In this amazing digital age, there are almost an unlimited number of ways to make money online – the gig economy has just exploded. People can hire themselves out to write content, to design websites and apps, conduct market research, start and monetize a blog, create a drop shipping company, invest, become a virtual assistant, transcribe, run a billing company, teach English, host a digital course, and much more. The possibilities are only limited by a lack of imagination.
One of the most popular methods to make money online is what is known as “paid to play.” This gig offers people the chance to earn cash and/or rewards by playing games or completing a specified list of tasks.
Just What are Get Paid to Play Apps?
The simplest definition is this: Those who join and become users can earn money or other rewards by completing a series of tasks within an app.Tasks may range from watching videos, playing games, taking surveys, becoming secret shoppers, to testing products. Participants earn cash, gift cards, or other rewards.
Generally, all that is required is a mobile device and the ability to download sites and apps from one or both of the app stores.
Types of Pay to Play Gigs
There are a host of paid to play apps. Each one will have its own requirements and rules. For example, some may require that a player reach a certain level on a game, take a certain number of surveys, or watch a set number of videos.
Some may have a limit on how much a user can earn each day. Still other apps provide rewards in the form of virtual currency and discount coupons which can be used to purchase in-app upgrades or items.
Just How Does All of This Work?
In order to generate the revenue that apps need to pay, they sell advertising on their platforms, along with revenue generated from user-paid products and services, such as upgrades or items for sale.
Another source of revenue is to sell user data to third parties. This can be risky for anyone using the platform, including those who are being paid to complete tasks within the app.
All of these things generate the revenue that apps need to support the paid to play costs.
How to Get Started in These Gigs
The first step is to download the platform’s app from one of the play stores and then create an account. Once registered, a user can begin to choose tasks to complete or take on the tasks that are assigned and collect the payments or rewards.
If the rewards involve cash payments, users will have to link a payment method – a bank account or a cash payment venue such as PayPal or CashApp.
Are There Risks Involved?
The short answer is yes. While this gig may be convenient, easy, and even fun, users should be cognizant of the risks. Here are the potential risks:
- Scams and Frauds. Some platforms promise very high earnings and rewards but then do not deliver on those promises.
- Privacy Violations: Your personal data may be sold to third-parties. This can subject you to identity theft and plenty of phishing scams.
- These gigs can become addictive, and users can be pulled in to spend their rewards within the app, so they really don’t earn anything.
- When users provide payment information, they leave themselves open to serious financial consequences.
The way to protect oneself is to do the research ahead of time. Reading reviews of the platforms will be critical. Other users should be providing positive reviews and feedback before you take the risk.
Another way to provide self-protection is to never provide overly-sensitive personal information. If a platform asks you for such things as you social security number and bank account information. Never provide this. Choose payment apps rather than your bank account. Better yet? Do not register with any apps that ask for this information. There are plenty of other fish in this ocean.
Another suggestion here: keep your device updated with the latest security protections.
Taking a Look at Four of the Ideal Pay to Play Game Platforms
Those who are interested in making some extra money by downloading and trying out new games should check out these possibilities. Basically, these apps get paid by developers of new games, and then a part of that pay is passed on to those who participate.
Swagbucks
This app is for online surveys but users can play new games to earn cash as well. It’s been around for over 10 years and is a trusted source for gig cash. It’s easy to use, but be aware that the surveys don’t pay a lot.
Freecash
Freecash pays users cash to test new games on either their phone or computer. There are over 2700 games to choose from, and the app keeps track of your earnings in dollars, not points or bucks. The average user can expect to earn $17-18 a day.
KashKick
Again, users get paid to play mobile games and answer short surveys. For games, users pick a game and play until they reach the required level to earn the reward. One downside here is that some tasks do require an upfront payment, although the pay is also higher.
Mistplay
Again, this app pays cash for playing new mobile games. There are a huge number of games to choose from, and the app boasts millions of users, and there are plenty of cashout options, including PayPal. The biggest downside is that it is only available on Android.
These are just a few of the options out there. Doing a simple search will find many more. The important thing will be to read reviews of actual users, and those can be found in plenty of places, not just review sites. Gamers can be found anywhere, even on online dating apps. Click here and find some who may have recommendations.
In the End…
Obviously, you are not going to be quitting your day job and replace your salary with pay to play opportunities. But if you happen to be someone who is on your phone a lot, playing games or just surfing, you might as well earn a few bucks in the process.
