Cell phones are not cheap. At an average of $85 a month for a smartphone, that's almost a $1,000 a year -- not including the cost of the phone.
But some savvy people like Teresa Kannenberg are earning back some of those dollars by making money on their cellphone.
We caught up with Kannenberg as she grabbed a shopping cart and headed into Target, where she planned to make some money.
No, this mom doesn't work at the store. Rather, she shops with apps that pay her back.
So far, she says, she has earned more than $800 in one year.
Her favorite? Ibotta. She's the third top Ibotta earner locally.
I've saved over $450 just with Ibotta," she said.
How does it work?
She buys items that are up for rebates, and are listed on the Ibotta app that week.
For instance, she says "you would go into Target, you would buy chips, and you would get 20 cents when you submitted your receipt."
Other products give her a bigger rebate:
- She'll get 50 cents back on Ajax cleanser. She'll earn $1 back on a pack of granola bars. She will receive 75 cents back from buying Juicy Juice this week.
"You buy the items that are on the list, submit your receipt, and you get money," she said.
How You Can Earn Money
So clearly, it's no secret you can make money using various apps on your smart phone, but knowing which apps that will work best for you will only help increase your earnings.
We've found the top apps that will earn you cash, and organized them into categories so you can find exactly what apps will work for you. Even better, they are all free to download.
Smartphone apps that pay you to grocery shop
Most of the grocery store apps work by the products you purchase. If it's something you'd already be purchasing, you can earn additional money back. Another way to earn money while shopping is by uploading your reciept to the app by snapping a photo. Depending on what you're looking for, there's multiple apps designed to save your money on everyday items you might purchase at your local grocery store.
Groupon Snap. Snap gives you cash back on grocery purchases; no matter where you shop. Available on iPhones, Android devices and even computers, search for cash-back offers on the grocery items you need, then 'snap' a photo of your receipt to start earning.
Saving Star. This is another popular app to receive cash back. As a bonus, you can use it to get cash back when shopping online as long as you have an account and go through their website. Saving Star is available on iPhones, Android devices and computers.
Favado. Favado helps shoppers stop overspending by notifying them when their favorite items are on sale. According to their website, Favado has money saving experts who hand select sales and coupons every week -- in more than 65,000 grocery and drugstores nationwide.
Checkout51. Earn cash by buying certain products at the grocery. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request your money and they'll issue it as a check. Available on iPhones, Android devices and computers.
Smartphone apps that are task-based
Gigwalk. Once you sign up to be a 'Gigwalker', the app will offer you a variety of jobs, ranging from taking photos of businesses, answering surveys or answering consumer research questions. What jobs are available have a to to do with your location. The app pays per 'gig' and can range anywhere from $3 to $50. The more 'gigs' you take on, the better. It will allow you to build credibility and have access to higher paying jobs. Gigwalk is available on iPhone and Android phones
Field Agent. This app allows you to be the 'eyes and ears' for brands. Gathering audit data through mobile technology allows manufacturers and retailers to engage their customers while they are using their products. Provide user insights for various products and earn money along the way. Available on iPhone and Android phones
Zapdiddy. Available on iPhone
EasyShift. Find quick jobs at local stores and shops. EasyShift strives to offer work in almost all U. S. cities. Take photos of products, check prices, and review promotions. It’s as easy as shopping. Available on iPhone and Android phones.
Smartphone apps that will pay you to watch videos
Watch some videos and make some money. These apps allow you to watch anything from short videos to movie trailors. Like the other apps that allow you to earn money, some reward you in gift cards or directly deposit money into your PayPal account.
Perk TV. Earn points you can then redeem for gift cards by playing trivia games like Disney, Family Guy, Food, Pop Culture, Movie Quotes more! Perk TV adds new games giveaways each week. The more answers you get correct, the more points you earn! Perk TV is available on iPhone and Android phones
Swagbucks TV. Watch your choice of over 1,000 movie, DVD and game trailers, scenes, interviews and comedy clips. For each video you watch, you'll earn 'Swag Bucks'; which can then be used to redeem gift cards. Reading reviews, some say the payment isn't substantial, but it's worth a try as the app is free to download. Swagbucks TV is available on iPhone and Android phones
AppTrailers. Watch trailers of new apps and collect reward points. In addition, you can upload the videos and collect reward points per 'like'. Once enough points are collected, you can then redeem them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Foot Locker, Sephora an iTunes.
Smartphone apps that will pay you to eat right and exercise
Eat right, workout and get rewarded for your healthy actions! Set some goals, challenge others and let the incentive of earning extra cash keep you on track!
Gym-pact. There are 3 different types of 'pacts' you can join. There's Gym-pact, Veggie-pact and a food logging pact to help you stay in shape, eat more veggies, and log your meals. Rewards are based off the number of days you commit to your pact and what you complete. If you meet your Pact, you get a cash reward for each day committed, paid for by those who didn’t make it. Rewards have generally been $0.30 to $5 per week, depending on the number of activities committed. Stakes are just for personal motivation and will not affect your weekly rewards. Gym-pact is available on iPhone and Android phones.
