InboxDollars Review: Is it a Scam or Legit?

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Inboxdollars featured

InboxDollars is one of the most popular “get paid to” sites that pays cash for activities you do on a regular basis.

With InboxDollars, you can make money in several ways and you can receive a $5 cash bonus when you join.

Will you be able to replace your 9-5 income with InboxDollars or are you wasting your time?

This is the same question I asked when I signed up for InboxDollars. The short answer is you can make real money, but you won’t likely replace your full-time income.

It is more like a side hustle to make some extra money.

In this review, I will cover exactly how to earn extra money in detail with InboxDollars.

inboxdollars logo
4.3
Overall Rating

Summary

Anyone can make money quickly with InboxDollars. Although you will not get rich, it is possible to earn extra cash in a short period of time doing surveys, searching the internet, watching videos and more.

  • Earning potential

    4.5

  • Ease of use

    4.5

  • Payout minimum

    4

Pros

  • Earn extra cash
  • Easy to use
  • $5 sign up bonus

Cons

  • Pay per activity can be low
  • Limited survey opportunities 

What Is InboxDollars?

InboxDollars is a survey website owned by Prodege, an online marketing company that was founded in 2005. Users can make money by completing short tasks such as surveys, games and product trials.

The get-paid-to site specializes in market research and partners with consumers like you to help companies develop and enhance products and services. I periodically check these offers to earn a few dollars in my free time with minimal effort.

Prodege owns several other market research websites as well, including Swagbucks, MyPoints, Upromise, CouponCause and Tada.

InboxDollars offers a variety of options for consumers who want to earn money and influence the development of products you see on store shelves.

Is InboxDollars Legit?

Yes, InboxDollars is legit. In fact, they have paid out over $80 million dollars in cash rewards.

They have a 4.2 out of 5-star review from TrustPilot. Additionally, they keep their privacy policy current through the main holding company Prodege, LLC.

How Does InboxDollars Work?

The rewards platform will pay you for completing certain activities, although several require an upfront purchase to earn rewards. You start by signing up for a free InboxDollars account.

Once you’ve verified your account, you can browse your InboxDollars dashboard and find a variety of ways to earn money. You also receive an instant $5 signup bonus and only need to earn $10 more in rewards to make your first cashout.

This GPT (get-paid-to) site offers a host of options for earning cash. You can earn for everything from searching the internet to shopping online. This variety is one of the reasons why InboxDollars is one of my favorite rewards sites.

Most moneymaking opportunities include:

  • Online surveys
  • Product offers
  • Reading sponsored emails
  • Uploading store receipts
  • Sponsored games and apps

You’ll earn a specified amount of cash for each activity. Once the activity is completed, you will see the money in your membership account.

However, it is important to figure out which bonus activities are worth your time and which aren’t.

And the answer to that question will be different for everyone.

How Much Will InboxDollars Pay?

Every task pays differently, but you can expect to earn $0.01 to $10 for each activity. In some cases, you can earn up to $30 per activity.

Inboxdollars How You Earn Cash

Magic Receipts offers will often pay between $1 and $5 when you purchase specified grocery items.

Featured offers can pay up to $50 or more, depending on the deal. Cash back shopping bonuses pay you a percentage of your purchase.

You won’t get rich from InboxDollars, but you can earn a small steady income.

Beware of buying items just to earn the cash back. Stick to making purchases you would normally make in order to reap the highest financial benefit.

When you’re ready to cash out on your earnings, you can do so from your InboxDollars dashboard.

You have three choices for payment: PayPal, Visa e-gift card, or choose from a selection of popular retailer e-gift cards.

Payments can take up to 10 days to show up in your account. Note that there is a minimum balance requirement of $15 in order to be eligible to cash out the first time and then $30 for subsequent withdrawals.

This minimum redemption is relatively high and one of the reasons I consider using other rewards apps with similar offers and lower cashout thresholds.

Key Features Of InboxDollars

InboxDollars key features

Here is some more thorough information on the features that InboxDollars offers.

Paid Online Surveys

InboxDollars surveys are one of the most lucrative ways to make money because you take several a day.

