Imagine attending a baseball game by yourself.

Or going to your company party by yourself.

Or even going to the movies by yourself.

Some people are okay doing things without another person, but other people don’t feel comfortable going solo with certain activities.

The latter might feel compelled to rent a companion to enjoy the activity with them.

Wait – renting a friend?

Is that a real thing?

It certainly is, and I researched it to bring you this incredibly unique (and pretty fun sounding) way to make money without getting a job.

Is Companionship for Money Legit?

Yes!

It may sound a little weird or even a little sketchy.

But there’s actually nothing odd about it or anything to be afraid of if you dig a little deeper to understand why someone might want to “rent” a friend.

Some people don’t have significant others or even a lot of friends available to do things with, but they don’t want to do stuff alone (think about how awkward it might feel to eat at a restaurant by yourself!).

Or, maybe they just feel safer doing something with another person than doing it by themselves, especially if they’re in a big city.

Perhaps a person just enjoys the company of other people once in a while, but they’re new to an area and haven’t had the opportunity to meet people yet.

Some people look for friendships in other places they’re traveling to, also, to have someone show them around and let them know what there is to do in the area.

The concept of renting someone for companionship doesn’t seem so weird now, does it?

There are many reasons a person might seek friendship this way, but regardless of the reason, you can profit from it.

The people looking for companions will pay you – usually an hourly rate, but it might also be a flat fee – for your time to hang out with them.

The thing is, it could be beneficial for you, too, even without the money involved.

You might be able to meet new people, try out new things that you haven’t gotten to do before, see new places, and maybe even make a lifelong friend along the way.

And if you didn’t have fun or didn’t mesh with the person, at least your obligation is up when your time is over.

Contrary to popular belief, getting paid as a rental friend isn’t the same as being paid to date someone.

What I’m talking about in this article is solely for people who want to be paid as a platonic rental friend rather than anything romantically.

You can find plenty of stories from people online who have tried this form of making money and have been successful at doing so.

There are also lots of stories from people who have rented friends for $40 or more per hour, which means there definitely is a market for this!

Best Way to Get Paid to Be a Friend

I’ve heard a lot about a site called RentAFriend.com as an option for finding people who will pay you for your companionship.

After looking into the site, I see that it has quite a following of people who enjoy using it for finding friends and for renting themselves out as a friend.

If you’re interested in becoming a platonic escort, I suggest using this site first to try it.

What Is Rent A Friend?

Rent A Friend is exactly what it sounds like.

This website is like a classifieds page for people who want to find somebody to spend time with, whether it’s to go to a concert, have a fun night out, or just watch movies with at home.

The site lets people search by where they live to find people near them who are open to being their companion for a fee.

How Does It Work?

Rent A Friend looks like a classifieds site and works similarly to one, too.

It works all over not just the United States, but all over the world.

So if you live in Argentina, you can use the site to find people near you or wherever you’re traveling who want to be paid for their friendship.

Or, you can simply sign up to be a friend and people in your area or who are traveling to that area can find you.

If you’re signing up for friendship, there’s a $24.95 fee to join.

With the fee, you’ll be able to search the site for any friends you want, but any costs involved with the paid companionship will be extra.

The subscription fee basically gives you access to the full site and all of its members.

The good news is that the site does honor refunds if you’re not completely happy with your service or what it offers.

You also stay anonymous to anyone who’s signed up as a friend, so there’s no pressure to let them know right away who you are.

As a member looking to get paid for your companionship, you’ll be known as a Friend.

You can join the site for free and make a profile for others to find you.

Once someone is interested in your friendship, they can use the site’s messaging system to contact you or contact you by phone or text message.

You’re in control of what information you put on your profile and how much you make.

You’ll set your hourly rate as a Friend, and those looking for friendships will be able to see and accept your rate before contacting you, so there are no surprises for anyone.

How Can I Sign Up to Make Money?

When you get to the site, hit the Join button on the top of the page.

Then, sign up with your chosen method under the Become a Friend section.

