How To Make Money With An Idle Computer

Making money from home and online in Canada and the United States has never been easier. Regardless of your skills and in addition to your day job, there are so many side hustles available to earn extra cash if you are willing to put in the effort.

Many of these money making ideas do not require a significant upfront investment. In fact, many of the opportunities are free to start and are great for beginners wanting to make money on the side.

Note that these are not get-rich-quick schemes. The amount of money you can make (whether $500 or $10,000 per month) is directly proportional to the amount of time you can dedicate and your determination to break free of the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

Read on to see my list of 77 ways to make money online and from home in Canada and elsewhere.

77 Ways To Make Money From Home and Online in Canada

Online Surveys To Make Extra Money in Canada

Market research companies are willing to pay you for your opinions in the form of paid online surveys. The information they collect is used to inform product development and the services that companies introduce to the marketplace.

Surveys won't make you rich. However, if you are looking to make some bucks online for free, they do come in handy.

1. Survey Junkie: Survey Junkie offers multiple survey opportunities which increases your chance of qualifying and earning cash. You may even come across individual surveys that pay up to $35.

Sign up for Survey Junkie Canada.

Join Survey Junkie U.S.

2. Swagbucks: This survey site is one of the best and a good place to start as a beginner. They pay you to answer surveys and complete a variety of other simple tasks.

Swagbucks has paid its members more than $621 million to date. You can redeem your rewards as cash or for popular gift cards.

Join Swagbucks here and get a $5 welcome bonus.

3. Daily Rewards: Daily Rewards pays you to complete surveys, play online games, shop online, and read emails. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Join Daily Rewards plus a $5 welcome bonus.

4. Ipsos i-Say: Ipsos i-Say is a legit survey site available to Canadians and Americans. They offer surveys you can take on any device – computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Panel members have multiple options for redeeming their points including PayPal cash, Amazon and Starbucks gift cards, prepaid cards, and more.

Join Ipsos i-Say Canada.

5. Pinecone Research: They are present in Canada and the United States. This survey panel offers surveys that pay between $3 and $5 each and is owned by the global market research company, Nielsen. You can cash out using PayPal, cheque gift cards, or prepaid virtual Visa cards.

Join Pinecone Research Canada.

6. LifePoints: Green Panthera is a 'get paid to' site that offers cash when you take surveys and complete other simple tasks. Like the other survey sites on this list, it is absolutely free to join and you can cash out your earnings using PayPal.

Join LifePoints here plus 10 free points.

7. Branded Surveys: Branded Surveys is a popular survey panel in Canada and the United States. They conduct market research for retailers, media, and local businesses so they can better serve their customers. You can redeem your earnings for gift cards.

Join Branded Surveys.

8. Harris Poll Online: The Harris Poll is one of the oldest opinion sites in the world and has millions of members. You earn HIpoints that you can redeem for popular gift cards and they have an A rating with the BBB.

Sign up for Harris Poll Online Canada

9. Prize Rebel: Prize Rebel is a free membership rewards site with over 9 million members who have earned $18 million since 2007. You can redeem your earnings as cash or for a variety of gift cards.

Join Prize Rebel.

10. Opinion Outpost: Earn extra cash rewards when you take surveys with Opinion Outpost. The options for redeeming your points include PayPal cash, Amazon, and iTunes gift cards.

Sign up for Opinion Outpost.

You can read my complete reviews of these survey sites below.

Swagbucks review || Survey Junkie review || Pinecone Research review || PrizeRebel review || Opinion Outpost review || Ipsos i-Say review || Daily Rewards review || Qbord review

Creative Ways To Make Money For Free in Canada

Making money does not always have to involve hard work or an upfront cost. Here are some ways to make money for free in Canada.

Use Shopping Apps

The following shopping apps pay you to make purchases you would make anyway. They give you free cash!

