This article provides some CashCrate tips for getting the most out of the site. CashCrate is a legitimate and reliable way to earn some extra income online from home. You won't get rich doing this, but it's great for stay at home parents, students, or anyone who's looking for additional cash.
The way CashCrate works is very simple – advertisers, who are looking for people to try out their websites, products or services, pay CashCrate for referring people (you, me and other CashCrate members) to sign up for offers or take surveys on their sites, and CashCrate in turn passes some of that money they receive on to you as a reward. You can also make money by referring people to CashCrate, or get some cashback when you shop online if you go to the retailer site via their link. For more details about these different ways of earning, see my article on making money with CashCrate.
So, you've signed up and are ready to get started. Here are some points to bear in mind when it comes to each of the three main ways to make money on the site:
1. Making Money With Surveys & Offers On CashCrate
You can make money on CashCrate for free
You don't have to pay anything, or give your credit card details in order to make money with CashCrate. There are offers which require credit card details – these are the free trial offers and those where you pay a small postage or other fee to take part. These offers tend to pay you the most, but you DON'T have to do these if you don't want to give your card details (though it's perfectly safe). You can still make money from the 100% free, no card needed offers and the surveys.
Remember to cancel any free trial offers if you don't want your card to be charged
Many people do choose to sign up for the trial offers with their card details – these are legitimate, and as noted above, they tend to pay relatively well. If you do decide to give any of these offers a go, such as the free trial offers, you must remember to cancel before the trial period is over and the payment becomes due, or your card will be charged! So set a reminder and make sure you don't get caught out.
Should you use a prepaid Visa or Mastercard for extra peace of mind?
If you decide to do the offers that require credit card details, you could use a prepaid Visa or Mastercard for signing up. It's perfectly ok to use your normal card, but if you think you might forget to cancel any offers that have recurring charges in time, using a prepaid card with just enough to cover the necessary cost can be a good idea. However, be aware that some advertisers may not validate your sign ups if you use a card of this type.
Give correct information when filling out offers
When completing surveys and other offers, you should use a valid email address that you actually check, and give your correct name and other details. This will help ensure that all of your transactions are validated by the advertisers (if the advertisers think that your sign up is invalid, CashCrate won't get paid, and neither will you). It's also against CashCrate's terms to use false information, so if you do so and get caught, your account could be terminated.
Use a separate email address for completing offers
If you do a lot of offers on CashCrate, you'll be getting a lot of emails from the sites you sign up with. While you can always unsubscribe from these, it's still a good idea to use a separate email address just for doing this, so your inbox doesn't get flooded with junk. I suggest signing up with a free account with Gmail, Yahoo! or a similar service.
Cancel any offers or memberships that you've signed up and are no longer interested in
Once you've completed an offer and it has tracked and been validated by the advertiser, you may not want to continue with it. You shouldn't cancel a membership etc immediately after signing up, as it probably won't be validated by the advertiser. However, you can cancel after being paid if you want to. If you don't do this, you may find that you get increasing numbers of emails (and sometimes physical post too), so you'll need to keep track of what you've signed up if you want to keep this under control.
Always read the Terms & Conditions of each offer you sign up for
CashCrate provides information about each offer before you sign up, but they can't guarantee that this information is always complete or up to date, so you should always read the full terms of any offer you're interested in, and ensure you know exactly what it involves.
Complete the whole offer (and check your email)
You'll only be credited for offers that you've completed in full. Some offers also require you to confirm your email address adter signing up, so remember to do this, or it won't be validated and you won't get paid.
Don't do the same offer on more than one 'get paid to' site
CashCrate isn't the only GPT site around (though it's among the best). If you're a member of other similar sites, it's best not to do the same offers from any one advertiser on multiple sites – if the advertiser catches on to what you're doing (and they probably will), none of your transactions will be valid, and you won't get paid on any of the sites.
Be patient
While many offers that you complete are validated within a few hours, sometimes it will take longer than this, and the amount due to you will show as 'pending' in the meantime. This isn't CashCrate's fault - they can only update your earnings when the advertiser has confirmed that the transaction is valid. So don't worry if it takes a few days for some offers to track properly - this is normal for some advertisers.
Be aware...
