It’s not even fall and holiday decorations are everywhere, serving as visual reminders that the holiday spending season is nearly upon us. If your pockets are empty and you don’t relish the idea of going into debt, now is the time to do something about it. A dozen gig apps can help almost anyone go from broke to booked.
The key to the apps that can help you build holiday cash is three-fold. Demand is high during the fall, signing up is relatively quick and easy, and you have complete control over when you work. That combination means these gigs are easy to stack with a regular job.
Going from broke to booked
Our best advice for going from broke to booked is to sign up with several side hustle sites and leave notifications on during any hour that you’re willing to work. However, we’d flip notifications off during your 9-to-5 to avoid incessant distractions that could jeopardize your main job.
In many cases, checking the apps early in the day gives you the best chance of scoring the highest-paying gigs. That’s because many sites post assignments for the day — or week — early in the morning. Freelancers grab the gigs they want, so early birds usually snap up the best assignments.
Know too, that all of these side gig sites have algorithms that boost the chance of getting more gigs once you successfully complete the first few. The more good reviews you get, the higher you rank in the algorithm, so the greater your chance of scoring additional assignments.
What apps can help you go from broke to booked? Here are a dozen that rev up in the fall. Notably, while these sites operate in many states, most don’t operate everywhere. We’ve linked to our full reviews of each site so you can get more information on the gigs you like, including what they pay and where they operate.
Amazon Flex
All those holiday packages need to get delivered somehow. Amazon Flex fills that demand by enlisting thousands of part-time drivers, who use their own cars and vans to deliver packages. Instead of paying per delivery like DoorDash, Amazon has freelance drivers sign up for delivery blocks — usually 2- to 4-hour shifts where you deliver a load of packages to customers in a set geographic area. Pay ranges from $18 to $25 per hour.
HopSkipDrive
School is back in session, which means time-constrained parents often need help driving their kids to and from school. HopSkipDrive enlists freelance drivers to accommodate this need. Peak hours are between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and again in the afternoons. Drivers need to have some child care experience, a good driving record, pass a background check, own an appropriate car and have insurance. The site operates in major cities in 16 states, including California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Virginia. But the site is particularly interested in recruiting drivers for some of its newer markets, such as Bakersfield, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburg, Denver, Spokane, and in Midland and San Antonio, Texas.
RubiRides
RubiRides does much the same thing as HopSkipDrive, but only operates in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. These are markets that HopSkipDrive doesn’t yet cover.
BlueCrew
When consumers are in buying mode, warehouses go into overdrive, stocking new supplies and sending supplies out to stores. BlueCrew hires warehouse workers in about two dozen cities, primarily located in California, Texas, Utah, Florida, Texas and Illinois. It also staffs some delivery and customer service positions.
Wonolo
Want to work in a warehouse, but BlueCrew doesn’t operate in your area? Wonolo is an even larger staffing firm for warehouse, delivery, event staffing, cleaning and administration work. It operates in more than 100 markets and most states outside of California, New York, Washington, D.C. and Washington State. The site also pressures its clients to pay a “living wage,” which considerably exceeds minimum wage in high-cost states.
Instawork
Instawork also enlists freelancers to work in warehouses. But it also offers hospitality positions for bartenders, cooks, servers, bussers, event staff and merchandisers in 46 markets across the U.S. But shifts fill fast, so check in early and often to grab what fits you. Workers are usually paid once a week, but those who work regularly and get good reviews qualify for Instant Pay, which drops earnings your account within hours of completing a shift.
Qwick
For food service pros, Qwick is where holiday hustle pays off. Serve drinks, work events, or help in the kitchen. Jobs appear in real time, and the payouts can hit your account the same or the next day. Shifts often bring in generous tips too, especially at packed holiday parties. However, the site only operates in about two-dozen markets in California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Arizona and a few other states.
Jitjatjo
Jitjatjo is a rapidly-growing staffing company that has expanded from hiring bartenders and servers to finding a wider array of flexible food service, security and staffing jobs in several industries, including education, hospitality and health care. Find and accept new jobs in seconds, all with super-fast payouts — often just hours after you clock out.
GigSmart
GigSmart connects freelance workers with flexible jobs in a wide array of categories, from driving and daycare to warehouse work and customer service. People who want to work through GigSmart simply set up a profile on the site. The site will start sending on-demand gigs that fit your profile. You decide whether to bid on those gigs or let them go. Jobs typically pay between $10 and $25 per hour.
Hampr
With kids back in school, parents are awash in laundry. There are school clothes, play clothes, sports uniforms and clothes for physical education classes. It’s a lot. So, sites like Hampr aim to take the pressure off by offering to have freelancers pick up, wash, fold and deliver your laundry. Freelancers get paid by the bag.
Poplin
Poplin offers the same laundry services, but pays freelancers based on the weight of the laundry they’re washing. Neither site is fully nationwide, but they’re adding markets regularly. So, if you want to do laundry for pay, it’s smart to sign up with both.
TaskRabbit
Are you capable of assembling IKEA furniture or deep cleaning and organizing? Taskrabbit could be the perfect way for you to go from broke to booked. The site lets you determine what services to offer, what to charge and when you’re available. Holiday season means more requests for help with decorations, setups, and last-minute prep, so opportunities are everywhere.
Did we miss anything? If you’ve already scored big or learned something new, drop your wins and tips in the comments. Your moves could inspire the next reader to grab their own holiday windfall.
