Most people are aware that they can purchase cryptocurrency, and some people are even aware that they can “mine” cryptocurrency. However, few people know that you can earn cryptocurrency online.
Earning cryptocurrency as opposed to buying or mining it is attractive because you don’t have to shell out money in exchange for your tokens. This is an important distinction to make. When you buy cryptocurrency online, you’re exchanging your local government currency (example: the US dollar) for digital currency such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. And when you mine cryptocurrency, you typically have to purchase expensive hardware such as a graphics card or ASIC chip that will eventually (hopefully) pay for itself and then some. In both cases, you need to spend money to get your cryptocurrency. Earning cryptocurrency, however, has no capital investment requirements which is why it’s such an attractive way to build a cryptocurrency portfolio.
How do I earn cryptocurrency?
Join Earn.com, a social network that lets you earn you cryptocurrency
Earn cryptocurrency by replying to emails and completing simple tasks like surveys. It works on your phone, in any country, with no need for a bank account. It's like LinkedIn InMail, except you get paid! Earn money while waiting in line for a coffee, during your morning commute, or when you're bored at work.
Post your Earn profile on your existing social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn to drive traffic to them, and use the Gmail integration to automatically bounce emails sent to you by people not on your contacts list, and let them reach you by paying you in cryptocurrency.
Apply to lists depending on your skillset - such as the list for students, frontend programmers, and bitcoin buyers. Members of lists are eligible to receive questions relevant to their skillset that are not available to the broader user base.
Join a freelance cryptocurrency marketplace
Sites like Ethlance, /r/Jobs4Crypto, /r/Jobs4Bitcoins, bitgigs, XBTfreelancer, and Gitcoin are online freelance communities and marketplaces where you can find gigs that offer payment in bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
Browse gigs available on everything from designing graphics or websites in exchange for cryptocurrency, to even doing legal jobs over the internet for payment in cryptocurrency. Be careful to pay close attention to the reputation rating of the person you’re working with so you don’t get taken advantage of though.
Work at a company that pays employees in cryptocurrency
Coinbase is one of a few that gives their employees the ability to receive their salary in either dollars or bitcoin. Other startups such as bitwage partner directly with employers to offer employees the ability to receive part of their salary in cryptocurrency. Ask your current employer and future employer whether they offer the ability to receive all or some of your wage in cryptocurrency.
If you joined Coinbase in 2015 with a $50,000 salary and chose to receive your salary in Bitcoin, you’d have accumulated well over $1,000,000 at today’s prices! Coinbase’s first employee, Olaf Carlson-Wee, chose to do just that!
Offer your product, service, or asset on Craigslist in exchange for cryptocurrency
Craigslist and other in person marketplaces are great ways to earn cryptocurrency. For example, if you’re a landlord looking to diversify into cryptocurrency, you can setup a secure bitcoin wallet and advertise your rental. Some real estate developers are even selling apartments for cryptocurrency.
Some car dealerships are starting to accept bitcoin too. Lamborghini Newport Beach is one such example. Granted, they’re probably converting the bitcoin into local currency immediately, however, there’s nothing stopping you from selling your used Honda Civic on Craigslist in exchange for crypto and storing your cryptocurrency away in a safe place.
Accept tips in cryptocurrency
If you own a small business such as a restaurant, cafe, or shop, consider adding a ‘cryptocurrency tip jar’ by creating a cryptocurrency wallet, printing the QR code, and putting it on display for your customers. You can even put your QR code on a t-shirt, business card, or poster. The famous “bitcoin sign guy” created a poster that said “buy bitcoin” and held it up during a Congressional committee by Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen. The image of the sign went viral, and he received over 6 bitcoin for the stunt (valued today at over $40,000!).
Hopefully this list was helpful!