There are many ways to make money online these days, from writing, to virtual assisting, web testing, selling things on eBay or Craigslist, and more. But one of the easiest ways college students can make money requires little effort, doing something they already do: searching the Internet.
So how can you make money searching the Internet?
Enter Swagbucks and Qmee. Both are online search engines that offer monetary rewards for using their site. Below, find more information about the sites, as well as pros and cons of using each.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a site that rewards you with points called SB for doing various online tasks like taking surveys, watching videos, and using their search engine. When using their search engine, you get SB points after several searches, usually in the amount of 10 to 15 SB. You can start cashing out SB at the 500-points mark.
As a freelance writer, I search a lot of things, like most college students. I am checking spelling, researching articles, looking up sources, etc. By searching every day and taking their daily poll every day, I have amassed 536 SB in two weeks — or enough for a $5 gift card, for things like Starbucks or Amazon. But you can also earn cold, hard cash, and get $25 via PayPal for 2,500 SB. Personally, I’m saving up for the cash.
At this point, I have not changed anything I normally do, just the means by which I do it. In addition to searches, polls, surveys, and videos, you can also earn bonus SB by looking out for Swag Codes, which typically are worth between one and five SB. Swag Codes are generally posted on their social media sites and are valid for a specific time frame, usually a few hours. It’s an easy way to score some bonus SB points!
Swagbucks has successfully gamified searching the Internet, and it can be quite fun — and will earn you some swag, or cold, hard cash. Plus, if you sign up for Swagbucks through this link, you can earn a $5 bonus just for signing up!
Qmee
For those that simply want to search and make online cash, and forego the polls and “swag,” you can try Qmee. Qmee differs from Swagbucks in that Swagbucks is run with a Yahoo! search engine, whereas Qmee can work with all search engines, like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.
After downloading Qmee, you can search for things as you normally would. In their words, “Qmee results appear alongside your search. Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached. If you are interested in the result, click on it and collect your reward. We only show results we think are relevant.”
I just started using it, but it seems like most ads give you 5 to 12 cents, and have been relevant to what I’m looking for. However, not every search results in a Qmee ad, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a Qmee ad after every search.
After accruing money, you can choose to cash out your money through PayPal or donate it to a charity.
Final Thoughts
Using these sites won’t make you get rich quickly, but everything adds up! Both sites are completely free to use and help you make some money while doing something you would do anyway.
If you want more money-making ideas, check out our list of the 10 best money-making apps and see what you can earn on your phone!
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