Which Money-Making Apps Actually Deliver? A Deep Dive Into Real Earnings From Solitaire Games and Beyond

Scrolling through your phone all day? Why not turn idle time into actual income? The good news is that money-making apps have evolved far beyond empty promises. If you’re specifically interested in solitaire games that pay money, or prefer shopping rewards and survey apps instead, there are legitimate options that deposit real cash into your PayPal account or provide gift cards from top retailers.

Understanding Your Earning Options: Three Main Pathways

The landscape of apps offering cash rewards breaks down into three distinct categories, each with different earning potential and time investment.

Gaming Rewards: Solitaire and Beyond

For players who love card games, solitaire games that pay money have become surprisingly competitive. Solitaire Cube lets you play head-to-head tournaments with actual cash prizes, while Solitaire Cash supports transactions through PayPal or Apple Pay with potential winnings up to $83 per tournament. Solitaire Clash stands out with nearly 260,000 reviews averaging 4.8 stars—players can compete without deposits, earning gems that unlock paid tournaments. Solitaire Smash follows a similar three-minute-timer format where the highest scorer wins.

Beyond card games, Blackout Bingo from Skillz opens access to over 400 games with real cash prizes through a single account. With a 4.5-star rating, this platform demonstrates that gaming apps designed specifically around cash competitions can deliver reliable payouts.

Shopping and Referral Rewards

If you prefer accumulating earnings through everyday purchases, apps like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) deposit actual cash to PayPal quarterly. The platform rewards both shopping and referrals—referring a friend earns you $30 per person. Travel bookings through Expedia generate some of the largest payouts.

Ibotta functions similarly, offering cash back when shopping in-store or online at thousands of retailers. The minimum withdrawal threshold sits at $20. Swagbucks takes a broader approach, letting you earn SB points through surveys, shopping at retailers like Kohl’s and Home Depot, and using their browser extension. New users get 1,000 free Swagbucks, convertible to a $10 Amazon gift card.

MyPoints provides a $5 welcome bonus in Amazon or Visa gift card form, with earning rates up to 20 points per shopping dollar. Fetch converts 10,000 rewards points into $10, and referrals grant 2,000 points each—five referred friends equal $10 redeemable at Amazon, Starbucks, or similar retailers.

Survey and Market Research Platforms

Survey apps offer structured earning paths. Opinion Outpost typically pays 10 points per survey, with 100 points equaling a $10 gift card (redeemable through Amazon, Home Depot, Target, or direct PayPal deposit within three business days). Premium surveys can reach 250 points—translating to $25.

Toluna market research participants earn 500 starter points upon registration. A $10 gift card requires 30,000 points, though premium surveys occasionally offer 290,000 points. Standard surveys (around 20 minutes) deliver roughly 4,000 points each.

Dscout focuses on video-based market research, offering $75-$100 rewards for participation in recorded interviews and live video sessions. Users upload responses through their phones and receive PayPal payments.

Alternative Revenue Streams

Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel approaches earning differently—you simply install an app and earn up to $60 yearly for passively watching content. Rewards redeem through PayPal credits, gift cards, or game tokens. The platform also runs a $10,000 monthly sweepstakes for participants.

Mode Earn introduces a novel concept: they provide an Android-based phone for $4.99 monthly, compatible with major carriers like T-Mobile and Mint Mobile. Users earn money through the device itself, plus $50 for each friend referral.

InboxDollars combines survey-taking, shopping, and gaming. You earn $5 immediately upon signup and completing email confirmation, plus 50 cents for a quick demographics survey. Initial cash-out requires $15, with subsequent withdrawals possible at $10.

Setting Realistic Earning Expectations

The earning timeline varies dramatically. Shopping-based apps like Rakuten deliver steady quarterly payouts with minimal effort, especially for regular e-commerce users. Survey platforms typically require 2-3 hours monthly to accumulate $10. Gaming apps offering “solitaire games that pay money” let skilled players earn more rapidly, particularly in tournaments with prize pools.

The most efficient approach? Stack multiple apps. Use Rakuten for shopping, Swagbucks for browser activity, and dedicate recreational gaming time to Solitaire Clash or Solitaire Cube. This diversification transforms scattered phone time into meaningful supplementary income—with payouts reaching your PayPal account or converting to Amazon, Target, and Walmart gift cards that function as cash.

The key difference between legitimate money-making apps and empty promises lies in transparent redemption policies and actual user payouts. These 16 platforms each have thousands of verified participants withdrawing real earnings monthly.