Offers that pay you to sign up, with the catch printed on every card

Companies pay to get new customers. This page lists the ones that pay you, not an ad network. Nothing here costs money up front. Every card shows the four things most "make money" pages hide: what you actually get, how long it takes to arrive, the catch, and what we earn from it.

We checked each number on October 7, 2026, against the company's own terms wherever we could reach them, and against several independent write-ups where we couldn't. Amounts change without notice. The button on each card goes to the official page, so confirm the number there before you sign up. If a card is wrong, tell us and it gets fixed.

How this page makes money. Today: nothing. We have applied to the referral programs these companies run. When a link starts paying us, the "Our cut" line on that card will say so, in dollars. Nobody pays to be listed, nothing is ranked by what pays us, and a date on a card is the company's own deadline from its terms, never pressure from us.

Read this before any card.

Bank bonuses need a real paycheck, pension or benefits deposit. Moving money from another bank or a payment app does not count, at any of them. If you can't point a direct deposit at a new account, skip that whole section.
It is all taxable. Bank bonuses arrive with a tax form. Plasma, studies and testing money is income. Small, but real.
If anything asks you to pay first, it is not on this list, and it should not be on yours.

Biggest money Needs a paycheck or benefits deposit you can redirect.

Chase Total Checking

Bank · United States, not Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico

You get: $400
To earn it: Open the account with their coupon, then receive $1,000 or more in direct deposits within 90 days.
Arrives: Within 15 business days after the deposits land.
The catch: Only payroll, pension or government deposits count. The account has a $15 monthly fee unless $500 a month comes in by direct deposit or you keep their minimum balance. Their fine print lets Chase take the bonus back if you close the account within six months. One new-checking bonus every two years. The deadline shown varies by coupon page (some say October 14, 2026, some January 27, 2027), so read the date on the page you open.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official offer pagechecked 2026-10-07 · Chase terms via NerdWallet, CNBC Select, BankBonus

SoFi Checking & Savings

Online bank · United States

You get: $50, or $400 with a big paycheck
To earn it: Set up direct deposit. SoFi adds up what arrives in the 25 days after your first one: $1,000 or more pays $50, $5,000 or more pays $400.
Arrives: Within 7 business days after the 25-day window closes.
The catch: $5,000 in 25 days is most people's entire month of take-home pay, so for most readers this is a $50 offer. Transfers from other banks and payment apps do not count. First direct deposit must land by December 31, 2026. One bonus per person, ever.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official offer pagechecked 2026-10-07 · sofi.com offer terms

Chime

Banking app · United States

You get: $100
To earn it: Open through a referral link, receive a direct deposit of $200 or more within 45 days, and activate the physical card within 14 days of that deposit.
Arrives: Reports range from 2 to 7 days after the deposit.
The catch: It only works through a referral link; without one there is no bonus. The deposit has to be payroll, gig pay or benefits. One tracker lists this offer as expired while others say it is running, so check the amount shown in the app before you count on it. A friend who already uses Chime can refer you and they get $100 too; that is the honest route until we have a link of our own.
Our cut: Nothing today. We do not have a referral link yet.

Official program pagechecked 2026-10-07 · chime.com, Forbes Advisor, Finder

Pays for your time, or your plasma No paycheck needed. Real hours and a real needle.

Plasma donation (CSL Plasma, BioLife)

In person · most US cities · 18 or older, 110 lb or more, ID, proof of address, Social Security number

You get: Up to $700 to $900 in your first month, then $50 to $100 a visit
To earn it: CSL's own site says "up to $800 your first month"; BioLife's new-donor plan is usually $700 to $900 spread across your first 8 visits within 30 to 45 days.
Arrives: Loaded onto a prepaid debit card after each visit.
The catch: The big number is the total of eight visits, each one to two hours, up to twice a week, with a needle every time. Miss the window and the bonus visits drop to the normal rate. Amounts differ by center, so the figure at your location may be lower. The prepaid card can carry fees; ask before you accept it. This is the most money on the page and also the most work.
Our cut: Nothing. There is no program for it.

