How to Make $1000 Fast: 18 Ways to Make Money Fast

We’ve been there: you have a major emergency and don’t have the cash to cover it. Emergencies happen, so before the panic sets in, realize you have a lot of options for making $1,000 fast. Let’s get started:

Emergencies happen, and before the panic sets in, realize that you have lots of options for making money fast. We’re covering 20+ ways to make $1,000 fast. But first, check out our top picks below:

1. Drive With Lyft

Lyft is offering new drivers (of any gender) a $400 bonus for giving 40 rides in 7 days. Terms apply.

For women and nonbinary folks who are looking for a flexible side hustle, rideshare platform Lyft launched a Women+ Connect* feature specifically to help women and nonbinary drivers and riders feel more in control of their ride experience. 

When you turn on Lyft’s Women+ Connect feature, the app prioritizes your chances of being matched with a female or nonbinary rider. And you get all of the benefits of driving with Lyft: keep 70% or more of passenger payments after fees each week, earn bonuses, cash out at any time, and enjoy the flexibility of choosing your own hours.

If you’re interested, Lyft drivers must meet the following requirements:

• You’re at least 25 years old
• You own an iPhone or Android smartphone
• You have a clean driving record and auto insurance
• You have an eligible 4-door vehicle (car year varies by region)
• You consent to a criminal background check and review of your driving record

*This is not a safety feature and cannot guarantee safety, but it can help women and non-binary users have more choice.

2. Food Delivery

Food delivery services like DoorDash, Grubhub, Instacart, and Uber Eats are all the rage right now, and there’s a need for more delivery drivers across markets. To get started, you’ll need to meet the driver requirements, sign up online, be approved, and start delivering.

Driver requirements are virtually the same across the most popular food delivery services — you can deliver with any vehicle, have a valid driver’s license and insurance, and agree to a background check.

DoorDash is our top pick for food delivery services because it has the largest marketshare, and DoorDash pays drivers weekly, or you can cash out the same day for a small fee.

Learn more in our DoorDash Driver Review.

3. Sell Your Stuff

If you really want to learn how to make $1,000 fast, like in just a day or two, selling your stuff can put that cash in your pocket ASAP.

Here are some recommendations for where to sell your stuff for cash:

• Decluttr is specifically for used electronics: phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, video games, video game consoles, and more. Decluttr even buys used LEGO sets.
• You can sell furniture and home decor items on the Chairish app.
• You can use Poshmark and ThredUp for clothes, shoes, and accessories. There are also consignment stores, like Plato’s Closet, that buy gently used, on-trend clothing.
• Play It Again Sports buys used sporting equipment and workout gear, including soccer cleats, treadmills, tennis rackets, basketballs, hockey sticks, weights, and much more.
• Facebook Marketplace has become a very popular option, and you can list practically anything that doesn’t violate Facebook’s Terms of Use (illegal drugs, weapons, animals, medicine, etc.).
• Nextdoor, is a popular neighborhood-based app that makes it easy to sell stuff locally.

Depending on what you’re selling and your timeline, you can make money with a garage sale, consignment shop, eBay, and even Craigslist.

4. Leverage Your Skills With Freelancing

If I had to make $1,000 today, I’d lean on my digital marketing background, reach out to my network, and get someone to sign on as a Facebook ads client. And you know what? The going rate for Facebook ads is $1,000-$2,000/month per client.

Here are several in-demand freelance options if you’re interested in learning more:

• Digital marketing: This is what I did when I started this blog! You can run Facebook and Instagram ads to help business owners grow their businesses. Digital marketers make around $1,000 to $2,000/month per client. Click here to check out this free training video I put together if you want to learn more.
• Bookkeeping: This is one of the highest-paid remote jobs that is often overlooked. Bookkeepers help business owners track and manage daily financial transactions. This can include paying bills, managing payroll, and invoicing. Click here to learn more in our free Brilliant Bookkeeper training.
• Proofreading: For those of you who are good with punctuation, grammar, and spelling, business owners of all kinds pay proofreaders to clean up their copy before it’s published. Click here to check out our free 4-Figure Side Hustle to learn how to get started.
• Graphic design: If you’re artistic and good with a computer, graphic design is a growing field. You can design flyers, logos, invitations, posters, web graphics, Etsy printables, and much more.
• Virtual assistant: These freelancers are responsible for a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a business. You need to be highly organized and an excellent communicator if you want to become a virtual assistant. Here’s a list of places actively hiring virtual assistants.
• Web developer: This is a high-income career field that doesn’t require a college degree, and many web developers these days get their start in months-long boot camps.

