71 Legit Ways to Make $500 Fast (Day, Week, Month...)

Looking to make $500 fast?

Many of us are. Some of us want extra cash to supplement our regular income or to put towards a vacation or big-ticket purchase.

Lots of us want extra cash to put into our savings as well.

Most Americans lack savings. According to a recent survey, almost 70% Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings account. Amazingly, 45% of Americans have no savings at all!

I’ll level with you here, saving money can be hard especially when you don’t have much leftover after bills and expenses each month.

According to reports though, having just $250 to $700 in your savings account could help you to avoid eviction, stop you from missing house payments, and help you to avoid other financial problems.

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If you’re looking to save money, bringing in extra cash is a great option.

Thankfully, as I mentioned in our other related posts like the one about making $20 right now or the one about making $200 a month, there are many options out there.

In today’s post, I’ll tell you how to make $500 fast whether fast for you means, a day, few days, week, month or another timeline.

This $500 could go into your savings fund and cover emergencies. Or you could use it to pay bills or to purchase something. Whatever the case, here are some of the best ways to earn $500 quickly!

Table of Contents

Online Gigs to Make $500 Quickly

Let’s start out with online gigs. If you are wondering how to make $500 a week from home, then online work is for you. With these jobs and sites, you can get paid to work from home. Most online gigs are freelance based, meaning you can pick up as much or as little work as you want to.

If you want to know how to make 500 dollars fast, then definitely consider these jobs…

1. Freelance writing

Earn up to $58 an hour

Since freelance writers can earn up to $58 an hour, you could make $500 in less than a week.

Freelance writers create content for clients like blog posts, articles, and books.

Here are some writing websites that pay:

You can also use sites like UpWork and PeoplePerHour to find private clients.

2. Online tutoring

Earn up to $25 an hour

Consider tutoring students online. You could earn up to $25 an hour which means you could earn $500 in two weeks or even less!

Here’s where you can find work:

Pay varies from site to site. For example, Skooli pays you up to $25 an hour. The average hourly pay for online tutors is $19 an hour, but, according to income reports, the pay can be anywhere from $15 to $20 an hour. Lots of these sites pay fast too. With TutorMe, for example, you get paid each week.

3. Proofreading and editing

Earn up to $30 an hour as a proofreader and $60 an hour as an editor.

If you have an eye for typos, consider working as an editor or proofreader. You’ll be responsible for checking work like blog posts and novels for things like typos, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes. Editors may also check work for structural elements too.

Here’s where you can find work:

Pay can vary from $12 to $30 an hour for proofreading with the average income being $18 an hour. Pay for editors varies from $9 to $60 an hour with the average pay being $25 an hour.

For a list of places that offer proofreading jobs, and advice on how to get started with this career, make sure you check out my proofreading jobs list.

4. Virtual assistant

Earn up to $27 an hour

Virtual assistants help people with lots of different tasks, such as:

Scheduling appointments
Organizing meetings
Making phone calls
Bookkeeping
Transcription
Organizing travel arrangements
Researching content
Project management
Social media management
Other admin and organizational tasks

Virtual assistants make about $16 an hour on average with income ranging anywhere from $10 to $27 an hour. If you earn $16 an hour, it would only take about 30 hours to make $500. This means that if you work as a virtual assistant fulltime, then you could earn $500 in just one week! And if you earn $27 an hour, you’ll make $500 in less than 19 hours!

For tips on how to get started and a list of virtual assistant jobs, make sure that you read my post on how to become a virtual assistant.

5. Transcriptionist

Earn up to $28 an hour

Transcriptionists listen to audio and type or “transcribe” what they hear, and then they deliver the document to the client they’re working with.

You can do this gig right from home. Since you can earn up to $28 an hour, you could make $500 in less than a month depending on how often you work, of course.

The average hourly wage for transcriptionists is $15 an hour, but pay can vary anywhere from $10 to $28 an hour.

Here’s where you can find work:

6. Data entry

Earn up to $18 an hour.

Data entry clerks input data into spreadsheets, documents, and other data management systems. You don’t really need many if any, qualifications to work as a data entry clerk either.

Here’s where you can find work:

Average hourly pay is $13 an hour with income falling anywhere between $10 and $18 an hour. Pay rate depends on the client you work with and your experience level.

7. Customer support agent

Earn up to $21 an hour.

If you’re personable and patient, then customer support work could be for you. As a customer support agent, or customer service agent as they’re also called, you assist customers with any issues that they may have or any questions they have.

Here’s where you can find customer support agent work:

The average hourly wage for customer support agents is $15. Pay, though, can fall anywhere between $11 and $21 an hour. So it would take you less than a month to make $500!

