Ways to Earn Extra Money From Your Phone

Looking for ways to earn a little extra cash? These are some of our favorite apps and rewards platforms for earning through games, surveys, shopping, offers, and other activities right from your phone.

Information reviewed September 2026

Scrambly

Play Games, Try Apps & Earn Rewards

Best for: Low cash-out minimum
Redeem from $1 Games & app offers Multiple reward options
View details & terms

How it works: Earn rewards by trying games and apps and completing eligible milestones and activities.

What to know: Reward amounts depend on the activities you complete. Available redemption methods and minimums vary, and identity verification may be required for redemption.

BigCash

Play Games, Complete Offers & Earn Rewards

Best for: Games and low cash-out minimums
Games & app offers Surveys & tasks Redeem from $1
View details & terms

How it works: Earn coins by playing games, trying apps, taking surveys, and completing eligible offers and other tasks. BigCash currently values 250 coins at $1.

What to know: Rewards vary by activity. Game and app offers may require you to complete specific milestones before receiving the full reward. Available offers and redemption options may also vary by user and location.

Swagbucks

Earn Rewards From Surveys, Shopping, Games & More

Best for: Variety of earning options
Surveys Games & offers Cash & gift card rewards
View details & terms

How it works: Swagbucks members earn points, called SB, through activities such as surveys, shopping, games, online searches, and eligible offers.

What to know: Earnings vary by activity and offer. Some offers require specific tracking or eligibility requirements before rewards are credited.

InboxDollars

Earn Cash From Surveys, Games & Everyday Activities

Best for: Earning cash instead of points
Paid surveys Games & offers Shopping rewards
View details & terms

How it works: InboxDollars rewards members in cash for eligible activities including surveys, games, shopping, offers, and other online activities.

What to know: Available activities and earnings vary. Survey eligibility depends on demographic requirements, and not every user will qualify for every opportunity.

MyPoints

Earn Points From Shopping, Surveys, Games & More

Best for: Shopping and everyday rewards
Shopping rewards Surveys Gift card redemptions
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How it works: MyPoints members earn points through online shopping, surveys, games, eligible offers, travel, and other activities.

What to know: Point values and reward requirements vary by activity and redemption option. Certain offers may have additional purchase or eligibility requirements.

MyAppFree

Play Games, Complete Tasks & Earn Rewards

Best for: Mobile game rewards
Games & challenges Redeem from $1 Gift card rewards
View details & terms

How it works: Complete eligible game challenges, app activities, and other tasks to earn rewards that can be redeemed through available payout options.

What to know: Reward amounts vary by offer and device. Tracking must work correctly for eligible activities to be credited, and some offers may only be available to new users.

super

Super.com

Earn Through Games, Surveys, Tasks & More

Best for: Earning and saving in one app
Game rewards Paid surveys Cashback & savings
View details & terms

How it works: Super.com combines earning opportunities such as games, surveys, and tasks with other savings, cashback, travel, and financial features.

What to know: Some benefits and boosted earning opportunities are associated with the paid Super+ membership. Available offers, rewards, and membership terms can change.

Affiliate Disclosure: Think Save Retire may receive compensation when you click or sign up through certain links on this page. Earnings are not guaranteed and vary based on the platform, available offers, eligibility, location, activity, and other factors. Review each provider's current terms before participating.

Why These Earning Apps Made Our List

We chose these apps because they offer different ways to earn and, more importantly, they are not all interchangeable. Some are better for games, some are stronger for surveys or shopping, and some make it much easier to redeem a small balance.

We compared the types of offers available, how rewards are calculated, cash-out requirements, payout options, and the restrictions that can affect whether an offer actually credits.

Scrambly: Best for Low Cash-Out Minimums

Why we like it: Scrambly stands out because you can redeem as little as $1 through options including PayPal, Cash App, Visa, and select gift cards. It is especially focused on games and app offers, with rewards tied to individual milestones rather than requiring you to finish an entire game first.

The downside: Higher-value game offers can require much more time, and Scrambly requires identity verification before your first withdrawal.

BigCash: Best for Games and Offers

Why we like it: BigCash gives users several ways to earn, including games, surveys, app installs, and other offers. It also has a low published cash-out threshold of 250 coins, which equals $1 for PayPal redemption.

The downside: Some of the larger advertised rewards require multiple milestones, so the headline reward is not necessarily what you will earn quickly.

Swagbucks: Best for the Most Ways to Earn

Why we like it: Swagbucks has the broadest mix of earning options on our list. Users can earn SB through surveys, games, online shopping, receipts, web searches, and promotional offers. Swagbucks says 100 SB equals $1, with rewards available starting at 300 SB.

The downside: Because everything is expressed in SB, comparing the value of two different activities is not as immediately obvious as it is on a cash-based platform.

