The Mystery Shopping thread - IX

jdan9

So glad I have my student overdraft...

absolutelynomoney

minniepoos wrote: »

I've been thinking about the whole 'having to pay for stuff then waiting to get paid for it' thing, and I was planning at some point to make a kind of MS 'float' for myself. Paying by card seems to be better for MSing (if only because you automatically get a receipt), but I never seem, to have enough cash in the bank to do much.

I've had a look on Quidco and you can get a Pre Paid credit card on there (with £5 Quidco cash back), which you can load up at PayPoints etc. It seems like it could be the way to go for me, as it keeps my MS money totally seperate from my bills money.

Has anyone else used one of these?


EDIT - Just had another look - they cost a tenner, and if you pay as you go there is a purchasing fee too! Scrap that idea then!!

That one might not be very good, but I think there are a couple of different cash cards - I was thinking this one looks pretty good:

http://www.mycashplus.co.uk/

but I hadn't thought about using it for MS'ing purposes. Very good idea.

Becles wrote: »

Can you get a credit card just for MS work?

I use mine and by the time the bill comes in, I've usually been reimbursed so I can clear the balance.

I can't get a credit card - bad/non-existant rating. I applied for one for people with bad/no credit rating a few months back and got declined, so I don't want to try it again.

absolutelynomoney

Good News - I managed to do the RE Sandwich Shop in the end (and got a meal in the process!). A family member very kindly lent me £5, which meant I had to queue at the bank for half an hour to take it out as you can't get 5 pound notes from the machines!!

It doesn't sound worth the hassle just for an MS, but I'm not hungry anymore, I got £2 to put on my oyster card, and in the long run I made an extra £5 out of it and will (hopefully) no longer be on probation with RE.

I'm very pleased! x

ladyxbird

absolutelynomoney wrote: »

That one might not be very good, but I think there are a couple of different cash cards - I was thinking this one looks pretty good:

http://www.mycashplus.co.uk/

but I hadn't thought about using it for MS'ing purposes. Very good idea.



I can't get a credit card - bad/non-existant rating. I applied for one for people with bad/no credit rating a few months back and got declined, so I don't want to try it again.

Try Capital One to build your credit rating, I had the exact same problem. Couldn't get a credit card any where and they accepted me!

cte1111

absolutelynomoney wrote: »

Good News - I managed to do the RE Sandwich Shop in the end (and got a meal in the process!). A family member very kindly lent me £5, which meant I had to queue at the bank for half an hour to take it out as you can't get 5 pound notes from the machines!!

It doesn't sound worth the hassle just for an MS, but I'm not hungry anymore, I got £2 to put on my oyster card, and in the long run I made an extra £5 out of it and will (hopefully) no longer be on probation with RE.

I'm very pleased! x

Good for you, hope it was a good sandwich too. It can be a pain waiting for the fees to come in for MS. Phone shops and banks are better for this (although very boring after the first few), as there is usually no spend.

AndyInYorks

I opened a second bank account for Mystery Shopping only. I actually did it as part of an MS assignment too so double whammy :beer:

It came with a debit card, so now I have all my MS money paid in there, and make all my MS purchases out of there (if it's one where you can pay with a card). Not only does this make obtaining a receipt easier, it also makes my accounts easier.

Where I get a job that I can't pay by card, I transfer the exact amount to my normal account, with a reference to identify which job it relates to. At the end of each month, when all my payments are in, I work out how much "profit" I've made, and transfer it into my normal account. I also transfer across my travel expenses for the month. I leave enough in the MS account to cover my tax and this acts as a float for the next month's jobs.

I find this works really well for me. In addition, if I am ever short, I can borrow money from my tax fund, so long as I remember to pay it back when I get paid from my proper job. This means I don't have to pay overdraft fees at my bank. Which is excellent news. :T

squidgeum

I have just done 1 of the 'prescription' visits for RE and cant find anywhere how long I have to submit the report. Is it 24 hours please anyone?

AndyInYorks

squidgeum wrote: »

I have just done 1 of the 'prescription' visits for RE and cant find anywhere how long I have to submit the report. Is it 24 hours please anyone?

You usually have 24 hours for RE, then you start loosing points.

lily_the_pink

The site that always crashes has 450,000 ACTIVE shoppers :eek: (there is an article on the home page when you log in)

No wonder jobs disappear in the blink of the eye........

Catlin

lily_the_pink wrote: »

The site that always crashes has 450,000 ACTIVE shoppers :eek: (there is an article on the home page when you log in)

No wonder jobs disappear in the blink of the eye........

It goes on to say about one of the Mystery Shoppers

Do you think she works for someone in the company? 3 or 4 a week!
"The staffs at Retail Eyes are extremely friendly and often go out of their way to help me find specific assignments in my chosen locations".

Does this happen for everyone apart from me?