Mystery shopping. Many readers have emailed asking, “What is mystery shopping?” and how I earn money from it.
I typically make about $150 to $200 a month from mystery shopping.
Side note: If you’re interested in other ways I earn extra money, check out my Extra Income page on my blog.
I primarily work with Bestmark for my mystery shops. I can’t speak for every company, but I know Bestmark is a legitimate mystery shopping company, so I recommend it based on my experience.
Last month I didn’t earn much because there weren’t many worthwhile shops available in my area. Lately, I’ve become more selective about which shops I sign up for.
What I consider a worthwhile shop for me:
- Online shops or phone-call shops.
- If I must drive, the location is near somewhere I would already be.
- Something I will actually use—Estee Lauder shops are great for me because I like free makeup.
- Restaurant shops, since I have to eat anyway.
Of course, what’s worthwhile to you may be different. When I first signed up for mystery shopping (about a year ago), I signed up for almost everything. I made decent money, but it became exhausting. The survey work is often repetitive and can wear you out.
Some surveys take just a minute, while others can take an hour. Restaurant shops usually take longer because you often evaluate many small details.
Examples of mystery shops I’ve done:
- Restaurants. These range from casual restaurants where you’re reimbursed around $30 for food, to nicer steakhouses where payouts can reach $100.
- Dealerships. Bestmark offers many dealership shops. I mostly do phone-call and online scheduling secret shops.
- I usually complete about four to five of the phone-call shops each week; these are the easiest. You don’t have to go anywhere, the surveys take about a minute, and you earn around $5 per shop. Recently payments dropped to $3 and the required work increased. I canceled several because the tasks weren’t clearly described and $3 isn’t worth the extra time for me.
- They also list in-person dealership shops where you visit and pretend to be a buyer. Those usually pay around $20. I haven’t tried them—car salespeople intimidate me and I worry about follow-up calls or being stuck at a dealership.
- Retail. I do many Estee Lauder shops. I have received full-size products—foundation, lotion, toner, face wash, concealer, lip gloss, and more—for free. Altogether I’ve likely received over $200 in products plus about $10 per shop in pay.
- I’ve also done a few Best Buy shops. Those are simple: you evaluate a department (takes a minute) and usually buy a small item like a candy bar to have a receipt as proof you visited. Best Buy shops typically pay around $13. It’s not a lot, but the store is convenient for me so I’ll stop by.
The highest-paying shops I do are usually restaurants. I’ve completed assignments at upscale restaurants where I charged over $100 in food. I’ve also seen hotel mystery shops posted, but they never matched my schedule so I haven’t done any.
If you can’t complete a shop you signed up for, you should contact your scheduler to reschedule or cancel. Try not to do it often—schedulers remember reliable shoppers and reward them with better assignments.
Mystery shopping won’t make you rich. It’s a convenient side income that lets you get things for free or earn small amounts of cash. I put my mystery shopping earnings into my vacation fund, so it’s a helpful monthly boost.
If I want to dine at a nicer restaurant I already enjoy, I’m happy to do a secret shop there. Those assignments are fun because you get paid while enjoying yourself.
Do you mystery shop, such as through Bestmark? Any tips?
If you’re new to my blog, I focus on practical ways to make and save money. Here are some of my favorite methods and services that can help:
- Cut your TV bill. Cancel cable or satellite and consider dropping streaming services temporarily. Buy a digital antenna and enjoy free over-the-air television.
- Start a blog. Blogging is how I earn a living. A few years ago it seemed unlikely, but now I make substantial income through my blog. You can learn how to start a blog with simple tutorials and affordable hosting.
- Save money on food. Meal-planning services can help you cook at home more and cut food spending. A low-cost meal plan that provides shopping lists and affordable recipes can save time and money.
- Answer surveys. Survey sites like American Consumer Opinion, Pinecone Research, Opinion Outpost, SurveySpot, and Harris Poll Online pay for opinions and product tests. It’s best to sign up for multiple programs to receive more opportunities.
- Use rewards search engines and apps. Services like Swagbucks reward online searches and small tasks with points that can be redeemed for gift cards or cash.
- Try online rewards sites. InboxDollars and similar sites pay for surveys, games, shopping, and searches. They can be an easy way to earn small amounts in your spare time.
- Find a part-time job. If you need steadier income, look for part-time positions on job boards like Snagajob, Craigslist, Monster, and local listings.