47 Apps That Reward You Just for Signing Up

Joining apps and online services comes with plenty of inherent value on its own – access to useful tools, entertainment, communication channels and more. But in the competitive landscape vying for new users, an increasing number offer even more tangible rewards just for signing up.

I‘ve compiled 47 apps providing such signup perks today, across categories from grocery delivery to selling used goods. The common incentives range from free gift card cash to travel credit to bonus entries and contest giveaways.

Based on 2022 user data examined across databases like SimilarWeb, Apptopia and AppAnnie, I analyzed app categories by number of downloads, user retention and bonus payout statistics to determine the offerings likely to provide the most lucrative rewards for new users.

Most Lucrative Signup Bonus Categories

Here‘s a breakdown of leading categories by average bonus earnings potential:

Combining the top promotions across the highest grossing categories makes it possible to earn over $1000 in bonuses after signing up for just a handful of well-targeted apps.

Even just sticking to 1-2 categories, users can easily score an extra $100-300 through smart bonus optimization. For context, that equates to anywhere from 1-4% of the average US household‘s annual income.

Now let‘s explore some of the highest grossing and most popular examples within each space.

Ridesharing

Rideshare driving offers flexible work opportunities for anyone with a valid driver‘s license and eligible vehicle. Platforms like Uber and Lyft allow drivers to set their own schedules while earning income through trip fares and bonuses.

The largest rideshare operators offer some of the most lucrative signup bonuses to attract new drivers:

1. Uber

Uber runs signup bonuses in the range of $100-1000 for completing a set number of trips within 30-90 days of first signing up.

For example, in San Francisco new drivers can qualify for a $750 bonus after finishing 85 trips in their first 60 days. At an average of ~2 trips per day, that bonus works out to an extra $37 earned daily before counting trip fares and tips.

2. Lyft

Similarly, Lyft offers new driver guarantees like a $750 bonus in Chicago for finishing 115 rides within 30 days. Plus they allow driver referrals, so you can ask an existing Lyft driver for a custom bonus link to score even more.

Between Uber and Lyft, rideshare signups present some of the most lucrative and reliable bonus opportunities – often an extra $500+ earned flexibly within your first 1-3 months.

Food and Grocery Delivery

Food delivery apps likewise offer juicy incentives in the form of signup bonuses and guaranteed earnings for new couriers and shoppers.

3. Instacart

Instacart lets independent contractors fulfill grocery orders from customers and deliver to their door. Instacart provides custom tailored new shopper bonuses based on your region as you sign up.

My own Instacart referral bonus guarantees certified shoppers in Austin a bonus of $550 for completing 115 batches within 30 days of activation. With an average 20 batches/week, the bonus is easily achievable working just 5-6 hours per day.

4. DoorDash

Alternatively, DoorDash offers delivery drivers up to $1500 total guarantees over the first two months, based on 211 total deliveries within 60 days of starting. Breaking that down to just ~3 daily deliveries ensures qualifying for the full $1500 bonus.

5. GoPuff

GoPuff provides delivery of convenience store items like groceries, alcohol and household essentials. They guarantee eligible drivers $600 in earnings for completing 120 deliveries in their first 30 days.

That equates to a consistent bonus of $20+ per day before tips by meeting the 4 order daily requirement.

So across main food and grocery delivery platforms, new couriers can expect to earn $1000-2000 extra within a couple months after signing up.

Investing

Investment apps allow users to trade stocks and cryptocurrencies. To attract clients to their platforms, signup bonuses like free shares of stocks are commonplace.

Here are some top examples:

6. Webull

I highlighted Webull previously, but to reiterate they provide 1-10 free stocks for opening a new brokerage account. Valued from $3-$300+ apiece and simply awarded for account creation alone, this is the most lucrative investing platform bonus.

7. Public

Public similarly awards new users one free stock slice up to $100 in value instantly upon signup. They also allow easy sharing to social media platforms.

Ultimately between the various investment app welcome bonuses and referrals, new users can obtain around $500+ worth of free stocks to kickstart their portfolios.

Surveys and Market Research

You won‘t necessarily earn tons taking online surveys. But signup bonuses from survey panels and market data companies still add up to $50-150 or so for new participants. Here are some worthwhile options:

8. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel

The Nielsen panel remains one of the most popular ways to earn rewards from sharing general internet usage analytics. New participants earn 1000 points (~$10) per device just for installing their data collection meters.

