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How many hours a day do you spend staring at your smartphone? For many of us, it’s longer than we’d like so wouldn’t it be great if we could earn a little extra cash while doing so?

Well, the good news is, you can. Just read our guide on how to make money with your phone and get earning now!

However, don’t go quitting your full-time job just yet, your expectations might not live up to the reality. But while the money you earn probably won’t be enough to live on, you’ll almost definitely be able to put your earnings aside for some little luxuries, which can’t be bad.

Remember, smartphones are expensive items, so taking out the best mobile phone insurance is what any sensible owner would do. After all, no matter how many money-making ideas you try, you don’t want your lack of cover to leave you out of pocket.

So let’s take a look at some of the ways your phone could help you make some extra cash.

Rent out a parking space

If your home boasts some off-road parking then you’ve already got a big asset to help you earn. Your phone could help you make some serious money from your bricks and mortar investment. But how? Whether you live in the heart of a bustling city or near the train station in a sleepy seaside town drivers can often find it difficult to parkand that’s where your phone comes in handy.

Make a tidy profit with very little effort indeed by using a mobile phone app to rent out your parking space. This can be a canny business opportunity, particularly if you‘re fortunate enough to find a long-term tenant. Check out some of the big sites such as JustPark, Parklet and Parkonmydrive to see how much you could earn.

Make money from your spare room

Using your phone to help rent out your spare room is another great way to get your home working for you. It makes a great addition to your main income and helps balance the bills. Whether for short- or long-term lodgers, flat and home share app SpareRoom is one of the UK’s biggest. Another app, MondaytoFriday, allows you to rent out a spare bedroom during the working week, leaving it free for you at the weekend.

You could also branch out and use Airbnb for more occasional visitors and tourists. The beauty of these apps is that it’s really up to you how you want to market your room. From a cheap place for someone to lay their head to a fancy bed and breakfast there’s a huge market out there.

While these sites are security vetted, make sure you take all necessary precautions to protect yourself, your home and visitors. Just like mobile phone insurance, you’ll want the right cover in place from the start.

Complete a survey or two

One of the many ways companies try to understand potential customers is to ask them lots of questions. This is so important to them they’re even prepared to pay. Completing paid surveys is a fairly easy way to earn cash through your phone. Just sign up to a platform and get answering!

Toluna is one of the easier and more rewarding platforms out there for people looking to complete company surveys. They award you points for completing major surveys as well as minor, one-question examples. These points can then be spent on gift cards and other rewards.

Perhaps one of the most well-known money-making apps is Swagbucks. With its survey site, shopping site and its own search engine there are plenty of ways to earn cash while going about your usual web business.

Sell your snaps

You don’t have to be a professional photographer with a top-of-the-range camera to earn money selling photos online. With an excellent camera phone and high-quality editing software, taking perfect photos can be a lucrative pastime for many smartphone owners. You can make some decent cash, if you’ve a steady hand and an eye for a good photo opportunity.

Stock image websites like Alamy, Picfair and Foap are all good places to start. Foap in particular is built around smartphone users with everything handled through the app. You can also take part in monthly missions from big brands to earn extra money and perks. Who knows, it could be the start of a whole new career!

That said, taking your beloved mobile phone with you to catch some snaps wherever you go isn’t without risk. Mobile phone insurance from Gadget Cover will help protect you from the economic fallout of breakdown, damage and theft.

Get paid for decluttering

Everyone has a few things lying around the house they don’t need. With a smartphone it’s so easy to take pictures of your unwanted stuff and post it online to sell. From eBay to Vinted it’s no longer a huge, complicated process to start selling and earning.You’ve got everything you need right there in your hand.

Recycle your old phone

On the subject of decluttering, there could be some big money waiting for you if you decide to upgrade an old mobile phone. A whole host of mobile phone recycling websites have grown up to give good money for your old tech.

Most recycling companies will even accept phones that are broken as each device is given an individual evaluation, and free postage means that you don’t even need to worry about delivery and transaction costs.

Use a comparison tool to check out which of the many companies offers the best deal on your old handset. The three most popular are Compare My Mobile, Compare & Recycle and Sell My Mobile.

Start an e-business

Websites like eBay and Etsy have made it easy for anyone with a smartphone to start up an e-business. Simply take a picture of your product, upload it, and wait for buyers to make an offer. From household cleaning products to handmade bridal gowns, you can sell anything on these apps. And what’s even better is that as you get more reviews and better ratings, you’ll earn even more as a trusted seller.

