is Rent a Friend a scam? Can you make money being a friend? Does it still work in 2023?
You should probably read this honest Rent a friend review before you think about signing up!
In this post, I am going to share with you almost everything you need to know about Rent a Friend. In addition, I will walk you through the site & we'll find out together what the site is all about and if you really can make money by becoming a friend!
Ready?
Let's jump in!
Rent A Friend Review! 2023 Updated
Name: Rent a friend
Website: Rentafriend.com
Is it a Scam?: No
Summary: Rent a Friend seems like a legit site to make money; however, there are many things I will share with you in this review that you must know to stay safe and have fun making money while making new friends!
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommended? Yes
What is Rent a Friend?
Rent a Friend is a website that allows you to rent a friend from all over the world; in addition, you can rent a local friend or a friend that will walk you through a city or country you want to visit.
Members rent friends for practically everything it could be for a walk in the park, to help you learn a new skill or to help you with something.
Rent a friend is also an amazing and fun opportunity to make some extra by becoming a friend of someone!
Rent a Friend is NOT a dating site or an escort agency because it's for friendship purposes only.
The site was seen on TV which is kinda cool, no?
But how does Rent a Friend work and how can you earn money?
I'll explain it all below.
How does Rent a Friend Work?
If you want to make money to become a friend, it's totally free and you get 100% of what you earn.
"Why would I get 100% of earnings?", You might ask.
Well, Rent a Friend charges its members a monthly fee of $24.95. That's how they make money.
That said, if you want to make money with Rent a Friend here's how you can get started:
1) Sign up & Create Your Free Account
To get started you need to sign up as a friend, in the sign up process there is a form that you need to fill out with some of your information like.
- Your Rent a Friend nickname
- Your location
- The languages you speak
- Body type & eye color
- Your favorite activities
- How much is your rate per hour
- Email Address
After you sign up you will receive a confirmation email.
However, you can also sign up faster by using your Facebook profile or Twitter
A Quick Tip!
When creating your Rent a Friend account don't forget to spend some time crafting a friendly "about you" paragraph explaining who your are and what you like to do.
This might attract more people to hire you as a friend if you come off as friendly and nice.
Here's an example of a great "about me" section!
2) Upload Your Photos
Photos are VERY important, if you don't upload a photo to your Rent a Friend profile, who is going to hire you?
In addition, Rent a Friend allows you to upload up to 10 photos.
So, make sure you snap some really good photos where you're smiling so people see you as a fun & friendly person.
In addition, here are some good Rent a Friend profile examples to get inspired from!
and
3) Verify Your Phone Number (optional)
If you want people to contact you on your phone number then you should add it and verify it. However, if you don't want people to contact you on your phone you can use your email or Facebook.
However, in my opinion, talking on the phone is very important.
4) Make New Friends & Get Paid!
If you do everything correctly your profile will be accepted by the Rent a Friend staff and you're ready to roll!
At this point, you should only wait for people to contact you!
Type of Activities You Can You do as a Friend!
People can hire you to do a lot of stuff like:
- Going to the cinema together
- Have drinks together
- Go for a jog or workout
- Be a companion
- You name it! 😉
As you can see Rent a Friend is a really cool site where you can make some extra money by just hanging out with some new friends!
However, there is a big question.
Rent A Friend Review : How Much Can You Earn?
Rent a Friend says that you can charge any fee you like. It's up to you to say how much you want to earn per hour.
Furthermore, when someone contacts you within Rent a Friend they will ask you how much you charge and you need to tell them your hourly rate. However, according to many people that use Rent a Friend to make money they say that they make around $10 to $50 per hour.
In addition, you get more benefits like free cinema tickets, free drinks, and food!
This girl has hired a friend in Japan for a day and they did all types of activities like drinking out and it looks like a lot of fun.
You can watch the video below.
How do You Get Paid from Rent a Friend?
Rent a Friend will not pay you. However, the friend that you meet is going to pay you the rate you have both agreed upon.
How Much Does Rent a Friend Cost?
If you want to register as a member and find friends, you can register for free and search for anyone for free. However, to contact a friend you must be part of the paid membership which costs $24.95 per month.
Once you become a member of the paid membership you can contact anyone you want.
However, the monthly fee is not the only thing you need to pay because you have to negotiate with the friend you have chosen for an hourly fee.
Most friends charge $10 per hour for a walk in the park or watching a movie together. However, if you are looking for a friend that should give you a hand with something they may charge you more than $40 per hour.
