Hi, and thanks for stopping by to read my Flash Rewards review.
You may have a stack of bills, rent to pay, and food to buy. Some easy money would certainly help.
Sites like Flash Rewards sound great. They provide a simple way to earn some extra spending money and a way for some people to catch up on their finances.
But is Flash Rewards legit?
Can you really make money with Flash Rewards?
In this review, I'm going to explain what Flash Rewards is, how it works, and provide some insight, so you'll know if it's for you.
The topics I'm going to cover are:
- What is Flash Rewards?
- How Does Flash Rewards Work?
- Is Flash Rewards Legit?
- Who is Flash Rewards For?
- What I Like About Flash Rewards
- What I Don't Like
- Where Do You Go From Here?
Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not an affiliate for Flash Rewards. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info
What is Flash Rewards?
The Flash Rewards program is a cashback rewards program based in New York. The company was founded by Matthew Conlin and is operated by Reward Zone USA.
Additionally, he serves as Chief Customer Officer and co-founder of Fluent Inc.
Similar to cashback sites like Mr. Rebates, Flash Rewards (and its sister sites, UpLevel Rewards, Rewards Giant, and GetCash22) pay you for buying stuff and signing up for free trials.
The difference is that Mr. Rebates gives you cash back when purchasing physical products from various brands and retailers. Flash Rewards, on the other hand, gives you cash back for doing deals that involve subscriptions, completing offers, playing games, and even things like signing up to drive for Uber.
So, if you've seen ads or offers of a $750 Shein card, a $750 Amazon card, or cards from Walmart, eBay, etc., it's important to know that these are not giveaways.
Instead, they are rewards for completing tasks, some of which may cost money.
I'll go over the various offers and tasks below and, of course, discuss whether Flash Rewards is legit. But first, let's talk about how it works.
How Does Flash Rewards Work?
The first step to signing up for Flash Rewards is to click the Quick Start button. You will then be asked to select a reward (you can change your selection later), followed by a short survey.
The current survey questions are:
- Do you do most of your shopping online?
- How do you plan to use your reward?
- How many times do you go shopping per week?
You'll also be asked to enter your email address, as well as…
- Your full name
- Address
- Mobile phone number
- Date of birth
- Gender
Please read their privacy policy before proceeding. A link to it can be found at the bottom of the registration form.
This page contains critical information about how they may share or sell your information. Additionally, it explains what kind of information they may collect, including…
- Marital status
- Home or auto ownership
- Health-related issues
- Political affiliation
If you are hesitant about sharing this information, you can still proceed at this point and opt-out of individual surveys later.
Flash Rewards Requirements
- The Reward program is open to US residents at least 18 years old.
- Registration requires your full name, valid phone number, and email address.
- After your first deal is completed, you must complete the required number of deals corresponding to each level within sixty days. There is often a fee associated with these deals.
- When you have met the requirements for the number and level of Deals, you must complete the reward claim process. Your reward will require ID verification.
If you don't qualify for some reason, sites like Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars will also pay for you for doing similar tasks.
But if a full-time income is what you want, an online business is another option.
You may be at home because of difficulties with your health or children to take care of. Or maybe you're just tired of your current job.
If that’s the case and a full-time income online is what you want, knowing how and where to get started is what you need in order to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
How Do Cashback and Giveaway Sites Make Money?
Before I get into the deal specifics, it's worth going over how these sites make money. It's also important to understand that money must be generated somehow.
In other words, for a rewards site to pay you, they must make money. And that means someone must spend money.
So, as with similar sites, Flash Rewards hopes members go further with a deal and spend more money than the reward program requires.
An example would be if someone signed up for a subscription planning to cancel it but ended up enjoying it and keeping it. In this case, Flash Rewards would earn a percentage of the monthly fees paid out over many months or even years.
Playing a game beyond the deal requirements is also a good example. You might spend real money upgrading your character and purchasing in-app items.
Commissions are paid to Flash Rewards when you make a purchase. When they generate leads (you are a lead), they are paid through affiliate marketing commissions or cost-per-action (CPA).
Undoubtedly, most participants intend to take advantage of “free” trials and one-month subscriptions and cancel before spending more than they intend.
But people often forget to cancel their trials and subscriptions. That's how sites like Flash Rewards make enough money to pay their participants.
Of course, there's another way that some sites make money.
A significant portion of their revenue comes from members who fail to qualify for rewards. There are several reasons this might happen, and it's also how rewards sites get a bad name.
Some reasons a participant might not qualify are…
- They complete a few deals but get bored and give up.
- Life gets busy, and they forget to continue. By the time they remember, the allotted time has expired.
- Quitting out of frustration. For example, it might be more time-consuming than anticipated.
