MyPoints is a cross between a reward and a cash back app developed by the large market research group Prodege. The key takeaway from this MyPoints review is that it has a range of rather convoluted activities to earn points, discounts, or cash back, offering several ways to earn money online.
Our biggest concern with MyPoints is that it is not transparent. There is little helpful information on the website or social media and the very basics (like the dollar value of a MyPoint) are not clear. We recommend easier-to-use cash back apps like Fetch where you know exactly what you are getting and how much effort it takes to earn.
Most people are looking for alternative ways to earn more money or to save more on the purchases they make. Making money online is one of the most popular choices available today, with many options available to all. Some of these options don't even need any particular skill set. MyPoints is an example of such a platform, and in this MyPoints review, you'll discover its features, pros, and cons to decide if it's the platform you need.
What Is MyPoints?
MyPoints is a cash back, rebates, and rewards app founded in 1996 by Noah J. Doyle. The company was bought in 2016 by the market research group Prodege (headquarters are in San Francisco), the same company that currently owns Swagbucks and InboxDollars. This program is a flexible rewards program that mimics how airline loyalty programs give out air miles. In fact, that is how they started by linking to a major American airline.
The MyPoints website states they have over nine million members and over 2,000 participating retailers. Some of those retailers are H&M, Alamo, and Walgreens. It can be accessed on any web browser, by a dedicated browser extension, or on a mobile app. MyPoints is rated 3.4 out of 5 stars on both the Google and Apple Play Stores. This is one of the lowest app ratings for a Prodege company we have seen.
MyPoints allows customers to earn points or receive rebates for completing a range of activities around their everyday shopping, thoughts and views, and aspirational purchases. The MyPoints you earn are redeemable for cash, air miles, or e-gift cards from a range of restaurants, stores, and travel agents.
Features Of MyPoints
While MyPoints describes itself as a rewards program for general shopping, it also has other activities that members can complete to earn points. Let’s unpack all of those features.
#1 Cash Back On Shopping
Just by shopping at the MyPoints website, members can earn cash back rewards at thousands of stores. It also has sales, promotional codes, and other deals.
Some of the deals are specific and detailed like this Harley Davidson offer with 30% off women's footwear as well as earning two points per dollar spent. Other offers are less clear like those below with no details about how much has to be spent to earn the points.
There are also offers to earn cash back on car rentals, hotels, and vacations.
#2 Surveys
Members can earn up to 2,200 points for each survey they complete. Survey topics include fashion, home and garden, and cars. The size and demographic of the surveys are dictated by the market research companies commissioning them. Within the surveys, there is the opportunity to review test products so they are definitely worth signing up for.
If you attempt to complete a survey but you are not selected, you will still receive a bonus of five points (maximum of 25 points per day). There is no limit to the number of surveys you can complete as long as you qualify for them. As with other survey sites, there is no information about the topic of the survey so you are blind really and just judging from the time and number of points as to whether you want to take it or not.
The following image shows 10 examples of different surveys with their respective payout in points.
#3 SurveyMail
Instead of logging into the MyPoints website to earn money, members can also sign up to receive SurveyMail, where surveys and polls are emailed to them each day. These are worth between 50 and 600 points on completion. You can also earn points by answering the profile questions more fully. You will earn an extra five points for every ten profile questions you answer.
#4 Games And Videos
MyPoints offers a range of games to earn money, and you can earn up to four points per dollar per game. The games include trivia, mobile gaming apps, bingo, and puzzles.
The Bingo game is particularly popular and the benefit of playing is that for every activity you complete on your board you earn MyPoints. Bingo tasks include:
- Daily polls.
- Surveys.
- Daily goals.
- Completing items on your To-Do List.
- Visiting a specific retailer.
Members can also earn differing amounts of points for watching videos which are usually advertisements for their partner companies.
#5 Magic Receipts
This feature refers to earning rewards when shopping in-store. You can browse selected products and find deals in the app. Then, you just need to press the “Add” button to add the item to an app-generated Shopping List. Once they are added to your list, all you need to do is visit a physical store, purchase them, and then scan your receipt into the app to claim the stated cash back.
There are also cash back offers for specific retailers, like Walgreens or Walmart. These in-store cash back offers are limited and will have expiry dates so members may find items disappear from their shopping list without warning.
#6 Special Deals
MyPoints offers a range of special deals and offers. These include:
- New product testing
- Free trials of services
- Testing streaming services and meal kits
These are fun ways to make extra money while at the same time having new and unique experiences.
#7 My To-Do List
The MyPoints To-Do List consists of a set of tasks for you to complete. You can earn five points for ticking off five items. One of these must be the Deal of the Day. There are opportunities to earn additional points by completing a set number of tasks on certain days, as shown in the following table.
| Tasks Available | Points Available |
| Five items including the Deal of the Day. | 5 |
| All nine tasks on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays | 10 |
| All tasks including uploading a receipt | 20 |
#8 Discover Deals
This is a tab dedicated to those wishing to find something a bit different and potentially more lucrative. There are frequently big points to be earned on specific deals like banking and insurance. If you’re looking for a new bank account or are organized enough to sign up for a trial offer and then cancel it before you’re charged, then this is the place. The most lucrative MyPoints offer we found was a huge 30,000 MyPoints for investing in a home security package.
