I stumbled across the Free Postcode Lottery this week and while it won’t make you constant money it is well worth signing up to it.

Not to be confused with the People’s Postcode Lottery, this UK site is free to sign up to and makes all it’s money through ads and donations. You register your postcode and every day one is picked at random to win the jackpot. The jackpot is split between every one in that postcode so if you are the only one entered, you win it all. The only real downside to Free Postcode Lottery is that you have to visit the website to claim your winnings should you be the lucky one, if you forget to claim then the jackpot rolls over.

You also get the chance to earn a bonus on your winnings by visiting the site every day, liking them on Facebook and Google+ as well as a referral system. This bonus keeps growing until you win the jackpot and it is then added to your winnings.

You will receive 1p every day that you visit, 20p for a Facebook like, 20p for a 1+ on Google+ and referrals can net you a whopping £200 in bonuses. Ever referral earns you 1p straight away and then up to 20p as they build up their own bonus. You can earn a bonus for up to 1000 referrals. Referrals can be done via Facebook, Google+ or a unique URL that you can share anywhere. I’m currently on 41p.

Free Postcode Lottery also has a range of offers and surveys available to it’s users as a way of thanking them and hopefully increasing their earnings.

As I said, it isn’t a constant payout but more of an investment. A minute a day logging in could see a couple of £100 hit your bank account at any time.

As with anything I post about, if you have any questions or comments then feel free to let me know; especially if you have ever won with Free Postcode Lottery.

Welcome to the final part of my mystery shopping theme. Over the last three posts I have talked about the main ways to earn money via mystery shopping; traditional, online and app. Last week I posted about online mystery shopping which can find here and the week before it was traditional mystery shopping, you can find that post here.

I don’t include any of my mystery shopping earnings in this challenge as I class them as income but they are a great way to earn some extra money.

What is app mystery shopping?

The mystery shopping app industry is constantly growing; there seems to be a new company offering it every few months. The concept is the same as both traditional and online mystery shopping in that you are paid to analyse the company but the reporting is done through a mobile app rather than online. You download an app which will show you jobs available in your area, you accept the job and visit the venue where you are taken through the steps required. They may ask you to take photos of specific products or displays, ask about the staff and store, or even just want you to take a photo of a street sign. Some jobs will require you to buy something and will reimburse you an amount for that purchase. I once had a task that needed me to talk about the crisp shelf in a local petrol station, I then had to buy a packet of Prawn Cocktail crisps and talk about them for an additional fee.

How do I find app mystery shopping work?

There are a few apps that I recommend you download, the first one if you have an iPhone (there are no plans for this to come to Android) is Field Agent; from what I see, this is one of the best paying apps with the most work. Then there is Roamler who may require you to enter a referral code, if you need one then pop over to The Money Shed and sign up; they have an ongoing code for their members. Others include Clic and Walk, Streetspotr and iPoll.  I also recommend a newer one to the market called Streetbees, they don’t have an app but you do need to use your phone to take photos and upload it via their website; they are kind of a mix between app and online.

How much can you earn with app mystery shopping?

I find that this style of mystery shopping is very dependant on your location. I know many people who earn £1000’s a year doing the tasks but other who really need to go out of their way to make anything. You need to know when tasks are becoming available in advance so you can snap them up quickly so I recommend following them on Facebook, Twitter or The Money Shed. The Money Shed have a good rapport with most of these companies and have many reps active on their forum to answer questions. They get a heads up from Field Agent for location maps and tasks coming up before Field Agent even announce it themselves, and bonuses from Streetbees as their members helped launch the company (often 50% bonuses on tasks).

The listed apps are always useful to have and check while you are out and about as tasks can pop up anywhere; with a chance that no-one else has snapped them up yet. At times you can plan ahead and bag yourself a few a day.

This concludes my mystery shopping theme, I hope this gives you a good idea of how to get into this sort of work and where to look for work. Like with anything I post, if you have any comments or questions then please feel free to mention.

February has now been and gone. I have to admit that although this it was the shortest month I feel it has gone pretty well, there are some areas that I have really concentrated on and almost tripled last months results.

What hasn’t worked?

I feel YouGov and Global Test Market are being neglected, especially GTM as by the time I have finished with the other sites I have had enough so avoid them.

New finds

A site that rewards you for exercise, Bounts. Basically you connect it to one of the many exercise apps you can get for your phone and you get points for completing an activity, those points can then be converted into rewards. I plan to test it out and then do a post about it either later in March or at the start of April. For now register HERE and use the referral code “samphire569” which will get you (and I) a bonus 100 points.

Update

So this is what I have made this month, for a running total go to My Money Making Websites page.

Swagbucks: 1,253 SwagBucks

Clixsense: $22.98

OnePoll: £8.90

Nectar Points: 775 points + 15 points in interest in The Hive

Top CashBack: £0.00

YouGov: 0

Global Test Market: 40 points

FindItForLess: 0

Bount: 360

If I keep up with the Swagbucks and Clixsense I am looking at easily exceeding the £250 I estimated last month.

Plans for March

I didn’t get round to making any videos last month like hoped so I will aim for at least one during March, I also want to get started with the Christmas Ideas side of the blog. I want there to be lots of ideas up, tried and tested ready for people beginning to think about the festive period.

I am hoping March will be even better than February.

Welcome to part two of my mystery shopping theme. Over three posts I will introduce you to the main ways to earn money via mystery shopping; traditional, online and app. Last week I posted about traditional mystery shopping, you can find that post here.

I don’t include any of my mystery shopping earnings in this challenge as I class them as income but they are a great way to earn some extra money.

What is online mystery shopping?

Online mystery shopping has the same concept as traditional mystery shopping apart from having to visit the premises. The company/business/brand will want shoppers to use their website, everything from the navigation and search function to customer service and returns. The mystery shopping company assign shoppers with specific tasks to carry out and pay according to the work involved. Examples of tasks are checking how the mobile version of a site functions, or an app. You may be asked to contact customer services via phone, email and/or live chat and evaluate the service given. Very often you will be requested to buy something from the website so you can evaluate their purchasing process and even asked to return the item.

In most cases you are paid a set fee no matter what level task you are asked to carry out, then if a purchase is needed you are given an allowance; from personal experience you are paid that allowance no matter how much you spend, then if you have to return the item you are paid an additional fee to cover the return.

How do I find online mystery shopping work?

There are a couple of good companies to get in with online, the first being EDigital Research. This is where I get all my online mystery shopping work from and recommend them highly. Another place that can dish out some online work is ESA Retail, I’ve not signed up to this company yet but it comes recommended by Jon from The Money Shed.

How much can you earn with online mystery shopping?

Like I said in the last post, it can vary from a few pounds to a few £1000 a month depending on the work available. In December I managed to earn myself a nice sum of just over £100 from EDigital Research and so did a few others I know; I also came out with 3 new pairs of knickers, a Christmas present and a decoration for my tree. If I had an iPhone is could of been a lot more too.

Online work is the biggest one I earn from when it comes to mystery shopping, which is why I don’t include it in my challenge. My next post will cover app work which is a big earner for some people I know.

As with anything I post about, if you have questions or comments then please feel free to ask. I hope this has given you a little more insight into online mystery shopping.