18 Ways To Get An Instant Sign Up Bonus For Free

Did you know that there are many ways to get an instant sign up bonus? Making extra money has become simpler because of many apps and websites that give you instant bonuses just for signing up. These sites and apps give a nice extra money boost when you create an account, and they have different…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: May 20, 2024

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Did you know that there are many ways to get an instant sign up bonus?

Making extra money has become simpler because of many apps and websites that give you instant bonuses just for signing up. These sites and apps give a nice extra money boost when you create an account, and they have different rewards like cash, points for gift cards, or discounts.

Whether you’re doing surveys, shopping online, or investing, the bonus you get when you sign up can be a good reason to try out a new service.

I have earned many, many instant sign-up bonuses over the years, so I know this is a real way to make extra money.

Best Ways To Get an Instant Sign up Bonus

Below, you will see the different ways you can get instant sign-up bonuses from the best sign-up bonus apps.

Here are my quick picks to get started with:

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of the top sites to start with if you want to earn free gift cards to your favorite places, such as Target, Amazon, Walmart, Visa, and more. They also have an instant sign-up bonus of $10.

Swagbucks is a website where you can earn points (they call them “SB”) by doing tasks like searching around on the internet, watching quick videos, using their cash back shopping deals, and answering surveys.

I’ve been using Swagbucks for years, and in that time, I’ve personally earned over 110 free gift cards. It’s easy to earn points, and the website is very easy to use as well.

Here’s how the Swagbucks instant sign-up bonus works: To get the bonus, you need to activate it in the SwagUps section of your account. You’ll receive a 1000 SB bonus, equivalent to $10, when you spend at least $25 at a store listed on Swagbucks.com/Shop. You must earn a minimum of 25 SB from this purchase, and it must be completed within 30 days of registering your account.

Please click here to sign up for and use Swagbucks (and receive a $10 bonus).

2. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a phone app (which I use regularly!) where you earn points by scanning receipts from grocery stores. You can use these points to get gift cards for Target, Amazon, Starbucks, and other places.

Plus, you’ll get a 1,000 point sign-up bonus for using the code “HD4YXY” when signing up.

I personally use Fetch Rewards every time I go grocery shopping (I use it at least a couple of times a week), as it’s one of the easiest tools to use to earn points. I just shop like I normally do, and once I get home (or once I get back to my car), I open the Fetch Rewards app on my phone and take a picture of my receipt.

After you scan a receipt using Fetch Rewards, the app quickly adds points to my account. It doesn’t matter what I buy at the grocery store – I can still earn points.

You can sign up for Fetch Rewards by clicking here.

cash in bucket. instant sign up bonus

3. Marcus (high yield savings account)

A high-yield bank account is a special type of savings account that earns a higher interest rate compared to a regular savings account. This means your money grows faster over time.

If you are looking for a new place to save your money other than the low amount that your bank is giving you, then this is an option to look into. Now, you don’t typically get a debit card with this kind of account (this is not a checking account), but you do get a much higher interest rate.

For example, if you have $10,000 saved, you could earn $540 with a high-yield savings account in a year. Whereas with normal banks, your earnings would only be $46. That is a huge difference.

I personally use Marcus by Goldman Sachs as they have a very high rate. You can get up to 5.40% (at the time of this writing) through my referral link bonus. Plus, there are no monthly fees.

With Marcus, you can earn an extra 1.00% on top of the high-yield rate on Marcus’ Online Savings Account by signing up today. I actually signed up for Marcus last year and received this sign-up bonus myself, so I know that it is real. An extra 1.00% as an instant sign-up bonus is a no-brainer!

You can join Marcus by Goldman Sachs and get the new account bonus by clicking here.

4. InboxDollars

InboxDollars is a rewards website where you earn points by answering online surveys, watching short video clips, playing online games, and doing other activities.

The points that you earn can be redeemed for gift cards to places such as Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Target, Starbucks, Lowe’s, and more.

You can join InboxDollars and get a free $5 sign-up bonus.

5. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a popular platform where you can earn extra money for sharing your thoughts in online surveys.

By answering three surveys daily on Survey Junkie, you can earn about $40 per month in free gift cards and PayPal cash.

