7 Easy Ways to Get Paid to Talk to Lonely People (2024 Guide)

Here’s how to get paid to talk to lonely people + 5 tips for making the most money as a virtual friend

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What is an online friend?

An online friend is somebody you talk to online but never met in person. You can talk to them about anything and everything, and you build a friendship with them even though you’re not physically together.

This might seem like a weird concept, but it’s actually becoming more and more popular. In a world where everything is online, it only makes sense that friendship happens online too.

How much do you get paid to talk to lonely people?

The amount of money you can make by being an online friend varies. It depends on which platform you go with and how much time and effort you put in.

Some people are content to just chat for a few minutes here and there, while others treat it as a full-time job. If you want to make serious money, then there are lots of opportunities to make a great income! We’ll talk through each of the platforms below and how much they pay.

Where to Find Online Friend Jobs

There are many online platforms to be an online friend, but we’ve gathered the best ones for you. These are the top sites where you can get paid to text chat with people:

1. Rent A Friend

Rent A Friend is one of the largest friendship sites with people from all over the world! You can meet in person or keep it strictly online (i.e., Zoom, texting, phone calls, and FaceTime).

You may rent a Friend to hang out with, go to a movie or restaurant with, or invite someone to accompany you to a party or event. You can even rent a friend to teach you a new skill or hobby. But, RentAFriend states upfront that it is 100% for friendship only. It’s not a dating site or an escort service.

All you have to do is choose the location of where you are looking to find a new friend, and you will instantly see who’s in that area. You can view their photos, read their profiles and see what they are interested in. If you would like to contact them, you must register to become a member of RentAFriend by paying a small membership fee. Currently, the fee is $25 monthly or $70 for an entire year.

Important info: Their website states, “Your Privacy Matters: As a member of RentAFriend, you are 100% anonymous to all the Friends on the site. Friends will NEVER see your name, email address, or any of your personal information.”

How much money can you make? Friendship starts at $10 an hour. Yet sometimes, people waive the fee if a person is taking you to a ticketed event. Just use your best judgment in these cases.

You could charge much more if you’re teaching someone how to do a skill/hobby you (i.e., tennis lesson, knitting lessons, etc.). It’s not unheard of to pay $50 an hour for something like this.

The money you make is paid straight to you by the member. RentaFriend does not take a cut of your earnings. You keep all of the income that the member pays you.

2. Rent a Local Friend

Rent a Local Friend is pretty similar to Rent A Friend, but as the name implies, this site focuses on finding you local friends.

You can do all the same things- go to events, and restaurants, take lessons together, or simply text chat online or over the phone. If you happen to know your city very well, this is a great opportunity to earn money and help people new to the city learn their way around.

This site definitely markets itself as a place for those who love exploring their city and finding all the hidden gems. However, they do offer three main areas of service…

• Remote concierge – It’s kind of like an interview where they ask you questions about your city (FaceTime or Zoom), and you tell them the best/worst places to visit. Tips on making the most of their trip and what traps to avoid.
• Local friend – You meet up with a person and show them areas they are interested in or showcase your favorite spots.
• Virtual friend – You share your talents with them online, share stories, or just chat.

How much money can you make? Their site suggests an average hourly rate of $20 per hour. Yet, you can adjust that later on. You’ll get paid through PayPal.

70% of the total amount paid by the end customer will be paid to the Local Friend, and the site will take 30% as a fee.

It’s important to note that right up front, you need to pay a fee from $55 – $75 depending on the level of support you want to give the companies (i.e., give to their marketing fund). This is good because it filters out all the fakers and scammers, so only very interested and invested people are a part of it.

However, it can be hard to put up the cost if you’re unsure if this is the right job for you. You also need to upload a passport photo for verification purposes with the company.

How to open up a PayPal account:

If you don’t already have a PayPal account then no worries, you can easily sign up right now and immediately connect it to your game apps so you can start depositing real money today. Here’s how you open an account:

• Go to the Sign Up page.
• Choose the account type you want (personal or business, most likely you’ll choose a personal PayPal account) and click Sign Up Now.
• Enter your information, including your email address, and next choose a password (it must contain at least eight characters and is case sensitive). You will need these to log in to your PayPal account.
• Click Next.
• Click Agree and Create Account.

