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Attend face-to-face focus groups

Traditional market research focus groups pay generously per session, though you're limited to a few a year. 

All it involves is giving opinions, usually with free sarnies, and you can walk away with £30 to £160. To get started, sign up with the top agencies listed in our list of Face-to-face focus groups.

Get paid to watch telly

Telly addicts can cash in by getting paid for their opinion. The Viewers sources research panels for broadcasters and programme makers.

Projects can include giving feedback on TV programmes before they hit screens, coming up with catchy titles or deciding which personalities should get more airtime.

You can attend face-to-face research groups (these are usually in big cities around the UK), fill in surveys online or do both.

Anyone over 16 who lives in the UK can sign up through the The Viewers' website – you'll have to fill in a questionnaire on your viewing habits, which takes 5-10 minutes. This allows it to provide info to TV companies that helps them either select the right demographic for each piece of research or make sure they are gathering a wide range of opinions.

Applications are reviewed before being added to the panel, which can take up to two weeks at busy times, but once approved you'll have the same chance of being selected for a project as existing members

How much? You'll get £40-£70 for face-to-face group discussions and it's usually paid in cash straight after the event. Occasionally there are online versions of a focus group, which pay the same amount via bank transfer, PayPal or Amazon email gift voucher. You should receive payment within a few days of the group taking taking place.

The average pay for online surveys is £2-£3 for a 10-15 minute survey. Members should receive payment within two weeks and can again choose between bank transfer, PayPal or Amazon email gift voucher. Unlike with many online survey sites, there's no minimum you have to earn before you can claim your cash.

Find out more: See a list of other websites where you can get paid for you opinion in our Survey Sites guide.

Become a mystery shopper

High-street retailers are desperate to check their in-store customer service is up to scratch, and contract mystery shopping agencies to do so.

They employ you to visit a specific shop or pub, to rate service quality or the quality of their goods. If you fancy a bit of 'cloak and dagger' identity, this can be great fun too.

Three of the most popular sites are Grass Roots, GBW (formerly Gapbuster) and Retail Maxim.

How much? Payment for this type of work varies hugely between agencies. Some pay in gift vouchers, others simply give you free items. Some will pay you cash too, sometimes as much as £30 a day.

Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the mystery shopping discussion thread.

Work from home

If you're unable to leave your home, whether due to childcare commitments or disability, working from your kitchen or spare room can leave you quids in too. Working on your own isn't for everyone though, so make sure you're OK with a spot of solitude.

Make £100s as a serial bank-account switcher

Some banks bribe you with free cash to switch. Repeatedly switch to bag sign-up bonuses and you could earn £100s.

One MoneySaver made £845 in three months, while another MoneySaving couple racked up £1,565 between them – just by switching bank accounts. For tips and the best incentives currently on offer, see Best Bank Accounts.

Earn cash online

If you've a computer or smartphone, there's a host of small ways to boost your coffers. Our 36 Make Money Online Tips lists 36 (legit) ways to make money online. 

You can get paid just to watch videos, write, search on Google, make your own YouTube clips and much more.

Get PAID over £4 to check your credit file(s)

It's crucial to ensure your credit files are correct – and you should do so regularly. But do it right and we've got a trick that gets you PAID to check your credit file.

Get paid £25ish/mth to watch vids and play games

Mega-popular with forumites, Swagbucks gets paid for ads/market research, and you get a cut – often being paid in a month. 

See Earn Cash Online for a full how-to, including a link for you to accrue £5 and get a bonus £10.

Bank with Nationwide? Get £100 each for you and a friend

If you've a Nationwide FlexAccount, FlexDirect or FlexPlus account, and you rate it, if you refer a friend who opens one and switches their bank account to it, you get £100 and so do they. 

You can refer up to five friends a year. See Best Bank Accounts for more details.

Get paid to check shops' prices

If you've an iPhone, take on a mission (should you choose to accept it) from free app Field Agent; it pays up to £10/job to check prices/snap photos. 

Yet you're competing against others for jobs, so don't get too excited. See our Make Money Online guide for this and more money-making apps.

Enter contests as a cash boosting hobby

From cars to £20,000 cash, five-star USA holidays to £10,000 Tesco gift cards or even two years' rent paid, MoneySavers have won it all. It's all about 'comping', a potentially profitable hobby for the lucky.

Comping's about systematically sourcing and entering hundreds of the contests, using web gadgets to fill out forms at speed, answer questions and help with tie-breakers. There's full help in the 40+ Comping Tips guide.