I will show you how to earn money by watching ads in this post. I’ve used a couple of the sites on this list to make a few extra bucks on my lunch breaks.
Before you get excited, watching ads won’t replace your day job or buy you a new car. But they do create great opportunities to monetize your downtime.
Does making quick money on the side without doing anything unusual or time-consuming interest you? If it does, this comprehensive and helpful article is for you.
How to Watch Ads for Money
I am always searching for new and exciting ways to make money online. If you own a smartphone, there are many ways to earn money in this gig economy. Watching ads is a great way for 14 and 15-year-olds looking for work to make money.
You make money watching ads in short bursts, like when your kids are napping or during your coffee break. You may also be able to redeem points for free Amazon gift cards or gift cards from other retailers.
Which brings us to the question, how exactly do you get paid to watch ads, and how much money can you expect to make? What sites should you use?
Brands and companies pay advertisers to promote their products/services through video channels and TV. The advertisers, in turn, share their revenue with users, members, and subscribers.
Regarding how you can earn money by watching ads, the amount varies with the platform you use and the time you spend watching videos. What you watch depends entirely on you.
You can decide to watch channels, including sports and entertainment, movie trailers, fashion, news clips, parenting, and much more!
Whether on a long road trip, waiting for the lecturer, or just bored, here are the 18 top-paying apps that will help you earn money watching ads online.
Best Sites That Pay You to Watch Ads
If you’re looking to make extra money from the comfort of your home, check out the best sites that pay you to watch ads. With just a few clicks and taps, you can earn cash for passively streaming commercials – no skills or special training required!
1. Swagbucks
Topping our list is Swagbucks – the fun loyalty rewards site that pays you for completing short online tasks and allows you to earn money by watching ads.
Besides filling in polls, testing new products, playing online games, answering surveys, and referring friends, Swagbucks has a video section where you can watch ads for money.
Big companies and advertisers pay Swagbucks to market research or publicize their wares, and the company will pay you for your time. To date, over $383 million has been awarded to members.
You can watch a single or series of videos in exchange for points or Swagbucks. Popular videos include sponsored videos, themed videos, sports highlights, home, and garden, entertainment, and news from around the world.
After watching every video, you will rate it. Ads can be played between the videos and can be up to 75 seconds long.
You can redeem your points for cash via PayPal or gift cards as your points accumulate.
While points can be redeemed for gift cards from as low as $3, you need at least $25 or 2,500 points to redeem for cash.
2. Inboxdollars
InboxDollars works like Swagbucks. It is one of the highest-paying survey sites, but you can also make real money watching videos online and short clips of movies and TV shows.
Videos vary in categories, the common ones being entertainment, food and recipes, and celebrities. Over $56 million in cash rewards has been paid out to members since 2000. So the site is legit.
You will receive a $5 sign-up bonus when you open a new account.
You can redeem your points for gift cards or get cash via PayPal or in the form of a check in the mail when you reach the $30 minimum redemption amount.
3. Ibotta
If you’re in the mood to get real cash or a quick coupon, useful when shopping for groceries and electronics, then Ibotta is an excellent choice.
You can shop online and watch ads for money. Registering for an account is free and easy. Ibotta has an extremely user-friendly website.
No flashy junk or spammy links! Once you join, you can browse through various options and offers on the site. When you find a coupon you want to use, tap it. Watch a 15-second ad or answer a simple question to put the coupon to use.
Once you achieve the minimum payout ($20), buy a gift card or cash out via PayPal.
4. My Points
My Points is another popular app that makes earning money easy by watching ads on your phone. You can accumulate virtual points when you shop at your favorite stores, do web searches, take surveys, read emails, and watch ads.
To watch and earn up to 500 points per day, complete playlists. Pick a category to watch videos on your favorite topics. Besides ads, you can watch entertaining videos, including Golden Globes coverage and gossip from Hollywood.
When you join, you will get a $10 welcome bonus.
Once you accrue enough points, you can redeem them for a gift card from 70 top retail and restaurant brands, travel miles, or cash via PayPal.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $25. You earn 10 percent of your friend’s qualifying points when you refer a friend. There are unlimited invitations and unlimited points.
5. National Consumer Panel
The NCP app will pay you to watch videos online. NCP is a market research company formed by IRI and Nielsen. National Consumer Panel occasionally hires people to watch videos. The video surveys help to collect data for advertising campaigns.
Organizations then use this data to adjust their marketing strategy wherever necessary. You can earn points to redeem gift cards and a wide variety of merchandise.
The more video surveys you take, the more cash you will make. While the pay is not significant, the work is exciting.
6. Appnana
Get paid to watch ads by AppNana. This service also rewards you for trying new apps and playing games. In this app, points are called “Nanas.” You can redeem your Nanas for all kinds of prizes, including
- Amazon,
- Xbox,
- iTunes gift cards
- paid games/apps for free
- and more.
You will get your prize within 48 hours. AppNana members have earned over $10 million in-game gift card credits. Just by visiting the app daily, you will receive 400 Nanas.