There are dozens of paid online survey sites, but you might like InboxDollars because they partner with several survey sites to provide you with more daily opportunities all in one place.

Each survey has a different payout based on its length and survey topic. Most surveys take less than 15 minutes to complete and pay up to $10.

I also periodically receive bonus challenges to earn extra cash by completing a specific number of surveys within a few weeks. A recent offer is getting a $10 bonus after completing five surveys. These promotions make it easier to reach the payout minimum.

Make sure you complete the additional profile surveys that are offered so that you get the most relevant and highest-paying surveys.

The surveys you receive are based on your background, life experience, and interests.

Even if you don’t qualify for a survey, InboxDollars will still give you a Spin and Win token to have a chance to win additional cash prizes.

By successfully completing a survey, you will earn the cash payout and an entry for their “Scratch and Win” game. This instant win game is one way to win bonus cash from surveys, games, web searches and other short tasks. I find this mini-game a fun consolation.

Read Paid Emails

The second most lucrative way to make money with InboxDollars is to read their paid emails.

You will receive up to four messages per day and each message offers additional opportunities to earn cash.

Some of the offers I received in the PaidEmails were getting paid $25 to take a health insurance survey and $10 to open a new bank account.

New offers arrive every day and you receive more emails by opening the paid emails on a daily basis.

It only takes a few seconds to discover the best income opportunities and your inbox won’t get flooded with junk mail which is a huge bonus too. I still recommend using a secondary email for this platform to avoid overlooking critical messages from friends, work and family.

Get Paid to Test Products

Have you always wanted to be a paid product tester?

When you’re not taking surveys or reading your email, InboxDollars provides 100% free offers that pay you to join survey research companies.

Depending on the company, you might get paid to download and test apps, or even monitor your credit score for free as just a few examples.

I have utilized several offers to open new bank accounts and investing apps for signup bonuses.

There are also paid testing opportunities that require you to buy a sample or sign up for a free trial that you must cancel if you don’t want to pay for the service.

Some of these offers include getting $20 to try LifeLock identity theft protection for a service that costs $8.99 a month.

Even if you end up canceling after the first month, you still make $11 for trying out LifeLock.

Amazon Kindle and Amazon Audible might be your go-to sources for ebooks and audiobooks.

However, InboxDollars might pay you $2 to try Kobo and other ebook platforms that offer the same titles but pay you to read books instead of the other way around.

Redeem Grocery Coupons

InboxDollars pays you $0.05 cents and $15 for each digital grocery coupon that you activate and redeem with its Magic Receipts loyalty program. These offers are similar to receipt scanning apps like Ibotta and can be the quickest way to cash out if you buy participating name brands.

Inboxdollars rewards paid

InboxDollars coupons can help you save on brands you buy on a regular basis with more than 200 printable coupons.

Here are some examples:

  • $0.50 back on any bread or eggs purchase
  • $0.50 back on Energizer batteries
  • $1.50 back on Nature’s Way vitamins and supplements
  • $2.00 off Huggies diapers

Redeeming these four coupons, you would save $4.50 after uploading your receipt.

I like this feature but you must buy name brands to capture the most shopping rewards. You can earn a few cents for purchasing generic items which is better than nothing but may not be worth the effort unless you’re lacking a few dollars to cash out.

Shop Online and Get Cash Back

In addition to digital grocery coupons, you can also get cash back by shopping online through partners of InboxDollars. The rebate app displays coupon codes for instant savings too.

Once again, you’re going to be spending this money so you should go through a cash back portal like InboxDollars to get some money back and ultimately pay less.

Get up to 10% cash back from the following:

  • Walmart
  • Kohl’s
  • Best Western
  • Priceline.com
  • The Disney Store

Choose from thousands of stores for cash back savings. Some stores offer dollar amounts in cash back instead of percentages. I think the selection is quite diverse and it’s easy to earn rewards and cash out quickly once the return window closes and your funds are released.

See the store details on InboxDollars for more information.

