How to Earn Extra Money in College
College students are often scrounging around for money any place they can - to pay off student loans or just to eat dinner. Besides getting a job, there are many more unconventional ways to earn some extra money to help pay off student loans and avoid building credit card debt.
1) Upromise.com
Upromise.com is a wonderful program that allows you to earn a percentage back on purchases you make at many restaurants, the grocery store, and online stores. The program is specifically designed to help you save for college and pay off your loans. All you have to do is register your credit or debit card and grocery store rewards cards with the website and you will begin to earn a small percentage (usually between 1-5%) on selected restaurant bills and purchase of selected items at the grocery store. When you're shopping online, all you have to do is click through the Upromise website to the store's website and you will earn a percentage back on all of your purchases that visit. As long as you remember to click through the Upromise website, you'll earn again 1-5% on your purchases. Each online store has a different percentage, and they are listed next to the website's name on Upromise. Check out the website for more details on the program; it is an easy way to earn a lot of money to pay for college.
2) Consumer opinion panels
Websites such as globalopinionpanels.com and greenfieldonline.com offer you the opportunity to take online surveys for large consumer goods companies for payment. You will have to take a few surveys to make money, but these website are legit and don't worry - you will get paid. I have tried many of them out myself and while my favorite is globalopinionpanels.com, the other ones are quality as well. Another bonus to this is the opportunity to try out new products before they are available. Often times, you will be selected to receive a product in the mail and then you will be asked to give your opinion about it - from food to toilet paper.
3) Focus groups
If you are in a large city, do a Google search for focus group companies in the area. You can earn up to $500 for a few hours of your time; large companies want to hear what their target market thinks about their products and ask them for opinions about potential ventures for them. As a safety note, make sure the website seems legitimate before you agree to attend and search the web for any comments about the focus group company you are looking at.
4) Academic studies
Check with the marketing and psychology departments in your university. While these do not usually pay nearly as much as focus groups, these two departments are likely to be conducting academic studies and are often willing to pay students a few dollars to spend a couple minutes taking a survey or participating in an activity.
5) Credit card rewards programs
While you're spending money on necessities, why not get rewards as well? While I don't recommend paying any sort of fee for a rewards credit card, you can get fee-free cards that allow you to earn points on all of your purchases. Cards like the mtvU card at Citibank allow you to enroll in the Thank You Network or something similar. Once you earn enough points, you can trade them in for money, products, or student loan rebates.
1) Upromise.com
Upromise.com is a wonderful program that allows you to earn a percentage back on purchases you make at many restaurants, the grocery store, and online stores. The program is specifically designed to help you save for college and pay off your loans. All you have to do is register your credit or debit card and grocery store rewards cards with the website and you will begin to earn a small percentage (usually between 1-5%) on selected restaurant bills and purchase of selected items at the grocery store. When you're shopping online, all you have to do is click through the Upromise website to the store's website and you will earn a percentage back on all of your purchases that visit. As long as you remember to click through the Upromise website, you'll earn again 1-5% on your purchases. Each online store has a different percentage, and they are listed next to the website's name on Upromise. Check out the website for more details on the program; it is an easy way to earn a lot of money to pay for college.
2) Consumer opinion panels
Websites such as globalopinionpanels.com and greenfieldonline.com offer you the opportunity to take online surveys for large consumer goods companies for payment. You will have to take a few surveys to make money, but these website are legit and don't worry - you will get paid. I have tried many of them out myself and while my favorite is globalopinionpanels.com, the other ones are quality as well. Another bonus to this is the opportunity to try out new products before they are available. Often times, you will be selected to receive a product in the mail and then you will be asked to give your opinion about it - from food to toilet paper.
3) Focus groups
If you are in a large city, do a Google search for focus group companies in the area. You can earn up to $500 for a few hours of your time; large companies want to hear what their target market thinks about their products and ask them for opinions about potential ventures for them. As a safety note, make sure the website seems legitimate before you agree to attend and search the web for any comments about the focus group company you are looking at.
4) Academic studies
Check with the marketing and psychology departments in your university. While these do not usually pay nearly as much as focus groups, these two departments are likely to be conducting academic studies and are often willing to pay students a few dollars to spend a couple minutes taking a survey or participating in an activity.
5) Credit card rewards programs
While you're spending money on necessities, why not get rewards as well? While I don't recommend paying any sort of fee for a rewards credit card, you can get fee-free cards that allow you to earn points on all of your purchases. Cards like the mtvU card at Citibank allow you to enroll in the Thank You Network or something similar. Once you earn enough points, you can trade them in for money, products, or student loan rebates.