InboxDollars Review: Here’s How To Earn Some Side Cash When You’re Online
GOBankingRates Score
- Pays cash to users who complete surveys and tasks
- Instant $5 welcome bonus
- $15 cash out threshold for new users; $10 thereafter
- PayPal, prepaid Visa or electronic gift card payment options
- Option to donate rewards to charity
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Earnings
4.6
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Features
4.5
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Customer Service
2.5
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Flexibility
3.8
Pros
- Earn cash while you take surveys, watch videos, shop, read emails and more
- Over a dozen ways to earn cash
- Earn bonus chances to win cash prizes even if you don't qualify for specific surveys
Cons
- Some activities pay a minimal amount of a few cents
- You may not qualify for all surveys
- Customer service response can take at least three business days and may take as long as 30 days
While you’re spending your free time online, why not make a little money? InboxDollars pays you cash for completing certain online activities. If you’re practicing social distancing and staying at home, now might be the right time to check out the program. And if you’re going out, you can monetize your daily train commute by trying name-brand products, taking a survey while you wait at a doctor’s office or watching a video when you have an internet connection and a few minutes to spare.
Read on for an InboxDollars review –plus, learn how it works and if the online rewards club is worth your while.
InboxDollars Overview
According to the website, brands reach out to InboxDollars looking for consumer input on their products and services. The company recruits consumers like you to complete various online activities such as completing surveys, playing games, watching videos or trying products. It’s a win-win situation — brands get consumer feedback and you get paid for giving it.
Key Features
InboxDollars earns a GOBankingRates score of 3.9 out of 5. Four of the features considered for this score are the earnings potential, features, customer service and flexibility.
Earnings Potential
So far, InboxDollars has paid out over $80 million to its members. Most online surveys for money pay from $0.50 to $5.00 and take 3 minutes to 25 minutes to complete. There are some online surveys that pay $10 or even all the way up to $20. InboxDollars also offers a $5 sign-up bonus for creating an account.
In addition to the sign-up bonus, InboxDollars offers different ways to earn cash:
- Completing online surveys
- Signing up for offers and email newsletters
- Reading and replying to emails
- Watching TV and videos
- Listening to the radio
- Shopping online
- Using search engines
- Referring friends
- Signing up for offers
- Trying brand name products and services
- Entering member contests to win money and prizes.
Payments are processed every Wednesday. You can request payment via:
- Check mailed to your home address
- Electronic gift card
- PayPal
You must have at least $15 in your Inbox account to request a first-time payment. After your first payment, you can request payments in increments of $10.
Features
There are more than just surveys available to help you earn cash. For anyone starting out, the website offers suggestions to get familiar with the different options and how to make your first $30 — and then some:
- Activate your account for $5
- Complete a profile survey for $0.50
- Watch a short how-to video for $0.05
- Complete a short to-do list for $0.50
- Start with a simple survey for $0.25
- Everyone will qualify for a short household survey for $0.10
- Sign up for the LifePoints community to earn another $2.00
- Complete the Big Buck household shopping habits survey for $5.00. Plus you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 Target gift card
- Sign up for a free McDonald’s sandwich and earn $1.50
- Women can sign up for Cosmetics Samples&Savings and start with $2.00 in earnings
- Earn $2.00 when you sign up for MobileXpression, plus a $5 Amazon gift card for staying active for 7 days
- Sign up for free supermarket samples from Cool Savings and earn $1.25
- Sign up and register your internet devices for Nielsen research to earn $5.00
- Request free Mr. Clean samples and earn $2.00. Ask for Tide laundry samples for another $1.50
- Watch videos earning $0.05 to $0.07 each
- Rate Aquafina vs. Dasani for another $2.00
- Sign up for Green Dot for $2.00
- Sign up for Revenue Universe and earn a few cents to $20.00 for trying a sample, completing a questionnaire or subscribing to a specific product.
