Get Paid to Be A Friend, Here’s How To Get Started

Making money outside of your full-time career has never been easier. In fact, just about every idea you could ever think of is now a genuine possibility for you to make money.

Take, for example, Rent a Friend.

I like to think of myself as a pretty social person; in fact, I have always seemed to have quite a few close friends while also navigating many social circles throughout my life. However, never did I think that being social would be a way for me to make money (other than navigating traditional hiring and sales processes)… until I found out about Rent a Friend.

Rent a Friend is an online platform that literally allows people to Rent a Friend for a special event, for fun, and considers itself the premier virtual friend service (due to COVID). And to top it off, they will pay you to be a friend to someone else.

Today, we will share how it all works to see if Rent a Friend is a viable option for you to make money on the side!

How to Make Money With Rent a Friend!

What is Rent a Friend?

RentAFriend.com is a platform that allows people to… you’ve guessed it… rent a friend. It’s essentially a marketplace where people who want to rent a friend can hook up with people who are willing to be someone’s friend in return for cash.

Most users are looking to rent a friend for:

• A corporate party or event
• Perhaps they’re older and lonely
• New to area
• Have trouble making friends

Intrigued? Keep reading to find out if RentAFriend.com could be right for you.

How does Rent a Friend work?

So the basic deal with Rent a Friend is that it’s a worldwide directory of people who are willing to be someone else’s friend in exchange for an agreed payment. Friends for hire sign up to the platform and provide details about themselves, such as name, age, location, and interests, as well as the types of activities they’re willing to do (think amusement parks, business events, shopping, and more).

The individual looking to rent a friend signs up as a member, which involves a one-off fee of $24.95. They can then browse and search the Rent a Friend member directory to see if there’s a friend for hire that ticks all the boxes they’re looking for.

If there is, the member reaches out to the friend for hire to start a conversation.

As well as discussing basic things such as interests, location, and potential activities, the member and the friend for hire also talk about payment. If both parties are happy with the arrangement, it’s up to them to agree on the finer details and handle the payment.

Rent a Friend does not get involved as far as money is concerned.

Is Rent a Friend sexual?

Now the obvious question that springs to mind with Rent a Friend is whether the platform promotes or indeed condones sexual “get-togethers.” The answer is no. And the website is very clear about this, stating ‘RentAFriend.com is strictly a platonic friendship website.

RentAFriend.com is NOT a dating website and NOT an Escort agency. Services on RentAFriend.com are strictly for FRIENDSHIP purposes only. This should be encouraging in case you had this question (I know I did). If you’re considering benign a friend and want to make money using the platform, this is comforting to know that expectations are clear from the jump.

You also have the ability to decide which friends you decide to befriend!

Is Rent a Friend legit?

Rent a Friend is both legal and legit.

The platform is genuine and, depending on the arrangements you make as a friend for hire, you can make money by simply being someone’s companion. How much you make and how awkward a possible friendship might be is always up to determination! This leads to the obvious next question – is it safe?

Is Rent a Friend safe?

This is a more difficult question to answer, and that’s because Rent a Friend is merely a platform to facilitate connections between people.

Rent a Friend does not carry out background checks on people who register, and so there’s no guarantee whether the person you’re chatting with is trustworthy, kind, etc. Even though it is not a dating website, similar to a dating website, you should exercise caution when meeting anyone online.

So it’s always advised to be cautious and take general safety precautions when meeting someone for the first time, like arranging to meet in a public place and making people you know aware of your plans.

Tips to staying safe if you decided to use Rent a Friend to make money:

• Have a clear itinerary and plans
• Share your plans with a few trusted individuals you know already
• Meet in public places and don’t share super personal information
• If you feel something strange, end your meetup

Exercising these safety precautions will keep everyone safe, which leads to the question you have probably been wondering – how much can you make with Rent a Friend?

How much money can you make on Rent a Friend?

This all depends on how many people you arrange to meet and how much you charge them for the privilege. Rent a Friend says rates start at $10 an hour, but it’s up to friends for hire to set rates that they are comfortable with.

Some people who use the platform as friends for hire make upwards of $40 an hour. They also get food, and the activities they’re doing paid for, too. But you need to ask yourself how comfortable you would be spending time with someone, having them pay for everything you do, and then taking money off them as well at the end of your day. That’s why some friends for hire often agree to lower fees.

Nevertheless, you can make money on Rent a Friend and meet new people and have fun. It all depends on how many meetings you’re willing to commit to and the hourly rate you charge.

Getting started with Rent a Friend

Interested in using Rent a Friend to make some money on the side? Luckily, getting started is very easy, and you can create a profile in just a few steps.

Head over to RentAFriend.com and hit the ‘Join Now’ button towards the top of the screen. You’ll be asked whether you want to ‘Become a member or ‘Become a friend’ — choose the latter option if you’re wanting to use the platform for a side hustle.

At the time of writing (January 2021), Rent, a Friend is currently not accepting new applications from people who want to be friends for hire. There’s a link on the website to register your interest and be notified once applications are open again.

Rent a Friend pros and cons

As with most things, Rent a Friend has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are the main ones as we see them:

Rent a Friend pros

• Good potential income
• Earn money on your own terms
• No skills or experience needed
• Free to register as a friend for hire
• You’ll literally get paid to hang out and have fun

Rent a Friend cons

• You’ll never truly know who you’re meeting ahead of time
• You might find the whole thing a bit awkward
• You could find yourself shy to accept payment at the end of the meeting (which will obviously harm your earnings)
• The website looks like it was stuck in 2009

Final Word

Being the popular kid finally pays! In all seriousness, if there is a demand globally, it is an opportunity to make money. With so many side hustle ideas out there, it is almost fitting that you can actually make money by renting your friendship out.

While you can certainly make money with Rent a Friend (and clearly there is a demand as the site boasts over 600,000+ rentable friends worldwide), there are other ways to make money you might feel better about, including:

• Freelance Work
• Driving Rideshare
• Entry Level WFH Jobs
• Blogging 
• Instacart Shopper
• Delivery Driver