11. KOHO: This prepaid Visa card is free and comes with loads of benefits including:

0.50% cash back on all your purchases
No ATM withdrawal fees
Multiple in-app discounts
Access to early payroll

Sign up for KOHO and get a $20 bonus after making your first purchase.

12. Drop App: Drop is a cash back app that pays you every time you shop at 5 of your favourite retailers. There is no need to scan your receipt since the app tracks your purchases automatically.

Join Drop here to receive a $5 bonus. No promo code is required.

13. Rakuten (Ebates): Rakuten is one of the go-to sites to earn cash back on your online purchases at more than 750 stores in Canada including Amazon, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Best Buy and several others.

Sign up here and get a $30 bonus when you make your first online purchase of $30 or more. Going forward, remember to start your online shopping from the Rakuten website or app.

14. Caddle: Caddle is another cash back app similar to Checkout 51. Discount offers on groceries are available every week and you can usually purchase them at any store. Upload your receipt using the app and cash out when your balance reaches $20.

Sign up for Caddle.

15. Checkout 51: Checkout 51 is one of the most popular cash back shopping apps in Canada and the United States. The app features new discount offers every week (up to 50%) that you can redeem at any store of your choice.

After purchase, upload your receipt to claim your cash back. When your account reaches $20 or more, you can cash out via cheque or PayPal.

16. Open a Bank Account With Sign Up Bonuses: Tangerine Bank and Simplii are online banks in Canada that offer no-monthly-fee banking. Here's a list of bank promotions in Canada.

17. Use a High-Interest Savings Account: It's no secret that the current savings rates offered by the Big Banks are so low, you earn negative returns when inflation rates are taken into consideration. Online banks like EQ Bank offer higher savings rates and a chance to grow your money.

As of this writing, EQ Bank has a non-promotional rate of 1.25%.

18. Scan your Groceries for Cash: Nielsen Homescan Canada pays you to scan the barcodes on the groceries you buy every week and to transmit the data. This data is used to analyze consumer spending behaviour.

Join Nielsen Homescan.

19. Try Paytm Canada: We all have bills to pay every month. So, how about getting rewards when you pay your credit card balance, rent, utility, internet, cell phone, insurance, loans, property taxes, and other bills?

Paytm is an app that rewards you every time you make a bill payment. You can redeem your Paytm points easily for hundreds of rewards including gift cards and cash.

Sign up for Paytm and enter the promo code PTM2477287to get a $5 bonus when you make your first bill payment of $50 or more.

For more details about these cash back apps and services, you can read my reviews.

Checkout 51 review || Drop review || Caddle review || KOHO review || Rakuten review || Paytm Canada review || EQ Bank || Nielsen Homescan review

Legit Ways To Make Money From Home in Canada

Creating multiple streams of income can turn your finances around. These work from home jobs can replace your 9-to-5 day job and you can do them on a full-time basis as your own boss!

20. Start a Blog: Blogging is a great business. People are always in search for information online or they are looking to buy products. Start a blog that meets a need in any niche (personal finances, lifestyle, parenting, etc.) for as little as $5.25 CAD or $3.95 USD per month.

Blogs make money from advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, product reviews and more. I make thousands of dollars every month with this blog and have put together a helpful 6-step guide to get you started.

21. Proofread for Money: Have an eye for errors in the written word? Put that talent to work and make money on the side. Caitlyn from Proofreading Anywhere made over $43,000 proofreading part-time.

She has a 76-minute free workshop that shows you how to set up your proofreading business and find jobs within a month.

22. Become a Freelance Writer: If you can put pen to paper, then you can write or learn to write for blogs, businesses, and individuals. You can market your writing skills on platforms like Fiverr and Freelancer.

23. Offer Transcription Services: General transcriptionists earn $15 to $25 per hour. When you specialize and become a legal or medical transcriptionist, you earn much more. If you are an attentive listener and are fast at typing, this gig is for you.

Check out Janet's free mini-course on how to start your transcription business. You can find jobs on Transcribe Me and TigerFish.

