How to become a Mystery shopper?

35 Best Paying Mystery Shopping Companies in 2020

Are you looking into the option of working from home?  Do you like shopping? Have you got spare time and would you like to use it effectively? Would you like to have some fun while earning additional income to increase your family budget and save money on everyday goods? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then you may want to consider becoming a Mystery Shopper. In this review, I provide information on 35 of the best and most trusted companies/websites which offer the opportunity to earn extra money.

 

This article is fairly broad. It mentions companies that offer the option of mystery shopping online via email, or via the telephone, there are also companies, that offer audio or video mystery shopping jobs. I am almost certain, you will be able to find something within this article.

 

Tip – My Recommendation

Being a mystery shopper is not to be considered a form of full-time employment, on the contrary, it is an occasional earning opportunity, and it is highly unlikely you will become a millionaire doing it. It is, however, an interesting way of earning extra money relatively fast and without too much hard work.

With this in mind, I would recommend that you register with several companies. This will provide you with more opportunities to choose from, as well as the possibility of higher earnings.

 

You can expect to be paid between $5 – $85 per task, which is not too bad, considering every task could be completed in a matter of minutes. What‘s more, you will be reimbursed for anything you purchase during your mystery shopping task.

 

At the end of this review is a link to another interesting article that contains various tips and advice on how to become a successful mystery shopper and what the job entails.

 

None of the below-mentioned websites require registration or membership fees.

 

Let’s start.

 

iShopFor Ipsos

Ishopfor Ipsos landing page

Ipsos is one of the biggest global market research companies. Founded in Paris in 1975, they now operate worldwide. This means you can become a mystery shopper pretty much anywhere in the world.

If you like shopping, this could be just the thing for you. There are various tasks available for the prospective mystery buyer: secret shopping in person, over the telephone or online. These are spread through various industries (e.g. hospitality, restaurants, hotels, service industry – banks, insurance companies, car repairs or servicing, and general shopping). You can even become a certified Ipsos auditor and interact with some of their clients.

To join ishopforipsos.com, you must first go through their accreditation process.

 

Member opportunities in-person shopping, online shopping, telephone shopping, eating out, car repairs and maintenance, airport shopping, banking sector, hospitality sector or becoming an Ipsos auditor.

Earnings – $5 – $30 per assignment.

Payout methods – Paypal payment system.

Eligibility – United States, Canada, Chile, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia, United Kingdom, India, Thailand, Oceania, Australia, and New Zealand.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: Huge reach internationally, high pay (although their website is not very clean on pay, unless you join), always have opportunities to do mystery assignments.
Cons: very time consuming to fill out surveys, a huge amount of very bad reviews online regarding their customer service, and concerns about their methods of data collection, complaints about not qualifying for surveys without any reason given by the company.

 

Visit their website

 

Helion Research

Helion Research landing page

If you are an inexperienced mystery shopper, Helion Research is a great company to start with because they offer support to their secret shoppers. Helion Research is one of the world’s leading research companies.

Established in 2009, Helion Research is an international company functioning worldwide. This company hires secret shoppers to perform mystery shopping jobs and also audits for businesses in many industries ranging from the automotive, travel and hospitality, technology, fashion and lifestyle, financial services, health and personal care, consumer goods, and also the retail industry.

Helionresearch.com is also a member of the MSPA – the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

 

Member opportunities – mystery shopping, performing audits, customer research, referral program.

Earnings – $7 – $20 per assignment.

Payout methodsPaypal payment system, Skrill, bank transfer.

Affiliate program – get paid when your friend completes their first shop.

Eligibility – worldwide.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: global coverage, easygoing company, excellent training.
Cons: low payments, profitable jobs are not easy to get, sometimes high workload.

 

Visit their website

 

Market Force

Marketforce landing page

Market Force is a legitimate mystery shopping company that has been around since 1972, which could explain why it is very popular amongst its users. Marker Force pays its secret shoppers to complete mystery shops for banks, restaurants, and stores.

Generally, the mystery buyers are required to either purchase products or fill out a survey on the cleanliness of the place, how helpful the workers were, etc. You may even be asked to audit a store.