8. Test scorer

Earn up to $16 an hour

You could make money scoring people’s tests. Test scorers earn anywhere from $11 to $16 an hour with the average pay being $14 an hour. So this can be a good way to make some extra cash.

Here’s where you can find work as a test scorer:

9. Social media manager

Earn up to $27 an hour

Social media managers help companies and clients to manage their social media accounts. It’s a varied role that can include tasks such as responding to comments on social media and uploading posts to sites like Instagram and Twitter.

Here’s where you can find work:

Since this gig can pay up to $27 an hour, you could make $500 in less than a month!

Pay can fall anywhere from $10 to $27 an hour with the average income being $16 an hour.

10. Resume writing

Earn up to $37 an hour

When people are looking for a new job, they want to ensure that they have a good resume. This means that some people hire someone to write their resume for them. This is a job you can do from home. And since it pays up to $37 an hour, you could make $500 in just a week.

Here’s where you can find resume writing work:

Resume writers can make anywhere from $5 to $37 an hour with the average pay being $21 an hour. Some jobs pay per resume, rather than per hour. This can be anywhere from $50 to $500 per resume depending on the client or company that you work with and your experience.

11. Test search engines

Earn up to $49 an hour.

Get paid up to $49 an hour to test search engines. When a person types in a certain keyword or phrase into the internet, search engines use an algorithm to determine which results appear.

To make sure that these algorithm-generated results are accurate, search engines like Google and Bing hire search engine evaluators. You check to see if the right results appear when you type in a specific keyword or phrase. So you get paid to improve search engines.

Here’s where you can find search engine evaluator jobs:

Income can range anywhere from $10 to $49 an hour, with $26 being the average hourly wage.

12. Teaching English

Earn up to $22 an hour.

You could teach English to students online.

Here are a couple of places that pay you to teach English:

With Cambly, you don’t even need a degree or any experience to get started on the platform.

With Cambly, you can earn $10.20 an hour. And with VIPkid, you can earn anywhere from $14 to $18 an hour, and with incentives, you could make up to $22 an hour.

13. Test websites with UserTesting

UserTesting is a company that will pay you to test out websites. For every 20-minute test that you complete, you can earn $10. It’s such an easy way to make some extra money!

Plus, it pays fast. You get paid right to your PayPal account, 7 days after the test is completed.

Get started with UserTesting here.

Local Side Gigs to Make $500 Fast (Some Pay You Today!)

For time when you find yourself saying, “I need 500 dollars by tomorrow“, or “How to get 500 dollars in an hour“, cash paying gigs near you are the best options.

With local side gigs, you can make $500 in no time! Really, with some of these options, you can earn $500 in less than a week. The best part is that with many of these local side hustles, you can get paid today!

Here are some local side gigs that you can try to make $500 fast…

14. Rideshare driver

Earn up to $43 an hour

Why not drive for Lyft or Uber? You get paid to give people lifts.

Uber drivers earn anywhere from $3 to $35 an hour with the average income being $15 an hour. Lyft drivers earn $3 to $43 an hour with the average income being $16 an hour.

If you need $500 this week, or even today, I would highly recommend working as a rideshare driver. This is because both Lyft and Uber have a feature that you can use where you can get paid the same day! It’s not free, costing $0.50 per cash out, but it’s great for getting paid the same day.

Here’s where you can find ridesharing gigs:

Uber
Lyft

15. Babysitting

Earn up to $17 an hour

There’s always a parent out there who’s looking for a babysitter. You could offer a babysitting service to people nearby. This is a flexible gig as there are often evening and weekend hours available. You could advertise your babysitting services in your local area.

Or you could find babysitting work on one of these sites:

UrbanSitter payments are processed within just 3 days, so you can get paid fast!

Average hourly wage for babysitters is $11 with pay ranging anywhere from $8 to $17 an hour.

16. Food delivery

Earn up to $25 an hour

You could also try working as a food delivery person.

You get paid to pick up food from restaurants and deliver it to customer’s homes.

Here are a few places where you can find food delivery jobs:

How much money you make depends on the food delivery service that you work for and how many deliveries you make.

For example:

UberEats: The average driver wage is $15 an hour with pay ranging anywhere from $12 to $17 an hour.
DoorDash: Drivers earn a base pay of between $2 and $10 for each delivery that they make.
Caviar: Drivers earn up to $25 an hour, and they get to keep all of their tips.
Postmates: Drivers are paid up to $25 an hour.

17. Grocery shopping and delivery

Earn up to $25 an hour

Since grocery shopping and delivery jobs pay up to $25 an hour, you could easily make $500 quickly.

