14 Best Apps with an Instant Referral Bonus

A referral bonus is a type of credit or reward that may consist of cash, crypto, gift cards, investment stocks and shares, or other freebies.

You can get referral bonuses in one of two ways:

1. By signing up for a new platform or service via a referral link or code from an existing user or customer.
2. By referring friends or other people to a platform or service you’re already using and, usually, giving them a referral link or code of your own.

If you’re joining a platform or service as a new customer, you may get referral bonuses in addition to or instead of a regular signup bonus, if such a thing is offered. (In contrast to referral bonuses, normal signup bonuses are available to all new users who join a platform or service, regardless of whether they have a referral code or link.)

If both a signup bonus and referral bonus are available, it’s sometimes possible to stack the two to get double rewards. However, you can’t always do this. As a rule of thumb, if a referral bonus is available, it should usually be more lucrative than the signup bonus (although you should double check this to make sure you’re getting the better deal).

Can I really get an instant referral bonus?

Although some platforms and services offer instant referral bonuses, it’s often difficult to access the respective cash or other rewards right away. You may receive credit when you open a new account, for example, but have to fulfill one or more requirements before you can withdraw or redeem your credit in the form of PayPal cash, crypto, virtual gift cards, et cetera.

In particular, there will often be payment thresholds or deposit requirements you need to meet before you can receive rewards from a referral bonus, or there may also be other hoops to jump through. Whether you can get your referral bonus instantly will depend on how long it takes you to fulfill these requirements.

To help you find the best offers with the fastest payouts, we’ve rounded up 16 of the best referral bonus offers for instant (or almost-instant) rewards.

What else do I need to know about referral bonus offers?

There will often be a cap on the total bonus rewards you can receive for referrals.

The cap tends to be pretty high, meaning you’ll likely have plenty of opportunities to earn with referral bonuses. Sometimes, the cap will specify a maximum value you can earn (e.g., up to $1,000); other times, it will specify a maximum number of people you can refer (e.g., up to 10 referrals).

This list features various types apps or websites that also vary in terms of how easy or difficult they make it to earn referral bonuses:

• Microtasking or GPT (“get paid to”) platforms: These are apps and websites you can use to earn cash, gift cards, and other rewards with quick and easy tasks, such as surveys, games, offer signups, and promo code scavenger hunts. These platforms’ referral bonuses are usually small but easy to claim, as they don’t require you to spend anything or deposit any cash.
• Cashback apps: These apps give you a percentage of your money back when you shop through them at partner stores. Their referral bonuses often involve a minimum spending requirement.
• Receipt-scanning apps: These apps reward you with points or cash for uploading photos of your shopping receipts.  As with cashback apps, their referral bonuses often have a minimum spending requirement.
• Banks and neobanks: Neobanks are a type of digital-only bank that operates entirely online. Referral bonus offers with these types of services can be lucrative but will usually require you to make a deposit or receive a direct deposit to qualify. As such, their referral bonuses can be a bit more awkward and slow to materialize compared with other platforms’ offers. 
• Brokerage and crypto apps: These apps allow you to buy and sell stocks and other investments or cryptocurrencies, respectively. As with banking apps, their referral bonus offers can be lucrative, but will usually require you to deposit cash into a new account or meet other criteria.
• Other fintech apps: Besides banking apps and investment apps, there are also other types of fintech apps—which are apps providing financial services—offering you bonuses when you sign up with a referral link or code (or when you invite other people to join as new customers).

1. SoFi Checking and Savings Account

SoFi is an online financial company that offers a range of services, from student loan refinancing and personal loans to banking, investing, and credit card products. In September 2024, they claimed to have paid out over $54 million to their members in referral bonuses. Their Checking and Savings Account takes the top spot in our referral bonus chart this month.

Although people online have mixed feelings about SoFi generally—partly due to how the platform has changed over the years—it still has a decent reputation. What’s more, its referral bonuses are relatively quick and easy to get (although either you or the person you refer will have to deposit $50), and you may also be able to stack them with welcome bonuses.

