Having extra money can mean a lot to many people. Fortunately, it’s easy to find additional sources of income these days, all thanks to the internet.
One of the most popular ways to earn extra during your free time is through watching advertisements. While video ads are commonly regarded as interruptions to our favorite shows or YouTube videos, there are cases when it’s actually worth a buck or some.
I love playing a few online games, particularly Bejeweled Blitz and Words with Friends 2. There are times I would almost run out of coins to be able to buy boosters so as to be competitive in some of the challenges. This is when I would go watch some advertisements within the game so I could earn some coins. Each will take between 5 to 30 seconds and having 2 mobile devices I could just alternate clicking on the ads without really being engaged. Very soon I earned enough coins to continue playing the games without spending any real money.
Similarly, you could earn a decent amount of rewards or real money if you watched ads outside of games and virtual coins.
I love playing a few online games, particularly Bejeweled Blitz and Words with Friends 2. There are times I would almost run out of coins to be able to buy boosters so as to be competitive in some of the challenges. This is when I would go watch some advertisements within the game so I could earn some coins. Each will take between 5 to 30 seconds and having 2 mobile devices I could just alternate clicking on the ads without really being engaged. Very soon I earned enough coins to continue playing the games without spending any real money.
Similarly, you could earn a decent amount of rewards or real money if you watched ads outside of games and virtual coins.
I love playing a few online games, particularly Bejeweled Blitz and Words with Friends 2. There are times I would almost run out of coins to be able to buy boosters so as to be competitive in some of the challenges. This is when I would go watch some advertisements within the game so I could earn some coins. Each will take between 5 to 30 seconds and having 2 mobile devices I could just alternate clicking on the ads without really being engaged. Very soon I earned enough coins to continue playing the games without spending any real money.
Similarly, you could earn a decent amount of rewards or real money if you watched ads outside of games and virtual coins.
Why Would Anyone Pay You to Watch Ads?
Before we go further into this post, let’s first address a common concern: is this money-making scheme a scam?
Although it’s easy to see how scam artists can turn it into one, many apps and websites are the real deal. It’s just a matter of determining — through consistent trials — which ones give a better payout.
More importantly, brands are always willing to shell out millions to billions of dollars out of their advertising budget to get their name out there. As a competitive business, they want their target market to stay updated about their latest products and services.
Aside from spending their budget on the usual media platforms, such as TV and social media, some companies have also teamed up with “make money online” platforms to incentivize watching ads.
These apps and websites bridge the gap between brands and consumers by attracting people to watch ads in exchange of a small payout. That said, even though the pay per ad is small, at least it only takes a few seconds of your time to complete it.
Thus, you definitely can get paid to watch ads if you know which platforms are legitimate. In the next section, we’ll talk about a few platforms that are worth checking out.
Websites and Apps Where You Can Watch Ads
We currently live in a world where hustle culture has become prevalent. With the rising cost of living, it’s common for people to hold 2 to 3 jobs at a time, while still trying to find ways to earn money on the side.
If you’ve done your research and you’ve decided that you want to make money watching ads, here are 4 platforms that are worth your time:
1. AdWallet
AdWallet operates like a dating app. However, instead of meeting the potential man or woman of your dreams, you’ll “meet” ads that match your particular demographic.
Here, you can earn money by watching video ads or answering short surveys. The rewards are typically from $0.5 to $3. Additionally, you can earn $1 for each referral.
For this platform, you’ll earn actual money and not points. Thus, you won’t have to worry about converting points when you want to cash out.
Minimum cash out is $10. You can withdraw your funds via your PayPal account (within 24hrs), bank transfer (3-5 days), Amazon gift cards, or by simply donating it to a local non-profit organization of your choice.
2. InboxDollars
One of the most popular platforms for watching paid ads, InboxDollars has been featured in Forbes Magazine and has paid over $59 million to their members.
Additionally, it has been in the field since 2000 so you can be sure that their system is pretty much ironed out at this point.
Many of their members are students, side hustlers, people who have a 9-5 job, and stay-at-home parents — all of whom report being happy with their services.
The types of ads that you’ll see on InboxDollars change each day. It can be anything from trending news, technology, entertainment, celebrity gossip, food, and health, among others. You’ll be able to see around 24 to 30 videos depending on availability.
They give out $5 for every new sign up. You’ll get paid with virtual scratch cards, which pay from $0.05 to $0.25. Gold members, on the other hand, can earn $5 to $25 or beyond.
How does a user become a gold member? It’s simple, and you don’t even have to pay money to get it. People can earn an InboxDollars gold membership when they get their first payment. You become eligible for your first cash out once your funds reach $30.
Now, given that ads only cost up to $0.25 for new members, it may take a while before you get your gold membership. However, it can be worth striving for because of the following perks:
- Better referral rewards
- Exclusive monthly offerings
- Double sweepstakes entries (more chances of earning)
- Faster payment processing (3 to 9 days from 10 to 16 days)
InboxDollars also pays through surveys, daily polls, PaidEmails, web searching, and more. Just like AdWallet, you can cash out from InboxDollars through PayPal, check payments, gift cards, and donations. Payouts are processed every Wednesday.
3. Swagbucks
Compared to the first two options, Swagbucks doesn’t pay with cash. Instead, it pays you with “SB points”. You can rack up points by watching ads, answering surveys, searching the web, and even shopping online. 100 SB points is equivalent to $1.