24. Become a Virtual Assistant: As a virtual assistant (VA), you can help others do a host of things right from the comfort of your home. VAs help individuals and businesses with their customer support, editing, transcription, data entry, social media management, and over 150 other services.

Virtual assistants can earn up to $50 per hour on average.

25. Flip Websites for Money: Flippa is the world's largest marketplace for buying and selling websites and online businesses. It offers an opportunity to make money with websites without having to start them from scratch. And, it is super easy to get started!

26. Data Entry Jobs: Data entry jobs are pretty mundane and easy to do. You will need to be familiar with spreadsheets and be able to type at least 45 words per minute. Data entry jobs are plentiful on Indeed.com, Simply Hired, Eluta, Fiverr, and Workopolis.

27. Use your Graphic Design Skills: If you can use tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop or even drag-and-drop tools like Canva, you can make money doing graphic designs. For beginners, Udemy has some dirt cheap courses:

The Ultimate Drawing Course: From Beginner To Advanced
Graphic Design Bootcamp
Ultimate Photoshop Training: Beginner To Pro
Adobe InDesign CC – Essentials Training Course

28. Tutor Others Online: Online tutoring platforms for kids make teaching easy to do right from your couch. You can teach kids in Asia the English Language for up to $22 per hour on VIPKid.

Other platforms for online tutors in Canada (and for various subjects) are Skooli ($25 per hour) and Chegg Tutors (starts at $20 per hour).

The basic requirements for becoming a tutor are a Bachelor's degree, a computer with a web camera, internet and some free time.

29. Flip Items for Money: If you have an aptitude for finding value in what others see as junk, you can easily make $100,000 a year buying items from flea markets and thrift stores and flipping them for a profit.

Rob and Melissa make a six-figure income every year flipping and they share their tips for success in the Flipper University Course.

Side Hustles for Passive Income in Canada

These side hustles do not require your everyday attention. Set them up the right way and watch the passive income come flowing in.

30. Invest on Autopilot with Wealthsimple: Imagine investing without the hassles and high fees? Wealthsimple is Canada's most popular robo-advisor.

It offers investments in all kinds of accounts (RRSP, TFSA, RESP, RRIF, non-registered accounts) and has a roundup feature that can help you save/invest your spare change.

Wealthsimple also offers one of the best savings accounts rates in Canada and a brokerage service that is 100% free.

Join Wealthsimple and get a $75 cash bonus!

31. Invest with Questrade: If you prefer to manage your money and buy your own stocks and ETFs, Questrade is the online discount brokerage platform to use. They allow you to buy and sell investment assets with one click and at a low cost.

Try Questrade here and receive $50 in free trades.

32. Invest with Moka: Moka is the super app that automatically rounds up your spare change and invests the difference. For example, if you buy a cup of coffee for $3.25, Moka rounds up your purchase to $4 and invests the $0.75 change in a low-cost ETF portfolio.

This portfolio is customized to suit your risk tolerance and investment objectives and is a great way to grow your wealth without much effort.

Join Moka and receive $5 free.

33. Publish an Ebook on Amazon Kindle: Gone are the days when you needed a traditional publisher in order to sell a book and make money. With the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing program, you can write your book, upload it on Amazon, set your price, and gain exposure to a worldwide audience of buyers.

Learn about how to create, publish, and sell eBooks on Amazon while making full-time income through the ebook Academy course.

34. Rent Out your Spare Room: Hustling is all about monetizing your current assets and skills. List your spare room on Airbnb for free and earn up to $1,000 per month.

Airbnb covers you and your home with $1 million in property damage and $1 million in insurance against accidents. Even better, you set the price and house rules.

35. Monetize your Parking Space: A parking space that seats empty while you are at work is money down the drain. Rent out your parking spot when you are not using it and make a tidy sum of money every month.

Rover Parking is a service that offers parking spots across North America and you can become a Spot Host easily.

