Get Paid To Eat Food (5 Best Ways)
Want to know how you can get paid to eat?!
Of course, you do!
And…
I’m not talking about buying groceries, this is about eating out.
Yes… Yes… I know what you are thinking, shouldn’t you be cooking all the time instead of eating out? Yes, but it’s perfectly fine to eat out sometimes.
Now, of course, you should find ways to save money when eating out, such as Groupon or Living Social
But…
There are also some ways where you can start getting paid to simply eat, so let’s get to it!
Use Dosh To Get Paid To Eat
Dosh is an awesome cash-back program where you can get cash back on your food! You essentially get extra cash for simply eating!
How It Works
Dosh cash-back is ridiculously simple. All you have to do is sign up here and then link your debit card and credit card.
Yup, that’s it!
Now just eat where you want to eat, and if it is a place that offers cash back, you will get your money automatically right in the Dosh app.
If you would like to see what restaurants offer cash-back, then go on your Dosh app and then check out the restaurants & bars section or you can also check out the nearby option to see all the nearby offers, just make sure that your current location is set.
You will see all the restaurants and fast food spots around you that offer cash-back for dining with them!
Pay For Dosh
To be honest with you, you’re not going to make a lot of money with Dosh cashback, and you should not eat out just to get cash-back!
Most restaurants offer around 5% cashback so how much cashback you get depends upon how much you spend at the restaurant.
For example, if you spend $100 at one of the cashback restaurants then you can get around $5 in cash-back.
But…
That’s not bad at all if you were going to eat there anyway!
You won’t get rich here, but Dosh is a great way to make money eating at places you were going to eat at anyway!
Use Swagbucks To Get Paid To Eat
You may know that you can make money with Swagbucks by doing simple tasks and get cash back from online shopping but you can also get paid to eat with Swagbucks!
How It Works
Sign up for Swagbucks here and if you are on a desktop then first go to the shopping section on the Swagbucks side menu.
Then click on the Local Shopping menu option:
You will then see this screen to link your card and once you link it that is it! You also get 25SB free by linking your first card!
Also, you should get the Swagbucks Local app so you can see what restaurants offer cash-back for dining there, and there are also shopping stores too!
Update: Swagbucks no longer offers the Swagbucks Local app. You will need to link your card through their website to get cashback on food.
Now all you have to do is go to a restaurant or fast food spot and if it is partnered with Swagbucks then you will get the cashback into your Swagbucks account within 3 days.
Pay For Swagbucks
Swagbuck’s cash-back won’t make you rich either, in fact from what I see it looks like Swagbucks pays a little less than Dosh.
Most of the cash-back offers I see are from 2 – 5 % and this is in NYC. So on that $100 meal, you are only looking at $2 to $5 back.
But… if you are already eating there why not?! Some extra cash is better than no cash.
I know what you are thinking, “what if I use both Dosh and Swagbucks so I can maximize my earnings!”
Great idea and I highly recommend doing this! You will be able to use both Dosh and Swagbucks to double-dip in rewards!
Just sign up for Dosh and Swagbucks and link your cards to both platforms and you can start earning.
However, from what I’ve seen, Swagbucks and Dosh mostly have different offers so you won’t always be able to get cash back on both platforms but it’s definitely worth a shot!
Super Money Tip: When you sign up to Swagbucks with my link you will get $5 for free!
You can also use Swagbucks to make money by completing surveys and watching videos.
Become A Restaurant Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping is a gig where you can go shopping or dine at places.
And…
All you have to do is review the place and write about your experience and then you will make money!
As I said you can also get paid to shop but for the sake of this post let’s stick with making money as a food taster.
How It Works
It turns out this is really simple to get gigs as a mystery shopper.
All you have to do is sign up and start accepting gigs, then you will get paid to eat!
But…
Before you sign up for any mystery shopping company, just know that there are a lot of scammers out there posing as fake companies or other companies so be careful.
Here are a few legit mystery shopping companies to check out:
These companies have different requirements to sign up, so make sure you check out the requirements for the company you are interested in signing up with.
Also, remember that there are scammers out there that use these companies’ names so don’t fall for it! Contact the company and make sure you are using their site when signing up.
Pay For Restaurant Mystery Shopping
Note that you won’t get rich mystery shopping nor will it be enough to quit your job but you can make some decent money by being a restaurant mystery shopper.
You can eat out at restaurants and some companies will reimburse part or all of your meal cost and you will get paid to eat!
Remember that you will have to work, so you will constantly take notes of the food, decor, service, etc… The more details you provide the more money you can get!
Most gigs pay between $5 – $25 but it is possible to get more. You will usually get your money anywhere between 30 – 60 days.
