Hello readers! Welcome to another edition of ‘Profitable Platforms!’ You can see previous posts in this category at this link. Let’s get started!
What’s going on, fellow readers? Oh wait, I’m not a reader… hm. Anyway, on today’s “Profitable Platforms,” we’re gonna be looking at InboxDollars. What is InboxDollars about, you ask (just pretend you asked)? In short, it’s a website that pays users for completing tasks like playing games and answering surveys. But let’s take a closer look, shall we?
What is InboxDollars?
Started in 2000 by Darren Cotter, InboxDollars is a way for you to earn cash (more like coins) doing simple tasks (more like chores) online.
It’s a rewards program, very similar to Swagbucks. You watch videos, perform searches, play games… all for money!
Here’s a little clip from the company themselves:
Pretty slick! Billy the dollar bill is my favorite legal-tender mascot of all time.
The video is a good intro to InboxDollars, and it’s true: you actually get paid for doing things you’d be doing anyway. For everything you do, you get actual money, not points. And there are a decent number of tasks to do.
No, this isn’t a scam. InboxDollars is an established company that pays its users.
Let’s see what these tasks are, and how much the pay is!
Earning with InboxDollars
There are about 7 ways to earn some money with InboxDollars. You gotta keep in mind that you have to have at least $30 to withdraw your money.
You can sign up here. You get $5 just for doing so! It’s not very helpful that you have to grind $25 more to get that $5 though. You have a bit of choice, but the highest paying way to earn money on InboxDollars is…
Surveys
Surveys are the backbone of these rewards programs, and InboxDollars is no different. In fact, it is easily the most prominent money method.
I’m not gonna lie, these do pay good for surveys- which tells you how useless surveys are in general, in my opinion.
I hate answering surveys, so you’d think being paid would make it easier. Well, it doesn’t, considering you only get paid a quarter for most. The occasional 50 cents and even $2 pops up sometimes.
That picture up there is the only time you’re guaranteed to have surveys available, the time in question being when you sign up. That’s not including the times when you spend 20 minutes doing a survey only to find you don’t qualify.
Games
One of my main interests in life in games. I’ve been playing for years and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. So naturally I tried out the games first.
What a letdown for me! The only notable games were Tetris and Solitaire! All the rest are generic computer/board games that you’d find installed on your PC for free.
That could be a good thing! A lot of people are casual gamers who play these anyway, so they’d be happy to play it for money. Sadly, this is the most time-consuming method to earn.
Oh, there’s also casino games, if you’re into gambling. But it’s pay to play, like real life, of course.
Offers
Offers were confusing to me at first. They’re basically… well, offers from 3rd parties to do something like sign up or take survey or whatever.
As you can see, some of these pay a fortune (relatively speaking), but of course there’s a caveat, like having to buy a product. The high-paying ones all involve spending money.
The free ones are the low-paying ones. Because why not? These pay up to $3 (not always).
Videos
You can sit back and watch a video! These are mostly sponsored content. How else are you supposed to get paid for them?
Just like the real world, though, you get what you work for, and watching isn’t working. So naturally you can expect 1 to 2 cents per video. Yes, I just wrote that.
Tasks & Coupons
Tasks are basically small chores. You could be categorizing content, labeling content, or finding answers. They only pay between $0.01 to $0.20, and aren’t always available to do. In short, they suck.
InboxDollars also gives you coupons to redeem. I gotta say, these are kinda useful. You can actually save money when shopping. The downside is, you have to buy something to redeem a coupon. And you only get 10 cents for every coupon.
Search
For every 2 times you use the InboxDollars search engine, you get a penny ($0.01). You’re allowed 15 cents a day using this method.
I don’t like to use other search engines, but this is quite an easy way to make a penny or two.
Is InboxDollars Worth It?
With rewards programs like InboxDollars, the answer to this depends on how much time and effort you want to put in, and if you like being paid so little.
I would say that it depends on what you expect out of the program. Are you expecting a full-time job? That’s not happening. A side-job? Equally impossible. $30 every few weeks/months? That’s more like it.
Even without money in mind, do you have the patience to fill out 20 minute surveys (for 20 cents) only to find you don’t qualify? The surveys are notoriously picky about qualification. Or play time-consuming games? Or redeem coupons for a dime?
When you finally get to 30 bucks, you’ll be paid by check. I personally prefer PayPal, and according to connexity.com, it’s second only to Visa and MasterCard in terms of payment popularity. So only having checks is a bummer.
All in all, InboxDollars is at it’s best when it’s a simple distraction. I highly recommend not sinking hours into it. If you have a lot of time to spend online in search of income, there are way better places to look.
The InboxDollars Verdict
I’ve noticed many complaints online calling InboxDollars a scam, saying they pay too little, and the minimum payment is too high.
Still, the truth is InboxDollars is a legit way to earn money. It’s only a scam if you take it for more than what it is.
However, in the words of my friend Frank, InboxDollars should be called “InboxPennies” instead, since that’s a more accurate description of what you’re getting.
If you love rewards programs, I would direct you to Swagbucks, which is honestly more rewarding (again, relatively speaking). Their rewards are much more enticing, and the payout system is more robust.
I have to give credit for the mascot though. Billy is my favorite dollar bill!
Let’s be honest: if you wanna make money online, you want to make real money, right? Not pennies or the occasional dollar.
If you want to know the best way to make a full living online, I heavily recommend taking a look at my Super Program, which is free and guaranteed to get you on the path to success. It’s not Super for nothing!
Check Out My Super Program Here!
Got any questions? What do you think of InboxDollars? Is it worth your time? Did you get to the $30 threshold? Leave answer (or question) in the comments below!