Get a PayPal Account

3. Papa

Papa is probably the most “official” paid companionship site, as some of its services are covered by insurance. “Papa Pals provide companion care services and support for everyday needs to Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial health plan members-improving whole health, one personal connection at a time.”

Papa Pals give important social support and care to strengthen families, assist older people in maintaining connections, and promote diverse communities -all of which benefit everyone.

Working with Papa is more of a part-time job than a one-off job. However, you can work as much or as little as you want.

Because you’re working with members of a vulnerable community, you have to submit a lot of personal info and go through a background check.

Being a Papa Pal does have more responsibility than other friend jobs, as sometimes you’ll be asked to help with things people can’t do on their own due to limited mobility. Things like driving them to appointments, light housework, and of course, talking with them and being a good friend.

You can also sign up just to do virtual visits and focus on the companionship piece.

How much money can you make? Depending on the state where you live, you can make anywhere from $13 – $16 per hour, plus they will reimburse you for mileage if you drive your companion places, and you may receive bonuses and gas credits too!

You’ll be paid 1-2 business days after your visit, which is a big plus!

If you love to talk, give advice, and have fast texting fingers, then be sure that you check out our master list of how to get paid to chat, with over 30 different places to make money.

4. FriendPC

Friend PC has hundreds of unique Virtual Friends to text chat with, play games with, video, or phone call. Virtual pals provide one-of-a-kind friendship experiences such as building your confidence and providing personal attention and interaction.

This is the more “typical” online friend experience that people imagine. People can “rent you” to be a friend for the day, text message them throughout the day, or just lend them an ear and give them advice about something they need help with. Or you can just sit around and game together! The possibilities are wide open.

FriendPC’s mission is to “give people a “Better than Real” experience. As a Virtual Friend, you want to provide your clients with the best experience possible. 

This means always making the subject center around them. Providing them with compliments based on their strengths. Giving them suggestions and advice based on their weakness. And overall, being the ear that they need.”

FriendPC also states that this is not a dating site and that it’s not okay to ask someone out on a nonplatonic date. So people are officially put in the friend zone. If someone doesn’t follow this, you can block them on the platform.

To post listings on FriendPC, you must join a Friend package. They have three different subscription levels. Your plan determines the number of listings you may publish each month.

It’s free to make a profile, view listings, and post a listing. However, if you want to list more, prices start at $3 for five listings a month.

“For $10/month, Virtual Friends will receive the same benefits for the Basic Friend Package, including always being set as featured on FriendPC, and creating coupons for your services. and book virtual friends services.”

Like Rent a Local Friend, charging a small fee to use their service helps them eliminate spam users.

How much money can you make? 

Many Virtual Friends make money on the side by using the program, while others have made it their full-time job. You can expect $5 – $30 an hour.

The subscription plans allow you to engage multiple users simultaneously to maximize your earning potential for the time you spend on the platform.

The process works this way – you write your listing with what you will do, how often, and all the other details, and you quote your price. Here’s an example of a sample listing…

You can withdraw your earnings two days after completing a job, and you’ll be paid through PayPal or Stripe.

5. Rent a Cyber Friend

Rent a Cyber Friend is a great option for those looking strictly for online-only friends. It’s all done with video calls. Basically, when you’re at your desk, just log in and toggle your profile to active (meaning that you’ll accept calls right now), and then you get connected with people looking to chat.

This site prioritizes virtual friends built around shared interests & hobbies. So you base your profile around those keywords and hashtags. Rent a Cyber Friend also spells out that this is in no way a dating or escort site.

How much money can you make? You, the chat agent, decide how much you want to charge on this platform. Clients pay by the minute, and you get 80% of the income (the rest goes to the site). You can browse current friends and see that they charge anywhere from $.10 – $6 per minute, with the average being around the $.50 – $.75 range.

6. Fiverr Friendship

You know Fiverr as a micro-job site, which means that people can offer services starting at just $5. And it’s not just limited to project services; you can offer anything, even friendship! So if you want to get paid to talk to lonely people, there are definitely opportunities on Fiverr.