A Quick Note!
If you want to make money being a friend this site can help you, and it's totally legit, as you have read you can make anything from $10 to $50 per hour.
You can charge any price you want and keep all the profits but make sure you ask a reasonable price.
No one will pay you $100 per hour to drink a cup of coffee unless you're Rihanna or something like that 🙂
Does Rent a Friend have a Mobile App?
Rent a Friend does not have a mobile app, at least I could not find one for my Iphone on the app store!
I wish they had an app because it's 2022 and I'd love to use the site on an easy to navigate app.
The Rent a Friend website looks ok on mobile; however, it's not very easy to navigate as you have to zoom and swipe left and right many times which will blow your fingers fast.
Update 2022!
As of 2022, Rent a Friend still does not appear to have a smartphone app.
Update 2023
Nope, there is no smartphone app for rent a friend even in FEB 2023!
Rent A Friend Review: Is Rent a Friend Safe?
Any member of the paid membership can contact you; however, that does not mean they will see your email or phone number.
They will contact you through a contact form. Furthermore, you can give them your email and phone number to talk about the price and the best place to meet.
Only people that pay the monthly fee will contact you; that means only people that are genuinely interested in a friend will be able to reach you.
You have full control of who should be able to communicate with you and who should not.
For instance, if you want to be contacted by females only or vice versa you can set that from your profile.
Furthermore, many people use the site and never had problems. In conclusion, people are earning easy money for just making friends.
In addition, here are some guidelines and suggestions to stay safe that Rent a Friend want you to always keep in mind which are the following:
- 1Always keep your phone charged & close to you for emergency.
- 2Always have enough cash in your pockets.
- 3Never visit someone's else house even if they look friendly.
- 42022 Update : Because of the pandemic Rent - A - Friend advises to follow proper standard health protocol.
In what Countries is Rent a Friend Available?
- December 2020 Update : Rent a Friend is available Worldwide
Update for December 2020
Rent a Friend has been featured on more news channels.
The website claims to have 621,585 members as of December 2020. However, their site listed the same number of members back in January. No new members in over 10 months? Seems like something's off there.
What I liked About Rent a Friend
1) Rent a Friend is FREE to Join
The good thing about Rent a friend is 100% free if you want to make money as a friend.
Furthermore, the best part about it is the site won't even take a fee from your payment.
So, when you get paid you get to keep 100% of the payment!
2) They are Mentioned in TV.
Moreover, you know a company is legit when it has been mentioned and praised on TV and big magazines.
Rent a Friend has become very popular and has been mentioned by many popular sites like:
- CNN
- The Telegraph
- The Guardian
- CW News
- Fox News
- GMTV
- The Star
3) Make Money + Free meals & Events!
With Rent a Friend you can make money; furthermore, you can also get free drinks and food.
In addiion, you can also get invited to amazing parties and events 100% free!
Plus, there are many testimonials that are loving it and that proves Rent a Friend is legit.
4) Rent a Friend is Available Worldwide!
When I have published this review back in 2016 or 2017, I don't remember exactly, Rent a Friend wasn't available worldwide.
If I remember it was only available in the US and the UK.
However, now they have became very popular and it's even available in Italy (where I live)
I checked the site and I saw many profiles from Italy which is good.
What I didn't like About Rent a Friend
1) Rent a Friend 2022 Negative Reviews
I have read different negative reviews from Rent a Friend users. However, while I did not find any horror stories (fortunately) there are some negative reviews that you should read and maybe learn something from.
Some negative reviews talk about how some friends are annoying and only want to make a quick buck. Furthermore, some will bring with them 3 friends which is very annoying.
And then there are those friends that only want to hire you for benefits (sex or some nasty thing like that).
Rent a Friend is 100% against friends with benefits; however, sometimes you may encounter some crazy people.
Work from home & travel the world like me!
2) No Smartphone App
The second thing I did not like about Rent a Friend is the fact they don't have any phone app. Furthermore, their site is hard to browse on mobile devices.
3) The Rent a Friend Website Looks so 2001!
The Rent a Friend website looks like it was built in 2001.
I know this sounds picky but the design is very important in a website.
New! Rent a Friend Cash (Affiliate Program)
Looks like Refer a Friend is about to launch an affiliate program for their site.
Which means soon you will be able to refer your friends to Rent a Friend and make even more money!
Here's how the Rent a Friend Cash affiliate program looks like.