The sign-up bonus on Survey Junkie often changes. Here’s one I recently saw: You’ve been selected for a $5 bonus starting tomorrow called the “May Day Bonus.” To earn this bonus, you need to complete 3 surveys per day for a total of 7 days between May 1 and May 13. Each survey must be worth 20 points or more. On average, members earn $25 in rewards during bonus events like this.

Please click here to sign up for Survey Junkie.

6. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is a survey platform where you earn points by answering questions. You can use these points to get free gift cards or PayPal money.

The surveys on Branded Surveys usually take 5 to 15 minutes to finish and pay between $0.50 and $5.00 each.

They currently have a 100 point welcome bonus for signing up.

You can sign up for Branded Surveys here.

7. Upside

Upside is a cash back rewards app for fuel (gas, diesel, etc.) purchases at a gas station.

When you use the app to locate and buy gas at participating stations, you can earn cash back that can be redeemed for gift cards.

Plus, when you use the app for the first time, you can earn a higher cash back amount to help you get acquainted with it. In my first use of the app, I received $0.74 back per gallon. I purchased 12.62 gallons of gas and saved $9.33 just by using the app for the first time. This was a large cash bonus, and it won’t always be this high, but it was definitely still nice to get.

This welcome bonus was really nice and easy to use!

You can sign up for Upside here.

8. Ibotta

Ibotta is an app that gives you cash back for shopping, especially at grocery stores. After you shop, simply upload your receipts to earn cash back. You can use this cash back for free gift cards to places like Walmart, CVS, Amazon, DoorDash, and Target, or you can transfer it to your bank account or PayPal.

Here’s how Ibotta works:

  1. Download the Ibotta app – Get the app on your phone.
  2. Check available offers – Before you shop, look for offers on specific items like crackers or fruit.
  3. Shop and scan – After shopping, scan your receipt in the app to earn points.

Plus, you can use the code “XWRAFGT” to get $5 after you submit your first receipt to Ibotta as a bonus for being a new member.

You can join Ibotta here.

9. Rakuten

Rakuten has an easy way to earn cash back on purchases from over 3,500 stores. When you buy something, a percentage of your purchase comes back to you as cash. Your earnings can be sent to you by check or PayPal.

With Rakuten, you can earn up to an additional 10% cash back on purchases made within your first 7 days of using the service.

When I first signed up for Rakuten, it was due to me receiving a welcome bonus. And, I know many others who have received this new member bonus too.

You can join Rakuten by clicking here.

10. Prime Opinion

Prime Opinion is a survey website where you can earn money by sharing your opinions from home. It’s a legitimate platform with many surveys available to complete – currently, there are over 40 different surveys listed in my personal dashboard when I log in.

Your points can be used toward free gift cards and PayPal cash.

Currently, you can sign up and get up to a $5 free bonus with Prime Opinion.

Click here to join Prime Opinion.

11. MoneyLion

MoneyLion is a finance app that has many features, such as the ability to get quick cash of up to $500, a tool that will help you to build your credit, another that will help you invest, and more.

MoneyLion also has a $5 instant sign-up bonus after you open an account.

woman on beach on laptop. Instant sign up bonus no deposit

12. MyPoints

MyPoints is an app that allows you to earn rewards by scanning receipts, answering surveys, watching videos, and shopping online. You can earn points by scanning your receipts and then redeem them for gift cards or cash.

To get started with MyPoints, visit their website and go to the “Magic Receipts” section. From there, you can snap a picture of any receipt from stores like grocery stores, warehouse clubs, drugstores, clothing stores, restaurants, and more.

When you sign up for MyPoints, you can receive a $10 welcome bonus. Here’s how it works: Spend $20 or more (excluding taxes and shipping) on any shop merchant through the MyPoints site or MyPoints emails within your first 30 days of membership. They’ll credit your account with 1,750 Points, which you can redeem for a $10 gift card of your choice.

Please click here to sign up for MyPoints.

13. InboxDollars

InboxDollars is a rewards platform that has many ways for you to earn points, such as taking surveys (earn between $0.50 and $5.00 for each one), reading emails, playing online games, and watching videos.

