Inbox Dollars is a reward site that pays you cash for taking surveys and participating in other online activities such as shopping, reading emails and watching videos.
It sounds like a cool way to make money online, and according to the website they’ve paid out over $59 million in cash to everyday people from all over the world.
But is it legit and safe to use?
Inbox Dollars is legit and safe. It has been around since the year 2000, is BBB accredited, has thousands of positive reviews online, and is partnered with companies like Netflix, Walmart and Target to provide users with legitimate earning opportunities. Not to mention, it’s owned by trusted U.S. companies, CotterWeb Enterprises and Prodege.
In this review, we’ll be taking a closer look at what InboxDollars is about, how much money you can make and how it works. But let’s start by looking further into why I believe it’s a legit site.
What Makes InboxDollars Legit?
There are four main reasons why InboxDollars is the real deal:
- The companies that own InboxDollars are legitimate and have been around for many years. And they have partnered with other well known and respected companies.
- The website uses security features like SSL encryption, anti-spam technology and other methods to keep users safe and hackers at bay.
- They have a stringent and transparent privacy policy in place so you can see exactly how your information is being used.
- The income potential is relatively low, but it is legitimate. Inbox Dollars pays members what they are owed.
Now let’s dig into each of these points in more detail..
Who Owns Inbox Dollars?
The company that owns Inbox Dollars is called CotterWeb Enterprises, Inc. Which is a company based in Minnesota (United States) that started back in the year 2000.
According to the Inbox Dollars BBB page, Daren Cotter is the man behind CotterWeb Enterprises, who also runs another rewards site called DailyRewards.
And as of writing this, CotterWeb Enterprises has a B rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Which isn’t amazing but it’s still what I would consider a “legit” rating.
But there’s also another company involved.
Further research reveals that an internet and media company called Prodege, LLC acquired CotterWeb Enterprises in May 2019. So when you boil it down, this is who really owns InboxDollars. Which I think is actually a good thing in terms of safety and legitimacy.
Because Prodege LLC is a well-established, trusted, Inc. 5000 company that owns multiple trusted rewards sites like SwagBucks, MyPoints and shopathome among others.
Prodege is also based in the United States, has an A+ rating on the BBB website and is partnered with some of the largest brands on earth. They’ve also won multiple awards like Best Place to Work in LA and Fastest Growing Private Company.
Can You Trust the Inbox Dollars Website?
By no means am I a web developer, but I did think this was worth mentioning. The InboxDollars website uses SSL (secure socket layer) encryption which helps to keep your information safe.
This is nothing special though. Most sites use this, even my blog (the blog you’re on right now). But it does help make your experience in using the site safer.
They also use other anti-spam and security measures to keep the site secure and make sure your information isn’t leaked to a third party.
So yes, I do believe it is trustworthy.
How Do They Use Your Information?
Most people who consider joining sites like Inbox Dollars are concerned about how sites like this use your information.
This is because when you sign up you need to provide a lot of personal information. For example your name, age, address, phone number and email.
So naturally some folks are concerned about how safe it is to be sharing this with a site you don’t know from Adam. I totally get this, especially since many survey sites actually send out SPAM emails and share your email with a bunch of other sites, who also spam you.
The good news is, Inbox Dollars has a comprehensive privacy policy which you can view on Prodege’s website. The reason it’s on the Prodege website is because, as mentioned earlier, they are the parent company.
So the same privacy policy is in place for all the reward sites they own including SwagBucks, MyPoints, shopathome and InboxDollars.
So it’s definitely safe and you can read the entire thing through the link above if you want to learn more about it. However, I will say that they do share your email with their partner sites for marketing purposes.
So while it’s safe, it could get annoying. But you can easily unsubscribe and opt out from receiving messages from them, which they make easy to do.
Can You Really Make Money With Inbox Dollars?
So far we’ve discussed how safe and legit Inbox Dollars is to use from a company ownership, website and privacy policy perspective.
But can you really make money this way?
You can make money with Inbox Dollars, it’s a legitimate site that pays users to complete surveys and take part in other online activities like shopping, reading emails and watching videos.
People from all over the world have been using the site to earn extra money for over 20 years. According to the Inbox Dollars website, they’ve paid out over $56 million in that time. Not to mention, they’ve built up thousands of positive reviews on independent blogs and sites like TrustPilot over this time. Which simply wouldn’t happen if they were outright scamming people.