 

Member opportunities mystery shopping, customer services surveys, premisses evaluation, social media monitoring.

Earnings – $5 – $10 per assignment.

Payout methods – monthly by Bank transfer.  

Eligibility – US, UK, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain.

Age – 18+ with a high school diploma.

 

Pros: variety of assignments shopping (theatre, automotive and more), huge amount of opportunities in the UK market, pay your travel expenses.
Cons: customer service, low pay, paid once per month only, expected to fill out the survey very quickly.

 

Visit their website

 

Clickworker

Clikworker landing page

Clickworker is not exactly a mystery-shopper type of company; the more appropriate description for clickworker.com would be – a mystery photographer.

The general requirement is that you have to go to a shop or area, take a picture (of a shelf or display, or the premises) and upload it to Clickworker. No experience or qualification is needed to become a Clickworker, all you need is your equipment (camera, phone, computer) and internet access to be able to work on their platform.

Clickworker.com also offers other types of jobs: text corrections, surveys participation.

Cons: No purchases required, possibility to rework and resubmit jobs.

 

Member opportunitiesvisiting local shops, taking pictures and uploading, text corrections, surveys participation.

Earnings – generally around €8 – €12 plus other bonuses.

Min. reward threshold – € 5 or €10 depending on the type of payment method.

Payout methods – Paypal, Transferwise, Bank transfer.

Eligibility – most countries in Europe, the Middle East and the USA (check before applying).

Age – eligible to work in the jurisdiction of your residence.

 

Pros: no purchase required, option to re-submit your work, relatively easy jobs.
Cons: payments are only made in Euros, limited payment options.

 

Visit their website

 

Second to None

Second to None landing page

Has a good reputation and a long history in the mystery shopping industry. Apart from the traditional onsite shopping, Second to None also offers online, telephone and in-home based mystery shopping.

You can also try video secret shopping or mystery dining. You will be reimbursed for your purchase and receive a small fee for your job.

Once you have registered, you will be able to log in and see the available jobs in your area.

 

Member opportunitiesonsite or online mystery shopping, video shopping, phone-based or at home mystery shopping, secret dining.

Earnings – $5 – $20 per assignment.

Payout methodsonce per month via PayPal, or deposit into your bank.

Eligibility – USA and Canada.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: long-established company, no need to visit shop as you can do telephone, online or video mystery shopping, you can choose your assignment from the jobs available.
Cons: only available in the USA and Canada, get paid only once per month, some mystery shoppers had problems getting response from the company.

 

Visit their website

 

Mystery Dining by HGEM

Mystery Dinning landing page

Do you like the idea of going undercover as a mystery guest? If you like dining out, then joining HGEM as a secret guest may be just the thing for you. The added bonus is you do not have to pay for your meal at the restaurant as HGEM (mysterydining.net) offers free meals at certain restaurants.

In return, you have to submit objective feedback of your experience.

At times, you may be contacted to clarify some of your statements. There is a strict filtering process when applying, but once you manage to get in, there is a reward system for regular reviewers.

 

Member opportunitiesdining out in various restaurants.

Earnings – usually no payment offered, but you will get free meals as a reward.

Payout methodsagreed expenses are paid into your account within 3-4 days.

Affiliate program – a reviewer rating badges.

Eligibility – USA, France, Germany, UK, Spain (check their map for selected countries), Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: your dining fees are covered, sometimes your travel expense is also covered, free meals, good for people who enjoy dining out.
Cons: no payment (except for your expenses), long time to fill out survey as it is very detailed, high rejection rate for applicants.

 

Visit their website

 

Perception Strategies

Perception Research landing page

Perception Strategies Inc. is a company with a very specific niche; they focus mainly on the healthcare industry.

Their mystery shopping jobs vary from making telephone calls to healthcare providers, or online and onsite shopping, shop observation or making Customized Appointments, Service or Price transparency calls.

Perception Strategies uses mystery shoppers to help healthcare companies improve the quality of their service to their patients.

 

Member opportunities online shopping, telephone inquiries, onsite shopping.

Earnings – $12-$17 per assignment.

