Mystery shopping can sound like a dream side hustle. After all, who wouldn’t love getting paid to shop, dine, or visit a spa or theater while secretly evaluating their service? But it’s not all nice meals and movies. Mystery shopping is a real job that requires being reliable, detail-oriented and prompt.
And while the jobs can sometimes be fun, some of the gigs are tedious and poorly paid. Worse, a sea of scammers and exaggerated promises can make it tough to find legitimate companies that treat their shoppers fairly.
How do you tell the trustworthy companies from the tricksters?
Legit Mystery Shopping Companies
Legitimate mystery shopping firms focus on four things:
- Fair and transparent pay, usually ranging between $5 and $30 per assignment, with reimbursements for approved purchases.
- User-friendly reporting platforms that don’t make submitting feedback a chore.
- Prompt payouts, often within a few weeks after report approval.
- Clear guidelines so you know exactly what to look for, how to report it, and what each job entails before you accept it.
Red Flags Signaling Scam Shops
On the other hand, any of the following can signal that you’re dealing with a scammer, posing as a mystery shopping company.
- Up-front fees: Legitimate mystery shopping firms never ask for cash from you.
- Advance pay: Steer clear of any company that sends you a check in advance of completing a shop. Often scammers do this, telling shoppers to do the shop, use the money to pay for purchases and the shoppers fees. And then refund the remainder to the shopping company. This is a classic check fraud that you can learn more about here.
- Excessive pay: Mystery shopping is not a highly paid profession. Typical shops pay between $10 and $35. On a rare occasion, you’ll find a gig paying up to $100. If someone promises way more, it’s a red flag that you’re dealing with a scammer.
- Random email address: Getting solicited to do a mystery shop? Check the sender’s email address. Is it from a legitimate mystery shopping company, like @bestmark.com or @jancyn.com — or is it a generic email saying the person’s name@gmail or @yahoo? The unprofessional email address is yet another red flag that you’re dealing with a crook.
What do mystery shoppers do?
Mystery shopping is as varied as businesses in the U.S.. There are shops that evaluate retail establishments for customer service, organization, and/or compliance with rules, such as asking for IDs when buying adult products. There are gigs that involve checking out cell companies, cable services, theaters, hotels, spas and yoga studios.
Some shops simply require you to snap photos, others require writing long reports.
However, when you’re dealing with a legitimate company, what’s always true is that you’ll know where the job is, what it pays, and what the job entails before you accept it.
You’ll also get a detailed description of what you are required to do. And you need to pay attention to the details. If you forget to note required items or even turn your report in late, your shop can be disqualified. That means you don’t get paid or reimbursed for your work.
Trustworthy Mystery Shopping Companies
There are dozens of mystery shopping firms, some regional and some national. However, here are five widely available choices worth consideration. If mystery shopping appeals to you, the best advice is to sign up with several firms and then pick and choose the gigs that are most fun, convenient and lucrative for you.
Service Evaluation Concepts
Signing up with most mystery shopping companies is a walk in the park. It’s harder to sign up with Service Evaluation Concepts. But it may be worth it. That’s because Service Evaluation Concepts often pays decent money for simple mystery shopping gigs — like getting paid $100 to evaluate a testing center by taking a single-hour test at the facility. Or getting paid $20 per stop on a four-or five-stop shop to see whether nearby retail pharmacies have a medical provider on site, as promised. Jobs typically pay between $15 and $100.
Notably, you will need to read through training materials for each new client and pass a quiz, showing that you understand the client’s requirements. This training is not paid. The company says the pay for assignments reflects the amount of work required, including the time you spend training. But, the training itself is not compensated. In some cases, you’re also reimbursed for products that you buy and get to keep.
Jancyn
Jancyn offers a broad mix of retail mystery shopping gigs with well-defined payment terms. Their gigs range from evaluating customer service at stores and retail sizing audits to checking compliance with promotional campaigns.
Pay rates with Jancyn typically run from $10 to $30 per assignment, often including reimbursements for expenses incurred during the evaluation. What shoppers appreciate most about Jancyn is their steady flow of assignments combined with clear instructions and manageable reporting tools, making it easier for both beginners and seasoned shoppers to succeed.
EyeSpy
EyeSpy is the perfect gig for someone willing to work for food. That’s because the site specializes in hospitality. So, most jobs involve dining in fine restaurants or staying at nice hotels. Not surprisingly, reimbursements are generous. When we reviewed this site, we found lunch assignments that reimbursed up to $75; and dinner assignments that reimbursed for meals of $150. DoorDash assignments typically reimbursed to $45. That’s the good news.
The bad news is your pay is almost always the reimbursement alone. There’s no additional compensation. So, only sign up here if you’re a foodie interested in trying new restaurants for free. Or, maybe, a busy parent, who values getting free delivery meals.
BestMark
For those looking for a company with longevity and scale, BestMark has been in the mystery shopping business since the 1980s and serves sectors spanning from hospitality to automotive services.
Shopper pay ranges from $7 to $25 per assignment, plus expenses. But act fast if a gig interests you. Popular assignments are claimed quickly. The extensive range of assignments means you can find a niche that fits your interests and skills.
Secret Shopper
Much like BestMark, SecretShopper is a long-established mystery shopping firm that offers a wide array of assignments. For instance, when we reviewed the site, most shops in our area involved shopping at a shoe store; checking out a chain of gyms; or getting your tires rotated or an oil change at a Discount Tire Center.
The shoe store assignments paid a $20 stipend. The gym assignments involved getting a tour and paid $25, plus a $5 bonus, so $30 total. But, if you needed to get an oil change, the Discount Tire Center assignments were worth considering. They offered up to $70 in reimbursement for an oil change or tire rotation, plus $10 for the assignment. So, that two-hour job would ultimately pay up to $40 an hour in cash and reimbursement
Their main downside is a slower payment cycle, sometimes taking up to 45 days.