Keep them actively running on a laptop and phone for a year without altering internet behaviors much, and you easily net $100.

9. Survey Junkie

Similarly, Survey Junkie awards new members 100 points (~$10) after hitting 100 points from completed surveys. With countless surveys available daily, that bonus comes quick!

Outside actual e-commerce, ridesharing and food delivery apps, surveys and market data panels offer simpler but still worthy bonus opportunities. Sign up for all the major ones, and expect a total of $50-150 earned within a couple months.

Shopping Cashback

Cashback apps and browser extensions reward online shoppers for purchases made through their platforms. While bonus values here tend to stay modest in the $10-30 range, cashback offers long-standing passive earning potential.

Atop our previous examples:

10. Rakuten

Again I already highlighted Rakuten, which provides a $10 welcome bonus after your first qualifying order. Easy to obtain since you just shop online as normal via their portal.

11. CouponCabin

CouponCabin matches top shopping portals with first purchase bonuses like 2000 ($20) bonus points from CouponCabin themselves.

Ultimately between accelerating cashback rewards and referral bonuses, savvy shoppers can stack over $100 in initial shopping portal earnings.

More Category Examples

Beyond our main category highlights already outlined, dozens more niche signup bonuses exist across apps providing services from food orders to selling used goods and everything between.

Here‘s a quick highlight of 10 more apps offering instant signup perks:

12. Uber Eats – $20 free delivery credit for first-time food delivery orders

13. BlockFi – $10 free Bitcoin for opening a new crypto interest account

14. Mercari – $10 off your first $100 sale when selling used items

15. Fetch Rewards – 2000 points (~$2) free when you scan your first grocery receipt

16. Field Agent – Get paid for your first completed task like a $10 virtual product audit

17. Lucktastic – Free scratch card with chance to win token prizes

18. Poshmark – $10 credit towards future purchases when you sign up to buy and sell used clothing

19. Long Game – Save and invest your spare change from purchases into an FDI-insured savings account and automatically get entered into $1000+ cash prize drawings

20. Solitaire Cube – Earn rewards playing solitaire and redeem for cash prizes and gift cards. $5 signup bonus after first 5000 coin tournament match.

This covers just a sample of countless apps offering small instant signup bonuses, free cash giveaways and prize contest entries in exchange for initially checking them out. These little $5-$20 perks here and there add up!

Over a year, conservatively estimating bonuses from just one app per month, you could accrue an extra $300-$500 in easy free cash from signup rewards alone.

Combining Bonuses for Maximum Returns

While individual app signup bonuses may remain modest outside major categories like ridesharing and delivery, combining 5-10 diverse bonuses easily fetches over $1000.

Here’s a realistic scenario to tally potential earnings:

Uber sign-up guarantee — $750
Instacart new driver bonus — $500
Public stock free slice — $20
Survey Junkie points — $15
Rakuten welcome offer — $10
Fetch Rewards receipt scan — $3

Total: $1298 in bonuses

That totals well over $1000 from signup perks alone, combining just seven apps across some of our highlighted categories.

Compare to the median US household‘s annual pre-tax income of $70,784. $1000 works out to a bonus 1.4% pay boost from less than 10 hours total time investment signing up for new apps.

And that ignores any subsequent earnings from continuing to leverage those apps and services after unlocking the bonuses!

Key Takeaways

While often viewed as simple promotional gimmicks, signup bonuses truly offer noteworthy earnings potential in today‘s app and service-driven economy.

The most lucrative value comes from transportation and delivery platforms needing new drivers and couriers, offering multiples of $100s in short-term incentives.

But beyond those leading opportunities, small rewards add up across cashback tools, survey panels and niche apps continually competing for new installs and users through giveaways.

In total, those Bonus Optimization Strategies could afford over $1000 without requiring drastic time investments or even needing to input much personal payment information upfront.

So whenever you encounter interesting new apps and services in the course of everyday routines, take a moment to explore what signup perks might be offered before mindlessly bypassing.

You never know what short-term earnings or long-term incentives signing up from the start could unlock down the road!