... that offers are sometimes not validated, which means you won't get paid. CashCrate can only pay you when they themselves have been paid by the advertiser. If the advertiser doesn't validate the transaction, CashCrate won't get paid, so neither will you. This is obviously very frustrating, and fortunately it's also pretty rare - in my experience most offers track and are validated reliably. You can reduce your chances of an offer not tracking or being validated by using accurate information, validating any emails where necessary, using a real (not prepaid) credit card, not cancelling memberships until you've been paid, and not signing up for the same offer on sites other than CashCrate.
Had a bad experience? CashCrate want to know about it
CashCrate only allow reputable companies to advertise via their site. So if you complete an offer and have a bad experience, be sure to let them know. You can submit comments or complaints via the Support Center, which is accessed through the member's area.
The amount you can make with offers is largely dependent on where you live
CashCrate is a US-based site, and is open to members from around the world. However, the number of surveys and offers that are available to you will depend on where you live – English-speaking countries (particularly the US) get the most, so if you live in a non-English speaking part of the world, you probably won't make as much money from doing the offers. It's still worth joining though, as you may get some, and you can make additional money from referring active members to the site.
2. Making Money With Referrals On CashCrate
Referring others can make you quite a significant income
If you refer other people to CashCrate through your unique referral link, you can potentially make a nice extra income – probably more than you'd make through the offers alone. CashCrate has a two-tier referral system, so you get a percentage of what the people who sign up under you make, as well as a smaller percentage of the money made by the people who sign up under them. Plus when you've referred over a certain number of people, you get a higher commission and extra bonuses. So this is a nice way to boost your own income while helping others to generate some extra cash too. [Read more about CashCrate referrals here.]
You don't have to refer anyone to make money with CashCrate
However, CashCrate is not some slimy MLM scheme where you can only make money if you refer others! You can make a nice extra income from the offers alone, so don’t feel like you have to refer others – you definitely don't.
Good places to post your referral link
If you have a website or a blog, you can post your referral link there, so you get a credit if any of your visitors join CashCrate. Other places to post your link include your email signature, or in your signature or profile pages on any forums that you post on (assuming they allow this). Don't spam though!
Bad places to post your referral link
CashCrate has a strict anti-spam policy when it comes to referrals, and you can't post links on sites whose policies forbid it (such as Facebook, MySpace etc), nor can you use email spam.
Make use of the referral resources
CashCrate has a nice selection of banners and graphics you can add to your site or blog, and you can also make custom graphics showing how much you've earned from CashCrate. These can help you to gain more referrals, so check them out in the 'Promotion Center' on the CashCrate site after signing up.
Don't refer multiple people from the same IP address
Be aware that if you refer multiple people at the same IP address (such as in a college dorm, or an office or other workplace etc), your referrals most likely won't be counted – this is part of CashCrate's fraud prevention measures. So if you want to refer your college friends, workmates etc, make sure they sign up from different IP addresses.
3. Getting Paid To Shop Via CashCrate
If you shop online, see if the retailer is on CashCrate's list
CashCrate has a list of retailers which offer cashback if you go through their link before buying. This won't cost you anything extra, but CashCrate will get a commission which they'll share with you – check out the 'Get Paid To Shop' section for a complete list of eligible retailers.
Clear cookies before clicking through to the merchants
To minimise the chances of your transaction not tracking, it's best to clear your cookies before clicking through to the merchant site from CashCrate. Also ensure that your browser is set to accept cookies from third party sites. Or alternatively, you could use a second browser just for getting cashback when you shop, so you don't have to clear the cookies in your main browser (if you normally use Internet Explorer for example, try Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera instead). Just don't visit the retailer site via anyone else's link, or CashCrate's cookie might be overwritten and your cashback won't track.
Other CashCrate Tricks and Tips
Check out the blog
Here you'll learn about changes to the site and other CashCrate news
Visit the forums
CashCrate's forums are very active and there's a really friendly, vibrant community over there. You can get answers to your questions, air any grievances, and connect with others who are making money online with CashCrate. This is a great resource, so don't overlook it.
Be consistent!
If you live in an English-speaking country, chances are that new offers and surveys will be made available regularly. It's worth checking the site every day or two, and keeping up with the offers that you want to do. Each individual offer probably won't pay much, but it does start to add up pretty quickly, and many people find that CashCrate provides a nice supplementary income for little effort.