Platforms like FlexJobs, Upwork, and Fiverr are places to either list your services or find companies hiring freelancers. You can also create a website and share it within your network — this route may take more time, but it’s something you can do while finding work elsewhere.

5. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

Pet sitters can earn anywhere from $35-$70 per night depending on where you live, and dog walkers can make $15-$25 per walk. This could be a really fun way to make money fast… if you like pets, which is a must. 

The Rover app makes it easy to connect with pet owners in your area, and there’s a one-time fee of $35 to join and create a profile. Rover lets you set your rates, availability, and what kinds of services you are willing to offer.

6. Clean Houses

You can make $25-$40/hour cleaning houses for people. There are cleaning services you can work for, but you’ll make the most money if you work for yourself. Care.com makes it easy to connect with people in your area who are looking for house cleaners.

Cleaning for businesses can be pretty lucrative as well, and you can also use word-of-mouth or post on the Nextdoor app.

7. Take Online Surveys

Okay, you’re not going to make $1,000 a week from online surveys alone, but it adds up when you combine it with other ideas on this list. Despite the low pay, we recommend online surveys if you’re looking for a substitute for playing Candy Crush on your phone.

The reason survey companies are willing to pay you for your feedback is because the data they collect is for marketing purposes.

There are excellent options for survey sites, but here are our two top recommendations:

• Survey Junkie: We like Survey Junkie because it pays up to $3 per survey, and it’s one of the most trusted sites out there. It pays in points that convert to cash, with a $10 cash out minimum.
• Branded Surveys: We recommend Branded Surveys because it pays in points that are worth up to $3 per survey, and you can cash out once you have $5 worth of points. This is pretty fast for survey companies! In 2023, Branded Surveys launched a brand new mobile app.

Surveys average 5 to 30 minutes, and you can take surveys from your phone or laptop.

8. Earn Cash Back When You Shop

Swagbucks is an app that gives you cash back for shopping online, taking surveys, playing games and more. It’s not a ton of money, but you can add it to your running total until you hit $1,000.

Users earn points that convert to points, which you can cash out for gift cards to most major retailers.

9. Find a Part-Time Job

Now that there are so many good-paying and flexible side hustles, part-time jobs don’t get mentioned nearly as much as they used to. But the reality is that finding a part-time job is still a really good way to make extra money.

One of my readers recently shared that he took a job delivering pizzas part-time. It wasn’t his dream job, but it was helping him make extra money fast, especially because he got to bring cash tips home each night.

10. Make Money When You Buy Gas

Upside (formerly known as GetUpside) is a free cash back app that pays you when you buy gas or groceries at over 50,000 locations nationwide. You can earn up to $0.25 per gallon of gas.

Our web developer recently started using Upside, and he made $6.07 back on a $67.21 tank of gas.

11. Negotiate for a Raise

Asking for a raise can be a terrifying thing for a lot of people. What if my boss says no? That means very few people ever take the chance and ask for a raise.

According to a Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, 37% of men and 36% of women have asked for a raise. Men received the raise they asked for 82% of the time, while women got their raise 74% of the time. Wage gap aside, that’s telling.

You probably have a better chance at getting a raise than you might expect. In addition to this being a great way to make $1,000 fast, getting a raise is a long-term boost in your finances. It’s extra money you’ll have every month to pay off debt, save for retirement, put towards an awesome vacation, and so on.

Here are some tips to help you negotiate a raise and get it:

• Do your research: Find out what others in your field are earning to get a sense of what’s a realistic ask.
• Find the right time: Make sure your company is doing well financially, where’s your current standing with them, have you recently received a raise, etc. Some of the best times to ask for a raise are after you’ve completed a big project, a few months before an annual review, or after new responsibility has been added to your plate.
• Practice your pitch: Write down what you’re asking for and why you deserve it, then practice saying it out loud before you go to your boss.

The worst thing that can happen is that your boss says “no.” That doesn’t mean you’re fired. Take that as an opportunity to look at your job performance or even start job hunting elsewhere.