CSL Plasma BioLifechecked 2026-10-07 · cslplasma.com; BioLife figures from independent pay trackers

Prolific (paid research studies)

Online · phone or computer

You get: $8 an hour minimum, $12 an hour is the recommended rate
To earn it: Answer surveys and do short tasks for university and company researchers. Each study pays a fixed amount.
Arrives: Cash out to PayPal once a day after the researcher approves, which can take up to 21 days. Minimum cash-out $6.
The catch: There is a waiting list to get in. Time spent waiting for a study to appear is unpaid, so the real hourly rate across a day is well under the headline. Honest first-month reports land around a few dollars an hour of total time. Good for spare minutes, not for rent.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official participant pagechecked 2026-10-07 · prolific.com payment model

UserTesting (paid website and app tests)

Online · needs a microphone, a quiet room and talking out loud

You get: About $10 per 20-minute test; $30 to $60 for a live interview
To earn it: Record yourself using a website or app while saying what you think. Pass a short practice test first.
Arrives: PayPal, about 7 days after a test is approved.
The catch: You qualify for only a fraction of the screeners you try, and that screening time is unpaid. Most testers report $40 to $70 a month with steady effort. UserTesting publishes no fixed rate; the figures here are what testers report.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official tester pagechecked 2026-10-07 · tester reports, 2026

Pays on things you already buy Only worth it on purchases you were making anyway.

Rakuten

Cash-back portal · United States and Canada

You get: $50 with a referral link ($10 without one)
To earn it: Join by December 31, 2026 and spend $50 total through Rakuten's site, app or browser button within 90 days.
Arrives: Slowly. Rakuten pays quarterly, about 45 days after the quarter ends. Sign up now and the money shows up around February 15, 2027.
The catch: Purchases sit as "pending" until the store's return window closes. Some gift cards and in-store buys don't count. It is a browser button that watches what you shop for; that is the price.
Our cut: Nothing today. We do not have a referral link yet.

Official referral termschecked 2026-10-07 · rakuten.com referral page

Swagbucks

Rewards site · United States, Canada, UK and others

You get: $10
To earn it: Make one purchase of $25 or more through their shop section within 30 days of joining.
Arrives: Credits within about 32 days of the purchase, then a few more days to award.
The catch: Amazon, eBay, Home Depot, gift cards and travel do not count for the welcome bonus. The surveys on the same site pay pennies an hour. Take the $10 on a purchase you already planned and ignore the rest.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official bonus termschecked 2026-10-07 · help.swagbucks.com

Ibotta

Grocery cash-back app · United States

You get: Up to $20, plus $5 with a referral code
To earn it: Redeem 10 qualifying offers in your first 14 days by buying the listed products and scanning the receipt.
Arrives: Withdraw to PayPal or Venmo once your balance reaches $20.
The catch: You have to buy the specific brands on offer; the "any item" offers do not count toward the 10. One account per device. Easy to end up buying things you didn't need to unlock it, which is the trick, so write your list first.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official sitechecked 2026-10-07 · independent guides, 2026

Upside (gas cash back)

App · United States · you need a car

You get: Up to 25¢ a gallon on your first fill-up, then a few cents a gallon
To earn it: Claim a station in the app before you pay, then pay with the card you linked.
Arrives: Cash out to PayPal or a bank account from the app.
The catch: Your balance expires after six months without a new reward. Some users report cash back that never posted and support that did not help. Treat it as a few dollars a month, not income.
Our cut: Nothing today.

Official sitechecked 2026-10-07 · Google Play listing, 2026 reviews

Small change Listed so you don't overrate them when another site hypes them.

Robinhood (free stock)

Brokerage · United States

You get: A stock worth $5 to $200. Almost everyone gets $5 to $10.
To earn it: Open an account and link a bank. Some months a small deposit is required.
Arrives: The stock appears in the account. You cannot sell it for 3 trading days or withdraw the cash for 30 days.
The catch: The $200 figure is the lottery ticket; budget on $5. The promotion changes monthly, and the point of the gift is to get you trading, which is where people lose money. Take the stock, leave the app alone.
Our cut: Nothing today.