Putting our spare time to work defines the term “side hustle.” But what if you could earn money a few minutes at a time here and there without a strict commitment?
That’s the premise of survey apps and sites like InboxDollars. This survey site gives you plenty of opportunities to earn cash without having to track your hours or worry about sales.
In fact, InboxDollars and survey sites like it are part of the market research services industry, which is estimated to be worth $84 billion this year. With so much revenue at stake, it’s easy to see why your opinion is so valuable.
You may have heard of InboxDollars in the past but maybe you weren’t sure how legitimate it is. How much can you actually earn from a survey app and is InboxDollars worth your time?
We’ll answer these questions and more in our InboxDollars review, which includes everything you need to know about this popular survey site. We’ll also compare it to other survey sites to give you a better idea of what’s out there.
Are you ready to learn more in our InboxDollars review? Let’s get started!
What is InboxDollars
InboxDollars is based out of Minnesota and was founded in 2000 by Daren Cotter. In addition to surveys, this online rewards site pays members for completing other micro-tasks, including playing games and reading emails.
With both a website and a mobile app, InboxDollars excels at connecting brands and their customers to obtain market research that informs future marketing efforts.
While InboxDollars won’t replace your part-time or full-time job, it can be a great way to earn some extra cash in your spare time.
InboxDollars is available for download on both Android and iOS devices. You can make money from your tablet or desktop computer as well.
InboxDollars offers a variety of ways to earn money online. You can take surveys, play games, surf the web, watch videos and more to earn points towards gift cards.
How Does InboxDollars Work
It’s free to create an account on InboxDollars, though you’ll need to be at least 18 years old and a permanent U.S. resident. Plus, when you create an account and verify your email address, InboxDollars rewards you with a $5 sign-up bonus. If you are younger than 18 years old, you can check out the best surveys for kids.
Once you create an account, you’ll need to add your personal information to get paid. This includes linking your bank account and connecting a PayPal account if you want to get paid that way.
InboxDollars then asks you to complete a 30-question survey that establishes your demographic information. If you complete this survey, you’ll get a $0.50 bonus as well.
According to an InboxDollar employee and active user, she makes an average of $15 to $55 per month with this survey site. Most activities pay between $0.02 and $5, but it depends on how active you are.
Cashing Out
InboxDollars keeps track of your earnings in pennies and dollars, not points. You will need at least $15 in rewards to cash out your first time, but the threshold reduces to $10 after that.
Choose between gift cards, a PayPal deposit, and a prepaid Visa for your rewards, as InboxDollars discontinued sending out checks in 2021. Once you request payment, it can take up to 10 business days to receive your funds.
InboxDollars offers a variety of ways to earn money online. You can take surveys, play games, surf the web, watch videos and more to earn points towards gift cards.
How to Make Money with InboxDollars
InboxDollars asks for your opinion and feedback in several ways. But is it one of the highest-paying survey sites we've reviewed? Let’s take a closer look to see how you can earn some extra cash.
Surveys
After signing up for an account, InboxDollars gives you a menu of surveys you might qualify for on your dashboard. Each survey listing includes how long it takes to complete the survey and how much you could get paid for it.
Before you take a survey, you might be asked several screening questions. These can include test questions that ensure you’re paying attention as you respond.
Most surveys take about five to 20 minutes to complete and pay a penny up to $5. Take your time as you go through the surveys, as powering through them could get your account flagged and suspended.
PaidEmails
Earning money with PaidEmails is simple. All you have to do is read the promotional emails and give your feedback.
Watch Videos
InboxDollars pays you to watch videos that talk about sports, finances, the news, and entertainment. Videos are between 45 and 75 seconds long but make sure you have your ad blocker turned off before you navigate to this part of InboxDollars’ website.
Shopping
Download InboxDollars’ browser extension (called the Billy Button) and you could earn up to 25% cashback on your purchases. This button will also notify you of new surveys and sites where you can earn more cashback.
Most cash-back bonuses are between $0.10 and $7. You’ll need to navigate to the retailer’s site through InboxDollars to receive your cashback rewards.
Coupons
You can print up to 50 coupons per day and get paid with InboxDollars. You’ll earn 10 cents for each coupon you redeem, in addition to the penny you receive when you print it.
This is one of the easiest ways to make money with InboxDollars. You can also save the coupons as a PDF and still earn your penny.
New coupons are uploaded weekly. However, it can take up to 12 weeks to receive your redeemed coupon points.
Receipts
InboxDollars recognizes two types of receipts: Any Receipts and Magic Receipts. You’ll upload your receipt from many major retailers to earn $0.02 each, but you can earn more with Magic Receipts.
When retailers have a specific deal going, they’ll reward you if you purchase that item and show proof. This is the premise of Magic Receipts, which requires you to select a deal before making a purchase and earning a reward.
Games
InboxDollars incorporates gameplay into their money-making site. Popular games include Wheel of Fortune, Pet Hop, Monkey Bubble Shooter, Candy Jam, and more.
The catch is that you won’t get points for working your way up in these games. Instead, you’ll earn chances to make progress on your Scratch & Win cards, which we’ll talk about in the next section.
Offers
Similar to Magic Receipts, InboxDollars’ Offers require you to purchase before earning a reward. However, you can also filter to only see free Offers that pay you.