- Submitting the wrong documentation
- Miscounting or completing an improper number of deal levels.
When a member is disqualified for an error, it's usually the case that the reward site gets accused of rejecting members unfairly and refusing to pay them. Unfortunately, some sites operate that way.
If you read complaints about Flash Reward's parent company (Reward Zone), you will see that this is what they're being accused of. And in some cases, the error might be Flash Rewards but that's impossible to know.
I'm not defending Flash Rewards or Reward Zone (I am not an affiliate, nor do I gain anything by defending them), but I also haven't found any concrete evidence that would prove they are one of those schemes.
I understand participants' frustration though, and also can't say that their complaints are not legitimate. I just don't know, and because I have no actual evidence, it's not my place to speculate.
Some rewards sites, like e-Rewards, Branded Surveys, Pinecone Research, and some Pay-to-Click sites pay per task rather than per group of tasks. But they also suffer from these same frustrations.
However, when it happens after only one or two tasks, it's easier to overlook and move on.
When it happens after spending months of spending money on dozens of tasks, the sting is far worse, regardless of who's fault it was.
In the end, rewards and cashback sites must earn more from affiliate commissions, lead generation, and other revenue sources than they owe their participants in reward dollars. Some manage this better than others.
Now that you know how sites like Flash Rewards make money from members participating in deals, let's go over what some of those deals are.
What are Flash Reward Deals?
You must complete a certain number of deals to receive your reward. Among these deals are apps that require paid participation, signing up for free trials, subscriptions, etc.
Signing up for an AARP membership is one example of a deal.
Other examples are…
- Buy 3 movies from Disney Movie Club
- Donate to Feeding America
- Join Hulu, Disney Plus, Apple TV, etc.
- Take surveys from Restaurant.com
- Play Bingo Blackout, Mahjong+, or Solitaire Cube and achieve specific objectives.
- Create an account with Western Union App
You can choose from more than 350 deal opportunities.
How Many Deals Do You Need to Do?
Various rewards correspond with different levels and deals. And each deal has its own level.
This is explained below…
- $5 Reward – Level 2: 2 Deals – one level 1 deal and one level 2 deal.
- $100 Reward – Level 3: 5 Deals – one level 1 deal, one level 2 deal, and three level 3 deals.
- $250 Reward – Level 4: 10 Deals – one level 1 deal, one level 2 deal, three level 3 deal, and five level 4 deals.
- $500 Reward – Level 5: 15 Deals – one level 1 deal, one level 2 deal, three level 3 deals, five level 4 deals, and five level 5 deals.
- $750 Reward – Level 5: 20 Deals – one level 1 deal, one level 2 deal, three level 3 deals, five level 4 deals, and five level 5 deals.
- $1000 Reward – Level 5: 25 Deals – one level 1 deal, one level 2 deal, three level 3 deals, five level 4 deals, and fifteen level 5 deals.
As you can see, each deal is assigned a level. It's not just the number of deals you complete. If you complete the right amount of deals, but the wrong level, you may be denied your reward.
Flash Rewards Payments
Cards of different values are used for payment. Reward values are based on how many deals you complete and the level you've reached.
The reward claim process can be started when you have reached the required number and level of deals. Government issued ID verification is required.
If you're not comfortable sharing ID online, you can also make money with online surveys. Sites like Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars are simple and free to join.
If a full-time income is what you're looking for, an online business might be what you want.
You may have children at home or health difficulties keeping you from working. Maybe you just hate your current job…
If that’s the case and a full-time income online is what you want, knowing how and where to get started is what you need in order to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
Is Flash Rewards Legit?
It's not unreasonable to be suspicious of Flash Rewards because of its outsized promise.
Flash Rewards offers much more than a typical cashback program that offers 1% to 15% on your purchase. I explained above how sites like Flash Rewards can afford it, but it's wise to be skeptical.
In this instance, Flash Rewards is legit.
You could receive up to $1000, which could be 100% or more than what you actually spend on deals. Of course, it depends on how many deals you complete and what those deals are.
But a 100% return is far greater than the 1% to 15% you might earn on a site like Rakuten, for example.
The offer seems too good to be true. Money for free.
As explained earlier, one reason Flash Rewards can pay a high percentage relative to what you spend is that some people don't qualify. Sometimes, this may be due to misinterpreting the instructions or not submitting sufficient proof that a deal was completed.
The problem is that some participants will claim they've fulfilled all requirements, while Flash Rewards might claim they didn't. Who's right?
Whether there is deliberate misrepresentation from either side, or an honest mistake was made, is speculation at best.
While complaints may suggest some wrongdoing here, I can't say that. No actual evidence has surfaced to make that accusation.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, Reward Zone USA, the parent company, has been around since 2011 and is registered in New York State.
