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Making Extra Money In Your Spare Time, No Car Required

JAMAICA PLAIN (CBS) -- Between the stress of traffic, the cost of insurance, and the hassle of what happens when you get into an accident, driving for Uber or Lyft sounded like more trouble than it is worth for Jordan Niles of Jamaica Plain.

"Not everyone wants to have someone driving around in their vehicle," he said.

But the full-time insurance agent did like the idea of turning an idle hour into cash--and he found a way simply by snapping photos with his cellphone.

Jordan is a Gigwalker–think Uber or Lyft, but for small jobs. The tasks take just minutes and pay anywhere from $3 to $20 or more, and just like the ride sharing services, you work only when you want to.

"It's pretty much a no brainer," Jordan said.

All you have to do is download the Gigwalk app, and it lists jobs in your area.

jordan niles gigwalk
Jordan Niles uses the Gigwalk app in Jamaica Plain. (WBZ-TV)

Some of the 'gigs' can include things like taking photos of commercial buildings, doing stock checks of items inside stores, or taking photos to show how competing brands are placed on shelves.

Jordan ran into Target to take a quick shot of Thomas' English Muffins for a quick payday of $6.

"One of my favorites is this gig that always pops up with J.Crew where you go into the J.Crew store and they just want to ask you if they greeted you at the store and they'll give you $18," he said.

Like anything, there are downsides to Gigwalk. Driving to jobs can cut down on your earnings, rural areas are less like to have jobs, and sometimes, you can lose opportunities to other Gigwalkers.

But according to Jordan, when it's busy and there are multiple gigs in one area it can be lucrative.

"I can probably make maybe $300 in an hour," he said.

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