2 Ways To Get an NUS Extra Card – Without Being A Student

UPDATE: Unfortunately, it appears online courses are no longer being accepted for purchasing the NUS extra card. If anything changes I will update this post accordingly.

Don’t you just love being able to save money on your purchases?

10% here, 5% there…it all adds up.

The great news is, you can even save money using an NUS extra card, without being a student.

These methods are 100% legitimate and will allow you potentially save £100s a year.

As a Uni student, I LOVED getting discounts and thought that would be the end of it when I finished…but luckily, I found 2 ways to continue to get the NUS extra card without being a student and keep on saving!

So, now it’s my turn to share this great tip with you!

What is an NUS Extra Card?

NUS stands for the National Union of Students, and the NUS extra card is the #1 student discount card which allows you to have discounts at over 200 UK stores.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a student in order to purchase the NUS extra card!

Why Should You Get The NUS Extra Card?

If you’re someone who shops a lot and loves to save money, then and NUS extra card is definitely worth considering.

How To Get The NUS Extra Card?

I’ve found 2 methods of getting the NUS extra card without being a student, so hopefully, you’ll find one that suits you.

Note: If you are a student, then you can head over to nus.org.uk and follow the steps from ‘step 2’ below, entering your University of study. You can get your card sent to your Uni free of charge, or pay an extra £1 to have it delivered to your home.

Method #1: Sign Up For An Online Course Using Discount Sites

You could apply for an NUS extra card by signing up directly for an online course at sites such as e-careers and New Skills Academy. However, this method would be more costly (generally over £100).

Instead, the most cost-effective way to do this is by using discount websites such as Go-Groopie, Living Social, and Groupon to purchase a course…at about 90% off. If you click the links below you will be taken to a range of courses that are currently available for you to choose from:

=> GoGroopie – Eligible Courses From Just £4!

=> Living Social – Eligible Courses From Just £8!

=> Groupon – currently don’t have any eligible courses

Here’s a list of eligible online course providers:

• New Skills Academy
• e-Careers
• CareerMatch (Groupon)
• Oplex Careers
• NCC Home Learning
• Blue Mountain Training Solutions

Tip #1: Remember to look at the online course merchant when purchasing through the discount site, to make sure your course is eligible.

Tip #2: Before making a purchase on these sites, take a look at cashback sites such as TopCashBack and Quidco, to see if you can also earn some of your money back.

There are a few courses to choose from, so maybe you could look at learning a new skill, and/or have something extra to add to your CV.

Step 1: Once you’ve purchased your e-course, you’ll be sent a voucher code, which you will be able to redeem at the eligible course merchant. Here’s an example below using e-Careers. (But the same should apply for other merchants.)

Redeem your e-Careers Voucher

Once redeemed, you can now purchase your NUS extra card.

Step 2: Go to nus.org.uk and select “Buy your NUS extra card now”, in the top right-hand corner.

Click “Buy Your NUS Extra Card Now”

Step 3: Enter your email address, then select “Buy or renew your NUS extra card now”.

Enter your email and click “Buy or renew your NUS extra card now”

Step 4: Type your merchant course provider. In this example, you’ll type in ECareers as your place of study, then Continue.

Type In ECareers as your place of study

Step 5: Enter your course details. Most of the e-courses will last for 1 year, but yours could be longer, so check the course details to find out. Select the course level and course disciplines from the drop-down menus.

Enter in Your Course Details

Step 6: Select a photo for your card. If you want to come back and finish it, you can also enter your email and “save for later”.

Select a Photo

Step 7: Enter your details, then view your order summary

Enter your details

Step 8: Select the home delivery option and then make your payment. (For home delivery, it’s an extra £1)

Pay for your card

Once you’ve paid, you can then view your order, and your card should be delivered within 7 days.

Method #2: Find out if your University offers the NUS extra card to its former students

When I first finished Uni I was able to get a 1-year NUS extra card as a graduate. I’ve recently learned they have stopped this, but it is possible to get the NUS card as a former student of your university.

However, not all Unis do this. I was a former student at Brighton University, and that’s how I was able to get my current NUS card. I emailed the alumni team, and they sent me the instructions to get my NUS card.

So, if you’re interested and want to know if the NUS extra card is available for alumni/former students at your University, I would suggest contacting them to find out or taking a look at their website.

NUS Extra Card Top-ups You May Want To Consider

Gormet society – £3.99/year

With the Gourmet society add-on, you get extra savings with 5,000 restaurants. Discounts include 2-for-1 meals, 50% off food or 25% off food bill. All this for an additional £3.99 a year.

OR you could get 3 months now for only £1

ISIC card – 1 year FREE with NUS extra card

ISIC stands for International Student Identity Card. This card allows you to have additional discounts internationally. Previously the ISIC card would cost an additional £1 with the NUS card, but they have recently included 1 year totally FREE. This is a great saving, as the ISIC card on its own is £12.00. It is accepted in 130 countries, and you can get discounts on worldwide flights and hotels. You can always take a look at their website for other discounts available.

What Discounts Are Available With NUS Extra?

There are so many discounts available, it would be very long for me to list them all, so I will list some that are popular below:

Health and Beauty:

• 10% Superdrug

Eating Out:

• 20% Giraffe
• 20% Frankie and Benny’s
• 25% of £25 at dominos
• up to 50% off at 5,000 restaurants with the Gourmet Society add-on

Entertainment:

• up to 54% off at Thorpe Park
• up to 53% off at Chessington
• up to 42% off at Alton Towers
• up to 40% off at Legoland
• up to 40% off at Sea Life
• 25% off at Odeon cinemas

Fashion:

• 10% off New Look
• 10% off Forever 21
• 10% off Miss Selfridges
• 10% off Aldo

Health and Fitness:

• No joining fee with ‘The Gym’ (now there’s no excuse not to go!)
• 20% off Vision Express

Music:

• 50% off Spotify
• 5% off at Amazon

Supermarkets:

• 10% off at The Co-op

Travel:

• £20 off your first Uber journey
• 25% off National Express Coaches
• 2 for 1 on first two driving lessons, then save £5/hour with RED driving school
• 12% off 16-25 Railcard (Also, if you get a 3-year Railcard just before your 24th birthday, you can keep the railcard discounts coming until your 27 yrs!)

