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15 smart passive income apps ideas

It should be acknowledged from the start, that nowadays numerous people are not satisfied working 5 to 9 every day, but the job is an important factor due to the money you earn. Although a regular job is the main source of income, still there is a wide range of alternatives that can be used to collect savings for a long-awaited holiday or purchase.

Passive income is money earned with minimal activity through a variety of ventures which require little daily effort. Whether it be writing a blog or creating video blog with many affiliate links, copywriting, or renting real estate, not all traditional passive income forms are totally passive. However, mobile applications tend to be the most passive option, because some are used in the background, while others require a little daily effort as taking a picture, scan code or fill surveys. As people use their mobile phones almost 24/7, I would like to review 15 smart passive income apps ideas which suggest the best possible ways to earn extra monthly income with your smartphone.

1. Ibotta

The Ibotta app allows you to earn cashback on a number of purchases — from groceries at supermarkets to eBay purchases and Uber rides. It is a cash-back app that lets you earn by taking a picture of your receipt or shop through the app. This passive income mobile app also works at over 350 online retailers and allows you to earn up to 10% cashback on your purchases. As soon as you collect $20 in earnings, you can cash out via PayPal, Venmo, or a gift card from your favorite store.

2. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is an app that rewards you with gift cards and coupons through online shopping, watching videos, playing games, browsing, surveys, etc. It is one of the most popular applications for making passive income and has also been featured on BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, and the ABC Network. Also, you have the option to choose what kind of gift card you want — whether from Amazon, Flipkart, Walmart, etc. What makes this app very intriguing is that there is something special for each month for occasions like Christmas, Halloween, etc.

3. Honeygain

Honeygain is another legit app for earning extra income with no effort. It allows you to reach your unused internet’s full potential by making your device a gateway. Data scientists use Honeygain’s platform to connect to the Internet and Honeygain manages all these connections with strict safeguards to protect all these connections. They pay you at a rate of $1.00 / 10 GB of internet. The first thing you will notice, some nights they may use a lot of your internet, other nights they may not use much. It is based on demand. They payout via Paypal and you may earn around $40–50 per month (also, they have a coupon code “secret5” for new users to get a $5 bonus).

4. Paribus

The Paribus helps to get money back on online purchases when prices drop at one of nearly 30 popular retailers as Walmart, Costco, etc. Paribus requires zero effort beyond the initial sign-up and connecting your credit card accounts. Once Paribus is installed, it will look for store receipts in your email inbox and discover if you are owed any refunds from those stores. If there are any price changes you are entitled to, Paribus will notify you and assist in getting your money back to your credit card.

5. Smart Panel

Smart Panel is a passive income app to gather data about consumer behavior on the Internet. It can be installed on any device from tablet to smartphones and will allow to add up money for every month you keep the app running. The main idea consists of collecting service usage and information about what is done on the Internet, which pages are being visited, which ads are being watched. Gathered data is used for product and service companies, as it can help them improve their business. The potential earnings are $120 per year.

6. Shopkick

Shopkick is a free mobile app that provides an opportunity to earn for shopping. With this passive income app, you can earn gift cards to your favorite stores just for walking into stores or scanning specific goods. The points you earn are called kicks and it can be cashed as gift cards. The gift card selection is wide including Toys R Us, Sephora, Target and other major retailers. It takes 250 kicks to earn $1 in gift cards, and it takes 1,250 points to redeem your cards for a $5 gift card.

7. Acorns

Acorns is another legit app which is about investing in a passive way. You simply relate your credit card with your Acorns account, so each time you spend money on the card will automatically round your purchase up to the nearest dollar. The difference between your actual purchase price and the amount spent on your card will be deposited into your account. Acorns make investing simple by using your spare change to invest in the stock market. For example, if you buy yogurt for $2.01, the app will invest the remaining $0.99 for you. Once you connect an approved account to the Acorns app, you can invest money each time you make a purchase.

