Get Paid To Read Emails: Best Legit Sites For 2024

Whether you are seeking a way to make ends meet this month or have some downtime you are looking to cash in on, what better way to earn a few extra dollars than to get paid to read emails in your spare time?

The best way to get paid to read emails is to sign up with legitimate companies offering this type of opportunity. Reading emails is a legal way to earn extra money online, and although it might not be hugely profitable, it’s an easy and convenient way to utilize your free time in return for cash.

You don’t need any experience or qualifications to get started, just a good internet connection, and a phone or a laptop.

Can You (Really) Get Paid To Read Emails?

It is perfectly normal to be skeptical of any opportunity that seems too good to be true, especially if it promises to pay you for reading emails.

However, there are legit sites that employ people to do just that.

To find these opportunities, you can access Get-Paid-To sites (GPT) and search for ones that specifically pay you to read emails.

How Much Can You Make Reading Emails?

Generally, most companies pay their readers between $0.01 to $0.10 per email. These rates can add up to a few dollars per week, or even $3-$5 per hour if you frequently work for multiple online platforms.

While solely reading emails will probably not sustain you on the income front, it is a legal way to make some extra cash on the side.

Top 6 Websites That Will Pay You To Read Emails

Not all GPT websites are created equal, but here are six legitimate platforms to get you started:

Swagbucks

Prodege-owned Swagbucks is one of the most well-known sites for making extra money.

Their appeal lies mainly in that you can earn cash by reading emails and accessing various paid activities.

Earning Power

The currency Swagbucks uses is SB, with every 100SB equivalent to $1.

Swagbucks offers you $5 (500 SB) to $10 (1,000 SB) as a welcome bonus if you sign up with them using a unique link or code.

You also get 10% of any friend or family member’s earnings that you refer to Swagbucks.

Payment Method

You can redeem your points as a gift card or cash transferred into a PayPal account. The minimum redeemable SB is $3 (or 300 SB) for gift cards and $25 (2,500 SB) if you opt for PayPal.

Pros & Cons

The advantages of Swagbucks:

• The minimum age requirement is only 13.
• They offer a wide variety of quick, easy, and fun activities to engage in
• You can download the Swagbucks app on any Android or iOS device
• They pay a referral bonus

A few drawbacks of Swagbucks:

• You must wait to receive “Click and Earn” emails on your official Swagbucks dashboard.
• To activate the welcome bonus, you must spend at least $25 on a single purchase from an eligible category on the merchant’s shop page on the Swagbucks site.
• The sign-up bonus will only reflect after 30+ days. 
• You can only redeem your rewards from their site if you reside in certain countries.

Public Opinion

Swagbucks has been featured in the New York Times and Forbes as a legitimate platform to earn money from home.

Swagbucks also seems to have a relatively strong reputation with the public:

• Sitejabber: 4/5 stars (9,017 reviews)
• Better Business Bureau: Prodege earned an A- rating and a customer review score of 3.79/5 (776 reviews)
• Trustpilot: 4.3 score (28,346 reviews)
• Survey Police: 3.4/5 user rating (379 reviews)

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is an online rewards program like Swagbucks (both are owned by Prodege), where you can earn money to read emails.

InboxDollars also offers other ways to earn money in the form of surveys, watching ads, and referral bonuses.

Earning Power

InboxDollars offers you a $5 sign-up bonus when you register with them.

Depending on the type of paid email you receive, you can expect to earn between $0.01 and $0.10 per email you open and read.

InboxDollars will pay you an additional bonus if you access the specific offer within the email.

You will also receive 10% of all your friend or family member’s earnings if they sign up on your referral.

Payment Method

Once you have earned $30, you can select how you want to redeem it by choosing a traditional check, PayPal, or InboxDollars ePayments (gift cards, Prepaid Visa Card, or donations).

Pros & Cons

The benefits of InboxDollars:

• They have an app that is compatible with iOS and Android phones.
• They have ongoing promotions and contests for all their members.
• Multiple payment options are available when you are ready to redeem your rewards.

A few downsides to InboxDollars:

• A payment request incurs a hefty processing fee of $3.
• The processing of payments happens only on Wednesdays.
• Although some sources claim that anyone can access the site, the platform seems limited to those living in the U.S. who are at least 18 years old.
• Canadians must use their sister site; Daily Rewards.

Public Opinion

InboxDollars is an award-winning company featured in Forbes, Mashable, Bustle, and numerous other news outlets as a legitimate way to earn money online.

