If you’ve been looking for a way to earn money at work by doing surveys, you’ve likely come across hundreds of sites. Most of them look the same, so how do you pick one to make money? Which site is best?
Determining which one is the best is quite subjective. Some users prefer doing surveys only. Others prefer having other options to make money. One popular survey site is Cashcrate. Cashcrate has more than 7 million users, so it must be doing something right.
In case you’re wondering, yes, Cashcrate is legit. The site issues thousands of dollars in checks each month, so it is not a scam. Rest assured that you will get paid for the surveys and other tasks you complete. People do make money on the site, but the amount is questionable.
If you’re looking for a part-time job that allows you to earn regular income, this is not the job for you. However, if you are stuck at home and have nothing to do anyway, then Cashcrate can help you earn a few extra bucks here and there. Read on to learn more about Cashcrate to determine if it’s right for you.
What is Cashcrate?
Cashcrate is a site that allows you to earn money by participating in various tasks. Companies are looking for people like you to share your opinions and test their products. That’s where Cashcrate comes in. Cashcrate was created in 2006. It serves as the middle man that gives you access to surveys and other tasks. When you complete the tasks, you get paid.
Cashcrate is available to those at least 13 years old. You can participate if you live outside of the United States, but those who live in English-speaking countries will have more access to surveys.
Cashcrate pays at the beginning on the month and in the middle of the month (the actual dates may differ). Once you meet the minimum amount of $20, you will receive payment the following month. $20 is a high threshold, and this has deterred many members, since it could take several months to accumulate this much money.
If you enjoy Cashcrate, make sure to check in at least once every 90 days. Once you are inactive for 90 days, your account is closed.
While Cashcrate is known for its surveys, there are actually several other ways in which you can earn money. Let’s look at some of these in more detail.
Signing Up
First, before you can participate and make money, you’ll need to sign up. You’ll receive your first $1 just for signing up. Sounds sweet, right? But earning money only gets harder from there. First, you have to enter your email address and password. Sounds easy enough, right?
Once you submit this information, then you are prompted to enter personal information. You will be asked to provide your name, address, birthday, gender and ethnicity. Your name and address are needed because Cashcrate is pretty old school and still mails out paper checks. Now that we’re in the age of PayPal and direct deposit, this seems like an odd setup. However, PayPal and direct deposit do become options later on as you become established as a member, so be patient.
Now why would Cashcrate need your birthday, gender and ethnicity? This is how the site determines which surveys you may qualify for. Companies are looking for consumers that meet certain demographics, so they may require that you be a certain age, or female rather than male.
Once you submit the required information, you’ll be on your way to earning cold hard cash.
Surveys
Most people earn money on Cashcrate by doing surveys. Surveys, while easy, don’t typically pay a lot and can be time-consuming. They can also be frustrating, given that you could spend 10 minutes or more answering questions and then suddenly get disqualified. Yeah, that happens a lot. You waste time and don’t get paid for it.
In fact, actually completing a survey does not happen often. It is believed that the success rate is about 30%, which means you may qualify for and complete three surveys for every 10 you attempt. This has frustrated many members.
What’s also frustrating is the fact that surveys don’t really pay a whole lot. Most pay anywhere from 25 cents to $2. Some pay less, some pay more. The longer the survey, the more money you will receive. So for spending an hour on a survey, you could receive a paltry $3.
Compare that to the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Heck, Washington D.C.’s minimum wage is $11.50 an hour. Got kids to feed? Cashcrate isn’t the answer.
The survey lengths vary, as do the formats. Some are straightforward and ask you multiple-choice questions. Some require you to watch a video and comment. Others ask you to provide feedback on a product. Some are interactive and require you to virtually shop. You can see that doing surveys may be a fun way to pass some time, but not a reliable way to earn an income.
Shopping
Get paid to shop? Sign us up! Yes, Cashcrate offers a percentage of your purchase at cash back when you shop at certain store. Just go to the Shopping area to see the list of stores. You will see the percentage in cash back each one offers. Click the one you want to shop at, complete a purchase and you’ll receive the cash back in your account.
This is one of those deals where you have to spend money to make money. This is good if you were planning on shopping at the store anyway, but not if you want to make random purchases.
Cash back offers vary, but most are under 5%. This means that if you spend $100, you would get $5 back. Very few offer more than that.
Referrals
Referring others is where many people make money on Cashcrate. If you refer someone and they sign up, you’ll receive 20% of their earnings. If they refer someone who signs up, you also get 10% of their earnings. You also get bonuses.
Once you accumulate 50 referrals, you each the Silver level. You get a higher percentage of earnings, plus you can choose direct deposit as your choice of payment. The percentages increase from there. Once you reach 500 referrals, you can get paid weekly.
It’s a great way to make money if you know a lot of people and they all sign up. Many people, however, find this setup to be kind of spammy.
Checking In
Just by checking in daily, you could earn a cool 3 cents. To check in, all you have to do is click a link. This link will take you to a survey or offer, but you do not have to complete it to get paid. Some users have complained that this does not work all the time, though.
Completing Offers
Completing offers can be a good way to earn some quick cash. These may require you to sign up for a sweepstakes, try a free sample or sign up for a mailing list. In exchange for providing your personal information, you may get a little as 10 cents or maybe a couple dollars. It really varies.
While most offers are free, there are some that require you to provide credit card information or pay for something, such as a trial membership or magazine of some sort. These offers are worth much more (sometimes $10 or more). However, you’re spending money upfront, and in some cases you have to cancel a trial before a certain date or get charged much more. This is something you need to be aware of, or you’ll end up losing money instead of earning it.
Watching Videos
This is one of the least effective ways to earn money – even worse than surveys. You can watch videos for cash, although the actual payout amounts to less than $1 per hour.
Ready to Try Cashcrate?
Cashcrate has been called a scam by many. After all, it makes claims that you may be able to make a lot of money. It claims that some users make $1,000 or more a month. While some may make that much, they are in the minority.
Given that the company has given out more than $4 million to its 7 million members, the average member has earned about $2 in total. Is $2 worth your time? You can probably find that much in change in the cushions of your couch or under the seats in your car.
Cashcrate is a good site to try if you’re bored once in a while and want to do something to pass the time. If you’re looking for a regular income to pay bills, however, you won’t accomplish that with Cashcrate. The reality is that you may earn enough in a month for gas money, but not much more unless you’re on the site 24/7 – and who has time for that?
You may have a different experience, though. It’s free to use, so sign up and try it for an hour. Is the amount of money you earn worth the time?
Sources:
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/finance/cashcrate-review-online-surveys/