The site allows you to sign up with your email or use your Twitter or Facebook login for a quicker signup process.

How Much Money Can I Earn?

That’s really up to you and how often you get hired!

From the stories I’ve seen about people who hire friends for money using Rent A Friend, they typically pay between $20 and $40 an hour, although I’ve seen as high as $50.

The lower you price yourself, the more people will probably be interested in hiring you.

The higher you price yourself, though, the more you can make for your time spent as a companion.

Rent A Friend says that most people make between $10 and $50 on the site, so you can always price yourself around $10 or $20, see how many bites you get, and if you end up with several contacts, you can boost your prices.

If you’re only interested in working weekends, you’ll make less than you would if you were available through the week, too.

And your earnings will also depend on how long you’re out with someone.

A couple of hours on the town won’t net as much as an all-day hiking excursion, for example.

Let’s try a couple of examples:

Person 1

• Hourly rate: $40
• Works only 5-10 hours on the weekends
• Earns between $200-$400/week or $800-$1600/month

Person 2

• Hourly rate: $20
• Works three evenings a week (about 6 hours) and 8-15 hours on weekends
• Earns between $280-$420/week or $1120-$1680/month

As you can see, you can earn a little more money with even a $20/hour rate by working more hours, and you may have more people contacting you.

The choice is yours, but never settle for an hourly rate that you don’t feel comfortable with.

Read more: 8 Ways to Get Paid to Go on Fun Dates with Guys

How Do I Get Paid?

You won’t get paid through the site for your friendship. Instead, you’ll need to figure out your payment terms with your companion before you head out.

Your paying companion should be able to pay you at least a portion of your fee up front.

Some ways you might be able to ask for payment include cash, check, PayPal, or a gift card of your choice.

What Do Reviews Say?

I’ve read quite a few reviews about Rent A Friend from Friends (those getting paid to be a friend) on the site.

And what I’ve noticed is that they’re mostly positive.

People seem to love this way of making money and find it both easy and fun.

And it seems like some people make decent money doing it, too, even if it’s just a couple hundred extra dollars a month to put toward bills or savings.

If there’s one downside, it’s that some people don’t get as many contacts as others.

This could be a problem if you live in a small town where people don’t travel much or there isn’t much to do.

Otherwise, this could be a potentially lucrative side gig for you.

Other Ways to Make Money as a Rental Friend

Do you like the idea of getting paid to be a friend but want something more than sitting and waiting for someone to contact you?

Try these other options:

Use Your Social Media Networks

Social media can really come in handy when you’re looking to meet people for any reason, so there’s no reason why you can’t use it for paid friendships.

You can use your networks to advertise that you’re open for paying friends.

Don’t be spammy, though – that’s a surefire way to lose followers quickly!

Get Involved in Local Facebook Groups

Local Facebook Groups could be just right for opening up paid friendship opportunities.

However, you’ll need to check with the group rules first before advertising yourself there or messaging members.

Start a Website to Advertise Yourself

You can always start a website that’s all about you and your paid companionship ventures.

If you’ve already been a paid companion before, you can write blog posts about your experiences and set yourself up as a go-to figure for this sort of thing.

Advertise your site on social media and build a following.

Make sure you have a contact page on your site where potential friends can find you and get a hold of you to set something up!

Try Rent a Local Friend

This site is similar to Rent A Friend, but it seems to be geared more toward those who are traveling to new spots and want to meet people at their destination.

You can sign up for free as a Friend and start filling out your profile.

The cool thing about this site is that you can even lend your friendship virtually, if you choose, for things like sharing your talents, hosting talents, or even just video chatting with someone who needs to talk.

Rent Your Friendship for Cash

Renting out your friendship is something that can make you a little extra money and provide some entertainment in your life.

Your friendship is something that’s always available to you, so you might as well leverage it for some cash.

To stay safe, be sure to:

• Let a trusted person know where you’re meeting your paying friend
• Meet only in a public, well-lit place
• Work out all the details with the person before meeting

Be your usual, fun self, and you’re bound to have a great time (while getting paid!).