After all that, there’s still loads more discounts available!

You can check out the NUS website for a full list of current discounts. (and don’t forget to keep an eye on the small print. For example, Odeon discount is only available Monday-Thursday)

NUS Extra Mobile App

Furthermore, you can download the NUS extra mobile app, and get to view discounts on the go, for Android and iOS

NUS Extra Card – Is It Worth it?

Overall, I think it is definitely worth it!  But only you can be the real judge of that. For example, if you were to purchase an e-course for £4 on GoGroopie, then pay £13 for the NUS extra card (inc. delivery), that would be a total of just £17!

I’ve already save £60 a year with my 50% Spotify discount, as well as more savings with other purchases. So, now think about all the savings you could make with your shopping/purchases in a year. You could easily save that much and lots more with the NUS extra discount card. In the end, all the discounts add up.

However, I feel you should only get the card if you believe you will benefit from the discounts. Take a look at the list above, do you shop/visit any of these places regularly? If so, then why not get the card. Maybe you’re a parent and want to take your kids on fun trips during the holidays, you could make lots of savings on amusement parks, and coach travel etc.

Whatever your reasons are for wanting the NUS extra card, I hope you found this post useful! 

Be sure to join the conversation and let me know, what discounts will you be using your NUS card on?

How To Make Extra Money Online From Home In The UK

I want to share with you some of the ways you can make money online in the UK, working from home.

As someone who lives in the UK, the methods I share will be ones that I’ve personally used myself to make money online, as well as sites that are popular, that others have used to make money online.

Some of the methods I mention pay in $ dollars, therefore they can also be used by non-UK citizens. (Note: You can still cash out from sites that pay in dollars if you live in the UK). 

So, whether you’re looking to make some extra money from home, or a way to build a full-time income, here’s how to make extra money online from home in the UK. I’m sure you’ll find a few new methods that will work well for you. 

If you continue reading until the end, I’ll share with you the method that made me £500+ in the 2 months as a complete beginner, and is making some people up to £2000 monthly.  If you get started today you could earn up to £45 with a free trial.

Test websites/Mobile Apps:

Whatusersdo:

Whatusersdo is a site that lets you earn money for testing websites. Payment is made through Paypal, and it takes only 5-10 minutes to sign up. If you sign up, you can enter my referral code: 186584

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• £5 website test (as of December 2016) – usually takes up to 20 minutes, but this may vary.

Other available countries: US, China, France, Germany and Netherlands

Usertesting:

Usertesting is my personal favourite user testing website. At the time of writing, I have made $219 (approx £153) since joining, and I am still able to earn $10-$15 regularly. They pay via Paypal, and it’s free to join. You can start getting tests right away.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• $3 for short tests – usually take 5 mins
• $10 per website test – usually takes 10-20 minutes
• $15 per mobile/smartphone test – usually takes 10-20 minutes

Ferpection:

Ferpection is a site I came across a little while ago, and it is a French-based user testing website. I’ve currently made 50 euros (approx £40). Most tests are carried out using your mobile device, and you take screenshots of the site according to the task, then upload the screenshots with your review of your experience. You do not need to have a microphone for this test, this can all be done using your mobile device.

You get paid at the end of each month, usually the last Friday, if your balance is £20+. I’ve already been able to cash out £25 to my PayPal account.

I don’t use this site as often as the others, but it’s still a nice way to earn some additional income from time to time.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• 5-10 euros per test, takes up to 20 minutes

You May Like This: “3 Genuine Ways To Make Money Online Searching The Web”

Paid Surveys:

MintVine:

Mintvine is my personal favourite survey site online. They are a relatively new survey site, and I am still quite new to the site. I have already cashed out $10.21 and have over $8 so far. (See my review + payment proof here)

There are multiple ways to earn some points, and once you reach 1000 points you are able to cash out $10. You can also check out my video review on YouTube. You can even get points if you don’t qualify for a survey. It doesn’t happen all the time but I think it’s nice that you can get rewarded for that.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• 1000 points = $10. Payment through PayPal, or can exchange into gift cards. (Paypal payout can take a little while, mine took over 1 week, but it does pay)

Prolific Academic:

Prolific Academic is a survey site that is based on academic research. Academics, with a valid university email address,  give you their research for users like you to participate in and get paid. It’s free to sign up, and it has a low payment threshold of £5, which doesn’t take too long to reach. You get emails sent to you when new tests become available. I haven’t been given a survey that I didn’t qualify for, which is a nice relief compared to other survey sites.

At the time of writing I have already earned £6.20, and if you wait until you reach £20, then you avoid any PayPal fees. (see my review + payment proof here)

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• So far I’ve seen survey payments range from £0.50 to £1.00 per survey (Update: You can now earn up to £4 per survey)

InboxPounds:

There are many ways to get paid with InboxPounds, and they include

• Paid surveys
• Get paid to read emails
• Get paid to search
• Completing tasks
• Cash offers
• …to name a few

The emails get sent to your inbox, and when you click “Confirm the paid email”, you’ll get paid. I’ve noticed that the payment is £0.01 per email…but if you complete the offer advertised in the email you can also get paid for that. So far I’ve seen some offers up to £4. You can also get paid to search online using Inbox Pounds as your search engine. You need to have £20 in order to cash out, and you get paid via cheque.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• Very low in my opinion, you make more if you spend time doing the surveys and offers, but I personally like to spend my time on other make money opportunities. However, it is nice to get paid to read emails and search online, and it requires very little work. So far I’ve seen up to 4 emails a day, sometimes it can be more. I have yet to cash out, so I’m not sure how long or how simple the process is, but once I do cash out I will do an update.

