MYSTERY SHOPPING

Mystery shopping programs can offer you a simple and fun way to earn money. Companies pay you to shop at their stores, buy their products, attend movies, eat at their restaurants. In return, you send them a survey reporting on your experience. You are your own boss, and only work the assignments that you choose.

There are a variety of mystery shopping programs available today. The best programs provide you with supporting materials in addition to a large number of job assignments. You can earn a substantial income as a mystery shopper.

When evaluating mystery shopping programs, you want to consider a number of elements. Some of these include:

•  Selection.  Does the program offer a variety of mystery shopping jobs?

•  Support.  What services does the program offer to help you maximize your potential income?

•  Cost.  How much does it cost to participate in the program? Is it a one-time fee or a recurring expense?

We hope you find these reviews helpful in choosing your Mystery Shopping program!

 

Cost:  $24.95

Programs offered:  220+

Guarantee:  60 days

 

Shop Until You Drop is simple and easy; a professional look with a cool flash intro. The site relays information quickly without a lot of pages to navigate through. The home page is complete with an overview of the process, including an actual shopping questionnaire, 5 easy steps outlining how to become a highly in demand Mystery Shopper, and testimonials from satisfied registrants.

The one-time registration fee is $24.95, among the lowest of this group. Upon registration you have access to a large array of features, including

•  Shopping assignment database

•  Company database

•  Instant email notifications of new jobs in your area

•  Daily job board

•  Step-by-step user guide

•  Assignment organizer log

•  Technical support

•  Newsletter

•  Cash for referring new members

Plus they are currently offering free bonuses valued at over $200, including

•  Get paid for taking surveys

•  Get paid for driving your car

•  Get paid for passing out samples

•  Get paid for reading email

•  Ebay secrets

Sign up is quick and easy with your zip code and payment information. With a nod toward customer service, this site also offers a 60 day risk-free guarantee.

The FAQ section is a great place to gain knowledge, providing more helpful answers than other sites. Shop Until You Drop takes the time to spell out that registrants are independent contractors, and the tax obligations that entails.

If you're looking to be a mystery shopper, Shop Until You Drop takes out the mystery. With a low membership fee, high value, and a 60 day risk free guarantee, they've earned our top rank.

Cost:  $34.95

Programs offered:  180+

Guarantee:  60 days

 

Paid For Free provides a lot of information on home-based money making opportunities. A one-time fee of $34.95 gives you access to over 600 programs in which you could get paid. These programs include:

•  Online surveys

•  Focus groups

•  Mystery shopping

•  Surfing the web

•  Reading emails

•  Driving your car

An earning dollar range is given for each program. The site is careful to give disclaimers about the money that can be made and also point out that some programs pay in gift cards, redemption points or prizes.

As far as the mystery shopper program, over 180 company programs are offered. Some of the more well-known features include Amazon.com, Blockbuster, Walmart, Target, and AMC movie cinemas.

The Questions page is helpful with very detailed answers. The site is also equipped with samples forms for each of the major programs offered; but they are hard to find tucked back in the information pages. This site also offers cash back as a signup incentive and a free form-filling utility to make your life easier when applying for openings.

The variety and quality of programs offered by Paid For Free makes this a tough option to pass up.

Cost:  $19.95

Programs offered:  180+

Guarantee:  60 days

 

This site is fun and sassy! No long winded testimonials or infomercial language, just a short and sweet explanation of who they are and what they have to offer.

The home page highlights an article from the Wall Street Journal as a powerful testimonial of the benefits that could be obtained from becoming a Mystery Shopper. The FAQ section is very informative with useful information that all potential members should know.

Get Paid to Shop offers the lowest one-time registration fee at $19.95. For this low fee members have access to 180+ hiring companies, a mystery shopping guide, and chat & message boards. Members also get a bonus access to a directory of companies that pay for completed surveys.

Get Paid to Shop is a no-frills mystery shopping site. It's missing some of the features and bonuses that our top-rated sites offer, but compensates for this with a lower registration fee. If you're already familiar with mystery shopping and don't need or want any money-making bonuses, then this site may be for you.

Cost:  $34.50

Programs offered:  150+

Guarantee:  60 days

 

Dollar Frog is easy to navigate and presents a wealth of information. The homepage is separated into sections based on the information you are looking for: Mystery Shopper or Paid Surveys. You can also make your choice from the navigation bar at the top of the page. The quotes from shoppers are helpful but not as convincing as the meat and potatoes information about the programs.

The Mystery Shopper page gives thorough information about how you get paid, including a dollar per hour range and a sample of what a "mystery shopping" job would entail. The FAQ's are very insightful and give you confidence to continue with the process. There is a one-time membership fee of $34.50 with a free bonus e-book of tips and techniques. The site offers step-by-step training for registrants, a directory of more than 150 online applications to choose from, a job log and unlimited access to a job board.

The Paid Survey page is equally enticing. There is a one-time registration fee for this program of $39.50. Registrants to this program can get paid to take surveys, read email, participate in focus groups or surf the web. Again, the sample survey and FAQ section is very informative.

A quick link to sign up for a free newsletter is at the top of the page. The site also offers multiple easy links to refer a friend.

Dollar Frog offers good information and quality companies to sign up with. However, the relatively higher cost for registration, along with a lack of quality bonuses, dropped this program in our rankings.

Cost:  $29.95

Programs offered:  200

Guarantee:  60 days

 

The home page of Money and Shopping simply a monologue of member stories and descriptions of how easy it is to be a mystery shopper. This simple site has no navigational tools to move through the site, it is all laid out on the home page. A few links are provided toward the bottom of the site, including a "haven't decided" link that takes you to another "inspiring" testimony.

There are two price options offered for this program; a yearly fee ($29.95) or a lifetime membership ($97 which is currently being offered at $67). This is the only site in our review that offers a yearly membership fee; we think the yearly fee should be eliminated and the lifetime membership cost be reduced to $29.95. The lifetime membership includes a bonus membership to Moneyandsurveys.com. An e-book is provided on how to become a successful secret shopper.

One issue we had with the advertising relates to the number of companies that Money and Shopping lists. They claim that over 600 companies hire mystery shoppers. But later they state that they only list the "best" companies to their members. They do not advertise the actual number of companies that they list. Misleading and incomplete statements like this are not helpful to the casual shopper.

A couple of unique membership benefits include free monthly teleconferences and access to reviews of secret shopping companies.

The FAQ section takes you to a different website where you can search for specific questions, review the top questions asked or submit your own questions. Being transferred to a different site is a little confusing but there is a link to take you back to Money and Shopping.com if you get lost.

Money and Shopping has all the tools necessary to be one of our higher-ranked programs. But through a variety of missteps they wind up last in our rankings. If you're looking for a quality mystery shopping program we suggest you look elsewhere.