As with other Fiverr gigs, you create your profile and list what you can do – relationship advice, listening, casual chatting, etc. You set your rate and upload some photos, and boom – you’re a freelancer!

Remember that your clients get to leave reviews on your work; this is different than the other virtual friendship sites. So be ready to work hard for those good reviews!

On Fiverr, you need to be sure that your profile is really good to make you stand out from the rest. Write an engaging “about this gig” copy, offer good packages (something for everyone’s needs & budget), and showcase nice photos!

How much money can you make? On Fiverr, you set your price. I saw gigs from $5 for 30 minutes up to $30. You never want to price yourself at the bottom; it’s nice to be somewhere in the lower midrange when just starting. Unless you have special training/certification on the topics you mention in your profile, then you can charge more.

Fiverr does take 20% of the job price, so make sure you’re accounting for that with your pricing but being mindful of not being too pricey.

Easy Savings & Free Money

• Sign up with ibotta and get $10 sign up cash as a new customer!
• Earn points on ANY receipt from ANY store and redeem for gift cards with the fetch rewards app.
• Sign up with Inbox Dollars and get paid to read emails, watch videos, and take surveys. Easy peasy!
• Get free gift cards & cash for the everyday things you do online at Swagbucks. Use the link and get a $5 bonus
• Save money on gas by signing up with Upside; it gives you up to $.25 cents cash back per gallon! Use the code AFF25 when you sign up; you’ll get a $.25 cents per gallon bonus!
• Sign up with Cash App and get a $5 bonus when you use code “NRTZMHV.” You have to complete the sign up requirements to get the bonus! Read how to do this here with point #1.

7. Freelancer

Freelancer is similar to Fiverr but has a higher standard for what kinds of services are offered. There aren’t as many opportunities as there are on Fiverr, but you’ll find jobs tailored more towards people who want to practice a second language with a native speaker. 

So if you speak more than one language, you can be a big help to those looking to brush up on their speaking & listening skills.

For jobs on Freelancer, you’ll need to bid for them. So make a great and engaging profile and search for jobs. When you find one you like, you’ll need to pitch yourself (aka tell them why you’d do a great job) and bid on it. If the person is interested, they’ll reach out to you, and you can talk pricing and terms, etc.

If you find that the competition is too steep, you can opt to get your profile “verified.” The blue badge lets people know that your account is authentic and that you have gone through a process to verify your identity that includes a video call interview. It costs $99.00 to get your profile verified.

Or, if you’re getting great reviews and are in the top 3% of freelancers in your category, you can be invited into the Preferred Freelancer Program. This is where jobs come to you through recruiters, and there are reduced fees.

You’ll be charged 20% of the total fee as a service provider. (projects are 10%).

How much money can you make? With Freelancer, you and the client set the price. There is an online chat forum for you to discuss project details before you commit, so negotiating is normal. If you’re just chatting with someone, you can get around $10 an hour, but if you’re helping someone with language skills, you can charge more, say $30 an hour.

What do you do as a friend?

Your job as a virtual friend is to provide companionship to your client. This can mean engaging in conversations, listening to them, and offering emotional support. You might also play games together, go on walks virtually, or watch TV shows at the same time.

The key is to be a good listener and be there for them when they need you.

Some of the sites like RentAFriend start online, and then you can meet up in person if you want. Some activities you could do together…

• Introduce you to new people
• Wingman/Wingwoman for an event (family or business)
• Poetry/art/drawing
• Amusement parks
• Workout partner
• Baking/cooking
• Going to sporting events
• Playing sports
• Learning a hobby
• Going to the park
• Wine tasting
• Comedy club
• Crafting & knitting
• Going to the bar
• Hanging out at a coffee shop
• Photography
• Giving tours
• Sightseeing
• Museums
• Shopping
• Tutoring
• Dancing
• Bowling
• Dinner
• Arcade
• Gardening
• Psychic
• Book club
• Beach
• Parties
• Hiking
• Music
• Picnic
  
  

5 tips for making the most money as a virtual friend

Making money as a virtual friend can be a great way to earn some extra cash, but it takes more than just being friendly to make it work. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Sign up for multiple platforms

While there are many ways to make extra money as a virtual friend, one of the easiest is to sign up for multiple websites. This will give you a wider selection of clients, so you’ll find a good fit.

