Free money online: what really exists and what is bait
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“Free money online” and “real money online” are queries people type in hoping to find a way to get money without putting anything in. No such way exists, but there are a few things that resemble it: companies pay you for becoming their customer, refund part of the purchase price or give away prizes. It is real money, only small and one-off.
This part of the guide covers which “free money” is real, how much it is worth, when you have to pay taxes on a prize and how to tell an offer from bait.
In short
- Real “free money” is a marketing budget: a sign-up bonus, cashback, a prize in a competition. You get it once, not every month.
- Wherever the money is promised to be transferred only “after you pay a fee”, “after you confirm your identity with a card” or “after you make a deposit”, the money travels in one direction only – away from you.
- A prize of up to 200 € received not from your employer is not taxed if you receive no more than six of them per year from the same person.
Where “free” money comes from
Nobody gives money away for no reason. When a company pays a new customer, it is buying a customer: it calculates that over a year it will earn more from you than it paid out. That is why real offers have three features in common: the amount is small, it is paid once, and to get it you have to do something that benefits the company – open an account, make a purchase, invite a friend.
| What it is | What you have to do | What to expect | Where the catch is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | Become a new customer of a bank, an app or a shop, often also make a first payment or purchase | A one-off small amount or a discount | The conditions: a deadline, a minimum purchase amount, new customers only |
| “Invite a friend” | Share a link; you get the bonus when the friend meets the conditions | As many times as friends actually register | You quickly run out of friends; sending the link to strangers is spam |
| Cashback | Buy through a cashback portal or with a particular card | A few per cent of what you spend anyway | It is a discount, not earnings: to “get” it, you first have to spend |
| Competitions and promotional prizes | Take part in a shop's or brand's promotion | Most often nothing; sometimes a prize | Fake competitions collect data – see below |
| Surveys and microtasks | Give your time | Cents per task | This is no longer free money but time sold very cheaply |
We deliberately do not give specific amounts here: they change every few months, and the valid conditions are always in the rules of the offer itself. If there are no rules or they fit into one sentence – that is already an answer.
How much it is worth
If you add up all the real offers one person can use in a year, you get a one-off amount that is not worth calling earnings. For comparison: the minimum hourly wage in Lithuania in 2026 is 7.05 € gross. If meeting the conditions takes an hour of registrations, identity checks and waiting, and the bonus is smaller – it would be cheaper to work that hour.
A sensible rule: use an offer only when you needed the service anyway. An account you will not use or a purchase you did not plan is not paid for by the bonus.
Baits that pose as free money
Scammers know very well what people are looking for, so the promise of “free money” is one of the most common lures. The schemes repeat themselves:
- “You have won – pay the fee.” They inform you of a win in a lottery or competition you did not take part in and ask you to cover “transfer”, “customs” or “tax” costs.
- “Confirm your card.” To “receive the payout”, you are asked to enter the card number, expiry date and CVV or to log in to your bank. An account number is enough to receive money.
- A fake survey or questionnaire. A reward is promised for the answers, but in fact contact details are being collected – later a “consultant” calls.
- “Deposit multiplying”. You pay in an amount that is promised to be doubled within a day. On the screen it grows, but you cannot withdraw it.
- Gift card and cryptocurrency “giveaways”. Send a little – you will get double. You will not.
Real cases from police reports
- Vilnius, October 2026. A woman (born 1944) filled in a survey questionnaire on the social network Facebook. She was contacted by persons who introduced themselves as “personal data and property protection specialists” and swindled her out of 20 000 €.
- Tauragė, October 2026. A man (born 2001) arranged a “deposit multiplying” service through an app, transferred 360 € and did not receive the promised profit.
If you have already transferred money or entered your details – first call your bank, then report it to the police via epolicija.lt or by phone on 112.
How to tell the difference in a minute
Five questions before registering
- Who pays and why? If it is unclear what the company earns from, it earns from you.
- Are there rules with a company name and code? A real promotion has an organiser, a deadline and conditions.
- Are you asked to pay in order to receive? Any fee before a payout is a sign of a scam.
- What data is requested? An account number is enough for a payout. A CVV, a Smart-ID confirmation or logging in to your bank is not needed.
- Are you being rushed? “Today only”, “3 places left” – pressure so that you have no time to think.
Prizes and taxes
A prize you have won is income too. According to the explanation of the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI), prizes and winnings received not from your employer during sports competitions, promotions or events are not taxed if the value of one prize does not exceed 200 € and you receive them from the same person no more than six times per tax period. More expensive prizes are subject to 15 % personal income tax (20 % for very large annual amounts).
When the prize is awarded by a Lithuanian company, the company itself withholds and pays the tax. When the prize is received from a foreign company, the resident has to pay the tax themselves. So a “foreign competition in which you won a car” is not free even when it is real.
What to do instead
If the goal is not a one-off bonus but money every month, you need a way in which you give something: time, a skill or a recommendation. The simplest of them to start with is an affiliate link: you recommend a product you know and get a commission for every sale. Registration is free, but it is work, not a gift.
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to get money online completely free?
One-off money – yes: sign-up bonuses, cashback, prizes. There is no such thing as regular income without work or investment.
How do I know that a “free money” offer is a scam?
If before the payout you have to pay, enter your card details or make a deposit – it is a scam. An account number is enough for a real payout.
Do I have to pay taxes on a prize I have won?
A prize of up to 200 € received not from your employer is not taxed if you receive no more than six of them per year from the same person. More expensive prizes are subject to personal income tax.
Is it worth collecting sign-up bonuses?
Only if you need the service anyway. As a way of earning it does not pay off: the amounts are small and the offers are one-off.
Sources
- Valstybinė mokesčių inspekcija. Prizų, laimėjimų ir dovanų apmokestinimas pajamų mokesčiu
https://www.vmi.lt/evmi/documents/20142/391092/KM1789+priz%C5%B3%2C+laim%C4%97jim%C5%B3+ir+dovan%C5%B3+apmokestinimas+pajam%C5%B3+mokes%C4%8Diu.pdf/e9d8ba3b-dcd3-4117-7a14-22fa69118c3d - Socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija. Darbo apmokėjimas
https://socmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/darbo-rinka-uzimtumas/darbo-teise/darbo-apmokejimas/ - Lietuvos bankas. Investavimas: kaip atpažinti sukčius
https://www.lb.lt/lt/investavimas-kaip-atpazinti-sukcius - Lietuvos bankas. Pakliuvau sukčiams: ką daryti?
https://www.lb.lt/lt/pakliuvau-sukciams-ka-daryti - Lietuvos policija. Paros įvykių suvestinės
https://policija.lrv.lt/lt/ivykiu-suvestines/
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