36. Flip Domain Names: How I wish that I was the guy who sold the internet domain name "carinsurance.com" in 2010 for $49.7 million! We won't even go into the profit margin that this guy realized on that sale because it's just plain nuts!

Scout around for the next big domain name and buy them for cheap on 1&1 Internet or GoDaddy. Park the domain name until it becomes valuable and then flip it on a site like Flippa.

37. Buy and Sell Online Businesses: Similar to domain names, you can also flip websites for profit. Buy existing websites or build them yourself and then later sell them at a profit.

A website can sell for 20-40 multiples of its monthly profit. Website flipping platforms include Flippa, Freemarket and Empire Flippers.

Ways To Make Money Online in Canada

The internet is a very busy place. You can choose to spend your time goofing around on the World Wide Web or you can use it to make money. Whether you are using your phone, computer, or tablet, there are so many ways to make money online in Canada.

38. Open a Shopify Store: Easily open an online shop on Shopify where you can sell arts and crafts, handmade items, home decor, and other physical products.

You can even list items from third parties (a manufacturer or wholesaler) and have them ship them to your customers directly. This e-commerce strategy is popularly known as dropshipping.

Set up your Shopify store here with a free trial!

39. Create and Sell Online Courses: Udemy.com makes it easy to create a course and market just about any subject matter you are an expert in. The platform attracts millions of users and you can set your own price.

Online courses are a great way to earn passive income. After you have created your course, it can continue to generate money for years to come.

Another platform to try out is Teachable.

40. Become an Affiliate Marketer: Affiliate marketers promote products and services and earn a commission after a sale is made. There are many options for reaching your audience including social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter), a blog, or a podcast.

Some of the other popular affiliate networks you can use to find affiliate marketing opportunities include:

Share-A-Sale
Awin
Share Results
Flex Offers
Commission Junction

41. Rent your car on Turo: When your car is sitting idle, you can convert it into a money-making machine by renting it out. Turo is the ultimate platform for renting out your car.

Their pricing model is excellent (you earn 65-85% of the trip price) and payments are made within 5 days through PayPal.

Turo protects your investment with $2 million in liability insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance. It is totally free to list your car on Turo.

42. Design on Teespring: Teespring offers a free e-commerce platform where designers can create a product e.g. T-shirts, hats, backpacks, leggings, tank tops, iPhone cases and more.

Teespring markets the product and when a buyer places an order, they produce and ship the item plus take care of customer service. And, you get paid.

Other platforms where you can upload designs and make money are CafePress and Zazzle.

43. Become a Stella & Dot Stylist: Stella & Dot provides flexible opportunities for stay-at-home moms to become entrepreneurs and make money.

As a Stella & Dot stylist, you sell nice costume jewellery, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories which they provide for cheap. Stylists earn commissions of up to 35% of sales.

44. Sell Crafts on Etsy: If you are a creative type of person, Etsy is the place to be! You can sell handcrafted unique items on a global marketplace with millions of potential customers.

45. Sell on eBay and Craigslist: You can buy and sell stuff on eBay and Craigslist. This could be items you no longer need such as clothes, electronics, antiques, jewellery, and more.

46. Sell on Facebook Marketplace: Facebook is a great place to socialize as well as make some bucks. You can sell all kinds of items on the Facebook marketplace and easily find customers in your area.

47. Install an App for $5: Install the MobileXpression app (Android) or (iPhone) and get a $5 Amazon gift card after 1 week. No other action is required on your part.

48. Hustle on Fiverr: Fiverr is the ultimate platform for making money using your existing skills. Some of the gigs people are willing to pay for are voiceovers, translation, logo design, article writing, video editing, resume writing, web design, songwriting, data entry, virtual assisting, email marketing, and more.

49. Sell your Old Books: Sell your used books online when you no longer need them. Try Book Scouter, Decluttr, Amazon, and BookFinder.

50. Design Websites: Make $1,000 to $2,500 per project designing simple websites. No prior experience or knowledge is required with the multiple drag-and-drop options that are widely available today. You can start with the ready-made templates available at Elegant Themes.

