Alternative Income Reviews.com

Tell Us About Us - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Tell Us About Us

http://www.tellusaboutus.com

Type of Shops: restaurant evaluations, fast food, and customer service.

How many jobs (average) per month: 2 - more if we were willing to travel further.

Compensation: You are paid for your purchases, such as food, as well as a commission.

Payment: PayPal is used for all payments, and is processed the month following your shop(s).

How to Report Shops: Reports are filled out online through their website via an interactive questionnaire.

Requirements to sign up: Email address, PayPal account, and the standard personal information.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. There are often many good opportunities and scheduling is fast and easy. You often get free food for a quick and easy shop. We stumbled on this site from another site and have been very happy with them.

Do you have experience with Tell Us About Us? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Customer Perspectives - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Customer Perspectives http://www.customerperspectives.com/

Type of Shops: customer service and retail evaluations

How many jobs (average) per month: 1 (we've been given more than one opportunity but have declined due to distance, there are actually many shops available each month)

Compensation: You are paid a straight commission. So far none of the shops we've seen require purchases and our compensation has ranged from $10 to $25.

Payment: PayPal is used for all payments, and is processed the month following your shop(s).

How to Report Shops: Reports are filled out online through their website via an interactive questionnaire.

Requirements to sign up: Email address, PayPal account, and the standard personal information.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. There are often many good opportunities and scheduling is fast and easy - we haven't done as many as we have been offered because they are a little farther away than we would normally like, but there are always plenty of opportunities.

Do you have experience with Customer Perspectives? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Trendsource: Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Trendsource

http://www.trendsource.com/

Type of Shops: customer service retail evaluation, stocked items checking, restaurant evaluations. There are revealed and non-revealed shops with Trendsource.

How many jobs (average) per month: 5

Compensation: You are reimbursed for any items you purchase up to a certain amount (different for each shop), you will also receive a commission for the shop, and if requested (and approved) you may even receive reimbursement for long distances traveled.

Payment: Payments are processed on the 5th and 20th of each month and sent via PayPal or personal check

Scheduling: You self assign through the website, either by "city/town" or by distance from a certain zip code.

How to Report Shops: Reports are filled out online through their website, and require you to upload any receipts you may have acquired. Reports are generally short and easy to fill out.

Requirements to sign up: Email address to get introductory information. Right now they are really looking for Canadian shoppers.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. There are often many good opportunities and scheduling is fast and easy.

Do you have experience with Trendsource? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

JC and Associates: Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:57:00 +0000

JC and Associates

http://www.jcandassociates.com/

Type of Shops: restaurant evaluations

How many jobs (average) per month: 1 - there are usually a few more opportunities in our area but we don't have time to do them. Opportunities come up randomly, so you need to check the site frequently to see if new things in your area have been posted.

Compensation: You are reimbursed for food and for the shop with a flat rate. This means you are given an amount to spend, and whatever you don't spend on food you keep as "commission." If you order one entree you keep more money than if you order an entree, appetizer, drinks, and dessert. If you go over the flat rate you will not be reimbursed for the overage.

Payment: Payments are processed about 2 months after the shop is completed, for example: January evaluations are Paid Between March 15th - April 10th. Right now checks and PayPal payments are used, but they are switching to only PayPal, so you need to have an account.

Scheduling: When new shops are posted at the beginning of the month you are sent an email alert, but only at the beginning of the month. Then you self assign the specific shops you are interested in. After selecting a shop it will show up as "Pending" in your"My Reports" section, this indicates that you are assigned the shop - no other notification will be sent.

How to Report Shops: Reports are due 24 hours from the time you complete your shop. You login to your workroom and select the specific shop from your reports, then you edit the information and submit. It is a little more complicated to figure out how to edit the reports, but submission is a simple online form. After your shop has been submitted correctly the status will go from "Pending" to "Final Review" indicating that it is being examined, and finally when your shop is approved the status is "Mailed", meaning the report has been sent to their client, the restaurant management.

Requirements to sign up: Name, address, email, phone, etc. Also, PayPal account, and a writing sample about a good and bad shopping experience.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. There aren't as many shops here as some other companies, but going out to eat and not having to spend any money is a lot of fun. We have really enjoyed working with them so far. Favorite aspects are getting free meals with shops that are relatively easy to do, while our least favorite aspect is the slightly longer pay period.