InboxDollars also has a relatively sound reputation among its users:

• Sitejabber: 3.8/5 stars (2,693 reviews)
• Better Business Bureau: Prodege earned an A- rating and a customer review score of 3.79/5 (776 reviews)
• Trustpilot: 4.2/5 score (31,904 reviews)
• Survey Police: 3.1/5 user rating (152 reviews)

InboxPounds (UK)

InboxPounds is the British equivalent of the American InboxDollars. It is a site that passes on the revenue it generates from advertisers to its members by rewarding you with cash when you read emails and complete surveys.

Earning Power

Apart from a £1 signup bonus, you will earn an additional £0.50 for activating your account.

Based on your referrals, you also get 10% of any friend or family member’s earnings for life if they sign up to InboxPounds.

Payment Method

InboxPounds processes your money through e-payments such as prepaid Mastercards and gift cards from Amazon, Tesco, M&S, John Lewis, etc.

You can also choose to receive payment via PayPal. There is a minimum payout amount of £20.

Pros & Cons

Some advantages of InboxPounds:

• They offer more than ten ways to earn money.
• They have an app for Android and iOS devices.
• They have a quick turnaround time for PayPal payments (3 working days).

Some disadvantages of InboxPounds:

• A long waiting time for gift card redemption (10+ days).
• This platform only allows residents from the UK to access paid opportunities.
• Restricted to users 18 years or older.

Public Opinion

Although recognized, the company doesn’t offer you the same earning potential as others.

InboxPounds is a legitimate platform, however, they seem to have a mixed reputation among the public:

• Sitejabber: 4.5/5 stars (12 reviews)
• Trustpilot: 4/5 score (1,286 reviews)
• Survey Police: 2.3/5 user rating (19 reviews)

MyPoints

MyPoints, another site from Prodege, is an online points-based system where you can earn money by completing various tasks including reading emails.

Earning Power

With the Bonusmails program, you can earn MyPoints rewards for every “Bonusmail” you read, plus extra rewards if you shop or complete transactions via these emails.

You can earn about 5 points just for opening an email and up to 30 points if you click on the links within the email. Every 140 points are equivalent to $1.

Payment Method

With MyPoints, members earn points that you can convert into:

• Cash through PayPal or Visa gift cards
• Gift cards from over 70 retailers (e.g., Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, etc.)
• Travel miles to your United Mileage Plus account.

You will need to reach $25 before requesting a cash payout, which is steep compared to the $5 limit if you want to claim your money through a gift card.

Pros & Cons

Some benefits of MyPoints:

• They send alerts in your browser to inform you of new opportunities to earn points.
• The minimum age requirement is only 13.

Some drawbacks to MyPoints:

• The earnings from Bonusmail don’t come from reading the email but from making purchases.
• You can only join the site if you reside in the USA or Canada.

Public Opinion

MyPoints is a legitimate platform that is well suited to people who spend a lot of time doing online shopping, yet this platform seems to have a mixed reputation among the public:

• Sitejabber: 4.2/5 stars (1,037 reviews)
• Better Business Bureau: Prodege earned an A- rating and a customer review score of 3.79/5 (776 reviews)
• Trustpilot: 4.4/5 score (31,904 reviews)
• Survey Police: 2.6/5 user rating (200 reviews)

Cash4Offers

Cash4Offers gives you several ways to be rewarded for your online activity, including reading emails.

Earning Power

Cash4Offers offers relatively low rewards for their paid activities. However, they offer a $5 sign-up bonus if you join their platform, plus $3 for each referral who completes their first survey.

You can expect about $0.01 payment per email you read.

Payment Method

You have two payment options with Cash4Offers: Paypal or Amazon gift cards.

With Cash4Offers, you must make at least $35 if you want your payment via Paypal.

If you opt for a gift card, you will need a minimum of 1500 points. Each point is equivalent to 1c, so the payout threshold is much lower ($15) if you choose a gift card instead of cash.

Pros & Cons

Some advantages of Cash4Offers:

• They have a dedicated service team that offers members support within 24h.
• They have a 72h payout time once you are a Gold member.
• Users can access this platform from anywhere in the world.

The disadvantages of Cash4Offers:

• Your first payment with Cash4Offers can take up to one month to process.
• The low compensation rate for tasks.
• High threshold for cashing out ($35).
• No app that you can download for mobile use.
• Those living in the U.S. or Canada can access more paid activities than other members.

