The first £100 is usually the hardest, mostly because you're still working out which sites are worth your time. The good news is you don't need any skills or money up front. Below are the things we'd point a friend towards first. Treat £100 as a target rather than a promise, how quickly you get there depends on which offers you're eligible for.
- 1
Start with a referral offer or two
Sign-up bonuses on apps you'd actually use are the quickest wins. Most take ten minutes and pay somewhere between a few pounds and £50. Check our referrals page and pick the ones you can genuinely complete.
- 2
Look at a bank offer
Switching a current account is the biggest single payout on this site. If you're happy to move an account you don't rely on, one switch can cover most of your first £100 on its own. Read the qualifying steps carefully before you start.
- 3
Turn on cashback for spending you're doing anyway
Sign up to a cashback site and go through it before you buy online. It won't feel like much day to day, but it adds up quietly in the background, and the welcome bonuses help.
- 4
Pick up the free stuff
Freebies, free trials and daily deals won't make you rich, but they save money you'd otherwise spend, which counts. Check the Freebies section every week or so.
- 5
Fill spare time with surveys or paid research
Prolific and YouGov are the two most reliable UK options. The pay isn't great per hour, so use them for gaps in the day rather than as your main earner.
- 6
Consider matched betting only if it suits you
It's maths rather than gambling, but it involves betting accounts and it isn't for everyone. If you're not comfortable with that, skip it, you can still get to £100 without it.
- 7
Write down what you've done
A basic spreadsheet with the date, the offer and whether you've been paid will save you a lot of hassle later. It's dull, but it's the difference between chasing a missing bonus and losing it.
Once you've had a couple of payouts you'll have a much better idea of what's worth your time, and the next chunk comes a lot faster.