Is Paid to Read Email Real or Fake? Full Site Review
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When I heard that there were legitimate ways to get paid to read emails, I felt like I had to check them out. I already spend a lot of time in my email inbox every day, so it made sense to earn some extra cash while doing it.
During my research, I stumbled upon a company called Paid to Read Email. Surely a company with that name would be a pro in the industry, so I decided that it would be a great one to test.
After spending a lot of time trying Paid to Read Email, I put together a complete review to help other interested parties decide if this site would be a good option for them to join, as well.
While Paid to Read Email does not currently have an app available, smartphone users can still access the website from their browsers and follow along with me.
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What is Paid to Read Email?
Paid to Read Email is basically an ’90s style InboxDollars wannabe. This task website claims to pay its members for assignments like reading emails, completing offers, and filling out surveys.
At first glance, the company does look legit. But after joining and digging into the site, I believe that the cons of Paid to Read Email definitely outweigh the pros.
Spoiler alert: Paid to Read Email is a waste of time.
Paid to Read Email Pros
- Instant $3 signup bonus.
- Registration available worldwide (but paid opportunities may be limited outside of the United States and Canada).
- PaidEmails sent on days of the members’ choosing.
- Payouts available via PayPal cash or Amazon gift cards.
Paid to Read Email Cons
- Limited paid opportunities in each category.
- Low two-star rating on Trustpilot.
- Complaints of the company’s deleting user accounts before they reach the $15 payment threshold.
- Nonexistent proof of Paid to Read Email payments.
- PaidEmails requirements to remain a member (opting out can only be done by canceling your entire account).
- Failure by the company to work with many popular brands.
- No app for mobile users.
- Possibility that the site hasn’t been updated since it was first launched in 2015.
Related: How to Get Paid to Read Books
Requirements to Join Paid to Read Email
It is difficult to determine whether residents outside the United States and Canada can join until you sign up and test it for yourself. To become a member you must:
- be at least 18 years old
- provide your full name
- provide your home address
- provide your email address
Best Alternatives to Paid to Read Email
Despite the discomfort of having to stare at a bright yellow website, I tried my best to find opportunities that pay well on Paid to Read Email. To my disappointment (but not surprise), this site doesn’t seem up-to-date or worth the time.
The following alternatives are much better choices, and have done well keeping up with the changing times.
InboxDollars
InboxDollars sends its members paid emails that are valued between 2 and 5 cents each. In contrast to Paid to Read Email, InboxDollars’ offers are actually relevant and enticing. Many of the offers on InboxDollars are completely free, or include items and services that you probably already purchase on a regular basis.
Use InboxDollars to your advantage and actually save money by keeping an eye out for deals that are most relevant to you. I don’t read InboxDollars emails every day, but I do like to peruse them at least once a week to see if I can find anything that’s relevant to me personally. Plus, the simple act of opening the emails and clicking on the offers puts a few extra dollars toward my balance every month.
MyPoints
The MyPoints optional BonusMail offers allow members to opt in and receive paid emails in their inboxes. You will earn five points just to open and confirm most of the emails, although some pay even more, based on the suggested activity.
Similar to InboxDollars, MyPoints strives to keep offers relevant and up-to-date, and the site shares a healthy mixture of free and paid offers. MyPoints generally recommends a variety of brands to its members and splits the advertisement income with those who complete the offers.
Swagbucks
Owned and operated by the same company as MyPoints, Swagbucks is very much the same – right down to the offers you will receive in your inbox. You will still occasionally find exclusive deals on each site if you decide to join both.
While Swagbucks doesn’t have a dedicated BonusMail setup like MyPoints, it will send relevant offers to your inbox. Click on an offer and sign up for a freebie or make a purchase to earn points called SBs, which can later be exchanged for gift cards or cash.
Related: iSurveyWorld Review
Back to Paid to Read Email: What Are The Features?
If you are still interested in making money as a member of Paid to Read Email, check out the list of eight categories the site features as a way to earn. While Paid to Read Email’s website is simple and easy to navigate, there are extremely limited opportunities in each category.
