11 Sites That Will Pay You to Refer Your Friends

From taking surveys to selling your hair, opportunities to earn cash abound on the internet. Among the simplest ways to earn money online is to participate in referral programs.

Hundreds of companies around the web offer refer-a-friend programs, promising cash and other bonuses in exchange for every person you bring to their business. When you enjoy a particular product or service, you can recommend the provider to your friends, family and colleagues to reap rewards. To make a referral, you often must share a personalized referral link directly with friends or post your link on social media.

Here are 11 sites that will pay you for referrals. If you have had a praiseworthy experience with one of these companies, refer your friends to earn money, credits and other perks.

[See: 10 Signs You Shop Too Much.]

1. Amazon Prime: $5 credit. Amazon's membership program, called Amazon Prime, provides participants with free two-day shipping, video streaming and other perks. As a member of Amazon Prime, you can refer your friends to earn a $5 credit when they join and make a $5 purchase.

2. Airbnb: $20 credit. This short-term lodging service lets you earn credit toward future trips by referring friends. When you refer new users, they receive $40 in travel credit. When your referred friends book a reservation valued at $75 or more, you'll earn $20 in credit.

3. Hulu: $10 Visa eGift Card. When you refer new users to Hulu, the video streaming service will thank you with a $10 Visa eGift Card after they subscribe. The friends you refer will also enjoy a two-week free trial.

[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]

4. Seamless: $7 discount code. The food delivery site Seamless allows you to browse menus and order online from local restaurants. Seamless offers a referral program that rewards both you and your referred users with a $7 discount code. You can use your discount code to get $7 off your next Seamless delivery after they place their order.

5. Grubhub: $7 discount code. Grubhub is another food delivery website that pays you to refer new users. The Grubhub referral program is virtually identical to the Seamless program -- your referred friends get $7 off their first order of $15 or more, and you receive $7 off your next delivery after they've made their order.

6. Uber: free ride. Uber, a ride-hailing app, hands out free rides in exchange for referrals. As an Uber user, you can share your personal invite code with friends, who can use the code to get their first ride free. For each friend who joins Uber and takes their first ride, you'll get your next ride free.

7. Groupon: $10 in Groupon Bucks. A flagship deal-of-the-day website, Groupon grants $10 in Groupon Bucks for every qualifying referral who purchases a deal and spends $10 or more within 72 hours of signing up. You can apply Groupon Bucks toward any Groupon purchase.

8. Raise: $5 credit. This discounted gift card site offers a $5 credit for every purchase referrals make within 30 days of signing up. The friends you refer also get a $5 credit, which can be used toward Raise gift cards.

9. Ebates: $5 bonus. Ebates is a cashback site that hooks up users with coupons and cashback offers from online retailers. The company runs a refer-a-friend program, which rewards you with a $5 bonus when you invite new customers who make a qualifying purchase of $25 or more.

[See: 8 Big Budgeting Blunders -- and How to Fix Them.]

10. G Suite: $15 cash. G Suite is a Google app with email, online storage, shared calendars and other professional tools for businesses. With the G Suite referral program, you can refer professionals to earn $15 for every new user who signs up, and $15 for each referral's first 100 users.

11. Verizon Wireless: Up to $100 Visa Rewards Card. If you refer your friends to Verizon Wireless, the mobile service provider compensates you with a Visa Rewards card when they join. You can get a $25 card for one referral, a $50 card for two referrals and a $100 card for three referrals. You can earn a maximum of $100 per month. Meanwhile, your friends will each receive a $50 Visa Rewards card 45 days after activating their service.

Maria Cristina Lalonde, content editor at offers.com, devotes her time to blogging about shopping trends, consumer news and saving money. A graduate of Emerson College with a degree in writing, Maria makes regular appearances in publications like AskMen, Daily Finance and Consumer Reports. You can see more of her work and get tips for saving time and money on her blog at offers.com/blog.