Online surveys and mystery shopping get a bad rap. Many people think that they are just scams but there are really some great (and legitimate) companies out there that will pay you for your time and effort. And to prove it, here’s what I earned from online surveys and mystery shopping last month, among other endeavors. I completed these mystery shops and surveys in the previous month (or earlier) and received the payment this month. Some of these mystery shops required me to pay something out of pocket to purchase a good or service (which I get to keep) but I was reimbursed for my purchase and was usually paid an additional fee.

August 2012
Hill’s Science Diet Ideal Balance dog food rebate– $12.99
Reward Port Surveys– $25.00
Opinion Outpost– $10.00
Olay Rebate– $10.00 prepaid Mastercard
CVS- $10.00 Shell Gift Card
Marketforce– $23.72
Sinclair Customer Metrics– $25.73

Total Earned in August: $117.44
Total Minus Out Of Pocket Mystery Shopping Expenses (which were reimbursed): $95.97

August was a slow mystery shopping month for me because it was a busy month. I finished my Master’s thesis and travelled to California for a week for my sister’s wedding. But I made up for it by completing and cashing out surveys online. I also got some rebates which I used coupons for so my out of pocket was less than the rebate amount. I would have purchased these items without the rebates so I consider the rebates and the gas card to be extra money for that month.

What did I do with this small bit o’ extra income? Well, some went to offset costs associated with travelling to help me stay within my budget, namely the extra gas money spent on the rental car in California, and some went to paying for a parking ticket (ugh!). Another third went into savings to pay for my trip up to Pennsylvania for my good friend’s wedding later this month. Hooray for weddings!