7 Best Ways to Earn Money Watching Videos in your Downtime

We all groan when an advertisement interrupts our chosen video content, but what if you were getting paid to watch?

Believe it or not, several sites pay you to watch ads, previews, and other content, including movies and TV shows. Although it won’t make you rich, watching online videos in your free time can earn you gift cards and extra cash that might help you stash away some savings.

Many companies claim to pay you to watch videos, but not all are legit. We did the heavy work for you, finding the best ways to help you earn money watching videos, finding sites that pay well, have many options to make money, and offer many reward options.

7 ways to earn money watching videos

• Swagbucks
• MyPoints
• InboxDollars
• QuickRewards
• FusionCash
• Transcribe video content
• Review movies

Swagbucks

I like websites that offer multiple ways to earn money, not just watching videos since the earnings for that task are usually pretty low. Swagbucks ticks all those boxes, offering opportunities to watch videos, while also paying members to answer surveys, shop online, and play games.

I like to think of the video watching as a filler in between other higher paying tasks to round up my earnings with Swagbucks.

Swagbucks pays members in SBs (Swagbucks) that you can convert to prizes like gift cards and cash, and redemption is easy because 100 Swagbucks equals $1.

According to Swagbucks, its members earn $1 to $5 a day with consistent effort, but of course, there are those higher-paying opportunities you may come across, especially if you combine your efforts, watching videos, answering surveys, and shopping online.

Sign up for Swagbucks | Read our Swagbucks review.

MyPoints

MyPoints is another get-paid-to-site that advertises the opportunity to earn money shopping, answering surveys, and playing games; however, they also pay members to watch videos. They lump this opportunity into the “survey” category, so a lot of people I know miss this option.

I will say the payout for watching videos is pretty low, usually two to three points per video, but if you watch your entire playlist, you can earn a handful of points. I like to do this when I’m trying to pass the time waiting at the doctor’s office or in line at the grocery store.

Like with Swagbucks, I suggest watching videos in your spare time while using the rest of your time to maximize your earnings by answering surveys and shopping online (as needed).

However, one of the unique things about MyPoints is that it partners with United Airlines so you can use your points to add miles to your United MileagePlus account. But if you’re not planning on traveling in the near future, you can also choose gift cards from 70 retailers and restaurants, or redeem your points for a PayPal deposit or Visa prepaid card.

Sign up for MyPoints. | Read our MyPoints review.

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is the pioneer in paying members to watch videos as that’s how they started (and got their name). They would send videos via email that users could watch and earn a few cents.

I’m not saying you’ll get rich watching videos on InboxDollars, since they pay only a few cents per playlist, but why not give it a try to earn a little extra cash just for letting your phone play while you watch TV?

Like many sites on this list, InboxDollars offers other ways to earn money including answering surveys, shopping, and playing games. If you maximize all your options on the site, you can reach the $15 cashout threshold pretty quickly, especially since they pay a $5 signup bonus to new members. We tested InboxDollars over the course of a couple of days and earned $11.63.

Sign up for InboxDollars | Read our InboxDollars review.

QuickRewards

QuickRewards pays users to watch many types of videos including informational and entertaining videos. I like it because you can earn money to learn new things, be entertained, or discover new topics.

Like most ways to earn money watching videos on this list, it won’t make you rich, however, they only require you to earn one penny before you can redeem your rewards and since 2002, they’ve paid out seven million dollars.

If watching videos isn’t earning you enough money, they also offer other opportunities like completing surveys, playing games, and shopping online. I suggest maximizing your earnings by doing as many of the activities as possible to maximize your payout potential.

Sign up for QuickRewards.

FusionCash

FusionCash is another rewards website that makes money from advertisers and shares some of the profit with its users. It looks a little different than the other sites mentioned on this list, but they’ve been around since 2005.

I like it because you can get paid to complete surveys and search the web, earn cash back for shopping, and get rewarded for watching videos.

Once you have $25 in your FusionCash account, you can cash out via PayPal account, direct deposit, or check. In addition to the extra cash you’ll earn from watching videos, you can earn a $5 signup bonus and $1 to $5 in referral bonuses for each friend who signs up.

FusionCash has mixed reviews on Trustpilot, and users say it’s not the quickest way to make money. Some also say the site has gone downhill in the last couple of years, so use your best judgment when deciding where to spend your time.

Sign up for FusionCash.

Transcribe video content

If you have great attention to detail, you can transcribe video content for companies and brands. Since most companies try to be inclusive and provide access for people of all abilities, they need the option to have subtitles running on their videos. You’ll find most of your opportunities to earn money watching videos this way on Fiverr where you can list your services and connect with potential clients.

While this industry is slowly being overcome by AI, some companies and brands still prefer the human touch. To succeed at making money watching videos this way you must:

• Type fast and be able to type what you hear correctly
• Be able to write in several languages (if you want to earn more)
• Deliver work with a personal touch
• Offer additional services you can sell

Sign up for Fiverr here.

Review movies

If you are a movie buff and a good writer, you can make money by watching movies and writing reviews. You won’t get rich doing this, but some sites pay for reviews of video games, comic books, and movies. Taste of Cinema pays for your review based on the number of clicks it receives. The pay isn’t stellar, but it adds up.

Other ways to earn money reviewing movies include:

• Start a movie review blog, grow your audience, and use affiliate marketing
• Start a movie review YouTube channel and monetize it

Sign up for Taste of Cinema here.

Other side hustles to consider

FAQs

Bottom line

Watching videos to earn a little extra pocket change does work, and these ways are legit, but it’s not going to pay the bills. I’ll typically use this option as a supplement to additional paid tasks, especially when I have downtime. But if you’re looking for ways to make more substantial income, you may want to consider a weekend side job or part-time job.

Like any site, please do your due diligence to ensure you are dealing with legit sites that will pay you for your time, whether watching videos or playing games.

You won’t get rich by watching videos or playing games, but you could make extra money online in your spare time. All of the sites we mentioned are free to join, so feel free to try a bunch of these options before choosing a few you plan to stick with for the long haul.