Payout methods – payment by check at the beginning of each month.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: not necessary to leave your home as you can do online or telephone shopping, good rate of pay, flexible schedule.
Cons: only available in the USA, only focusing on healthcare, very detailed survey to be completed.

 

Visit their website

 

Grassroots

Grassroots is a legitimate UK based company. Secret shoppers are contacted by the company by email or telephone offering them mystery shopping jobs. Shoppers can choose which they are interested in; alternatively, the mystery shoppers can keep checking the website for offers.

Grassroots operates in a range of sectors such as dining, takeaway, testing customer services, leisure activities, online shopping and also assignments in the banking sector.

Grassroots pays its members well but has a limited scope (offering jobs mainly in the bigger cities). Currently, Grassroots is undergoing a rebranding process and will be called Hawk Incentives Ltd.

 

Member opportunitiesin-person mystery shopping, mystery dining, leisure activities, online shopping, testing customer services, video shopping.

Earnings – £5 – 15 per job.

Payout methods – paid by Bacs into your bank twice per month.

Eligibility – United Kingdom.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: wide range of assignments (shopping, dining, leisure, online, video shopping etc.), prompt payments, clear instructions, generally positive feedback from the mystery shoppers.
Cons: only available in the UK, only available in bigger cities, not very high payment for jobs, limited scope.

 

Visit their website

 

Best Mark

Bestmark landing page

BestMark is one of the largest mystery shopper companies. They have a Better Business Bureau rating of A+, which means they are a legitimate company with over 10,000 mystery shop jobs each month.

Their clients are restaurants, retail stores, casinos, financial institutions, hotels, resorts and more. Surveys must be completed within 24 hours of your secret shop.

Best Mark offers their mystery customers reimbursement for purchases, or cash payments, or a combination of both.

 

Member opportunitiesmystery shopping in person or online, customer experience consulting, compliance audits, employee engagement surveys.

Earnings – payment amount differs based on the individual assignment ($10 – $20 per job).

Payout methodspaid by cheque twice per month.  

Eligibility – bestmark.com website is open to members of the USA and Canada.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: wide range of businesses (shopping, dining, financial, leisure), has a great reputation, you can take as much work as available.
Cons: only available in USA and Canada, surveys must be completed within 24 hours, payments are only made by check.

 

Visit their website

 

Tern

Set up in 1989 in the UK, Tern covers many sectors ranging from retail, hospitality, restaurants and leisure, the healthcare sector to the property sector.

They also offer the option of video or audio mystery shopping, which can be a nice variety.

From all indications, their rate of pay is the highest in the UK; however, there has been criticism that some of their assigned tasks can be very complex.

It is also reported that their treatment of its own mystery shoppers is not very good – a strange thing when you consider that their business is to evaluate customer service.

 

Member opportunities video and audio shopping, shop reporting, under age sales testing, customer satisfaction surveys, retail audits, call center shopping.

Earnings – varies based on assignment (£10 and £40).

Payout methods – cash payouts (paid weekly), free meals, family days out and free merchandise.

Eligibility – United Kingdom.

Age – 18+

 

Pros:  high payment for assignments, wide range of options (hospitality, retail, leisure, healthcare, property), you can do telephone, video or shopping.
Cons: bad customer service, some tasks are complex, only available in the UK.

 

Visit their website

 

GBW (previously GAPbuster)

GBW landing page

Established in 1994 in New Zealand, GBW now operates in over 100 countries worldwide. Their service areas range from fast-food restaurants to retail (both physical and online), hospitality and service industry. However, my research shows that most of GBW’s clients are fast-food restaurants (for example McDonald). If that is what you enjoy, GBW is the right choice for you.

As a mystery shopper, you can schedule your secret shopping trip to suit your convenience. When your mystery shop is completed, submit your review online.

 

Member opportunities mystery shopper, auditor.

Earnings – $5 – $30 per job.

Payout methods – cash payments, purchase discounts, or reimbursements.

Eligibility – worldwide (check your country from the list of countries).

Age – 18+

 

Pros: available globally, trip can suit your convenience, free food, easy to complete surveys.
Cons: mainly focuses on fast food, low payment, payments take time to receive.