Different groups of people tend to congregate on certain platforms. So if one platform isn’t to your liking, then one of the other will be better. Or you might find that one platform does a better job of vetting clients or has more potential for long-term clients. You won’t know these things unless you get on the platform and give it a few weeks trial.

2. Have a great profile & pictures

Make sure you have an interesting and engaging profile. Absolutely include good quality photos! Some headshots and some action photos of you doing a hobby (especially if you’re marketing that you can teach that skill).

The more info you give, the more likely you will get clients that will be a better fit. So talk about your interests and hobbies, and let them know what skills you have (i.e., I am a good problem solver, a good listener, etc.). When writing your profile, use upbeat language and be descriptive!

3. Remember, it’s about them

Once you’ve found a potential friend, it’s important to be active and engaged in the friendship. This means being responsive to messages, participating in activities, and generally making an effort to keep the friendship going.

Before meeting them (and knowing their interests), you’ll want to brush up on the latest news and events so you’ll have a topic to fall back on if conversation lags. This will improve your chances of making more money, but it’ll also make the friendship more enjoyable for both parties.

Always deliver quality service. Your clients are paying for your time and attention, so give them your full attention and make them feel valued. This is about them and their interests, not about you and your problems.

If you want to set yourself apart from the rest of the online friend community, it might help to brush up on some skills and learn what really makes a good friend & companion. You can find many great training pieces; here are a few…

• Conscious Listening – Transform your confidence and communication by becoming somebody that people love speaking to.
• Make New Friends – Boost Your Communication & Social Skills
• Social Intelligence: The Brand of You – Learn how to Become the Most Popular, Liked, and Magnetic Person in the Room

4. Follow-through

There’s nothing worse than a flake, so if you say you’re going to do something – be it a text message, a call, or show up to an event, you better do it. If, for some reason, you do need to cancel, give them at least 24 hours’ notice with a simple explanation.

Don’t go into an elaborate excuse scenario. Just apologize, move forward, and do your best to make sure it never happens again.

5. Treat it like a business

If you want to be successful, you need to start thinking of this as a business. That means being professional, setting boundaries, and being organized.

Create a schedule and stick to it. This will help you stay on top of your appointments and give each client the attention they deserve.

Take notes on your clients so you can remember what they are interested in or what they dislike. If someone tells you that they really like daffodil flowers, then send them an eCard with daffodils on it. It’s the small things that matter the most. Now, I’m not saying to exploit what you learn about them; I’m telling you to pay attention and go the extra mile.

How to open up a PayPal account:

If you don’t already have a PayPal account then no worries, you can easily sign up right now and immediately connect it to your game apps so you can start depositing real money today. Here’s how you open an account:

• Go to the Sign Up page.
• Choose the account type you want (personal or business, most likely you’ll choose a personal PayPal account) and click Sign Up Now.
• Enter your information, including your email address, and next choose a password (it must contain at least eight characters and is case sensitive). You will need these to log in to your PayPal account.
• Click Next.
• Click Agree and Create Account.

Get a PayPal Account

5 Tips to Stay Safe as an Online Friend

Meeting new people (virtually or in person) has risks in any scenario. Yet, when you’re getting paid to talk to lonely people, there’s an instant bad rep that comes with it. Yes, getting paid to be a virtual friend isn’t how people usually do it, but it’s becoming more mainstream every day, and the stigma is slowly going away too.

However, it’s always best to be cautious and observant in any new situation, so we have five must-follow tips for staying safe.

1. Stick to reputable websites

While many reputable websites can help you make new friends, there are also many scams and low-quality ones or websites with ulterior motives.

So how can you tell the difference? Here are a few tips: First, look for websites that require users to verify their identity in some way. This may mean verifying your email address or uploading a copy of your ID.

Second, check out the website’s privacy policy to see how they protect your personal information. And finally, use your common sense – if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. By following these simple tips, you can stay safe and make lasting friendships online.