12. Sell Things on eBay

One of our readers shared that they made nearly $85,000 in one year from selling things on eBay. Sure, it took them some time to build their business, but we mentioned selling on eBay because anyone can start selling on eBay. It’s especially profitable if you sell in one of the top-selling categories, including:

• Car parts and accessories
• Cameras
• Antiques and vintage finds
• Collectible or rare books, comics, and magazines
• Sporting goods and workout equipment

If you have this kind of stuff sitting at home or can find it for cheap at thrift stores or garage sales, this is one of the best ways to make $1,000 fast. However, pay attention to shipping costs (many sellers recommend building it into your listing prices) so you can keep more cash in your pocket.

13. Drive With Uber

You have multiple options for rideshare companies, and Uber has become a top pick for anyone who wants to make money driving. What stands out so much about Uber is that you have a ton of flexibility as you can set your own schedule. There are no minimums, and you can drive when it works for you because the Uber app is available 24/7.

If you’re interested, here’s what you need to know about driving with Uber:

• Extreme flexibility: As we said, you don’t have set hours, rather get to drive on your own schedule.
• Weekly or daily pay: Drivers cash out once a week, but you can also gain immediate access to your earnings with Instant Pay. Terms apply. 
• Driver requirements: You must meet the minimum age to drive in your city, have an eligible mode of transportation, and submit required documents, including a valid driver’s license. You must also consent to a background screening and have at least one year of licensed driving experience.

14. Rent Out Your Unused Space

Do you have a nearly empty garage? Is there space in your basement or attic? Neighbor is a platform where you can list your empty space and rent it out to people in your community. It’s an alternative to traditional storage spaces.

The going rate for rental space depends on where you’re located, but you do get to set your rates. For example, renting part of your attic might go for $20/month or your driveway for $100/month. You’d still have a long way to go if you want to learn how to make $1,000 fast, but remember you can combine multiple ideas to get to $1,000 even quicker.

15. Rent Out Your Car

Instead of letting your car sit in the driveway all day, why not make some extra cash from it? You can list your car on Hyrecar, a peer-to-peer rental marketplace, and make around $35/day. This could be an ideal option if you’re working from home these days and not using your car as much or if you want to offset your car payment.

HyreCar is specifically for renting your car to rideshare and food delivery drivers, and they offer up to $1,000,000 in liability coverage if something happens.

What’s sweet about renting out your car is that it’s fairly passive. So, while your car is being rented, you could also focus on selling things to make money or pet sitting, for example.

16. Open a New Bank Account

This is one many people don’t think of, but banks regularly run promotions to attract new customers. And you can easily make $100-$500 fast by opening a new checking account.

Offers constantly change — and they do expire — but here’s a current offer you can explore to make $1000 fast:

• SoFi: Open a new Sofi checking account and receive a $50 to $300 cash bonus. Customers are required to set up a direct deposit when opening the account, and the size of the bonus depends on the amount of qualifying direct deposits received in the first 30 days.

Not ready to switch bank accounts? You can check with your current bank to see if there are any promotions when you open a separate account with them.

17. Find Odd Jobs

Whenever personal finance blogs talk about learning how to make $1,000 fast or just making extra money in general, doing small one-off jobs or gigs is something that gets overlooked. It’s not a long-term solution, but you can make money fast doing small, side jobs.

Here are a few ways to find one-off jobs near you:

• Craigslist: Start at the “Gigs” section. Your local Craigslist may have listings for things like unloading a truck, installing drywall, someone who wants drone footage taken, and more.
• NextDoor: There are usually people in your area who are looking for help with all kinds of small jobs, like mowing grass, staining a deck, moving help, house sitting, running errands, building IKEA furniture, and more.
• Your network: Reach out to anyone you know — social media is good for this — and let them know you’re looking for a little work. Listing out some of the services you’re capable of doing can give people a sense of what they can ask about.

Ideally, you could line up several of these gigs and spend the weekend working through a couple of them. That would be a few hundred dollars in your pocket in just a few days.

18. Donate Your Plasma

Donating your plasma sounds like you’re not going to make money, but many donation sites will pay you to donate! You can make around $30 to $100 per donation, each time you donate, which takes up to 2 hours.

The process is similar to donating blood, and you’ll have to pass a short health screening before you donate.

How to Make $1,000 Fast | The Final Word

You just learned about 20+ different ways to make money fast, and combining more than one is the fastest path to make money. For example: delivering for DoorDash, taking online surveys with Survey Junkie, and selling your stuff online at the same time will make that money add up much faster than one idea alone.

Consider combining passive ideas, like renting out your car on Hyrecar, with active ones that can boost your earnings even faster.

While learning how to make money fast can help you get through a tough spot right now, continuing to make more money will only help you prepare for these situations in the future.