 

Visit their website

 

ESA Retail

ESA Retail operates in the UK and Ireland; its focus is on mystery shopping both in-store as well as mobile shopping.

The assignments may also be audio recordings (specifically for the financial sector). Other areas are social media interaction with potential customers and brand recommendation mystery shopping.

Esa-retail.co.uk is a legitimate site that has a good reputation for the treatment of their mystery shoppers.

 

Member opportunities in-store observation, age verification shopping, social media mystery shopping, audio and mobil shopping.

Earnings – minimum £10 per assignment, but varies based on the task.

Payout methodsbank transfer – monthly, after completed assignments.

Eligibility – the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: good customer service, mobile shopping, you choose the assignments.
Cons: only operates in the UK and Ireland, jobs can be repetitive, low pay.

 

Visit their website

 

Secret Shopper

Secret Shopper landing page

Secret Shopper was established in 1990 and is an international mystery shopping company.

The tasks vary from observations in stores to actual purchases or secret dining. The Secret Shopper is required to submit reviews no later than 12 pm the next day.

Whilst secretshopper.com is a legit website with good reviews, be sure to read their terms on the assigned task. Failure to complete the task correctly could result in the reward being deducted or withdrawn if all criteria are not met.

 

Member opportunitiesmystery shopping, secret dining.

Earnings – $12 – $15, in cases of dining reimbursements for a meal.

Payout methods – monthly payouts by a Check – 30 days from completion.

Eligibility – worldwide.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: global availability, offering mobile shopping, online shopping and surveys, website testing, you can see the location of your assignment clearly on the map.
Cons: very detailed reports, payments only once per month (a month after completion), low rates of pay.

 

Visit their website

 

Serve Legal

Serve Legal is a company providing ID and compliance testing services in the UK & Ireland.

The company employs 18-19 year-olds as mystery shoppers. They are required to go to various shops, bars, and pubs and attempt to buy different age-restricted products (alcohol, cigarettes, etc.). They record the transaction details, paying particular attention to whether an ID was requested for the purchase and report the details of this transaction. Because the age limit for applicants is restricted, there is always a demand for new secret customers.

 

Member opportunities mystery shopping in person or online, free drink.

Earnings – £ 7-40 per visit, free drinks.

Payout methods – Paypal, bank transfer.

Eligibility – UK, and Ireland.

Age – 18-19

 

Pros: free drinks, travel reimbursements, flexible working time.
Cons: limited age group, only available in the UK and Ireland, low pay.

 

Visit their website

 

Pinnacle

Pinnacle landing page

Pinnacle has been providing its services for over 20 years. Their main business is assisting financial institutions to improve their service and sales quality. Once your application is accepted and training completed, you can see the list of jobs available in your area.

Apply for the jobs you are interested in. If you are selected and have completed your mystery shopper assignment, the survey reports must be completed within 12 hours.

As you continue to work with this company, you will be graded on a scale (1 to 10) for each shop you compete. The score reflects your accuracy, detail, dependability and writing skills. The better your overall score, the more opportunities you will have to complete shops.

 

Member opportunities in-store mystery shopper, online shopping, telephone shopping.

Earnings – varies depending on the assignment, between $4 – $75.

Payout methodson the 10th via Paypal.

Eligibilitypinnaclemysteryshopping.com website is open to residents of the USA.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: search for assignments near you, pay for your expenses, high rate of pay, long-standing reputable company.
Cons: only available in the USA, jobs can be area-dependant, only specialize in the financial sector, surveys must be completed within 12 hours.

 

Visit their website

 

Amusement Advantage

A secret shopping company, founded in 1997, it focuses on the Amusement industry. Their clients include theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, and family entertainment centers.

Amusement Advantage website is suitable for people who like to have fun.

The downside to this company is that the pay is not as high as with some other mystery shopping companies. However, you will be reimbursed for your expenses or receive free tickets and in some cases a little extra pay for your time and efforts.

 

Member opportunitieshave fun whilst earning money.

Earnings – between $5 – 30 per task.

Payout methods Paypal payments 30-45 days after the assignment completion.