Do you have experience with JC and Associates? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Census Bureau Jobs - Part time, temporary

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:44:00 +0000

US Census

http://www.census.gov/2010censusjobs/index.php

Sometimes getting a part time job is hard because the hours won't work with your other full time job or your schedule. There is a unique opportunity that comes up every 10 years - a part time job, with hours that match your time off, and is very close to home: Census Bureau jobs.

Working for the census is only part time ("when people are likely to be home"), temporary ("until all the data is collected", about 10 weeks), and actually in your neighborhood; and it just so happens that this year (2010) is a census year, so there are many part time jobs available to help the government with data collection.

What is it? Every ten years the US government is obligated to take a census count of all the people living in the nation. This takes a lot of work, and many part time workers, to gather millions of pieces of information. You will work locally (in your county and neighborhood) to collect statistics on the residents.

How does it work? First you need to register to take an applicant test. You can do that by going to the census.gov website: http://www.census.gov/2010censusjobs/howtoapply.php and calling the toll free number. The toll free number will give you the number of your local agency who will find a testing location in your area and sign you up. We found that there were many times available, and were able to take the test two days after calling.

The application test is a 28 question multiple choice exam that looks at many things including: math skills, analyzing maps, logic, and clerical skills. There is a practice test here. Before taking the exam you will need to fill out an official application and I9 form which requires you to have a few forms of identification. To find out what types qualify see the "list of approved identication."

After passing the test you will be given a background check. If you pass that then you will be asked to participate in a phone interview. Finally you will go through paid training for a week, and then begin working. According to one reader of Spilling Buckets, Adam, applicants are hired by the order of their scores - so people who get 100% on the exam are hired before people who get 80%, ect.

How much am I paid? Payment depends on your location, and ranges from $8 - $20 per hour. Our location (Rochester, NY) is offering $13.50/hr plus mileage reimbursements.

What are the duties? There are two main types of jobs: updating addresses and conducting interviews, but there are other jobs as well. From the census website:

The main address list updating operation is called Address Canvassing, which will take place in spring 2009. During the Address Canvassing operation, census takers visit all the places where people live or could live. The census taker must knock on each resident's door and if someone answers explain that he or she is verifying the correct address for a short census questionnaire that will be mailed in 2010.

Interviewing operations will take place in the spring and summer of 2010. These operations involve knocking on doors and conducting interviews with residents. The largest interviewing operation is called Non-Response Follow-up. Non-Response Follow-up is performed to get responses from people who have not returned the mail-delivered Census form.

Besides census takers, some people will work as Crew Leaders or Crew Leader Assistants. These positions each coordinate the schedules and work of a team of census takers and meet with each census taker on a daily basis. Others will perform office work at Local Census Offices.

What are the hours? From the website: Work schedules for census takers typically include from 20 to 40 hours of work per week. Some census operations (such as Address Canvassing) require you to work during daylight hours. For interviewing operations such as Non-Response Follow-up, you must be available to work when people are usually at home, such as in the evening and on weekends. Hours for office jobs are less variable but can involve shift work.

Any special qualifications? You need to meet the following criteria:

Able to read, write, and speak English
US Citizen or legal permanent resident, or non-citizen with an appropriate work visa, and you possess a bilingual skill for which there are no available qualified citizens.
Are at least 18 years old
Have a valid Social Security Number (SSN)
Pass the test
Pass a background check
Have a drivers license (for field work jobs)
and are able to make 40 hours of training, available 4 weekdays or 7 nights and weekends (paid)

This is the first time we are eligible to participate in census work, so we do not have direct experience with the actual jobs yet. So far the application process has been very easy, and since it's working for the US government there is little risk involved regarding payment or security. The opportunity won't come along very often, only every ten years, so if this is something you are interested in act now.

Do you have experience working on a census? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.

iStockPhoto: Creative and Passive Income Stream

spillingbuckets@gmail.com (Ry@SpillingBuckets) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:19:00 +0000

iStockPhoto

http://www.istockphoto.com

Digital photography has been a casual hobby of mine for a while now and sites like iStockPhoto are a great way to turn some good photos into a few extra bucks.

What is it? iStockPhoto is a stock photography site which houses and sells both amateur and professional photographer's uploaded photos to everyone from web designers, book publishers, to people just wanting a cool background on their computer.

