Is MyPoints Legit? A Way to Make Money or Just Another Scam?

Thanks for checking out my review of MyPoints. Can you really make money doing surveys, playing games and even shopping?

In this review I'll discuss how it works, what to expect, and of course… what most people would like to know; is MyPoints legit?

Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for MyPoints. 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 MyPoints?

MyPoints is a paid survey company… a go-between connecting you (your opinions) with organizations, businesses, and entrepreneurs. When you share your thoughts about certain products and services with MyPoints, you can earn rewards such as gift cards and cash via PayPal.

As a way to generate extra money, online surveys and other methods of market research are growing more popular by the day, but not all survey sites are worth your time…

Since their inception in 1996, MyPoints has grown to become one of the older and more popular market research companies online today, and is well known for coming up with other unique ways to earn rewards (points) such as playing games, printing coupons and even shopping.

MyPoints is owned by Prodege LLC (who also owns Swagbucks).

How Does It Work?

MyPoints is free for you to join and it's open to US and Canadian residents 18 years and older. Like most market research companies, they are centered around online surveys and accumulating… you guessed it… points.  

What separates them though is that they actually have other legit ways to earn. While many survey sites advertise things like product testing (to entice people into joining), when you drill down you usually discover that those opportunities are rare at best… or just flat out false advertising.  

That's not the case with MyPoints.

Having said that…  

The number of points you earn per task, and how much those points are worth, may disappoint you.  

Is MyPoints Legit?

The short answer is yes, they are legit.

However… there are two issues that cause people to question the legitimacy of MyPoints…

The first is what they call the pre-qualifying survey… which is a survey to determine whether you are the right demographic to satisfy the client’s research objective. If you fail the pre-qual, which can take up to 30 minutes of your time, you only get 5 points.

To put that into perspective… 5 points is roughly equal to 3.5 cents. Even for the short pre-quals that may only take a few minutes at most, 3.5 cents is equal to a lifetime of answering questions if you hope to make a dent in your finances. 

The question is though… does MyPoints still sell the data they are collecting from people doing those pre-qualifying surveys?

The second issue suggests a darker intent…

One of the most common complaints that people make about MyPoints is that when they finally accumulate enough points to cash out, they are mysteriously locked out of their account, or learn that it’s been deactivated completely.

When they contact support or try to reset their password they find customer support to be unhelpful.

The implication here is if they can put up enough obstacles to keep you from cashing out, you’ll eventually give up trying.

To be clear… I haven’t had this experience myself, nor am I accusing MyPoints of being a scam. This is simply a common complaint. For all we know, there may be legit reasons for those accounts being closed.

And, since they have survived as long they have and you can find many reviews where members have been paid… my opinion is that MyPoints is legit.

Who Is MyPoints For?

Online survey sites and market research companies, in general, pay very little for your time. In fact, one reviewer estimated that they averaged about $1/per hour using MyPoints.

But then again… you can also play Candy Crush or thumb through social media for two hours a night and get paid nothing.

MyPoints is for the person who just wants to make a few extra bucks every once in awhile while filling their spare time with online activities.

Who Is It Not For?

It’s not for the person who wants to replace their income and escape the daily grind.

The advantage to making money online is that the connected world gives you leverage. It enables you to do something once and get paid over and over for it

Paid surveys provide zero leverage. For every survey or task you complete, you only get paid once.

I can only speak for myself, but I prefer passive income. I’d rather do something once and get paid multiple times for it. 

If that also describes you… MyPoints might not be what you're looking for.

How Much Does MyPoints Pay?

• Surveys (if you qualify) pay on average between 50 – 100 points (approximately 35 to 75 cents). It's not a lot of points, but more than some other similar systems such as Dabbl App. 
• You can also earn 25 points for referring a friend. If your referral buys a qualifying product for $20 or more (within 30 days), you'll receive an additional 750 points, and they'll get 1750.
• MyPoints has games such as online slot machines that pay between 5 and 10 points.
• Printing and redeeming coupons pays 10 points, with a 25 point bonus if you print and redeem between ten and fifteen coupons per month (sixteen or more will get you 50 bonus points).
• There are videos to watch, which pay one point…
• Points are also earned when you shop. Just two examples (among many)… you can earn up to 2 points for making a purchase at Best Buy (by using their affiliate link). You can also earn up to 10 points when you buy a qualifying product on Amazon.

Minimum Payout

The minimum point payout threshold depends on what you’re redeeming your points for.

The lowest I could find was 480 points for a $3 Amazon gift card. There are other gift cards offered (with different minimums) such as Cineplex, Groupon, eBay and dozens of others…

If you want trade your points for cash ($25), you’ll need 4200 of them and a PayPal account.

MyPoints Reviews and Complaints

I hate to say it, but most reviews for MyPoints are unfortunately negative. Many say that MyPoints used to be a really good site, but have since lost their way.

People are generally happy that they offer more than just surveys… but the complaints are hard to overlook.

• Perhaps the biggest complaint is that many (but not all) of the pre-qualifying surveys take a long time to complete… and that you rarely qualify… maybe once or twice for every ten survey invites. That's a lot of wasted time for pennies.
• A lot of junk mail and even when you unsubscribe, the junk keeps coming.
• Points earned not showing up in your points balance.
• Poor customer support.
• The other big complaint, as we already talked about, is concerning account deactivations for no reasons when you try to cash out.

What I Like About MyPoints

• Multiple ways to earn.
• Participate whenever, and as often as you want.
• You can earn a few points for shopping online. You shouldn’t go out of your way to buy something for a handful of points that add up to a few cents… but if you’re buying something anyway, you an increase your points total this way.

What I Don’t Like

• There are too many complaints about the same issues. One or two are expected… but when there are dozens complaining about the same problem, it’s hard to ignore.
• Very little payout for your time.
• No passive income potential.

Final Thoughts

You can probably tell, I'm personally not a fan of making money by doing online surveys or other small tasks. The pay is just too low for the amount of time invested.

Having said that, it doesn't mean it’s not for you. If you only need a few extra bucks, this may be a simple and relatively low risk way to buy yourself a coffee or two. There are certainly less productive ways to fight boredom and you may find MyPoints is a great way to pass the time.