There is also a US version called InboxDollars which is the essentially the same thing, with a cash out threshold of $30

You May Like This: “OfferNation Review – What Is Offer Nation? (+ payment proof)”

Selling Products Online

eBay:

I’ve been selling on eBay for over 1.5 years, and in that time I’ve made £6000+ in sales (this isn’t taking into account the cost of shipping and eBay’s fees), and within 1 year I earned Top Rated Seller status. At first, I was selling things on the side and then started turning it into a part-time income.

It’s pretty easy to get started, you don’t need any initial costs, and you can set up a free account here now. You can start by selling used or unwanted items around your house, and once you generate enough you can think about buying and reselling products. I use Aliexpress, DHgate, and Alibaba to purchase my stock to resell. Overall, I prefer Aliexpress, as they have a low minimum order quantity (MOQ), which means you can order in small amounts if you’re on a budget, and sometimes the prices of products you add to your basket or wishlist can be reduced, so you get them at a sale price. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re new to selling on eBay.

Earning Potential:

• There’s no limit to how much you earn
• When I started with eBay, I made money within the first few hours of listing my product. So if you’re lucky you could make money today from eBay. When putting the cost of your product think about eBay fees and postage costs.
• I recommended following  Andrew Minalto for very useful tips about selling on eBay.

Amazon:

This platform is better for selling new products, however, I have made money selling used items too. It’s free and easy to sign up. When pricing your items, Amazon shows you how much the seller fees will be, and how much you can expect to make, which is very handy, so you don’t have to do it all manually. As a new seller, you are restricted from selling some products, such as perfumes, but there are still other products you can sell, and once you become more established, you’ll be able to sell more items. One other advantage is that you don’t have to write descriptions for your item if it’s new, as it’s already available on Amazon. You can also source products to resell from Aliexpress, DHgate, and Alibaba.

Earning Potential:

• There’s no limit to how much you can earn
• You can make it a part-time or full-time income

Etsy:

I personally don’t have much experience selling on Etsy, but I know there are people who are making a lot of money with it. It’s great if you’re good at arts and crafts, and you can sell your creations on there. Things you can create to sell on Etsy include:

• Jewellery
• Cards
• Home decor
• …to name a few

Earning Potential:

• There’s no limit to how much you can earn
• Can make it a part-time or full-time income

 Make a Dollar Online Right Now

Sign up to Timebucks and you could earn $1 in the next few minutes with their sign up bonus. You can get paid to:

• Watch Videos
• Take Surveys
• Snap Selfies
• Completing Simple Tasks
• Mining Cryptocurrencies
• Free Money Tab

Affiliate Marketing:

Affiliate Marketing is basically a method of promoting other people’s products and receiving a commission for a sale that is made.

Anyone can get started with affiliate marketing and it doesn’t require any start-up costs. In order to really do well with affiliate marketing you’ll need:

• A website
• Affiliate products
• Training

My recommended training for starting with affiliate marketing is Wealthy Affiliate (see review). They offer the training you need to get started, and it’s free to join. You can sign up as a free member here, and if you like what you see you can upgrade to premium membership. The great thing is that you can remain a free member as long as you like. But if you’re really serious about making money with affiliate marketing I would encourage you to upgrade. Either way, both options are available.

With a free account you get:

• 2 FREE websites
• Training
• and help from the Wealthy Affiliate online community

These are very helpful for when you’re just starting out.

Earning Potential:

• There’s no limit to how much you can earn
• There are multiple affiliate programs to choose from, therefore, multiple ways to earn affiliate income online

Discover how I’m able to earn affiliate commissions like this in my free guide to making money online…

You may like this: “How To Kickstart Your Affiliate Marketing Business with No Money”

Earn Cashback Online

TopCashBack:

TopCashBack is my favourite cashback site. A site like this basically allows you to get earn some money back when you shop online. I use it for my online purchases. You can also even earn cashback on some free offers which is nice. If you download the TopCashBack notifier, you can get a pop-up notification whenever you visit a site that is offering cashback, therefore, you don’t need to manually remember to check your cashback account.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential: 

• Depends on how much online shopping you do.

Quidco:

Quidco is another popular cashback site in the UK. I usually look here if I can’t find someone on TopCashBack, but most of the time I can. I haven’t used this site much, but I know many people do, and earn a lot.

Price to Join: Free

Earning Potential:

• Depends on how much online shopping you do.

For Those in the US: You can check out Ebates, which is also a cashback site available to US citizens.

Bonus: Method Which Has Made Me £500+ in just over 2 Months

Matched Betting

Matched Betting is a technique that involves taking advantage of bookmaker offers in order to make a guaranteed profit. So in essence, you are betting on all outcomes of a sporting event, so that no matter what happens, you make a profit. It is a legitimate and genuine way to make money online, which has even been suggested by MSE and Save the Student (which is where I actually first found out about Matched Betting.)

With Matched Betting, I have been able to make £500+ in just over 2 months. There are people who are able to make £1000-£2000 a month with this. I currently do this on the side, and you can get started with as little as £50. The higher you start with the more money you’ll make, but if you’re a complete beginner, and still unsure I’d recommend starting with a minimum of £50-100.

Please feel free to check out My Matched Betting Experience blog for more information about Matched Betting, and be sure to check out the Profit Accumulator review, which is my recommended program for anyone who is a beginner and wants to have a step by step guide to follow, with video and written tutorials. With the Profit Accumulator free trial, you can earn up to £45.

