Get Paid To Watch Ads (How To Watch Ads For Money)

Want to earn cash for watching ads? Short video clips that you can watch for as little as one penny per ad.

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Wouldn't it be nice if you got paid for doing something that you do daily — watching videos on your phone while getting paid to watch ads?

Instead of feeling guilty for enjoying your free time, there are actually some companies willing to pay people like us who enjoy binge-watching.

It can be tough knowing which sites will give payment and I've researched the top ones out there so we don't have to worry about finding them ourselves!

How to Get Paid to Watch Ads

Money-making apps and websites offer cash rewards for watching shows, ads, movies or short video clips. These companies use advertising networks and pass along along some of their earnings to you for watching these ads and videos.

How do you get started?  First, choose which sites will work best for your lifestyle — whether it be on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. This is a guide with both desktop and mobile options so we'll cover all bases.

Some of the top apps and platforms where you can get paid to watch ads are:

1. Swagbucks

(Paid out over $580,000,000 to its members)

How it works: Swagbucks is a site where you can watch videos and earn points that are worth real money with Swagbucks Watch. Here you can watch great content like movie trailers, financial news, daily sports content, hottest in entertainment, daily lifestyle, and more that you must finish watching and then rate the video with a thumbs up or down.

The catch? You'll have to endure some ads while doing so, but the good news is these videos will be entertaining and short. With so many ways to earn, Swagbucks is one of the most popular online reward sites. With over $580 million paid and PayPal payouts every day, you can’t go wrong with this site!

swagbucks watch

Pros: A lot of ways to earn–everything from watching ads, playing games, surveys, shopping online, and searching the web. The categories for videos are varied and interesting.

Cons: Earning Swagbucks is not the fastest way to build your bank account. You can make around 1 SB per short clipped watched, so likely have to watch a few short clips to earn $1.

Minimum Cashout: $1 (PayPal, or gift cards)

Description
Swagbucks
Earn per activity: $.40 - $35 | Min to cash out: $3 | Payment method: PayPal or Gift Cards

Swagbucks is the most reputable rewards site that lets you watch videos, take surveys, shop and more to earn real money.

SIGN UP, GET $10
https://www.hustlergigs.com/swagbucks, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/swagbucks-300x300.png, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/swagbucks.png, swagbucks

2. InboxDollars

(Makes it simple to earn money online)

How it works: InboxDollars is a popular rewards site that allows users to earn money by watching videos, trying new products, shopping online and even completing surveys. With over $59 million paid out since 2000, they offer payment options via check or direct deposit into your PayPal account.

inboxdollars videos

Pros:  A lot of ways to earn. You can earn money from watching videos, trying products/services, shopping online, and surveys.

Cons: Time-consuming because of the sheer volume of videos available. You can't search for specific videos and have to go through all of them. Also, a very high minimum threshold to cash out at $30. Only expect to earn $0.01 per video watched.

Minimum Cashout: $30 (PayPal, check, or direct deposit).

Description
InboxDollars
Earn per activity: $.50 - $5 | Min to cash out: $30 | Payment method: Cash or Gift Cards

InboxDollars is the online rewards club that pays you for completing online tasks, playing games, filling out surveys and you'll even get $5 added to your account just for signing up.

SIGN UP, GET $5
https://www.hustlergigs.com/inboxdollars, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/inboxdollars-300x300.png, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/inboxdollars.png, inboxdollars

3. MyPoints

(Get up to 40% cash back on your purchases)

How it works: Watch videos, take surveys and shop through MyPoints to get points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards. Playlists can autoplay until completion or are paused by the user. Points are awarded for completing watch lists, as well as shopping online, taking surveys, and more.

Pros: Offers a cash back shopping program for a variety of retailers and brands. If you're looking to earn a lot of cash back on items that you already plan on buying, MyPoints is the way to go.

Cons: Requires lots of actions to get rewards. They also get very few surveys, which was a big downside for me.

Minimum Cashout:  $3-5 (gift cards) & $25 (PayPal)

4. Nielsen TV Ratings

(Get $50 for downloading its app)

How it works: One of the more passive online opportunities comes from Nielsen, where they offer $50 for downloading their app and watching videos you might not be that interested in.

This company will actually pay you for installing it. It collects your viewing habits and sends them to cable providers. Download the Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel app for free. $50 per device, automatically sent to you as a reward just for doing something that you already do every day – watching videos on your phone while getting paid to watch ads.

nielsen

Pros: You can also get a paid invitation from Nielsen to be on their panel, which means you'll review new TV shows and ads. You are selected at random. It's that easy!

