Inbox Dollars — Is it a scam? How do they pay? Can you really make money off of surveys? How much effort does it take? Is the website difficult to use? Where can I find honest answers?
These were the exact questions running through my mind when I was first introduced to them a few years back.
As a longtime user of Inbox Dollars, I did all the work to answer these questions so that you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s worth your time.
(The answer isn’t black and white.)
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What is Inbox Dollars?
Inbox Dollars in an online platform dedicated to making you some quick cash with minimum effort from the comfort of your own home. Or office. Or commute. Or in the waiting room of your dentist. You get the idea 🙂
Their mission is, “Connecting Targeted Members to Brands” and that is exactly what they do.
Advertisers pay the company to get your opinion and attention. Earn money from activities you already do such as reading emails, playing games, using a search engine, and signing up for offers, and your pennies will start piling up!
Company History & Privacy
Long story short; the company is legit.
Developed in 2000 by Daren Cotter, Inbox Dollars has since become an Inc. 5000 company with millions of members. The Inc. 5000 is an annual list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing small or privately held companies in the United
The company has been steadily growing year after year, and as of 2018, the company stated they have paid out over $60 million dollars to its members!
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In regards to personal information and privacy, Inbox Dollars must collect basic demographic information for their advertisers in order to target and share their compensation with you. This includes geo-tag information and cookies to make sure all users are compensated correctly and prevent fraud.
If you are wary of personal information kept on Inbox Dollars after you have stopped using it, they will remove your account information manually if you contact support@inboxdollars.com. Otherwise, the information will
Ways to Earn Money on Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars is very user friendly, and in no time you will be maneuvering the site like a pro.
First things first: Make an account.
When you sign up you automatically get $5 deposited into your account, which is a nice little cushion for you to add on to.
Signing up is very easy. Just add an email, a password, and then answer a few basic questions about yourself so that they can tailor some surveys to you.
Make sure you answer honestly, or else you may be bombarded with surveys on topics you know nothing about!
Once you’re logged in, familiarize yourself with the site. You can even watch a short tutorial video or pick the “take site tour” if you so please, which is listed as an option under ‘Information’ at the bottom of the webpage.
Inbox Dollar Surveys
I no longer recommend Inbox Dollar surveys. They were OK to do before, a few years back, but the surveys have only gone downhill (longer and less reward).
On your homepage, the site will suggest surveys for you to take based on your profile. If you would like to see more survey options, simply click the Surveys tab for the full list.
At any given time there will be around 10 survey options for you, and there are always more being added. Sometimes the topic of the survey will be listed, but even if it isn’t it will always
Once you pick a survey, a new tab will open. Simply follow the instructions to complete the survey, and make sure that you read all the questions and answer honestly. Dishonest answers will often get you booted, resulting in no pay.
Forewarning: Be prepared for surveys that tell you halfway through that they already have enough responses from members like you.
It’s irritating when you put in the time and don’t get paid, but you do get a “spin”. Every survey you take, whether you complete it or not, earns you a spin on Billy’s Spin & Win.
It’s a fun little extra that can earn you money or progress on their Scratch & Win, which I’ll go into more detail about later.
When you do earn money on the surveys, you will see it in your account almost immediately.
Watch TV & Videos on Inbox Dollars
This is one of the main attractions on Inbox Dollars. Some users download and use Inbox Dollars just for this feature. I enjoy it as well (especially the free movie preview ads) because it takes no effort.
Watching TV and videos may be the easiest way to make money on this site, but also the slowest since it’s effortless.
At the top of the website, you will see two clickable options; TV and Videos.
For TV, you simply press play and let the player show you different news clips and stories. After each one you will see the bar at the top for Scratch & Win progress. There are three endpoints for Scratch & Win, where you can earn up to $10, $25, and $100. However, the most I have ever earned on these was 25 cents. Maybe you will have better luck!
For the video option, you pick from a variety of video clips with the cash reward listed. As I am looking now, all of the videos are only worth a penny, but like I said, this site doesn’t just dish out money. You have to stay diligent, and little by little the cash will add up.
Note: streaming (any) ads will drain your battery and heat up your smartphone.
Participate in Emails
This couldn’t be easier. At the very top of your page, you will see your earnings, the number of surveys available to you, and the number of emails you have in your inbox. By simply opening the email and clicking “Confirm This Paid Email” you are rewarded 2 cents.
Easy peasy. Plus, the emails often contain new offers that you may be interested in.
Inbox Dollar “Offers”
I haven’t had much luck with this one, but maybe you will. I think it depends on which offers you are taking.
For example, if you want to be an Uber driver and sign up through Inbox Dollars, then you can earn $100 after you take your first passenger within 45 days. That’s solid.