I made £35 overall with my free trial, of which £11 was made in my first 24 hours. Also, the money you make with Matched Betting is tax-free!

Price to Join:

• Profit Accumulator has a free trial offer.
• But you need a minimum of £50 to get started with Matched Betting

Earning potential:

• £200-1000/month
• But some people are making up to £2000/month

I hope you’ve found this list of how to make extra money online from home in the UK very useful, and I hope you have now found some new profitable ways to make money online.

Pin This For Later

Have you tried any of these methods?

What’s your favourite way to make money online in the UK?

Do you have any other ways you make money online?

Please feel free to share your thoughts/and comments below. 

Struggling To Make Money Online? Here Are 7 Reasons Why

Struggling to make money online?

I feel this is an important topic to delve into, because so many of us ask ourselves, “why am I not making money online?”. So I want to share 7 of the main reasons why you may be struggling to make money online. I haven’t written these to put you down, I have written them to make you aware of what you may be doing wrong, and what you need to improve about your mindset in order to really succeed in the online world.

Reason #1: You Assume That Making Money Online Is Easy

Although there are some sites that you can genuinely earn money from, that require little work, those sites will not earn you a liveable amount. They’re mostly side incomes, something you can do in your spare time to earn a little extra money, to cover a monthly subscription, such as a phone bill.

In order to really make money from an online business, you need to understand and realise that making money requires hard work. Yes, many people are making passive income, however, it took a lot of work and dedication to get there.

Reason #2: You Don’t Really Know How To Convert Traffic To Buyers

Now, I can totally identify with this one. When I first started my Make Money Online journey, I thought the most important thing I needed to do was get traffic to my site, and that my visitors will automatically become buyers. Needless to say, I got it wrong. I spent a lot of time and money on the wrong kind of traffic. I spent ages earning credits manually with traffic exchange sites, and spent hundreds on sites that promised “unlimited traffic”. Yes, I got the traffic, but unfortunately, this was not the traffic I needed if I was going to get people to buy my products.

Things began to change when I joined Wealthy Affiliate. It’s was at this point that I realised that I needed targeted traffic in order to improve my chance of sales, and they teach you how to work towards getting quality visitors who are more likely to buy your products.

Reason #3: You Don’t Realise How Much Time Is Required

Making money online can take some time

Now, if your goal is to earn passive income with your business, then you’ll need a lot of time to get there. Although I am able to make money online, I am still working towards my passive income goals. However, I am not letting the time I have pass me by. I use as much time as I can working on ways to improve my business, and how to improve my earnings. When I first started my Make Money Online journey, I didn’t realise the time and effort that would be involved. So I can totally understand if you also don’t know. However, this is why I want to help you know and understand the truths about making money online, and starting an online business.

Reason #4: You’re Jumping From One Opportunity To The Next

There’s a term used online for this behaviour, it’s called “Shiny Object Syndrome”. That was me at the beginning of my journey. I was jumping from one shiny opportunity to the next, hoping to find the next big thing that would earn me lots of money. In the end, I wasn’t getting anywhere. I wasn’t allowing myself to really progress with  an opportunity to see if I could get real results from it.

With Wealthy Affiliate, I have found the right program for me. They don’t make “shiny” promises, they deliver quality and give you the tools you need to work for yourself. Don’t rely on “get rich quick” schemes to make you money. The money you make depends on you.

I understand that sometimes you want to test the waters with a few programs to see how you get on, and that’s absolutely fine. Just try not to do too many at once. Stick to one, or a few programs and work hard at those first, in order to see what works for you. That’s one of the reasons I created this site. I want to be able to show you the best, and legitimate opportunities for making money online.

Reason #5: You Don’t Really Want To Spend Any Money

Now if you’re just looking for ways to make a little extra money, through surveys, paid to click (PTC), and get paid to sites (GPT) etc, then yes, you shouldn’t need to spend any money. The money you make isn’t going to be much, therefore, it isn’t worth any financial investment, in my opinion.

However, if you’re serious about building a business online, and making money through that, then yes, you will need to invest money. Now, if you’re familiar with my site you’ll see that I recommend Wealthy Affiliate as a way to get started online for $0, and it genuinely is free to join. But if you want to see your business grow and make the most of it,  you’ll need to make some financial investments. These investments include:

• Having a professional website
• Domain Name
• Web Hosting
• Advertising
• Tools and Resources
• …to name a few.

Luckily, Wealthy Affiliate is one of the few very affordable training programs online. For less than $50/month you can get training, tools, resources, high-quality web hosting, and an active community of fellow online business entrepreneurs.  You can check out my review below to see what Wealthy Affiliate has to offer, and you can sign up for a free membership, test it out for 7 days or so, just to see if it’s the right program for you.

FURTHER READING: Wealthy Affiliate Review

Reason #6: You’re Not Fully Committed or Willing To Learn

Some people who join the Make Money Online world are just not committed. You need to realise that making money online can be a long process, especially in the beginning, therefore, you need to be willing to stay committed and work hard. If you can do that, then you’ll start seeing the fruits of your labour.

Furthermore, you need to be willing to learn. You need to learn how you’ll maximise your earning potential, and learn how to get better at your online business. If you try out Wealthy Affiliate’s free membership you’ll get to see all the learning materials they offer, and be able to try out some of the training for yourself. From here you’ll get an idea of whether or not you’re willing to learn and be committed towards your business.

Even making money online through surveys, GPT, PTC sites etc, requires commitment, if you only do it every now and again, you won’t see your money grow.