You get paid to shop for and deliver groceries to people’s homes. It’s like getting paid for something that you do anyway – shop for groceries!

Here are a couple of places that pay you for this:

How much money you make depends on the company that you work with and how many deliveries you make.

Shipt pays anywhere from $16 to $22 an hour.

Instacart drivers are paid between $5 and $25 an hour with the average pay being $14 an hour.

What’s good about Instacart is that it has a feature that allows you to cash out your earnings every day or you can choose to get paid weekly. So, for getting paid fast, Instacart is a great choice.

18. Amazon Flex Driver

Earn up to $25 an hour.

Deliver packages for Amazon as an Amazon Flex Driver. You can search for available delivery blocks near you and choose the deliveries that you want to make.

Amazon Flex drivers make anywhere from $18 to $25 an hour. And since payment is sent twice per week by direct deposit, you get paid fast!

You can sign up for Amazon Flex here.

19. Handyman work

Earn up to $45 an hour.

You could also earn up to $45 an hour working as a Handyman. There’s a website called Handy, which pays you up to $45 an hour for doing handyman work. You could also advertise your services in your local area.

20. Rent out your car with Turo

Earnings vary

If your car often just sits in the driveway, then why not rent it out with Turo?

It’s a website where you can list a car or truck to rent. It’s free to list a vehicle on Turo, and the site doesn’t charge you any sign-up or monthly fees either. You get to customize when your vehicle is available, and you can even set your own ground rules.

When someone books your car, you can confirm where and how to hand over the keys before the trip. You can check your guest in using the Turo app, and when the trip is over, you get paid.

Now, what’s great about Turo, is that it allows you to set the daily price, or you can allow Turo to automatically adjust the price to maximize your earnings.

You earn anywhere from 60% to 85% of the trip price, as well as some fees and charges you set. You can earn 90% of the trip price if you offer Extras.

Since Turo pays you by direct deposit in just three days after each trip, renting out your car with the company is a good way to get paid fast.

21. Dog walker

Earn up to $29 an hour

For making money fast, try working as a dog walker. Lots of people are busy with work and don’t have much time to walk their pets, so they hire someone to do it for them.

You can find work as a dog walker on sites like Rover and Indeed. Or you could just advertise your dog walking service to people nearby or online.

Average hourly income for dog walkers is $14. Pay can be anywhere from $10 to $29 an hour. This means that it shouldn’t take you long to make $500 from this.

22. Cleaning

Earn up to $20 an hour

Do some cleaning work and make some extra cash. Find cleaning jobs on Housekeeper.com or you could advertise your services on Facebook or Craigslist or in your local paper. Cleaners earn anywhere from $9 to $20 an hour with the average income being $12 an hour.

23. Mover

Earn up to $21 an hour

Get paid to help people to move with Bellhops. People move all the time, so working as a mover can be a great option for bringing in a little extra cash. With Bellhops, you can earn up to $21 an hour including tips and bonuses.

24. Errand runner

Earn up to $78 an hour

Since people are busy, they made need help running errands. So they pay some, like you, to do it. You could make money as an errand runner doing tasks like picking up groceries, assembling furniture, and picking up dry cleaning.

There’s a site called TaskRabbit that pays people, like you, called Taskers, to help people with their errands.

Pay for TaskRabbit ranges anywhere from $3 to $78 an hour with the average income being $26 an hour.

Another option is to offer your services as an errand runner on Craigslist and other classified ad sites.

25. Window cleaning

Earn up to $24 an hour

Window cleaners make $15 an hour on average. So if you can find consistent work, then you could earn that extra $500 in no time.

You could offer your services to homeowners and business near you. Pay for window cleaners can vary anywhere from $12 to $24 an hour.

26. Landscaper

Earn up to $20 an hour

Landscapers are responsible for building and maintaining gardens and other outdoor areas. This is a gig you could try to make $500 fast.

Average hourly pay for landscapers is $14 and pay can range anywhere from $10 to $20 an hour.

Here’s where you can find work:

27. Pet-sitting

Pet-sitters with Rover earn up to $1,000 a month taking care of people’s pets like dogs. Rover pays pretty fast as well. Payments for bookings are available for withdrawal two days after you complete the service.

You can opt to get paid by check or PayPal. If you choose to get paid by PayPal, your payment is released in just 1 to 4 days. Checks take 5 days to process and up to 20 days to arrive, so you’ll definitely want to go with PayPal payments if you’re looking to get paid fast.

Find pet-sitting work on Rover here.

28. Mystery shopping

Earn up to $25 an hour

You can make extra money by working as a mystery shopper. Mystery shoppers visit stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and other businesses and provide feedback on their experience.

