TryMyUI.com

What is TryMyUI.com?

TryMyUI enables website developers to learn about their users' experience with their website through usability testing. TryMyUI pays users a nominal fee to interact with their clients' websites and give feedback about their thoughts and impressions.

Plink

What is Plink?

Plink is a registered card program that allows you to earn points for dining out and shopping offline. You select where you want to eat or shop, and Plink activates those offers on your credit or debit card. Plink was co-founded by Peter Vogel, one of the executives behind Memolink - one of the first online rewards programs - and recently picked up $3 million in funding. Plink has an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau and is a member of the National Restaurant Association. I really like Plink because I can use my AMEX (I get cash back when I use my card) and get rewarded twice for things I'm going to do anyway. I currently have 1830 points which is enough to get a $15 Walmart or Amazon.com giftcard, but I like to save my points up and cashout big!

How Do I Make Money? 
Once you create your free account with Plink, select the debit or credit card you use the most often and register it (they use bank-level encryption, so you can be sure it's safe!). When you use your card at participating restaurants and retailers (some of which include Burger King, Taco Bell, 7-Eleven, Dunkin Donuts, Arby's, Edwards Cinemas, United Artists Cinemas, Regal Cinemas, to name a few) your purchases are tracked and points are automatically deposited into your Plink account. 

ClickWorker

What is ClickWorker?

ClickWorker provides digital tasks to registered Internet workers, who may choose which tasks they want to work on. The idea is similar to that of Amazon Mechanical Turk, oDesk, and Minute Workers. Depending on your profile and qualifications, you may be offered some projects or excluded from others. Since many of the tasks can be completed in just seconds you can stop and start at anytime which means you can work anytime, anywhere.

Minds Pay

What is Minds Pay?

MindsPay is an internet site that pays its members to test products, services and give feedback on those tested via surveys. Your opinions are reported to advertisers, who alter their campaigns based on your feedback! You can also elect to receive surveys via e-mail during sign up. 

How Do I Make Money?

Earn your first $3 just for activating your registration - it's easy and takes about 2 minutes! Once you have completed your MindsPay registration, you will be taken to your 'My Surveys' page where you can choose the surveys you want to participate in. Surveys take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to complete. Your surveys must be approved or validated in order to receive payment (to ensure you completed it properly and according to the advertiser's requirements). Some surveys are approved instantly, while others may take up to one week to be approved.

CrowdTap

What is CrowdTap?

CrowdTap is a website where you can go to earn points, a portion of which can be redeemed for Amazon.com giftcards, other giftcards, or a charity of your choice, and win free products (by testing them). You move from one level to another by increasing your points earnings - the higher your level (status), the more likely you are to get invitations for exclusive product tests, promotions, etc. 

With CrowdTap you essentially have 2 accounts - Lifetime Points (which reflects your status) and Current Points (which you can redeem for rewards). Your greatest advantage in using this site is earning free products by receiving invitations from big-name brands. 

Instant Cash Sweepstakes (ICS)

What is Instant Cash Sweepstakes?

Instant Cash Sweepstakes  is a market research company that wants your opinion on a variety of topics. By completing very short surveys you are rewarded in coins and "lottery tickets" that you can redeem for chances to win daily prizes. One important thing to note about this opportunity is that you must login once every 30 days or you forfeit any funds in your account.

American Family

What is American Family?

American Family is a website where you can find new recipes, printable coupons, take quizzes, and play games. 

How Do I Make Money?
While this site isn't really a money-making opportunity, you can earn points and redeem them for entries into prize drawings. Personally, I prefer to earn points only when I know they will result in a payoff. In other words, I don't care to earn points and redeem them for a "chance to win"- I want something tangible for my time. For this reason, I realize many people will probably only want to participate in this opportunity if they are more interested in the actual offering of the site - recipes, coupons, and playing games. 

The way you earn points is by printing recipes, playing games, taking short quizzes, accepting special offers, completing featured surveys and other activities.

American Consumer Opinion Panel (ACOP)

What is ACOP?

ACOP is a market research company that has been in business for over 15 years.  They send out online survey invitations and have products for their members to test. According to their website, some of their recent survey topics have asked panelists:

• To evaluate new advertising for a retailer.
• About how and why they purchase and the use of gifts cards.
• Their opinions about the current economy.
• Their thoughts about tanning products and how often tanning products are used.
• To review an idea for a new fuel additive product for an automotive company.
• To taste test a new snack food for a food manufacturer.
• How happy they were with customer service from their local utility. 