Offers are categorized into 100% FREE offers, content discovery, making money, new offers, saving money, and club favorites. Once you complete an offer, it can take between seven days and a month to receive your reward.
Bonuses
If you meet your daily earnings goal or complete your My List to-dos, InboxDollars will pay you a bonus between $0.03 and $0.10. Your daily earnings goal is based on your previous earnings and you can even get a bigger bonus if you meet your goal several days in a row.
Search
Yes, InboxDollars pays you to surf the web. Instead of using Google, use InboxDollars’ search function to earn progress toward your Scratch & Win lottery ticket.
Other Ways to Earn with InboxDollars
If that’s not enough to fill your free time, here are additional ways InboxDollars pays you for your time.
Billy’s Wheel
Each time you’re disqualified for a survey, you’ll get a chance to spin Billy’s Wheel for a cash prize or progress toward your Scratch & Win card. It’s a nice consolation prize that could earn you up to $100.
Scratch & Win
Your Scratch & Win card is a virtual lottery ticket with a random reward. There’s the potential to win $10, $25, and $100 with each tier, but most cards are worth between $0.01 and $0.25.
You’ll earn progress toward your Scratch & Win card with several InboxDollars activities. It’s a wild card that brings some fun.
WinIt Codes
InboxDollars uses its social media to provide members with WinIt Codes, which expire at midnight CT the day they’re posted. Follow InboxDollars on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to receive notifications about these codes, which can help you earn rewards like cash and sweepstakes entries.
Referrals
You can also earn a $1 cash bonus for the first five people you refer to InboxDollars. You’ll also receive 30% of their lifetime earnings.
To get this bonus, your referrals will need to complete their first offer and earn at least $7.
Pros and Cons
InboxDollars ranks as one of the best money-making apps, but is it worth the effort? Here’s a list of pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros:
- Easy cash-out process
- Lots of ways to earn extra money
- $5 sign-up bonus
- No commitment or monthly fees
Cons:
- Website isn’t as fancy as other survey sites
- Discrepancy between payments and time spent on surveys
- Limited contact with customer service
- Not the highest-paying survey site
- Cash-out threshold can be high, especially for first time cashing out
How to Succeed with InboxDollars
So how can you make the most of your time with InboxDollars? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Integrate InboxDollars into your life, rather than the other way around.
- Focus on one area of rewards at a time. Once you’ve established a schedule, add another activity.
- Create an email account specifically for this website. You’ll get a lot of emails, so it might clog up your personal account.
- Set aside time each day to complete your surveys and other activities.
- Track your progress. You might not earn huge rewards, but it’s more than you’d make just sitting there.
The best-paying activities include uploading receipts, printing and redeeming coupons, answering survey questions, and shopping online for cashback rewards. You can earn between $15 and $30 just with these activities.
InboxDollars Alternatives
Not sure if InboxDollars is worth the download? Check out these alternatives to see how you can bring in more money in your spare time.
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- Swagbucks: This survey site pays you to share your opinion, watch videos, print coupons, and more. Sites like Swagbucks may or may not offer a bonus but Swagbucks gives you $5 when you sign up. Plus, you can earn $10 more with the Swag Up bonus. Cash out via PayPal or gift cards with only $1. Learn more about one of the best survey sites in our in-depth Swagbucks review.
- Branded Surveys: You’ll receive a sign-up bonus of 100 points when you create a Branded Surveys account. You’ll need 1,000 points to cash out via gift cards or PayPal. We’ve got more details in our Branded Surveys review if you’re interested.
- Survey Junkie: This popular survey site rivals Swagbucks in offering extra cash for answering survey questions. The minimum amount you’ll need to payout is $10 and you can choose gift cards or PayPal like most other survey sites. You can learn more in our in-depth Survey Junkie review.
- MyPoints: This website pays you for reading emails, shopping online, printing coupons, answering survey questions, and playing games. It’s not quite as popular as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks but it’s still worth a look.
If you’re looking for cashback apps to help you put more money back in your pocket, Fetch Rewards is worth a look. When you pair these apps together, you might find you save more than you thought possible.
FAQs
Can you actually earn money with InboxDollars?
Yes, you can actually earn money with InboxDollars. While it’s not enough to replace an hourly or salaried position, it can help you make some extra cash on the side.
How much do you need to cash out on InboxDollars?
You’ll need at least $15 to cash out your first time on InboxDollars. After that, you’ll only need $10 to cash out, depending on which reward you choose.
How do you earn extra cash with InboxDollars?
InboxDollars gives you the chance to earn extra cash by answering survey questions, reading emails, watching videos, printing coupons, shopping online, and more. Sign up for an account today to see how you can earn some extra dough with InboxDollars.
Put More Money in Your Pocket with InboxDollars
Making extra money each month can help make ends meet. If you’re looking for an easy way to make some extra cash here and there, InboxDollars gives you plenty of opportunities to make your extra time count.
We hope this InboxDollars review has helped you to see how you can earn money with this popular rewards site. Plus, if you download the app, you can earn on the go.
InboxDollars is just one of many ways you can make more in your spare time. Check out more of our articles on how you can open up several streams of income to bring your finances a little more stability.
InboxDollars offers a variety of ways to earn money online. You can take surveys, play games, surf the web, watch videos and more to earn points towards gift cards.