Sometimes you need (or want) to make 500 dollars fast. A medical bill can’t wait another month, an appliance broke down, or something new needs fixing around your home.
Or perhaps a holiday weekend is approaching and you need to come up with the money to pay for your trip.
There’s multiple reasons why you would need to make 500 dollars fast. And as you search through the internet, you’re bound to find hundreds of ways to raise the cash you need.
But who has the time to go through hundreds of ways to make money when you need it fast? You need cash now. In this post, we’ll show you 12 tested ways to make $500 fast.
12 Proven Ways to Make 500 dollars fast
Making money quickly doesn’t have to be complicated if you know where to start. Our list of practical ways to make $500 fast will give you a head start. All you need is a bit of time and effort.
In addition to the table of contents above, you can follow the links below to quickly jump to any section of this post.
- Pick up a side hustle
- Find a side gig
- Sell online
- Need money ($500+) now
Pick up a side hustle
There’s plenty of smart ways to make money. Below we list several practical side hustles to start making the money you need.
1. Drive for Lyft
There’s something special about people who pick up gigs as drivers to earn money. Call it grit or determination: They’re taking control over their financial situation.
Getting a driving gig is easy with Lyft. And if you drive for them, you can get your money fast. They now can pay you instantly after every ride through their debit card (in the US).
Lyft works best if you have a car. But if you don’t, you can still earn with a rental. Their car rental program is available in various cities through third parties.
Note:
According to reports, the average Lyft driver makes about $19/hour if you include wait-time for requests. That figure jumps to almost $30/hour, on average, when you only count the time driving a passenger.
With Lyft, the biggest part of your earnings will come from the time and distance you drive, plus tips and bonuses.
Focus your efforts on busy times (weekends, evenings) with longer trips (around hotels, offices) to earn more. The Lyft app also helps you by showing you the times when people are most likely to need rides in your city.
2. Freelance with Fiverr
Online freelancing offers plenty of flexibility and convenience when you’re trying to fit the time to make money around your schedule. With the Fiverr marketplace, you can list your own service gig and offer it to others.
With over 200 service categories available, you’re bound to find something that fits your skills and background. Popular categories include writing and translation, graphic design, voiceover, illustration and data entry. So you can offer a service tailor-made for you.
You’ll be able to set the pricing of your service anywhere from $5 to $995, depending on the value you provide.
Some people order a cheap service and add their creativity to make it more valuable and earn more. So check out Fiverr and decide if it’s a good fit for you.
3. Become a Tutor
Tutoring can be a reliable money-making side hustle. You can set your own hours and help others in subjects you like or have an interest in. Another advantage is that you don’t need a bachelor’s degree to tutor others.
There’s plenty of tutoring subjects to pick from: helping kids in reading or elementary math, writing, helping others master a musical instrument, teaching English, or tutoring a second language. The subjects are as varied as your experience and ability.
If you’re interested in online tutoring, sites like TutorMe and Skooli will connect you with potential clients. The amount you can charge will vary by subject and past experience, but there’s plenty of demand.
Tip:
The Association for the Coaching & Tutoring Profession is a good place to learn more about tutoring.
As an online tutor, you can make anywhere from $20 to $25 per hour if you’ve tutored before. But if you’re interested in making more, try in-person tutoring.
To get started, first do some research. Look for tutoring clubs in your area or parents groups that might be relevant to you. Facebook is one place to start. It’ll help you get good leads and connect with potential clients directly.
Find a side gig
Short side gigs can be a reliable way to help you make money faster if you fall short of cash at the end of the month. Here are several sensible ways to help you make the money you need.
4. Teach with VIPKid
VIPKid is an online classroom portal that connects paying students in China with teachers in the US and Canada. If you have a bachelor’s degree, consider teaching English to kids through VIPKid. You can make up to $22 / hour.
The company is legitimate and well-funded. To sign up, you’ll need to be a U.S. or Canadian citizen and go through a certification process.
One year of teaching experience is required to qualify, but classroom teaching experience isn’t mandatory. Other non-traditional experience the company considers includes coaching, mentoring or volunteering.
With VIPKid, you’ll have plenty of flexibility to set your schedule and to work from wherever you have a stable internet connection.
5. Try dog walking or pet sitting on Rover
If you enjoy being around dogs, pet sitting could be one of the best gigs for you. And it’s easy to get started with the Rover app.
Rover understands that you need a flexible schedule and that you may have a preference for certain kinds of dogs. That’s alright: you can easily choose the pet preferences that work for you and set your available dates through your profile.
After signing up, the app will send you instant notifications of available gigs in your area. Simple, right?
You’ll earn more if you choose to care for a dog (or cat) overnight, which can pay $25 / night. It won’t be long before you earn the cash you need.
6. Complete tasks for others
Completing tasks for others can be a reliable way of making $500 quickly when you need it. And TaskRabbit makes it easy to earn money by helping others complete their to-do’s.