To the right is a screenshot of my ACOP account - it looks like I have a good running balance in there. I think I'll let the funds continue to accumulate. :)

Working with Sassie, ShopMetrics, ClientSmart, Prophet

"I keep signing up over and over again for the same companies", you say. While it may seem like this is the case, the fact is that there are different platforms, or software services that mystery shopping companies use to post and track their shops. 

There are four major platforms that companies use: Sassie, ShopMetrics, ClientSmart, and Prophet. However, some companies choose to use their own in-house platform too so you will have to get used to the different company interfaces if you work for several mystery shopping companies. When you sign up to work for a mystery shopping company, you may be directed to sign up through one of these platforms and you may see the same online web forms and answer the same questions over and over again each time. 

Although many companies may use the same platform, you will need to sign up individually for each company to create a separate profile to work for that company. This is so that the company can track your shops and keep their own records on your work.

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Crowd Cloud

What is Crowd Cloud?

CrowdCloud is another crowdsourcing website where companies and creatives come together to solve problems. According to their website, "We bring together companies that need work done with people who want to work and get paid. When a company gives us a project, we break it down into a smaller set of tasks that you complete using our Facebook work application. You select the tasks you'd like to work on, and are typically paid [the next business day] via PayPal for each approved task." Tasks can be anything from translation, online research, data entry, writing and editing.

How Do I Make Money?

For this opportunity, you must have a Paypal account,  because that is the only method of payment at the time of this post. Once you signup, search for and complete tasks that are of interest to you. Of course, you can always sign up for your own referral link and receive a commission for everyone who signs up underneath you! You will need to have a Facebook account in order to participate in the referral program.

Earning Potential

You can earn anywhere from $.01 to $30.00 or more per task using CrowdCloud. Like most other task-oriented opportunities, the company determines the price for the task based on the time and effort involved.

Signup now for CrowdCloud!

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BzzAgent

What is BzzAgent?
BzzAgent is a company that brings on "agents" to review products for free. They operate by word of mouth, so that you can test their products and "buzz" around and spread the word. 

How Do I Make Money?

Although this isn't really a money-making opportunity, you sure can save a lot of money by getting free stuff! If you're anything like me, you consider saving money the same as making money!

Also, you can get additional coupons to pass out to friends so they can test out the product too! It doesn't get any better than this :)

Once you register, fill out as many short surveys (yes, they are very short!) as you can to increase your chances of getting to review a product for free!

Earning Potential
Potentially several free products to sample and review!

Signup now for BzzAgent!

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Thred Up

What is ThredUp?
If you haven't heard of or tried using ThredUp, you are SOOOO missing out! ThredUp is a site where you can buy and sell gently used kids clothes.

How Do I Make Money?

To sell your kids' clothes, simply order a shipping bag, put down a $4.95 deposit and ThredUp covers the cost of the shipping. The deposit is fully refunded when ThredUp receives your bag full of clothes. They price and list your kids' clothes and when the item sells, you get cash through paypal, or a webstore credit. The bag is 24" by 28", so you can fit a lot of clothes into it! When sending your clothes, be sure they are in good shape, freshly laundered, and are free of rips, stains, odors, pilling and other signs of wear. According to their website, you can earn even more money for brand names such as Oilily, Mini Boden, Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Janie & Jack, Gymboree, Gap, Naartjie, Zutano, Jacadi, Hanna Banana, Baby Lulu and Baby Nay; items that are new with tags, and items that are currently in season. You can also participate in their referral program and for every friend that you refer and who makes a purchase, you both get a $10 credit. It doesn't get any better than that!

Earning Potential

ThredUp has a calculator where you can get an idea of how much you can earn for your kids' outgrown clothing. As with most resale stores, your earnings potential depends on the condition, brand, and demand of the clothing. According to my calculations based off what some of their sellers have listed and sold, the earnings potential seems to be right around 5% of what they list your clothing for.

Signup now for ThredUp!

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Jingit

What is Jingit?

