When was the last time you said no to free money?
With food and living costs rising throughout the country, every extra dollar counts.
One of the easiest ways to get free money is by downloading apps that offer free points or even cash money as a sign-up bonus.
Below, I’ll share some of Canada’s best sign-up bonus apps. Each app is categorized, so you can jump straight to the ones that best fit your needs.
Earn Free Cash And Cash Rewards With Sign-Up Bonuses
A decade ago, apps weren’t anywhere near as common as they are today. Sure, there were some well-known streaming, banking, and gaming apps produced by my major app developers.
Today, though, creating an app is cheaper and easier than ever before, especially with the advent of AI-powered app development.
As a result, most big companies have an app. From online banks to fast-food restaurants, paid survey companies, and even investing platforms, there are millions of apps competing for consumers’ attention.
So, how do they get your attention?
By using the age-old marketing technique of offering free value upfront. This is usually offered in the form of:
- Free food and beverages
- Free points that can be redeemed for cash or other rewards
- Free cash (in the case of some online banks, like you’ll see below)
- Cash incentives for extensive use of the app within a given time period
These rewards are here for the taking, and if they’re offered by a business/service that you regularly use, why not take advantage of them?
Best Sign-Up Bonus Apps: Financial
These are rewards you can earn from banking, investing, and money management apps.
1. Simplii Financial
- What it is: Online bank
- Bonus: Free money in your chequing account
- Learn More: simplii.com
Simplii Financial is an online bank owned by CIBC, one of Canada’s “big five” banks. The bank offers everything from everyday chequing accounts to credit cards, loans, and more.
They’re currently offering a limited-time bonus, allowing new customers to receive up to $400 in free cash. To be eligible, they must open a No-Fee Chequing Account and direct deposit at least $100 per month for three consecutive months.
Even though this is a limited-time offer, Simplii Financial frequently offers similar promotions throughout the year.
2. EQ Bank
- What it is: Online bank
- Bonus: Free money + referral bonuses
- Learn More: eqbank.ca
EQ Bank is one of Canada’s largest online banks and is known for its excellent GIC rates and its high-interest savings account. The bank offers up to a $30 cash bonus when you sign up and a bonus to customers who refer their friends to sign up for the bank.
3. Tangerine Bank
- What it is: Online bank
- Bonus: Free money + referral bonus
- Learn More: tangerine.ca
Tangerine is another popular online bank in Canada that offers great rates on high-interest savings accounts, a great beginner credit card, and daily banking products. Currently, it’s offering up to $500 to new customers who open a chequing account. The bank offers similar promotions year-round for its products.
4. KOHO
- What it is: Pre-paid rewards debit card
- Bonus: Free spending credit + rewards
- Learn More: Read my KOHO Prepaid Mastercard Review
KOHO is a fintech company that offers pre-paid rewards debit cards to customers. Unlike credit cards, which require a credit application, KOHO allows you to earn cashback on everyday purchases by using a pre-paid debit card.
When you sign up with this link, you’ll get the opportunity to earn $20 in free spending credit by using the code ‘WEALTHAWESOME.’
5. Moka
- What it is: Automated investing app
- Bonus: $5 free credit
- Learn More: moka.ai
Moka is an innovative app that makes it easy to invest in stocks by automatically investing your spare change for you. When you sign up and link the app to your card or bank account, your purchases will automatically be rounded up to the nearest dollar.
The spare change will be automatically invested into stocks so you can build your portfolio without thinking about it.
6. Bitbuy
- What it is: Cryptocurrency exchange
- Bonus: Free crypto
- Learn More: bitbuy.ca
Bitbuy is a cryptocurrency trading platform in Canada. The platform offers a small amount of free cryptocurrency (BTC or ETH) to new users who sign up and make their first purchase.
7. Wealthsimple
- What it is: Investing and money management app
- Bonus: $25 in free credit
- Learn More: Read my Wealthsimple Invest review
Wealthsimple Invest is a robo-advisor platform that automatically invests your money for you based on your chosen investment strategy.
When you sign up using this link and deposit at least $500 into your investment account, you’ll automatically receive $25 in free credit to your investment portfolio.
Best Sign-Up Bonus Apps: Cashback + Coupon Apps
These are rewards you can earn from cashback and couponing apps.
8. Drop
- What it is: Couponing and survey app
- Bonus: $5
- Learn More: joindrop.com
Drop is an innovative new app that allows you to save money on everyday purchases by shopping with its network of 500+ brands and earn cash by completing paid surveys. When you sign up, you’ll also receive a $5 bonus!
9. Rakuten
- What it is: Cashback app
- Bonus: $30 bonus
- Learn More: rakuten.ca
Rakuten is the largest cashback app in the world, allowing users to earn cashback while shopping with its network of 3,000+ retailers. It’s currently offering a sign-up bonus of $30 worth of credit when you spend your first $30 shopping with the app.
10. Ampli
- What it is: Cashback app
- Bonus: $5
- Learn More: ampli.ca
Ampli is an almost identical platform to Drop, allowing customers to earn cashback when shopping through its network of retailers. When you sign up and start using the app, you’ll receive $5 in free credit that can be redeemed on your first successful cash-out.
