Earn money online: referral programs and sign-up bonuses

This category collects services that pay you rather than charge you: cashback portals and browser extensions that return part of what you spend at online stores, paid survey and opinion panels, passive-income apps that share your unused internet bandwidth, and freelance or micro-task platforms where you complete small paid jobs.

How referral bonuses usually work here. Many of these services run a refer-a-friend program. A new member may get a small welcome bonus, a higher cashback rate on a first purchase or extra credit once they reach a first payout, while the referrer typically earns a fixed reward or a share of the friend's earnings, usually paid by the service itself, not taken from you. Plenty of services offer nothing extra through a referral link; each program page here states what applies.

What to check before signing up:

• Minimum payout — the balance you must reach before you can withdraw, and how long that realistically takes.
• Payout methods and fees — bank transfer, PayPal, crypto, gift cards; supported currencies and any withdrawal fees.
• Availability — many panels, cashback stores and apps work only in certain countries, and survey invitations vary a lot by region and profile.
• Confirmation delays — cashback often stays pending until the store confirms the order, which can take weeks; returns cancel it.
• Privacy and permissions — what an app or extension tracks, and for bandwidth-sharing apps, who uses your connection and under which terms.
• Account rules — identity verification, one account per person or household, and what gets an account banned.

Earnings are usually modest. Treat these services as a way to get a little back, not as a salary, and read each service's own terms before you rely on it.