1. Sign Up Bonus
Potential members are immediately enticed to sign up and receive a $3 bonus. After I completed the initial application that included my first name, email address, and zip code only, I immediately received that bonus to my cash balance.
You cannot cash out that $3 bonus before reaching the minimum payout threshold of $15.
Related: Best Places to Sign up And Get Free Money
2. PaidEmails
As its name suggests, Paid to Read Email’s main attraction is its PaidEmails service. New members are required to opt into PaidEmails in order to start earning. The emails simply contain advertisements, and Paid to Read Email receives a commission for the products and services its members purchase.
This company offers the option to change the payment per email to any amount between 1 and 10 cents. Since Paid to Read Email makes money only when its members complete the emailed offers, it keeps track of member activity using credits called Guaranteed Paid Emails (GPE).
Each new account is credited with 100 GPE, but this amount decreases as the member receives emails. The higher the member sets each email payment (between 1 and 10 cents), the faster the GPE balance will diminish.
To put this into simple numbers, Paid to Read Email will instantly give you 100 GPE (worth $2). If you set your payment to 2 cents per email, you’ll need to receive 50 emails just to earn that $2. Even if the company sends you two emails per day, it will take you nearly a full month to earn $2.
Once the GPE balance reaches zero, you no longer be paid to open new emails. You can replenish your GPE balance by taking surveys and – you guessed it – purchasing items the company recommends.
Related: 15+ Ways to Make Money Online for Free
3. Cash Surveys
Paid to Read Email is not one of the highest-paying survey sites on the market. Access its available surveys by completing the information on your profile. Before you “unlock” those surveys, the only access you will have is to listed opportunities that are simply referral links to other sketchy survey sites that will require you to sign up all over again.
4. Cash Offers
The eight Paid to Read Email categories include books, electronics, entertainment, family, financial, health, mobile, and travel. Unfortunately, when you click on each category, you will more often than not find a page that says, “We’re sorry, there were no offers in this category. Please try another category.”
There are currently only 11 offers in total on the Paid to Read Email site, and most of them are outdated. There are definitely better places to get paid to complete offers online.
5. Earn Points
Accumulate your Paid to Read Email earnings in cash or points. If you earn some cash, but don’t have enough to request a payout, you can convert each dollar to an equivalent of 100 points. Once you’ve hit the minimum threshold of 1,500 points, exchange them for free Amazon gift card codes.
You will be required to sign up to receive free samples and enter sweepstakes in order to earn points. The sites to which you’ll be referred are sketchy at best.
Related: How to Become a Product Reviewer
6. Cash Back Shopping
Only five cashback shopping opportunities are listed on Paid to Read Email, and I recognized just one participating company – Newegg. The offer is a measly .25 percent, which is .0025 of your purchase price. If you buy a $1,000 item on Newegg after clicking through Paid to Read Email’s offer, you will earn just $2.50 in cash back.
Much better sites like Ibotta and Rakuten pay members in cash back on a large variety of purchases.
7. Coupons
The Paid to Read Email coupons section is completely empty. When I clicked on the offer to open it in a new tab, I was greeted with an “oops” message that included no further instructions on how to reach the correct place. I can assure you that many superior sites will allow you to get paid to print coupons.
8. Refer Friends
Getting paid to refer friends to the site is the final way to make money on Paid to Read Email. Instead of an initial signup referral bonus, the company offers a 15 percent recurring commission based on your referrals’ activities.
It is extremely hard to find anything worth completing on the site, and you can expect to earn a measly 75 cents per referral who actually takes the time to earn at least $5 through Paid to Read Email.
Related: Under The Table Jobs that Pay in Cash Only
Is Paid to Read Email Real?
I feel strongly that Paid to Read Email is fake.
At first glance, Paid to Read Email looks just like every other paid survey site. But the static offers that have nothing to do with your real interests look pathetic.
As a new member, I expected to see more many more available opportunities. But as I sifted through the initial handful of items, it just kept looking barer and barer, and there’s no new replenishment of updated tasks.
I ultimately cannot recommend Paid to Read Email. I would never want to encourage you to join a site that just isn’t worth it.