31 Best Referral Programs To Make Money: Earn Up To $500
Using the best referral programs to make money is one of the clever ways to increase your income. You shouldn’t need a second opinion about that!
Whether you’re trying to build an income stream from scratch or develop an existing one further, benefiting from a referral program is a must.
Thinking of a referral income as pocket money is a mistake you don’t want to make:
Many high-paying referral programs will allow you to make hundreds of dollars for every individual you send their way.
Get into the right mindset as soon as possible – introducing people to different referral programs will earn more than any survey ever could!
Today, I’ll share with you everything I know about referral programs:
- What is a referral program?
- How does referral marketing work?
- Referral marketing vs. affiliate marketing – what is the difference?
- And what are the best referral programs to make money?
This post may contain affiliate links. Check my affiliate disclosure.
Best Referral Programs To Make Money Online
What Is A Referral Program?
First and foremost, I’ll do my best to make this article readable and understandable for beginners.
With that said, I’ll try to avoid fancy words and terms that may confuse your newbie-referring-loving heart!
In my opinion, this is the simplest explanation of what a referral program is:
A referral program is a marketing strategy businesses implement to get existing customers to introduce new individuals to their products and services.
When you join a referral program, the company behind it will reward you for increasing customer acquisition via bonuses and incentives.
The rewards may come in a different shape or form.
For example, you might earn cash, gift cards, prepaid American Express cards, and many other awesome perks.
Generally, you’ll benefit by referring someone as an original customer to a company’s business.
Why do referral programs exist?
Well, because they provide win-win solutions for all parties involved. Companies expand their businesses, promoters earn, and customers discover new products and services they can get at no additional charge.
What Is Referral Marketing?
We should discuss referral marketing to fully understand how to make the best of any referral program.
Referral marketing is a word-of-mouth strategy to create discussions and recommendations about products or services. As you can guess, the primary goal behind effective referral marketing is increasing brand awareness.
Whether a company wants to enhance the visibility of its brand, product, or service, getting people to talk about it is the way to do it. An effective referral marketing program is one of the best ways to boost the conversation rate to a new level.
And make no mistake – word-of-mouth works every single time. After all, sharing thoughts and experiences with others is human nature.
How Does Referral Marketing Work?
At this point, you know that the goal of referral marketing is promoting a company’s goods through existing users. Here is how it works:
Once you choose a referral program to represent, the company behind it will provide you with a unique referral link. That’s the link you’ll use when you mention products or services to new potential clients.
You may wonder – is there an incentive you can leverage to get more people to sign up? Sure they are:
Usually, such incentives will be account credits or even discounts. How about a quick example?
Sending a referral link to your aunt will allow her to save $15 on a purchase she is planning to make anyway. Do you get it?
Great, let’s get this article about the best referral programs to make money moving faster:
Referral Marketing Vs. Affiliate Marketing
Many people don’t see the main difference between referral and affiliate marketing. There is, though – and a huge one, if I may add:
Affiliate marketing is a business model where you promote products and services. You’ll do that for an affiliate commission instead of discounts and rewards.
Here, the whole process is happening online. Behind it are bloggers, marketers, and content creators who usually work online for a living.
Joining high-paying programs is how affiliate marketers secure as many affiliate sales as possible. To fully illustrate the difference between the two business models, I have this image for you:
If you want to learn more about making money as an affiliate marketer, I suggest reading the following articles:
- Why Wealthy Affiliate Is The Best Place To Learn Affiliate Marketing For Free
- Easy $400/Day From Affiliate Commissions
The Best Referral Programs To Make Money
Heads up – I have no plans to mention a referral program and how much you’ll earn while using it.
I’ll write a few words about each entry on this list. This way, you’ll know more about the program and what to expect if you join it.
1) Swagbucks
Chances are, the majority of you know what Swagbucks is. But if you don’t, I’ll tell you that Swagbucks is an online platform that pays its users to complete different tasks.
Some of these tasks are watching videos and taking short surveys. By all means, Swagbucks is not short of fans:
Around 8,000 gift cards are going to its users daily. What about the referral fee?
