Best Ways To Get Paid to Shop
Upside
$550M in cashback to consumers to date
Cashback for Gas and Restaurants
Generous referral program ($5 + $0.01/gallon)
Swagbucks
$10 bonus (spend $25 first)
1,500+ of online and in-store retailers
On App store and Google Play
MyPoints
$5 bonus for confirming email
$3 min withdrawal for some gift cards
Up to 10% cashback for shopping
Capital One
More than 30,000 partner stores
Price drop alerts & automatic coupons
Compare prices on Amazon
5 Ways to Get Paid to Shop for Yourself
Whether you’re shopping for groceries or shopping online, you could get paid to shop for yourself with the following apps.
| Cashback Site | Earning Potential |
|---|---|
| Rakuten | Up to 40% cashback |
| Ibotta | Up to 30% cashback |
| Shopkick | Possible to make $1 or more per trip to the store |
| Dosh | Up to 10% cashback |
| Shopalong | $5 to $50 on your next shopping trip |
Rakuten
Rakuten Summary
- High cashback potential of up to 40%
- Earn cashback at over 2500 online stores
- 6 different ways to earn cashback
- Get $10 for free just for signing up
As a reward shopping website, Rakuten has cashback offers on popular shopping sites, like Old Navy, Sephora, and Amazon.
To get these, create an account through the Rakuten website and choose the store you’re shopping at. After that, Rakuten shows you their cashback offers.
Another option to go with use Rakuten is by installing a browser extension. This allows the platform to search and automatically apply deals to the eCommerce website you’re on.
Quote: Rakuten cashback deals range from 1% to 40% of your purchase.
Ibotta
Ibotta Summary
- 2 ways to earn – app or browser extension
- Earn up to 30% cash back on purchases
- Get a $5 bonus by referring friends
- Over 1500 stores you can earn cash back at
Ibotta is another free platform where you can earn money through cashback on your online or in-store purchases. You can sign up on its website and start checking the deals on participating stores. It even offers cash back on hotel and car rental sites. Ibotta lets you withdraw your cashback to PayPal or Venmo if it reaches the $20 minimum limit.
Shopkick
Shopkick is one of the best cashback sites available throughout the US. The platform works differently than other cashback websites, as it offers reward points for your online and in-store purchases.
Additionally, you can get points by using a linked card to shop or even for watching promotional videos. After collecting a certain number of points, or Kicks, you can exchange it for a gift card. For example, 250 kicks are equivalent to a $1 gift card.
You can redeem your Shopkick earnings for gift cards from various retailers including:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Best Buy
- eBay
- PayPal
- Sephora
- Groupon
- Nike
Dosh
Besides stores, Dosh also offers cashback on restaurant transactions. To get these, make sure your credit and debits cards are linked to Dosh.
Up to 10% cashback per purchase is available, subject to retailer offers. Dosh allows you to withdraw cashback to your Venmo and PayPal accounts or donate it to charity.
Shopalong
Shopalong is an online platform that lets you complete small tasks for cash. Some of these tasks include making shopping lists, taking photos of products you bought, or uploading receipts to the platform.
Although few tasks come along through the platform, you can still get paid anywhere from $5 to $50 on your next shopping trip with app.
4 Platforms to Get Paid to Shop Groceries
Getting groceries delivered to your doorstep is the trend these days. Consequently, you can earn money by providing this in-demand service.
| Platforms | Earning Potential |
|---|---|
| Instacart | $5 to $10 per delivery |
| Shipt | $25 per hour |
| Postmates | $11 to $20 per hour |
| Amazon Personal Shopper | $15 to $17 per hour |
1. Instacart
Instacart Summary
- 2 different types of work available
- Earn up to $10 per full-service order
- Get $10 for each friend you refer
- Work as much or as little as you want
- Choose which batches to accept
- Cash out your earnings in 2 hours
Instacart is a US-based company that offers grocery delivery and pick-up services through online platforms. With 40,000 stores and over 5,500 cities throughout the US and Canada, Instacart claims to have provided millions of orders.
If you’re looking to work with Instacart, there are two options for you:
- One is to be a full-service shopper. You’ll be receiving orders from customers, picking those up from stores, and delivering them to customers’ doorsteps using your vehicle.
- On the other hand, an in-store shopper literally works in stores. Once you receive customers’ orders, you’ll shop for those in-store and wait for customers to pick up their purchases.
Quote: As an in-store shopper, you’ll be Instacart’s part-time employee, while full-service shoppers are independent contractors.
With Instacart, you can earn between $5 to $10 per order. This is a pretty decent earning as a full-service shopper since you can work on your time. You also get to keep 100% of customer tips.
2. Shipt
Shipt Summary
- High earnings potential in some areas
- Get a paycheck on a weekly basis
- Start shopping within 5 days of approval
- Easy to apply to become a shopper
Another popular shopping service in the US, Shipt caters to over 5,000 cities in the country. It’s a membership-based grocery service where customers can have fresh foods and essentials delivered to their homes.
As a shopper with Shipt, you’ll be the one shopping and delivering groceries to your customers. To do that, you’ll need a reliable vehicle, preferably at least a 1997 model, and a valid driver’s license.