How To Make Money Online for Beginners in Canada

Try these online money-making opportunities that require little to no upfront investment or specialized skills. You can also make use of your existing assets, such as your vehicle and computer.

51. Walk Dogs and Pet Sit: If you love being around pets, you can walk dogs in your neighbourhood or take care of them in your own home. Rover is an app that pet sitters and dog walkers can use to find clients. The service allows you to set your own schedule and prices.

52. Decluttr: Find quick cash by using Decluttr to sell your unwanted books, electronics, CDs and DVDs, games, cell phones, and more. Decluttr provides an instant price evaluation, free shipping, and next-day payments. They have paid out over $250 million to sellers so far.

53. Drive for Lyft: Similar to Uber, you can use Lyft to make money in your spare time. As long as you meet the basic requirements and have a car, Lyft offers an opportunity to earn every day. You can cash out your earnings daily.

54. Drive for Uber: A car is a fast depreciating asset, however, you can monetize it by driving others around during your spare time. Driver requirements for Uber include:

Be at least 21 years of age
Have a valid driver's license and an eligible vehicle (in good condition, 4-door, less than 10 years old, must pass inspection)

Even better, your earnings are paid out every week.

Deliver Food

Local restaurants use food delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash, and Postmates to get food orders delivered to their customers. As a driver, you simply log in to the app, pick up and drop off deliveries, and get paid.

56. DoorDash: Food courier opportunities are available in Toronto, Vancouver, and many other Canadian cities. 18+ years of age. Get more details about Delivery Jobs in Canada.

55. Postmates: You can use a car or bike. Must be 21 years of age or older. Deliver food and groceries in your city and get paid.

57. SkipTheDishes: Car or bicycle. Get paid weekly.

58. Shop With Instacart: Online grocery shopping is on the rise and with it, new jobs for personal shoppers. Join Instacart as a full-service or in-store shopper and get paid to do grocery shopping and/or to deliver groceries.

The basic requirements are that you should be at least 18 years old, have access to a vehicle and smartphone, and be able to lift 30-40 pounds.

59. Sell your Photos: Are you always taking photos of people, animals, and landscapes? If photography is your passion, you can sell your photos for cash on sites like Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, AdobeStock, Alamy, and Foap.

60. Become a Mystery Shopper: Mystery shoppers are hired to visit a store, service provider, or restaurant and to report their experience. For example, you may be required to report on customer service, product quality, and cleanliness.

Mystery shoppers earn $22 per hour on average or $41,952 per year. You can find mystery shopping gigs on Lanla, Mystery Shopping Canada, Indeed, Confero, and Premier Service.

61. Join Task Rabbit: Task Rabbit connects people who are looking to complete tasks with freelance 'Taskers' who can help them out. Some of the tasks you can choose from are moving, furniture assembly, general handyman work, minor repairs, light installation, painting heavy lifting, TV mounting, and more.

62. Search Engine Evaluation: Search engine evaluators help to clean up the internet. Really! You evaluate search engine results e.g. Google and Bing for accuracy and this helps to improve the results that robots show to users who are looking for information.

Search engine evaluators earn $12 to $15 per hour. You can find jobs with Appen and Lionbridge.

63. Test Websites: THere are services that pay you to try out a website or app and provide feedback that is used to improve its user-friendliness. Examples are:

UserTesting: Get paid up to $60 per test.
TryMyUI: Get paid $10 for a 20-minute test.

64. Become a Mechanical Turk: Amazon Mechanical Turk is an online marketplace where you can complete simple tasks and get paid. Some of the jobs (Human Intelligence Tasks – HITs) available include audio transcription, surveys, image recognition, watch videos, input prices from Amazon, and other mindless tasks. The payout is low per task, but you won't be exercising much effort either.

65. Babysitting: Baby sitters earn up to $20 per hour. At just 10 hours a week, you can easily make between $600 and $800 in income every month working evenings and weekends.