Right now, the fee you’ll receive is 10% of everything the person you refer earns.
2) Instacart
As many of you might already be aware, Instacart is a company that deals with delivering groceries to people. Its workers earn well for a side activity – around $15 per hour.
But you’re not here to read about them:
No, we should keep our focus on your future referral earnings.
If Instacart is available in your area, you can invite friends and family members who need help with groceries. Doing so will earn you $10, and the person you introduce to the company will get $10 as well.
3) Walmart Grocery
Since we’re still on grocery delivery, Walmart is famous for its chain of supermarkets, grocery, and discount stores in North America. Talk to a friend or family member about Grocery Delivery By Walmart – they will appreciate it.
Using that service will save them time, and they’ll grab a 10% discount on their first purchase. Meanwhile, you will receive $15 for every person you introduce to the program.
Take advantage of this opportunity by visiting the company’s site and joining its referral program:
4) StichFix
Generally, StichFix will assist you with finding clothes that will perfectly fit your body type. Moreover, it will do the shopping for you, so you won’t have to waste time doing it yourself.
Your referral bonus from StichFix will be $25 for you and $25 for your referred customer.
Unfortunately, I can’t provide you with a link to the referral program since it’s available in certain countries. So, I suggest visiting the official website and checking if you’re eligible to promote the company.
5) ThredUp
ThredUp is an online store that allows you to shop from top-notch brands and pay less for their products. As far as I know, you won’t be disappointed with the quality of your purchases.
Likewise, the shop’s referral program is not a let-down either:
It will offer you $10 in a ThredUp credit for you, and the same goes for your referral.
See everything the store will be able to offer and think about joining its referral program.
6) GetResponse
OK, I think my take on the best referral programs to make money is at the point where you need to see a bright example. One such example is the referral program of GetResponse.
GetResponse is an online platform that helps marketers on plenty of levels. It provides email marketing, conversion funnels, landing pages, and automation services.
More importantly, GetResponse offers a lot within its referral program:
$30 account credit for both you and your referral.
7) Fiverr
Considering this is my content, I think I can play favorites, right? An online platform with the name Fiverr happens to be such a favorite.
Fiverr is a global marketplace connecting different businesses with freelancers looking for an online gig. You’ll find hundreds of categories if you want to use Fiverr as a freelancer.
However, if you decide to refer people to the platform, you’ll get even more:
Your earnings can reach as much as $100 per person you refer to the site.
Each of your referrals receives a 10% discount on their first purchase. Once that happens, you get Fiverr Credits – expect to grab up to $500 in such credits.
8) FamZoo
In a nutshell, FamZoo is one of the most popular financial apps these days. Interestingly, the mobile app primarily focuses on pre-paid credit cards for kids and teens.
Yes, that’s a thing right now!
So, when you open a new account on FamZoo, you’ll receive cards to help your children learn what to do with their allowance. Referring people to the program will get you $15 for each individual.
9) SoFi
I like to think of SoFi as a top financial services company offering the best referral bonus. If you decide to earn money by referring new customers to SoFi, prepare to get good money for every person you introduce to the company.
About SoFi:
It’s a company that helps people with their student loans while operating in different financial markets. You can apply for a mortgage, personal, or student loan through SoFi.
SoFi has six customer referral programs (Bank, App, Loan, Invest, Credit Card, and Checkings & Savings). Your earnings will be between $50-$500, depending on which one you decide to promote.
10) QuesTrade
Are you planning to start investing any time soon? What about trading – is that something you think about getting into?
QuesTrade can help you with both. More importantly, promoting it can bring an impressive referral reward:
Each new customer who signs up for an account through your unique referral link will make you $25. Additionally, you will get $50 for every third referral as a bonus.
11) goTenna
Nowadays, goTenna offers high-quality services, but it baffles me that the company is not widely popular across the globe yet.
Anyone using goTenna can send private text messages and contact a loved one by sending a location. That can prove invaluable if you’re somewhere with no reception.
When someone joins goTenna using your referral code, they get $30 off their first purchase, and you receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card.
