Are you looking to make a little extra money on the side? Maybe it’s time to think outside the box. There are several legit ways you can make money online from home in the UK – some are obvious and some are a little more out there. Check out these 10 unique side hustles.
Complete surveys
Companies are willing to pay for feedback and market research information from real people like you. Surveys are available from several legit sites, and it’s free to create an account and start completing surveys online or via a mobile app.
How much can you earn: Between around £0.25 and £5 per survey.
How to get started: Go to sites like FreecashSwagbucks, Ipsos iSay or UserTesting and create an account profile.
Tips to succeed
Sign up to multiple sites. Create accounts on multiple paid survey sites to maximise your money-making opportunities.
Download apps. Most survey platforms offer their own mobile apps that make it easy to answer surveys on the go whenever you have a few minutes of spare time.
Take care with your responses. Take the time to provide detailed and honest answers to survey questions. If you try to rush through a survey or provide inaccurate answers, your responses will be rejected, and you’ll miss out on your reward.
Play games online
You can get paid for playing online and mobile games and earn rewards for completing specific in-game tasks.
How much can you earn: It varies depending on the game and any specific tasks you have to complete, but you could earn between £5 and £25 per game.
How to get started: Create an account on sites like Freecash, Swagbucks, PlaytestCloud, UserTesting and BetaFamily, then find games you like to play.
Tips to succeed
Choose the right game. Gaming is meant to be fun, so you might as well shop around to find a game you actually enjoy playing.
Devote time. Set aside time each day to devote to playing games. Making it part of your regular routine will help boost your earning power.
Share your internet
If you’re not using all of your home or mobile internet bandwidth, you can share it with other people to earn money.
How much can you earn: Approximately £1 to £3 per 10GB of interest you share with a site like Honeygain.
How to get started: Create an account on sites like Honeygain or Pawns.app to start sharing your bandwidth.
Tips to succeed
Use multiple devices. Share data from multiple devices and plans to maximise your earning power.
Shop around. Compare internet sharing apps and platforms to find those that offer the highest payouts.
Refer friends. Refer friends to different platforms to earn a commission when they sign up and start sharing their internet.
Help train AI
You can get paid to train AI chatbots by interacting with them, completing specific writing and editing tasks and, in some cases, coding. While you don’t need any specific experience, you’ll need to be a strong writer, researcher and critical thinker.
How much can you earn: US$20+ (£14.75) per hour.
How to get started: Create an account with DataAnnotation and complete the Starter Assessment to find out if you qualify.
Tips to succeed
Check the instructions. Read the instructions for each job carefully so you know exactly what you’re required to do.
Provide detailed feedback. Take the time to provide detailed and concise feedback for each job – this will help you earn future work.
Share your browsing data
If you give permission to a mobile app or browser extension to track your web browsing history, you can get paid to share the details of the sites you visit and the other apps you have open on your phone. This information is then used by market research companies.
How much can you earn: It varies between £1 per month and up to £30 per month.
How to get started: See if entries are open for something like the Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel. If not, check out a platform like MobileXpression.
Tips to succeed
Follow instructions. Make sure you follow any download and installation instructions closely to ensure the app or extension is reliably tracking your data.
Compare platforms. Keep in mind that you’ll only be able to run one tracking app at a time for it to work properly, so make sure that you shop around to find a provider that pays the highest rewards.
Go shopping
Some market research panels will pay you for sharing your receipts when you go shopping or scanning and uploading the barcodes of products you buy. Or you can become a mystery shopper.
How much can you earn: It can vary, but between £3 and £15 per task.
How to get started: Sign up to a platform like Market Force or iShopFor Ipsos.
Tips to succeed
Follow the instructions. Read the task carefully before and during, as missing small details can void your pay.
Submit clear, detailed reports. Include all required receipts, photos and timestamps.
Participate in medical research
You can earn a surprising amount of money if you’re willing to participate in medical research trials, for example, to trial a new drug. Obviously, there are risks to be aware of though.
How much can you earn: Earnings can vary greatly, ranging from a few hundred pounds to several thousands.
How to get started: Search for trials on the websites of legitimate pharmaceutical companies and universities.
Tips to succeed
Do your research. Research trial providers beforehand and make sure you only apply for trials run by legitimate organisations.
Check your eligibility criteria. Medical research trials typically come with strict eligibility requirements, so make sure you meet them before you apply.
Rent out your home for parties, meetings and film/photo shoots
Most people will know that you can rent out your home for travellers on Airbnb, but did you know you can also rent out your home for private parties, film shoots or photoshoots? Success will depend on where you live and how unique your property is.
How much can you earn: This will vary depending on where you live and what type of shoot it is. For example, you could earn between £300 and £1,200 per day for a photo shoot.
How to get started: Create an account on sites like Giggster or Peerspace and list your home for rent.
Tips to succeed.
List of multiple platforms. List your property on multiple platforms to maximise your chances of securing bookings.
Be flexible with dates. The more available your property is, the easier it is to secure a booking.
Pitch your pricing. Research what similar properties are listed for in your area before deciding on a suitable hourly rate for your home.
Talk to people
On sites like Cambly, you can get paid to simply chat with people from all around the world to help them learn English. You don’t need a teaching certificate or a bachelor’s degree; you just need to be a native English speaker who is at least 18 years old with a strong internet connection.
How much can you earn: You can earn US$0.17 per min or US$10.20/hour (£7.52 per hour) for Cambly and US$0.20 per min or US$12 per hour (£8.84 per hour) for Cambly Kids.
How to get started: Create an account with Cambly and offer your tutoring services.
Tips to succeed
Get used to talking. You’ll need to be friendly and approachable to succeed as a tutor.
Set student goals. Contact your student ahead of time to see what they want to learn and if there are any particular areas they want to work on.
Get paid to listen to music
Platforms like SliceThePie will pay you to review music, as well as videos, games and fashion products. You can get paid in real money via PayPal or Revolut, or choose from select gift cards.
How much can you earn: This depends on your Star Rating and the quality of your review. The better your review, the bigger the bonus payment. Typically, you can earn around £0.80 to £1.60 an hour.
How to get started: Register and select a category to review.
Tips to succeed
Write comprehensive reviews. Submitting detailed, varied and constructive reviews in well-written English will improve your Star Rating and your earning potential.
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Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run.
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