Sometimes, a person needs to make some quick cash in an emergency. Maybe you haven’t got enough to pay your utility bills, or you need to buy something urgently and don’t have any cash to spare.
Whatever the reason, if you find yourself strapped for cash when you desperately need it, there are a few outside-of-the-box ways for you to make quick money.
Be warned that there is a huge difference between making quick money and making enough money in time.
Some of the ways discussed below will allow you to earn more than others, but they might also be more demanding. You will learn some interesting ways to make money fast in Canada.
Pros and Cons of Making Money Fast
There are certain advantages and and also downsides of trying to make some extra money fast:
Pros
- You can take care of your immediate monetary needs.
- It helps pay off your financial obligations without incurring penalties or interests.
- You can learn about alternate income sources this way.
- Several methods are available online.
Cons
- You usually can’t make a lot of money online very quickly.
- You can get scammed if you are too desperate and don’t do your research.
- It’s not a dependable or long-term income source.
- Less money for the effort and time you invest.
17 Ways to Make Money Quick in Canada
There are both online and offline ways of making quick money in Canada. Though most sources of finding such work are available online, you will likely be required to perform physical work.
The reason is that the typical methods of earning decent sums of money quickly either take more time or require specialized skill sets and training.
1. Sell Used Clothes
How Much You Can Earn: Usually $10 to $50 per item (Expensive branded stuff can go for $500 or more)
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Instantly or as soon as someone has bought what you have posted.
If you have old clothes (in decent shape) filling up your closet and not enough cash in your wallet, you can solve both issues simultaneously. If you prefer instant transactions and don’t mind the legwork, you can visit a consignment store with your used clothes.
To sell your clothes online, a good place to start would be eBay, Kijiji, or Etsy; they cover a wide variety of used apparel. If you have branded clothes (or bags, shoes) lying around, you can try Therealreal or Tradesy. Branded stuff can fetch outrageous prices, but a lot of it depends upon the condition your clothing is in and how well you price it.
2. Paid Survey Sites
How Much You Can Earn: About $125 in a week
How Fast You Can Get Paid: As soon as you accumulate enough points/dollar equivalents ($10, $20, or more, depending on the website)
Paid survey sites are an easy way to earn a few extra bucks for a few hours of idle time every day. But to earn cash from anything upwards of $100 in a week, you must register with as many paid survey sites as possible, at least in the beginning.
Based on how often they offer your survey and how well each survey pays, you can shortlist the sites which can help you earn the best bucks for your time spent. Be on the hunt for the best paid surveys, which will pay you the most for the least amount of effort.
You don’t often get paid in cash, but the gift card you earn can help you save money on important purchases, so it equals out. Swagbucks and SurveyJunkie are two of the most legit sites to start earning a steady income.
Related Reading: Top Paid Survey Sites in Canada
3. Drive an Uber
How Much You Can Earn: $15 to $27.8 per hour
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Within two days using Flex Pay
Driving an Uber is one of the best ways to start earning hard cash instantly. You can make a decent amount of money within a week if you spend enough time driving.
Though the amount you earn should be taken in contrast to how much you have paid for fuel and in the long run, how much you will have to spend on servicing (and changing parts for) your vehicle.
On the flip side, how many rides you can get is dependent upon the demand at that time and in that area, as well as your rating on the app.
Related Reading: How much do Uber drivers earn in Canada?
4. Data Entry/Typing Jobs
How Much You Can Earn: $5 to $20 an hour (Based on the platform and complexity of the job)
How Fast You Can Get Paid: From a week to 10 days (sometimes sooner)
Despite the advances in AI and data science algorithms, many data entry jobs are still manual, and they are still available. Upwork usually pays out fast enough, and if you know MS Excel or Google Sheets well enough, you might get prioritized.
The problem is that since data entry doesn’t require a specific skill set, and it’s as menial as it gets as an online job, there is a lot of competition. Finding your first job can be hard, but if you land one, you may be able to find the next one more easily. To improve your chances, you can also create a profile on other freelancing websites.
5. Find a Remote Job
How Much You Can Earn: $12.5 to $25 per hour
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Mostly monthly, but you can find a job that pays on a weekly basis (or you can negotiate your monthly package)
Several remote jobs are available on websites like Simplyhired, Indeed Canada or Glassdoor, but there are two main issues. First, even if you find the right fit, it might take your employer some time to complete the hiring process.