Shipt shoppers can earn an average of $25. Working for them also means you have full control of your work schedule and receive your pay weekly.
3. Amazon Personal Shopper
Besides being one of the largest e-commerce platforms worldwide, Amazon has grocery and household essentials delivery services. As such, it hires people to work as their personal shoppers, picking items from stores and fulfilling customers’ orders.
Working as an Amazon Personal Shopper means you get to work on flexible shifts. Using your mobile phone, you’ll receive orders from your customers, and communicate with them as you fulfill those. After getting their items, you’ll need to pack these up for delivery.
Besides the work flexibility, Amazon Personal Shoppers also earn between $15 to $17 per hour.
2 Flexible Errand Shopper Jobs
When people are too busy to run errands, you can do it for them through the following on-demand apps:
| Platforms | Earning Potential |
|---|---|
| Care.com | $12.36 per hour |
| TaskRabbit | $15 to $19 per hour |
1. Care.com
Care.com is more popular as a platform to hire and work as babysitters. Besides those, it also offers errands, personal assistants, and shopping services.
Consequently, you can sign up as a provider for these services. Make sure to include your rate and location. Once you complete your account, Care.com connects you to over 19 million users.
This platform provides a lot of freedom for freelancers, from rates to services to working hours. Although, personal assistants and errand shoppers here make around $12.36 hourly.
2. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a website where clients can look for single-task workers.
Some of the single tasks offered through TaskRabbit include:
- Cleaning
- Furniture assembly
- Delivery
- Shopping
- Personal assistance
Joining TaskRabbit require taking several steps:
- First, you’ll need to create an account through their website by selecting your location and service. You can complete the online application by providing your personal information.
- After that, go to a TaskRabbit information center near you.
- Finally, you’re ready to receive tasks from the platform.
You can freely choose which tasks to accept and connect with your client to negotiate some details.
You can decide how much you want to charge for each job. However, personal assistants and errand runners on the platform charge an average of $15 to $19 per hour.
3 Mystery Shopper Jobs
Mystery shoppers help retail companies get information about the service quality at their physical stores.
| Platforms | Earning Potential |
|---|---|
| iShopFor Ipsos | Earn up to $200 per assignment |
| Secret Shopper | $12 to $25 per hour |
| Pinnacle | $4 to $75 per assignment |
1. Ipsos (iSay)
iSay Summary
- You can earn as much as $50 each month
- Earn $1 for each friend you invite
- Low minimum cash out threshold of $5
- Instant cash out for e-gift cards
Ipsos is a platform created by Ipsos Group, a French market consulting and research firm. It aims to collect market data through mystery shoppers who will evaluate and report service quality from different businesses. The platform is free and lets you work when and where you feel like it.
To become a Mystery Shopper, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Be 18 years old or older
- Have internet access to use the platform
- Provide EIN or tax ID, or an SSN for payments
- Have a PayPal account
- Have a smartphone with a camera or a digital camera
If you meet these requirements, you can download the Ipsos app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Through the app, you can check and select available tasks and submit surveys.
The pay depends on the assignment, though it can get as high as $200.
2. Secret Shopper
Born in the ‘90s, Secret Shopper is among the Mystery Shopper Providers Association’s founding members. You can use this free platform to work as a mystery shopper, needing only the following:
- Computer to send your reports
- Digital camera or scanner to submit your proof of purchase
To sign up as their mystery shopper, you can go to their website and choose your country. You’ll need to take the basic certification test and provide personal information. After these, complete the Secret Shopper agreements and create your ID and password.
Once you have an account, you can log in and check shops. With Secret Shopper, you can earn around $12 to $25 per hour.
3. Pinnacle
Pinnacle is another legitimate company that offers the opportunity to work as a mystery shopper. To register, you’ll need to enter your email address on their website and select your country from the drop-down list.
Check the additional sign-up requirements, such as the Independent Contractor Agreement, personal, and payment information. After completing your account, you’re ready to receive email notifications on available Pinnacle jobs in your area. Once you complete an assignment, submit the survey within 12 hours.
Pinnacle assignments typically pay around $4 to $75, depending on the request type. Additionally, schedulers in your area consider rating, experience, and location when assigning jobs.
Start Your Personal Shopping Service Business
With a growing demand for personal shopping services, you could even build your own business from the ground up. Here are a few important steps to start your own personal shopping service business.
Step 1: Set Up a Plan
Layout the details on which type of service you want to deliver, and how much to shell out for the capital. Specify your target market and how much you’re charging them.
Step 2: Establish a Legal Entity
Come up with the most relevant name for your business. Ensure that it’s unique and register it. Having a legal entity is another crucial requirement, along with tax registration, permits, and licenses to operate.
Step 3: Define Your Brand
Promote your business through promotional activities and marketing strategies. Having a business website can also help with an online presence and generate leads.
Step 4: Test
Taking a test order can help identify any last-minute issues you need to address before your official launch day.
Step 5: Launch Your Business
At this point, it’s time to open your business and set your plans to action. While you enjoy reaching daily milestones, make sure to have long-term business goals.