Why is that important?
It's important because although reward schemes can last for many years when ripping people off is the objective, there is no need to register as a legitimate business. Especially in the US.
Fake rewards sites don't need anything more than a website. And they don't need an identifiable owner.
In most cases, those are created by anonymous individuals based in an area where authorities can't track them. A good example is Cash and Go. Sites like that usually die off within a year or less.
The situation here is different.
Flash Reward's parent company is legally registered in the US and has also been successful in US courts.
In the case Alvord v. Fluent Inc., Utah residents complained that Fluent Inc. through its subsidiary Reward Zone USA, LLC sent each of them telemarketing text messages in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
They won the case in court.
Now… I can't say I agree with their telemarketing strategy, but that's just my opinion. You might disagree with it too. But to be in court and win no less is a pretty good indicator that it's a real company.
But it goes further than that.
Reward Zone USA is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Fluent, Inc, a publicly-traded company worth roughly $100 million. And Fluent, Inc., as well as Reward Zone, Inc (who owns Flash Rewards), were both co-founded by Matthew Conlin.
Whether Flash Rewards meets your standards as far as their service goes, only you can decide. But as a company, it's legit.
Flash Rewards Reviews and Complaints
Flash Rewards reviews on sites like Facebook and Trustpilot are a mix of positive and negative.
Some of the positive comments are…
- The best thing ever. You just have to commit the entire time and do it in a timely manner.
- I got my 100$ Walmart gift card today after completing deals.
- After about three weeks I was able to cash out for a $500 visa gift card.
- Completed deals/trials/subscriptions in 1 week, spent $48 and received the $750 gift card.
To be fair, here are some negative comments from various reviews…
- Greatly diminished reward at the end
- I have not seen one reply from them that has been solved
- Overall, more work than necessary.
- I did all they asked and nothing. When contacted by them they say I only completed 1 deal.
Although the number of negative reviews and complaints is relatively high, it's lower than what I've encountered on some other reward sites.
It's also good to see that Flash Rewards responds to most reviews and complaints.
What I Like About Flash Rewards
- Many deals and offers to choose from, and some might be of interest to you even without reward incentives.
- A simple way to earn if you follow instructions carefully and read the fine print. You also need to be comfortable with sharing personal information online.
- Payouts are relatively high compared to other rewards and survey sites.
What I Don't Like
- The parent company (Reward Zone) has many complaints at the Better Business Bureau (to be fair, many have been resolved).
- Qualification requirements are strict. When you submit something incorrectly or make an error, there doesn't seem to be much flexibility.
- It's not the greatest idea to share your government IDs online and other personal information with someone you don't know.
Where Do You Go from Here?
It would be nice to make a little money doing something simple online. I know how you feel, and I know many who can relate. Just about everyone wants more money.
The question is whether Flash Rewards is the best way to earn it. It depends on your situation.
Even when dealing with government-regulated companies like financial institutions, I'm wary of sharing that level of information online. So I'm definitely not comfortable with it when it comes to reward sites.
That doesn't mean Flash Rewards isn't for you. Don't let my opinion stop you from trying to earn money for yourself or your family.
The only thing I will suggest is that you do your research (which you are by reading this review) and be cautious. If something doesn't feel right, you're not obligated to continue.
Also, participate in the deals you might do anyway, even if no rewards were attached. That way, if payment issues arise for any reason, you're not necessarily out anything. You're still getting something you wanted.
If, for some reason, you don't qualify for Flash Rewards, there are additional ways to earn money online.
You might be a student or a single parent. Or you may have health challenges that make working difficult…
If that's the case, an online business is what you want.
With all the scams and schemes out there though, knowing how and where to get started the right way is what you need in order to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
But if it's just some extra spending money you want, in addition to Flash Rewards, legit online survey and get-paid-to sites are good way to get started.
Sites like Survey Junkie will pay you for your opinion and Inbox Dollars offers rewards for doing things like watching videos, visiting websites and searching the web.
I hope my Flash Rewards review has been helpful and if you have any comments, questions or experience with Flash Rewards, please share in the comments section below.
I received a $750 payment from them last month after a bit of a struggle regarding their automatic ID verification failing initially. Just be sure to keep track of the deals you’ve completed, don’t rely on their system. I never had an issue with them manually validating a deal after I’d submit a ticket if it wasn’t showing up.
It’s legit and pays quick once you complete all the required deals. I received a virtual visa for $750 and spent less than 50 to get it! Just follow the instructions step by step and know that it will take a week or more to finish if you have other obligations-
I completed 4 rewards only to have them ALL magically disappear. Contacted customer support and was told they needed screen shots of all of the rewards showing they were completed!!! Seriously, who would think to do that???? Another scam for sure!!!!