Jingit is a company that pays members to watch online advertisements. When registering, you should know that they require your mobile number to 'verify that you are a real person.' Also, the only way to register or login is through your Facebook account. For some people, these features can be a real turn-off, but if this doesn't bother you, this could be a good opportunity. Once you enter your mobile number, they will send you a text with a verification code that must be entered on the screen. After you enter the verification code, you are all set to start earning money. At the bottom of your screen, a few advertisements are available to watch. Similar to Beezag.com (see my post here) only a few videos per day are available to watch.

Ipsos i-Say

What is Ipsos i-Say?

First off, an explanation of the strange name: Ipsos is a global market research company, founded in 1975. i-Say is the online survey panel aspect of the company. In short, Ipsos i-Say is a survey company that pays panelists to take surveys, which helps their clients shape their market and product research based on consumers' opinions. 

How Do I Make Money?

Ipsos i-Say awards points for each survey completed. Points can be converted to cash (check or Paypal), donations, or American Express giftcards. What's nice about this survey company is that if you don't qualify for a survey after starting it, they will try to find another survey for you to take.

Fusion Cash

What is Fusion Cash?

FusionCash is a GPT (Get Paid to Try) offer website. So, you earn cash for completing free and risk-free trial offers. "Why would a company pay me to try their products?" you ask. Well, instead of wasting their marketing dollars trying to reach audiences that ignore their advertising anyway, advertisers pay companies like Fusion Cash to get people to sign up for their products and services. FusionCash recruits members to sign up for these offers and in turn, pays their members with the money they earn from their advertisers. Advertisers have a captive audience and, as a consumer, you get to try out products that you were probably already thinking about buying, but now you have a financial incentive to do so.

oDesk

What is oDesk?

oDesk is an online marketplace where small businesses and managers can find contract workers to perform work for an hourly fee or fixed price. Although they say there are over 75 job categories, the most popular categories include: Web Development, Software Development, Networking & Information Systems, Writing & Translation, Administrative Support, Design & Multimedia, Customer Service, Sales & Marketing, and Business Services. Here's how to get started with oDesk:

MindField Online Internet Panels

Surveys are one of those types of opportunities that you love or hate. I happen to love them, but that doesn't mean I do each and every survey that is delivered to my inbox. I pick and choose the surveys I do, based on the topic and incentive. While each survey in itself doesn't pay a whole lot, they do add up! When deciding if a particular survey and incentive is worth my time, I think of it in terms of hourly pay. So, for example: if a survey says it will take 20 minutes to complete and it pays $1.00, the hourly pay would be $3.00/hour. Each person is different and each person must decide which opportunities are worth their time.

Inbox Dollars

I don't know about you, but I love easy money. And how much easier does it get to open an email and be paid a few pennies to do so? Before you complain about the skimpy payout, consider the last time you were paid just to open an email and click the link. It literally takes 5 seconds or less to do this easy activity and the earnings add up - especially if you engage in other activities on Inboxdollars.com.

What is InboxDollars.com?

Inboxdollars.com is one of those opportunities that pays you to open emails, complete offers, play games, watch videos, perform online searches, and complete surveys. Just between you and me though, the one thing I don't bother with is doing their surveys. The rewards tend to be really low compared to what Surveyhead.com and other paid survey websites pay. What IS nice is that you get $5 in your account for free just for signing up!

Swagbucks

When was the last time you earned money to perform a Google search? Did you earn anything last night when you were watching your favorite TV show? How about the last time you offered your opinion on something? If you're not getting paid for these things now, you need to consider participating in Swagbucks.com.

What is Swagbucks.com?
Swagbucks.com is one of those sites that offers virtual currency ("swagbucks") for searching the web, doing online shopping, watching online TV, and by engaging in activities like phone recycling, submitting polls, and completing special offers.

Zilok

How many of us have things sitting in our house that we never use, but can't bare to get rid of? Things that come to mind might be baby gear, electronics, water toys, roller skates, power tools, camping gear, etc - even vehicles! Now imagine being able to rent these items out for a fee, many times over?! 

What is Zilok.com?

Zilok.com is an online rental marketplace - where owners and renters come together to rent or offer to rent almost anything! As an owner, you can list an item you have for rent and choose how much you are willing to rent the item out for. As a renter, you can pay a reasonable fee to rent almost anything you can think of. Zilok.com takes a portion of the rental fee in the form of a retainer, which is deducted from the rental price due to the owner.