11. Swagbucks
- What it is: Survey app
- Bonus: $5
- Learn More: Sign up for Swagbucks and get $5 free with this link
Swagbucks is one of Canada’s largest paid survey sites and has paid its members over $900 million since its inception. You’ll be given $5 in free credit when you complete your profile. Afterwards, you can earn additional points by watching videos and completing surveys.
12. Survey Junkie
- What it is: Survey site
- Bonus: $5
- Learn More: Sign up for Survey Junkie and get $5 free with this link
Survey Junkie is similar to Swagbucks and offers its users cash-redeemable points in return for completing surveys and other promotional activities. You can get up to $5 free when you sign up and start completing surveys.
Best Sign-Up Bonus Apps: Gig Economy + Surveys
These apps offer free bonuses and incentives to new users, offering even more ways to save and earn money
13. Uber Driver
- What it is: Rideshare driving app
- Bonus: Varies by location
- Learn More: uber.com
Uber is the world’s largest rideshare company. It offers a number of promotions that vary by location and how busy the app is in the area.
New riders may receive free rideshare credit, and new drivers are also incentivized to earn with guaranteed bonuses if they complete a certain number of rides after getting their Driver account approved.
14. Lyft Driver
- What it is: Rideshare driving app
- Bonus: Varies by location
- Learn More: lyft.com
Lyft is Uber’s biggest competitor. Like Uber, Lyft offers promotional opportunities for new riders and drivers alike. From free ride credit to trip completion bonuses, this is a great way to save on rides and earn extra money by driving.
Best Sign-Up Bonus Apps: Food + Lifestyle
These are some great sign-up bonuses offered by everyday companies you may already use.
15. Starbucks App
- What it is: Coffee rewards app
- Bonus: Free drink + extra points
- Learn More: starbucks.com
When you sign up for the Starbucks app, you may get a free drink or food item (depending on the time of year). When you link your card to the app, you can earn double points, allowing you to earn free in-store items twice as fast.
16. McDonald’s App
- What it is: Fast food app
- Bonus: Free chicken nuggets
- Learn More: mcdonalds.com
McDonald’s is currently offering a free 10-piece chicken nugget to new users who download the app and use it to make a purchase of at least $1. I don’t know about you, but I never turn down free chicken nuggets.
17. Tim Horton’s App
- What it is: Fast food app
- Bonus: Free drink + points
- Learn More: timhortons.com
When you download the Tim Horton’s app, you’ll receive a coupon that you can redeem for a free beverage and get 200 bonus points that you can use toward future purchases.
Get Every Available Referral Link
Often, the best sign-up bonuses come from referral links.
These referral links could be shared by a friend or family member who already uses the app, a website (like you’re reading right now), or even a social media influencer.
What if you don’t have a referral link, though?
While you could spend a bunch of time surfing the web and trying to find referral links on forums like Reddit or from various social media platforms, I’ve found a website that allows you to get every available referral link:
This website has a community of over 400,000 members and is 100% free to use. Each user can post their own referral links for various apps and services and browse referral links posted by other members.
Say, for example, you wanted to take advantage of SkipTheDishes’ free $5 delivery credit but didn’t have a friend to send you the code. You could visit the invitation.codes website, search for “SkipTheDishes,” and use any of the posted referral links to get your free credit.
The person who referred you usually gets a small reward on their end, making it a win-win situation for both parties.
My favourite feature of this website is that you can search for any app you want, from restaurants to gas stations, retail stores, and even gig-working apps.
The Downside Of Signing Up For Apps
Free points, rewards, and cash are great.
There’s just one major downside – SPAM.
Whenever you sign up for these rewards apps, you’re opening your email inbox and cellphone up to a world of notifications and messages.
These apps almost always require your phone number or email (sometimes both) to create an account and cash in on your rewards. Many of these apps are developed with human psychology in mind, taking advantage of your brain’s dopamine reward system.
For example, if you haven’t used your Starbucks app in a while, you’ll get frequent notifications on your phone encouraging you to hurry up and visit the nearest Starbucks within 48 hours to take advantage of a special extra points promotion.
The next thing you know, you’re in line ordering an overpriced latte that you never planned to in the first place.
Pro-Tip: Use A VoIP Phone Number Or Separate Email
If you want the rewards but don’t want to deal with endless SPAM, here are a few pro tips to try as you sign up for apps:
- Use a VoIP number: By using an alternative number to sign up for apps, the apps will never have your real number. If you get tired of the messages, simply delete or change your VoIP number. Read more about how to get free VoIP numbers here.
- Separate email: Consider using a separate email to manage all of your rewards apps, as this will keep your personal/professional inbox clean.
- Push notification settings: Most smartphones allow you to limit the push notifications sent to you by various apps, so you’re not getting bombarded with pop-ups.
What’s The Best Sign Up Bonus On The List?
Keep in mind that app sign-up bonuses are always changing based on promotional campaigns run by companies throughout the year. However, the most valuable sign-up bonuses, by far, tend to be those offered by online banks like EQ Bank, Tangerine, and Simplii Financial.
These banks often offer free money for opening a new chequing account and setting up direct deposit and may also offer referral bonuses, allowing you to earn more when you refer your friends and family.
Keep on reading to see my list of the best online banks in Canada!
