20 Best Mystery Shopping Companies to Work For

If you love shopping, becoming a mystery shopper may sound like a dream. You actually get paid to shop. Instead of leaving a store with buyer’s remorse, you will feel like it is the best payday ever!

Mystery shopping jobs might be the most fun way to make money. It is also not difficult to make money if you enjoy shopping. The hardest part about mystery shopping is finding a trustworthy company with which to earn extra money and avoiding scammers.

Top Mystery Shopping Companies

Luckily, I have done the research for you! Check out the list below to find the mystery shopper company that best suits your needs.

1. BestMark

BestMark is the largest mystery shopping company and has an amazing reputation. With a BBB (Better Business Bureau) score of an A+, you are likely to have a good experience shopping with this company.

The payment will vary depending on the shops you choose from. Usually, you will receive a flat rate and a reimbursement for your purchase. Pay attention while shopping because you must relay your experience back to BestMark.

To apply for this job, you must be 21 years old, have a reliable source of transportation, and have good communication skills. Once you get accepted, just log on regularly to find new jobs.

2. Second to None

Second to None opened in 1989 and has earned a good reputation.

They have various shops available, and the pay varies by shop. You will usually be reimbursed for your purchase, plus a fee.

The company will pay you once a month via PayPal or direct deposit. You can claim a shop by logging into your account to check for available shops.

3. Market Force

Market Force has established a good reputation since 1972. Most people really like this company, and you can feel comfortable signing up with them.

The amount you are paid will vary by shop. You will get paid once a month via check or direct deposit. Follow all of the directions on your shop, or they might decide not to pay you!

To qualify as a shopper for this company, you must be 18 years old and have a high school diploma.

4. GAPbuster

GAPbuster is a worldwide company that has shops in over 105 countries. GAPbuster’s reputation seems to be more mixed than that of other companies. However, if you want to work with them, don’t let a few bad reviews stop you.

The company has a list of rules that you must follow if you decide to work for them.

The rules include:

Concealing your identity
Honoring commitments
Meeting deadlines
Submitting your response on the same day as the shop visit

Before you sign up, make sure you are comfortable with all of the rules.

After you sign up if there is a shop in your area, then GAPbuster will send you an email about it. GAPbuster will pay you once a month via electronic funds transfer.

5. A Customer’s Point of View (ACPVIEW)

ACPVIEW started helping businesses create exceptional customer experiences in 1997.

If you want to become a mystery shopper with ACPVIEW, you must have a knack for noticing small details. Having good writing skills is another “must” with ACPVIEW.

To join ACPVIEW, click the orange “Apply to be a Mystery Shopper” button on their website. Pay varies depending on the job you’re assigned. You’ll be paid via PayPal.

6. Secret Shopper

Secret Shopper is a newer company, but it seems to have amassed a good reputation so far. It has an app if you prefer to shop online on your phone instead of on your desktop.

The company pays you by check on the 20th of every month. The pay ranges between 12 and 25 dollars per shop.

Secret Shopper requires that you be 18 years old and generally dependable. If that sounds like you, then give it a try!

7. About Face

About Face has a positive reputation in the mystery shopping industry.

You will sometimes receive emails about a shop, but if you log into the job board, you will find all available shops.

The typical pay range for About Face shops is 25 to 45 dollars, but the exact amount will vary by shop. You will receive your payment via PayPal 45 days after the shop.

8. Confero

Confero has been around since 1986 and has a very good reputation. It offers a variety of shops covering a wide range of industries.

The pay varies per shop, but you will be paid on the 20^th of every month via PayPal.

The company requires you to be 21 years old and have decent observation skills. It wants people from all 50 states in the US.

Once you join, check the job board for available shops.

9. Intelli-shop

Intelli-shop offers shops in various industries, including fast food, car maintenance, automotive services, and more.

The company usually pays between $5 and $10 per shop and reimburses what you spend at the shop. They pay via PayPal on the 20th of the month after the shop is completed.

You can sign up for shops through their job board, but they will also email you about available shops in your area.

10. ATH Power Consulting

ATH Power Consulting offers mystery shopping tasks for the banking and finance industry. It has been in business for the last two decades and has over 500,000 mystery shoppers nationwide.

They have over 10,000 mystery shops available each month, and most of the assignments are in well-known banks and financial companies.

You don’t need to know much about the financial industry to accept their jobs; however, they recommend that you start with a teller or platform shop first, which requires you to conduct a teller transaction or sit down with a banker and ask questions about a product.

ATH pays twice a month, but you’ll wait a while after completing a study. They pay on the 1st or the 15th of the second month after submitting your report. Just ensure you follow all instructions, or it could affect your pay.

11. Pinnacle

Pinnacle Mystery Shopping has been in business for the last twenty years. Like ATH, it focuses on banks and financial institutions, allowing mystery shoppers looking for a specific niche to find jobs easily.

Pinnacle makes it easy to navigate their job board, or you can sign up for email alerts each time they post a new job. Pinnacle is somewhat picky about the shoppers they choose, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get every job you apply for. As your ratings increase, it gets easier to get jobs.

Pinnacle pays $4 to $75 per job, depending on its complexity, and they pay monthly on the 10th via PayPal.

12. A Closer Look

At A Closer Look, you can get paid to shop, stay in hotels, and do fun things. They offer a wide selection of activities you can do, and you choose which assignments you want, skipping those that aren’t right for you.

