Increase Mystery Shopping Income

Mystery Shopping income can be low at times. Other than asking for bonuses and turning down work that is not profitable, what else can you do to increase your mystery shopping income?

One of the things that makes a small difference is buying discount gift cards. I perform a lot of restaurant mystery shopping jobs. The reimbursements are sometimes a little less than what I would spend, so I buy a discounted gift card to “crank up” the reimbursement a bit. Make sure you check the shop guidelines before you use a gift card – sometimes the guidelines specify a payment type.


Raise.com
I use this site often, but I always check in to see if the card I want is the cheapest here or at another site. Papa John’s gift cards are often discounted at up to 25% here – if I am doing a pizza shop and my pizza costs $18 – I will profit an additional $4.50 if I purchase and pay with a discounted gift card! That can add up!

Cardpool.com
Another discount gift card marketplace. Sign up for all of them so that you can check which one has the best discount on the card that you want. Also, one may offer electronic delivery which will be emailed to you!  I have seen H&M gift cards discounted as much as 35%. If your shop reimbursement is $20 – that is an extra $7 in your pocket with a discounted gift card!

 


Ratchet it Up Another Notch!

If this sounds like a good way to stretch that mystery shopping reimbursement a little further, then get ready to ratchet it up a notch!

After you create an account on the discounted gift card sites listed above, then use a shopping portal to complete your purchase. These sites offer you a percentage back on the amount of your purchase.

Splender
Splender is currently offering 2% back on purchases made at raise.com (they often increase it even more!). Clicking through Splender can add more cash to your bottom line. Even for things that are not on the mystery shopping job board. Clicking through from this site will add $5 to your account once you complete your first $50 purchase.

BeFrugal
BeFrugal is offering 2% back on purchases made at cardpool.com. Clicking from BeFrugal to purchase your gift cards increases the amount you save. Clicking through from this site will add a $10 bonus to your account.