With that being said, there are some complaints about InboxDollars too, as with most survey sites. But the point I’m making is that, while it’s not perfect, it’s a real way to make money online.
How can they pay you to take surveys?
Many people wonder how a company like Inbox Dollars could pay you money for doing a survey.. like what’s in it for them?
The reason they can pay you to do this is because they are working with companies to collect valuable market research, based on the information you provide in the surveys and when you perform certain tasks.
So, as a user of the site, you are helping large companies conduct market research. When you fill out surveys, play games, watch videos and all of that stuff, you’re actually providing these companies with valuable feedback that they can use to improve their products and services.
And they pay Inbox Dollars for that feedback. Which means, in reality, InboxDollars is just the “middle man” who connects you with companies who are conducting market research.
In the next section, we’ll look at the different ways you can earn.
How to Make Money With Inbox Dollars (7 Methods)
Here are seven ways you can make money with InboxDollars:
- Complete paid online surveys
- Read emails
- Play games
- Shop online and get cash back
- Watch videos
- Redeem coupons for cash
- Participate in the Refer Friends Program
Each of these are unique ways to earn money as a member, so let’s take a closer look at each method so you know how it works.
1. Complete paid online surveys
This is the bread and butter of making money with Inbox Dollars.
Once you get signed up you will be matched with surveys you can take that pay anywhere from $0.50 to $5 and take between 3 minutes to 25 minutes to complete on average.
Which surveys you get depend on your demographic profile. Because the companies that work with InboxDollars are typically wanting feedback from a specific audience. Like males between the age of 30-40 who are interested in golfing for example.
But there’s typically always plenty of surveys available so it’s not like you’re going to miss out. It’s just that some people will get more survey opportunities than others.
Some surveys pay a higher amount, like $10 to $20, but these are fairly rare and will take longer to complete.
2. Read emails
It might sound strange to get paid to read emails but this is a real thing. Don’t expect to earn much, but you can earn a modest amount just by reading emails InboxDollars sends you through their PaidEmail program.
The way to increase this is by completing the offer they send you within the email, which is typically signing up for a free trial to a subscription or something.
The good thing is it’s free and can make you some extra cash, the downside is if you forget to cancel before the free trial ends, it could cost you money!
3. Play games
InboxDollars partners with online casino sites owned by Game Show Network, LLC (GSN) to give you 18% cashback for every dollar you spend on these sites.
They also offer the ability to earn within their own games such as Candy Jam, Monkey Bubble Shooter and Mahjong Solitaire.
4. Shop online and get cash back
If you love shopping, then you’re probably going to love this.
Inbox Dollars gives you cashback when you shop online with brands they’re affiliated with. Which include some of the most well known brands online.
They also hook you up with discounts and free samples so you can potentially use this as a savings, as well as earning, opportunity.
5. Watch videos
Who would’ve thought watching TV could make you money!?
Well it’s possible because companies want to get their ads, movie trailers and product demonstrations in front of a targeted audience. And they’re willing to pay for it.
So this is a good way to earn a little bit of extra money without really doing anything. And you can increase your earnings by answering questions after the videos which is cool.
6. Redeem coupons for cash
Members of Inbox Dollars get access to free coupons that allow you to save money on stuff like groceries, beauty products, homewares and other products. And they give you cashback for every coupon you redeem.
7. Participate in the Refer Friends Program
The Refer Friends Program is Inbox Dollars’ referral program, where they pay you money to refer people to join the site through your link.
Whenever someone signs up to InboxDollars through your link, they pay you $1 per referral for the first five referrals ($5 max) as well as 30% of whatever your referrals earn when they complete surveys and so forth.
So the initial $1 per referral is capped at the first five people you refer, but the 30% commission is paid on all of your referrals for life. It’s not a huge amount but it can certainly add up over time if you get enough referrals.
How do you go about referring people to Inbox Dollars?
You need to learn how to do affiliate marketing. This is what I do to earn 6 figures per year online and I share my exact strategy in this free beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing.
How Much Can You Make?
So far you might be thinking this is too good to be true. Some website paying you to fill out surveys, watch TV and read emails.. it sounds too easy.
What’s the catch? The catch is that most people earn a very small amount with InboxDollars. Even though some of the surveys and other income methods pay $5 or so a pop, by the time you work it out, you don’t earn much.
In fact, you’d be lucky to earn $1 to $2 per hour on average.
And there are two main reasons for this. Firstly, there’s a lot of downtime in between surveys and emails you can read. And second, the amount they pay you for each task is just very low.