Public Opinion

Cash4Offers is a legitimate platform, but there are far better GPT sites to consider. They also have a relatively poor reputation among the public:

• Sitejabber: 1/5 stars (1 review)
• Better Business Bureau: F rating (no BBB accreditation) rating and 0 customer reviews
• Trustpilot: 3.2/5 score (1 review)

Quick Rewards

Quick Rewards is a legitimate GPT website that has been around since 2002. It is free to join the platform and offers various paid activities to earn money.

Earning Power

You earn a specific dollar amount or points for each task you complete on Quick Rewards. The points are called QuickPoints, and 100 QP points equal $0.01.

When you want to redeem the points, you can easily convert them to real money.

Reading emails will yield a meager income, but the other paid activities they offer can increase your earnings.

Another way to earn cash with Quick Rewards is by referring friends or family members.

They pay their members $3 for every successful referral (i.e., the person you refer must cash out their first $3 before you will receive this bonus).

Payment Method

The most appealing aspect of Quick Rewards is that there is no minimum payout limit when cashing out through PayPal.

However, if you prefer payment in the form of a gift card, the minimum cash out is $5.

Your gift card options, though, are endless, with retailers that include Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Domino’s Pizza, and more.

Quick Rewards also issues tokens to its users, a separate reward you can use to get prizes like cinema tickets or magazine subscriptions.

Pros & Cons

The upside of Quick Rewards:

• They inform you immediately if you don’t qualify for a particular survey, so you don’t waste time completing them with no reward.
• A responsive member support team.
• They offer a wide selection of gift cards.
• They have a short payment processing time (24h). 

Some disadvantages of Quick Rewards:

• Minimal information on their website about offers. You must sign up to know more.
• The number of offers you get is also less than other GPT sites.
• No app that you can download for mobile use.
• You must be at least 18 years old to access paid opportunities.
• You must reside in the U.S. or Canadian resident to join.

Public Opinion

QuickRewards is one of the oldest legitimate GPT programs online and has over 7,000 Facebook fans and 5000+ Twitter followers.

They also seem to have a relatively strong rapport with the public:

• Sitejabber: 4/5 stars (68 reviews)
• Better Business Bureau: A+ rating (not BBB accredited) and a customer review score of 5/5 (1 review)
• Trustpilot: 3.9/5 score (22 reviews)
• Survey Police: 4/5 user rating (61 reviews)

The Best Way To Get Paid To Read Emails

If completing tasks on GPT sites does not meet your financial needs, you can choose to become a virtual assistant instead.

The Role Of A Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) is an independent contractor who provides administrative services to clients on a virtual platform.

As a virtual assistant (VA), you might have to do any number of tasks, including:

• Reading and responding to emails
• Managing schedules, blogs, and social media accounts
• Making phone calls
• Invoicing and billing clients
• Proofreading and editing
• Making appointments
• Keeping data records
• Doing research online
• Writing newsletters
• Minor graphic design work

Earning Power As A Virtual Assistant

What you earn as a VA will depend on whether you take on one or multiple clients as a freelancer, as well as whether you are able to work full-time or part-time.

A beginner VA can earn around $12-$20 per hour.

Once you are more experienced, this rate can go up to about $60 per hour, which, if you work full-time, can quickly add up to $10,000 per month.

Virtual Assistant Job Sites

Various job sites publish VA employment opportunities, some of which also offer you the option of promoting yourself as a VA contractor on their platform.

Here is a list of some recognized job search websites you may want to check out:

• LinkedIn
• Indeed
• Freelancer
• Upwork
• Flexjobs
• Peopleperhour

Related: 50 Ways to Earn an Extra $1,000 A Month

Get Paid To Read Emails: Sites We DO NOT Recommend

Based on the information provided by users on various review platforms, the following sites are not recommended based on negative user experiences.

InboxPays

Besides taking a very long time to gain enough points to achieve the payout threshold, members also have trouble accessing their money.

Some have completed tasks only for their status to remain ‘viewed’ rather than ‘approved,’ which means they did not get compensated.

After experiencing issues with cash-outs, most members tried to contact InboxPays by raising support tickets, but the problems went unresolved.

FusionCash

Members experienced issues upon signing up, including not being unable to save profile information.

Other problems include surveys not working, money earned expiring after 180 days if you don’t cash out, and some restrictions in accessing money.

Members who contacted FusionCash’s customer service to solve the issues never received feedback on their cases.  

Unique Rewards

Members find that completing tasks yields minimal rewards and have issues getting their money.

Although Unique Rewards started as a workable site, members are experiencing a decline in their service, often waiting months for a response and still not getting the necessary help.