There are so many tech-savvy people and budding entrepreneurs who have used their mobile phones to start a great business. However, whatever your hidden talents are you won’t get far without your trusty mobile. Protecting your personal and business devices with mobile phone insurance is a key way to protect all your hard work.

Test out an app or website

With the number of new apps and websites trying to reach the cutting edge of the market there is always a big need for phone users to try them out! After all, no company wants their flashy new app to fail on its first day of release. This might need a bit more concentration and input from you but is a good way to make money on the side.

If you’re interested in giving it a try then UserTesting is a good place to start. Sign up and complete a sample test and start being paid for your opinion on a range of new apps and websites.

Whether or not you’re doing it for the money, trying out new apps can be a lot of fun. However, make sure you only download from trusted sources such as the App Store or Google Play. While mobile phone insurance is a great way to protect against all manner of mishaps, don’t leave yourself open to cyber criminals by downloading from dubious sites.

Share your skills

We all have skills that are unique to us, but have you thought about using your mobile phone to make money from yours? From tile grouting to gardening and a whole range of household jobs, there will be many local people who need your help and would be prepared to pay. TaskRabbit is a flexible working site where thousands of people offer their time and services and make good money.  

Another option is to look into online tutoring. With a decent smartphone and internet connection you have access to a whole world of people looking to learn. Take a look at Tutor Hunt to get started.

Watch videos

Believe it or not, there are websites paying phone users to watch videos. Simply stream a video, advert or clip on your mobile phone, and get paid for doing so. It’s an easy way to while away a few minutes while waiting in line at the supermarket. There are quite a few apps that reward you with points for watching. Popular surf-and-earn apps include Swagbucks and InboxPounds.

Say yes to adverts

If you don’t mind adding some extra adverts to your phone then you could make some money using the Fronto app. Fronto places adverts on your phone's lock screen and pays you points every time you unlock your phone. And if you click through to the websites advertised, you can earn even more points. It may take a while to earn decent money this way though.

Become a creator

Social media influencers are everywhere nowadays and one of them could be you! For example, if you’ve got a YouTube channel and people watch your videos then you can get paid. From comedy skits and fashion advice to practical ‘how to’ guides, if you produce good content then you could be looking at some good money or product placements from advertisers.

Try a spot of mystery shopping

If you’re intrigued by the idea of using your phone to become a mystery shopper while out and about then Roamler could be for you. The app pays users to complete tasks around their local area, including taking photos, filling in surveys or mystery shopping. There are different levels to work through with more tasks and more potential earnings as you progress. The only problem is that you can’t just sign up, you need to be invited. Either get an existing user to invite you or ask their social media site for an invite.

The BeMyEye app is also very popular for mystery shoppers. Working with big brands the app asks you to undertake a range of similar tasks to Roamler. You might also be asked to conduct short interviews with shop staff. You may even have to buy products for which you will be compensated.

Don’t bin your receipts

Rather than taking up space in your pocket or wallet why not put those shopping receipts to good use with the simple-to-use Receipt Hog app? Simply take a photo of the receipt and upload it to the app. Depending on how much you spent in the store a receipt could bag you between 5 and 20 ‘coins’. However, it does cost around 1,000 coins to buy a £3 Amazon voucher!

Be paid for your opinion

If you’ve got an opinion then it’s well worth sharing with the Voxpopme paid video surveys app. It’s pretty simple to use. Just follow the live stream of paid question surveys, select the question you want to answer, record your opinion in a video and then receive your reward.

Mobile phone insurance from Gadget Cover

From renting out your unused parking space to downloading a mystery shopper app, there are plenty of ways for your mobile phone to make your life easier. If it’s working properly that is!

Mobile phone insurance policies arranged through Gadget Cover can include protection for your devices from accidental damage, liquid damage, theft, breakdown and unauthorised usage. For an extra premium, we can also cover loss.

Other benefits of insurance through us can include:

• Up to £2,500 worth of cover for unauthorised usage if your device is lost or stolen.
• E-wallet cover up to £500.
• Accessories cover up to £150 if they are lost, stolen or damaged at the same time as your phone.
• World wide cover, up to 180 days in any one year.
• Family cover if someone in your immediate family loses or damages your phone.

Get a quick quote for mobile phone insurance today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.