As one of the biggest players in the gig economy, TaskRabbit offers multiple jobs to choose from. Popular task categories, include:
- Personal assistant
- Delivery / Errands
- Cleaning
- Handyman work
- Furniture assembly
- Moving
After you join, the app will notify you of available jobs in your area. You just need to select the one you want, confirm it with your client and complete the work.
Join TaskRabbit and start earning.
Sell your stuff online
Selling your belongings is a tested way to make money quickly. And several online portals make it simple and hassle-free.
7. Sell clothes with Poshmark
Poshmark can be a good way to make cash from items in your closet. Through this online marketplace and app, you can sell your new or used clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Listing an item is fast: snap a picture with your phone, describe your item and click list. Poshmark takes care of the shipping with pre-paid, pre-addressed USPS Priority Mail shipping labels.
You can list an item at any time. After it sells and ships, withdraw your earnings from Poshmark or send the money to your checking account. Point, click, list and make money.
8. Sell tech with Decluttr
If instead of clothing, you have technology you no longer want, you can turn it into cash through Decluttr.
Selling your cell phone, laptop or wearable tech is simple. You tell Decluttr the brand and condition of your item, and they’ll quote you a valuation. If you’re selling CD’s, DVD’s, or games, scan their barcodes with Decluttr’s app and get an instant price.
Pro Tip:
When selling a phone, write down its International Mobile Equipment Identity Number (IMEI) before you ship it, in case you need to track it down.
Decluttr will pay for shipping and you’ll get paid the day after they receive your items. Get your money through PayPal, direct deposit or check. It’s fast and easy.
9. List your items on Craigslist
Craigslist is another great place to sell belongings as diverse as collectibles, furniture and tools. It’s a favorite go-to site for many local buyers and sellers alike.
Craigslist is organized into sites for individual cities and US regions. Because of that, your listing won’t have the broad coverage of say, eBay, but you won’t be charged fees either.
That’s right. All Craigslists postings are free, save for a few exceptions.
Additional ways to make $500 fast without a job
The following list of ideas will help you make the cash you need faster. Try several of them: they’re simple, convenient, and they’ll make you money.
10. Make money with your phone
Your phone can make you extra cash when you have some down time between gigs. Check out these ideas to earn some additional money.
» Rakuten (Ebates). It’s a top app to earn cash back when you shop. Get their $10 signup bonus here. Also, their referral program pays $25 for every friend you refer.
» Survey Junkie. Earn by taking surveys and testing new products in your spare time. These extra dollars can add up quickly (up to $45 per survey). Join Survey Junkie here.
» InboxDollars. Grab a $5 signup bonus. In addition to surveys, they have a good variety of ways you can earn: by watching videos and TV, playing games or reading emails.
» Swagbucks. Get a welcome bonus of $10 when you join. You’ll earn by taking surveys, watching videos, shopping online or searching the web.
11. Redeem your rewards
Sometimes, we have money just sitting there hiding in plain sight…waiting for us to grab it. This money can take many shapes: frequent flyer miles, gift cards, and credit card rewards or points, for example.
Review your accounts and get a hold of your rewards to raise the money you need faster. If you can’t redeem your rewards directly into cash, redeem them for prizes and then flip them for cash.
Maybe you aren’t much of a frequent flyer, but surely, you’ve accumulated some points or cash back through your rewards credit card. If you don’t have one, you’re missing out on some easy cash.
» Related: You can easily compare cash back credit card offers with this tool.
Need money ($500+) now
Getting into debt when you’re in a cash crunch is never a good strategy. So don’t go into debt if you can avoid it.
But let’s be real.
Sometimes, you have urgent expenses that you must meet and don’t have enough time to make the money you need.
12. Use balance transfers
Under the right circumstances, using a credit card can make sense. It’ll buy you time to make the money you need, and get you $500 or more right away.
- How: Pay your urgent expenses with your current credit card and then make a 0% APR balance transfer.
- Why: By law, credit cards’ promotional rate periods must last at least 6 months. So if you’re approved, you’ll have enough time to pay off the balance transfer.
- Who: You’ll need to have good to excellent credit (670+). In addition, it’s important to be realistic and come up with a plan to pay off your balance when your promotional period expires. This way, you’ll avoid paying interest on the balance transfer itself.
- Cons: The amount you put on your credit card will incur interest charges while your balance transfer is approved and processed. In addition, whenever you apply for a credit card, your credit score falls slightly. That’s normal. It’ll come back up if you pay on time. Also, there’s always the risk that the credit card company won’t approve you for the balance transfer.
Pro Tip:
If you have several credit cards, use the one with the largest available credit—as a percent of your credit limit, to keep your credit utilization low.
If you have good credit, take advantage of 0% APR balance transfer credit card offers.
With a balance transfer, it’ll take anywhere from 7 to 14 days for your application to go through. And another 7 to 14 days for the balance transfer to be processed.
Bottom line
There’s many ways you can make $500 quickly. But, at the end of the day, making money when you need it fast boils down to a combination of three tried-and-true steps: working for it, selling something, or borrowing it.
Put some effort into it, and you’ll see that cash accumulate in no time.