Affiliate program – $20 for each new member.

Eligibility – USA and Canada.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: free tickets to amusement parks, surveys are not too long, extra incentives if you deliver survey before the deadline.
Cons: only focused on the amusement industry, only available in the USA (except Nevada), and Canada.

 

Visit their website

 

Confero

Confero landing page

Confero has won multiple awards for its services. It is a well established, legitimate company operating worldwide. Their services include mystery shopping both online as well as in-person and a mystery telephone shopping.

Confero covers the following sectors: banking and finance, automotive, retail, food and beverage, specialized shopping venues (i.e. military bases, post-security areas of airports, etc.) They also offer video mystery shopping.

 

Member opportunitiesonline, video and in-person mystery shopping, telephone services.

Earnings – $7 – 20 per task.

Payout methods20th every month via Paypal.

Eligibility – United States, Canada, Mexico, China, and Europe, also available in Puerto Rico, Guam and Japan.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: in-store and telephone shops, company with a very good reputation, jobs updated daily, good variety of industries.
Cons: minimum age is 21, Paypal is the only form of payment, very detailed surveys.

 

Visit their website

 

Quest for Best

Established in 1990, Quest for Best provides mystery shop opportunities in over 40 states in the USA. It has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, which is a reassuring sign.

No previous experience to apply. The applicant is required to have a vehicle, stopwatch and other equipment (if applicable).

As a secret shopper, your assignments can vary from doing research via phone, online or in-person.

 

Member opportunitiestelephone purchases, mystery online shopping, mystery shopping in person.

Earnings – $8 – 35 per job.

Payout methods – monthly payouts by a Check.

Eligibilityquestforbest.com website is open to members of the USA and Canada.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: established company with good reviews, instore, online or telephone purchases, you choose your assignment from a list offered, wide variety of industries covered.
Cons: USA only (not all states), jobs are not updated regularly.

 

Visit their website

 

International Service Check

Founded in 1996 in Germany, this mystery shopping agency has now expanded and operates internationally, primarily focusing on the retail industry (mainly fashion). Their jobs often include trying on outfits and asking for help finding specific items.

The assignments can also be age-specific, which means higher pay. Once your mystery shopper assignment is completed, and your feedback uploaded, you are required to be reachable via the telephone so that a team member can check on the details of your secret shopping experience.

If you like fashion, this may be the company for you.

 

Member opportunitieshospitality, retail, automotive, financial services.

Earnings – £12 is a minimum payment, other payments vary depending on the task.

Payout methodsPaypal.

Eligibility – internationally, China, Japan, Europe, etc. (check your country before applying).

Age – 18+

 

Pros: great if you like fashion, good rate of pay, available internationally.
Cons: some jobs can have a very specific requirement for the mystery shopper (age, gender), jobs can be quite complex.

 

Visit their website

 

Retail Maxim

Retail Maxim has been functioning in the United Kindom since 1993; they operate in a range of sectors, e.g. hotels and leisure, catering and even the NHS.

Retail-maxim.co.uk website offers generous rewards to their mystery shoppers, most of which are paid in advance. This has made Retail Maxim a very popular mystery shopping agency. However, the downside to being so popular means that they have many secret customers registered, which can result in bookings being taken up very quickly, so you will have to keep checking regularly for new offers.

 

Member opportunities mystery shopper, auditor, telephone and video shopping.

Earnings – £7-10 per task + travel expenses.

Payout methods bank transfer, Paypal.

Eligibility – the United Kingdom only.

Age18 +

 

Pros: generous pay, prepaid travel advance, good range of assignments.
Cons: very popular, so bookings can be taken up quickly, UK only.

 

Visit their website

 

A Closer Look

Covering restaurants, hotels, the retail industry, health and wellness services, apartments, and other types of professional services (pet, cleaning, daycare, education, transportation and more).

Another interesting opportunity with this company is their Senior Living Community mystery shopping, where senior citizens pose as mystery shoppers in senior living facilities.

When applying, you must pass their shopper qualifying test before being accepted.

 

Member opportunitiessecret shopping, mystery dining, motel stays.