2022 Update: It seems that their affiliate program is not yet available
Rent a Friend Review: Alternatives
There aren't many similar sites like Rent a Friend out there; however, I did some research and I was able to find some that are close to Rent a Friend.
- Get Paid to Cuddle with Cuddlr
- Rent a girlfriend (this site looks sketchy that's why I did not link to it)
- Rent a Friend (the Japan version)
- Get Paid to be a Penpal
Rent A Friend Review: Final Verdict
In conclusion, Rent a Friend is NOT a scam, it's a 100% legitimate website where you can make some easy extra money by just becoming a friend.
If you need a new friend to show you a round a city or to workout with you then rent a friend is the perfect site to find such friends!
I do recommend this site; however, just remember that not all friends you meet are going to be friendly and nice. Furthermore, use your common sense and follow the site guidelines to always stay safe.
On top of that, this is something you probably want to do when you are free in the weekend, which means it's not a reliable way to make an income.
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Is there anything not clear in my Rent a friend review?
If yes, please drop a comment below! Also, feel free to sound off with any questions...
If you liked this review, please share it with your friends I would appreciate it! 🙂
I am a mother of a 24 year old son with Autism who cannot read and has some communication skills. I think this site may be a good way to practice social skills and have a companion other than family to do an activity with. I just am not sure how to go about “making” a friend. Do I seek friends as him or as his mom for him or would he have to do it himself.I apologize in advance, I know this sounds confusing. Most reviews are as the hired friend and not the friend themself.
Hi Christina, you can try to post 2 ads on the rent a friend website, one as you looking for a friend for your son and you explain the situation and another one where your son is looking for a friend. And then see which ads brings you the best results.
I hope your son will find amazing friends to practice with and let me know if have any questions Christina.
do you have to meet the friends in person or can it be a virtual friendship?
It depends on the friend and what they are requesting but usually you have to meet the friend in person.
According to the website, you can do it by phone or by email (pen pal).
Thanks for sharing this website with me. Honestly this sounds quite interesting, but at the same time sad that people will actually pay people to spend time with them for whatever reason.
Also like you said, I could see many people joining this website not looking to be someone “friend” but rather make a quick buck even it means being rude.
Also I wonder do you think you could use this site as maybe for dating? Like pay a girl to go to dinner with you or say your looking for a nice person to chat with?
I think there could be some potential there. What you think?
Hi Micheal, Rent a Friend is against using this site as a dating site, but you can always hire a female friend and gently flirt with her and if there is an attraction you’ll date 🙂
I think as long as you’re kind and nice you can use Rent a Friend to date in a respectful way.
Hi Anis,I’ve never heard of a website or program like this where you pay to someone for being your friend.At first I thought it is something strange and doubtful, but as you comment is not a program for dating or escorts which let’s say makes it less “dark” and indeed can be an exciting option for example when going on vacation and if you want a friendly guide to show you a city in a more personal way.I guess it is not recommended in all countries or cities, but in the end, I think that with some margin of doubt we could trust in the evaluations of users as we do with sites like Tripadvisor, Uber or Airbnb.
Hi, Tommy, I agree, Rent a Friend is like Airbnb and Uber, people let strangers get in their cars and houses so why not hire a friend to show you around a new city and make great friendships?
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! 🙂
Hi there, thanks so much for this review. I’m from the Caribbean and wasn’t familiar with the site. Your review was very informative and clearly explained the pros and cons of the site which certainly helps in the decision making process. I plan to check out the site in more detail 🙂
You’re welcome Tamika!
Hi Anis ChityI am surprised to see that this Rent a Friend is not a scam or a dating site. lol I even started thinking about giving it a try. Then I see the countries it is available in and it looks like they are all crossed off so maybe only Canada? That is okay because of all the information that you have given me it most likely would just get me into trouble. Thank you Kari
Hi Kari sorry for the confusion but Rent a Friend is available worldwide, I crossed off the part where I said this site was available in those specific countries.
Hi, LuluC’s post about Friends having to pay to join RentAFriend is not correct. (There are no fees for Friends) It has always been 100% Free for Friends to join, and they get to keep 100% of the money they earn.
Friends can join for free at http://RentAFriend.com/beafriend
Looks like it is no longer free to register as a friend. They have a $100 annual membership investment now. Seems like a gamble whether you’ll even be able to make that money back especially if no one rents a friend in your city.
Hi Lulu, thanks for the update!
Not true. If you want to rent a friend, it’s $24.95 a month. For those looking to be rented, its 100% free.
