How to Earn Money Online in the UAE: 30 Realistic Ways to Consider

While saving money is a great way to improve your financial health, few savings plans can be as beneficial as learning how a new source of income can accelerate your personal finances. By learning how to earn money online in the UAE, you can diversify your income sources as well as put yourself in a better position to win financial freedom in Dubai or another UAE city, places that are often seen as hard to save money in.

Fortunately, we live in a digital age where money-making opportunities can easily be found online. The internet has created a space where people of all backgrounds can thrive and earn additional income to augment their traditional wages or salaries.

Indeed, many people now depend strictly on the internet for all their income, and numerous kinds of new job opportunities open themselves up every day for those that look for them.

UAE residents are not excluded.

The beauty of the internet is that everyone with access can benefit. And in the UAE where 99% of the population have access to the internet, according to Global Media Insight, there is a gold mine of opportunities waiting to be explored.

In this article, we will highlight 30 ways to earn money in Dubai online.

By exploring any of these options, you could begin to put yourself on the right footing to unlock a powerful second source of income.

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1. Start freelancing digital services

Freelancing is a common way to earn money by providing various digital services to different clients that can be scattered across the globe. A freelancer is a self-employed professional who possesses a skill that other people demand. Unlike employed professionals, a freelancer has control over their time and they can choose the clients they want to work with and for how long.

Some of the digital services demanded online include writing, marketing, video editing, graphics design, administrative assistant, customer service, web development, data analysis.

As a freelancer, you can meet potential clients on various freelancing platforms. The most popular freelancing platforms to make money online UAE include Fiverr, Upwork, Guru, Ureed, and Peopleperhour.

Interested in how to earn money online in the UAE, but not sure where to start? Gain the skills needed for any of the digital services highlighted above and join any of the above freelance platforms. You can learn these skills through Udemy, Coursera, and Youtube.

2. Blog

Think yourself a good writer that others might be interested in following? Consider blogging.

Blogging involves consistently posting content (text, graphics, video) around a particular topic on a website. Through this content, the blogger builds an audience of loyal visitors. These visitors read, watch, and regularly engage with the content that you publish.

As the blogger builds an audience, they can monetise their visitors by including adverts on their blog, introducing paid subscriptions for those who want extra features, selling digital or physical products, or by including paid guest posting.

Some most popular blogging topics include digital marketing, health and fitness, recipes and food, personal development and self care, making money online, and personal finance and investing.

However, you can always pursue other topics that you are knowledgeable about as long as you can build a loyal audience around the topic.

Do you want to pursue blogging as one of the ways to earn money in Dubai? Simply select a blogging niche (topic), create your blog, and start posting content to get started.

3. Paid online surveys

There are many agencies that need to survey people to derive important data that will help businesses and even government agencies make important decisions. To encourage participation, these agencies pay respondents for these online surveys.

So, participating in paid surveys in the UAE can be a cool way to earn some extra income.

Some of the popular paid surveys sites include Triaba, ySense, TgmPanel, Swagbucks, PrizeRebel, among others.

4. Publish e-books

If you are learning how to earn money online in the UAE and you have sound knowledge of some popular topics already, you might want to consider creating ebooks that others will buy.

This can be a lucrative alternative or an addition to setting up a blog.

If there is something you know that other people across the globe want to know, compiling that information in a book can unlock a steady stream of consistent income through online purchases.

You can sell ebooks on Amazon KDP, Google Play, Payhip, E-junkie, or on your own blog, if you have one.

5. Digital courses

If you prefer other means of teaching what you know, you can consider creating digital courses instead.

A digital course is a series of videos covering a particular topic.

You can create professional videos by using VivaVideo, KineMaster, PowerDirector or any of the top video editing apps and then sell your courses on platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, Teachable, among others.

6. Online tutoring

Online tutoring is another way to teach others what you know. However, in this case, you will have to teach academic courses.

Today, there are plenty of online tutoring platforms that can match you with students that need your help in various academic disciplines. The tutoring occurs via chat and video, and it is usually for a defined period of time.

Some of the most popular online tutoring platforms available in the UAE include Superprof, Concept Tutors, Time Tutors, and Tutor.

7. Sell used items online

Away from the world of teaching, let’s explore some other ways to earn money in Dubai and other UAE emirates.

Everyone has old and used stuff that is just collecting dust in the house. Well, some of this old stuff can be valuable to other people. This can include everything from old clothes to electronics.

You can consider selling used items on Amazon, Ebay, Decluttr, Facebook marketplace, and Offerup. More specifically, you can sell electronics through Second Hand Dubai and clothes through My Ex Wardrobe.

8. Affiliate marketing

If you are learning how to earn money online in the UAE, affiliate marketing is a good place to start, mostly because it can provide consistent passive income.

