Getting Started
The get-paid-to (GPT) industry is not one to jump into lightly.
While the prospect of making extra money and trying new products is enticing, there is a lot of organization required before starting.
This tutorial will help guide you through the ins and outs of beginning the GPT Industry and retaining maximum profits while preserving your privacy.
Preserve Your Privacy
Protect Your Bank Account
Accurate Record keeping
Taking The Plunge
Signing Up
Choosing Offers
Ensuring Credit
Getting Paid
Finding Referrals
FAQ/Troubleshooting
Preserve Your Privacy
It is very important to preserve your privacy while providing legitimate information to the companies whose offers you are trying. Most of the companies have strict privacy policies and will not sell your information, while others have a main goal of taking your information and selling it to other advertising companies. There are several pieces of information that most, if not all, companies will ask for.
Generally, this information includes name, physical address, email address and phone number. If you are going to be trying a product, the company will usually ask for a credit card number, CCV number, expiration date and name on the card.
You must always provide companies with LEGITIMATE information in order to be credited properly and not be considered fraudulent. Because of this, your name and physical address must be entered as they exist. You should enter the physical address where you reside and your legal name.
The best way to avoid spam and unwanted emails to your main email address is to create an email address that you use specifically for the GPT programs. Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail all provide free email addresses with relatively simple set-up.
Remember to write down your new email address in order to remember it. For the most part, companies that you do offers with will not call you for the sake of soliciting, however, there are times when you might do “freebies” (offers that are free and require no credit card to do) that are basically inviting solicitors to call.
Again, you want to be sure that you are providing the companies with a legitimate phone number, but you are allowed to give a phone number other than your direct home number.
A great place to go for a new phone number is Private Phone.
Private Phone is a free service through NetZero that allows you to receive incoming calls and check your voicemail through the Internet. This is a wonderful service that allows you to be available and provide valid information without being inundated by calls at all hours of the day and night on your home phone.
Protect Your Bank Account
Most of the higher paying offers that you will do will require a credit card. For the most part, these are free trials where you are only paying for shipping and handling. For example, you might order a teeth whitener that is free to try for 14 days, but you pay $4.95 shipping and handling. In order to pay for this shipping and handling, you must have a valid credit card.
The best thing to do is use a prepaid credit card. A prepaid credit card is simply a credit card that you have purchased and then “loaded” money onto. You can generally load any amount onto a prepaid credit card and there are no credit checks to purchase the card. The reason for doing this is that sometimes you will run into a company that may not be quite so legitimate and may try to scam you out of more money than you agreed to.
Using a prepaid credit card protects you from such fraudulent charges, and if you decide to continue purchasing the product, you are free to contact the company and give them your main personal credit or debit card number. There are many prepaid credit card companies out there.
A popular one is Greendot . These cards can be purchased at stores like Walgreens or CVS for about $9.99. Minimum amount to load is $20 and there are monthly fees. My personal recommendation is the prepaid card from MySimon . The card is purchased online and can be used virtually and, if you request the card in plastic, can be used physically as well. The cost of the card is $2 and there are no other fees.
This, in my opinion, is the cheapest and easiest prepaid to acquire. Please note however, that the first time you order a card from Simon, it may take up to 72 hours to receive via your email. After the first card, you should receive it in a matter of hours. A last note about prepaid credit cards: though these are convenient and will protect your bank account, be sure to alert the company of your new payment method should you decide to continue receiving the product. Also, if you decide the product is not for you, please be sure to alert the company. You still have a responsibility to the company even if your money is “safe.”
Accurate Recordkeeping
Keeping track of the offers you do is of utmost importance. As was stated earlier, many of the offers are trial offers, which means the company is allowing you to try the product and then respond back to them as to whether you want to keep the product or cancel your account all together.
There are many ways to keep track of the offers you do. Some people choose to keep a notebook by their computer and simply mark each offer they do, along with trial period, customer service number, etc. You may found it easier to keep track of the offers via a spreadsheet. This way you can reference the offer and the pertinent information regarding it. Pertinent information includes:
Name of offer
Date it was completed
Length of trial period
Customer service number or email address
Initial charge to credit card
In addition, you may want to have columns on a spreadsheet for:
Date of trial period end
Days left until trial period ends
Date when I contacted the company to notify them of my intent to cancel or continue
Name of the customer service agent whom I spoke with Cancellation number (if applicable)
Despite your mode of bookkeeping, be sure to do it somehow! This is VERY important!
