There are many ways to get small amounts of free cryptocurrency, including popular coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. None of them will make you rich, and each requires time and effort, but they can be worth you while if you’re interested in getting your feet wet with digitial currency.
The strategies on this list range from very easy to difficult, and are ranked based on a combination of the effort required and the earning potential.
#1. Get Cryptocurrency Sign-Up Bonuses
Some websites and apps offer crypto as a sign-up bonus. Crypto exchange platforms, like the ones listed below, are the most common places to find these promotions.
The current best offers are:
- Gemini. Get a welcome bonus based on your trading activity within the first 30 days. If you trade more than $100, you’ll get $15 in the cryptocurrency of your choice. For trades between $10,000 and $100,000, there’s a 15% trading fee rebate, and for trades over $100,000, the rebate increases to 25%. Learn more about the current Gemini promo.
- Coinbase. Spin a “wheel of rewards” after creating an account and making your first crypto purchase. Rewards range from $3 to $200 in USD or Bitcoin, with 89% of users receiving between $3 and $5, and 11% receiving between $6 and $200. Learn more about Coinbase’s current promo.
- OKCoin. Get $50 in BTC (for U.S. residents) or $10 in BTC (for non-U.S. residents) when you sign up for a new account, pass identity verification Level 2 (address, date of birth, phone number, and government-issued ID), and buy at least $100 worth of crypto within 31 days using deposited fiat currency. The rewarded BTC is locked in the account for 180 days.
See more of the best offers in our regularly updated list of the best crypto sign-up bonuses.
#2. Coinbase Learning Rewards
When you sign up for Coinbase, you get access to Coinbase Learning Rewards, which can be found in the Coinbase app under the “Learning Rewards” tab.
This is a platform that offers short modules that teach you about different cryptocurrencies. Each module takes a few minutes at most, and they pay out instantly.
As a Coinbase user, I take advantage of these offers as soon as they become available. The picture below shows the crypto I’ve earned through this method (and the amounts they’re worth in USD).
No deposit is required to access Coinbase Learning Rewards, but you do need to verify your account, which requires uploading a photo ID (a process that takes less than five minutes).
#3. Get Cryptocurrency as Cash-Back
Cryptocurrency cash-back sites give you a percentage of your online purchases back in the form of crypto (or in points that can be redeemed for crypto).
The top sites and apps that offer crypto as cash back include:
- Lolli, which is a free browser extension and mobile app that allows U.S. residents to earn up to 30% back in Bitcoin when shopping online at popular retailers. Earned rewards are automatically sent to your Lolli wallet and invested in Bitcoin. You’ll get a $5 bonus after making your first purchase.
- Swagbucks, which is a popular rewards and loyalty program that allows you to earn points by completing various online activities, such as shopping, taking surveys, and signing up for offers. You can redeem your points for rewards including a CryptoVoucher gift card, which can be used to purchase Bitcoin and Ethereum (minus about 11-13% in network transaction fees) on CryptoVoucherGiftCard.com.
#4. Cash-Back Credit and Debit Cards That Pay in Crypto
Many credit cards offer automatic cash-back on your purchases, either in the form of points or as statement credits. Recently, a new group of credit cards has emerged offering cryptocurrency rewards.
Here are two of the best options for crypto-back credit cards:
- The Gemini Card offers crypto rewards on purchases. There is no annual fee, and you can earn up to 3% back on dining, 2% on groceries, and 1% on all other purchases. Rewards are automatically deposited into your Gemini account when transactions occur. You can earn rewards in any cryptocurrency available on Gemini.
- Fold offers a crypto-back prepaid Visa card with two membership tiers: a free “Spin” tier and a $10 per month “Spin+” tier. The Spin tier allows users to earn Bitcoin rewards on purchases and spin a wheel for a chance to win Bitcoin, while the Spin+ tier offers higher rewards rates (1.5%+ in top categories, 0.5% in others), exclusive merchant offers, no international or ATM fees, and the ability to win up to 1 Bitcoin on the rewards wheel.