So Inbox Dollars is legit, and you can make money with it, but don’t expect to make lots of money doing the tasks and so forth.
With that being said, you could earn a substantially higher amount by participating in the Inbox Dollars referral program. They pay you 30% referral commissions which isn’t bad.
This is (in reality) the only way you could make a full-time income with InboxDollars. And this is why you see so many review sites talking it up, because they earn a commission off of you if you join Inbox Dollars through their link.
How and When Do You Get Paid?
Inbox Dollars pays you once your account reaches the $30 payment threshold. So as soon as you have earned $30 or more you can request payment within your account.
How you get paid is up to you, but the cool thing is that unlike many survey sites out there, you do actually get paid in real money. Not just gift cards or some other in-store reward.
Payment options include check, PayPal, or ePayment. Not everyone is eligible for ePayment but for those that do qualify, this includes merchant cards from Amazon and Walmart for example, and prepaid Visa cards. And it’s powered by TANGO® Card.
How long does it take to get paid?
How long it takes for Inbox Dollars to pay you varies from 10-16 days to weekly, depending on your membership status.
For non-Gold members, which includes everyone who is requesting payment for the first time, it takes 10-16 days after your first request to get paid.
After your first payment you become a Gold member, which means you will be paid weekly provided you meet the $30 payment threshold. For example, if you request payment on Sunday, it’ll be processed the following Wednesday.
Worth noting is that there’s a $3 processing fee to cash out if you choose to cash out at the minimum threshold of $30. But this is waived if you wait until you’ve earned at least $40 or more.
How Do You Get Started?
Getting started with InboxDollars is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is visit the website, create your free account and verify your email.
Once you’ve done this, you just need to answer a few questions to complete your profile, so they can match you up with relevant surveys, and you’re good to go.
It’s 100% free to get started and they even give you a $5 joining bonus which is immediately credited to your account. Within minutes of joining you will have surveys to complete.
Pros
- Inbox Dollars is legit and safe to use
- The company has been around for over 20 years
- They pay you in actual cash, not just points or store gift cards
- There’s a wide array of earning opportunities
- It’s a simple way to make some extra money
- They have a referral program in place
- It’s free to sign up and you get a $5 welcome bonus
Cons
- The income potential is very low (unless you leverage the referral program)
- You’re spending a lot of time completing boring, mundane tasks instead of using your time on more productive, lucrative endeavours
- You could end up losing track of all the free trials (the ones you sign up for to earn money) which could end up costing you money
My Overall Opinion
Overall, I think Inbox Dollars provides a great way for people to earn some extra money doing surveys, reading emails, and participating in other activities they reward you for.
And it’s definitely a safe and legitimate site to use. They are backed by a real company (or should I say companies) that pay their members, so you can feel confident in signing up and using the site to earn some extra cash.
With that being said, I am not a big fan of sites like this in general. And the reason is because you end up spending a lot of time filling out surveys and doing other mundane tasks, just to earn a few bucks here and there.
Is that really the best use of your time and skills?
I don’t think so. I mean, it’s cool as a way to earn some extra cash, but it you’re looking to earn a full time income then there are far better options. Like starting a business online.
Related Questions
What is InboxDollars?
Inbox Dollars is a reward site that pays you cash for taking surveys and participating in other online activities such as shopping, reading emails and watching videos. They partner with companies who pay them to conduct market research on their behalf, and share that revenue with you.
Who’s behind it?
Inbox Dollars is owned by a company based in the United States called CotterWeb Enterprises, Inc. which has been around since the year 2000. And which is owned by parent company Prodege, LLC, an Inc. 5000 company which owns multiple rewards sites.
Is Inbox Dollars a scam?
Inbox Dollars isn’t a scam, it’s a legit site where you can earn real cash and rewards for completing basic tasks. It’s not perfect, but there are thousands of positive reviews from people who use the site to earn some extra money. They also adhere to a very comprehensive privacy policy so you don’t have to worry about getting spammed.
What types of surveys can you take?
The Inbox Dollars website matches you with the most suitable surveys based on your demographic profile. Things such as your age, location and occupation are taken into account to match you with surveys about anything from grocery shopping and travel to politics, fashion and cars.
What are some good alternatives to Inbox Dollars?
There are lots of survey and reward sites out there, some better than others. Some great alternatives to InboxDollars include ySense, SwagBucks, PrizeRebel and MyPoints.
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