The way CashCrate works is very simple – advertisers, who are looking for people to try out their websites, products or services, pay CashCrate for referring people (you, me and other CashCrate members) to sign up for offers or take surveys on their sites, and CashCrate in turn passes some of that money they receive on to you as a reward. You can also make money by referring people to CashCrate, or get some cashback when you shop online if you go to the retailer site via their link. For more details about these different ways of earning, see my article on making money with CashCrate.
So, you've signed up and are ready to get started. Here are some points to bear in mind when it comes to each of the three main ways to make money on the site:
1. Making Money With Surveys & Offers On CashCrate
You can make money on CashCrate for free
You don't have to pay anything, or give your credit card details in order to make money with CashCrate. There are offers which require credit card details – these are the free trial offers and those where you pay a small postage or other fee to take part. These offers tend to pay you the most, but you DON'T have to do these if you don't want to give your card details (though it's perfectly safe). You can still make money from the 100% free, no card needed offers and the surveys.
Remember to cancel any free trial offers if you don't want your card to be charged
Many people do choose to sign up for the trial offers with their card details – these are legitimate, and as noted above, they tend to pay relatively well. If you do decide to give any of these offers a go, such as the free trial offers, you must remember to cancel before the trial period is over and the payment becomes due, or your card will be charged! So set a reminder and make sure you don't get caught out.
Should you use a prepaid Visa or Mastercard for extra peace of mind?
If you decide to do the offers that require credit card details, you could use a prepaid Visa or Mastercard for signing up. It's perfectly ok to use your normal card, but if you think you might forget to cancel any offers that have recurring charges in time, using a prepaid card with just enough to cover the necessary cost can be a good idea. However, be aware that some advertisers may not validate your sign ups if you use a card of this type.
Give correct information when filling out offers
When completing surveys and other offers, you should use a valid email address that you actually check, and give your correct name and other details. This will help ensure that all of your transactions are validated by the advertisers (if the advertisers think that your sign up is invalid, CashCrate won't get paid, and neither will you). It's also against CashCrate's terms to use false information, so if you do so and get caught, your account could be terminated.
Use a separate email address for completing offers
If you do a lot of offers on CashCrate, you'll be getting a lot of emails from the sites you sign up with. While you can always unsubscribe from these, it's still a good idea to use a separate email address just for doing this, so your inbox doesn't get flooded with junk. I suggest signing up with a free account with Gmail, Yahoo! or a similar service.
Cancel any offers or memberships that you've signed up and are no longer interested in
Once you've completed an offer and it has tracked and been validated by the advertiser, you may not want to continue with it. You shouldn't cancel a membership etc immediately after signing up, as it probably won't be validated by the advertiser. However, you can cancel after being paid if you want to. If you don't do this, you may find that you get increasing numbers of emails (and sometimes physical post too), so you'll need to keep track of what you've signed up if you want to keep this under control.
Always read the Terms & Conditions of each offer you sign up for
CashCrate provides information about each offer before you sign up, but they can't guarantee that this information is always complete or up to date, so you should always read the full terms of any offer you're interested in, and ensure you know exactly what it involves.
Complete the whole offer (and check your email)
You'll only be credited for offers that you've completed in full. Some offers also require you to confirm your email address adter signing up, so remember to do this, or it won't be validated and you won't get paid.
Don't do the same offer on more than one 'get paid to' site
CashCrate isn't the only GPT site around (though it's among the best). If you're a member of other similar sites, it's best not to do the same offers from any one advertiser on multiple sites – if the advertiser catches on to what you're doing (and they probably will), none of your transactions will be valid, and you won't get paid on any of the sites.
Be patient
While many offers that you complete are validated within a few hours, sometimes it will take longer than this, and the amount due to you will show as 'pending' in the meantime. This isn't CashCrate's fault - they can only update your earnings when the advertiser has confirmed that the transaction is valid. So don't worry if it takes a few days for some offers to track properly - this is normal for some advertisers.
Be aware...