Find babysitting gigs on Care.com, SOSSitter.ca, and Canadian Nanny.

66. Start a Home Daycare: Daycare's are notoriously hard to find in most major cities in Canada. With so many desperate parents looking for spots, starting a home daycare centre is a viable business venture.

You will need a few startup items like toys, small chairs, cots, first-aid kit, art supplies, and an outdoor play area.

Depending on the number of kids you plan to cater to, a license may or may not be required. It is advised you obtain liability insurance.

67. Offer Handyman Services: If you can perform various kinds of repairs and tasks around the house, sell your skills to make some money.

Common handyman skills include painting, plumbing, cleaning gutters, toilet replacement, door and lock repairs, electrical work, caulking, carpentry, tile installation, roofing, appliance installation, and more. Advertise your skills to your neighbours and online – Kijiji and Craigslist.

68. House Sitting: Help someone watch over their house while they are out of town. You get free accommodation and get paid. As per HouseSitter.com, most house sitters charge $25 to $45 per day. Find gigs on House Sitters Canada.

how to make money online for beginners in canada

Fun and Weird Ways To Make Money in Canada

Here are some funny, interesting, and weird ways to make money on the side. You'd be surprised at what's available out there!

69. Watch Videos for Cash: Rewards sites like Swagbucks, Daily Rewards, Cash Crate, and Quick Rewards offer opportunities to make money when you watch videos on their site. Swagbucks and Daily Rewards also offer a free $5 registration bonus.

70. Get Paid to Browse the Internet: The following sites pay you to simply surf the web: Swagbucks, Opinion Outpost, MobileXpression (Android), or (iPhone) and Microsoft Rewards.

71. Become Active: Health is wealth. Well, it is especially so when you are being rewarded for maintaining an active lifestyle. Become a member of sites where you can earn rewards for losing weight and becoming fit – Sweatcoin, HealthyWage, Diet Bet, and Achievement.

72. Join a Focus Group: Focus groups can be conducted online or face-to-face. They are very similar to taking surveys. Participants answer questions, offer their opinions, and provide useful information that goes into informing service and product development.

Focus groups can pay up to $150 per hour. However, there may not be limited gigs available. Market research companies that are hiring include CRC Research, NRG Research, Respondent, and 20/20 Panel.

73. Lend Money to Others: Lending Loop is Canada's first peer-to-peer lending platform. You can lend money to businesses starting at $25 and earn net returns of up to 8.4% or higher. Potential borrowers and their businesses undergo an evaluation before they are listed on Lending Loop. You receive monthly repayments with interest.

74. Participate in Clinical Trials: If the idea of serving as a 'test subject' or 'guinea pig' for a clinical trial does not frighten you, this gig can make you some real cash. Clinical research studies may be as simple as a sleep study or a bit more elaborate and include new drug treatments.

The information gathered is used to develop new ways to prevent, detect, and treat diseases and conditions. Find clinical trials on FG Finder, MedSleep, Clinical Trials Canada, Clinical Trials Ontario, PaidClinicalTrials.org.

75. Cuddle with Strangers: Are you a naturally relaxed and affectionate person? You can make money as a professional cuddler cuddling people who need the human touch. It is non-sexual and has been shown to help stressed people relieve their anxiety and depression.

Professional cuddlers get paid up to $150 per hour. Find gigs on Cuddle Comfort and CapCuddlers.org.

76. Sell Body Parts: Okay, I have to admit that this one weirds me out! You can sell your blood, plasma, hair, feces, sperm, eggs, breast milk, bone marrow, and rent your womb at a fee. For example, you can donate plasma at Prometric Plasma Resources and the Canadian Plasma Resources.

77. Become a Social Media Influencer: If you have a massive following on social media such as on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, you can get paid to promote products for a fee.

What are the other ways you use to make money from home and online in Canada? leave them in the comments so other readers can benefit. Also, don't forget to share this post on social media with your friends and family!