8. MobileXpression

MobileXpression is a market research panel which will monitor your behavior to see the latest trends and get information when you use your mobile for surfing the Internet. You will need to download the app and install software that will monitor your Internet activity on the mobile device. The data collected gives the company an understanding of how you use the Internet. It is a great way to earn $5/month without any work. It is a phone farming application that can run in the background. Once you install it, you receive a $5 Amazon gift card after 1 week of running the app in the background of your smartphone. Other rewards you can receive are vouchers from Starbucks and etc.

9. Savvyconnect

SavvyConnect is based on the survey site SurveySavvy. They collect information about what you shop for online, the app you use, and your free time activities are. You can earn about $5 or $60 per year for each month you have SavvyConnect installed. SavvyConnect allows users to have the app in a maximum of three devices that include desktop, mobile, and tablet. Together, users can receive an estimated earning of $180 per year. You can also earn more every time you refer a friend. Each time your referral completes a project, you can earn a bonus of anywhere from $5 to $15. Users even gain access to high-paying surveys which are sent to your inbox.

10. Sweatcoin

Sweatcoin is an app that pays you to walk. Once you install the app, you can start walking. You will need to let the app run in the background, and allow it to count your steps. Every time you walk outside, Sweatcoin will register how many steps you take and will reward you every 1,000 steps. The app lets you earn or points based on the number of steps you take in a day, which you can then use to buy a limited number of specific goods that includes over 160 brands to choose from restaurant vouchers, holiday vouchers, workout clothes, jewelry, shaving products…

11. Gigwalk

Gigwalk is a mobile app that helps you earn money by completing “gigs,” which are posted by businesses that need very specific services to be made. For instance, you may be required to take a picture of a product only available at a certain store, or you may need to visit a local coffee shop and give back detailed feedback regarding the coffee, service, etc. While each Gigwalk gig is different, most pay between $4 and $12, though there are occasionally some gigs that pay up to $50.

12. Panel App

The Panel app is a loyalty program that allows you to earn points, which you can exchange for different rewards. You do not really need to do much, just install the app. As soon as it is installed, you just need to turn on your location together with an Internet connection and the app will start doing its job. Essentially, gathered data is used to provide third parties with valuable insights. Your phone must be connected to the Internet and GPS must be on that app could be working.

13. Instant Gift Cards

Instant Gift Cards is an easy and fun rewards site where you can earn free instant rewards for doing things you are already doing online. InstaGC gives you money for visiting websites, doing tasks, watching videos and lets you cash out whenever you want. It has a reputation for being one of the easiest money-making sites with “one of the lowest payout minimums.” Complete surveys, watch videos, shop, and you will be able to earn gift cards. 100 points get you $1. The points can be redeemed for instant online gift cards and cash. They have free gift cards for all the usual suspect stores such as Walmart, Amazon, Apple and a lot more.

14. Billsboard

Billsboard is an app that pays you simply for unlocking your phone. You do not need to click anything, download an extra application or watch annoying ads. If you unlock your phone several times per day, you will be paid for that. When you download the app, you customize your lock screen to suit your preferences. Customization options are sleek and user-friendly. Developers are very honest about the app and how it works so there is no doubt about its safety. Moreover, there are three great Billboard payment options — PayPal cash, gift cards, or point transfers. You can earn about $25–30 per month.

15. Survey junkie

With online surveys websites, you can make quick money for passively sharing your opinion and trying new products. It is 100% legit and simple: companies pay you in cash via PayPal so they could understand consumers better and survey takers can benefit. Expect to make between $1 and $20 per survey, it varies but most surveys take under 5 minutes to complete. Knowing that companies are using your opinions to make decisions about restaurants, consumer products, movies and a lot more is satisfying. They also have plenty of high paying surveys to choose from, so there is not much to lose.
Taking everything into consideration, it should be emphasized that the present passive income market is orientated to mobile phones. As mobile phones are frequently used, why not to take advantage of it and convert your scrolling or daily routine shopping to extra money. These ideas will not double your monthly salary, but it might be a great option to add extra dollars to your bank account

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