#5. Earn Interest on the Cryptocurrency You Already Own (Staking)
If you already own cryptocurrency, you can earn additional crypto rewards through staking, which involves delegating your digital assets to help validate transactions and secure a blockchain network.
Platforms like Coinbase offer a user-friendly way for beginners to stake their crypto holdings and earn rewards. Estimated annual returns range from 2% to 5% for some popular coins like Ethereum, Cardano and Solana.
More advanced crypto users may explore staking through platforms like Lido Finance and Rocket Pool, which often provide higher rewards but require a deeper understanding of the staking process and its associated risks.
When you choose to stake cryptocurrency, be aware of the risks involved. One of the main risks is that you’ll need to lock up your digital assets for a certain period of time, which can range from a few days to several weeks, depending on the specific blockchain network.
During this lock-up period, you won’t be able to access, trade or sell your staked assets, which could be problematic if you suddenly need to liquidate your holdings, or if the market experiences significant volatility.
#6. Earn Crypto By Playing Games
It’s worth noting that these days, the crypto rewards you get for playing the games below can vary greatly, and it could take a very long time to meet the minimum withdrawal amount.
This isn’t like the environment in 2021, where tens of thousands of people worldwide were playing crypto games as a career.
Here are some of the most popular crypto-earning games to try:
- Axie Infinity is one of the most popular and most established crypto games. It has a proven track record and a large, active community. The game revolves around collecting, breeding and battling cute creatures called Axies, represented as NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Splinterlands is a well-known collectible card game that runs on the Hive blockchain. Players can earn rewards by competing in battles and tournaments using their unique NFT cards.
- The Sandbox is a decentralized virtual world where players can create, share and monetize their gaming experiences. It emphasizes user-generated content and has attracted partnerships with major brands like Atari, Adidas and Gucci.
See more options in our guide on how to get paid to play games.
#7. Get Cryptocurrency Airdrops
Cryptocurrency airdrops are a unique marketing strategy for new cryptocurrencies that blockchain users with an active digital wallet can benefit from.
Essentially, an airdrop is when the creators of a new crypto randomly deposit coins or tokens into an active blockchain user’s wallet.
Sometimes, these coins and tokens are entirely free. Other times, the user may be asked to perform a task, such as retweeting about the new coin. The entire point of the airdrop is to spread awareness of the new currency.
Typically, these airdrops go to blockchain users who have either Bitcoin or Ethereum wallets.
Companies will always make it known that it is an official airdrop, but be wary of crypto deposits that don’t have any information surrounding them — this is a dusting scam in which malicious actors try to de-anonymize your crypto accounts.
Below are two sites you can utilize to learn when an airdrop may occur:
- Earndrop Alpha is and active Discord server with nearly 30,000 members who share information on Airdrops.
- Olimpiz is an X account that shares airdrop news and strategies.
#8. Get Free NFTs
Getting free NFTs is similar to receiving airdrops of coins. Some legitimate ways to find free NFTs are:
- Follow NFT projects on social media. Many upcoming NFT projects offer giveaways to their early supporters. Follow the official accounts of NFT projects you’re interested in on X, Discord and Telegram. Turn on notifications to stay updated on any giveaway announcements. If you’re looking for legitimate people to follow, famed angel investor Naval Ravikant has a curated list of crypto influencers on Twitter called “Crypto Core.” Kevin Rose, former CEO of Digg and founder of the popular NFT project Moonbirds, also has a small Twitter list of core NFT influencers on Twitter.
- Engage with the community. Don’t just follow but actively participate in discussions on social media and Discord servers related to the NFT projects. Creators often reward active community members with free NFTs.
- Participate in NFT-related contests. Creators may organize contests, such as art competitions or meme contests, where winners receive free NFTs as prizes. Look for these contests within the NFT communities you follow.
Remember, as with cryptocurrency airdrops, be cautious when claiming free NFTs. Always verify the source’s legitimacy, and never share your private wallet keys.