Cash4Books

I'll bet you have a few old books lying around that you've promised yourself you'll read "someday". Yep, I used to have some of those too...until I sold them for straight cash to Cash4Books.net. Why not take those old dusty books and turn them into greenbacks? Not only can you earn a few easy bucks, but you can de-clutter your desk and bookshelves while contributing to the green movement by recycling your oldies but goodies.

Focus Forward

What is Focus Forward?

There are actually two branches of Focus Forward: Focus Forward and Focus Forward Online. Focus Forward Online allows you to take surveys via email in the comfort of your own home. Focus Forward allows you to participate in focus groups, telephone interviews, webcam interviews, or product testing. These opportunities may require going to a focus group facility, spending time on the phone or online with an interviewer, or completing a homework assignment. I have actually done a few Focus Forward webcam studies/interviews and they are pretty fun and interesting!

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Most of us are aware that Amazon.com is an online marketplace where companies and individuals can buy and sell, but did you know that Amazon.com also offers work at home opportunities? And, I'm not talking about those rare telecommuting jobs that most of us are not qualified for. What's nice about working for Mechanical Turk is that you can set your own hours and choose only those tasks that are interesting to you. While this opportunity will likely not make you tons of money, it can be utilized in conjunction with a Multiple Streams of Income strategy.

Minute Workers

My favorite types of opportunities are those where I can work whenever and wherever I want AND I can choose the type of work I want to do. I love being able to open up my laptop at 9:30 on a Friday night when there aren't any good TV shows on and choose to earn some money without having to wait for a survey invitation. Minute Workers is one of those opportunities that you can do whenever you feel like it. 

What is Minute Workers?

If you like and are familiar with Amazon Mechanical Turk, you will probably also like MinuteWorkers.com. Much like Mechanical Turk, MinuteWorkers.com is a platform that brings employers and workers together. Employers utilize the help of workers to complete simple tasks - some of which involve clicking links, filling out forms, downloading apps, completing offers, taking surveys, etc. 

Crowd Spring

Imagine you are a business owner trying to name your new company. You have sorted through several of your own ideas and nothing seems to really pop - your creative side just isn't coming through, especially when you really need it to. Now, imagine that you have 100 people sitting in front of you, all eager for you to hear their most creative ideas for naming your business.

This is the concept of "crowdsourcing". Rather than relying on just a few brains that may be engaged in groupthink (everyone's thinking along the same lines) to come up with the next revolutionary company name, the idea of crowdsourcing utilizes the mass creativity of many different people from diverse backgrounds. In short, companies outsource certain tasks to companies like CrowdSpring in order to solve problems creatively. This can be done both on and offline.

My Favorite Mystery Shopping Companies

As I mentioned in a previous post, I spend about 20 hours per week mystery shopping. I am registered with over 80 different companies and do regular work for about 30 of them. I have provided a list of reputable companies below that I have done work for, have been paid from, and have never paid anything to work for. Cheers! 