Secondly, many of these remote jobs pay on a monthly basis. While it’s difficult, but not impossible to find a remote job that can help you start earning within the week.
Your best shot is staying active on these platforms, applying as soon as a job comes online, targeting urgently hiring jobs, and looking for daily or weekly wage employers. But a remote job might pay much better than many other options on this list.
Related Reading: Best websites to find remote jobs in Canada
6. Virtual Assistant
How Much You Can Earn: $10 to $25 per hour (Based on your expertise and client requirement)
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Usually within a week (10 days at most)
A virtual assistant is one of the most frequently posted and applied for, freelancing jobs. It requires good organization skills, communication skills, and basic MS Office skills.
The more you know (like graphics, writing, specialized software), the better your pay might be. Peopleperhour and Upwork usually have the largest collection of these jobs.
It can be a one-time thing or a weekly or monthly job. The good thing is that there is virtually no shortage of virtual assistant jobs, but the bad thing is competition. As a native English speaker (It’s a plus if you know French too), you may get preference over non-natives applying for this job.
Once you have some time and want to get properly trained, you can check out this 90-Day VA Course to help get you the proper skills to succeed.
7. Become a Caregiver
How Much You Can Earn: $15 to $25 per hour for senior care/ $15 to $30 per hour for child care
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Instantly in cash (or within two business days via the system)
Care.com allows you to register yourself and work as either a nanny, a senior care provider, or even a pet sitter. The hourly wage is decent enough, and if you and the employer can come to an arrangement, they can pay you directly in cash.
Even if they pay through the care.com payment system, it usually comes through within days. If you have previous experience in care provision, you can set higher rates. Ideally, you can land a client that prefers your services and rehires you. If you work for just two days a week at $15 an hour (8 hours a day), you can easily earn $240 within the week.
8. Airbnb
How Much You Can Earn: $20 to $200 per night
How Fast You Can Get Paid: 24 hours after guest checks in (On a monthly basis for guests staying over 28 days)
If you have your own place or you are renting, but your landlord permits it (and you aren’t breaking any local laws on short-term renting), Airbnb is a great way to make some extra cash. You don’t even need a very fancy home/apartment.
Most people who use Airbnb are just looking for shelter, and if you have a modest place, your rent per night would be cheaper, which many people prefer. The best thing is that you get paid within a day or two after your guest checks in. If you live near/at a vacation site, you can make a killing in the right season.
9. Sell Your Parking Spot
How Much You Can Earn: $6 to $11 in Vancouver, $6 to $15, and even up to $45 in Toronto for two hours.
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Within ten business days (sometimes less)
When you are strapped for cash, a smart thing to do is consolidate all your resources, and that includes your parking space. With a site/app like Bestparking, you can now put your parking space up for rent. The more desirable the spot is, the better.
It also depends upon your proximity to the city center and busy places where it’s hard to find a good parking spot. The system is very flexible. You don’t have to keep your parking spot available all the time. You can rent it out per your own schedule. Another option is SpotHero, but it pays monthly.
10. Homemade Food
How Much You Can Earn: $6 to $12 per meal
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Instantly/on delivery
If you like cooking or at least follow the recipes available online, you can make some money selling and delivering homemade food. Even if you are broke, the chances are that you have basic groceries stocked. If you can put it to use and make something delicious and healthy, you can post your ad and sell it on Kijiji.
Better yet, you can try some of your personal contacts or try contacting local consumers like nearby small businesses or the elderly who might like a home-cooked meal.
You will get paid instantly, and having nearby consumers mean that you don’t spend a lot of money on gas. Be careful of liability issues, though; if your food makes someone sick, you could get into a lot of trouble.
In Ontario, the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) has stated you can sell “low-risk” food items that don’t require time and temperature controls, so keep that in mind. Check what the rules are for your local region to make sure you are staying within legal guidelines.
11. Write/Edit/Proofread
How Much You Can Earn: Around US $10 per thousand words for proofreading, and US$30 for writing (Less if you are a newbie, more if experienced)
How Fast You Can Get Paid: three to seven business days
Writing, editing, and proofreading are some of the most common freelancing jobs available. You can apply for them on Upwork, Peopleperhour, or make a gig on Fiverr (payment takes more than a week usually).