There are many scams, so this strategy isn’t for those new to managing their own private wallet. Binance has a good article on how to spot a Fake NFT Collection.
#9. Use Cryptocurrency Faucets
A cryptocurrency faucet is an app or website that pays you a small amount of cryptocurrency for completing a task, such as taking a short survey.
In general, the simpler the task is, the less you’ll get paid.
Most cryptocurrency faucets have a minimum withdrawal amount. On some sites, you can hit this amount in as little as a day, while on others, it could take months.
Here are two of the most well-known cryptocurrency faucets:
- Swagbucks offers a way for users to earn Bitcoin by redeeming points earned through various online activities like taking surveys and signing up for offers. Once you’ve accumulated enough points, you can redeem them for a CryptoVoucher gift card, which can then be used to acquire Bitcoin on CryptoVoucherGiftCard.com (although there is a network transaction fee of around 11-13%).
- Cointiply: This site’s earning methods include surveys, quizzes, and even chats. It pays in “Coins,” which can be exchanged for Bitcoin or Dogecoin.
#10. Use the Brave Web Browser
The Brave web browser is fast and compatible with most websites. It also has built-in ad blocking and web tracking protection. Its private browsing mode hides your web traffic using Tor, but its biggest appeal is that it offers a cryptocurrency wallet.
The browser’s currency is the Basic Attention Token (BAT), which is based on the Ethereum blockchain. As a user, you can select whether or not you want to earn a small portion of this currency in return for viewing advertisements.
Rather than simply displaying ads, a push advertisement will be sent. If you choose to view it, you will be paid. PCMag tested the browser for a day and earned about 7 cents.
While this may not seem like much, setting Brave as your default browser and viewing ads daily could be a nice addition to other strategies on this list. Plus, users laud the browser for its security and privacy features.
#11. Join r/Jobs4Bitcoins
r/Jobs4Bitcoins is a subreddit dedicated to odd jobs for those looking to earn Bitcoin.
With over 63,000 members, it’s a popular platform for finding small jobs and tasks in various fields, such as writing, graphic design, programming and virtual assisting.
To find work, simply browse the job postings and apply directly to the ones that interest you. Read the description carefully, communicate clearly with the poster, and use escrow services for larger projects.
Reddit allows users to earn MOON and BRICK tokens by contributing posts and comments that receive upvotes on the r/CryptoCurrency and r/FortNiteBR subreddits, respectively. The amount of tokens earned is based on your accumulated karma points, with highly upvoted posts and comments earning more tokens. Most commenters say they earn between $1 to $2 per hour for their contributions.
Free Crypto FAQs
The business model of each site or app varies.
Sign-up bonuses are offered because the site or company hopes you’ll join and then become a regular customer.
Cash-back portals make money for referring you to a merchant’s website; then they share a portion of that revenue with you.
Crypto faucets pay you for viewing ads (which they get paid for showing), or when you provide them with valuable data (such as through the completion of a survey).
Crypto airdrops use giveaways as advertising to raise awareness about new coins.
Crypto games make money by creating digital assets that have value, but in order to do this, they need an active player base — so they build free crypto earning opportunities into their game models.
A Satoshi is the smallest unit of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, and is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, who is believed to have created the protocols used in Bitcoin and blockchain. 100 million Satoshis is equal to a single Bitcoin. With free crypto sites, you’ll often be paid in Satoshis.
No. Crypto mining requires powerful computers that solve complicated mathematical equations, and which thus use significant amounts of electricity. While it is possible to make money through crypto mining, it’s certainly not free (and can be quite capital intensive to carry out at the scale necessary to become profitable).
How to Get Free Crypto: Summary and Final Thoughts
Yes, there are many different ways to get free crypto. But no, they’re not going to make you rich.
Out of all the options on this list, we think these are the best:
- Taking advantage of the best crypto sign-up bonuses will earn you the most free bitcoin per hour.
- Coinbase’s video series on crypto, which allows you to learn and earn free crypto at the same time, is a great starting point.
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