Some members received offers for cryptocurrency as payment instead of cash.

Daily Rewards

Daily Rewards members have negative experiences with activities, saying they complete significant portions of surveys, for example, only to receive a notice that they don’t qualify.

Personal data gets collected, and you don’t always receive payment.

Activity payouts are meager, and members also have problems receiving their gift cards and money through PayPal.

CashCrate

CashCrate (the GPT program) officially shut down on 1 April 2019, after which it became a directory of ways to make money online.

When they were active, CashCrate members reported experiencing issues accessing accounts and getting their money paid out.

Those who had not reached the minimum cash-out levels could also not redeem their balances for final payment.

Send Earnings

Send Earnings yields minimal rewards for various tasks.

Reading emails, for example, only pays $0.02. Members who completed surveys would often be redirected, with the system marking the task as incomplete.

They would then not receive credit for the work done.

Send Earnings permanently closed its site on 2 July 2020.

Vindale Research

Members of Vindale Research found it challenging to access various tasks because they weren’t qualified and, even if they did complete an activity, it often paid very poorly.

Other complaints include a very high payout threshold ($50) and balances not being released to members when they ceased operation on November 1, 2021.

Paid to Read Email

Most members find it challenging to receive new paid opportunities after reaching a certain amount. As a result, they never reach the minimum threshold for payment.

Additionally, some users report they receive tasks only to find that those tasks do not exist, which makes it impossible to earn more money beyond what they already accumulated.

Email Cash Pro

Members found the Email Cash Pro website very unprofessional, with no forum to discuss system issues with other members.

Regarding payout, reading emails yield meager payments, and the number of email tasks is limited.

Points2Shop

Points2Shop does not match profiles correctly to tasks, i.e., members receive paid opportunities for which they don’t qualify.

Members generally find their rules outdated and very strict. Points2Shop also closed the accounts of some platinum members who had multiple referrals to their names.

UniqPaid

UniqPaid offers very little compensation for tasks, and they have minimal options for withdrawing earnings.

Members also experience their accounts disabled by the system for no apparent reason.

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Tips To Get Paid To Read Emails

Before you start making extra money from reading emails, consider these guidelines to make sure you get the most from your experience.

Create a separate email

Many GPT sites will send paid email activities to your regular email inbox.

It is better to use a separate email address just for these paid tasks so that your regular inbox does not get flooded with irrelevant mail.

Set up a separate payment account

None of the current GPT sites offer direct deposit as a form of payment.

I recommend you open a separate PayPal account just for payments from these sites. If you do not have a Paypal account you will have to opt for payment through gift cards.

Beware of scams

If you are unsure whether a particular GPT site or offer is legitimate, take some time to research the company.

An excellent start is visiting review websites (e.g., Trustpilot, Sitejabber, Better Business Bureau, Survey Police, etc.).

Also, contrary to the saying, you should never have to spend money to make money, unless you are purchasing a product you actually plan to use.

So, if a site requires a fee to signup, you should probably find a better site.

Refer others to make more money

The best way to increase your earnings when getting paid to read emails is to use affiliate programs (also called associate programs).

Affiliate programs are arrangements where an online merchant pays an associate to send them traffic. In other words, you can earn extra cash if you have an active blog, social media accounts, podcast, or website and use these platforms to refer people to a particular company.

Or, you can just email your affiliate link to friends and family members. When they sign up, they’ll not only earn a little extra, but you make more money too.

Don’t miss out on opportunities

Depending on how many platforms you are a member with, this could mean a lot of paid opportunities, so make sure to check your inbox regularly to stay active as a member and to utilize every opportunity to make some extra money.

Get Paid To Read Emails FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions on earning money from reading emails.

Is Paid To Read Email legit?

Paid To Read Email is a legitimate site. However, based on user reviews from websites like Trustpilot and Sitejabber, members frequently experience various difficulties with the site.

Based on our research, we do not recommend the Paid To Read Email program.

Can people really get paid to read emails, play games, watch videos, and take surveys?

Yes! But, don’t quit your day job.

While most GPT sites offer cash-paid activities, including reading emails, playing games, watching videos, and taking surveys, the amount you’ll earn is minimal.

Conclusion

It might seem like reading emails for money is too good to be true, however, the sites we recommend offer members the opportunity to do just that.

Getting paid to read emails is a no-brainer when it comes to earning easy, free money, fast. Plus, the more sites you sign up with, the more you’ll make!