So they may need to report on things like how clean the store was or how well they were treated by the staff. Pay for mystery shoppers can range from $8 to $25 an hour.

Here are a few places where you can find mystery shopping work:

29. Focus group participant

Earn up to $400 per study

Taking part in a focus group is a good way to make $100s extra.

Focus group participants are paid to talk about a product or service with a group of people. Basically, you get paid to give your opinion. These are sort of like surveys except that you participate in person.

Focus group participants can earn anywhere from $20 to more than $400 per study!

Here are a few places where you can get paid to participate in focus groups:

If none of those offer focus groups near where you live, then you can also search for focus groups near you here:

Pay varies from study to study and depending on the company you work with. Usability Sciences, for example, pays $100 or more per study!

And 20|20 Panel pays $50 to $150 or more per study.

Earn $500 Selling Stuff You Already Have

If you’re looking to make $500 in a week, I would highly recommend selling your unwanted stuff. Really, it’s one of the fastest ways to make money.

You already have items in your home anyway. Rather than just having unwanted things taking up space, or just throwing them out, you could actually make money from your stuff.

You can sell everything from used sports gear to books!

The best part is that in many cases you are paid either on the spot or in less than a week. So selling your stuff is such a good way to make $500 fast!

Here’s what you can sell to make extra money…

30. Sell your DVDs

Have some old DVDs? Most of us stream stuff online nowadays so don’t have the need for DVDs anymore. If you have some in your home, then consider selling them. You won’t get a ton of cash for them, but you will bring in some extra money for something that you may have otherwise just thrown out!

Here are some places where you can sell old DVDs:

31. Sell your clothes

Apparently, we only wear like 20% of our wardrobe. Why not clear out your closet a little and make some money in the process by selling your unwanted clothes?

Here are some great sites for selling your clothes:

32. Sell your used electronics

Lots of us have things like old phones, laptops, and other devices that we just don’t use anymore. Thankfully, you can sell your used electronics online. Many of these sites pay you fast and allow you to ship your device to them for free. So, it’s really a win-win.

Here are some places to sell used electronics:

33. Sell your used books

Once you’ve read a book, unless it’s one of your favorites, it usually just sits on the shelf never to be read again. Declutter your bookshelves and make money in the process by selling your unwanted books.

Here are some great sites for selling books:

34. Sell furniture

Have some furniture you no longer want? Maybe a coffee table, a bookshelf, or a sofa? Whatever it is, if you have unwanted furniture, then sell it. You can do this online or near you.

Here’s where you can sell used furniture:

For more places to sell used furniture, check out this post.

35. Sell baby stuff

Another thing that you can sell is baby stuff. Kids grow out of stuff fast, meaning you’re left with a lot of stuff that just doesn’t get used anymore.

You could sell this stuff and make some extra cash.

You can sell a wide variety of baby items, like:

Baby clothes
Toys
Highchairs
Cribs
Bags
Strollers
Books
And much, much more.

Here’s where you can sell baby stuff:

For more places to sell baby stuff or kid’s stuff, check out these posts:

36. Sell sports cards

Have some sports cards you don’t really need? Dig them out and sell them!

You can sell sports cards, like baseball cards, basketball cards, and more.

Here are some places to sell sports cards:

37. Sell TCG cards

Do you have some trading card games that you don’t want anymore? Then sell them. You can get money for your old TCG cards, like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

Here are some places to sell TCG cards:

38. Sell games consoles

Have an old Xbox One you no longer need? Or perhaps you have a PS4 that you don’t use anymore? If you have a games console that you no longer want, then sell it.

Here are a few places where you can sell your used games console:

39. Sell used sports equipment

Another thing that you could sell is used sports equipment. You could make money selling used sports equipment like:

Helmets
Soccer cleats
Footballs
Baseball bats
Ski boots
Skis
Gold clubs
Tennis gear
Bikes
Wrestling gear
Elliptical machines
Heavy bags
Recumbent bikes
Treadmills
Kettlebells
Free weights
Upright bikes
Resistance bands
And other equipment or gear from pretty much any sport.

Here’s where you can sell used sports equipment:

40. Sell unused gift cards

Lots of us have gift cards that we just don’t use anymore. Whether it’s from your birthday or Christmas, if you have a gift card that you haven’t used, you should consider selling it.

There are websites and companies that allow you to sell gift cards online or in-person.

While you won’t, generally speaking, get the full value of the card back, you will get some cash that you can actually use, rather than being stuck with a gift card that you won’t use.

Here are some places where you can sell your gift cards:

41. Sell everything else

Okay, so above, I’ve covered sites for selling everything from books to DVDs. In this section, I just wanted to cover some websites that are good if you have other stuff to sell or are just looking for sites that are great all around.

