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I just published a podcast episode with my Magick Manifesting Mindset Podcast, where I shared how to get paid for things you’re already doing. You can listen to that episode here or watch it on Youtube here.
In that episode, I discussed how you can easily get access to “free” cash-in-hand or gift cards by utilizing company reward programs, data and market analysis apps, and affiliate/referral programs.
Before I get into the how’s and why’s, I’d like to present you with two questions to ponder: Why are you so resistant to getting this “free money”? And do you believe that money can’t come to you easily?
Rewards Programs – Companies want to know the data of you, their customer. They want to know why you shop the way you shop, your purchasing decisions, and more. This helps them make more money. They use the analytics to know when to offer discounts, have more inventory of a particular product, what products to market harder, etc. As a reward for helping them out with market research and market analysis, they give you discounts, coupons, store credit, or even cash.
One of the most popular ones that I use is Starbucks. Love them or hate them, they have a great program that makes it easy to earn free money in the way of a free drink customization, free drinks, free bakery items, etc. They also have alot of ways to earn bonus point, or stars for them, making it super easy to redeem your rewards for the things you want.
Another good rewards program is through Circle K. You get all sorts of discounts and coupons to use in store, but the best part is that they always have a discount on gas when you plug in your rewards phone number at the pump. Combine that with the Upside app, and that sting at the pump will be hurt much less! They also often have sweepstakes or contests you can enter.
Apps for Doing Things That You’re Already Doing – It’s all data analysis when you break it down. Companies want to know the hows and whys you do things. So, big name companies have partnered with other apps to get that data. In exchange for you sharing your purchasing information, you earn cash, freebies, and/or gift cards.
It’s not as scary as all that sounds. There are alot of apps that let you scan your receipts and earn gift cards. My favorite one is Fetch because there are so many gift card options; you don’t have to mark what you bought beforehand (Ibotta and Merryfield); and you can earn big bonuses if you pay attention to the app. They also having monthly contests to win gift cards or bonus points. And, while I typically don’t use this aspect of Fetch, you are able to get paid for signing up and playing to certain levels in games. That part takes alot of time, and time is money, so I typically avoid that aspect of Fetch.
With the Upside app, you choose a gas station that you are going to get gas at and link a card to the “wallet” within the app. Pay with that same card at the pump and get cash back. Once the transaction is verified, the money can be cashed out right away to a myriad of gift cards, your bank, or Paypal.
Referral Programs and Affiliate Programs – Affiliate and referral programs are where a business gives a commission, account credit, or some other monetary bonus for driving traffic and/or sales to their website. With both of these types of programs, you are provided a dedicated link that tells the company that you were the one that shared the product or services.
You’ll often see referral programs related to a product or service you already have or are already using. This makes it easy for a company to just give you a credit instead of actual cash or gift cards, but you do occasionally see this. Referral programs are very popular with banking institutions of all varieties and online business services. Some of these companies will tell you an amount you’ll receive, like “a free month” or a “$50 credit,” while others are a little more vague, just stating that you’ll “get a reward.” To help get more signups and sales, companies will often give both you and the person you refer to them a reward of some kind. (See below for examples of referral programs.)
Affiliate programs are similar but different. With these, you are required to (at the very least) provide your name and address, but some of them also require either your tax ID number or social security number. This is so they can comply with legal and tax reporting regulations. A big difference here is the potential for the amount of money you can earn. Referral programs offer smaller rewards, where as affiliate programs can have huge cash outs. Normally, affiliate programs will have a set percentage that you make for a particular product or service or a flat percentage across the board.
There’s also usually a sign-up process that may or may not be lengthy. You will often need to discuss how big your audience size is, provide links to a website or social media account, and discuss why you’re a good fit for the company. I just tried to sign up as an affiliate for LearnDash, but their process was lengthy and even required a “media kit.” To say the least, I didn’t get approved for that one.
I earn money online with Amazon Associates, their affiliate program. How I, personally, do that is by sharing links as hyperlinks in my blog posts and emails in a subtle way and on social media when someone asks for recommendations.
A popular way to get commissions from Amazon Associates or other affiliate programs is to create a blog website where you review or recommend certain products and services, linking to said product or service with your affiliate link. You can also create a dedicated sales page to make your money, focusing on a single item or service.
Something else we discussed in the podcast was how important it is to tell your audience that you are potentially making money online through these affiliate or referral programs. If the link contains text about what you will receive, you don’t need to repeat yourself and tell them again in a different way. However, if it doesn’t say anything about rewards or commissions, you are required by law to disclose that information. Check out the very top of this page to see an example of how I did this. I did it again below this section.
I’d like to share with you some of my favorite apps or websites that have referral programs. While I am a part of the Amazon Associates program, I do not have a referral link for that.
Again, if you click on any of these links, I might earn a small commission, bonus, or account credit at no additional cost or effort to you.
I left the phrases that appear when you copy the referral links from the various companies, so you can see what it looks like. There were a few companies that didn’t explain anything, so I wrote up a quick blurb.
- Capital One Shopping: Sign up for Capital One Shopping and get access to deals, coupons, etc when you shop online. https://capitaloneshopping.com/r/1672cdc2-09bc-4ddc-9f7b-9d810b0c8269?e=ezi1m
- Cash App – Get $5 when you send $5+ with Cash App. Create your account with my code: QSXTJGV. https://cash.app/app/QSXTJGV
- Brigit – Hey! You can get $25-$500 in minutes with no interest or late fees on Brigit. Use my link to sign up and we’ll both get an extra $15. https://brigit.app.link/1mpgqkn0k1b
- Get upside – Download Upside with my link or use my code MD7EMW to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash back on your first restaurant or grocery purchase! https://upside.app.link/MD7EMW
- Starlink – Here’s one free month of Starlink service! Starlink high-speed internet is great for streaming, video calls, and gaming in even the most remote locations on Earth. https://starlink.com/residential?referral=RC-2229786-73514-71&app_source=share
- Circle K – Check out the Circle K app. Download it at https://circlek-gmap-na.onelink.me/wwPa/getnaapp.
- Fetch – Turn basically anything you do into gift cards with Fetch. Earn at stores, restaurants and shopping online. Even playing free games. Download Fetch with my link or use code 2JFA59 to get a bonus when you submit your first receipt. https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralqr?code=2JFA59
- Receipt Hog – Receipt Hog pays you to upload receipts, take surveys, and more! Download and enter code hoct2122 to earn a special bonus when you upload your first receipt. https://app.receipthog.com/r/hoct2122
- Dave – High savings rates and access to a cash if you get in a tight spot before your paycheck comes in – https://dave.com/register?daveTag%3DMonica-Bowling%26c%3Dboost-20
- MoneyLion – Get up to $60! Use my code $MonB1316 when you join MoneyLion. https://mlion.us/$MonB1316
- Robinhood – Sign up for Robinhood with my link and we’ll both pick our own gift stock
https://join.robinhood.com/monicab162 - Self – I’m building my credit with Self – join me! Open a Credit Builder Account and see an average 47-point* increase or get a Self Visa Credit Card. Lift your credit and we both earn a reward! https://self.inc/refer/16922238
- CloudWays – Get $25 in hosting credit when you signup for website hosting with this link: https://vrlps.co/3lrveih/cp
- Buzzsprout – Sign up and set up your podcast with Buzzsprout and we each get a $20 Buzzsprout credit. https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2506784
So, what do you say? Are you going to start getting paid for things you’re already doing?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
Happy Manifesting! And Stay Abundant!