Reason #7: You Don’t Like To Work

If you’re constantly looking for the easy route, then you won’t be very successful online. Yes, there are ways to make money online with little work, as I mentioned before you can do so through survey sites etc. But to make consistent money online through an online business you need to be willing to work. If you truly want to make money online successfully, then you’ll need to start changing your mindset.

Final Words:

Hopefully this list has helped you point out areas you may need to change/improve in order to successfully make money online.

Ultimately, people who fail online do so because of their lack of commitment.

So, if you’re someone who has the idea to do something legit, gradually and long-term, then you have a higher chance of succeeding online.

If You’d Like To Build An Online Business And Succeed In Making Money Online, Find Out How To Get Started Below

I’d Like To Know How To Get Started Online Today

Have you had trouble making money online in the past? Have you learnt anything from this list? What do you feel you may need to change about your mindset in order to successfully make money online? Please feel free to respond/comment in the section below. Also, Don’t forget to share this with others you know who may be struggling to make money online.

6 Simple Ways To Find The Best Make Money Online Program For You!

Finding The Best Make Money Online Program For You

There are lots of “Make Money Online” programs available these days, which makes it hard to know which one is the best for you. So in this post I want to share with you some of the questions you should ask yourself when choosing a program, and before making any financial investment to the program. I will also tell you my #1 recommended program to help you make money online.

#1: Does The Program Allow You To “Try Before You Buy?”

This is me basically saying, is there a free membership/free trial?. When deciding whether or not to go for a paid program, you need to be able to tell if it is going to be worth your money or not. So the first thing you’ll want to do is find out if the program lets you test out its features as a free trial, or whether you can join as a free member, with the choice to upgrade when you want to. This is useful because it means you get to test out the program, which will allow you to make an informed decision before potentially paying for the program. Also, it’s helpful to note that most free trial offers don’t require any payment details.

If you are unable to do a free trial, find out if the program offers a refund policy. Some refund policies can be 14, 30 or 60 days, so it’s important to find out what the exact policy is. If you’re not too sure, take a look at reviews online to what others might say about the program, and whether the refund process is simple or not.

#2: Is The Program Suitable For Your Expertise?

If you’re a newbie, or an expert in the world of making money online, then you need to join a program that fits you needs. As an expert, you won’t want a program that covers only the basics of making money online, and likewise, as a newbie you won’t want a program that’s full of technical jargon. By choosing the wrong program for your expertise, you may feel that you’ve wasted your money.

This is one of the advantages of being able to “try before you buy” because it allows you to see what level of training and information the program offers.

#3: Are You Willing To Take Action?

Most of the programs you see will only teach you the methods you need to Make Money Online. In order to make it work, you need to be willing to take action and actually implement what they teach. If you spend too much time procrastinating, then you’ll be losing money on the program, rather than making money from what the program teaches.

If you’re not ready to make use of the information you are given, then no matter which “Make Money Online” program you join, it will not be worth your money.

#4: Does The Program Offer Quality Training?

In order to succeed in making money online, you need to have the right training. Just like with any job, you need to have lessons/training that will allow you to be able to carry out that job effectively. Therefore, a Make Money Online program should be able to teach you, using quality training methods and materials, in order to help you really make money online.

That’s another reason why I feel it’s good to join a program that allows you to “try before you buy”, so you can get a feel for the training that is being offered.

#5: How Will You Actually Be Making Money Online?

You need to find out from the program what you’ll actually be doing in order to make money online. If the program’s only method of being able to make money is by promoting that program, then I personally would not recommend joining…unless you truly believe the program is worth sharing with others, and you feel that people will benefit from joining it. However, it helps if a program offers you other ways you can make money online, cause I believe that the more alternative income streams you have to make money online, the more successful you will be.

#6: Are There Any Upsells?

Overall, there’s nothing wrong with a program offering upsells in order to get you to purchase other products or services. However, the problem comes when the program is bombarding you with multiple overpriced upsells. If that’s the case, then you may want to avoid that kind of program, as it seems they’re more interested in your money rather than helping you. However, if you’re able to look past the upsells and you feel you can still benefit from what the main program has to offer, then I’d say do what you feel is right for you.

My #1 Recommended Program & Why

My personal #1 recommended program is Wealthy Affiliate (check out my in-depth review here). As a hands-on member, I recommend it because it is a genuine program that is geared to help you make money online. I have gained so much from being a part of the program and want others to benefit from it too. Below is a table that compares what Wealthy Affiliate has to offer against the questions that were asked above:

FURTHER READING: Wealthy Affiliate Review

Final Words

When looking for information, it can take a lot of time to get the training and resources you need to make money online, and you’ll likely end up jumping from one site to another this way. Therefore, having access to a Make Money Online program like Wealthy Affiliate, means you get most of the training and tools you need under one roof, and can make the overall process less overwhelming.

Whatever program you choose, always be aware that there is no 100% guaranteed success. What might work for me may not work for you, and vise versa. You need to work hard and be committed to get the results you want. I would still recommend you give Wealthy Affiliate a try, as it’s free to join and you can test it out for yourself, and you can choose to upgrade or remain a free member depending on your experience with them.

To sign up for a totally free account at Wealthy Affiliate, click the link below

I’d Like To Join Wealthy Affiliate For Free, Today!

If you have any questions then please feel free to ask them in the comments section below, as well as share any other tips you may have on this topic. 

Kalatu Review: Is This The Best Blogging Platform For Beginners?

Product name: Kalatu Blogging Platform

Website: www.kalatublog.com

Overall Ranking: 5/10

Price:

$25/month Kalatu Basic

$97/month Kalatu Premium

Owner: David Wood of Empower Network (EN)

This is going to be my personal review of the Kalatu Blogging Platform. I aim to talk about my own experience and help you decide whether this platform is worth your time and money.

If you continue reading, I’ll share with you my recommended Website Builder and show you how to build your own site for FREE today!