You don’t have to have a degree or experience to apply for basic writing or editing jobs. But it’s usually a good idea to prepare a few samples of your writing work that you can send to potential clients. It’s a good idea to look for niches where the competition isn’t so tough, and ideally, choose something you naturally feel like writing.
12. Sell Stuff
How Much You Can Earn: Depends on the item – tens of dollars for small stuff, hundreds of dollars for furniture and expensive jewelry.
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Instantly
From tools, collectibles, and furniture, to old books and comics, there are several things in every household simply lying around (or forgotten in attics) that someone else might find useful. If you have items like these in your home, they can be worth a decent buck.
To sell products online, if you can place an ad on Kijiji, Used.ca or Ebay.ca at the right price, interested buyers will contact you. Most people shop online now, meaning more money is being spent on these platforms.
If you prefer to do things offline, a garage sale is also a good option to earn some hard cash fast.
Collectables, good quality furniture, watches, and other branded items usually go for reasonable prices, so make sure you research the maximum amount you can get for such things and then put them up for sale. Don’t rush and sell something valuable for pennies on the dollar just because you are short on cash.
13. Pet Sitter
How Much You Can Earn: $30 to $50 per night for boarding / $15 to $20 for dog walking
How Fast You Can Get Paid: One to four days
If you don’t mind having pets (dogs or cats) over at your place for an overnight visit, sitting for them at a client’s house, or just taking them for walks, you can become a sitter with Rover.
It usually takes the Rover team under five days to review and approve your profile, but after that, you can start offering your services right away. You can choose which dog sizes you are comfortable working with and what services you offer (boarding, sitting, walking, day-care, or drop-in visits).
14. Deliver with Amazon
How Much You Can Earn: $22 to $27 per hour
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Seven to ten days
If you live in Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary, you can run a sweet gig delivering for Amazon. Amazon’s flex service allows you to create your own delivery schedule and pick your own area to make deliveries.
This flexibility comes with a decent hourly payout, which can increase if it’s rush hour or you experience a traffic jam. On the flip side, you don’t get compensated for fuel or vehicle repair. The background check may take up to five days (sometimes more). For this job, you are considered an independent contractor. Therefore you don’t come directly under Amazon’s umbrella.
15. Get Creative
How Much You Can Earn: US$3 to US$200 per item
How Fast You Can Get Paid: three to five business days
If you have a spark of creativity or you are willing to ignite one in order to make some cash, you can sell things on Etsy. From simple handmade cards and jewelry to classy paintings, hundreds of handmade things are bought and sold on Etsy.
If you do not have an idea, look for some of the best-selling handmade items that are easiest to make. Learn how to make them on Youtube and post them up for sale. US $0.20 is charged for every listing, and you can cash out as soon as your sales exceed $25.
16. Become an Online Tutor
How Much You Can Earn: US $25 per hour
How Fast You Can Get Paid: As soon as you earn the US $100 (It’s possible within a week)
Ready to put your college degree to use? You can sign up as a tutor with Skooli, an online tutoring service that claims to pay above-market rates to their tutors. You have to get approved by the Skooli team before being allowed to offer your services.
At a minimum, you only have to give 15 minutes in a given month. If you are almost always available online, you can receive and cater to instant student requests. If you have a master’s degree or additional credentials, you can earn more than US$25 an hour.
17. Join Taskrabbit
How Much You Can Earn: $25 to $70 per hour
How Fast You Can Get Paid: Within a week of the client making payments
Taskrabbit is a reliable enough website (Trustpilot rating 4.7/5) when it comes to part-time gigs like moving, assembling IKEA furniture, handyman services, painting pictures, etc. As a tasker, you will get paid by the hour. You can choose whatever jobs you think you can perform.
It’s a cashless platform, so the payment will be made directly to Taskrabbit, who will then transfer it to you. But you are still considered an independent contractor, so if you are asked to source materials for the job, you should make sure that you will be reimbursed for them.
Conclusion
In order to maximize your earnings from these fast-paying methods, distribute your time efficiently, and try signing up for as many options as possible. This will ensure that your chances of landing a job/selling something are high, and you can make a decent amount of cash within a week.
But don’t take on more than you can handle, and be sure to keep a record of your earnings for tax purposes. Research a money-making avenue thoroughly before using it so that you can stay protected from scams.
If you want more ideas about ways to generate some income, check out this ultimate guide on how to make money online in Canada.