Here are a few places that are great for selling stuff in general and for local sales:

On these sites, you can sell everything from toys to furniture.

Oh, and don’t discount your good old-fashioned yard sale. You can often get paid on the spot. Depending on how many items you have to sell, you could make $500 for the day you host a yard sale.

Take Surveys (Great for Making Money Without a Job!)

Another great way to make some money fast is by taking surveys. Now, I’ll level with you here, most surveys don’t pay a lot. This means that they are more suited for bringing in extra cash along with the other side hustles that I mentioned on the list, like freelance writing or babysitting.

The good thing about surveys is that they offer you a way to make money without a job!

And, pretty much anyone can get started with taking surveys. You don’t need any special qualifications or experience to participate.

You can make money taking surveys from your phone or computer, making this a super convenient option.

Here are some survey sites that pay fast…

42. Darwin’s Data

Darwin’s Data pays you $25 per survey. It offers gift cards rather than cash. You get a $25 Tango gift card which can be redeemed for gift cards to retailers such as:

Walmart
Amazon
Best Buy
Burger King
Disney
Domino’s
eBay
GameStop
Gap
Google Play

As you can see, there are lots of gift card options available.

Visit the Darwin’s Data website here.

43. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research pays you $3 per survey. The best part is that you can cash out your earnings for as little as $3 so you don’t have to wait until there’s a ton of money in your account before you can withdraw your earnings.

There are a few payment options on offer, such as:

Check
PayPal
Visa gift card

While you can cash out your earnings with as little as $3, you can also choose to redeem your money when you have $5 or $15 in your account.

44. Opinion Outpost

Get paid to take surveys with Opinion Outpost.

Payment options include PayPal payments and gift cards.

There are lots of gift card options available as well, like:

Amazon
Domino’s
Target
CVS
Nike

You can redeem your earnings to a gift card for as little as $5, but the payout minimum is a little higher for PayPal than it is for gift cards.

45. PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel pays you to take surveys. You can have your earnings sent to your PayPal account and gift cards are available too.

You can get gift cards for places like:

Amazon
Starbucks
iTunes
CVS
Walmart
VISA
Burger King
eBay

The best part about PrizeRebel is that is offers rewards in lots of different denominations. So, there are lots of gift cards that you can get with as little as $1 to $5 in your account.

46. i-Say

i-Say pays you for taking surveys. There are a few different rewards options available such as PayPal payments and gift cards for retailers like Walmart.

The site pays $0.10 to $1 per survey.

47. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie pays you to take surveys. Build your profile, and the site will match you with surveys. You get paid via PayPal, or you can opt for a gift card instead with gift cards available to places like Amazon and Target. The site pays $1 to $3 per survey.

Earn $500 a Month with Reward Sites

Another way in which you can earn money from home is to do tasks on reward websites.

What’s great about these websites is that they pay you for doing tasks that you may already be doing anyway. I mean how many of us do things like shop online, or watch videos on our phones, or play games on our computer? Many of us, right?

Well, if you’re doing these sorts of tasks anyway, it really is a no-brainer to get paid for them.

That’s why reward websites are so great because they do pay you for doing tasks like:

Watching videos
Playing games
Searching the internet
Shopping online

Many of them pay you for taking surveys as well.

Reward websites are also called “get paid to” sites since you get paid to do tasks on these platforms.

I’ll level with you here, like with surveys, reward sites don’t pay a ton. But, you could bring in a couple $100 extra a month from them. Add that to the money you make from the other options on this list, and you’ll have $500 in no time.

Here are some reward sites that are great for making money fast online.

48. Qmee

Okay, so Qmee is an awesome site because it has no minimum payout. That’s right, you can cash out your earnings with just a cent in your account if you want to.

You can have your earnings sent to your PayPal account within minutes! Or you can choose to cash out your money to an Amazon gift card.

The site pays you for:

Taking surveys
Shopping online
Searching the internet.

Overall, it’s a great site for making quick money from home.

Visit the Qmee website here.

49. Swagbucks

Next on the list, we have Swagbucks, this is one of the most popular reward sites out there. It pays you for tasks like:

Taking surveys
Watching videos
Playing games
Shopping

What’s great about Swagbucks is that it offers you so many ways to withdraw your earnings. You can choose to have your money sent to your PayPal account or you can choose to get a gift card instead. There are tons of gift card options available. You can cash out your earnings for as little as $1 to $5.