SoFi often has signup bonuses and referral bonuses available. However, these offers may require a deposit or a direct deposit, and such requirements can slow down bonus payouts (as, if a direct deposit is required, SoFi estimates that it will take you about 2–4 weeks to receive your direct deposit in order to fulfill bonus requirements). 1

Once requirements are met, though, payouts should be quick. SoFi says that it will credit bonus payments to the referrer and the referred member’s respective SoFi Checking accounts within seven business days after all requirements have been met.

Which SoFi referral bonuses are available?

Here are the basics of SoFi referral bonuses (where the SoFi Terms of Use agreement provides additional details).

2. MooMoo

Moomoo is an online trading platform that allows you to buy and sell stocks, options, and other securities commission-free. It’s designed for both beginner and advanced investors, and Reddit users have been recommending it this month as a top-notch investment tool thanks to its free data and AI tools.

MooMoo isn’t the only trading app that promises referral bonuses and signup bonuses. However, these offers sometimes require you to deposit large amounts of cash to qualify, and can take forever to pay out. MooMoo usually only requires that you (or friends you refer to MooMoo) deposit a relatively small sum to qualify for referral bonuses, which should then reach your account fairly fast—within five trading days.

In 2025, MooMoo had various signup bonus offers for new users depositing more than $100 in their MooMoo account. MooMoo often updates its offers, so keep an eye on their website for current promotions. 2

MooMoo also often has referral bonuses, which you may be able to stack with signup bonus offers, although MooMoo doesn’t explicitly guarantee this.

If you are referred to MooMoo as a new user, it should be easy to get your referral bonus fast. As mentioned, it should reach you within five trading days. If you receive your bonus in the form of credits, you can use these for trading straight away, although turning them into cold, hard cash will probably take longer.

On the other hand, if you want to get a bonus for referring other new users to use the platform, it may take you a bit longer to meet the relevant requirements, depending on what these are and whether you have to wait for your referred friend to tick certain boxes (e.g., by depositing money into their account).

Which MooMoo referral bonuses are available?

MooMoo has various types of referral bonuses available. These usually comprise free stocks and Cash Rewards, which can sometimes be worth hundreds of dollars or even more. On MooMoo, Cash Rewards are a type of credit you can use to buy stocks, ETFs (exchange-traded funds), or other assets.

Check out the MooMoo website for more details of referral bonuses and other promotional deals.

3. Chime

Chime is a banking services app or “neobank” that offers online checking accounts; savings accounts; credit-building tools; fee-free overdrafts; and more tools for budgeting, saving, and sending money. Reviews of the platform are mixed, and it definitely has its limitations (notably, the fact that it’s not a real bank). At the same time, there are quite a few Chime fans.

The bonuses for Chime vary a bit, but you’ll usually get some worthwhile rewards when you join it via a referral link or code (or when you refer other people to join). The downside with current referral offers is that there will be some requirements to meet—as you or the friend you refer must receive a direct deposit of at least $200 to their new account—which will make matters more complicated and slow down your payout.

Chime has a standard referral program, but it sometimes also has other promotional offers for new signups. As such, it’s worth keeping an eye on their website and social media accounts, if you’re thinking of joining them, in case anything lucrative crops up. 3

As mentioned, Chime’s welcome bonus and referral bonus offers usually require you to receive a direct deposit to qualify. This is standard with banking services apps. However, it can mean slower payouts compared with offers on some other types of platforms and services, as setting up direct deposits can take anything from a few days to a few weeks (although it can, in theory, be done almost instantly).

Once you fulfill the requirements for a Chime bonus, your payout should follow quickly. Chime says that it generally sends referral rewards within two business days after you meet all its conditions.

Which Chime referral bonuses are available?

Chime has a standard referral program, and it also sometimes has other ways to get referral bonuses when you sign up. You can find these via Chime’s official affiliate partners or through promo materials Chime sends you directly, for example.