Earnings – $5 – 15 per job.

Payout methodspaid by Check, on 3rd of each month.

Eligibility – USA, Canada.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: wide variety of assignments, also available for senior citizens, good availability locally.
Cons: required to take a test before being accepted, check if travel expenses are covered before accepting a job.

 

Visit their website

 

Intelli-shop

Intelli-shop serves a huge variety of sectors ranging from retail, hospitality, financial sector, insurance, fast food, car maintenance, automotive services, legal sector, luxury products and many, many more.

Mystery shopper opportunities include online and in-store shopping with the potential to grow. A shopper may become silver or gold certified.

If you submit reports which are positively rated, you could receive a “Hero Citation” this will increase your opportunities in getting more assignments as a secret customer.

 

Member opportunities – online and in-store shopping.

Earnings – the company usually pays between 5 and 10 dollars per shop, plus they reimburse what you spent at the shop.

Payout methods – via PayPal on 20th of the month.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: opportunities to shop in-store as well as online, big range of industries covered, more good reviews means more opportunities, potential to grow, choose the jobs through the portal.
Cons: available in the USA only, low rates of pay, surveys must be completed within 12 hours.

 

Visit their website

 

About Face

About Face is another well known, legit company that has been functioning for over 22 years.

The company serves in over 14 different sectors ranging from healthcare, retail, education, transportation, residential, luxury goods and more.

With so many industries covered, you are bound to find something of interest near you.

About Face also claims that they pay more than their competitors (on average by 15% more). In addition to secret shopping, you can also become a field researcher, survey panelist, focus group participant or product demonstrator.

 

Member opportunitiesmystery shopping, field researcher, product demonstrator, focus group participant, survey panelist.

Earnings – $25–$45 depending on the mystery shopping job.

Payout methods – PayPal transfer 45 days after reaching the threshold.

Eligibility – United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: available internationally, good variety of assignments as many industries are covered, great rates of pay.
Cons: payment sent only after reaching a threshold, Paypal payment only, very detailed reports, must be grammatically correct.

 

Visit their website

 

Singular Customer Metrix

Singular Customer Metrix serves the following industries: banking, retail, Grocery, Quick service restaurants, apartments, convenience stores.

You’ll get full training when you take on a mystery shopper job with Sinclair Customer Metrics.

The opportunities within this company range from the standard onsite mystery shopping, online shopping, telephone shopping, even video mystery shopping (carrying a hidden video camera to capture interactions with store staff) and competitor mystery shopping.

 

Member opportunitiesonsite mystery shopping, secret dining, telephone and video shopping.

Earnings – varies based on assignment ($10 and $25).

Payout methods – paid by Check 60 days after your shop.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: training provided, onsite, online, telephone or video mystery shopping, wide range of industries, well-established company.
Cons: long wait for your payment, only available in the USA, payments are not very high, where purchase is necessary, you will only be reimbursed for a portion of the purchase.

 

Visit their website

 

Assosia

Assosia is not very well known, but it is a legitimate business. They are not necessarily a mystery shopper agency as such, because often you are asked to introduce yourself as a mystery shopper assignment and talk to the staff – so it could be classed as a non-mystery shop. However, the company covers a huge variety of industries (retail, leisure, health, hospitality, tourism, financial, automotive, etc.)

It can be tricky to navigate their website as there is not much mention of mystery shopping, but you can register as a Field Associate and benefit from regular projects as well as ad-hoc tasks.

 

Earnings – £5 – £15.

Payout methodspaid directly into your bank.

Eligibility – worldwide.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: huge variety of industries, available globally, interesting jobs.
Cons: not easy to navigate the website, you are required to introduce yourself as a mystery-shopper, low pay, not very well-known company.

 

Visit their website

 

Mystery Shopping Jobs by Phone

Are you one of those people who don’t like shopping in stores? Or perhaps you might not have the time to go out and browse the shops. If that is the case, then secret shopping by phone may be the best thing for you.

 

ARC Consulting

Established in 1996, ARC Consulting is a telephone mystery shopping agency offering not only telephone shopping, but also email shopping to track email response times, grammar, punctuation, accuracy, and thoroughness.

