onlinepayprograms

All programs, of course, require at least your full name and a valid e-mail address for you.  Since an e-mail address is required to register, I highly suggest that you setup a new e-mail account specifically for pay programs, as you will get some spam.  About 75% of online pay programs will require your address and phone number, most especially those that pay you with a check. I know what you’re thinking…I don’t want to give out that information, right?! From personal experience I can tell you that I’m signed up with close to 100 programs and I’ve gotten maybe 2 pieces of junk mail that I can attribute to these programs, and I’ve gotten zero telemarketing calls as a result of giving them my phone number.

This is the sixth and final payment method for online pay programs that I’m aware of.  Please note that my list of payment methods is not exhaustive, but rather just a short list of those methods I’ve seen since I started working these programs about 8 months ago. 

~  Free Advertising - There are a few programs that only allow you to spend your earnings on advertising with their program. So let’s say, for example, you sign up for a Pay to Click program and you click on ads and earn money which is reflected in your account balance with that program.  Instead of (or in addition to) cashing out, you can use that money to advertise with that PTC in the form of clicks.  So, if you’ve got a business, or as in my case a blog on online pay programs, you can advertise your website or blog.  I’ve done this with a few PTC’s that I work and was able to add 20-30 new people to my referral base, which of course helps increase my earnings with those programs.  I’ll discuss why building a referral base is important to your earnings with pay programs in a later post.

Below is a description for the fifth payment method that I’m aware of that online pay programs use to compensate their participants.  A very very small percentage of online pay programs use this method.

~ Prizes - There are a few programs out there that pay you in prizes or rather merchandise.  Based on what I’ve seen, all of the programs that pay in prizes have a very limited selection of prizes, most that I really wouldn’t want. I mean really, who needs another travel carry on bag?  So if a program pays in prizes, be sure to check out the selection before you bother working that program, as you may find there’s nothing you’d be interested in and you could have wasted your time working that program.

Below is a description for the fourth payment method that I’m aware of for online pay programs.  AlertPay is a very popular payment method for Pay to Click programs, and based on my experience, I’d say at least 85% of all PTC’s pay using this method.  The reason is because AlertPay is accepted worldwide by payers and payee’s alike.  Where as other methods like check and Paypal tend to be for U.S. residents only.  Since a very large portion of PTC participants are from countries all over the world, it’s almost a requirement that a PTC pay with a payment method that’s accepted worldwide, AlertPay being one of the few ways to do so.  More payment methods to follow in subsequent posts. 

~    AlertPay (www.alertpay.com) – AlertPay works just like Paypal, although they’re newer to the internet scene.  Creating an account with AlertPay is also free of charge.

Below is a description for the third payment method that I’m aware of for online pay programs.  Paypal is by far the most popular payment method that I’ve seen for online pay programs as a whole.  A description of other payment methods will follow in subsequent posts. 

~ Paypal (www.paypal.com) – In my experience, this is the number one payment method for online pay programs.  In most cases, you must be a verified member of paypal for a pay program company to pay you. That’s the policy of the pay program, not Paypal. To be verified, you’ll need to register a credit card with Paypal. There is no cost to create a Paypal account or to become verified, although Paypal typically charges you a small fee (deducted from the amount you’re being paid) when you receive payment from a pay program.

Based on my experience, all of the types of programs that I’ve written about on this blog pay you in one of six ways.  Since it’s important that you understand each payment method to decide which of those you’re willing to work for, I’ve split the list into five parts and will be writing about each payment method across the next 5 posts, this being the first post with descriptions of two payment methods.

~ Check - I’d say about 40% of all programs pay with a check.

~ Gift Cards - A very small percentage of online pay programs actually pay in gift cards.  Based on my experience, the few programs I’ve found that pay with gift cards, have a wide selection of gift cards to choose from like Starbucks, major department stores, Amazon, etc.

Most good Pay to Shop programs have all the major online retailers available to shop with.  I work just one Pay to Shop program so that I can insure all my rewards are going into one program account thus allowing me to reach the minimum payout sooner.  As with any other program I’ve written about, all Pay to Shop programs have a minimum payout amount, which of course varies by program.  Most Pay to Shop programs pay with a check, although there are a few Pay to Shop programs that pay with Paypal and even fewer that pay with a gift cards.

Pay to Shop programs can pay you with cash or in points which then convert to a cash value.  Once you make your purchase, your award is usually posted to your account within 30 days of the purchase, although varies by program and sometimes retailer.  I’ve had a few problems with Pay to Shop programs in that I purchased something and waited the 30 days and my award was still not showing up in my account.  For that reason, I highly recommend saving the purchase confirmation e-mail from the retailer in case you do not see your award posted within the timeframe that the program states.

So I’m sure you’re now asking, “how can these programs afford to pay you for shopping on someone else’s website?”  The answer is because the pay program is being paid a percentage of the purchase you just made, for which they in turn give you a piece of the action.  It’s a way for online retailers to get advertising that’s cost is directly correlated to the purchase of their product.  This advertising is far better for the retailer than traditional advertising such as TV commercials, etc. where they’re paying with the hopes of selling product, versus in this case paying for the advertising after the sale is made.  What a great concept to share the wealth and guarantee sales for the retailer at the same time!

As with all the other programs that I’ve written about, Pay to Shop programs are free to join.  The only requirement to insure you’re paid by a Pay to Shop program is that you gain access to a particular retailers website using the Pay to Shop program’s link available on the programs website.  You just logon to the Pay to Shop website and do a search for the retailer or product you’re looking to buy.  When you find the retailer you’d like to shop with, just click on the link provided and it sends you to that retailer’s website.  The make your purchase as you would normally.  It’s that simple!