4. MoneyLion

MoneyLion is a general fintech app that offers a variety of services, and it takes the top spot in our selection of offers. We like that this app makes it easy to earn referral bonuses, whether you’re a new user or you want to invite others to join the platform.

You can also earn extra bonuses for fulfilling additional conditions.

You can use MoneyLion to get cash advances from your paycheck (with Instacash advances, which allow you to access up to $500 of your paycheck, available anytime). MoneyLion also provides other features, including banking, investment, personal loans, credit-building tools, and financial education.

Bear in mind that this service isn’t free. However, the monthly account fees are relatively low.

This app has standard referral bonuses (which, as mentioned, are available for new users who sign up with a referral code, as well as existing users who refer other people to use the app). It also often runs special promotions with other freebies for new users (e.g., signup bonuses).

You shouldn’t have to wait too long to get your MoneyLion bonus. The website says you should get your reward within 14 days, and that’s the upper limit; you won’t necessarily have to wait as long as that.

Which MoneyLion referral bonuses are available?

If MoneyLion gives you any bonuses, these will probably be in the form of cash credited to your MoneyLion account (called a RoarMoney account) or Reward Points, which  are credits you can redeem to either your RoarMoney account or your MoneyLion investment account (for buying and selling stocks, ETFs, and other assets). 4

5. Mistplay

Mistplay is a popular GPT app you can use to get paid for playing games. You may find a few other ways to earn within the app, such as with sweepstakes or promo codes, but gaming is the focus and the most reliable way to get rewards.

The platform features puzzles like Words with Friends and old favorites like Solitaire and Merge Dragons. You have to download these games via the Mistplay app to accumulate points (or “Units”) while you play.

Previously, Mistplay was only available for Android devices. However, they recently started offering an iOS version, so iPhone and iPad users can now also benefit from their signup bonus and referral bonus offers.

After you redeem your rewards, Mistplay says that the funds provided by your reward should be deposited within 48 hours. This means you will likely get your payment on the same day or the next day, so it’s a pretty quick process.

Which Mistplay referral bonuses are available?

You can usually get Mistplay referral bonuses both for signing up to the app yourself using a referral link and for referring your own friends to use Mistplay.

6. Freecash

Freecash is a GPT site that, like Mistplay, features many different games but also other earning opportunities, such as surveys, offers, and videos.

A major plus point of Freecash is that, unlike with many similar apps and websites for earning via games and surveys, it pays out instantly. This means you don’t have to wait to access your rewards (which you can redeem in the form of cash, gift cards, or crypto) from referral bonuses.

However, on the downside, a major annoyance with this app is that it has a rather confusing and unpredictable system for the signup bonus, with the exact amount you’ll get depending on where you are and possibly also other factors. You may need as little as a few dollars’ worth of rewards or as much as $20, initially, but you won’t know what the deal is until you sign up.

Which Freecash referral bonuses are available?

7. Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog is a receipt-scanning app that has been around since 2011. You can use it to earn cash or gift cards by scanning paper or digital receipts. You can also sometimes earn extra rewards by taking surveys and completing a few other small tasks.

What’s more, you’ll get a signup bonus when you join Receipt Hog as a new user. Receipt Hog will give you the bonus when you connect your email account to your Receipt Hog account, although the information they provide about the bonus amount is confusing, as it’s not clear whether the bonus is worth 36 coins or 100 coins (or if you will receive both amounts).

Every Receipt Hog coin is worth roughly half a cent. This means the bonus will be equivalent to less than a dollar. The platform also promises free sweepstakes entries for users who connect their email accounts.

Once you’ve earned enough Receipt Hog rewards, you can cash out (via PayPal, Visa, or Amazon egift cards).

Receipt Hog says it will review and approve your redemption request within a week of your request date but that it usually takes way less time than that. In our experience with similar apps, they usually take just a day or so to pay out—meaning you can often get virtually instant rewards.

Which Receipt Hog referral bonuses are available?