Affiliate marketing is a system where you earn commission for generating demand for the products – digital or physical – of others.

You can do this by creating a blog, generating visitors in the target market of the retailers you are working with, and directing them to the retailer’s sales page through a unique link the retailer has given you.

Alternatively, you can create quality Facebook and Google ads and include your unique link in those ads so that viewers can go straight to the retailer’s sales page without going through your blog/website.

Some of the most popular international sites to find retailers include JvZoo, ClickBank, Ebay Partner Network, CJ Affiliate, Share A Sale, and Amazon Affiliates. Local affiliate marketplaces include Paysale, Alfaleads, and TraffCore.

9. Dropshipping

A dropshipper is someone who sells products they do not own or possess.

The dropshipper advertises the products of a retailer, generates demand, and then sends the demand to the retailer to execute. The difference between the sales price advertised by the dropshipper and the retailer’s price is the profit of the dropshipper.

While dropshipping is best done with a website, you can also create Facebook and Google Ads, generate demand, and then forward the demand to the retailer to fulfil the order.

Popular dropshipping marketplaces include AliExpress Dropshipping, Modalyst, Spocket, and Doba.

10. E-commerce

Alternatively, instead of selling other people’s products, you can learn how to make money in Dubai by selling your own products.

This is done by creating an ecommerce website through WooCommerce, Shopify, or Etsy, generating demand for your products, and then fulfilling those orders through an efficient logistics system.

If you already sell goods offline, e-commerce is a good way to generate fresh orders online and increase your business’ revenue.

11. Stock image photography

If you have skills in photography and can take exquisite pictures, consider registering with various stock photography sites that will allow you to earn extra money.

Some top stock photography sites include Shutterstock, Getty Images, and iStockphoto.

Your task is to create quality pictures that other people will want to download. As a good place to start, you can check the most downloaded pictures on these sites to gain an idea of the type of photos most in demand.

12. Become a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant is an online personal or executive assistant.

Many company executives now hire virtual assistants who can help with checking and replying to emails, setting up meetings, taking and making phone calls, posting and engaging with posts on social media, etc.

If you have these basic skills, you can register to become a virtual assistant on Fancy Hands, Upwork, Belay, TaskVirtual, and Zirtual.

13. Translation

If you are multilingual and considering how to make extra money in Dubai, there may be some easy jobs out there waiting for you.

The gig of a translator involves translating documents from one language to another with the accuracy that an app like Google Translate cannot provide.

You can find translation jobs on Fiverr, Upwork, and other general-purpose freelance marketplaces.

Better yet, you can also check translation services marketplaces like Proz.com, Translators Auction, and TranslatorCafe.

14. Transcription work

Transcribing recorded speeches or conversations is another way to make money online in the UAE. Transcribe Me, Go Transcript, and Rev are common online marketplaces to find transcription jobs, and you can also find them on general-purpose freelance websites.

Transcription jobs require keen attention when listening to the audio files so that the transcript can be of a higher quality than what apps can do.

15. Email marketing

Many companies in the UAE are going online but not all of them have the digital skills needed to do it.

Email marketing is one area where they often need extra help. If you have good online communication and copywriting skills, you can consider helping to create and execute email marketing strategies for UAE companies who are going digital.

You can use LinkedIn to find young digital companies and pitch your services as an email marketer. Or you can use general-purpose freelance marketplaces to find email marketing gigs.

16. Online advertising

Another alternative is helping businesses with Facebook and Google Ads.

Many new companies have to rely on advertising to generate clients. If you are skilled in advertising and writing ad copy, you should consider applying for part-time advertising gigs online.

17. Youtube videos

Youtube has become a big money-making venture for many people online.

It’s similar to blogging in many ways. However, Youtube is all about producing relevant and quality videos.

If you have an interest around which you can gather an audience, you can consider creating a Youtube channel to upload videos to it regularly.

Some of the most popular niches on Youtube in 2022 are beauty and style, entertainment, how-to tutorials, product reviews, weight loss and healthy living. You can also go outside of these niches as long as you have done research and feel confident that you can build your own audience.

Once you have built an audience, you can earn money from ads that will be shown on your videos. If you are popular enough, you can get endorsement deals to advertise some brands on your channel.

18. Online tasks

In addition to transcribing, you can also carry out other online tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Tasks can vary from tagging images, classifying records, taking surveys, collecting data, to doing market research.

You can choose from a variety of tasks and use your spare time to complete them for some extra cash.

19. Websites and apps testing

Developers are now trying to get users’ feedback on their websites and apps before they go live. To do this, they recruit people who will use those websites and apps and provide feedback (by answering some questions or engaging in a video conversation).

Some popular websites and apps testing websites include UserTesting.com, UTest, User Feel, and TryMyUI.

