Online surveys
An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members worldwide to answer surveys and test new products.
For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!
A few good ones to try are:Toluna,Branded Surveys,LifePoints,InboxPounds,Onepoll,i-Say,Opinion Outpost,YouGov,Pinecone,SurveyBods,Panel Base,Valued Opinions,The Opinion Panel,Prizerebel,Opinion Bureau,Marketagent,Populus Live,Survey Junkie.
Also sign up forSwagbuckswhich rewards you for surveys as well as simply surfing the web, watching videos and playing games.
Update:See our new full guide to thebest paid online surveys!
Paid for searching the web
Interested in earning cash for doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online without really any effort or change in your behaviour.
This innovative idea byQmee.comrewards you for searching in Google, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay. You just install a simple add-on to your browser and when you conduct a search there may be a few sponsored results alongside your normal search.
Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached - if you are interested in it simply click on it and collect your reward.
The best thing is there is no minimum to cashout - our first one was just 72p wired to our Paypal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.
Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches!Click here to start.
Onlinemarket trading
Whilst this isn't necessarily an easy way to make money, investing in stock markets can be lucrative if you learn to do it properly and safely. By the same token, you may suffer significant losses if you don't take it seriously.
Today there is no need to fund the yachts ofWolf of Wall Streetstyle stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.
Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been experimenting with the popular platformeToro.com.
eToro has over 12 millions users worldwide and offers free practice accounts. It has been featured in the BBC 2 documentary "Traders: Millions by the Minute" and sponsors several Premier League football clubs.
One of the best things on eToro is theCopyTraderfeature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.
Follow George's completeguide to trading on eToroto learn more. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.
Please be aware that all trading involves risk. eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers real asset ownership and high risk leveraged 'CFD' products.67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is not financial or investment advice.
Start your own website
Interested in generatingpassive income? You need a website. It's THE way to make money while you sleep.
Starting a websitewith Bluehosttakesless than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done byan 82 year-old. It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetise your site.
Save the Studentis just one example of a successful website, started at university by Owen Burek in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and sizable enterprise.
Read Owen's step-by-step guide onhow to start a website in 20 minutes. It's really one of the best assets you can have.
Review websites & apps for cash
Well it seems like you're pretty nifty with a web browser, so perhaps it's time to turn pro and browse websites as a paid and fun job!
IntroducingUserTesting.com- a new platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes around 20 minutes and bags you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.
Simplysign up here, complete a test review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.
The 'Disney Vault' secret
Credit: Walt Disney Pictures Inc.
To keep demand high across generations, Disney Studios carefully restrict the supply of some home release classics. They are locked away in the 'vault' for 8-10 years before being released for a short unspecified time.
Buy them in this window at normal retail price and you can turn a nice profit when they go off sale for another decade or so.
For example, in 2011 you could buyBeauty and the Beaston Blu-ray 3D for just £24.99. In just a couple of years it was on Amazon for a staggering £74.99!
Importantly, not all Disney releases are subject to the vault and only the true classics will maintain such demand.
Right now there are just 2 titles out of the vault which I would recommend snapping up. They areBambi Diamond Edition Blu-rayandThe Lion King Diamond Edition Blu-ray.
Become a delivery rider or driver
Got a bicycle, motorbike or car? What about a Smartphone? That's all you need to make some extra money by delivering food or people whenever you've got some spare time.
Sign up to delivery specialist companies likeDeliveroowho are always on the hunt for new riders. They allow you total flexibility to work when you want, delivering food from restaurants to the customers' door. You can make up to £16 an hour.
Double-up your opportunities by directly contacting local takeaways and bigger chains likeDominosto see if they have any delivery jobs going.
Write and publish a Kindle eBook
If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With theAmazon Kindle store,anyonecan publish an eBook and make money.
And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!
List your book for £1.49 - £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.
The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and compiled on a common problem (eg. 'secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.
Another big tip is to have a great cover designed (browse these) so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store it's really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.
The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn apassive incomefor years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see "How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days".
Affiliate marketing
If you've got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.Sign up as a publisher on theAwin network, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you'll make a nice commission.
To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.
Mobile phone recycling
You can earn good money and help the environment by recycling your old mobile phones and other unused devices. Maybe ask your parents if they have any lying around too.
Head to our page onmaking money from old phonesfor the best companies to use and how to ensure you get all the cash quoted to you online.
Become a 'Clickworker'
TheClickworker.comconcept is based on 'internet crowd-sourcing' where businesses advertise specific, scalable tasks they need completing quickly. And for us, it's an easy way to make fast cash from our couch.
There are a variety of tasks, but most commonly they involve mindless data entry, web research or form filling. You are rewarded and paid in cash (via Paypal) for the work you do, and you can choose for what and when you work.Give it a go. [If you're US based, also try Amazon's 'Mechanical Turk'].
Claim tax back
Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. More often than not, if you are a student working during the year, you will be overpaying income tax.
Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each yearbutare put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn't be.
To learn more and calculate how much tax back you might be due, see our guide onstudent tax refunds.
Get cashback when shopping
This is not only a way to make money but also to save money as a student. If you look at it in a different way then you are making money with every purchase you would have made anyway, whether it be 10% or 0.5% cashback.
There are a number ofcashback sitesout there which pay you the commission they otherwise would have earned.
We recommend signing up withTop Cashback,Quidco.comandSwagbuckswhich are free and offer the best selection of retailers and exclusives.