Customer Service
Unfortunately, you cannot contact InboxDollars by phone or email for customer support. Even so, InboxDollars has a 4.2 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot, and 65% of the customer reviews are five stars.
InboxDollars recommends accessing your activity ledger and submitting a ticket as the best way to get in touch with customer support. Once your ticket is received by the support team, you can expect a response within three days. If you submit your ticket outside of your activity ledger, it could take 10 to 30 business days to receive a response. Business hours for the InboxDollars support team are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, Monday-Friday.
Flexibility
When it comes to flexibility, users will find that InboxDollars has specific rules that it doesn’t bend. For example, as a new user, you’ll need to earn at least $15 before you can cash out, which could take a while — even with the $5 sign-up bonus you instantly receive.
Also, to rack up your earnings more quickly, you’ll need to sign up for third-party offers in addition to taking surveys you qualify for. Otherwise, it could take a lot longer for your earnings to reach the payout threshold if you rely solely on surveys.
How InboxDollars Stands Out
InboxDollars pays members cash, not points. You can spend your earnings however you see fit, and you have several ways available to earn cash — watching videos, playing games, shopping online and reading emails are just a few ideas. The company works with major brands like Target, Netflix and Walmart, so you earn money working with companies you already know and like.
Comparable Options
Earning cash from online activities like surveys can be a profitable side gig. The following websites might supplement your earnings or provide a good alternative to InboxDollars.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks might be the most popular of the cash reward sites. There are plenty of ways to earn cash using Swagbucks. Similar to InboxDollars, you’ll earn rewards for activities like completing surveys, shopping online and trying out products and services. Swagbucks awards you points you can redeem for gift cards from retailers like Amazon or Walmart, or you can get cash back via PayPal.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie keeps it simple for anyone who wants to focus on surveys to make a small amount of side cash. You’ll earn points for the surveys you take. The main drawback is you’ll need to accumulate 500 points before you can request a payout through PayPal, gift cards or a bank transfer.
How To Apply
To get started, you’ll need to sign up for an account by providing an email address and creating a password. Once you sign up, you’ll receive a $5 sign-up bonus. You can start earning money through the desktop website or by using the mobile app.
Final Take: Who InboxDollars Is Best For
InboxDollars is best for anyone who would like to earn some pocket money and has the free time to watch videos, complete a survey, try a product and more. Earnings are relatively small but if you log in consistently to take advantage of the available offers, the earnings can add up.
FAQ
- Is InboxDollars a legitimate company?
- InboxDollars has millions of members and more than 2.5 million Facebook fans. The company works with major brands like Target, Walmart and Netflix. InboxDollars has been in business since 2000. If you're worried about whether InboxDollars is a scam, the company claims to have paid out an all-time high of over $80 million in cash to their members.
- Does InboxDollars actually pay?
- Yes, InboxDollars pays cash for completing tasks. However, you will need to accumulate at least $10 worth of cash in your account before you can request to have it paid out.
- How much money can you make from InboxDollars?
- One of the most lucrative ways to make money is by taking surveys. According to InboxDollars, online surveys typically pay $0.50 to $5.00 for three to 25 minutes of your time. However, some online surveys pay as much as $10 or $20.
- How much does InboxDollars pay a day?
- How much you'll earn depends on the amount of time you spend on InboxDollars activities and the types of surveys you qualify for. As mentioned, some surveys pay as much as $20, although they are less-commonly available. One member reports earning between $15 and $55 per month, logging in several times per week.
- Is InboxDollars worth it?
- If you have spare time and enjoy surfing the web, taking surveys and doing a variety of online tasks, you could earn some side cash for your efforts.
- How long does InboxDollars take to pay?
- Most of the time, earnings will be credited to your InboxDollars account within a few business days of completing the offer. Otherwise, some offers will credit immediately, whereas other offers could take up to 30 days.
Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.
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- Trustpilot. "InboxDollars Reviews."