Your pardner in pennies,
-Makki
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Hey Makki, great review of Inbox Dollars. I actually have this app on my phone and I do the surveys sometimes when i’m waiting for my lady to finish shopping or some other errand where i’m waiting for long periods of times. I have gotten a few bucks here and there, and I like that they give you a few cents for checking in once in a while, but I don’t think it’d be really useful to make any real money. Great review as always!
Thanks for sharing your experience Pete! That seems to be the best way to use InboxDollars, the way I see it. I just don’t think I’d be patient enough to wait till I got to $30. But everyone is different, so some people might as well love the idea. As long as you have fun with it, it doesn’t matter. Thanks again for your insight!
Sites like Inbox Dollars make it sound so easy to make money and a lot of money on line. Your break down of how “little” is paid is an eye opener. People do not realize they are only getting 25 cents for doing 20 minutes, sometimes longer, for doing surveys. You said sometimes after doing these surveys you’re told you don’t qualify. If Inbox Dollars let you finish the survey how do they get away with not paying you? Is this something that they get away with because it’s an internet business?
InboxDollars is definitely misleading, but not outright deceitful. I think the fact that doing simple things like answering surveys can be monetized makes people oblivious to the pay rate.
The surveys are not actually from InboxDollars, they are from 3rd parties. And it’s really “finishing.” You can spend up to 20 minutes or more writing it in, but the 3rd will decide, based on some answer, that you don’t qualify. So you don’t finish the survey. That’s why it’s allowed. It should tell you you’re not qualified in the beginning though. Thanks for your feedback Cheryl!
Great review on InboxDollars. So you’re saying I could make money off from playing games? If that’s so I would love to try it. I didn’t know you could make money off from simple things like that. I appreciate this review and I got a lot of great information off from it. Thank you for a great read.
You really can make money off games! That’s part of the reason why rewards programs like InboxDollars are so popular. You would never expect to get paid to watch a video. Well, unless you’re in a test audience. Anyway, I hope you have fun with it if you decide to try, Jamie!
Nice review of Inbox dollars. Glad I read your review instead of signing up!! I’ve done the surveys and still have a couple that allow me to donate whatever I make to a charity. I really don’t have enough time to sit for 20 minutes and fill out some of that stuff. It isn’t for me, but like I said, your review was very helpful to me!
Thanks for reading Kathy! The long time needed really put you off, huh? That’s what I felt too. I’m glad the article was helpful!
Dear Makki,
Thank you for the in-depth review on Inboxdollars! I really love playing video games (too much for my own good) and I think this is really great. My parents are adamant about the uselessness of video games, and I think I can use this to back up my argument! Thank you!
I guess that’s one way to look at it! Yeah, you sure can make money off these games! But really, it’s just too impractical and time-consuming. I don’t think your parents will be convinced. Still, try it out, you might like it! Thanks for sharing Grace!
“Billy the dollar bill is my favorite legal-tender mascot of all time,” hilarious Makki, I laughed when I read that.
Overall fantastic review (no surprise, you always write fantastic reviews). Getting paid to gamble sounds like fun to me!
Do you think this is a better way to make money than Swag bucks? I’ve seen a lot of criticism for Swagbucks online recently.
Thanks so much Ryan! I should have been clearer. I meant that you had to pay to gamble. I’ve fixed the mistake. I think InboxDollars isn’t as good as Swagbucks, since it’s awards are in actual money. Swagbucks gives you points, and you can redeem those whenever you want for better prizes. Both aren’t that lucrative, but I feel Swagbucks gives you more swag for your buck! It’ll be hard to top that one!
I was actually looking into this for my wife recently as she stays at home with my son. However, my son just started school so she has more free time and is looking for some spending money. I’m glad I saw this review that shows how little money you actually make for your time with Inboxdollars. Thanks for the review!
Glad you liked it Jeremy! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Makki,
Always happy to drop by to see what you’re up to, and continue to really enjoy your style of writing, like this line: “way for you to earn cash (more like coins) doing simple tasks (more like chores).” Lol. Making people smile while you’re giving great information is a great combo. Keep it up!
Be well,
Kevin
Thanks so much Kevin! I appreciate the compliments. I try to make my writing unique, so I’m happy it paid off! Thanks again for your feedback!
Thanks for this in-depth review. I’ve been hearing about this place left and right, but I had a feeling something was up. InboxPennies has to be the best (and most accurate) description yet!
I mean honestly, for the amount of time you spend grinding away for a few measly quarters, you could be doing much more profitable or just plain fun things. I can find a quarter on the ground or between the couch cushions!
Ha, that’s a productive alternative! It’d honestly be funner, at least for me. Thanks for sharing Belldew!
Hi Makki
I have tried IndoxDollars before. I don’t mind taking surveys and I like that there are many other options to choose from. But you are exactly right when you say how frustrating it can be to spend time on a survey just to find out you don’t qualify. That has happened to me more than enough and it sure is a turn off. The fact that they give you other options to earn money is nice though. But all in all it seems like to much time spent to earn very little. I guess if you had absolutely nothing else to do and were killing time, it would be ok, but still it would take way to long to earn anything worthwhile.
Good post, lots of information. And I like your writing style, it keeps me entertained 🙂
I get what you mean Summerly. The surveys are pretty annoying, and I’ve only qualified for a few. I have to give credit to InboxDollars for offering a lot of ways to earn, but it’s just such a small pay rate that I don’t think it’s worth it. The hours spent here could be spent doing almost anything else, and you wouldn’t lose a thing. Thanks for your feedback! Glad to see you were entertained, too!