12) Woorise
Overall, Woorise has one of the best affiliate programs you can join since it offers a 30% recurring commission. Subsequently, Woorise deserves a spot on every list of the best referral programs to make money:
Receiving recurring payments is a great way to build a passive income stream. After all, anyone using the affiliate marketing business model relies on it to earn cash while sleeping.
Woorise is an online platform that allows any existing customer to create a landing page, quiz, giveaway, and other lead-generation incentives.
13) Omnistar
Omnistar has a unique referral process – businesses can use the company to attract new customers through word-of-mouth marketing. Don’t underestimate the marketing power of word of mouth!
Becoming an Omnistar affiliate will help you reach a larger target audience, increase sales, and boost brand awareness. But that’s not all:
Referring customers to Omnistar will allow you to earn extra money since you’ll get a 20% monthly recurring commission.
14) ShareASale
Technically, ShareASale is an affiliate marketing network. Be that as it may, let me show you why the platform has a spot on this list of best referral programs to make money:
ShareASale offers $150 as referral incentives – you can get that much for each new vendor that joins the network through your unique link.
Earning over $100 for every referring customer is an excellent way to boost your online revenue while helping a business owner start an affiliate marketing program.
15) Hostinger
As some of you probably already know, Hostinger is one of the most popular web hosting providers you can get for your blog. It offers affordable plans and a decent customer experience.
What about its referral program? Hostinger has a customer referral program – you can join it if you’re a Hostinger user.
Boosting the customer base of Hostinger with new clients will pay you a 20%-40% commission and another 20% discount.
16) Payoneer
Similarly to PayPal, Payoneer has millions of loyal customers who can get and transfer money. Most affiliate marketers use the platform when withdrawing their commissions.
Payoneer has an affiliate friend program – you can click Refer A Friend and transform potential customers into new users.
Each new referral will bring $25 into your bank account – you get paid after the user receives $1,000 (or more) in their Payoneer account.
17) Revolut
Generally, you might be unfamiliar with Revolut if you live in the United States – the company is based in the UK. At the time of this writing, Revolut’s referral program works in around 25 countries.
Revolut offers financial services, such as sending/receiving money, linking accounts from multiple banks, splitting bills, etc.
To sum up, Revolut has one of these modern referral programs that accepts affiliates under 18 years old. Feel free to see it as one of the many B referral programs – it pays 5 euros for each new customer.
18) Dropbox
You’ll stumble upon Dropbox when researching the best referral programs to make money. After all, Dropbox offers a service millions of business owners use:
Dropbox will allow you to sync and share files – it works on a secure and central cloud platform. That helps a lot with keeping your files organized.
Unfortunately, Dropbox doesn’t provide referral cash bonuses – each new referral will get you 500 MB and up to 16 GB.
19) Chase Bank
As the name suggests, Chase Bank is all about financial services. Credit cards, mortgages, and personal banking are services you can enjoy as a client.
But do you know how much you can benefit from the referral program?
I’ll tell you the numbers – up to $500 per year.
In other words, Chase Bank will send you $50 for each new customer you send to them.
20) Wise
Wise is an international company that deals with global money transfers. Customers can have cash in 50 currencies in their accounts.
It also happens to have one of the best referral programs to make money:
Every person you refer to Wise will get a discount on their first transfer. And you’ll see a good amount of money once you put some effort into your referral campaign to promote the company!
21) PayPal
PayPal doesn’t need an introduction – it’s the most popular platform for sending and receiving money worldwide. More importantly, it has its own referral program:
Expect to receive $10 for every referred friend that spends $5 (or more) through the platform. That referral program offers a double-sided reward – your referral will get $10, too.
On the downside, you can’t refer more than ten people annually, which limits your earnings to $100 a year.
22) Acorns
Some might argue that Acorns shouldn’t be on this list of best referral programs to make money. After all, its referral program doesn’t offer the most lucrative cash rewards:
Every referral gets a $5 welcome bonus and earns you a $5 thank-you reward. However, you’ll only get that if your referral invests $5 into an Acorns investment account.
