I’ve mention in a previous post that I’ve used three mobile apps to do micro jobs and I thought I would do a review based on my personal experience using them.
Field Agent
Things you need: Android or Iphones & PayPal or Dwolla account.
Minimum Payout: $2.00
How it Works: You download the app, sign up and fill out a profile including education level and household income. You’re then ready to start completing jobs which pays anywhere from $2.00 to $10. The jobs are broken down in a few sections and below are an explanation of each of them.
First are the Audits: These usually require going to a store and taking a picture of an item or a display and answering a few questions.
Second is the general section: The description reads that there is a little of everything in there but I’ve mainly just seen store audits.
Third is the scavenger hunt section: Agents are asked to take a picture of a particular item, with an exact UPC code. The item doesn’t require you to go to a store. If you already bought it, you’re good to go. It sounds easy but it’s really not and there are a lot of complaints about this section on the internet.
Fourth is the photo shoot: In this section Agents are ask to take a picture of a building or a vehicle such as a prison or a Good Humor ice cream truck.
Fifth are the Job Referrals: Agents can refer someone to do a qualifying screener. You will submit a person’s name and email address and if the person successfully completes a screener, then you’ll make about $5.00. You can usually refer multiple people; however I’m not sure if you’ll get paid for each person as I’ve never done it before and the app doesn’t state it.
Just for Fun and Screener: These are actually listed as two separate sections but I combined them as they are both survey sections and you don’t get paid for doing either of them. The “Just for Fun” section however claims that sometimes you can be entered into a contest and the “Screener” says that completing them can lead to more paying jobs.
My Experience: After downloading and signing up I was really excited when I saw about 10 jobs in a 20 block range at $6.00 a pop. I thought it would be a quick way to make $60.00 but boy was I wrong. First of all, you can’t reserve jobs and you only get 2 hours to complete a job once you accept it. (There is nothing wrong with that if you’re just looking to make a few extra dollars if you’re already in the area but don’t make any more plans other than that and I‘ll explain why in a little while). Next, I was required to answer a few questions and take about 10 pictures. The pictures can only be taken through the app’s camera which shouldn’t be a problem except that they wanted really clear photos and their camera is crap. Also out of the 10 pictures only 8 would save to the app.
I closed and reopened the app and restarted my phone multiple times but it wouldn’t budge. Since there wasn’t anything else I could do, I submitted the job and let them know in the comment section what was going on. After that, I accepted the next closest job and was trying to do a few more when the app froze. I then restarted my phone only to find all the jobs gone including the one I had already accepted. To say I pissed was an understatement since I went to the area specifically for the jobs.
To top it off a day or two later after only receiving half of what the job said it would pay, I emailed them about it and was told that I didn’t complete the job and I only got $3.00 because I was a new agent since they usually deny any incomplete work. I responded back explaining what happened and reminded them that I had already done this in the comments when I submitted the job. The next response was for me to make sure I have the latest update of the app, which I already had. They refuse to acknowledge that their app is a problem even though there are other complaints about the same issue on the App store and Google play.
The second time I used it; I was already in the area and figured that this time would be different. This job required me to take a picture of an encap in Lowes and answer a couple of questions. The store didn’t have that particular encap up anymore so I answered “no” to the question about whether or not I was able to locate it. I got paid only half again, this time saying that I didn’t follow the alternate directions even though there wasn’t any.
I used it a third time and I guess it was the charm as I got full pay.
Recommendation: Try it at your own risk. If you’re already in the area of an available job, you might get lucky otherwise don’t bother.
Gigwalk
Things you need: Android or Iphones & PayPal account.
Minimum Payout: Unclear but the minimum of I’ve ever seen a job for was $5 and I’ve completed a few of those and gotten paid with no problem.
How it Works: Once you turn on GPS Location on your phone and open the app you’ll see a list of jobs referred to as “Gigs” on a map and a list in order of the ones that are closest to you first. These Gigs are posted by a variety of customers so the app is sort of a facilitator between you and them. You apply for the ones you know you’ll be able to complete and they’ll let you know within an hour whether or not you’ve been accepted. The former is important because there is a performance base score which leads to the latter; after you’ve successfully completed enough jobs you start getting approve instantly.
You can also reserve some jobs up to 3 days in advance which is the biggest plus in my book. And as you complete more Gigs, the amount that you can reserve at any given time increases. These Gigs are usually product audits at a store or taking pictures of vacant or partially vacant buildings for insurance purpose.
After submitting a job you wait for the customer to approve your work (takes about 12 days) or ask for a follow-up question or two. Once you’re approved the money is sent directly to your PayPal account.
My Experience: I’ve been using it since the beginning of May and it’s been pretty great so far. Most of the money that I’ve made through microjobbing has been with Gigwalk. The audit jobs involved me going to a store and taking pictures of a specific product/display (e.g. milk, vitamins & razors) and answering a few questions. You also have to take a picture of the outside of the store showing the street address if possible. Some of the stores that I’ve been to are Rite Aid, Shop Rite, Target, Walgreens and Walbaums. These usually pay anywhere between 5 and 8 dollars per Gig and pictures of buildings are $10 each. Though the highest I’ve ever made on a store Gig was $8.00, I’ve seen pay ranges for electronic and clothing stores that goes up to $25 and $70 respectively.
Recommendation: Everyone should download this app; okay make that everyone outside of NYC since I want to continue to make money, lol. You can just use it when you’re already out shopping and make a few extra dollars or you can plan ahead and make a lot more.
Rewardable
Things you need: Android or Iphones & PayPal or GoBank account.
Minimum Payout: $5.00
How it Works: Once you download the app which is free and signup (pretty easy process) and turn on GPS location if you hadn’t already, you’re ready to go. The app has a list of tasks divided into two sections: mobile and stores.
Mobile tasks require you to download a free app and try it. The apps can be games, music streaming or even reservations. You’re then ask to perform a task such as reach a certain level if it’s a game or providing email proof of a dinner reservation, answer 1-3 questions and or leave a review of the app. Once Rewardable accepts your task and pays you, which is usually instantaneously, you can delete the app if you don’t like it. The pay range is about 25₡ to $2.00
Store tasks require you to go the physical location and take a few pictures usually of items on a shelves and price tags. You also have to take a picture of the outside of the location to prove that you were there. This should take between 5 to 15 minutes and pay for this is also immediate if done correctly. The official description states that you can make anywhere from a few dollars up to $20 per task but the highest I’ve ever seen was $7. Additionally, it says that successfully completing tasks can lead to more and higher paying ones.
There is also a “Fun Section,” which is sort of like a rebate. You buy a specific item and email a copy of your receipt and get a few dollars back.
My Experience: For the mobile tasks, I downloaded 3 games including Candy Crush and played to about level 5, answered 1 question and left a review on Google Play for each of them. Those paid 50₡ each. I also completed 3 store tasks. Those involved me going to a store and taking a couple pictures of the security tags (the antitheft devices by a store entrance) and answering 3 questions. The manager for one of the stores wasn’t too keen on me taking the pictures but once I explained what I was doing and showed him the app, he allowed me to do it. I got paid about 30 minutes after I completed each store at $5 per tasks.
Recommendation: Download the app; it’s free and you can make a few dollars. Just be aware that there aren’t a lot of tasks and the pay is low. As I’m writing this the same task has been showing for the past 2 weeks at $2 a pop.
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