... that offers are sometimes not validated, which means you won't get paid. CashCrate can only pay you when they themselves have been paid by the advertiser. If the advertiser doesn't validate the transaction, CashCrate won't get paid, so neither will you. This is obviously very frustrating, and fortunately it's also pretty rare - in my experience most offers track and are validated reliably. You can reduce your chances of an offer not tracking or being validated by using accurate information, validating any emails where necessary, using a real (not prepaid) credit card, not cancelling memberships until you've been paid, and not signing up for the same offer on sites other than CashCrate.
Had a bad experience? CashCrate want to know about it
CashCrate only allow reputable companies to advertise via their site. So if you complete an offer and have a bad experience, be sure to let them know. You can submit comments or complaints via the Support Center, which is accessed through the member's area.
The amount you can make with offers is largely dependent on where you live
CashCrate is a US-based site, and is open to members from around the world. However, the number of surveys and offers that are available to you will depend on where you live – English-speaking countries (particularly the US) get the most, so if you live in a non-English speaking part of the world, you probably won't make as much money from doing the offers. It's still worth joining though, as you may get some, and you can make additional money from referring active members to the site.
2. Making Money With Referrals On CashCrate
Referring others can make you quite a significant income
If you refer other people to CashCrate through your unique referral link, you can potentially make a nice extra income – probably more than you'd make through the offers alone. CashCrate has a two-tier referral system, so you get a percentage of what the people who sign up under you make, as well as a smaller percentage of the money made by the people who sign up under them. Plus when you've referred over a certain number of people, you get a higher commission and extra bonuses. So this is a nice way to boost your own income while helping others to generate some extra cash too. [Read more about CashCrate referrals here.]
You don't have to refer anyone to make money with CashCrate
However, CashCrate is not some slimy MLM scheme where you can only make money if you refer others! You can make a nice extra income from the offers alone, so don’t feel like you have to refer others – you definitely don't.
Good places to post your referral link
If you have a website or a blog, you can post your referral link there, so you get a credit if any of your visitors join CashCrate. Other places to post your link include your email signature, or in your signature or profile pages on any forums that you post on (assuming they allow this). Don't spam though!
Bad places to post your referral link
CashCrate has a strict anti-spam policy when it comes to referrals, and you can't post links on sites whose policies forbid it (such as Facebook, MySpace etc), nor can you use email spam.
Make use of the referral resources
CashCrate has a nice selection of banners and graphics you can add to your site or blog, and you can also make custom graphics showing how much you've earned from CashCrate. These can help you to gain more referrals, so check them out in the 'Promotion Center' on the CashCrate site after signing up.
Don't refer multiple people from the same IP address
Be aware that if you refer multiple people at the same IP address (such as in a college dorm, or an office or other workplace etc), your referrals most likely won't be counted – this is part of CashCrate's fraud prevention measures. So if you want to refer your college friends, workmates etc, make sure they sign up from different IP addresses.
3. Getting Paid To Shop Via CashCrate
If you shop online, see if the retailer is on CashCrate's list
CashCrate has a list of retailers which offer cashback if you go through their link before buying. This won't cost you anything extra, but CashCrate will get a commission which they'll share with you – check out the 'Get Paid To Shop' section for a complete list of eligible retailers.
Clear cookies before clicking through to the merchants
To minimise the chances of your transaction not tracking, it's best to clear your cookies before clicking through to the merchant site from CashCrate. Also ensure that your browser is set to accept cookies from third party sites. Or alternatively, you could use a second browser just for getting cashback when you shop, so you don't have to clear the cookies in your main browser (if you normally use Internet Explorer for example, try Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera instead). Just don't visit the retailer site via anyone else's link, or CashCrate's cookie might be overwritten and your cashback won't track.
Other CashCrate Tricks and Tips
Check out the blog
Here you'll learn about changes to the site and other CashCrate news
Visit the forums
CashCrate's forums are very active and there's a really friendly, vibrant community over there. You can get answers to your questions, air any grievances, and connect with others who are making money online with CashCrate. This is a great resource, so don't overlook it.
Be consistent!
If you live in an English-speaking country, chances are that new offers and surveys will be made available regularly. It's worth checking the site every day or two, and keeping up with the offers that you want to do. Each individual offer probably won't pay much, but it does start to add up pretty quickly, and many people find that CashCrate provides a nice supplementary income for little effort.