How does it work? Simply create an account and choose to upload your high resolution photos that meet certain requirements such as focus, lighting, and noise. Be sure your photos are free of copyrighted imagery such as company logos and if it contains a visible face, make sure to have that person submit a model release form. You can read more about exactly what can and cannot be submitted at the upload portion of your account. Your work is screened by a human, and acceptable images are made searchable on the site.

iStock sells images, video, audio, vector illustrations and uses a credit system for transactions. Buyers purchase credits which can be used to purchase any of these media types and at different size and license options.

How much am I paid? The royalty structure on iStockphoto is 20%, thus the amount depends on the size of your image, type of media, licensing options that the buyers choose, etc.

Any luck making money? Yes, a little. I have been a pretty inactive member since 2002 with only around 26 photos uploaded (I am working on expanding that now). 672 people have paid to download my work for a profit of $151. The main advantage here is that it becomes a passive source of income after your upload.

Bonus note: iStock currently has a referral program where I can email 10 people each month and can give them 3 free credits at sign-up. If this is something that may interest you, send me an email.

Do you have experience with iStockPhoto? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.

Market Viewpoint - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:20:00 +0000

Market Viewpoint

http://www.marketviewpoint.com/

Type of Shops: customer service checks at places like childcare facilities, restaurants, museums, and many others.

How many jobs (average) per month: 0 (I've only done one shop so far)

Compensation: You are reimbursed for your time with a commission. If you need to make a purchase you will also be reimbursed for the amount paid.

Payment: Payments are processed the last day of the month that the shop was completed, and sent out via PayPal.

Scheduling: Shops are only emailed out when they are available, there is no online self-scheduling. Due to the nature of scheduling shops I have only been emailed about a few and only completed one.

How to Report Shops: Reports are due 24 hours from the time you complete your shop. You enter information online, and may need to mail information to Market Viewpoint directly.

Requirements to sign up: Name, address, email, phone. PayPal account, and a few questions regarding previous mystery shopping experiences.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. This company does not have a lot of shops available in our area, but the one we did was very easy to complete and paid well. Payment came quickly and the report was easy to fill out. Negatives are the lack of shops, which may not be the case in other areas of the country.

Do you have experience with Market Viewpoint? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Bestmark - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:04:00 +0000

Bestmark:

http://www.bestmark.com/

Type of Shops: retail, customer service checks, restaurants

How many jobs (average) per month: 2

Compensation: Shops that require a purchase will reimburse for the majority of the purchase, and up to the full price of the item. You will also receive a commission for completing the shop, this is different from the purchase reimbursement. The commission depends on how much work is involved in the shop and has ranged in our experience from $10 to $148.

Payment: Checks are mailed twice a month, and depending on when you completed the shop, should arrive 2-4 weeks from the completion date.

Scheduling: You can search for available shops on the website after completing your first successful report. You will also receive emails from your regional coordinator with shops available in your state each month. You can schedule shops by contacting your coordinator (via email or phone) or online. Before completing a shop you must log in to the website and confirm you are going to do it. You can confirm after you complete the shop, as long as it is the same day, but it is better to do it in advance.

How to Report Shops: Reports are due by 10:00AM Central Standard Time (CST) the day after completing your assignment. You will also have to log in before your shop to review all materials and the scenario you need to enact. Materials for each specific shop become available only 10 days before the shop is due, regardless of how early you registered. Online reports are easy to fill out, and usually take between 10-15 minutes, unless there is a lot of information requested. As with most companies the surveys vary depending on what you are evaluating.

Requirements to sign up: Name, address, email. You must also be at least 21 years old. There is also a short questionnaire when you sign up regarding your current employment, census statistics (such as race), and why you would be a good shopper for them. It's a regular online job application. The last thing required is what your shop preferences are, and why.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. Our favorite aspects are the usually high compensation payments, and the easy online scheduling. I also like how easy it is to contact your local coordinator with questions or concerns. And when we were travelling we were put in touch with another coordinator who helped us. Negative aspects are that (at least in our area) many shops required bringing a teenager with you, which is difficult for us. Also, sometimes there are a lot of specifics you need to remember when filling out the shop surveys - full names and detailed conversations, for example. Overall this is a good company to work for, and has been reliable for us so far.

Do you have experience with Bestmark? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Here are some other reviews of this company:

Volition Forum with 58 pages of personal experiences! Most of them positive.

Here's someone who tried to do a shop and couldn't, but they were very understanding. Almost all online reviews are positive.