2. Protect your privacy

In this age of constant connection, it’s more important than ever to be aware of how you can protect your privacy. Here are a few simple tips:

• Be thoughtful about the information you share. You never want to give out information regarding your last name, address, or even your town.
• Don’t take pictures with easily identifiable landmarks in the background (if that’s your hometown).
• Don’t share what other social media platforms you’re on (too much information can be gathered from different places to make up a complete profile.
• When sharing something online, think about whether it’s something you would be comfortable with everyone knowing. Screenshots and recordings are a real thing.

I don’t want to scare you; I just want you to be as safe as possible, and following these simple tips will help you protect your privacy and keep your personal information safe from prying eyes.

3. Keep it virtual

While making new friends is great, you always want to keep things virtual initially. That means no meeting in person until you’re absolutely sure that this person is who they say they are and you’re sure they are safe. If they ask to meet you and you don’t want to, that’s 100% okay!

You’re in charge; you decide what you are okay with, and don’t ever let them pressure you into a meeting.

If you decide to meet in person, be sure to do it in a public place and let someone know where you are going and who you are meeting.

You can let a trusted friend track your location with Find My phone app. It might also be a good idea to have them call you an hour into your meet-up to have an easy out if you need it. “Sorry, my friend needs me to pick them up; I gotta go.” type of thing if you’re uncomfortable.

4. Keep things separate

Never give out personal payment links. You always want to use the payment method that your platform uses. However, if the platform lets you use whatever you want, be sure to make a completely separate Cash App account just for this purpose (as well as a separate email address that you use just for this type of work).

5. Set boundaries

This is not only advice for you to give clients but also for you to follow. Only discuss topics that you are comfortable with. Usually, you stay away from topics like religion, politics, and any illegal activities like drugs. 

I would also never give out any type of medical advice to someone as you never want to be held liable for some bad advice that you gave.

If someone starts talking about these things, it’s okay for you to say. “I’m not interested in that; let’s talk about XYZ instead.” You don’t need to give a reason; just redirect the conversation.

Likewise, if you feel them pull away from the conversation, you must pick up on those cues and change the topic.

Are people really that lonely?

Sad to say, but yes. People are more lonely now than ever. Harvard did a recent study, “Our new report suggests that 36% of all Americans, including 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children-feel “serious loneliness.”

This loneliness can be a big deal, ” the potentially steep costs of loneliness, including early mortality and a wide array of serious physical and emotional problems, including depression, anxiety, heart disease, and substance abuse.”

Isn’t what we want for ourselves and our fellow neighbors to be happy? Sure, money is nice, but happiness is the true goal. So if you can help, then, by all means, do so!

How to uplevel

If you’re a pro at talking to lonely people and looking to level up to the next new challenge or adventure, consider one of these options.

Professional cuddler

As a professional cuddler, you’ll be paid to cuddle with people. This can be a great way to make money if you’re a touchy person who loves physical contact. Believe it or not, this is a very non-sexual thing. People just want to be held, and they pay a lot of money for it.

Many consider it a form of therapy due to the feel-good chemicals released during cuddling. An average starting rate is $80 an hour for a cuddle.

Professional mourner

As a professional mourner, you’ll be paid to attend funerals and offer support to the bereaved. This can be a great way to make extra money if you’re a compassionate person who is good at offering support. You’ll need to be able to handle difficult emotions and be comfortable with grieving people. An average starting rate is $50 an hour.

Get paid to flirt

Yes, you can actually get paid to flirt with lonely guys. There are a few different ways to do this, but the most popular way is through online sites. You can get paid to video chat with people online and help them feel better. This can be a great way to make money if you’re a natural charmer and love to help people feel good about themselves.

Get paid to sext

Getting paid to sext is another way to make extra money by chatting with people online, but it’s a bit more risque than the others. You can get paid to phone chat with lonely men and send them sexually explicit text messages. This can be a great way to make money if you’re comfortable with sexual conversations and are good at being flirty and naughty.

FAQ on getting paid to be an online friend

At the end of the day

So if you’re someone who is good at conversation and has a lot of empathy, don’t be afraid to try out one of these sites. It could be a great way for you to make some extra cash while helping people in need.

And who knows? You may even find that this is something you want to do full time! Are there any other ways that you’ve found to make money online by chatting with lonely people?

Get paid to talk to lonely people, it sounds like there are quite a few good opportunities to make some extra money helping people in need.