Get Paid to Search the Internet

Another way to make a small income is by searching the internet through InboxDollars instead of going directly to Google or Bing to begin your research.

You won’t earn a fixed rate per search but receive Scratch & Win ticket entries to win extra cash. It’s an easy way to earn a little extra cash.

You’re already going to be surfing the web so you might as well get paid for it, right?

For every four searches you complete, you earn an entry into the cash sweepstakes.

By banking up your entries, you can potentially win up to $100. Even if you don’t win the top prize this time, you will still walk away a winner with a small cash prize.

By installing the InboxDollars toolbar and making InboxDollars your default search engine, you will make money with every web search you complete.

You won’t get rich but it’s a fun way to make money searching the web. The search results are helpful most of the time, in my opinion.

Watching TV and Videos

InboxDollars might not offer the exact same content as you might watch on YouTube, but you get paid to watch videos here.

You can watch short video segments on:

  • Current events
  • Upcoming advertising campaigns
  • Videos about entertainment
  • Health videos

There’s a little something for everybody to watch and makes it easy to find something to watch and make money simultaneously.

These offers are not as common as in previous years and you may need to spend time searching for them on the offer walls. It’s an easy way to collect rewards but I suggest other free offers first which pay more for a similar time commitment.

Playing Games

You can also get paid to play your favorite games online for free! They have classic games that you played as a kid like Chess, Solitaire, and Hearts.

In addition, they have the latest and greatest games from Bejeweled to Super Plinko.

How much you make depends on the game and your top score.

Whether you need a break from surveys or simply want to do something fun after a long day, check out InboxDollars to play GSN’s free and premium games.

Referral Program

InboxDollars helps you earn money through the company referral program as well.

The referral program can be quite lucrative. You’ll get $3 for each qualified signup that you referred with your personal referral link after they earn $3 in the first month.

After that, you’ll automatically get 10% of all of your referral’s earnings. So, if the friend you referred earns $10 in cash back, you’ll get a $1 credit to your account.

There are additional rewards and benefits as well. See the InboxDollars website for specific details on the company’s referral program.

What Actual Users Are Saying InboxDollars

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives Prodege who owns InboxDollars a B score. The company has had over 3,333 closed complaints in the last three years.

Most negative complaints referred to issues with receiving rewards or payments.

Trustpilot gives InboxDollars 4.2 (out of 5) rating. 66% of the reviews are rated “excellent” and 9% of the reviews are rated “bad.”

As with the BBB, most of the “bad” rated complaints on Trustpilot revolved around issues with payment.

Here’s how InboxDollars fairs on the app stores.

SOURCERATINGREVIEWS
Apple App Store4.5 / 5.0183K
Google Play Store4.0 / 5.0138K

A really good money earning service. Unfortunately the app has really gone down in quality since I started using over a year ago. – Jeremiah H.

I have accumulated about $14 since starting about a month ago. Of course, $5 of it was the sign-on bonus. There are a few gripes that I have with the process and I’m not sure how long I will keep it. – Kelly

Alternatives to InboxDollars

If you’re interested in exploring other get-paid-to sites, here are some InboxDollar alternatives you may want to look into.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of the most popular GPT sites on the market today. The rewards app will pay you to complete activities such as taking surveys, watching videos, searching the net, shopping online and more.

The minimum redemption is $5 for most free gift cards from a variety of popular retailers, or you can get PayPal cash. Further, Amazon gift cards start with a $1 minimum threshold.

MyPoints

Like InboxDollars and Swagbucks, MyPoints will pay you to complete a variety of activities. You earn points for completing activities like sharing your opinion, watching videos, discovering content, shopping online and more.

When you earn points with MyPoints, you can use your points to transfer cash to PayPal or to get gift cards from retailers such as eBay, Best Buy or even Google Play credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to common frequently asked questions about InboxDollars.

Does it cost money to sign up with InboxDollars?

No. Signing up with InboxDollars is totally free.

Is taking surveys worth the money you earn?

You won’t get rich by taking surveys. Each survey pays a different amount of cash. Most surveys last around 15 minutes.

We suggest taking a few surveys so you can decide whether the surveys are worth your time.