After signing up, you can view available jobs on their job board and accept the ones you want while skipping those you don’t.

A Closer Look makes trying new stores, restaurants, and hotels easy while getting paid to provide your opinion on their products and services.

13. Shopper’s View

Shopper’s View offers a variety of tasks for mystery shoppers, including restaurants and stores. You’ll enjoy meals or go on a shopping spree and get paid for reporting about your experience.

Pay differs by task. Sometimes it’s reimbursement for what you spent to eat or buy a product, and other times it’s a flat fee for your service, ranging up to $40. Shopper’s View pays via PayPal on the 15th and last day of the month.

The key is to read the shopper’s requirements carefully for each job, as they differ by brand and store. Following instructions is paramount to getting paid.

14. iSecretShop

iSecretShop is a platform that allows companies and brands to post their opportunities for secret shoppers. However, they don’t pay shoppers directly; each company pays them individually, so reading the fine print is important to ensure you understand the task.

It’s quick to apply, and they have a mobile app to make checking for opportunities while you’re out easy.

15. RBG

RBG has been in business since 1992, serving small and large companies and helping them get the necessary feedback for their businesses.

They work with almost any industry, including restaurants, retail, banking, property management, and other service providers.

It’s easy to qualify as a mystery shopper at RBG because they offer many different opportunities. They pay monthly via PayPal or direct deposit.

16. Elite CXS Group

Elite CXS Group provides some of the best mystery shopping opportunities in the country. You can work from anywhere, whether at home or on vacation, and make quick money. They have jobs you can complete in minutes and others that take longer but pay more.

Elite CXS Group offers jobs that require written reports and those that allow you to do video or audio reports. The jobs include retail establishments, restaurants, hotels, and cellular stores. The job is never the same, and they pay biweekly.

Phone Mystery Shopping

If you think, “These shops all sound fine, but it would require me to leave the house,” check out these mystery phone shopping companies.

You don’t even have to leave the house to work with these companies. You could even complete these shops without getting out of bed if you really wanted to. Just call in from anywhere to complete a shop.

Phone shops work similarly to in-person shops; you will be asked to call a company and find specific information.

You cannot reveal that you are a mystery shopper. Like in a typical shop, you will be asked to share your experience with the company in exchange for payment.

17. Yardi Matrix

Yardi Matrix is a company that pays you to call various rental properties and obtain information about them.

The goal is to ensure that Yardi Matrix has the correct information on that property. You must pass a quiz to work here, and you should have basic telephone etiquette skills.

Yardi Matrix is different than most mystery shopping companies because it will ask you to be an employee instead of an independent contractor. This could be good or bad for you, depending on your situation.

Basically, this means your taxes will be deducted automatically, instead of you having to keep track of how much money you make over the course of a year. The company is even offering benefits like health and dental insurance.

You will be expected to work for about 10 hours a week, and you will be paid about 10 to 11 dollars an hour, depending on your efficiency.

18. ARC

ARC is a company that offers both mystery shopping and performance monitoring and analysis. The phone mystery shopping pays between $3.50 and $12 per call. The company will pay you once a month via direct deposit.

If you apply, you will be invited to a training meeting before they let you take phone shops. The number of phone shops you can open depends on the number available. The company will let you know when there are available shops.

If you excel at phone mystery shopping, the company might invite you to join the performance monitoring side of the business.

It looks like that work is a better-paying gig, which could be great if you want to expand your mystery shopping experience and make a little bit more money.

19. Call Center QA

Call Center QA hires people to perform call auditing and evaluation services on call centers around the country.

The company will ask you to call a company and evaluate the call center based on your experience. After the call, you will have to write up a summary of your experience.

If you want to apply, you will need these skills:

Good listening skills
Attention to detail
Good writing skills
Objectivity
A desire to provide a great evaluation service

If you have a call center background, that is a huge plus, but it is not required to be hired. After you are hired, you will be asked to perform two unpaid test calls before you can start making calls for money.

The company will contact you if there is work available, but the number of opportunities you receive will vary depending on what they have available.

You will be paid 5 dollars per call. One great thing about this company is that they are known for paying extremely fast via PayPal—sometimes even within 24 hours of your call!

20. iShopFor Ipsos

iShopFor Ipsos will pay you to experience the world’s leading brands. As a shopper for iShopFor Ipsos, you’ll mystery shop at retail stores, on the phone, via chat features, and via email.

Each task has a different pay rate, and the pay rates are shared when you’re told about potential jobs. You can deny or accept jobs as you wish.

You’ll be paid via PayPal for jobs you complete. The company website provides terms and conditions regarding payment frequency.

Avoid Mystery Shopping Scams

A word of caution: Before signing up for any mystery shopping company, make sure that it is not a scam.

One sure sign of a scam is being asked to pay for the privilege of being a mystery shopper or for your bank account information.

A legitimate company would never ask you to pay to work. If you run into that huge red flag, then just move on to a different company that has been proven to be reputable.

Summary

There are plenty of great mystery shopping companies out there, so never sign up with one that makes you feel uncomfortable. It is just not worth it if you do not feel okay with working for that company.

Although mystery shopping is an unreliable source of income, it can be a really easy way to earn extra cash and have a little fun at the same time.

Some easy ways to increase your opportunities are to sign up for multiple companies, always show up if you sign up for a shop, and do a good job! Any company is more likely to give you work if you are good at the job.

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