InboxDollars Review: Is It a Legitimate Way To Make Money?

GOBankingRates Score

3.9

SCORE

GOBankingRates Best Banks 2023 scores and rankings are objectively determined by our research/editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors that differ from category to category depending on what consumers want from varying products and banks.

Quick Take: InboxDollars was founded in 2000 as an online rewards club that connects you with a variety of brands to earn free money. Once you sign up, you'll have access to different ways to make anywhere from a few cents to several dollars, such as completing surveys, signing up for brand-name product samples, shopping and/or reading emails.

• Offers
  4.5
• Payouts
  4.3
• User Experience
  4.3
• Customer Service
  2.5

How did we calculate this?

InboxDollars Overview

According to the website, brands reach out to InboxDollars looking for consumer input on their products and services. The company pays consumers like you to complete various online activities such as completing surveys, playing games, watching videos or trying products. But is InboxDollars legitimate?

InboxDollars claims to have paid out over $80 million in cash to members since 2000. It has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on user reviews, and the company works with major brands like Target, Walmart and Netflix. InboxDollars won’t make you rich, but you can trust the platform’s legitimacy.

Key Features

InboxDollars earns a GOBankingRates score of 3.9 out of 5 stars based on the following key features.

Offers

In addition to the many surveys you can take, InboxDollars has many product and service offers that allow you to earn, from opening a new checking account to trying a new mobile game to signing up for a meal delivery service. Some pay $20 or more.

With the Magic Receipts feature, you can accept offers to earn cash back on grocery products, such as 50 cents for purchasing any brand of bananas. Earning is as simple as adding offers to your account and scanning your receipts for your accepted offers.

Payouts

InboxDollars payment requests are processed weekly and only paid in $10 increments. You must earn a minimum of $15 before requesting your initial payout. However, you only need to accumulate $10 after that to request payment.

You can request InboxDollars payouts as any of the following:

• PayPal 
• Electronic gift card 
• Prepaid Visa card

It can take up to three business days to receive PayPal payments and gift cards.

User Experience

Of the more than 37,000 user reviews of InboxDollars on Trustpilot, 66% rated the platform 5 stars and 13% gave it a 4-star rating. Overall, InboxDollars has a Trustpilot rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.

The customers that left positive reviews most frequently commented on the expediency of receiving payouts and the fact that you earn cash rather than points. Some of the reasoning behind the lower ratings included difficulty redeeming gift cards without customer service assistance and frustration over survey length and ineligibility.

Customer Service

Unfortunately, you cannot contact InboxDollars by phone or email for customer support. 

InboxDollars states that the best way to get customer support is by logging in to your account, accessing your activity ledger and submitting a ticket. Once the support team receives your ticket, 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. PT, Monday-Friday.

How InboxDollars Stands Out

InboxDollars pays members cash, not points. You can spend your earnings however you see fit, and you have several ways 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 can earn money working with companies you already know and like.

Comparable Options 

The following websites might supplement your InboxDollars earnings or provide a good alternative.

Swagbucks

Like InboxDollars, with Swagbucks, you’ll earn rewards for completing surveys, shopping online and trying out products and services. Swagbucks awards 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 earn money through the desktop website or the mobile app.

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.

Final Take

It’s understandable to be concerned about whether InboxDollars is legitimate, but the company has been operating for more than 20 years, and the positive user reviews far outweigh the negative. However, you won’t earn a substantial amount on the platform. 

You can always sign up and try InboxDollars long enough to earn your initial payout and then decide whether it’s worth continuing.

Cynthia Bowman and Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of June 22, 2023.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

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