Thanks for the update, I will update the review for the 2023 version soon!
I’m curious how the payment works- is there any sort of escrow through the site, or is it cash exchange upon meeting? Is the friend paid up front for a certain number of hours or is everything settled up at the end of the meeting? It seems like there would be a lot of problems with either not paying, or trying to only pay part of the fee if the renter (for lack of a better term) doesn’t ‘click’ with the friend. Even someone ‘suddenly’ not having the money at the end of the night… I can see how paid membership would cut down on that but it still seems like a set up for problems. Any thoughts?
Hi Kristy thanks for visiting, I recommend you to discuss everything before meeting and tell the person that they need to pay you upon meeting if you meet them and they start trying not to pay you or say they would pay after the meeting ends, I’d leave.
Also, don’t forget what Rent a friend suggests always meet in public areas and believe your guts instincts if you don’t feel comfortable with someone you may want to get away from them.
I hope this clarified your doubts Kristy wish you a nice day.
Anis
Wow! This is a very interesting service! But I mean, if you can hire someone to cuddle with you, I cannot see why you can’t hire someone to be your friend. I don’t think I’ll use the service though to look for friends but maybe to be the friend. I think it would take me out of my comfort zone. But the added bonus would be the payment aspect. Too bad it’s not available in my country but good concept!
Hi Lindsey thanks for your visit! Rent a friend is an awesome service, I have just received a mail from them, and the service is available worldwide|:)
You know, I’m actually registered on this site as a ‘friend’ that someone can rent. I’ve been on it for 2 months though and I’ve had not a single person contact me yet. I honestly figured it was a scam because, who wouldn’t want to rent me as a friend? I’m awesome 🙂 haha
Hey, Kate, I will rent you as a friend if you wish, but I don’t want you to charge me lol 🙂 Maybe your country doesn’t have many members, or no one wants to visit your country lol 😀
Hi Anis, very unique program, it all sounds very interesting, I never heard about it. The online world is expanding more and more, and in many unique and unexpected ways.
I love this, it all sounds so exciteing and mysterious. People are learning to connect from different parts of the world, things like this app will help us understand each other more, being around people from different cultures as we travel and everything.
Yeah I also thought it’s an awesome idea! Thanks for dropping by and have a great day Jacob 🙂
how much is the interest?
Not sure what you exactly mean Mwesigwa, if you want to make money as a friend, you will keep 100% of the earnings as rent a friend makes money by charging the members a monthly fee, hope this helps, if you have any further questions don’t hesitate to ask 🙂
Good article Anis! I actually had looked into this method of earning money before and was considering getting set up to start being a friend and getting paid for it but I just got too busy to mess with it. It really does sound like it has a lot of potential and I appreciate that they have a lot of controls in place to keep things platonic, etc. It seems like a great way to make some spending money for college students!
Absolutely Jamie, it’s an awesome site, always great to earn some cash doing some fun stuff like being a friend 🙂 Thanks for dropping by and have a great day
If Mark Zuckerberg did it, it should be good 😉 I have never heard of “Rent a friend” but some Europe countries use it. I may use it and ask someone to shows museums and interesting places when I am in Greece. It looks really useful and I should be careful about my safety. Great review Anis
The Mark part was a joke he never used the site, rent a friend is fun, always good to know about sites like these 🙂
Hi Aniz,
This is an interesting and novel idea. I’ve never heard about Rent a Friend before. It sort of sounds like something people who can’t get friends would do. But the practicality of RAF is actually quite excellent. Take traveling to a foreign country for instance. It would be nice to be able to connect with someone before hand who will give you some guidance on local customs and culture. Even better is having someone pick you up at the airport and being your personal local guide while at the destination. It’s like Uber but for people. I think the safety issue is my biggest concern. Even with the controls over who and how people can contact you, you just never know if someone is legitimate or not. Do they have profiles and reviews, where you could determine the quality of the ‘friend’ before you actually meet them?
Thanks for sharing. At least with your review if I do decide to go through with RAF when I travel to one of the listed countries I know that RAF is legitimate from the website’s point of view and that’s a good start.
All the best
Hi Kevon, Rent a friend is absolutely a good site, about the safety issue, every friend has a profile and under every member’s photo there’s a button to report the member along with the reason, I know that’s not a guaranteed way to protect you, when you meet someone you need to be careful because the site can’t guarantee you 100% safety, it’s like when you meet someone from Facebook.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day 🙂