Receipt Hog often awards bonuses in the form of “spins.” These spins give you entries into a luck-based game that offers prizes; however, you aren’t guaranteed to win very much from these games. (e.g., Reports online suggest that five spins probably won’t yield more than a couple of dollars.)5

8. Fetch

Fetch is another popular receipt-scanning app you can use to earn gift cards from popular brands like Amazon and Target. It was founded in 2013, and, in addition to receipt-scanning, now features games you can play to earn gift cards (which Fetch estimates can be worth about 3,000 points or approximately $3 a week).

Fetch point values vary based on the gift card you want, but the website states that 1,000 points are worth around $1.

Although Fetch often has decent referral bonus offers, it might take you a while to turn your referral bonus credits into real rewards, since you need at least $10 to redeem on Fetch. Given that you can only scan 35 receipts during an 8-day period (and receipts yield only a couple of cents each), this could take a while.

Fetch says that rewards redemption has a 72-hour processing period, so it’s a pretty quick redemption process, at least. 6

Which Fetch referral bonuses are available?

Fetch specifies typical amounts you and your friends will get for referrals, but they also say that there are often opportunities to get more points per referral during special promos. 7

9. Current

Current offers mobile banking services that include spending accounts, credit cards, credit-building tools, crypto trading, payday cash advances (a short-term loan that lets you borrow a small amount of money against your next paycheck), and more.

Current often has signup bonuses for new users. For example, in 2025, they were offering $50 for new users who opened an account and used it to receive a direct deposit of $200 within 45 days (as well as meeting additional requirements).

However, there may be even better deals for new users who use an invite link or referral code, although the referral bonus unfortunately can’t be combined with the normal signup bonus. 8

Current says you’ll usually get bonuses within 10 days after you meet the relevant requirements. However, if any of the requirements involve receiving a direct deposit to your account, this can further slow down the process of your referral bonus payment—whether it’s a bonus for joining Current or for recruiting other new users.

Direct deposits often take a while to set up. In theory, it can be done within a day, but in practice, it’s more likely to take several days or possibly even weeks.

Which Current referral bonuses are available?

Here are the most important features of the Current referral bonuses (and the Current website provides additional details on their terms and conditions page).

10. Robinhood

Robinhood is a very popular investment or brokerage app founded in 2013. It originally made a name for itself with commission-free trading of stocks and ETFs (exchange-traded funds, which are investments that combine stocks or other assets to spread risk). Since 2018, it has also allowed buying and selling of cryptocurrencies.

Many credit this platform with democratizing access to financial markets, and making it easy for ordinary people to start investing right through their phones.

Robinhood often has signup bonuses and referral bonuses of free stocks for new users.

The value of these shares can vary, but that there’s a very high chance it will be less than $10. 9 10

Robinhood also advertises referral bonuses (both for new users who join with a referral link and existing users who refer their friends or other people). However, we couldn’t find information to clarify whether the referral bonus is separate from the regular signup bonus we’ve just mentioned and, if so, whether you can combine the two offers.

If you get free shares from a signup bonus or a referral bonus (or both), the rewards should reach you fast. Robinhood says, “Once you are approved and link your bank account or debit card, you’ll earn a specified dollar amount and be able to pick your gift stock from a list of America’s leading companies.”

However, it may take a while to turn the stocks into cash (which you can do by selling reward stocks and then withdrawing the proceeds). 10

Which Robinhood referral bonuses are available?

11. Crypto.com

As the name suggests, Crypto.com is a platform for trading cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. It features over 400 cryptocurrencies, as well as NFTs (which are unique digital items like art, music, or collectibles that are bought and sold online).

The platform also offers various ways to earn referral bonuses and signup bonuses.

For example, Crypto.com often has “Welcome Bonus Missions” for new users, which it says will give you chances to win hundreds or even thousands of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency. However, Crypto.com offers usually have strings attached (which usually involve trading hundreds of dollars’ worth of crypto, depending on where you sign up). 11

Although bonus payments usually comprise niche coins (especially Cronos or CRO, which are the native cryptocurrency of Crypto.com), you can trade these coins for more popular cryptocurrencies or cash. 11 12

How quickly you will get your referral rewards will depend on when you or the person you referred meets the relevant conditions. However, on Crypto.com’s end, there is no delay. They pay instantly as soon as the conditions are met.