Still, Acorns is probably the most popular company providing micro-investing services – you can benefit more if you allow it to invest your spare change on your behalf.
23) Robinhood
I opened the conversation about investing – that conversation can’t continue unless I mention the Robinhood app.
Robinhood is an investment and trading app anyone can use to buy stocks and assets. One of its top advantages is that it’s commission-free.
According to Robinhood, its referral program can earn you around $1,500 each calendar year. Also, you can sell your gift stock within three days of receiving it.
24) Charles Schwab
Do you want to make up to $1,000 per referral? As difficult as it might be to imagine, such high referral bonuses are possible if you join one of the best referral programs to make money.
Charles Schwab will allow you to do that. The company provides banking, trading, investing, financial planning, and other services.
Benefiting from its referral program is simple – the person who becomes a client through you has to make a qualifying deposit.
Charles Schwab Referral Program
25) Coinbase
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform – its current customers are over 70 million. It’s a well-known place to buy and sell cryptos that provides a great user experience:
Anyone using the platform can rely on the opportunity to work with FIAT currency credit or debit cards, which results in millions of happy customers.
The Coinbase referral reward structures are familiar – you and your referral get $10 when that person buys or sells cryptos worth at least $100.
26) Rakuten
Is there anyone who doesn’t know what Rakuten is? Considering Rakuten helps millions of people get cashback on their purchases, being unfamiliar with it will be surprising.
You can sign up for Rakuten using your email address. Once you do that, grab your referral link and promote the platform.
Rakuten has one of the best referral marketing programs – you’ll earn money if your referral spends $25 (or more) on Rakuten partner deals within three months of signing up.
27) Casper
Casper knows how to build customer relationships – this mattress-selling company offers no-contact delivery and a 100-night risk-free trial.
How much can you earn promoting its successful referral program? Prepare to receive a $75 Amazon Gift Card while your referral enjoys 25% off their first order.
On the downside, you can’t get more than one referral fee per person, and your earnings can’t surpass $600 per calendar year. Don’t expect any free products, either!
28) Sam’s Club
Walmart owns Sam’s Club, but that’s not the most enticing fact about it:
Sam’s Club will allow you to buy groceries, electronics, and other products at warehouse prices. That’s where the customer loyalty of its clients comes from!
You must become a Sam’s Club member and register an account to promote its referral program. The referral offer is simple – you get a $10 gift card, and your referral receives a $20 eGift card.
29) Dosh
Dosh has an easy way to attract more clients – the company offers up to 40% cashback on many purchases. Downloading its app is the best way to begin using its referral program:
Above all, Dosh won’t offer you things like store credit or a free ride. Instead, you can get a hard cash of $10 for each referral who links a valid credit or debit card and grabs its first rebate.
30) T-Mobile
Next on my list of best referral programs to make money, we find T-Mobile. Many good things come from being its customer since the company is one of the leaders in the telecommunications field.
However, you’re not here to read about the benefits of joining its inner circle, so let’s focus on the referral bonuses:
Each new referral will make you $50 (you can’t earn more than $500 annually). Your referral bonus will come in the form of a PrePaid MasterCard.
31) Smile Direct Club
I think it’s time for a bright example of different programs you can join than the ones you see above. Smile Direct Club is such a program:
As you can probably guess, the company operates in the oral care field. People who care about the perfection of their smiles should look the company up.
Spreading the word about it and introducing potential customers can bring you many referral bonuses.
How To Promote The Best Referral Programs To Make Money
- Social Media Platforms: Regularly mention your favorite referral programs on your Social Media accounts. You never know which of your online friends will accept the invitation!
- Website: These days, starting a website is easier than ever. Furthermore, promoting referral programs through a blog post will give you a better chance to earn money once the search engines send you organic traffic.
- Emails: If you own a blog, you can promote programs via email marketing.
Referral Sites That Pay: My Closing
My list of best referral programs to make money will never be over.
I discover new ones often – that’s a fact. So, keep an eye out for future updates.
Until that happens, feel free to share your take on well-paying referral programs in the comments section.
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