Corporate Research International - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:32:00 +0000

Corporate Research International:

http://www.mysteryshops.com/

Type of Shops: retail, gas, controlled substance compliance, restaurants

How many jobs (average) per month: 12

Compensation: Shops that require a purchase will reimburse for a small amount, usually $1 but up to the full price of the item. You will also receive a commission for completing the shop, this is different from the purchase reimbursement. Commissions start off low at the beginning of the month, with many shops only listing $5 for your time, however as the month goes on the commissions increase and will often reach $15-$20. It is worth it to wait until later in the month, but be careful that you aren't "sniped out" by another shopper.

Payment: You are paid via direct deposit every week. Any shop completed by Wednesday will be paid Friday of the same week, and any shop after Wednesday will be paid the following Friday.

Scheduling: Self scheduling through the website. You log in and select how far you are willing to travel from your zip code, and all shops available in that range come up. Most are available immediately, but others will be listed for specific date ranges. When you select a shop you often have a range of 3 days to select the time that works best for you. Rescheduling the shop once it has been scheduled is tough, so make sure you can complete the shops on the day you select. Shops are posted at the beginning of the month, and removed from the list as they are completed. If your shopper rating falls to low you will not be allowed to self schedule, and will need to talk to your co-ordinator. Ratings can fall if you enter shops late or complete them incorrectly.

How to Report Shops: Reports are due the same day as the shop was completed, by midnight. If you don't complete the information by the following day you will be unassigned from the shop and your rating will be damaged. You will need to submit a digital photo or scanned image of any receipts you received before completing the surveys. After uploading the receipts you will be directed to an online interface where you fill out a survey regarding your observations. The length of the survey varies depending on which company you shopped, and ranges from a simple 5 questions to several pages with names and detailed descriptions of employees. Before you sign up for a shop the guidelines will explain all the questions you will need to answer, so make sure you read the guidelines clearly before accepting a shop location.

Requirements to sign up: Name, Email, Country location, timezone location, phone number, and direct deposit to a bank account or a PayPal account.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. Our favorite aspects are the large number of shops available and the very fast payment times. The online submission is also very easy to understand and complete. Negative aspects are the fact that commissions increase at the end of the month which makes it hard to decide when to sign up. Also, changing the date of shops is not easy after you have registered for a location. Overall this is a great company to work for.

Do you have experience with Corporate Research International? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. Or if you just have something to say, please don't hesitate to comment.

*This company offers a referral bonus if you sign up from an existing shopper. If you are interested in registering with the site please email us and we will send you an official referral email. Thanks!

Here are some other reviews of this company:

Lisa Shea says it's more for the experienced shopper because each company has separate tests. This is true, but often the tests are very similar. The shops are often involved and require several interactions, but when the commissions get high enough it is worth it.

Steve Albright of Reviewopedia says they expect you to do the shops to a tee, not much room for error. He also claims they have poor communication. I do not find that to be the case. There is an online "Live Chat" feature that lets you talk to people directly if you have a problem or scheduling error. However, I have experienced the inflexibility he mentions - there was one shop I did that involved photos, and I was sure I did them right, but the angle was off slightly and they didn't pay me. Some shops are more lenient than others, but as with any job you should take it seriously and really try to follow the instructions.

Alexiwing agrees that it's a great place to start out. There are tons of opportunities, and once you qualify for shops the scheduling is really easy.

ICCDS - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:10:00 +0000

ICC/Decision Services (ICCDS)

http://www.iccds.com/

Type of Shops: Retail Stores, Controlled Substance Compliance.

How many jobs (on average) per month: 3

Compensation: Shops that require a purchase will reimburse a small amount, usually $5-$7. In addition to that you receive a commission which ranges from $10-$15. You are informed of both payments before registering for a shop. Occasionally there are bonuses for shops, usually $5, and again you will be notified of this before registering.

Payment: Payment is sent via PayPal every 30 days - they only pay using PayPal and will not send paper checks or use direct deposit.

Scheduling: You are emailed with opportunities from your local co-ordinator, then you log in to the website to accept, or decline a reason. You can often reschedule a shop up to 2 times before being removed.

Submission Due: 12 hours from time of shop you need to login to the website and fill out an electronic review of the site you visited. The length of the online report varies depending on the type of shop you completed, but all generally take less than 15 minutes to complete. After filling out the online questionairre you need to submit an invoice with your receipt. You need to print out the invoice page, sign and date, and attach any receipts or paperwork you have from the shop. This paper can then be mailed in to ICCDS headquarters, or scanned and emailed. You won't be paid until all paperwork is properly processed.