Is there a cap on how much you can earn with the InboxDollars referral program?

According to the InboxDollars website, there is no cap on the earnings you can get through the referral program.

How old do you have to be to join InboxDollars?

You must be 18 years of age or older in order to join InboxDollars.

Is InboxDollars Worth Your Time?

We hope you found our InboxDollars review helpful. As we shared, anyone can make money quickly with InboxDollars. I make money from the site and it can be a good fit if you use it regularly to achieve the minimum redemption. It’s best if you maximize shopping offers.

Although you will not get rich, it is possible to earn extra cash with this side hustle in a short period of time. Note, you must complete surveys in order to receive a payout.

It is worth noting that many of the deals will vary on a daily basis, so be sure to visit InboxDollars directly to see their latest offers to put a little extra cash in your pockets.

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41 Comments

  1. Is a US Social Security number required? Can foreign citizens join

    1. Deacon Hayes says:

      Only people who live in the United States can join.

  2. Everyone sounds like they had such a bad experience with inbox dollars. I guess I am the rare one because I already made $200 cash in less than a week. I thought it was a scam too but I was proven wrong haha. I never knew they had gold members or any of that. I just started and once I cashed out it only takes 6 days.

    1. Jess Nardini says:

      Wow that’s awesome! It can definitely be difficult to make such a hefty amount in just a few days on sites like these

  3. I finally got my $30 dollar I requested the money but it said if you get to $40 in 10 days there is no fee. So agreed to it. The next day they terminated my account saying I was a bot and could not help me.

  4. I guess I’ve been blocked. Don’t know why. I’ve cashed out twice. Thought I was a good member, followed the rules and suddenly no surveys. They won’t tell me what I did wrong or how to resolve it.

  5. Addie Williams says:

    I, like a few others, have not had any issues with receiving my checks. I’ve been with inbox dollars for about 14 months and I have cash out approximately 7 or 8 times for $30 or more. Its true, you definitely won’t get rich quick. It simply is a way to use idle time and make a few coins doing it. I love it!

  6. I joined them and the first 3 months went well I’m disabled so I have a lot of time. I was making 60 dollars a month and then they shut me off from surveys, they said I was rushing through them but I was not. Now they only let me play games and if I do any of the deals on the paid emails I don’t get any of the money promised.

    1. I’m sorry for the poor experience! Maybe try contacting customer service again or create a new account!

  7. I’ve been using InboxDollars for several years. I’ve cashed out almost $300 and never had a problem. I just requested a payout that took less than 2 weeks to get my check. My daughter also joined. We are using our earnings for a weekend away. This is a great way to earn money if you have a little patience!

    1. Thank you for sharing your positive experience! I’m glad you’re having good results with InboxDollars. 🙂

  8. I can say this, no one will get rich off of InboxDollars. This is a site where you share your insights, opinions, etc… I’ve been with InboxDollars for more than a year and anytime I’ve had the opportunity to cash out, I never had a problem getting paid, whether it was $30 or $40. I’m sure if they close your account it’s because of something you’re doing. Out of 10 surveys, you may qualify for 6 or 7, but they do mention this site is not a get rich website. It’s great on your spare time during break, while taking a hot bath, or like myself, while I’m watching TV during commercial breaks. Definitely InboxDollars is not a scam.

    1. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I wish you good luck using InboxDollars in the future.

  9. Tina Blackburn says:

    There’s no way to turn pennies into dollars unless you stay at it day after day after day because InboxDollars doesn’t pay more than a few pennies at a time! I’ve been with InboxDollars for about 3 years and I’ve cashed out twice. I’m working on my 3rd time! Don’t fall for it unless you’re ready to sit and stay at this for hours on end! Oh, and it takes up to 6 weeks to get a Visa gift card through them. You even have to call Visa gift card holders to get them to send the card out with a confirmation number that you have to wait for InboxDollars to email you with!