50. MyPoints

Next on the list we have MyPoints. This is a site that pays you to take surveys, and for shopping online too. You can withdraw your earnings for money to your PayPal account. Or you get a Visa card. There are also lots of gift card options available for places like Amazon and Walmart. You can redeem gift cards for just $5. And you can get a $10 Amazon or Visa gift card just for joining.

51. FeaturePoints

FeaturePoints is a site that pays you for doing tasks like:

Trying free apps
Completing surveys
Shopping online

You can get paid to your PayPal account. And, there are gift cards available for lots of different places like:

Amazon
Walmart
GameStop
Xbox
Target

So, there are lots of payment options available.

General Sites that are Good for Earning Five Hundred Dollars

There are so many websites out there like freelancing writing sites like Textbroker, and sites where you can find rideshare work like Uber.

In this section, I just wanted to cover some websites that are great for picking up extra work in general. These sites and apps offer work across a variety of industries from retail to graphic design.

These websites are great because they offer flexible work. So you’ll find things like freelance work, shifts, and parttime gigs on these sites.

Overall, they’re just good if you want ways to make $500 quickly.

Here are some good sites for making extra money:

52. Craigslist

Craigslist is a good way to find work both online and near you. I picked up some freelance writing work there years ago and it was legit.

Craigslist is good because it’s free to use and you’re not charged any commission on your earnings either.

To find work on Craigslist, go to the “Jobs” section of your city’s Craigslist. There, you will be able to view jobs. You can find everything from customer service work to freelance writing work there. If you are looking for online work, I would recommend looking at other cities, in addition to yours. This is because bigger cities tend to have more opportunities.

Jobs are separated by category, so it’s pretty easy to find the type of work you’re looking for. Be careful with scams on Craigslist. Don’t pay to apply for or to do a job, and don’t provide any sensitive personal data. Basically, use your common sense.

Aside from applying for jobs that are posted on Craigslist, you can also advertise your services there. So, you could advertise your services as a freelancer or cleaner, for example.

Each job will have its own pay rate. If you are advertising your services on the platform, then you can set your own rates. Simply have a look at what other people are charging for a similar service.

53. UpWork

UpWork is a super popular freelance platform. You can find work in multiple industries from programming to illustrating to editing.

There are new jobs posted every day as well. The site does take a cut of your income though, which ranges from 5% to 20% commission. You can bid on the jobs you want, and choose the rate you want. You can also set your hourly earnings on the site. And, you can choose to get paid per project or hourly.

54. Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelance platform where you can sell a variety of freelance services. The site offers more than 200 categories you can offer your services in so there are lots of options available. You can charge anywhere from $5 to $10,000 for a service on there. You get to set your own rates. Fiverr does take a 20% commission from your earnings.

55. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is a platform where you can find freelance work. You can find work across multiple industries, like graphic design and freelance writing. You can set your own rates based on the client’s budget. Pay rate varies from job to job.

PeoplePerhour pays pretty fast. Once the client pays you, you can withdraw your earnings right away.

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for Android here.
Download for iOS here.

56. Jobble

Jobble is a site where you can find parttime work and fulltime world for hourly, on-demand jobs.

There are jobs available in multiple industries, such as:

Field marketing
Promotional
Entertainment
Retail
Hospitality
Distribution/delivery
Labor

You can get the app, build your profile, and apply to jobs in seconds, and you can manage and track the positions that you apply for and get paid as well.

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for iOS devices here.
Download for Android here.

57. Freelancer

Freelancer is another site where you can pick up freelance work and make $100s.

There are jobs available in more than 900 categories, such as:

Graphic design
Writing
Data entry
Web design
Programming

The good thing about the site is that it only charges a 3% commission, rather than higher rates like 20% which are often charged on other freelance platforms.

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for iOS here.
Download for Android here.

58. Shiftgig

If you’re looking to make cash fast near you, then check out Shiftgig. It’s an app you can use to browse and claim local shifts.

There are shifts available at places like:

Restaurants
Convention centers
Sporting events
Hotels
Schools
Warehouses

Since staffing agencies use Shiftgig to power their on-demand workforce, you will need to be employed by a staffing agency that’s powered by Shiftgig in order to get work through the app.

To view staffing agencies and to apply for the ones you want, you can visit the Shiftgig website, which is linked in the section heading above.

If you are approved by one of Shiftgig’s staffing agency partners, then you will unlock all of the opportunities that you’re qualified for. Handily enough, the app allows you to view your estimated pay and other important details about shifts.

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for iOS here.
Download for Android here.

59. Truelancer

Truelancer is another platform where you can pick up freelance work.

You can find jobs across lots of categories, such as:

Writing, Content & Translation
Data Entry and Admin
Graphic Design & Multimedia
IT & Programming
Social Media, SEO & SEM
Sales & Marketing
Finance & Accounting
Sales & Marketing

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for iOS here.
Download for Android here.

