How to Donate Plasma for Money in San Diego

If you are looking for a way to make a little cash in San Diego for a couple of hours of your time, you can donate plasma at an area blood bank or donation center. Not all plasma donation centers in San Diego offer money as compensation. Instead, some offer event tickets or movie tickets. Once you identify a donation center that offers money, you can make multiple donations there. According to the San Diego Blood Bank, you are required to wait four weeks between donations.

• 1

  Look for a plasma donation center in your area of San Diego, if you don't already have one picked out, by using the directory on the BloodBanker or California Plasma website (see Resources). The San Diego Blood Bank and San Diego Bio Health are two of the donation centers in the area.

• 2

  Call one of the San Diego plasma donation centers to make an appointment for your donation. You can also ask about the compensation as it varies from one donation center to another and the compensation can actually change where there is a need for plasma or a surplus of plasma.

• 3

  Arrive for your plasma donation at the donation center and expect to be there at least two hours for this first visit.

• 4

  Undergo a physical exam and give your complete medical history to the nurse. This is done because there are restrictions on donors, such as anyone with HIV/AIDS, a tattoo less than 12 months old, on certain medications or visited certain countries in the past 12 months are not allowed to donate. You must weigh at least 110 pounds and be 17 to 85 years old

• 5

  Give your plasma donation when you are cleared from the physical exam. You are taken to a chair and hooked up to the machine that takes your plasma donation, which lasts between one and two hours. You can read or do anything you like while you give the donation.

• 6

  Pick up your compensation from the front desk on your way out of the donation center.