DietBet. This app offers two types of challenges: the Kickstarter, a four-week challenge in which you aim to lose 4 percent of your body weight and the Transformer, a six-month challenge, during which your goal is to lose 10 percent. If you make your goal, you get back your money plus the money from the non-winners gets divided between all the winners. A typical Kickstarter bet is $25-30 and winners get their money back plus, on average, an extra $5 or more. Participants can interact with each other through a 'Facebook-esqe' platform or through the app to get advice, support or share successes.
Charity Miles. While this app doesn't pay you directly, it's designed to donate money to a charity of your choice for every mile you walk, bike, or run. Simply turn on the app, choose a charity, and press start. As you exercise, the app will track your distance and the money earned. When you're finished, accept your sponsorship, spread the word, and they'll even send you a note confirming your good work. Charity Miles is available on iPhone and Android phones.
Smartphone apps that will pay you to try other apps
Most apps that are created need to be beta-tested to ensure they work, any bugs they might have are fixed and and to gather user feedback. The apps below are where you can access the information to try these new apps for cash.
Elusive Stars. Get paid to try out apps from developers. Developers reach out to Elusive Stars to provide the apps. They then send out the apps to testers, or the people that use Elusive Stars. As a tester you have the unique opportunity to test apps before they are available elsewhere. Testing is easy, as you are supposed to just use the app like you would any other, then complete a review. Your feedback is critical as it gives developers the information they need to improve their app. Once you submit a review, you'll earn money. Once you get to $10, the money is directly deposited into your PayPal account. Elusive Stars is available on iPhone and Android phones
MyCrowd. This app works by having customers submit their sites or apps, and setting “bounties” (how much they’re willing to pay for each bug found). Then users of MyCrowd (you) test the sites or apps submitted; looking for bugs and issues that could be causing a not-so-great experience. You'll then get paid for each bug you find. MyCrowd makes it easy to see which bugs have already been found, so you won’t waste time submitting bugs that someone else has submitted. After submitting your findings, you can earn points that can be redeemed for rewards.
ReviewForDev. This works a lot like the other apps mentioned above. Download new apps through ReviewForDev and get paid per review. The website claims you'll get a minimum of $4 for each app review validated and up to $7 for an app beta test. ReviewsForDev is available on iPhone and Android phones.
Other apps that can earn you extra cash
If you're looking for additional ways to make money using your smartphone, perhaps you can try one of the apps listed below. From uploading photos, allowing ads on your lock screen or taking some quick surveys, here's a few more options to make money using your smart phone.
Ibotta. This is one of Megan's personal favorites because of the ease of earning. Shop any of the nearly sixty chains stores that support Ibotta. Then, when you’re shopping at any one of those stores and you buy any of the things listed on your offer wall, you’ll earn the dollar amount listed under the item! The money is then delivered to your account through Pay Pal. Ibotta is available on iPhone and Apple products.
Clashot. This is another one that Megan Fenno approves of. It's a mobile and stock photo website. Once Clashot is downloaded, you can then upload photos to the app directly from your smartphone. That allows millions of photobank clients from all over the world to see your photos. If the photobank clients choose to use your photo(s), you'll receive a commission. Imagine if your photo was used thousands of times. Clashot is available on iPhone and Apple products.
IconZoomer. Iconzoomer is a network-based app where people show their lives through snapshots of consumer activities. Members photograph aspects of their daily life that relate to specific assignments from the app. Once you send in your 'assignments and they get approved from IconZoomer, you get paid. IconZoomer is available on iPhone and Apple products.
OpinionOutpost. Take online surveys to earn cash, rewards, and entries into a $10,000 quarterly prize draw. By becoming a member of OpinionOutpost, you'll find a variety of paid online surveys about anything from electronics, medicine, politics, sports, advertisements, appliances, to something as random as what you ate for breakfast.
Locket. Locket is an android lock screen app that allows you to see and share content with your friends right from your lock screen to earn some extra money. This seems to be quite a popular app for Android users, as it was selected as one of the best apps of 2017 by Google. Again, this app is only available for Android devices.
Npolls. Take polls or surveys regarding a wide range of topics and earn money that is directly deposited into your PayPal account. NPolls encourages people to be critical, well-informed and involved in global issues. Ultimately, everyone has the right to participate and share opinion on matters that concern them. Make your voice heard above the local community. Npolls is available on iPhone and Apple products.
Mobee. The Mobee app is another fun shopping app that allows you to shop at the stores you love, but incognito -- as a mystery shopper. If you allow the app to use your location, it will show stores around you that are looking for feedback through Mobee. You'll be asked a series of questions and upon approval, you'll earn points that can be redeemed for gift or cash. Mobee is available on iPhone and Apple products.
And don't forget you can get weekly deals at our ShopSmart circulars.
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