There’s a wide range of video categories that you can choose from, and you can even download the app to watch on the go.
According to a post published by Swagbucks itself, most Swagbucks users normally earn anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars per year. Some users can even go beyond the $1,000 mark.
Users who commit to Swagbucks daily usually earn more. Aiming for $1 to $2 every day can be enough to produce a hefty sum at the end of the year. Some others can even push to $5 a day and get rewarded generously.
If you regularly shop at Amazon or Walmart, Swagbucks gives great cash backs. It also features a $10 welcome bonus for everyone who signs up.
Your points can be redeemed via gift cards or PayPal. They offer gift cards from Target, Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks, Old Navy, Home Depot, and many other stores that are popular to the average consumer.
4. iRazoo
Lastly, we have iRazoo, another platform that pays through points. The platform has several channels to watch videos from so you definitely won’t run out of places to scour some points for the day.
Available videos are in the form of ads, app trailers, short films, movie reviews, cooking tutorials, etc. Simply watching videos already earns you some points, while posting reviews can get you a little bit more.
Like the first three, iRazoo also has an option to earn money from surveys and friend referrals. Additionally, they also give out points when you play games and download apps for a quick review.
Indeed, learning how to make money watching ads is just a matter of effort and consistency. If you find it enjoyable, it becomes easy for you to integrate it into your daily routine and rack up enough points or cash in no time.
What Makes This Option a Worthwhile Endeavor?
The beauty in watching ads is that with the right platform and with an established schedule, you can make considerable amounts of money over time.
Of course, the return on your investment doesn’t make itself known overnight. But we all know that little efforts are the key to significant results when the time comes. Besides, if you had nothing else to do anyway, this is already good enough.
Watching Ads vs. Other Money-Making Stints
The platforms that we mentioned in the previous section also offer other ways to make money online. Thus, you can simply switch activities if you’ve run out of videos to watch.
You’ve probably noticed that they have online surveys, mystery shopping, cash back programs, and other “trivial” ways to earn. Though all of them take time, perhaps watching ads takes the least effort of all.
That’s because you can watch ads for money even if you’re disengaged. With surveys, games, and apps, your mind needs to be engaged to complete the tasks. With ads, you can let them play in the background even when you’re busy with other stuff.
On top of that, the payout for the other activities are sometimes less compared to watching ads. Of course, there are also instances when particular surveys have higher rewards.
Ultimately, you’ll only figure out which strategies are better when you’ve been in the platform for a while.
How Much Can You Make?
The resulting income all depends on the time you spend on the app or website. It also depends on the payouts that these platforms offer.
To illustrate, being a new member at InboxDollars can only get you $0.05 to $0.25 per ad. If you watch 5 per day, you can expect to get $0.25 to $1.25. In a month, granted that you watched ads for all 30 days, you can earn $7.50 to $37.50.
If you manage to get to the higher end of the earnings range, you then become eligible for gold membership sooner. As a result, you’ll be earning much more as you spend more time on platform, especially if they give milestone rewards.
The example above may be for InboxDollars, but the same principles apply to other platforms. That said, if you learn how to spend more time on the platforms without sacrificing your daily routines, you’ll be able to earn more.
For instance, since you won’t be using your whole lunch break for eating, you can start incorporating ad watching to it. Or perhaps, you can do it after dinner, when the day’s tasks are already completed.
Basically, setting aside a particular time for ads ensures that it won’t mess with your other responsibilities. It also makes it easier to make a habit out of it. After all, putting in the small efforts every day is the key to accumulating huge sums when the time comes.
It’s also recommended to sign up for 2 to 3 more platforms so that you always have something to watch when one platform runs out of ads for the day. Make sure that you sign up for their e-mail alerts so you stay updated with the latest offerings.
Over time, you’ll be able to devise your own efficient method of racking up cash on ad watching platforms.
What Are the Benefits of Watching Ads?
Many people have already earned considerable amounts of cash by watching ads. The question is, what makes them stick with it?
Here are 4 reasons why users find ads beneficial as a money-making endeavor:
1. No Qualifications Needed
Aside from disclosing some personal details to sort you into the right demographic, you basically don’t need any qualifications to start earning money from ads. Anyone, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, etc. can watch ads and videos to earn cash or points.
2. No Previous Experience Necessary
Are you looking for a side hustle that doesn’t require any skills or previous experiences? Then watching ads is a good option. By simply logging on to the websites or installing their apps, you can already click on videos every day and watch your cash accumulate.
3. Available Anytime
You don’t have to catch ads at a fixed schedule because they’re always available whenever you’re ready to view them. Of course, it might make sense to build your own routine around it when you’ve figured out when the newest ads usually come up.
4. Effort-based Payout
As with all other things, you earn as much as you work with watching ads. If you decide to focus your free time on this particular endeavor and not on anything else, you’re more likely to earn at a faster rate.
Earn Money by Watching Ads During Your Free Time
Watching ads doesn’t exactly stand as a reliable replacement for your 9-5 job. However, it’s good enough if you’re just looking for productive things to do during your free time.
Most people who’ve integrated this into their schedules have gotten out of tough spots because of the extra money that this stint provides. If you’re not overly attached to the outcome and you can delay gratification, you’ll certainly find this activity rewarding.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