Somewhat confusingly, you may find different types of Crypto.com referral bonuses for the Crypto.com app and also the Crypto.com Currency Exchange, which is a separate, more advanced trading platform with its own signup process, referral codes, and reward structure.

Which Crypto.com referral bonuses are available?

Crypto.com bonuses are usually paid in Cronos (the native cryptocurrency of Crypto.com). As we’ve already mentioned, you can exchange these for other cryptocurrencies or cash.

12. Coinbase

Coinbase is another platform for buying, selling, storing, and managing cryptocurrencies. It’s among the largest and most popular cryptocurrency platforms in the world.

Coinbase often has signup bonuses for new users who create an account and verify their information. 13

The Coinbase website also sometimes mentions other types of new customer incentives, although these may involve additional requirements.

The beauty of crypto platforms is that transactions are often fast. Coinbase usually delivers rewards within a day or two, so you probably won’t have to wait long for your free Bitcoin or other rewards.

Which Coinbase referral bonuses are available?

Coinbase doesn’t always specify bonus amounts, so it’s not always clear exactly what they have up for grabs.

13. Acorns

Acorns is a fintech app that offers “micro investing,” which is a way of buying fractions of shares to invest in small increments.

This app also frequently has signup bonus and referral bonus offers. However, it doesn’t guarantee a quick payout, so these offers may be slower to yield rewards compared with some others on this list.

In 2025, Acorns had a $25 welcome bonus for all new users. 14 However, you may be able to get additional bonuses on top of this for referrals (as Acorns says it’s often possible to stack promotions).

Acorns bonuses are usually in the form of Reward Shares invested into your account, where Reward Shares are fractions of ETF shares or stocks.

As we’ve already mentioned, Acorns doesn’t usually guarantee a speedy payout with these offers. It says that it typically deposits Reward Shares within 30–45 days of the date your referred friend makes their first deposit into their Acorns Invest Account—or, more specifically, the date when the deposit “is settled,” meaning that Acorns has finished processing your friend’s payment.15

Which Acorns referral bonuses are available?

14. EarnIn

EarnIn is a financial app that lets you access part of your paycheck before payday. It offers a way to get paid early for hours you’ve already worked, instead of you having to wait for the end of the month or the date you usually get paid.

The best part is that EarnIn does not charge any mandatory fees (only for instant transfers and debit card services), although they accept optional tips from customers.

EarnIn includes a feature called “Tip Yourself,” which is a digital savings jar feature that you can use to save money on the EarnIn app. You can tip any amount between $1 and $100 per day.

EarnIn sometimes has welcome bonuses or referral bonuses for new users. It usually pays these bonuses via via “Tip Yourself deposit.”

If you use EarnIn’s standard speed option, you can transfer this money to your bank account within 1–2 business days (with the exact timeline depending on the time and day of the transfer).

Which EarnIn referral bonuses are available?

Check out these tips to earn more with referral bonus offers:

• Look for referral links or codes online: If you don’t already know someone who uses a platform or service, you can sometimes ferret out referral links or codes online (e.g., on social media), although not all platforms permit their customers to refer others in this way. Don’t forget to use your link or code when you’re signing up, as you won’t get your rewards if you skip this step.
• Beware of scams: Although you can find referral links or codes online, watch out for scams or broken links. These may result in no bonus or, worse, can open you up to phishing attempts. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Make sure any referral links take you to the correct site, and ignore offers that want you to share your Social Security number, bank login, or card details.
• Watch out for minimum payout thresholds: Some offers require you to earn a certain amount before you can cash out your rewards, so check this in advance whether this applies and, if so, whether the goal is achievable.
• Read the terms: In addition to minimum earnings thresholds, there may be other criteria you need to meet to qualify for referral bonus offers—as with many of the apps from our list—such as minimum deposit requirements. Check the rules and deadlines associated with an offer before you sign up.