With InboxDollars, you can receive free gift cards to places like Target, Amazon, PayPal, iTunes, Apple, and many others.

Plus, you can get a $5 sign-up bonus when joining.

By signing up for InboxDollars, you can receive a free $5 too.

14. Cash App

Cash App is a mobile payment service that allows you to send money to friends and family. When you sign up for Cash App, you might receive an instant sign-up bonus too.

You’ll have to find a referral code from a friend who already uses Cash App. Then, sign up using this code and send $5 to another Cash App user. By doing this, you’ll receive a $5 bonus. It’s like getting free money just for trying out the app that you probably are already looking to use.

15. BeFrugal

BeFrugal is a cash back site that lets you earn money just by doing your regular shopping.

You can get up to 40% cash back at over 5,000 different stores. And, your cash payout is via check, PayPal, direct deposit, Zelle, Venmo, or gift card.

Plus, you can join for free and get a $10 bonus as a welcome.

You can sign up for BeFrugal here.

16. Fundrise

Investing in real estate can seem challenging, but with Fundrise, you can start a little more easily. When you join Fundrise, you can invest in properties across the USA without the hassle of being a landlord.

Plus, you can begin with a small amount of money.

When you sign up with Fundrise, you sometimes get a bonus.

You can sign up for Fundrise here.

17. Robinhood

Robinhood is a website where people can buy and sell stocks, ETFs, options, and more (like crypto) without having to pay high fees. This app was made to help more people start investing easily and have an investment portfolio, especially those who are new to it.

Robinhood gives new users different sign-up bonuses to get them started with trading in the stock market.

The bonus varies depending on when you sign up. But, some examples include:

  • $25 when you deposit $1,000+
  • $250 when you deposit $10,000+
  • $1,000 when you deposit $50,000+

Or, sometimes you can earn a bonus by moving your brokerage account from another company to Robinhood. Whether you transfer $10,000 or $1 million, they’ll give you a bonus equal to 1% of the amount you transfer, and there’s no limit on how much you can earn (Robinhood states this disclosure, “To keep the bonus, you must keep the money you transfer into Robinhood in your Robinhood individual brokerage account for at least 2 years.”).

18. Acorns

Acorns is a micro-investment app, meaning you can buy small pieces of stocks instead of full shares, which makes investing easier.

With Acorns, you can connect your debit and credit cards. It rounds up your transactions to the nearest dollar and invests the spare change.

Acorns typically gives a $5 welcome bonus to new users.

You can click here to sign up for Acorns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions about the best sites and apps for an instant sign-up bonus.

Do any apps actually give you money?

Yes, some apps do give you real money just for signing up. These apps range from survey platforms to financial services, and they use sign-up bonuses to get more people to sign up and try out their service or product.

What app gives you money instantly for signing up?

Apps that give you money instantly for signing up include Fetch Rewards, Swagbucks, Rakuten, Upside, Cash App, and more. Many apps pay you money to sign up because it makes their app look more appealing.

Which app gives the highest sign up bonus?

While sign-up bonuses change all the time, financial apps tend to have higher sign-up bonuses for new users.

Why do sites give a sign up bonus?

Sites give a sign-up bonus to encourage new users to join their site or app. It’s a marketing strategy that benefits both the company and you – they gain a new customer, and you get extra cash or rewards.

Do banks have sign up bonuses?

Yes, banks like Wells Fargo and Chase sometimes have sign-up bonuses for new members who have a qualifying direct deposit.

How To Get an Instant Sign up Bonus

I hope you enjoyed this article on the best ways to get an instant sign-up bonus.

Certain apps like Swagbucks and Cash App give you instant cash bonuses, while others like Fetch Rewards or BeFrugal reward you with points or cash back when you use their platforms for shopping. Investment apps like Fundrise or Acorns also have sign-up rewards, such as a free stock or investment credit.

Here’s a quick list of my favorite ways to get an instant sign-up bonus:

I have earned many instant sign-up bonuses over the years from many different apps and sites, so I know that this is real. While the sign-up bonuses won’t make you rich, they can be enticing and get you to try something new.

What is your favorite way to get an instant sign up bonus?

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Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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