#9 Web Browser Extension
The browser extension helps you find any current coupons when you’re shopping and will automatically apply the best one to your purchase at checkout. The extension will also notify you of points available at the e-commerce site you are browsing. Finally, by adding the Google Chrome extension to your browser, you’ll earn an immediate 100 points.
#10 Blog
MyPoints has a blog with articles on how to save money and earn points, as well as lifestyle articles like recipes. It has a heartwarming section called Rewarding Moments where people recall an important moment in their life that was connected to MyPoints, like using points to travel to see a long-lost relative.
#11 New Members And Refer A Friend
Currently, MyPoints is offering a $10 signup bonus as an Amazon or Visa gift card for new sign-ups once they spend $20 through the MyPoints website in the first 30 days.
MyPoints also has a refer-a-friend program that awards you and your friend with bonus points. The following table shows how that program works.
| Sign Up Conditions | Your Bonus Points | Friend’s Bonus Points |
| Earn 300 points in the first 30 days | 300 | 300 |
| Refer a second friend who earns 300 points in the first 30 days | 500 plus an extra 200 for the first friend | 300 |
| Refer a third friend who earns 300 points in the first 30 days | 2,100 | 300 |
#12 Bonus Emails
BonusMail is an optional feature that’s basically an email points-rewarding newsletter. If you sign up for BonusMail, you’ll receive regular emails with information about how to earn more points. You can earn up to five bonus points just for opening them and following the links.
Cashing Out On MyPoints
Customers can cash out in the following ways, once they reach 500 MyPoints:
- Redeem MyPoints for gift cards from retailers and restaurants.
- Get a PayPal cash payment.
- A Visa prepaid card.
- Transfer your MyPoints to your United MileagePlus Account.
E-gift cards should arrive within three days but may take up to ten.
One of the major problems with MyPoints is that you don't really know the value of the points you are collecting.
They have a different value depending on how you redeem them. The website states that 1,750 MyPoints are worth $10 (on the new member sign-up page). This means that 175 points = $1. However, that value isn’t fixed, because when you cash out, different gift cards from different retailers will be worth a different number of MyPoints, even though they have the same cash value.
However, after considering various redemption options, on average, you’ll get one dollar in value for every 150 to 200 points. So, that lucrative 30,000 points deal we mentioned above would be worth between $150 and $200.
Pros Of MyPoints
- There are many retailers to choose from whether you’re shopping or redeeming points.
- Large amounts of MyPoints can be earned for featured deals on the Discover tab.
- There is a good range of ways to earn MyPoints and cash discounts.
- The in-store cash back deals have a clearly stated dollar value so you know exactly how much you’re saving.
Cons Of MyPoints
- Although some surveys have high payouts of up to 2,200 points (worth roughly $11–$15), most others are worth 50–400 points, which is quite low (could be worth as little as $0.25).
- The website help center isn’t very helpful at all and is full of broken links, which is never a good sign.
- The same can be said about the company’s blog and social media accounts.
- The more you engage with MyPoints, particularly in surveys, the more personal information you have to hand over.
Pricing
MyPoints is free to download as an app on your smartphone or as an extension for your web browser. There are some activities that require you to pay in order to earn MyPoints. For instance, playing online games. For other activities like free trials, you are required to give credit card details and if you do not cancel within the first month, you will be charged.
Related: If you're interested in legit survey sites, you may also want to check out LifePoints.
In Summary
MyPoints is a well-established rewards app that allows members to claim discounts through their sales and coupon searching, and earn points on everyday and special purchases. Points can be redeemed as cash, gift cards, or airline miles. There is a lot of confusion around the value of the points as it takes a different amount to redeem for different rewards. There is no doubt that some people love MyPoints and if you can establish a rhythm for completing tasks, it may well be worthwhile.
However, we feel MyPoints isn’t as transparent as it should be. There is little helpful information on the website or social media and the very basics are not clear. We recommend easier-to-use cash back apps like Fetch Rewards where you know exactly what you are getting and how much effort it takes to earn.
MyPoints Review FAQs
How much does MyPoints cost?
MyPoints doesn’t cost anything for the consumer to sign up and use.
Is MyPoints Worth It?
Yes and No. There is a lot of effort required to maximize your earnings on MyPoints. You will need to be very organized to complete the regular tasks required to earn bonus points, for example, and to remember to cancel all the free trials you sign up for.
Is MyPoints safe?
Yes, MyPoints is safe to use, up to a point. You must remember that the more personal information you give about yourself, whether it is in surveys or participating in free trials, the more dangerous it becomes for your privacy, especially when that information is shared with shady business partners.
Is MyPoints legit?
Yes, MyPoints is absolutely legit. It is part of the Prodege Group which also owns the market research companies Swagbucks and InboxDollars. It has been operating for over 25 years.
