Everyone could use a little bit of extra cash right? Maybe a few extra bucks to treat yourself on a rough day, or to deposit into your rainy day savings? 

At first glance, it might seem like the only way to earn extra money is to take on extra work. You don't have to work a few hours for a gig like Doordash or Uber, or pick up a second job. There are ways to earn extra money without even putting in extra effort outside of spending money in certain ways and using existing programs to your advantage.
 

Use Credit Cards and Their Point Systems
 

If you are not earning points or cash back from your credit card, you have the wrong credit card! Many basic credit cards with no annual fees offer points and reward systems every time you use your card. Some offer miles for airfare, others give free night stays at hotels, and others give cash back or gift cards for your points.

Simply using the right credit card can earn you money. If you pick the right credit card for your lifestyle, you could earn free vacations or extra cash in your pocket. Pioneer’s VISA credit card can give you both! You can redeem your points for flights, hotel nights, and gift cards. When using a Pioneer credit card, you earn 1 point for every $1 spent, unless you shop with a Buy Local partner, which earns you 2 points for every $1 spent.
 

Join Reward Systems at Places You Shop
 

It feels like every store has some sort of reward system, and while some are not very good, many can earn you quite a few free meals, special discounts, or something special.

A great example of this is many fast food restaurants utilize mobile apps. If you are already heading to McDonalds, skip the drive thru and instead use their mobile app for pickup. You earn points for every order that you can redeem for free food. 

Just be sure when you join a rewards system that there is no annual fee or a surprise credit card. Sometimes, a store will tie the rewards to a credit card you must use, which could have high interest rates or an annual fee. 
 

Take Surveys and Sell Your Data
 

We already know many websites and social media platforms are selling your data, so if you want some extra money for the same thing, you can! There are some programs that will pay you for information like how you use your phone, where you shop, and what you look at on social media.

Two of these programs pay relatively well for what you are doing. The first is Google Surveys, which can pay anywhere from 10 cents to a dollar into your Google Play wallet per survey that takes about 30 seconds to do. It’s not a lot, but with enough saved up, you can pay for the premium currency in a game you play or buy a book or movie.

The other program is Facebook’s Viewpoints service. The main draw of this is by signing up and agreeing to sell some data they keep private, you can earn a minimum of $5 every two weeks. Alongside that comes other surveys that come at random when you fit a demographic that can net you extra cash. But if you just leave this running in the background and link your PayPal, you can earn an extra $120 a year for doing nothing.
 

Get the Most From Your Financial Institution
 

Where you keep your money can have an impact on how much extra cash you can earn. For example, if you keep it with a bank that has high fees, while you might earn a tiny amount of interest on your savings, you lose more through fees.

With a little bit of research, you can find a variety of checking and savings accounts that can get you extra money every month, either through interest earned or extra perks. There are many checking accounts out there to match different lifestyles, including habitual online shoppers, people who keep a high balance in their checking account, or giving points when shopping with your debit card.

Pioneer has two checking accounts to try and match your lifestyle. The first is our Reward U checking account. It comes with a higher interest rate if you like to keep a high balance, and you earn Rewards points when using your debit card. The other account is our WOW Cash Back checking account, which gives you $15 back into your account just by doing your regular shopping.

Open a Pioneer Checking Account