Based in the USA, they operate worldwide with a range of languages listed on their website. As their mystery shopper, you will be asked to conduct telephone shopping, customer care satisfaction surveys, and competitor analysis calls.

Full training will be given and you can eventually progress to becoming an auditor or one-on-one coaching to their clients.

 

Member opportunities – telephone shopping, email mystery shopping, opportunity to become an auditor.

Earnings – $ 3 – $ 12 per telephone call.

Payout methodsPaypal payment system.

Eligibility –  worldwide including the USA, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: training given, international availability, chance of career progression = earning more money.
Cons: available work can be location dependant, may be slow to start initially, not very high pay.

 

Visit their website

 

Call Center QA

Call Center QA is suitable for those who like to work from the comfort of their homes. If you are comfortable speaking on the telephone and have great listening skills plus attention to detail, then this secret telephone shopping job may be right for you, however, you must be a resident of the USA.

Call center QA offers job opportunities to a variety of people (elderly, disabled, students, etc. and claim to have the fastest payout. Payments are usually around 7 days after a completed job.

 

Member opportunitiestelephone shopping.

Earnings – $5 for each completed phone-call.

Payout methodsPayPal, 7 days after job completion.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: available to a huge range of people, fast payment, clear terms of payment, surveys are not too long, very popular company.
Cons: must be US resident, reports of poor customer service, reports of not enough jobs in some areas.

 

Visit their website

 

Yardi Matrix

This company’s specialty is the property industry. Your job as a secret telephone shopper will be posing as a potential renter of a property.

Yardi Matrix requires you to be available during specific hours (9 am – 6 pm within surveyed time zones). A minimum of 75 surveys must be completed in the first week, and 100 surveys each week thereafter.

 

Member opportunities – telephone secret shopping.

Earnings – $6 per hour + $0.50 for each completed phone call, $.20 for surveys marked Part-Done, and $.07 for surveys marked Answering Machine or No Answer.

Payout methods Paypal, bank transfer.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 21+

 

Pros: working from home, decent rate of pay, you are an employee rather than a freelancer (taxes are paid).
Cons: limited to rental market, time-restricted, high workload to be completed.

 

Visit their website

 

Intelicheck

Intellicheck was established in 1997 and focuses primarily on the automotive industry. As a secret shopper, your job will be a mystery telephone shopper posing as a client. On average, the phonecalls take about 3-4 minutes.

The advantages are that you are working at your own time, but one of the company’s requirements is that you commit at least 20 hours per week. The other advantage is that you don’t have to have a landline, a cell phone will suffice for your shopping tasks.

 

Member opportunities – mystery telephone calls.

Earnings – $.90 per call.

Payout methods – check payment, every two weeks.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 18+.

 

Pros: phone calls are relatively short, no need to have a quiet background, training given, you choose the time you work on their calendar.
Cons: only focuses on automotive industry, minimum 20hours per week required, jobs are not always available, availability in the USA only.

 

Visit their website

 

Multi Value

Multi Value is a mystery shopping agency located in Europe. They offer in-store shopping as well as online and mobile app shopping for the following sectors: automotive, retail, catering, government, medical, call center, bank, and insurance, etc.

You are required to download their app; once registered, you will see a list of available jobs on the app.

 

Member opportunities – online shopping, smartphone shopping.

Earnings – between €5 and €20.

Payout methods – bank transfer.

Eligibility – Europe, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, (check your country for availability).

Age – 21+

 

Pros: wide range of industries covered, refund expenses, and some test purchases also refunded.
Cons: Europe only, negative reports on the company, not enough information on this company.

 

Visit their website

 

Business Evaluation Services

Business Evaluation Services was established in 1996 and is an International Mystery Shopper Company serving a variety of industries including retail, restaurants, financial, automotive, theme parks, flooring, furnishings, hotels, consumer electronics, wireless services, competitive analysis, price audits, and market audits.

The company is based in the USA and can deliver its mystery shopping services pretty much anywhere else in the world.

 

Member opportunities – online shopping, in-store shopping, telephone and video secret shopping.

