How to make money from your smartphone
Whatever kind of smartphone you have in your pocket, there are ways to make a little extra pocket money with its help. The team at student money site Savethestudent.org share their top ways to squeeze some extra income out of your phone and into your wallet.
Get paid to shop
If you’re up for making a little extra cash in your spare time, try downloading a mystery shopping app on your phone. The set-up is simple: check the app for tasks near you, reserve one you like the look of, then complete the job to get paid.
Tasks include visiting stores to buy or return something, or snapping a few sneaky pics along the way, and each typically pays £2 to £10. Stick to local tasks to stop travel costs gobbling up your pay-out, and get multiple apps to increase the chance of finding gigs. Try BeMyEye and Field Agent, or check the app store for your phone.
Sell your photos
With the iPhone now the most popular ‘camera’ on Flickr (the granddaddy of photo sharing sites), smartphone photography is booming – and there are loads of ways to cash in. The simplest involves uploading your images to stock libraries, who then sell their rights to advertisers, bloggers, newspapers and anyone else who needs pics.
Photos can sell for anything from a couple of quid to hundreds of pounds, but the beauty of selling rights is that you can peddle the same photo multiple times: maximum cash for minimum effort! Try Stockimo (iPhone only) or EyeEm for starters.
Save and invest
Putting money into savings is a winning strategy at any time – but finding cash you can spare is tough. Don’t let that put you off: rewards and app tricks can boost your savings even if you don’t have spare cash of your own. Money transfer app Circle currently pays a fiver on referrals, while auto-savings app Chip pays up to 5% interest when you invite your mates.
Auto-savings apps find ways to save small change on the fly. They do all the maths and money shuffling for you, so you’ll always end up with a savings pot – that can make them worthwhile even without bonus offers (but look for them, too).
Investing is a riskier game – you can end up losing money – but auto-investing apps can be an easier and cheaper way to dip a toe in the stock market. Connect an app to your bank account and every time you make a purchase it will round up your spend to the nearest quid and drop the leftover into an investment portfolio. Check Moneybox or Acorns to see how it works.
Upsell to make more profit
There’s no shortage of places to sell second-hand stuff through your phone, from eBay and Shpock to Facebook Marketplace, but the key lies in maximising profits. With upselling, you keep an eye out for bargains, such as charity and thrift store buys, or limited edition pound shop or Primark gear.
The trick is then to sell them online for more than you paid. Whether it’s upselling or clearing out your attic, get the right combo of free listing and low or no postage costs to stretch your profits even further.
Upload videos
YouTube’s 10 highest paid vloggers took home $70 million (£54 million) between them in 2016, making video blogging a lucrative game for the lucky few. A catchy angle and tons of followers give you more chance of big money, but even a steady stream of watchable content can earn you cash from advertising revenue or subscriptions.
Just find something you’re passionate about and upload often: how-to vids, reviews, travel journals, live streaming … anything (legit) goes. Got a decent camera on your phone? Make the most of it.
Whatever your smartphone needs, you can find the best deals from budget devices to flagship tech over at mobiles.co.uk.