Make sure you contact the company and read their FAQs before working for them.
You might have to eat some strange food so this might not be worth it if you have really sensitive taste buds.
For more details on how you can start getting paid as a food taster using mystery shopping gigs check out this awesome post.
Become A Food Critic
Being a food critic or food taster is a great job where you can get paid to eat!
Now being a food taster is still a job, so it’s not like Dosh or Swagbucks where you go where you want and get a little money in cash-back.
No…
This is a legit job where sometimes you will go to places you don’t want to go and eat things you don’t want to eat so to have this job you should be open to what food you eat because your taste buds will be mad at you sometimes.
As a food critic, you will be a food taster and you will need to know how to write articles for magazines or websites, which is very similar to a food blogger which we will talk about next.
You will essentially get free food to eat as long as your review it.
How It Works
Well, there is no major in college to become a food taster so you will want to major in something like English, Communication, or Journalism.
Then you need work experience, writing for pretty much anyone at first.
After you get some experience under your belt then you need to apply to some food magazines or even some newspaper companies that have a food section.
Look at that, now you can eat and write about your experience and make money!
Pay For Food Critics
The pay for a food taster gets cloudy because they are considered writers and the pay for writers can vary depending on certain factors like experience, how many articles you publish, etc…
According to Salary Expert, the average salary for a food critic is $77,217 a year but it can be much less or much more.
If you would like to know more about becoming and getting paid as a food taster then check out this awesome interview here.
Get Paid With A Food Blog
If you don’t want to become a food taster and work for anyone then why not become a food blogger?!
But…
Remember being a blogger is not easy, it requires long and hard work before making money but it is possible to make hundreds of thousands to millions by blogging!
And you work for yourself, so you can work on your own time!
How Can I Start?
Well, it’s really easy to start a food blog and you don’t have to quit your job.
You can host your blog with Bluehost for only $3.95 a month!
This is super cheap, considering the potential money you could be making.
I know you’re still confused about how to start, but don’t worry because I created a massive guide detailing exactly how to start a blog (no matter what you want to blog about).
My blogging guide will show give you the steps to take to build a successful blog.
I do stress that it is a lot of work, so be ready!
A lot of people start a blog and then quit within a few months because they are not making any money.
Stick with it and perfect your craft!
Check out my blogging guide for beginners here!
Pay For Food Bloggers
What you will make as a food blogger totally depends on you!
You are in control and you will have to work hard to put your content out to the world.
The spectrum can go from nothing to millionaire, I mean seriously!
For example, let’s take a look at some food bloggers and how much they make.
Lindsay and Bjork Ostrom, the bloggers behind Pinch of Yum brought in $802,144.55 from their food blog from 2015 to 2016!
Elizabeth from Bowl of Delicious made $4,259.50 in the first quarter of 2016!
Christine from Jar Of Lemons consistently makes over $1,000 a month with her food blog!
And much more…
So, food blogging is a great way to make money eating.
You can do it as a side hustle and maybe one day it can be your own business!
Now I know what you are thinking, food blogging is not really “making money to eat”.
It’s true, but you can make money by writing about recipes and restaurant/food reviews!
It’s so simple and if this is something you want to do or even try then why not?! As I said, you can start your food blog for only $3.95 a month with my link!
Also, be sure to check out my beginner’s guide to blogging where I show you how to set up a successful blog and I also give you tips the pros use!
Conclusion
There you go! Some ways to get paid to eat, life can’t get better than this!
You can choose simple ways to start getting paid for eating like Dosh and Swagbucks to get some cash back or you can take it a step further and take some gigs as a mystery shopper to earn some more cash!
If you would like to use Swagbucks then check out my in-depth guide on how to use Swagbucks and make money!
Also, you can make a career out of food tasting as a food critic or work for yourself as a food blogger!
If I were you, I would start a food blog, only if you are passionate about writing about food!
Yes, you will make nothing starting off.
But…
You have the potential of making $1,000’s with a food blog and your starting cost at only $3.95 a month!
You know what, why not do some together? Dosh and Swagbucks are so easy, free, and take no time to set up so you should definitely get cashback on your food no matter the amount you get back because you are going to eat there anyway.
Sign up to become a Mystery shopper and take some food taster gigs when you want and make some extra cash!
And start your food blog to write when you want and about what you want!
Check out my in-depth blogging guide for beginners where I show you to set up your blog step-by-step!
Looking for other ways to make money? Head to my posts on 24 ways to make money with your car and Earn PayPal Money Instantly (33 Best Ways)!
Have you tried any of these topics covered in this post? I would love to hear about your experiences and if you have anything to add let me know below!
Thank You! 🙂