What is Kalatu?

Kalatu is a WordPress based blogging platform available for anyone who wants to build a website for their online business. Although anyone can join the platform, the majority of its members are also Empower Network Affiliates.

The aim of the Kalatu Blogging Platform is to help people build a business online through blogging. Their idea is that blogging is the key to being a successful marketer online.

Kalatu Pricing

There are 2 pricing tiers available for the Kalatu Blogging Platform

1. $25/month for Kalatu Basic
2. $97/ month for Kalatu Premium

Below you can see a screenshot of the different features you can expect to get with the Kalatu memberships

Kalatu Blogging Platform: Basic vs Premium

As you can see from the features, there are quite a few things that the Kalatu Blogging Platform has to offer.

Kalatu PROS:

Good platform for beginners:

In my opinion, this is genuinely a really good blogging platform for beginners. When I first was introduced to Empower Network, I knew nothing of marketing or blogging. The first blogging platform they had wasn’t all that great, and I never made full use of it. But then they introduced the Kalatu platform, and my ideas/thoughts about blogging had changed. I found it to be a great tool for me as an absolute beginner.

Takes away all the technical aspects of blogging:

Everything about it was so simple. I didn’t have to think about installing plugins or themes, or having too many things ot think about. This was really helpful to me at the time because I had no clue what I was doing, I didn’t know about plugins for example. If you’re familiar with the WordPress dashboard you know that there’s a lot of features, and to a newbie it can be quite overwhelming. However, the Kalatu dashboard was very simplified. All I needed to do was create content for my blog.  As an absolute newbie, this worked for me.

21-day blogging challenge:

This is unique plugin specially created for users of the Kalatu Blogging Platform. Basically, it is a way of encouraging users to blog more frequently. So the aim is to blog every day, for 21 days. This was a usual tool to me back then, and even now I actually think this is a very useful tool. When I was a member of Empower Network, I really appreciated having a plugin like this. I was very new to blogging at that point, and it was very helpful to have prompts and guides to help me create content for my blog.

Take a look at the video below to find out more about what you can expect from the 21 day blogging challenge

Can link it to your own domain name:

When you first sign up your domain name will look something like this “youwebsite.buildingabrandonline.com”. You can use this if you choose too, but if you’re really thinking about growing your business you need a domain name that doesn’t have a sub domain attached to it. For example, “yourwebsite.com”.  You can purchase your own domain name with GoDaddy, Namecheap etc)

You can create your own “Call to Action”:

Although this feature of creating custom “Call to Action”  is available, most Kalatu blogs I see are from people who are members of Empower Network Affiliate program, so their call to action are one’s created by Empower Netwrok. But at least the option is there to customise and create your own ones to it to suit your own needs.

Kalatu CONS:

Limited Plugins:

The Kalatu Platform has very limited number of plugins. If you upgrade to Premium then you get access to more plugins, however, your site is not as customisable as other blogging platforms. Although this can be suitable for beginners, cause they don’t have to think too much about all the technical stuff, it doesn’t really allow you to expand and build your website the way you want to.

Only 8 themes!:

When I was a member there were only 5 themes, so it’s interesting to see they’ve now recently increased that to a whopping 8 themes. Considering the amount of money you put in every month, it’s not much.

Kalatu Blogging Platform Themes…That’s it, only 8!

I wasn’t able to customise the site the way I wanted:

Once I started learning more about building a website, and WordPress, I wanted to start customising my site to look the way I wanted it. When I first began with Kalatu I really like the simplicity of the platform, but after some weeks I wanted to change things, add things and move things. However, I didn’t really get the chance to do this. I couldn’t add any new plugins. At the time of being a member there were only 5 themes available…which had very limited customisation features. So it left me feeling disappointed, especially as I was paying for it.

I wasn’t always creating quality content:

I found that with the 21-day blogging challenge, although I was writing everyday, I wasn’t always creating real quality content. My post would be short, or just be a list of videos. Although I still recommend writing regularly, maybe it shouldn’t be 21 consecutive days, as it’s not easy to write in depth posts in a day, when you have other responsibilities, such as having a full time job (which I had at the time).

You don’t really own your blog/website:

After all the money you put in monthly, you do not actually own your blog/website! It is owned my Empower Network. So if Empower Network decided to stop operating, all your hard work will be lost.

Pricing – There’s no free option:

In order to get on board with Kalatu, you need to be willing to spend $25 a month. This isn’t great if you’re a beginner and just want test the waters before you start investing any kind of money.

When I was a member of Kalatu last year, the platform only had one price package, which was the $25. But I can now see that they have added another package of $97  month. So in order to really get access to all the features of Kalatu, you would need to sign up for their premium package of $97 a month. I personally think that is way too much. Even a Business Plan on WordPress.com doesn’t cost half that much!

Who is Kalatu Blogging Platform For?

Kalatu is a very useful platform for people who are just starting out online. If you’re looking for a blogging platform that is geared towards beginners, then I feel Kalatu has a lot to offer you. If you’ve never had a website or blogged before, the tools they provide are useful get you off your feet, and create some content.

Who is Kalatu Blogging Platform NOT For?

• People who want to test the waters in the blogging world. You don’t have a free option, therefore, you can’t really get to try out the platform for your self before investing any money.
• Those who want a lot of customisations options for their website. Kalatu has very limited themes and plugins, and is therefore, in my opinion, not very suitable for those who want a lot more flexibility.
• Those who want a site they own themselves. The Kalatu platform doesn’t really allow you to own your own site. Your website is always going to be a part of Empower Network.

Is This The Best Blogging Platform For Beginners?

