What if you could earn cashback rewards without spending any money? Turns out, you can. Here's how.
Traditional cashback has a fatal flaw: you have to spend money to earn money. That's not really "earning." It's just getting a small discount. But a new wave of reward apps pays you without requiring any purchase at all. Your attention, your location, your time. These all have value, and smart apps are finally paying for them.
Earn Rewards Without Spending a Dime
VISU pays you for real-world attention and location. No purchases required. Just show up and earn.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.
The Problem with Traditional Cashback
Traditional cashback apps like Rakuten, Ibotta, and credit card rewards all share the same fundamental problem: you must spend money first. Get 5% back on a $100 purchase? You still spent $95. That's not income. It's a discount disguised as a reward.
This model has other issues too. You're incentivized to buy things you don't need just to "earn" cashback. The best rewards often require minimum spending thresholds. Cashback takes weeks or months to actually hit your account. And you're training yourself to spend more, not less. For a deeper dive into these issues, see our analysis of the problem with traditional cashback apps.
The alternative? Earning rewards for things that cost you nothing: your attention, your location, your existing daily activities. This is the future of rewards, and it's already here.
Location-Based Rewards
Location-based rewards pay you for where you go, not what you buy. Visit a store, check in at a venue, walk past a location and earn. No purchase necessary.
How Location Rewards Work
Apps use your phone's GPS or Bluetooth to verify you're at a specific location. Brands pay to know that real people visited their stores or venues. You get a cut of that marketing value just for showing up. This is fundamentally different from traditional cashback because the value exchange doesn't require your money. Just your presence.
VISU — Leading Location Rewards
VISU pioneered the location-based reward model. You earn by visiting partner locations, scanning QR codes at venues, and engaging with real-world brand experiences. No purchase required for any of these. The rewards stack with any purchases you do make, so you're earning twice when you combine location rewards with traditional cashback apps.
Other Location Reward Apps
Shopkick pays points for walking into stores, though most earnings still come from purchases. Placed (now part of Foursquare) paid for passive location tracking, though it's less active now. Google Opinion Rewards occasionally asks location-based survey questions worth $0.10-$1.00 each. None match the pure location-reward model that VISU offers, but they show the market is moving this direction.
Attention Economy Apps
Your attention has value. Advertisers pay billions for it. Attention economy apps cut you into that value directly.
Video & Content Rewards
Some apps pay you to watch videos, view ads, or engage with content. The earnings are modest but require zero spending. Swagbucks pays for watching video playlists, typically $0.50-$2.00 per hour of passive viewing. TikTok Lite in some markets pays for watching videos you'd watch anyway. Various survey apps include video watching as an earning method.
Attention Verification
Newer apps verify that you actually paid attention to an ad or experience, then reward accordingly. This is more valuable than passive video watching because verified attention is worth more to advertisers. VISU's model includes attention verification for real-world brand experiences, paying more than simple check-ins. Learn more about this concept in our guide to getting paid for your attention.
Passive Earning Methods
These methods earn rewards with zero active effort and zero spending.
Walking & Activity Rewards
Sweatcoin converts outdoor steps into currency redeemable for products or cash. You'll earn roughly 1 Sweatcoin per 1,000 outdoor steps, worth about $0.05-$0.10 per 1,000 steps when redeemed well. It's completely passive since the app tracks steps in the background with no daily check-ins required. See our complete guide to apps that pay you to walk for more options.
Data Sharing Rewards
Some apps pay for sharing anonymized data. Honeygain pays for sharing unused internet bandwidth, earning $0.10-$0.30 per GB shared. That works out to roughly $20-$50/month for most users. Nielsen Mobile Panel pays up to $50/year for installing their passive tracking app. These trade privacy for payment, so read terms carefully.
Receipt Scanning (Retroactive)
While technically requiring a purchase to exist, receipt apps like Fetch Rewards pay for any receipt regardless of what you bought. Earn points even on receipts from purchases you made for others. This is the closest traditional apps get to "cashback without buying" since you're not required to buy specific things. See our best receipt scanning apps guide for the top options.
Stack Location Rewards on Everything
VISU adds an earning layer to every place you visit. Combine with passive apps to maximize your no-spend rewards.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.