60. GigSmart

With GigSmart, you can find work across lots of industries, such as:

Construction
Hospitality
Moving
Warehousing
Retail
Administrative
Customer service
Events

And you can apply for gigs from the app. The average gig on GigSmart pays $17 an hour. But pay does vary from job to job. You could easily make $100s from this.

Here’s where you can get the app:

Download for iOS here.
Download for Android here.

61. Gigwalk

Find local gigs with Gigwalk. The app offers jobs that can take anywhere from five minutes to a few hours to complete, so there’s work available to suit all schedules.

The payment on offer varies from $3 to $100. And payments are sent to your PayPal account.

62. Hubstaff Talent

With Hubstaff Talent, you can freelance work across multiple categories, such as:

Data entry
Customer service
Graphic design
Web development
Content writing

Pay varies from job to job. The good thing about Hubstaff Talent is that it doesn’t charge you any commission fees.

63. Steady

Steady is an app that you can use to find parttime and gig work and remote jobs. You also use the app to set financial goals which can help you to stay motivated with your money-making endeavors.

64. Guru

Guru is a freelance platform that’s been around since 1998. So, it’s been around longer than sites like UpWork.

On Guru, you can find thousands of jobs. There are jobs available across multiple categories, such as:

Programming & Development
Design & Art
Writing & Translation
Administrative & Secretarial
Business & Finance
Sales & Marketing
Engineering & Architecture
Legal
Education & Training

A Few More Ways to Make Some Extra Cash Quickly

You already have lots of ways to make $500 fast both online and locally, and a list of apps and sites that are great for making extra money.

In this section, I just wanted to give you a few more ways to make $500 fast!

65. Check for unclaimed money

You could have money out there that’s just sitting unclaimed.

This can include:

Unclaimed Tax Refund Checks: Each year, the IRS has millions of dollars in tax refunds that go unclaimed. There are many reasons why tax refunds go unclaimed. This could be because, for example, a person moved and forgot to update their address at the IRS. So their check is mailed to their last known address. If you were expecting to get a tax refund but didn’t receive it, you can go to the Where’s My Refund Page of the IRS website here or you can call the IRS to check the status of your refund. You can find the contact details for the IRS here.
Unclaimed Back Wages: You could be owed unpaid wages. You can search the Wage and Hour Division’s database, which is part of the U.S Department of Labor, to see if you are owned any cash. Find out if you are owed unclaimed back wages here.
Money From Bank Failures: Each depositor is insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank under the FDIC. This means that if you had money in a bank that failed, then you could claim it back. You can learn more about failed banks here.
Money from credit union failures: You may be owed money back from failed credit unions. Through the National Credit Union Administration, (NCUA), you could get money back that you put into a credit union that failed. Learn more about getting money back from failed credit unions here.

You can also conduct a free online search for any unclaimed money at Unclaimed.org here.

66. Open up a new checking or savings account

Did you know that many banks actually provide customers with a bonus for opening up a new checking or savings account?

There are many banks that do this including:

Chase – $225
TD Bank – $150 to $300
Bank of America – $100
HSBC – $450 to $600

If you are considering switching banks or you’re not bothered about what bank you are with, then you should definitely consider starting up a new bank account.

Now, it’s important to note that most of the time, you will need to meet other requirements other than just opening the new account, like depositing a certain amount of money in the account when you open it or maintaining a certain balance for a specified timeframe.

For more bank account bonuses, check out this post:

21 Best Bank Bonuses & Promotions of 2021 (Checking & Savings Accounts)

67. Make money signing up for websites

You could make $45 just by signing up for websites.

Sure, it’s not $500 or even $100, but it’s extra cash that’s pretty easy to get.

Here are some websites that pay you to sign up:

ShopAtHome: $10 PayPal cash or Amazon gift card
Swagbucks: $10 bonus
MyPoints: $10 Amazon or Visa gift card
BeFrugal: $10 bonus
InboxDollars: $5 bonus

You can also check out this post for more places that pay you to sign up.

68. Get refunds with Paribus

When you shop online for something and then see the exact same item on sale later, it’s so annoying. You feel like you’ve missed out on the chance to save some cash, right?

This happens often, which is why anyone who shops online should use Paribus.

Paribus automatically gets you a refund when prices drop. So, it gives you a refund for the difference in the price you paid and the lower price. It tracks receipts in your inbox so that it can get you your money back. It monitors the price of items across a wide range of stores, like Target, Apple, and Walmart.

Download Paribus for your device here.