Looking back on my overall experience, I did actually enjoy the Kalatu Blogging Platform. As a beginner, I was able to create blog posts often with the help of the 21 Day Blogging Challenge and have my very own website. However, I did not feel comfortable with the $25/month price, especially when I was being offered little in regards to themes and plugins…and after a month of being an Empower Network Affiliate, I just didn’t like the idea of promoting their program to other people.

So, even though there are some good features available with Kalatu, and it is well suited for beginners,  based on my overall experience I would NOT recommend the Kalatu Blogging Platform if you’re looking for long term success.  I feel there are other platforms out there which offer much more, and for a much better price!

My #1 Recommended Website Builder

It is actually possible to build your own website online for free, and I want to share with you my #1 recommended website builder to do so.

Why I recommend Siterubix.com?:

• Very easy to use and set up
• FREE package – Build 2 free websites with 12 themes to choose from
• Premium package ($47/month) – build up to 50 websites, 1000s of themes and plugins
• Free website hosting
• Free training
•  Free website health check (see if you site is ranked on google and how well your site is doing)
• Get quality engagement and interaction by requesting comments from the Wealthy Affiliate community
• Get feedback on the design, content and layout of your site from the community

Click The Image Below To Learn How To  Have Your Own FREE Fully Functional WordPress Site, In 3 Simple Steps!

Build Your FREE Website Today

What are your thoughts/experiences on the Kalatu Blogging Platform? What did you like, what didn’t you like? Feel free to leave your responses and/or questions in the comments below. And if you found this post useful, or interesting please feel free to share.

Get Paid To Test New Tech Products Online with ATryBox

ATryBox review

I came across this exciting new website online that pays users to test new products online and share their opinions. The website is called ATryBox, and the good news is, it’s FREE to join.

What is ATryBox?

Basically ATryBox is a new NYC based company that connects tech companies with people who are willing, and able to test out their products.

You can click the image below to watch their 1 min video

Watch their 1 minute video to find out more

How Will You Get Notified Of New Products To Test?

You will get sent invitations to new products via your email. You can choose to accept or decline the invitation.

What Type Of Tests Can You Expect and How Much Will You Get Paid

The payment you receive depends on the type of test that you do. There are 5 types of tests available:

Personal Meetings ($ – You set the price):

Usually bigger brands and startups might use this method as a way to get user opinions and feedback in real-time. Because it involves taking your time to commute, the price is open for you to decide how much you’ll want to be paid.

Phone Calls ($35):

The good thing about phone calls is that you get to give live feedback, without having to commute. You’ll be asked to give your experience while using the product on the phone. They usually take around 30 minutes to complete, and shouldn’t take more than 50 minutes

Online Usability Tests ($25):

With this method you will be providing feedback on things such as product design. It will usually take around 10-20 minutes to complete, but some can be up to 30 minutes.

Surveys ($10)

If you choose this method you will be helping brands get data on specific questions, and will usually take 5-10 minutes to complete

Help To Choose ($5)

This is nice and easy because you get to pick your preference over features such as colour, logo, design, name etc.

Who Is It For?

ATryBox is good for anyone who is looking to make some extra money online. If you enjoy giving your opinions and feedback, you can get paid to do so.

What Can You Expect To Get When You Join?

Well, other than getting paid, there are also some other features you can expect to get:

Fixed Prices:

You get fixed prices on the tests that you do (except Personal Meetings)

Do What You Like:

You get to choose the methods of testing you want to do. So if you’re someone who hates phone calls, but loves surveys, then you can decline a specific test.

You Get To Work Where You Want:

If you’re at home or travelling, all the tests (expect Personal Meetings), can be done remotely.

Fast Payments:

You can expect to receive payments within 7 days of completing the test.

How Will You Get Paid?

Payment is made through Venmo. If you don’t have a Venmo account, then you can create one when you receive your first payment. Venmo is part of Paypal, and charges no commission, so you actually get what you earn.

What Do You Need To Get Started?

•  Be A U.S resident
• 18 years or over
• US bank account
• No Technical Skills required

How To Get Started?

So if you’ve read this review and thought…”I’m ready to get started”, then click the link below to start making some extra money online.

I’m Ready To Get Started With ATryBox

Your Thoughts?

As I am not a US resident, I am unable to give you my own personal experiences with this website. However, I would really like to know what your experiences are, and whether you think it’s a good way to make some extra money online. It’s free to join so there’s nothing to lose. Please share them in the comments below. I really look forward to hearing your thoughts on this website…and hopefully soon it’ll be available internationally.

If you’re international and know people in the US that you think might be interested, why not share this review with them and help them earn a little extra online.

P.S. If you’re a brand and would like to get users to test your product, you can click this link to contact them about your product.

9 Essential Tips on Starting A Successful Business Online

I made a number of mistakes when starting my online business, and sadly I know there are many others who have done the same. That’s why I want to share with you my 9 tips on starting your own successful business online. I want to share with you what I’ve learnt over the years from my mistakes, in hopes that it will help you avoid them earlier on in your online business venture.

Tip #1: Have a Plan

Have A Plan

One of the most important tips to starting a successful online business is to have a plan. You need to know what direction you want your business to take, and how you will get there. It’s ok to change your mind at some points if you feel you want to tweak your original plan. But if you just sit back waiting to see what happens, you won’t be successful. So decide what your business will be about, and how you plan to make an income from it.

Tip #2: Choose A Topic/Niche You Care About

The best way to start an online business is to focus on something you are passionate about, and that you know a lot about too. If you focus on a topic that you have no interest in, you’re less likely to be motivated through the hard times. Whereas if you’re passionate about your topic, you’ll want to continue to share your knowledge with others, and promote products around that area of interest. I’m not saying that your business has to be based on your #1 passion (cause it could be that business model is saturated), but let it at least be something you care about. If you enjoy your topic then the creativity will flow.