But if you click on 100% Free Offers, most of the offers seem a little spam-y. I tried one for giving my opinion on Coca-Cola vs Pepsi, and it just kept rerouting me to different offers, and it seemed never-ending. I didn’t receive a cash reward.
Other free ones require you to do things like download their software, which I’m not comfortable with. Some more digging may be needed here.
Basically, this page shows you the quickest offers requiring the least amount of work. Think of it more as an overview of the newest and most adveritised offers.
Play Games for Money
Earn money by playing games? Does it get any better than that?
Pick from a plethora of game options such as Solitaire, Bubble Shooter, Candy Jam, and World of Words. They are basically the knock-off version of Words With Friends, Candy Crush, and other popular games.
Like with TV and Videos, you earn progress on the Scratch & Win with every game you complete. I once played one game of Solitaire and earned a scratch-off worth $10.
InboxDollar for Web Search
Swap out Google for Inbox Dollars’ search engine.
Like Google, you can still pick from Web, Images, Video, and News, but unlike Google, you get paid. Earn Scratch & Win progress every time you complete a search. You can even set it as your homepage so that you can ensure every search you make will earn you rewards.
Inbox Dollars for Cashback Deals
Here is where you earn that cash-back. Before shopping or using Groupon, go to Inbox Dollars first to be rewarded on your purchase.
Including Groupon, they are currently offering up to 2.5% cash-back at places like Walmart, Fingerhut, Macy’s, Gap, and more.
They don’t offer as wide of a variety of stores as sites like Ebates, but they are always adding more and often offer cash-back to stores that other websites don’t have.
Under cashback, you can also find coupons that you can print and use. Aside from saving because of the coupon, you also earn 10 cents when your coupon is redeemed.
Their coupons are pretty legit, too! Currently, they are advertising $165.70 worth of savings for brands such as Neutrogena, Garnier, Palmolive, Colgate, Clean & Clear, Purina, and more.
Refer Friends
If you enjoy using Inbox Dollars, share it with friends! For every person who signs up per your referral, you receive $1 plus 30% of all their earnings.
How Does Inbox Dollars Paid Out?
You cannot receive a payout until you earn at least $30 minimum.
In the past when I have reached this amount and try to cash out, I am told there is a $3 processing fee but my cashout of $40 didn’t hit a $3 fee. I think it’s only for lower amounts.
Payout Options
You can be paid via check, or you may select an e-payment with a gift card for places such as Walmart, Starbucks, Target, Amazon without a free. You can also request a Visa e-card or physical Visa card to use in-stores. You are charged the $3 processing fee (applies only to in-store Visa cards), no worries because Inbox Dollars gifts you $3 to start earning
You can also request payment in a paper check form. Checks are void after 90 days. To be honest, just do an e-Amazon gift card, so much easier.
Proof of Payout ($40)
Is Inbox Dollar Worth It?
Do I recommend it?
In a few words: It depends.
Honest Thoughts on InBox Dollars
I have caveats 1) It is not something “life-changing” nor will it replace your “day job” someday. 2) HIGH cashout cost, $30? That’s going to be at least 1-3 offers. Use this app for their generous offers, I don’t really play games or watch TV because it makes my phone too hot. But they have really good offers and partnerships with other companies. You can try out their services and get a payout from Inbox Dollars. Not bad.
In 2021, I rate it 3/5. My payout was easy and I was able to redeem an offer from a service I wanted to try before. Good free money on the table!
There are easier ways to make money out there. It depends on the individual AND how exactly you use Inbox Dollar.
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When I was a broke college student a few years back, I used Inbox Dollars because there were fewer alternatives.
I had tried my luck with Swagbucks and I totally hated it at the time because SB crashed my laptop nearly every time. Inbox Dollars had a fairly smooth interface so I stuck with that.
It’s possible to cash out $40 to $50 per month as I spent close to 1 hour, up to 2 hours, in between classes completing tasks, watching videos, and playing games to get that amount.
I have been an off-and-on Inbox Dollar user for a few years now and have earned around $250 total for my time. (All redeemed to Amazon GCs which I used to buy music + movies.) This may seem like a lot but that is years and most people likely don’t have the patience for especially when better alternatives are out there.
This is the same reason why I like other “easy money” tasks better. Like the Bing / Microsoft Reward
It’s also the reason why I only play mobile games that can win me some sort of actual reward, money, or in buckets of free Amazon gift cards.
Inbox Dollars has an app where you can do surveys or the Spin & Win. I use Inbox Dollars as a “brain break” when I’m working or as a distraction when I’m just playing around on my phone.
I don’t believe this is a website to quit your day job for, but it’s a little extra spending money for not much work. At the first least, it’s a free $5 for the sign-up bonus.
Generally, I just say, take the free $5, get to the minimum cash out, and enjoy the free bonus money 🙂 decide from there if you want to add Inbox Dollars to your side hustle list.
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