69. Do some overtime

You could make some extra money by picking up some extra hours if you already have a fulltime job. You could pick up additional shifts or work overtime. Depending on how much you earn per hour if your job offers time and a half or double time, and how many hours and days you work, you could make $500 within just a few weeks.

Just don’t forget to take taxes into account. When you earn more, you usually pay extra tax, so make sure that the extra amount you pay in tax doesn’t cut into your profits so much that the extra hours weren’t worthwhile financially.

70. Negotiate your bills

Recently, my husband got his cell phone bill down by 50%! Yes, he now pays half of what he used to.

How?

Well, it’s simple really. The cellphone carrier was having trouble with masts in the area. So my husband’s service was really bad on his phone. He was missing calls and couldn’t hear people properly on the phone. He kept reporting these service disruptions to the mobile service provider, and eventually, they offered him a huge discount.

It is so worth trying to negotiate bills, especially if you’ve had an issue with service, as we did.

There’s actually an app that will negotiate bills for you. It’s called Trim. Now, Trim, sadly isn’t free. The site is offering a 14-day free trial though. According to Trim, on average, customers save $600 in their first year. Aside from negotiating bills for you, Trim will also find and cancel unwanted subscriptions for you, which can save you $120 a year.

Try out Trim here.

Of course, you don’t need Trim, as you can negotiate bills yourself, it’s just an option to consider.

71. Bonus: Use MoneyPantry!

Here’s a shameless plug. Here at MoneyPantry, we have shared 100s of ways to earn money on the side online and offline and we are constantly finding and sharing new and legitimate ways for you to make and save money.

The best part about all it all is that with many of the options we share, you don’t have to commit fulltime to earn decent money. You can do them in your spare time, on the weekends, an hour or so in the evening or whenever you have some free time.

You can combine many of these options to make $100, $200, $500 or even $1000 a month or more easily.

So be sure to bookmark our site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so you can check back every day or so for new fresh money making ideas.

Q&As

When it comes to our finances, we have a lot of questions. We think, I need an extra $100, how can I make $400 fast, or what’s the best way to make $500 fast?

ell, in this section, I just wanted to cover some answers to common questions I see about making extra money.

These are short answers, so if you want more detail, make sure that you check the related section above.

Here are some answers to your money questions…

How can I get $500 in ASAP?

Some of the best ways to make $500 ASAP include:

Freelance work, such as freelance writing and data entry work.
Selling stuff
Driving for Lyft and Uber
Delivering food with companies like Instacart and DoorDash

How can I make $1000 fast legally?

Try these options:

Participate in research studies
Work overtime
Freelance work and local gigs such as delivery work and cleaning all pay quickly, and you could earn $1,000 in less than a month legally.

How can I make $500 in a few days?

Here are some options for earning $500 in a few days:

Offering your services as a freelancer on platforms like UpWork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour.
Working local gigs through sites like GigSmart, TaskRabbit, and Bellhops.
Giving people lifts on Uber, especially at the weekend when you can bring in a few $100 extra.

How can I make $500 fast without a job

Here are a few ways to get $500 when you don’t have a job:

Sell your stuff – you’d be surprised how much unused stuff you have in your home. Declutter and you can make $100s fast. No job required!
Negotiate your bills
Check for unclaimed money
Take surveys
Pick up a side gig in person.
Do some freelance work.

How can I make 500 dollars a day for free?

Making $500 a day is a pretty lofty goal. It can be done, but it depends on the type of work you do. Driving for Uber and Lyft can make you $100s especially on weekends. Instacart and Lyft are good options. All of these offer same-day payments as well. If you want to make $500 daily though, setting up a business like a blog or selling stuff with Amazon FBA are probably better choices. However, these options tend to take a while to build up before they actually become profitable.

Final Thoughts!

There are so many times when we need money fast, right?

It might be for car repairs or vet bills or for a vacation.

Or perhaps you just want to save more money for an emergency fund. Having savings is so important.

Whatever the reason is for you want to make $500 fast, it’s great to know that there are just so many options out there.

So give them a try. Online work is great and my go-to. I think it’s awesome to be able to make money from the comfort of your own home.

For making cash super fast, gig work is awesome. Driving for Uber or delivering groceries with Instacart are both great options that pay fast – even the same day in fact.

And, if you’re just looking for an easy way to bring in money, selling stuff is such a good idea. You have the stuff anyway right? So you may as well sell it if you’re not going to use it.

Finally, if you’re just looking to make some beer money, then reward sites like Swagbucks and survey sites like PrizeRebel and i-Say are good because they offer such an easy way to make money.

Just try the work and options that best suits you, and let us know in the comments section below if you have any tips on how to make $500 fast.