Let these ten Christmas money apps fill your spare hours and minutes with extra holiday cheer. Face it, we could all use a little extra money at year’s end. Time is also in short supply so a second job is not an option for most. Many people do have spare hours here or there, but how to fill those little slots with work that brings in money? This is where the peer-to-peer economy comes in. “Peer to peer” is simply the idea of taking people who need things and connecting them to other people who are willing and able to provide them. The list of apps below can bring in holiday cash for anyone who can drive a car, run errands, walk dogs, type, sell used items online or perform other simple tasks. The beauty of these apps is that they let their users make money during relatively small chunks of free time, without the need for a 20 or 40 hour block each week.
1. TaskRabbit: Do Chores
TaskRabbit makes our list of Christmas money apps because it lets its users earn cash during free time regardless of specific skills. It comes in both iPhone and Android versions and basically pays money in exchange for doing chores. Each user will need to sign up to become a “tasker.” Once that’s done, the app sends notifications about available odd jobs nearby. Taskers select the jobs that catch their eye, confirm the deal with the client, do the work and get paid. Popular categories include handyman jobs, delivery, moving, furniture assembly and personal assistant tasks. The service has been written up in Fortune, Inc. and The Telegraph. So far it’s available in 18 cities across the U.S. as well as London. Check here to see if your city is on the list.
2. Cambly: Chat with Students
Cambly got into our Christmas money apps list because almost anyone who speaks English can use it to make a little extra stocking stuffer scratch. Cambly is an online service that lets any English speaker chat with English students for money. The pay is $10.20 per hour of chatting, paid through PayPal. There’s no experience necessary and tutors set their own hours and work as much or as little as they want. Once you’ve signed up as a tutor, just download the app for iPhone or Android and start chatting. The beauty of this app is that there are millions of people all over the world who want to improve their conversational English, so anyone who speaks the language can earn real money. Be forewarned that although the service pays $10.20 an hour for time spent speaking, other administrative tasks will sink that rate of pay a bit.
3. Facebook: Sell Stuff
Why did Facebook make our list of Christmas money apps? Because it’s a great way to pick up a little extra Christmas cash in very little time. Americans are great at accumulating junk we neither want nor need. It jams our attics, basements and closets and it’s such an integral part of our lives we often forget it’s even there. Luckily for the cash-strapped around the holidays, almost every town in the U.S. from the biggest city to the smallest township has a Facebook yard sale page. Almost anyone can use their local Facebook yard sale to turn unwanted items into holiday money fast. Just join the group, list an item and wait. Lots of people use these pages so it very likely won’t be long until you’re tossing out unwanted ballast and exchanging it for ready money.
Also see: Christmas Money: 26 Real Ways to Get More
4. DoorDash: Deliver Dinner
Next on our list of Christmas money apps is DoorDash. Have a car or even a bike? Want to make money delivering food but don’t want to make a career out of it? Pick up a few extra bucks with the DoorDash app. Anyone from over 250 cities around the U.S. can sign up to become a “dasher.” Dashers must be 18 years old with a valid driver’s license. The company provides $1 million in insurance for bodily harm and/or property damage. Drivers make $10 to $25 an hour including tips. Interested? Just sign up on their website, then download the app for iPhone or Android.
5. Rover: Walk Puppies
Who would have thought dog sitting service would wind up on a list of Christmas money apps? The Rover app connects pet sitters to pet owners in over 10,000 cities and towns around the country. The company boasts over 65,000 users and offers secure pay, insurance and 24/7 support. Pet sitting not your thing? The app also lets users do less intensive pet-related tasks like dog walking or drop-in visits. Users make money by getting push notifications, then responding to booking requests. The app works from the user’s location info and runs in the background. It’s like being Batman for pooches and kitties. Just sign up, then grab the app for iPhone or Android.
6. Etsy: Sell Crafts
Anyone who’s remotely handy can make extra holiday loot with the next item on our list of Christmas money apps. People who can knit, sew. paint, make pottery, frames, jewelry or hundreds of other items can pick up shopping funds on Etsy. Just open an Etsy shop, then get the Etsy selling app for iPhone or Android. Add listings and process orders on the go and your phone will make a little “cha-ching!” sound when an item sells. There’s even a free credit card reader for selling items in person, and the money goes straight into the user’s bank account.
Also see: How Much Should I Spend On My Kid For Christmas?
7. CardPool, GiftCard Granny: Sell Old Gift Cards
People who don’t even have a few spare hours a week might benefit from the next entry on our list of Christmas money apps. This is actually two different apps that do the same thing. CardPool and GiftCardGranny work on the premise that shoppers often forget they have a gift card or two from last year that they didn’t use. The idea is to take those old gift cards out of the drawer or out from under the stack of papers and convert them to holiday cash — at a discount of course. GiftCardGranny is basically an online auction for old gift cards, with the highest bidder winning the sale.
8. GigMasters: Deliver Singing Telegrams
What’s a Christmas money apps list without a singing telegram service? GigMasters normally serves up professional event vendors like musical entertainment, magicians, comedians, photographers and public speakers. A fun little niche in their offering is their singing telegram branch. Anyone who can stand the embarrassment can dress up as Santa or a snowman and deliver holiday greetings in song form to offices and parties for cash. Sign up as a vendor on the GigMasters home page, then download their Leads by GigMasters app for iPhone or Android. The app provides a list of nearby leads and lets users submit quotes right from their smartphones. Shh, listen. Somewhere a board meeting is missing an elf.
9. Amazon Seller: Sell Stuff
Similar to the third of our Christmas money apps, the Amazon Seller app turns any smartphone into a way to trade unwanted items for cash. With the app, iPhone and Android users can create new product listings right from their smartphones. A rummage through the basement, attic or closets can usually turn up a few things that have value to someone else even if the owner has tired of them. Use the app to respond to buyer questions and get notified when an item has sold. There’s even a way to scan in items that still have the bar code handy.
10. Uber: Drive
Uber is of course a solid addition to our Christmas money apps rundown. Uber drivers can make money whenever they have free time. Since that can include nights and weekends, a stint with Uber can fill in around a regular job. That makes it a nice holiday cash option. There’s a bit of a vetting process to become a driver, but once that’s out of the way just download the app for Android or iPhone and you’re on your way. The Uber driver app has an arsenal of nifty tools for mobile money makers including notifications of riders in need, route help and of course payment info. The iPhone version of the app is currently available only after the signup process is complete.