Cons: With the video watching app, people share their viewing data in exchange for a $50 bonus at the end of each year.

Minimum Cashout: $5 in points – 805 points (Gift cards or prizes) 

Description
Nielsen Mobile Panel
Earning potential: $50 | Min to cash out: $0 | Payment method: PayPal or Gift Cards

Nielsen will pay you $50 a year to keep their app on your favorite internet-browsing device.

SIGN UP TODAY
https://www.hustlergigs.com/nielsen, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/nielsen-150x150.png, https://www.hustlergigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/nielsen.png, nielsen

5. Kashkick

(Low minimum cash out of only $10)

How it works: Kashkick allows you to make money by watching videos, surveys, and deals. Signing up is fast and easy. Once you've signed up, they'll show you videos instantly on your offers tab in the dashboard and you can start earning right away.

You can earn up to a few dollars for each video you watch in your spare time. Another easy way to accumulate cash is by referring friends and family to the app, and get 25% of their earnings from watching videos.

Pros: Low cash out – the cash payout threshold is only $10. They also offer a nice referral program which you can earn by sharing your referral code on social media or with friends.

Cons: Primarily a survey site, but you can still find offers to get around $0.25 per video watched, which can take a long time to collect. However, compared to Swagbucks, this is a much higher payout.

Minimum Cashout: $10 (PayPal or gift cards)

5. SuccessBux

(Low payouts for watching ads for money)

How it works: SuccessBux is a legitimate company and they've been around for over five years. You can get paid for watching commercials, completing surveys, entering contests, redeeming offers, listening to music and doing tasks.

Pros: The site as a whole is very fair and quickly pays out rewards for your time.

Cons: The payouts for watching ads online are very low though, but the minimum cash out is only $1 so it's possible to earn small sums of money.

Minimum Cashout: $1 (PayPal)

6. Viggle

(Earn points for every minute you watch)

Viggle is an app that pays you for watching live TV/movies or Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime to earn Perk Points. You can also trade your points for prizes – it runs on Android and you need to download the app.

Pros: Viggle uses your phone's listening device to confirm what you're watching live on TV. This app allows you to get points for the exact moments that you're watching live shows, even on DVR.

Cons: Only available on Android phones.

Minimum Cashout: 1,000 points or $5 (Gift card)

How Much Can You Make Watching Ads for Money?

How much money can you get paid to watch ads? It depends on what website or app you choose for how much extra cash you can make.

Watching videos can get you anywhere from $0.01 per minute and up, which equates to around $5 per hour. You can also get paid between $0.25-$5 answering short surveys, depending on the company and survey length, and cash back offers. 

But the highest paying opportunity is getting paid to test apps, or install apps and claim offers. The best app companies online get you anywhere from $1-$50, which is available on Swagbucks and InboxDollars.

The key? Don't just rely on watching ads, use various methods and tasks to get paid for your online activities.

Can You Make Money for Watching YouTube Videos?

No, you can't get paid to watch video ads on YouTube. In fact, the only way you get paid to watch videos on the internet is if you watch videos using sites like Swagbucks and InboxDollars. 

So while tons of referral programs would love to work with YouTube, they do not currently have any options to get paid for watching YouTube videos. But you can still find other ways to make money on YouTube, if you're interested.

Which App is Best for Online Earning?

Okay, so which app is your favorite to get paid for watching ads? I've talked about the best offers that get you paid for doing online tasks: like Swagbucks and InboxDollars. But it's your decision on what apps get you the most PayPal money or gift cards (Walmart, Amazon, Nike, etc).

For example: Swagbucks get you around $1.25 for every hour of watching videos and that's just to get started! But Viggle is also an interesting option since you can get paid to watch shows you actually want to watch on TV.

These apps do require work though, and you have to be presently clicking for the next video unless you turn to use passive income apps.

Getting Paid to Watch Ads

If you get paid to watch videos on your smartphone, download your favorite app today. Be sure to be wary of the minimum payout so you can actually cash out your points. Also, most of these apps are only available for those who live in the United States, Canada or the UK, so keep that in mind.

And if you want to get paid to do online tasks and love watching videos, sign up for every app that gets you extra money. You may never know the amount of cash that's out there — just don't quit your day job.

Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs is a personal finance expert, and the founder of Hustler Gigs, a personal blog helping you make extra money in the gig economy. He helps readers increase their earning potential and start building wealth for the future. He regularly writes about side hustles, gig work, and the gig economy aimed to help anyone earn more, pay off debt, and reach financial freedom. He has been quoted as a top personal finance blogger in major publications including Insider, Yahoo! Finance, NASDAQ, Discover, MSN Money and more.
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