Spending vs Non-Spending Rewards
Let's compare what you actually earn from spending-required vs no-spend reward methods:
| Method | Requires Spending? | Monthly Potential | Net Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Card Cashback (2%) | Yes ($2,000 spend) | $40 | -$1,960 (spent $2,000) |
| Rakuten (5% avg) | Yes ($500 spend) | $25 | -$475 (spent $500) |
| VISU Location Rewards | No | $20-$50* | +$20-$50 (spent $0) |
| Sweatcoin (walking) | No | $5-$15 | +$5-$15 (spent $0) |
| Honeygain (data) | No | $20-$50 | +$20-$50 (spent $0) |
| Attention/Survey Apps | No | $30-$100 | +$30-$100 (spent $0) |
*VISU rewards are currently in accumulation phase. Estimates based on projections for when withdrawals are enabled.
The math is clear: traditional cashback only makes sense if you were going to spend that money anyway. No-spend rewards are pure profit. The smartest approach is combining both. Use cashback on necessary purchases, and stack no-spend rewards on top.
Building Your No-Spend Rewards Stack
Here's how to maximize earnings without spending anything:
Layer 1: Location rewards. Install VISU and earn from places you already visit. Coffee shops, grocery stores, malls, gyms. If you're going anyway, you should be earning. This is the foundation of your no-spend stack.
Layer 2: Walking rewards. Install Sweatcoin and let it run in the background. You're already walking, so you might as well convert steps into rewards. Zero extra effort required.
Layer 3: Attention rewards. Use Google Opinion Rewards for quick location surveys. Add Swagbucks for passive video watching during downtime. Every few minutes of attention converts to a few cents.
Layer 4: Data rewards (optional). If you're comfortable with it, Honeygain pays for bandwidth you're not using. This is passive income that runs 24/7 without any action from you.
Total potential: $75-$200/month in pure profit from activities that cost you nothing. Compare that to the $40/month you'd "earn" by spending $2,000 on a cashback credit card.
When to Use Traditional Cashback
Traditional cashback still makes sense in specific situations. For necessary purchases you'd make anyway, stack cashback on top of no-spend rewards. For large purchases like electronics or travel, the cashback percentages can add up significantly. For category bonuses where you naturally spend heavily (like groceries or gas), cashback cards optimize real spending.
The key is treating cashback as optimization of necessary spending, not as a reason to spend. If an item isn't worth buying without the cashback, it's not worth buying with it either. For more on optimizing traditional cashback when you do need to spend, see our best cashback apps guide.
FAQ — Cashback Without Buying
Can you really earn cashback without spending money?
Yes. Location-based apps like VISU pay for visiting places. Walking apps like Sweatcoin pay for steps. Attention apps pay for watching content or answering surveys. None require purchases. The amounts are smaller than spending-based cashback, but the net gain is actually higher because you're not spending first.
How much can I earn from no-spend reward apps?
Realistically, $50-$200/month by stacking multiple apps. Location rewards contribute $20-$50, walking apps add $5-$15, attention and survey apps provide $30-$100, and data sharing apps offer $20-$50. The exact amount depends on your activity level and location.
Are location-based reward apps safe?
Reputable apps like VISU are safe. They use location data to verify visits, not to track your every movement. Always check privacy policies and app permissions. Stick to well-reviewed apps from official app stores. See is VISU legit for more on safety.
Why do companies pay for location visits?
Foot traffic data is valuable for brands. They want to know how many people visit stores, how long they stay, and whether promotions drive visits. Your anonymized visit data helps brands measure marketing effectiveness. You're getting paid for data they previously had to estimate or pay research firms for.
Can I stack no-spend rewards with traditional cashback?
Absolutely, and you should. Visit a store with VISU active (location reward), buy something with a cashback card (spending reward), scan the receipt with Fetch (receipt reward). One trip, three earning streams. This is covered in detail in our passive income apps guide.
What's the catch with no-spend reward apps?
The main trade-off is data. Location apps know where you go. Data sharing apps use your bandwidth. Attention apps track what you watch. You're trading privacy for payment. For most people, this is acceptable given the earnings, but read privacy policies if you're concerned.
Start Earning Without Spending
VISU rewards you for locations you already visit. No purchases required. Pure profit from your daily routine.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.