7. Quickrewards
QuickRewards is a free loyalty program open to permanent residents of the United States. The site has been around since 2002 and features an old-school simple design that some people might disregard as shady.
The site is very LEGIT!
With QuickRewards, there are a couple of ways to earn extra money, including cashback shopping, playing games, paid surveys, referring friends, and watching online videos.
You can process your PayPal payment within 72 hours. The best part about QuickRewards is that you don’t need a minimum amount to cash out.
You can also redeem gift cards starting at $5 within seven days.
There are 50+ redemption options, including:
- Walmart,
- Amazon,
- Applebee’s,
- Disney store,
- Red Lobster,
- and Olive Garden restaurant.
If you have any issues or queries, you will get same-day email responses from customer care.
8. Slidejoy
Slidejoy is no newcomer; the app has been around for a long time. The app rewards you for unlocking your phone. For it to work correctly, your smartphone needs to be in a locked position.
Slidejoy rents your device’s lock screen in exchange for cash rewards. It displays beautiful, creative, full-screen ads on your phone.
To earn money by watching ads, download and activate the app. Slidejoy will load news stories and quick ads onto your smartphone’s home screen. The content will be relevant to your interests.
Swipe left to check out the ad or news story — swipe right to ignore the ad and proceed to your home screen. No matter which way you slide, you’ll still earn points.
Your points will come in the form of Carats. To get a dollar, you need 1000 carats. When you accumulate enough points, and 2,000 carats (or $2), you can redeem gift cards to popular retailers and brands or cash out via PayPal.
You can donate your earnings to your favorite charity if you feel generous.
9. Creationsrewards
CreationsRewards works a lot like the other reward-based sites on our list.
It rewards you CR points for your everyday phone activities – shopping online, exploring other sites, completing offers, answering trivia questions, and watching videos.
As one of the oldest and best rewarding apps on this list, CreationsRewards boasts a free and simple registration procedure.
New members receive a $5 signup bonus!
There’s a small catch – to get the bonus, you must earn at least 5k points within the first two months of being a new member.
To earn, you will visit certain websites and watch entertaining videos. Once you reach the threshold (1000 CR points), visit the rewards page and pick from various offers. Redeem your points for cash through PayPal or gift cards from your favorite stores.
10. Viggle
Here’s something for TV addicts. Viggle rewards you for interacting with all of your favorite entertainment!
You’ll earn Perk points watching your favorite shows on streaming platforms like
- Netflix,
- Hulu
- and Amazon Prime Video.
You can set custom reminders so you never miss a show. To earn, check into the app while watching Live TV. You will earn a perk point per minute plus any bonuses. Check out the bonus section to receive a higher payout per minute of watch time.
Making comments on the shows and interacting with your friends will also get you more points. You can easily exchange your Perk points for over 200 Gift Card Brands, including Amazon and Walmart, Prizes, or Cash.
You can also donate to over 1000 charities, including the American Cancer Society, Wounded Warrior Project, and Autism Speaks.
11. Checkpoints
CheckPoints is a get-paid-to website where you can earn through online activities like completing offers, shopping the web, taking quizzes, and watching videos.
Here’s how it works:
- Advertisers pay CheckPoints,
- and when you finish watching a video,
- CheckPoints pays you!
There are hundreds of rewards, including gift cards from Walmart, Target, and Amazon. You can sign up with your Facebook account to start earning today.
The minimum cashout is just a dollar, which you can withdraw only a few hours after creating your account. Participate in win giveaways to receive
- gift cards,
- free gas cards,
- shopping sprees,
- and much more!
The CheckPoints app is available for both iPhone and Android users.
12. Netflix
Netflix has grown to become one of the most entertaining streaming platforms. According to GBH Insights’ internal research, the average Netflix customer spends 10+ hours per week on the platform.
Believe it or not, if you spend hours following episodes of Stranger Things or Black Mirror, you can make money watching your favorite movies, documentaries or TV series.
Netflix regularly tests new features that could help improve the streaming service. You can work as a “tagger,” and your role will be to ensure their movies, shows, and specials are correctly categorized.
Tagging videos in your programming will help provide accurate recommendations to other Netflix subscribers. Tagging will make it easier for them to search for specific content based on their favorite categories.
These Netflix jobs don’t come up that often, but they are there. If you like to binge-watch Netflix content, keep checking the Netflix job board for open positions.
13. Prize Rebel
PrizeRebel is an amazing membership rewards site offering cash for watching ads. It’s perfect for those looking to take advantage of short gaps in their day to make some extra income — no matter how small it may be.
It’s easy to join if you’re 18 or over, with quick sign-ups available through Facebook and minimal personal information needed. Once you start watching those ads and earning points, the real fun begins since there are many awesome options.
You can redeem your points for gift cards from popular places like
- Amazon
- PayPal
- Visa
- Google Play
rewards start at a low payout of $2! Plus, with more than $22 million dollars paid out to members since 2017, PrizeRebel is legit and here to stay!
