Ten ways you can make money online. Yes really!

In 2022, most of us are feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis. Prices of energy and food were already rising, and this has been worsened by the war in Ukraine. Inflation is also now rising, and many employees have been hit by the increased National Insurance contribution introduced in April.

So anything we can do to bring in some extra income has got to be worth a try. And the good news is that there are various ways that you can make a bit of extra money right from the comfort of your own home!

In this article we look at ten possible ways to make money online.

1. Surveys

Many large companies use surveys as part of their market research. Feedback from surveys is used to help them launch new products, improve existing ones, and offer better customer experience and service. One of the easiest ways to get involved in doing online surveys is to sign up with a reputable online survey company such as:

If you are accepted by the company, you will start receiving survey alerts by email. You will receive some kind of payment for every survey you complete. This may be a cash payment (usually via PaypalPayPal), vouchers of your choice, or points that you can redeem in their online store.

2. Competitions

It is also possible to enter and win competitions online. Competitions often feature in newspapers, magazines or on a company’s website or social media page. There are also many dedicated competition sites, and you can see some examples at:

But unlike surveys, where your payment is agreed in advance, you are not guaranteed to gain anything. So it’s probably best to see competitions as a fun hobby that may result in a prize rather than a definite source of income.

However, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of winning a competition. Here are three quick tips:

Choose your competitions carefully. Time is limited, so focus on entering contests with prizes you actually want to win.
Put in extra effort. Competitions that require you to do something, for example answer questions or puzzles, write a comment or review, or submit a photo are likely to attract less entries than simple prize draws. Even writing a witty tie breaker could clinch you victory.
Timing is critical. Get your entry in well before the competition deadline, and always check your emails regularly: you may want to set up a separate email address for competitions. Some competition prizes need to be claimed within 24 hours, and in a few cases there may be a final round or tie break for potential winners.

3. Test websites and apps

If you love surfing online and/or using apps then why not consider becoming a tester?

Many companies need users from all walks of life to test their websites or apps and provide useful feedback as to how they can be improved. If you enjoy browsing websites and/or using apps anyway, this can be a fun way to earn a bit of extra cash.

You can find website and app testing jobs on specialist sites such as Web Usability and E4S, or look at more general recruitment sites such as Indeed.

4. Remote working

There are also many opportunities to do extra work from home on an occasional or regular basis through sites such as Upwork, Fiverr and Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Sites like Upwork and Fiverr advertise a variety of roles that tend to be specialised and may well fit in with the expertise you have from your current job. For example, virtual administration, web design, graphic design, writing etc. Mechanical Turk tends to offer more general work such as data checking, research and survey participation.

5. Blogging or vlogging

Blogging is one of the longest-running ways of making money online, and has now been joined by vlogging. If you have a passion that you love to share with others, why not consider starting a blog or vlog?

Not only is this enjoyable – and will build up your writing or presenting skills – but if you begin to attract followers you may then be able to attract paid advertisers. This is known as affiliate marketing – where you get paid if someone clicks through from your blog to the website of the advertiser.

6. Creating and selling products or services

There are many opportunities online to sell things that you have created. Do you love making items such as clothes, jewelryjewellery, bags, scrunchies, bath bombs, cards, candles, soft furnishings or any other home accessories? If so, why not consider selling them online? There are various sites – such as Etsy – that now offer exciting ecommerce opportunities to small sellers.

However, you can also sell other creative items online. For example, if you enjoy creative writing, take a look around at the many competitions for short stories with cash prizes and sometimes publishing opportunities. If you are a musician you may be able to make money by producing bespoke music for private or corporate clients.

There is a world of opportunity out there if you are prepared to give it a go.

7. Selling used goods

If you like the idea of selling online but do not create your own products, there is still money to be made by selling used goods. If you have good quality items, for example clothes, handbags, children’s toys, furniture, or household items you can sell them online. There are many sites to do this but if you are short of cash and are considering an emergency loan you can get money very quickly by advertising your goods on Facebook Marketplace. This attracts local buyers and you could have cash in hand within hours.

For less urgent sales, eBay is always a good way to sell online. For helpful tips on how to sell on eBay see our article Could eBay transform your financial future? And there are also many specialist selling websites for different categories of items. For example Depop and Vinted for fashion items, We Buy Books for books, and Music Magpie for CDs, DVDs, games and Lego.

If you find that you enjoy selling online, you may want to start looking out for good quality used items to resell. For example, pick up bargain items at car boot sales, charity shops, or eBay job lots then list and sell them individually to make a small profit. It could be worth deciding on a particular category of item to sell, to build up stock of those items and gain a good following as a seller.

8. Stocks and shares

Stocks is the concept of company ownership. A share is part of the value of a particular company. Companies sell shares to help them raise money to run the company. When you buy a share in a company, you become a part owner of that company. By investing in shares, you could make a lot of money if the company does well. However, you could also lose money if the company does not.

There are two main ways to invest in stocks and shares:

A stocks and shares ISA

An ISA is an Individual Savings Account which enables you to save up to £20,000 a year and pay no tax on the interest. Many financial providers such as banks and investment companies offer a stocks and shares ISA which invests your money in stocks and shares.

Direct investment in shares

If you want to try investing yourself, one of the easiest ways to do this is either through your bank or by signing up for an online share dealing platform such as Hargreaves Lansdown, eToro or IG.

If you do decide to invest in stocks and shares, be aware that to make decent money, you normally need to be able to invest your money for some considerable time. It is not a quick fix. Stocks and shares can rise and fall, so if you try to get your money back too soon, it may not be the best time. And there is always a risk of losing your money altogether.

9. Cryptocurrency

Another longer term investment is cryptocurrency. This is digital currency that can be used to exchange for goods and services. It is also viewed by many as a good investment, particularly if you are prepared to invest your money over a longer term.

The most well known cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. Other cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Binance Coin, Tether, Solana and Cardano. There are currently around 18.5 million bitcoins in circulation, and only 21 million will ever be released.

Our recent article What is Bitcoin and how can you get involved in it? explains more about how to invest in cryptocurrency. But again, it is not without risk as values can rise and fall, so it’s not worth investing money that you can’t afford to lose.

10. NFTs

The final potential way to make money online that we will look at is NFTs – Non-Fungible Tokens. A Non-Fungible Token is a unique digital asset such as images, GIFs, animations, memes, video or audio files.

Because each NFT is unique, its value is also unique – just the same as it would be for any original painting or other piece of artwork. But NFTs are a growing investment market: in 2021 total sales of NFTs amounted to over $14 billion.

Anyone can buy and sell an NFT, through marketplaces such as OpenSea, Nifty Gateway and Rarible. Most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain and can only be purchased using ether – Ethereum’s cryptocurrency.

The same risks apply to NFT investment as they do to cryptocurrency and stocks and shares. Investment values can fluctuate, and are more likely to give you a good result if you leave your money in for a longer time. And there is always a risk of losing money. So, NFTs could potentially make you money but proceed with caution.

We hope that the above ideas help you to find some feasible ways to make money online. Good luck!

For more financial and lifestyle tips check back here with us soon at Loans 2 Go.