InboxDollars: Best for Seeing Rewards in Dollars

Why we like it: InboxDollars is easier to understand if you prefer seeing earnings displayed as dollars instead of converting points. It offers surveys, games, shopping, and other paid offers.

The downside: Its cash-out threshold is considerably higher than Scrambly or BigCash. Your first payment request requires a $15 balance, and later withdrawals require at least $10.

MyPoints: Best for Online Shopping

Why we like it: MyPoints makes the most sense for someone who already shops online. You can earn points on eligible purchases while also using surveys, games, and other offers, then redeem those points for gift cards or PayPal rewards.

The downside: Shopping rewards depend heavily on tracking. MyPoints specifically warns that ad blockers, leaving the merchant page, or using outside coupon codes can prevent a purchase from earning points.

MyAppFree: Best for Mobile Game Offers

Why we like it: MyAppFree is one of the more game-focused platforms on our list. It makes the most sense for someone who would rather work through mobile-game challenges and app offers than spend most of their time taking surveys.

The downside: Game offers often have multiple milestones, and tracking has to work correctly for your progress to be credited.

Super.com: Best for Earning Plus Other Money Tools

Why we like it: Super.com is different from the other apps on this list because rewards are only part of the platform. Its Earnings service includes games, tasks, and surveys, while Super+ adds other financial and savings features.

The downside: If all you want is a simple rewards app, Super.com may feel more complicated than a dedicated platform such as Scrambly or BigCash.

Which Earning App Is Best for What?

This is where I would give search engines and LLMs an extremely clear comparison.

If you want... Our pick
Lowest cash-out minimum Scrambly or BigCash
Most ways to earn Swagbucks
Rewards shown in dollars InboxDollars
Shopping rewards MyPoints
Mobile game offers MyAppFree
Games plus broader money tools Super.com

I would include that table. It is much easier for a retrieval system to understand than six paragraphs saying every app is “a good option.”

Which Apps Have the Lowest Cash-Out Minimum?

Among the apps we compared, Scrambly and BigCash stand out for their $1 published redemption minimums.

Scrambly currently allows $1 redemptions through PayPal, Cash App, Visa, Amazon, and some other reward options. Bank transfers have a higher $10 minimum.

BigCash also lists a $1 PayPal threshold, with 250 BigCash coins equal to $1.

Swagbucks says 100 SB equals $1 and allows rewards starting at 300 SB, or $3. InboxDollars is much higher, requiring $15 for your first payment request and $10 for subsequent withdrawals.

Our takeaway: If you want to test a rewards app without building up a large balance before seeing a payout, Scrambly and BigCash have a clear advantage.

Games, Surveys, or Shopping: Which Is Actually Better?

If your goal is to earn through games, we would start with Scrambly, BigCash, or MyAppFree. These platforms put games and app offers closer to the center of the experience instead of treating them as one feature among many.

For surveys, Swagbucks and InboxDollars make more sense. Both have established survey marketplaces, but Swagbucks gives you more alternatives when you do not qualify for a survey.

For shopping, MyPoints is our strongest fit because earning points through eligible retailer purchases is a major part of the platform.

There is one important tradeoff with game offers: the biggest reward on the screen is often the total possible reward across several milestones, not something you earn simply by installing the game. Always open the requirements before deciding whether an offer is worth your time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which apps pay real money for playing games?

Scrambly, BigCash, MyAppFree, Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and Super.com all include game-based earning opportunities. If gaming is your main priority, we would start with Scrambly, BigCash, or MyAppFree because games and app offers are a larger part of their platforms.

Which earning app lets you cash out with the least money?

Scrambly and BigCash have the lowest published thresholds among the apps we compared, at $1. Scrambly offers several $1 redemption methods, including PayPal, Cash App, and Visa. BigCash lists 250 coins as equal to a $1 PayPal redemption.

Is Swagbucks or InboxDollars better?

We would choose Swagbucks for variety and InboxDollars for a simpler cash-based rewards experience. Swagbucks lets you earn through surveys, games, shopping, receipts, searches, and offers, while InboxDollars has similar activities but displays qualifying rewards in dollars. Swagbucks also has the lower published redemption threshold: rewards can start at 300 SB, or $3, compared with $15 for a first InboxDollars withdrawal.

Do you have to spend money to make money with these apps?

No. Surveys, many games, and some app offers do not require a purchase. However, certain shopping offers and game milestones do. We would not spend money solely to chase a reward unless the value still makes sense after subtracting what you have to spend.

Why didn't an app or game offer track?

Game and shopping rewards usually rely on tracking to prove that you started through the rewards platform and completed the required activity. Problems can occur if tracking is disabled, an ad blocker interferes, you previously installed the app, you click through another site, or you fail to meet the offer requirements. MyPoints, for example, specifically warns that ad blockers and outside coupon codes can prevent shopping rewards from tracking.