistic earning.

CONS

• There is no reward system in place for people who are constantly top 50.
  

9. Dabbl

To dabble in something gets a bad rap. The very word dabble implies the existence of a hobby or a pastime, like knitting a blanket, doing the Sudoku, or throwing the red-striped white baseball around in the backyard with your dad. You can dabble in all those activities but you won’t win an award or make lots of money from dabbling. All that’s changed now thanks to Dabbl. Making money might just be the best and only thing worth dabbl-ing in.

HOW IT WORKS

All you’re really doing on Dabbl is viewing ads, rating them, and taking surveys. You can also answer trivia and engage in interactive gameplay that’ll make time fly by. As you accumulate earnings in the app, they are tracked and displayed at the top of your main Dabbl Feed, as well as in your profile information on the Earnings screen. To find the Earnings screen, simply tap on the earnings meter at the top of the Dabbl Feed screen.

PROS

• Efficient user experience and navigation if you don’t have all the time in the world to sit around on Dabbl.

• Savings, savings, savings… discounts galore. Customer service is quick to respond to email inquiries.

CONS

• Dabbl gives users limited earning options to perform each time the app is opened.

10. Drop

You’ll never think about pop culture proverb “shop ‘til you drop” the same way again. Shop while you Drop! Navigate on over to Toronto, Canada, ON-based Drop for some good old fashioned economically diplomatic bipartisanship. Start off by putting in your phone number when prompted. You’ll get a text to download the app. They need your card number. Don’t trip, fam. They use 256-bit encryption which is about as safe as breathing in clean air. Drop’s UX is through the roof. The app’s free to download to Canadians and Americans. Our best advice? Find a brand you dig and stick to it like first-team all defense Tony Allen on Klay Thompson.

Canada’s not that bad after all, eh?

HOW IT WORKS

Drop lets you earn in-app points by linking your debit card to it. This way, you can completely forget about your card. Once you earn 5,000 points at a minimum, you can begin exchanging them for gift cards at various retailers. For example, if you have 40,000 points, you can turn that in for a $40 Amazon gift card.

PROS

• Once your card is linked to the account, you are free to go about your business. Drop earns you points in the background.

CONS

• You have to earn at least 5,000 points before you can exchange the points for gift cards. You’ll have to wait a few weeks to earn big bonuses.