When bitcoin surged past $35,000 in late October, hitting its highest price in 16 long months, the true believer hodlers who had ridden the wave and refused to sell could be forgiven for their smugness. Even more content than the hodlers, though, were those who’d quietly stacked sats and tokens through their usage of crypto rewards platforms like Swash, Brave, Lolli and others.
While it’s becoming easier than ever to acquire crypto, buying it from an exchange or swapping in-app via PayPal or CashApp aren’t the only options. Thanks to the steady rise of referral programs, learn-and-earn platforms, browser extensions, high-interest savings/staking accounts, survey sites and crypto credit cards offering cashback, there are now myriad ways to grow your digital holdings without parting with fiat.
How to Earn Passive Crypto with Ease
Availing oneself of the aforementioned options might have seemed like a thankless task when the market was struggling, but as soon as the mood music changes, so do perspectives. Those clever enough to have accrued crypto rewards over the last year are now sitting pretty, as prices jump off the back of spot bitcoin ETF approvals.
Of all the methods one can use to earn passive crypto income nowadays, perhaps the simplest and most remunerative are browser extensions and shop-to-earn platforms. With the former, all you have to do is surf the internet as you would ordinarily; with the latter, make the same online purchases you would in the typical course of your day. Thanks to the emergence of innovative Web3 applications and plugins, you can earn handsome token rewards on a consistent basis.
Take Swash as one example. This data-collecting browser extension flips the Web2 data model on its head, furnishing users with token rewards in exchange for collecting their browsing data and selling it on their behalf. The concept is known as browse-to-earn, with Swash acting as the middleman or data intermediary to connect your info with advertisers and other data buyers Simply put, the more you surf the web, the more data you generate and the more rewards you earn.
Available on all major browsers, including Chrome, Brave, Firefox and Microsoft Edge, Swash has been installed over 340,000 times by savvy users keen to earn a crust from allowing their data (excluding sensitive info like your name, email and passwords) to be used by marketers and brands. In the Chrome web store, the extension has racked up over 5,000 positive reviews giving it a five-star rating.
Recently, Swash introduced an Earn More tab to its core extension, providing users with the ability to increase their earnings by opting in to things like full-page ads when opening a new tab and ads as push notifications. Over time, Earn More, which is currently in beta, will encompass elements such as videos, games and partner product integrations. By answering surveys with Swash Earn, meanwhile, users can pocket up to $200 every month. The platform has linked up with leading survey providers like Cint, Bitlabs and CPX to offer this service, and surveys are tailored to users based on their browsing interests.
Some people might be put off by the idea of data-for-rewards, even if the payouts are attractive. After all, many users want to block out advertisers altogether and use privacy-preserving web browsers for this purpose. However, the nifty thing about Swash is that you don’t need to click on the ads to be rewarded; you are remunerated for your impressions and engagement instead.
Browse-to-earn, of course, is just one way of accruing tokens on the fly. You can also stake (lock up tokens in exchange for rewards), shop, vote, ‘learn-and-earn,’ compete for an airdrop, exercise (Sweat Economy, StepN) and copy trade. Not all that glitters is gold, however: some so-called earning platforms are hardly worth the effort with low payouts and high cash-out thresholds. If you’re keen to add to your crypto holdings, make sure you’re familiar with the terms and conditions at the outset.
Is the bear market over? Despite the endless op-eds, nobody really knows. Regardless of how the market’s performing, platforms which provide a passive income in crypto are destined to remain in vogue.