Intro
Hey everyone, it’s Tom here with thisonlineworld.com. I hope you’re all having a fantastic day today. So in this video, I’m covering five legit passive income websites that you can use to earn some free gift cards or PayPal cash in your spare time.
Passive Income Websites Overview
Now, these websites aren’t going to make you a millionaire, they’re not going to let you quit your day job, but if you’ve been struggling to create different income sources for yourself or to build passive income streams, these sites might provide the first stepping stone to get you started.
I truly think passive income is one of the coolest, most awesome things people can build. So hopefully, one of the websites in this video works for you. Let’s get to it.
1. Nielsen Panel
This list of my favorite passive income websites includes something called Nielsen Panel. Now, Nielsen is actually a massive data and market research company that has been in business for decades. In fact, the company is best known for its Nielsen TV ratings, where it tracks some of the most popular TV shows based on audience size and popularity from around the world.
How Nielsen Panel Works
So in other words, this is just a massive data collection company, and it’s actually willing to pay users for that data. You might be able to make some passive income with it. All you have to do is download the Nielsen Panel for your computer or mobile devices. From there, you earn sweepstake entries that you can use to earn cash prizes or rewards like free electronics. The mobile panel also pays you with points that you can redeem for various free gift cards.
I’ve used Nielsen in the past and have cashed out a few gift cards over the years, especially when I was phone farming. So it’s a legit, reputable company that does pay.
Earnings Potential with Nielsen Panel
According to Nielsen, you can make about $50 per year if you install Nielsen Panel on your smartphone. You’ll need to use the mobile panel to earn cash, and the computer panel is how you get sweepstake entries. You might earn more than $50 per year if you get a bit lucky and win a cash giveaway.
Just note that with any of these passive income websites and apps, you have to be comfortable with giving up your data to make money. If you don’t want to sell your personal information, this isn’t the right side hustle for you.
2. Honeygain
The second passive income website I want to talk about in this video is called Honeygain. You’ve probably heard of Honeygain; it’s quite popular. I know a lot of people that use it, and I’ve used it myself over the years. It essentially lets you sell your unused internet bandwidth for passive income.
How Honeygain Works
With Honeygain, you’re turning your IP address and computer into a node in a VPN network. Honeygain sells unused internet and residential IP addresses to people who want to use the internet in a different location. So if someone is trying to use Netflix but it’s blocked in their country, or if a business wants to access certain content not available in their region, they might use a service like Honeygain.
Earnings Potential with Honeygain
You just sign up for Honeygain, start running it on your computer or phone, and you’ll slowly earn bits of passive income as people from around the world use your IP address. When I tested out Honeygain, I didn’t earn more than a dollar after running it for 24 hours. However, people in the U.S. might make a bit more money with Honeygain.
Once you earn $20, you can cash out through PayPal. Honeygain pays you with real cash. For me, this isn’t the most attractive option, but it could be for you, depending on your location and preferences.
3. Etsy Print On Demand
The third passive income website on my list is Etsy. I know what you might be thinking: “Etsy isn’t passive income!” And you’re right — selling on a marketplace takes a lot of effort and upfront work. However, I believe if you use an Etsy print-on-demand business model, you can eventually make it semi-passive or even completely passive if you let the store sit on autopilot or outsource certain things.
How Etsy Print On Demand Works
With print-on-demand, you work with a manufacturing partner to make and ship products to your customers. You create unique designs, upload them to your products, and that’s it. You just focus on design and marketing, and your print-on-demand partner is the one that actually manufactures and ships the products.
My Experience with Etsy Print On Demand
I tested this out a few years ago by selling meme mugs on my Etsy shop, and I made two sales. The whole thing was easy to set up and actually quite fun. I worked with Printify as my print-on-demand provider, and I highly recommend them. It’s completely free to sign up, and they have over 200 products you can upload designs to.
The passive part comes from Etsy’s marketplace itself. In my experience, I was getting organic traffic to my store because of my niche meme mugs. If you choose a unique or niche topic, Etsy’s algorithm might help get your products in front of potential buyers.
4. Rakuten
The fourth passive income website on my list is Rakuten. I’ve been using Rakuten for years, and I’ve personally saved and earned over a thousand dollars by using it. Rakuten is a free shopping platform that pays you cashback for shopping at thousands of different retailers.
How Rakuten Works
To make money with Rakuten, all you have to do is sign up for free, find the merchants you want to shop at through Rakuten’s web portal, and then make a purchase. You get paid cashback for shopping through Rakuten’s links. Cashback accumulates in your account, and Rakuten pays you quarterly through check or PayPal.
Earnings Potential with Rakuten
Rakuten works with thousands of retailers, including Target, Macy’s, Best Buy, and Kohl’s. The cashback rates typically range from 1% to 10%, and they often have special promo offers. For example, if you sign up through Rakuten and spend at least $30, you could get $30 back in cashback.
5. GPT Sites
The fifth and final passive income option on my list involves paid survey sites with video rewards sections. I’ve been using paid survey sites for years, and they’re very nifty ways to earn passive income with your laptop in your spare time.
How Video Rewards Work on GPT Sites
Many reward websites have video rewards sections where you can watch videos and ads and earn small amounts of points or cash. Websites like Swagbucks and Grindabuck have this feature. You just turn on your laptop, go to the video rewards section, and let the ads play in the background. You’ll slowly earn points or cash with minimal effort.
Earnings Potential with GPT Sites
While you’re only earning fractions of pennies per ad, you can still earn passive income as you leave your laptop running in the background. It’s not big money, but it’s passive, and if you’re just doing other things while letting the videos play, it can add up over time.
Conclusion
So there you have it: five passive income websites that you can use to start earning a bit of extra cash and gift cards in your spare time. These websites are easy to start with, and if you’re comfortable selling your data, you can use them to earn a bit more money each month with little effort.
Final Thoughts on Passive Income
However, I want to wrap up by saying that there are more lucrative passive income options out there if you’re willing to put in more work upfront. Blogging and YouTube are perfect examples. It might take months or even years of hard work to build content, get an audience, and develop a business, but the rewards can be much bigger.
For example, with my blog, This Online World, it’s much more passive now than it was at the start, and it’s making more money than ever before. I’ve reinvested money into content writing and social media marketing help. The same goes for YouTube — hiring a video editor can help you take your business to the next level.