Requirements to sign up: Name, Address, Email, DOB, Phone number.
A few companies that hire ICCDS require I-9's, but you are informed of this when you read the details of the shop before accepting. I-9's are not required for all shops, only certain companies. Be sure to read the forms and guidelines of the shop before accepting as each company and scenario you must enact will be different and may have changed from previous shops you have done for the same company.

Would We Recommend?: Yes - Payment always on time and expected amounts, many shops available, easy to sign up and schedule. Our favorite aspects are the ability to reject shops for specific reasons, such as "site too far from home", because the more you do this the better the opportunities you are given. Payment is fast and electronic andPayPal makes getting the money easy. Shops are usually quick to complete and the online submission is also easy and fast. Some negative aspects include the fact that you need to wait to be emailed opportunities, and in the beginning many will probably be too far from home. If you are patient the opportunities will become more frequent and in better locations, just be sure to reject them for the right reasons so they know what types of jobs you are willing to do.

Here are some other reviews of the site:

Volition.com has a forum of people who have experience with this company. Overall reviews are positive, but a few people have been shorted payments. I have never experienced payment shortages, but if you are mailing your paperwork to them (rather than email) it can take a while to process and get paid.

Opinion Outpost - Surveys

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Opinion Outpost

http://www.opinionoutpost.com/

Type of Shops: Online Surveys for points, 10 points is $1

How many jobs (average) per month: average 9 surveys available, qualified for 2

Compensation: You earn points for qualifying and fully completing a survey. The amount of points varies depending on the length of the survey.

Payment: Checks in the mail, average $8. You need to have earned $5 in points before cashing out, and then you can request a check be mailed. It usually arrives 2-4 weeks from the date you request.

Scheduling: You are emailed when surveys become available

Requirements to sign up: Address, phone number, email, and general demographic information. After sign up you can fill out more detailed profiles to qualify for more surveys.

Do We Recommend?: Yes. Favorite Aspects: When you qualify for a survey you usually earn enough points to cash out. If not one survey than definitely two - they give a lot of points per survey and it is nice that 10=$1 instead of 100. Least Favorite Aspects:The surveys are few and far between, so although it pays well you have to be patient. And we haven't gotten a new one in a few months.

Do you have experience with Opinion Outpost? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

PF Buzz

spillingbuckets@gmail.com (Ry@SpillingBuckets) — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:58:00 +0000

Pinyo at Moolamoney recently launched a great new site, PF Buzz. It's kind of like Digg for PF bloggers - where you can submit posts (your own or other peoples) and people can vote whether or not they like them, add comments, etc. I recently submitted one of our posts to test it out. This site is really cool! We have already gotten several referrals to our blog and a vote for the submission. The site has some really neat features: there are discussions board forums, categories to help you find interesting articles, and a "buzz" section that lets you see submissions based most buzzed or upcoming new articles. I have already found several articles/sites that I like from here.

Vindale Product Evaluations - Surveys

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:51:00 +0000

Vindale Research:

http://www.vindale.com

Type of Shops: Sign up for free trial websites and services and evaluate them.

How many jobs (average) per month: 5. There are usually a lot available per month, and it depends on how many you decide to register for.

Compensation: You are told how much you will be reimbursed for each survey. There is usually a commission (not always) and payment for any services you would need to sign up for. Most surveys are free trials, but if you do need to pay it is reimbursed in full.

Payment: After earning $50 you will be sent either money via PayPal or a paper check. You need to log in and request a cash-out or the money will continue to accrue in your account. Payments are processed on the 15th and last day of the month.

Scheduling: Offers are listed on your account homepage and you self select the ones you are interested in.

How to Report Shops: You evaluate the website/product immediately after signing up. You log in to the website and are shown a list of available surveys. After selecting one to complete you go to the website and sign up as if you were a naive customer trying a service. Afterwards you go back to the Vindale site and fill out a very short survey on your experiences. The questions are only one page long and usually take me less than 10 minutes to complete.

Requirements to sign up: Gender, birth year, zipcode, email, name, and self-selected password.