Tip #3: Spend More Time Doing, Instead Of Just Thinking

It’s so easy to come up with all these ideas of what you want to do, and think of how you’re going to do it. But it becomes a whole different thing when you actually start DOING it. You need to start acting on your ideas. For example,  if you’re thinking about emailing potential suppliers about a product…don’t think, just do it.  I mean, you can obviously plan what you’re going to say, and the questions you’ll ask, but you’re not going to get any answers if you don’t hit that send button.

Tip #4: Get The Right Training 

Get The Right Training

Having the right training is important because you get to learn tried and tested methods that will help you business grow. You’ll also come across new tips/methods that will further make your business a successful one. My #1 recommended training program is Wealthy Affiliate. This is because they have all the things you need, under one roof, and they provide bite-sized lessons to help you get things done step by step. They don’t give false promises, and they offer a free membership which gives you the opportunity to “try before you buy” (if you choose to upgrade). This means you can get a feel for the training material, allowing you to decide whether it’s for you, without having to invest any actual money. They don’t bombard you with upsells, nor do they claim that they have all the “secrets to success” in a 69 page eBook. If you’d like to know more you can check out my review (below), or sign up free today with the link (below).

FURTHER READING: Wealthy Affiliate Review

or

LINK: Sign Up FREE Today For Wealthy Affiliate Training Program

Tip #5: Build A Support Network

Build A Support Network

Having some kind of support network is highly important to having success in business. You need to surround yourself with likeminded people, whether thats offline or online, it’s necessary to do so. You need guidance from more experienced entreprenurs, as well as a way to stop you from feeling alone in the online world. You also need people in your life who are going to motivate you to keep going. That’s why I enjoy being a part of the Wealthy Affiliate community, cause there is a great support network available to me. I have somewhere I can share my worries, and the people there will pick me up and encourage me to keep going. I also inspired by their stories, which further motivates me. Sometimes getting in to business online can be difficult when you’re not seeing results early, but having a support network makes you realise that you need to persevere…and the hard work will soon pay off.

Tip #6: Have The Right Expectation

Building a business isn’t easy, and it’s not quick. It may not sound like what you were hoping for, but it’s the truth. Building a business requires hard work, especially when you’re just starting out. If you’re expecting to make money doing nothing, or only work 4 hours a week…then this is not for you. If possible, I would encourage you to speak to other entrepreneurs, ask them how much work it took them, and how long. This may help you decide whether building a business is really for you.

Side note: If you’re a full-time worker and genuinely can only work about 4 hours a week on your business, then that’s totally understandable. My reference to the “4 hour work week” is purely to illustrate the misconception many people have about starting a business online.

Tip #7: Brainstorm Ideas

Brainstorm Ideas

You need to have a brainstorm of ideas of content and products for your business. This is so you can tackle a gap in the market, and improve your chance of being successful. The best way to do this is through keyword research. You can do a basic brainstorm of ideas, or use keyword tools.  I personally use Jaaxy or  Wealthy Affiliate Keyword Tool (you’ll need to create a free account to use this) to brainstorm ideas. You can also use KeywordTool.io. These tools can all be accessed for free, and also have upgrade options for more features.  Quality content is what brings readers/visitors to your site. If you provide value, you’re able to make money through advertising or Affiliate Marketing. You want to provide value for your visitors and write in your own words. Keyword tools are very useful because they help you come up with different content ideas. You don’t want to run out of content after only a few articles. So get brainstorming, and come start coming up with awesome content!

Tip #8: There’s No Magic Button To Success

No Magic Button To Success

Before you can really be successful with your business, you need to realise that there is NO magic button to success…there NO magic formula. What you need are the right tools and resources to help you work smarter. Don’t believe all the hype of products written my “internet gurus” showing you “the secrets to success” in a costly ebook. Save your money from that and invest in real resources and training.

Tip #9: Take Action

Take Action!

I know I say this throughout my site a lot, but it is so true. You need to take action in order to get anywhere. Don’t be the person who talks, talks and talks about starting a business, but never does anything to get it going. It’s easy to get worried about making mistakes with your business…but not starting at all will be your biggest failure. With the right training and resources, you will be off to a good start, and you’ll have the chance to learn a lot along the way.

So, I invite you to take action today by signing up for the Wealthy Affiliate Training Program. Here you will learn the ways to starting your own business online.

To sign up free today, click the link below.

I’m Ready To Take Action And Learn How To Start A Successful Business Online

What would you add to this list of tips? Are there any tips that stand out most to you? Which of these tips, if any, will you take on board after reading this? I’d really like to read your responses and answer any questions you may have in the comments below. 

11 Common Mistakes Newbie Affiliate Marketers Make (And How To Avoid Them)

When I first started, I didn’t really understand what Affiliate Marketing was about

When I first got into the Affiliate Marketing business, I didn’t fully understand what it was about. I was only interested in the money and couldn’t understand why people weren’t buying products from my links. I would copy and paste my link all over social media, and spend ages on countless traffic exchange sites to get my site noticed, but with with no real success. Then I joined Wealthy Affiliate, which taught me what Affiliate Marketing really is about. Continue reading

Make A Dollar Online Today In 5 Easy Steps!

UPDATE: This site is no longer offering a $1 online, and is now known as BlogNinja.com

Instead, you can find out about my #1 Recommended program for anyone looking to start an internet/affiliate marketing business.

Today I want to share with you a website I came across that actually pays you to complete tasks. It’s called ShoeMoney.net.

For this particular post I will show you how you can use this website to make a $1 online, in just 5 easy steps.

I know a dollar doesn’t seem like much, but if you’re someone who’s never made money online, then a dollar could be all you need to kickstart your success. Even if you’ve made money online before, why not add an extra dollar to the bank, it’ll only take 5 minutes.

Continue reading