Fancy making a little extra cash? Well, there are lots of ways to do that from selling unwanted household items or antiques online to running your own side hustle. While you may already have a full-time career that takes up the majority of your time, there are plenty of opportunities to take in a little extra spending money on the side. And Fetch can help.
Fetch is one of the fastest and easiest ways to earn a few extra bucks from doing the things you already do, but adding one extra step to the process. For starters, you will need to download the free Fetch app from the App Store or Play Store.
Once installed, you will join over 13 million other active users in racking up free cash in the form of gift cards to your favorite retailers and restaurants. It is an entertaining and easy way to be rewarded for the purchases that you already make. Just remember to start saving all of the receipts you get when making a purchase at places like grocery stores, restaurants, office supply stores and even online.
Then, use the Fetch app to scan these receipts to earn points that you can later redeem in the form of gift cards. The more receipts that you scan, the more points that you will earn. And the more points that you earn, the more free gift cards you can score.
But, what if you don’t spend a lot on your own? Perhaps you live solo or don’t spend much beyond regular purchases for your family. Fetch can still be the ideal way to make some side cash without padding your own roster of bills. It can pay off to start your own side hustle and earn money, miles and points along the way. Here’s how.
How to start your own side hustle
With Fetch, the goal is to accumulate as many receipts as you can so that you can scan them into the app. The cool thing though is that you don’t have to be making all of the purchases yourself. If you have friends and family members that don’t mind letting you make their own purchases on their behalf using either their payment method or your own (where you would get later reimbursed), you can still scan those receipts on the Fetch app to earn rewards. As long as your name is on the receipt, you can scan it on the Fetch app to earn rewards.
Ask around within your own immediate circle of family or friends. Many people may have no problem letting you take the time off their hands to do their shopping for them and scanning those receipts on the Fetch app. It takes just a few seconds, and none of their personal details are compromised since your name is on the receipt.
You may be saving them time, gas or money (especially if they use a shopping service like Instacart), and they reward you in the form of earning points via the Fetch app using their spending power. For example, you can help a friend or neighbor do their grocery shopping for them. You get a receipt with your name on it to scan, and they get their groceries delivered to them. As long as they pay you back, you’ve made a little extra cash along the way.
If you go out to dinner with friends or colleagues, ask if you can put the bill on your credit card. You’ll get a receipt that you can scan in Fetch, and they can pay you back later. You get the miles or points that come from credit card spending plus a big receipt that can inch you toward that next free gift card from Fetch.
It could be an easy way to double dip on your rewards earning, and that’s the best type of side hustle. If it takes you just a few extra minutes, then why not?
Why should you start a side hustle
For some people, their personal income may not be enough to earn extra spending money to splurge from time to time. When trying to balance your household budget, especially in an uncertain economy, every little bit you earn can help. Prices for the things we need the most like food, gas, and home goods or household supplies are often fluctuating quickly. Times change, economies change and inflation rears its ugly head in between, too. It can be nice to pad the income level you have to support your family or just treat yourself to something special thanks to a side hustle.
They need not be time-consuming or back-breaking, either. The Fetch app is a simple and easy way to earn a little cash on the side. This can help you pay off bills, provide the kids with a little extra spending money or even fund a long-awaited date night with that special someone.
Remember taking on extra debt in the form of extra credit card spending or borrowing from the bank is never a good idea, especially with high interest rates. That’s why finding a quick and easy side hustle can be a lucrative addition to your daily routine.
Start small. See how it fits into your daily routine and schedule. After all, a side hustle should never disrupt your primary career and source of income. It should also not steal valuable time away from family, friends and the things you enjoy most. But, if you can find a way to integrate it into your daily life without causing much disruption, the rewards can be quite lucrative and gratifying.
Different types of side hustles
You won’t get rich from scanning receipts via Fetch, but you will earn some sweet extra dough for very little effort. Still, if you’re looking for bigger returns, there are lots of opportunities to start your own side hustle.
Consider becoming a rideshare driver for platforms like Uber or Lyft. You can even rent your own personal vehicle to others through sharing services like Turo. Listing your skills on bulletin boards or online platforms can also help you raise extra funds.
Often, people are looking for people to tutor their children, babysit or walk pets, water plants, house sit, review resumes, clean their homes or mow their lawns. Some people may need help with freelance writing or designing a new website. There is always a need for food delivery services, too, like grocery shopping via Instacart or checking out new restaurants (that you can potentially earn free gift cards to) by picking up food and delivering it to people.
The options are endless if you’re looking to make a little extra cash with a side hustle, and many of these can help you boost your Fetch balance. For example, buying groceries using your card would produce a receipt that is eligible to scan on the Fetch app.
And if you make the purchases yourself, you can scan those receipts into the Fetch app and make even more money at the same time. You can even recycle the money you make into your side hustle business. Since many of the gift cards available for redemption via Fetch include outlets that can support your new business, it’s a great idea.
For example, if you have a side business painting houses or walking pets, you can purchase supplies for that work using the free gift cards you earn to places like Home Depot thanks to scanning receipts via Fetch. That leads to more cash in your pocket at the end of the day.
Getting bonus points on purchases for side hustles
Another way to reward yourself with side hustles is putting the charges on your credit card to earn miles and points for free travel. Be sure to also pay attention to the regular deals and promotions from retailers available via the Fetch app where you can save money and earn extra Fetch points toward free gift cards (in addition to any loyalty points you would earn from your credit card). This can help shave extra cost off the cost any materials or side hustle expenses you have.
Airline and hotel companies also have shopping portals that you can use to visit your favorite online retailers. You earn bonus miles and points when you click on the link via their pages. Another option is to use a cash-back portal like Rakuten or Swagbucks where you earn back a percentage of what you spend, which gets refunded to you in the form of a check. It takes just a few extra seconds to click through this extra link, and these online shopping malls include more than 1,000 of the same stores and businesses you already do business with on a regular basis.
Still, scanning receipts via the Fetch app is one of the simplest ways to pad your wallet. It’s something you can even do while sitting in traffic, waiting on hold during a phone call or commuting to work.
No matter what kind of side hustle you choose, it should be something that you enjoy and are good at doing. Some side jobs may require more skills than others, but the options are endless. Fetch is an easy way to earn cash without much skill, time or thought, and a side job to grow the number of receipts you can generate might make it even more worthwhile.
Ramsey Qubein is a freelance travel journalist covering hotels, cruises, airlines, and loyalty programs from around the globe. He's a contributor to NerdWallet, Forbes, Fortune and more.
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