Payout methodsvia PayPal only, 45 days after the completed mystery shop.

Eligibility – USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and elsewhere (check your eligibility).

Age – 21+

 

Pros: huge range of industries covered, on-line or telephone shopping also available, you can choose your assignments.
Cons: low pay, reports of bad communication, payment by Paypal only.

 

Visit their website

 

Shoppers’ Critique  International

Shoppers’ Critique  International serves a range of industries including the automotive, housing, retail, leisure industry and more.

The downside is that they mainly serve big cities and rural areas are not well represented. It also takes time to build up a reputation, which makes it harder to get mystery job assignments initially, as they go to the well-established secret shoppers with a good reputation. Last but not least, the amount of participating stores is not very big.

 

Member opportunities – onsite shopping, internet or phone mystery shopping.

Earnings – $5 on average; varies on the individual assignment.

Eligibility – USA.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: good coverage of industries, internet or telephone shopping, onsite shopping, easy assignments, easy report filing.
Cons: only available in the USA, not available in smaller cities, low pay.

 

Visit their website

 

Reality Based Group

Started in 1992 under the name GameFilm®, this company evolved into offering mystery shopping in several different ways. These include telephone, video, online, competitive shopping and written mystery shopping.

Reality Based Group serves over 15 sectors including the retail sector, restaurant, call center, banking institution, property management, and various service providers.

If you are a beginner, the written mystery shops are the perfect opportunity for you as they can help you learn about report layouts and sharpen your writing skills.

 

Member opportunities – telephone, written, email and online shopping, video mystery shopping, mystery dining.

Payout methods – direct deposit or PayPal on the 10th of the month.

Eligibility – USA and Canada.

Age – 18+

 

Pros: several options to do mystery shopping (telephone, video, online), wide variety of sectors covered, mystery dining also offered.
Cons: reports of poor management, low pay, less work at the end of the month.

 

Visit their website

 

Check out more opportunities for working as a mystery shopper on this website:

https://www.upwork.com/o/jobs/browse/?q=mystery%20shopping

 

Do I Need Experience?

You don’t need any experience to become a mystery shopper. The main requirements are good writing skills, good grammar when writing your reviews, or in case of the telephone mystery shopping, you are required to have excellent communication skills.

 

I Am Not Receiving Enough Assignments, What Can Do?

If you are registered with several of the above-mentioned companies but are unhappy with the number of job offers as well as your earnings, please check out the articleHow to receive more surveys and thus increase your income”.

Although this article talks primarily about completing online surveys, the tips and advice offered are equally applicable to mystery shopping.

 

Conclusion

Is mystery shopping for you? If you love to shop and are willing to be consistent with the work, mystery shopping may be a perfect fit for you. You can earn decent side cash just by posing as an actual customer without actually spending any of your own money.

 

This article talks about the most popular and the most significant opportunities available to secret customers. However, there are many other companies, that operate in the mystery shopping industry.

 

Registering with the above-mentioned companies is quite simple and only takes a few minutes. The main advantage is that you do not need references or CV for your registration, simply complete the online survey and you are set to go.

Some companies listed in this article require you to take a spelling and grammar test. These tests are not complicated and you usually have several attempts to pass, so it is certainly achievable.

 

If you know of a well-known company that should be represented in this article, please let me know. I will be happy to add them to the list.

 

I definitely recommend reading the article aboutHow to become a mystery shopper and who is this work suited for?The article is informative and contains answers to your questions, for example: Who is a mystery shopper? What do they do? What are the conditions of the job? You will also find some answers regarding which job is suitable for you and a few tips on how to become a successful mystery shopper.

 

Do you have any experience with mystery shopping? Have you worked as a mystery shopper for some company? If so, submit your experiences to the discussion. I appreciate every opinion, by which you can inspire or motivate the other visitors of my site.

 

Do you like my website? If so, please share it with your friends. You can also join my Facebook group where I keep the group members informed about new offers of remote job opportunities from home. You will also find articles about online business opportunities posted within this group. Click on “Like” and in notifications set “receive all posts.” Are you a Twitter fan? Then follow me on Twitter, where I regularly post articles and remote job offers.

 

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