Do We Recommend?: kind of- but be careful, most but not all the opportunities are perfect, and some listings ask you to sign up for scammy products. Make sure you read the full description before selecting a job. Positive aspects: many jobs pay well and the surveys are very easy to complete. Each review is only one page of questions. Things to watch out for: Often you sign up for a free trial of a product, and if you don't remember to cancel after the trial period you might be automatically billed. There are some good opportunities here: For example we have received free coffee, health products, online services, etc. all while getting paid....but you really need to be careful remembering what you signed up for and keeping track of cancellations if a trail membership is part of the survey. Also - if a site looks really sketchy avoid signing up for the evaluation.

Do you have experience with Vindale? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.

Chase Cash Back - Passive Income Stream

spillingbuckets@gmail.com (Ry@SpillingBuckets) — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:05:00 +0000

This is probably the simplest passive income stream to create, it is also potentially the most dangerous. When playing with fire use an Insulating Mitt and have some Fire Extinguishers handy.

Most people have credit cards and they use them to charge normal expenses throughout the week and pay off the balance in full well before the due date. Dave would beat us to a pulp but if you don't spend anymore than normal and avoid all interest/fees they can be a very convenient tool.

If this is the case you may want to consider a card with a rewards program, or consider changing your rewards program to one you will actually use. Up until about a year ago we had been using Citi rewards cards and earning ThankYou Rewards points. We saved up enough points over the course of a few years or so to trade them for a $500 student loan rebate. Not bad at all and it will soon be reflected in the loan section of our net worth statements.

Chase had come out with a card/program offering 3% cash back on the top 3 categories of spending each month, with 1% on all other purchases. So if this month you spend more on gas, groceries, and utilities you get a little more back there. Next month if its gas, groceries, and pet supply stores and veterinary services, then so be it.

On average we can get about $50 back every other month by simply choosing this card when paying for normal required things. We have found that straight cash back is the most simple system for us. Points to redeem towards stuff or airline miles etc. just create more of a hassle then good (even though sometimes through certain programs you may be able to earn a little more through careful planning)

The goal for them is for you to reach for their card at every opportunity, and your goal is to not spend any money at all, but IF you must, you might as well get a little cash back after paying your balance in full each month.

We also received a $50 bonus after our first statement. Kind of nice.

Pinecone Research - Surveys

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Pinecone Research

http://www.pineconeresearch.com/

Type of Shops: Online surveys and product evaluations

How many jobs (average) per month: 3

Compensation: You are paid $3 for each completed survey, which is mailed in a check or sent via Paypal.

Payment: Payment is processed the next business day from when you completed the survey or product evaluation, this is true whether you use Paypal or paper checks.

Scheduling: Emailed opportunities

Submission: Surveys are completed as soon as you begin, product evaluations are completed a few days after the item arrives.

Requirements to sign up: You need to have an email referral sent to you, or find an ad online asking for new members. They do not take new members all year. After receiving an invite the usual: name, address, phone, email, are required.

Do We Recommend?: Yes - if you can sign up with a referral it's a great program that pays fast and has consistent offers. Favorite Aspects: Payment is fast and easy, and opportunities are often available. Least Favorite Aspects: You can't sign up without a referral, and have no control over the availability of surveys. Overall this is one of the best online survey sites available.

Do you have experience with Pinecone? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.

Check Mark Inc. - Mystery Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Les@SpillingBuckets) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:27:00 +0000

Check Mark Inc.

http://www.checkmarkinc.com/

Type of Shops: Retail stores

How many jobs (average) per month: 0
Compensation: You will receive a commission for completing the shop. The one shop I did was $20

Payment: They begin processing shops approximately the 24th of each month for all shops completed the previous month. Checks are mailed after processing. I did a shop January 6th, which was processed January 29th, and the check arrived March 6th. This is one of the longer pay periods we have experienced.

Scheduling: Self scheduling and emailed opportunities

How to Report Shops: All shops must be entered online via your account on the website, by midnight of the same day the shop was completed.

Requirements to sign up: self selected user ID, name, address, email, SSN, phone number (home and work), date of birth, and name of current employer. Also questions regarding what you are able to do, for example: if you have a digital camera or can speak another language. Finally, questions on previous mystery shop experience, how you heard of the company, and statistics like education and gender.

Do We Recommend?: NO - there has been one shop in our area since March, and even searching 999 miles away (the maximum distance) there are no other shops available. The most positive aspect was the fact that payment was fairly high on the shop I was able to do, and online submission was easier than I thought it would be. The most negative aspect is that there are so few shops - in fact I've only seen one since signing up.

Do you have experience with Check Mark Inc? Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments below. The more reviews of a company there are, the more valuable this resource will become.