14. Grabpoints
Advertisers pay GrabPoints for engagements, and you can get gift cards and PayPal cash for simple online activities such as downloading apps, completing offers, answering surveys, and watching videos.
GrabPoints promises high payouts and an excellent all-around experience. The rewards site has been around since 2014, meaning it’s relatively new compared to veterans such as Swagbucks and InboxDollars.
But in that period, they built an amazing and loyal user base. GrabPoints has many video channels for diverse interests, including fashion, tech, and lifestyle.
You can choose to watch a video that interests you, and up to 20 points will be credited to your account when you finish watching one. Referring your friends will earn you 250 points per referral.
The points will pile up after watching a couple of videos. Rewards are processed and sent out within 48 hours; the minimum payout is $3 (3,000 points).
PayPal and Skrill pay out cash rewards. Cash is always king, but if you prefer gift cards, you can choose from the following:
- Amazon gift cards,
- Walmart eGift cards,
- Netflix codes, Google
- Play gift codes,
- Pokémon GO coins,
- iTunes redemption codes,
- etc.
15. You-cubez
You-Cubez is a Paid-To-Click (PTC) website that enables users to earn cash incentives and gift cards by
- completing tasks,
- participating in surveys,
- watching videos,
- and viewing ads.
With over 360k members and 20k payments sent, You-Cubez is a legit way of making money online. To earn from ads, click on an ad offer and view it for a few seconds.
Before you receive the reward offered, you will have to wait for 10 seconds and key in the provided code. While it doesn’t pay much, it takes little effort to earn.
Plus, they have other ways to earn, which pay more. You get paid when someone uses your referral link to join the site.
You can earn up to 15 percent commission from your referrals and their referrals.
Once you reach the payout threshold ($10), you can request payment via PayPal or Bitcoin. You pay a 5 percent processing fee each time you cash out.
16. Irazoo
Brands pay iRazoo for consumer input, and they recruit people like you to download apps, play games, answer surveys, and watch videos to earn gift cards and cash.
According to their website, they have paid out over $78.4 million in cash rewards to members. The site offers 50+ channels and refreshes its video inventory daily, meaning there will be a new video to look forward to every day. You can watch
- cooking tutorials,
- short films,
- movie reviews,
- new ads,
- app trailers,
- and much more.
Joining iRazoo is simple, and signing up is free. You can watch entertaining videos and earn iRazoo Points for every video you watch. You can earn 100 points just for signing up!
When you earn 3,000 iRazoo Points, you can exchange them for your first reward. Rewards are released weekly.
How To Protect Yourself From Scams
Protecting yourself from scams is always important, so here are a few ways to stay safe.
First, never enter personal details into a website you’re not comfortable with. Even if the sites we recommend are legit and pay you money to watch ads, there could still be some suspicious places leading away from them.
To ensure your safety while using these services, don’t share too much of your personal info like your SSN on these websites, create an email account specifically for signing up for apps and websites related to this kind of work, install anti-virus software on your device before getting started, periodically take a break between different signup processes and make sure you never pay anything to take surveys or enter your credit card information.
Stay safe and follow these guidelines!
Frequently Asked Questions
Watching ads for money is an easy and convenient way to make a few extra bucks. But there are a lot of questions about the process, and we want to answer them for you.
Can You Get Paid for Watching Ads?
Getting paid to watch ads can be a great way to make some extra money. Sites like Inbox Dollars and Swagbucks are fantastic for this purpose; when you sign up, you’ll be presented with various ads that you can watch for cash rewards. The amount of money you can earn will vary depending on the length and type of ad, so it’s important to do your research in advance.
Plus, the more ads you watch, the stronger your user profile gets — giving you access to higher-paying opportunities! It can be a reliable way to earn more money if you’re willing to commit a little bit of time to watch sometimes-lengthy ads.
Where Can I Get Paid for Watching Ads?
Watching ads could earn you a bit of extra cash. Unbelievable, but true! Websites like
- Swagbucks
- MyPoints
- InboxDollars
- Nielsen
- Prize Rebel
- iRazoo
- QuickRewards
- You-Cubez
offer users payment for watching ads online. The exact amount will vary depending on the length and type of advertisement – it might be a few cents or even up to several dollars for playing a game.
So if you’re bored at home and want to make extra money while you watch your favorite show or kill some time on the Internet – check out these sites and get paid just for watching ads.
Should You Watch Ads for Money?
Like any side hustle, it’s essential to be realistic with potential earnings. While some sites only pay a small amount, adding them together will increase your supplementary income.
With at least three money-making platforms, you can earn up to $30 quickly. Always think about annual earnings – $50 a month doesn’t sound much, but it’s $600 yearly.
It may take you a while to earn enough to withdraw your cash. If you give up halfway, it means you did the tasks for free. Once you reach your payment threshold, withdraw your cash. Also, if you get paid in gift vouchers, spend them ASAP. Gift vouchers become invalid after expiry.
So go ahead, take your pick and earn money by watching ads from your recliner or sofa. Have you watched videos online and got paid for them? How was your experience? Did I miss any apps?