About Face
Industries: Education, Banking, Apartment, Retail, Communications, Automotive
Shop Types: Location Visits, Web Shops, Phone Shops
ACE Mystery Shopping
Industries: Banking, Retail, Communications, Automotive, Restaurant, Fast Food
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Amusement Advantage
Industries: Amusement Parks
Shop Types: Amusement Park visits
Bestmark
Industries: Automotive, Restaurant, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits, Web Shops, Phone Shops
BMA
Industries: Restaurant, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits
The Brandt Group
Industries: Fast Food, Grocery, Carwash
Shop Types: Location Visits
Customer Perspectives
Industries: Restaurant, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits  
DSG Associates
Industries: Banking, Insurance
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
EPMS
Industries: Apartments
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Harland Clarke
Industries: Banking
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops 
iMyst
Industries: Retail, Apartments
Shop Types: Location Visits, Home Visits
Informa Research Services
Industries: Banking
Shop Types: Location Visits
Intelichek
Industries: Automotive, Retail, Home Improvement, Education
Shop Types: Phone Shops
Jancyn
Industries: Apartments, Retail, Restaurants, Banking
Shop Types: Location Visits
JM Ridgway Company (Prophet System) or (Sassie System)
Industries: Retail, Apartments, Automotive, Grocery,
Shop Types: Location Visits
Management Consultant Group (MCG)
Industries: Restaurants, Hospitality
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Marketforce
Industries: Retail, Restaurants, Fast Food, Automotive
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Maritz Research
Industries: Banking, Restaurant
Shop Types: Location Visits
Measure Consumer Perspectives
Industries: Banking, Restaurant, Automotive, Apartments, Communications, Fast Food, Legal, Medical
Shop Types: Location Visits, Web Shops, Phone Shops
Mintel Group
Industries: Banking, Restaurant, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits, Shops from Home
National Shopping Service
Industries: Fast Food, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits
Quality Assessments Mystery Shoppers (QAMS)
Industries: Fast Food, Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits 
Ritter Associates
Industries: Fast Food, Retail, Convenience Store, Gas Station Audits, Parking, 
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Secret Shopper
Industries: Fast Food, Retail, Automotive
Shop Types: Location Visits
Second to None
Industries: Fast Food, Retail, Medical
Shop Types: Location Visits
Sensor's Quality Management, Inc. (SQM)
Industries: Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits 
Shoppers' Critique International
Industries: Retail, Automotive, Amusement
Shop Types: Location Visits, Phone Shops
Sinclair Customer Metrics
Industries: Retail
Shop Types: Location Visits 
Trendsource/MSI
Industries: Retail, Business Verifications, Restaurant, Fast Food
Shop Types: Location Visits 


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Mystery Shopping

How many of us become giddy at the idea of getting paid to shop? Now, how many of us return to reality and conclude that mystery shopping is a scam? I've been there, thought that. But, it turns out that there are MANY mystery shopping companies out there that do not charge a dime to register with them or shop for their company. I know, because I am an active mystery shopper and have never paid a single company to shop for them. AND, I have been paid for all of the assignments I've completed. 

What's in it for me?

We have all come across an "opportunity" or two promising us thousands of dollars a month for doing practically nothing. And, most of us have figured out that these are scams and are simply not true. This webpage promises nothing of the sort. In fact, you will likely not make a lot of money BUT by investing some time to participate in some or all of these opportunities, you will make money. All of the opportunities presented on this webpage are completely free to pursue, involve no monetary investment at any point, and have been personally reviewed for their authenticity. As a busy stay-at-home mom, I have searched for opportunities that would allow me to contribute to my family financially WITHOUT having to put forth any investment. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how many legitimate opportunities exist out there. Those who choose to participate in the opportunities presented here should see them as multiple streams of income. This simply means that no single opportunity will yield lots of money; however, simultaneously pursuing several opportunities can yield some decent extra money. I will never ask you for a penny, as I freely offer this information, but I would so greatly appreciate your using my affiliate links as this is one of my multiple streams of income :)

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Multiple Streams of Income

Having multiple streams of income simply means that you utilize several different ways of making money. Each one in itself probably won't earn you much money, but when you pursue many opportunities and look at the sum of what you make with all of them, you can make some decent extra money!

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Beezag

It was only a few years ago that the general public had little choice but to endure TV and online video advertisements while watching their favorite shows and online videos. Today, we have the choice of fast-forwarding or muting these advertisements and commercials and a vast majority of folks do. Well, advertisers are losing a lot of money because of this fast-growing dilemma. So, many of these advertisers have teamed up with companies like Beezag.com and have come up with a crazy scheme to PAY you to watch their advertising. You read that right - they will pay you to watch their commercials. 

What is Beezag.com?

Beezag.com is a website where users are rewarded for watching advertisements online. 

Paid Viewpoint

What is Paid View Point?

PaidViewPoint.com is a survey site like no other. What sets it apart from other survey sites is that you are paid for every survey completed and you will not be screened out once you are invited to a survey. It can be quite frustrating to get through 15 survey questions to discover that your demographic doesn't meet the client's criteria and you are booted out of the survey with nothing gained.

Another benefit of participating in PaidViewPoint.com is that their surveys aren't boring! Anyone who has taken surveys before knows that some of them out there are so dull, but PaidViewPoint.com has found a way to take the "boring" out of the experience. Another great thing about PaidViewPoint.com is that you never have to register your real name or physical address, so you can feel completely free to share your real opinions and demographics without concern that your personal information will be shared with others.