4 Passive Ways to Make Extra Money While You’re Stuck in Holiday Traffic
After I finish work today, I’m hitting the road to go see my boyfriend’s family for Thanksgiving.
I’ll be hitting one of the worst roads in America, actually. It’s Interstate 4 — from Tampa to Orlando. So I’ll probably be sitting… in my car… on the road.
AAA estimates nearly 50 million Americans will be traveling at least 50 miles this Thanksgiving holiday — 1 million more than last year and the most since 2007.
Odds aren’t looking too good for me. However, while I’m burning fuel — and lots of time — I can easily make some extra money.
4 Ways to Make Extra Money While Sitting in Holiday Traffic
Nope, we’re not encouraging you to take out your phone and stare at your screen. Because when traffic starts moving, you’re going to want to stay on top of that car in front of you.
Just leave the phone in your pocket and feel the money trickling in. (Or is it just that awkward buzz of a text message?)
1. Share your data.
Having a company harvest your data sounds scary, but we’ve tried this — and earned a $25 Amazon gift card along the way.
It’s called MobileXpression, a research company that studies internet trends. Right now, it’s looking for a few thousand Android users to sign up, which is pretty easy. (Your device must run on Android 5.0 or below.)
First, before you take the driver’s seat, sign up online. You’ll share some simple demographic information before being you can download the software, which runs in your phone’s background.
Don’t worry, the site says it won’t slow anything down. And the data submits itself. Simply go about your normal activities.
The app won’t monitor calls or hack into your personal info; it just wants to check out the web pages you view, the links you click and the time you spend doing various tasks.
After seven days, you can play an instant rewards game — but it’s not really a game because you’re guaranteed to win something (like that Amazon gift card).
2. Invest your money.
To be frank, the thought of trying to manage investments scares me. But it doesn’t have to be as difficult as it sounds.
With apps like Clink, you can invest in the stock market with $1 a day. Plus, when you download the app and use the promo code PH2016, you get a $5 bonus, which is kind of cool.
The app walks you through the sign-up process. And you don’t need to know about investing or index funds or compound interest. That’s all handled for you. (Thank goodness.)
So rather than letting your money sit in a savings account as idly as you sit on the interstate, make an investment.
3. Get paid for all the online shopping you’ve been doing.
This app doesn’t really require you to think — just shop.
When you sign up for Capital One Shopping Price Protection, it’ll scan your email archives for receipts. It might sound scary, but we use it here at The Penny Hoarder.
If it detects purchases from one of the more than 25 major retailers it monitors, it tracks the item’s price and could help you get a refund if the price drops.
After you sign up, you don’t have to do anything. Except keep your eyes on the road — and continue shopping when you get to your destination.
Capital One Shopping Price Protection compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.
4. Whip out this card for gas — or gas station snacks.
Yeah, I’m with you: Credit cards are sorta intimidating. But I recently signed up for a rewards card, and because I pay off my balance each month, it’s awesome.
Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus.
There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire. We checked Credible’s annual rewards calculator*, and it estimates $417 in annual rewards based on our spending habits.* (You can enter your unique spending habits and see what you’d earn, too.)
Get signed up — and 0% intro APR for 15 months — here.
*Annual Rewards amounts will change based on the amounts you enter. The monthly spending category names and definitions may vary among issuers, and categories may not align one-to-one.
The information for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has been collected independently by The Penny Hoarder. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. The Penny Hoarder is a partner of Credible.
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