20. Offer vacation rentals

Do you have spare rooms in your apartment that you can rent out?

Then you can consider listing it on a vacation rental website and earn income from the short-term rental.

Airbnb, Booking, and Vrbo are popular online travel agencies (OTAs) where you can list your rooms or homes. Alternatively, you can contact any UAE vacation rental management company to add your space on their online booking website.

21. Social media influencer

Instead of spending time on social media just for fun, you may want to consider being more intentional and creating a stream of income from it.

Like blogging and Youtube, the idea here is to generate an audience around a particular topic. For example, you can be known on social media as a personal finance guru, a marketing expert, or a reviewer of new fashion products, among others.

Once you build a significant following, you can advertise brands that have their target customers as part of your audience. This will allow you to get paid for every post recommending the brand or on a monthly basis.

You don’t need to have 1 million followers to do this. There are varying levels of influencers on social media: mega, macro, mid-tier, micro, and nano, and you can make money at any level.

The key is to produce content that consistently commands the attention of your audience.

22. Ride hailing

Ride hailing is a good option if you have a car, have cheap access to a car, and/or you have some free hours during the weekday or on weekends.

In the case of becoming a ride-hailing driver, sometimes learning how to earn money online in the UAE involves using what you have offline and finding a market for it online. For example, Uber and Lyft are online ride-hailing companies that provide ways to earn money in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the other emirates.

Register on the app, go online to receive orders when you are free, and complete the ride orders to earn extra income.

23. Delivery riding

If you have a bike or motorcycle instead of a car, then you can consider registering as a delivery rider for various logistics or delivery companies.

These can include food delivery agencies like Deliveroo and Talabat or general-purpose logistics companies like Quick Send Delivery Services or Zone Delivery Services.

You can do this over the weekend or on free hours during the work week.

24. Domain flipping

Domain flipping is the process of buying website domain names for cheap and selling them at a premium. Doing this successfully requires the ability to predict which domain names will become popular in the future and to be right more than you are wrong.

Domain flipping is like real estate flipping and many people continue to make money from it. If you have the skills to predict future domain needs, then you can also earn significant income from it.

Flippa, GoDaddy, Sedo, and Namecheap are platforms where you can buy and/or sell different domains.

25. Sell graphics designs

As a graphics designer, you can also earn additional income by selling designs and templates on sites like 99Designs, Envato, and Creative Market.

The key here is to create quality designs that will meet the standards of the users of these platforms.

26. Create a podcast channel

Podcasts are becoming very popular. In 2019, there were 274.8 million podcast listeners in the world. And Oberlo projects that 504.9 million people will listen to podcasts by 2024.

By creating an audience for your podcast, you can make money from businesses who want to reach them with their products and services. Moreover, you can also sell various digital products to your audience.

Crypto, entrepreneurship, gaming, personal development, and fashion are some of the more popular niches in the podcast industry today.

27. Audiobook narration

Audiobooks are becoming popular with the success of Audible and other audiobooks websites.

Consequently, many writers are looking for voice actors who can narrate their written books into an audiobook format.

In addition to general-purpose websites, you can also find audiobook narration gigs on ACX.com, Voices.com, and Voicebunny.com.

Kind in mind that this gig can be done in many languages, including for authors that write in your own language.

28. Voiceovers

There are other ways to earn money by using your voice apart from audiobook narration.

You can do voiceover work for movie trailers, commercials, adverts, and demonstration videos. If you have an interesting and sellable voice, then the opportunities are endless.

You can find voiceover gigs on the same websites as audiobook narration gigs.

29. Become a travel agent

Are you familiar with various tourism destinations in your locale and love to show guests around?

Then consider earning extra cash by helping tourists plan a perfect vacation visit. You can register to be hired as a personal travel agent or consultant on a website like Reco.

You can even start your own travel consultancy website and find customers by yourself, if you feel so bold.

30. Music reviews

Big music fan? Consider earning extra money online by reviewing music. Current, Radio Earn, Music Xray, and HitPredictor are some websites where you can find music reviews gigs.

Having seen how to make money online in the UAE, now you need to decide which one of these opportunities might be the most feasible for you based on your skills, interests, and availability.

Whichever ones you choose, the point is that there are numerous ways to earn money in Dubai and across the UAE today.

Notice also that we have focused on how to earn money online without investment in the UAE. While you can earn passive income from investments (such as stocks, bonds, etc.), there are many ways to make money online outside of the stock market, which we have happily detailed here.

As you earn more money online, you will also need to find low-cost ways to send money home to your family and friends.

At Hubpay, we help UAE residents send hard earned money back home more cost effectively. Register with Hubpay for free to make international money transfers for less, pay your bills and utilities, and make local and international mobile phone recharges.

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