    1. With those issues, I am surprised you’ve stuck with them for 3 years. This post does mention that you won’t make a ton of money fast with InboxDollars. However, you can make some money if you persevere. 🙂

  10. Can other persons outside the USA be members? If yes, can I get my money through an e-payment or online?

    1. For the answers to those questions, use the links in this post to go to their website. Look for a site map or check their policies, terms and conditions, or FAQ’s. If that doesn’t answer your questions, you can ask directly by contacting them through their contact information found on their site.

  11. NeKole Clark says:

    InboxDollars is real. I’ve already received one check and I’m getting ready to get my next check. I have over a hundred now. The thing is, it’s something to pass the time and you make money doing the surveys. The first $38 I made, I requested my payment in a check. So, now I’m waiting to see how long I can go.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂

  12. I’ve never had a problem with InboxDollars. I’ve received my checks on time and it’s ok if you don’t qualify for certain surveys, you still win scratchers to spin. It’s not much, but it adds up. I sign up for offers that I’m interested in and earn $30 – $40 or more. It’s fun and easy money. You just have to stay active to earn free cash.
    Thanks and have fun!

    1. Thanks for sharing about your experiences using InboxDollars!

  13. I’ve been a member for years now. I’m happy to let you know that it’s not a scam. I’ve received real checks! It may take time to earn it, but I enjoy playing the games, doing the scratches, etc.

    1. Thanks for your comments and for sharing your experience! 🙂

  14. Please, how real is this platform?

    1. It’s real, but you probably won’t make a ton of money from it in a short period of time. However, if you have the time, you could earn some money.

  15. I’ve done InboxDollars a few times. It just gives me something to do to pass the time. However, they do have a scratcher on there once you fill your work progress bar. It says you can make $.01 to $100. Well, the most I’ve made off that is 12 cents. It has taken between 8 and 10 months just to reach $22 in my account. So, don’t go into this thinking you are going to make your first $30 quickly.

    1. Thank you for sharing your experience, viewpoint, and comments with us!

  16. I find this site (InboxDollars) to be very frustrating as I don’t qualify for 90% of the surveys or else my demographic location has met the survey limits. What? After three months I still haven’t met my $30 cash out. I will have to pay Inbox Dollars $3 to get my cash out when I do meet the $30 requirement. Boooo!

    1. While it isn’t a scam, we do mention that making money isn’t fast and it may not be worth your time. Thanks for your comments.

  17. Listen, folks. Some of these stories are just plain hog wash. I’ve been a member for many years now. I’ve never been scammed. I’ve always been paid. I’ve never had any trouble getting my money and I’ve never been shut down. But, one very true fact is that it won’t replace a regular job. You won’t make a bundle of money here, and you’re not meant to. It’s just a little extra money doing things you might do anyway.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. We appreciate your comments!

  18. Michelle R says:

    I like InboxDollars. It’s a great way to earn some extra cash. I cashed out a few times. I’ve never had any problems. I work full time, so when I’m on break, or whenever I get a chance, I do some surveys or click the emails for offers. It’s a great company!

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience with InboxDollars!

  19. Cindy Pace says:

    It took me over 3 months to get to $40 so I wouldn’t have to pay their $3 fee. It’s frustrating, because half the time I don’t qualify for surveys.

    1. I’m sorry you are frustrated with InboxDollars. Perhaps a different survey site would work better for you.

  20. Renee Owens says:

    I had the same issue for an account that was 1 month old. When I reached the $30 threshold, they shut down my account and couldn’t recover my funds.

    1. I would try to contact them about it if I were you and if you haven’t already done so. They may be able to help you figure out why or what happened. Good luck!

  21. ferrets33 says:

    They got me too! Three years of saving money from their stupid stuff, and then they just delete my account. When trying to reactive it, and get my money, they tell me that the account has been, “cleaned”, and there’s no way to get it. What a scam! I would never recommend this site to anyone – not even an enemy!

    1. Josh Patoka says:

      I’m sorry you had this experience.

    2. That is frustrating. Yeah, they have a policy that if your account is inactive for 6 months it is removed. I am not a fan of that policy, so, anyone who decided to use InboxDollars needs to make sure to keep their account active so they do not lose any progress they have made.