Are these 'paid to play games' apps really worth it?

lilbooboo

And if so, which are the better ones? I've currently got the Justplay app on my phone, as I saw it was one of the recommended ones on MSE. Don't seem to be getting anywhere fast though...had it a month or so and played a few games through it, and it constantly gives me 'loyalty points' by the thousand, but moneywise it only seems to convert to about 1p a day...i'm up to 41p...you need at least £2 to cashout to Paypal. I could be doing something wrong though? I've heard of one called 'Testerup' but is it just another mediocre app? Mistplay seems to crop up too on MSE but I don't think they include Paypal in their payouts. Cheers.

MoneyDany

I share your curiosity about the effectiveness of "paid to play games" apps. I've experimented with several myself, but like you, I haven't found them to be particularly rewarding for the time and effort invested. Here's to hoping we come across a hidden gem in the realm of gaming apps that proves us wrong in our initial assessments.

longhill

Hi I use Misty Play had 2 x£25 Amazon cards since Oct 23 and Playwell £16 to pay pal since Oct 23.  Never going to get rich but I would play the game anyway so all help. I do play a lot each day as I have a lot of time to fill while waiting for appointment.

DiaryofanotherSaver

Mistplay, Alpha and Tester up are good, you can make about £50 a month on them. 
There are so many that are awful though, I have probably tried them all 

Mnoee

I think £50 per month on mistplay is not at all realistic. Maybe in the first month (I made £35), but it soon starts offering lesser rewards. 

I've earnt £150 for 1008 hours of gaming time playing 79 games since March '23 - there's stats in the app. The first fiver took two days to earn, now it's maybe every month or so. 

Worth it for money alone? Nope! Little bonus if you like to relax by playing random mobile games? Yep.

No PayPal, but a prepaid mastercard is a cash out option. I usually just get supermarket or amazon vouchers. 

silvercar

Wewards is ostensibly a walking app, awarding reward points for steps. 

It gives bonus points for games and surveys. I soon discovered that the amount of points for games far outstrips the points for walking. (Actually surveys gives more points per minute wasted played than even games.) It took me 3 months to get to the first cash out of £15.

PurseFullOfButtons

Mnoee said:

I think £50 per month on mistplay is not at all realistic. Maybe in the first month (I made £35), but it soon starts offering lesser rewards. 

I've earnt £150 for 1008 hours of gaming time playing 79 games since March '23 - there's stats in the app. The first fiver took two days to earn, now it's maybe every month or so. 

Worth it for money alone? Nope! Little bonus if you like to relax by playing random mobile games? Yep.

No PayPal, but a prepaid mastercard is a cash out option. I usually just get supermarket or amazon vouchers. 

Can you use the supermarket ones in the stores or only online? I can't find any infoon how we an use the gift cards and, I don't want to trade in my hard earned (!) points only to look like an idiot trying to scan the 'card' at the checkout. 

PurseFullOfButtons

lilbooboo said:

And if so, which are the better ones? I've currently got the Justplay app on my phone, as I saw it was one of the recommended ones on MSE. Don't seem to be getting anywhere fast though...had it a month or so and played a few games through it, and it constantly gives me 'loyalty points' by the thousand, but moneywise it only seems to convert to about 1p a day...i'm up to 41p...you need at least £2 to cashout to Paypal. I could be doing something wrong though? I've heard of one called 'Testerup' but is it just another mediocre app? Mistplay seems to crop up too on MSE but I don't think they include Paypal in their payouts. Cheers.

I'm currently using testerup and it's taken a few months to get past £50 but I am determined to make it to the £70 mark which, I think, is the minimum for a payout. I will post what happens when I get that far!

 I also tried Cash'em All but, when I tried trading the points for a voucher, the points were taken, the voucher was, allegedly, created but never materialised. Only when I checked my profile did I discover that my name and email address were missing and only my age and gender was saved. Tried messaging support, sent details of what happened, with requested screenshots and... heard nothing from them since. So, maybe avoid that one. Same company runs several similar apps that I will be avoiding as well! 

I was avoiding Mistplay because I can't stand their adverts but, curiously, I've not been bombarded with them since downloading the app!😂

Mnoee

PurseFullOfButtons said:

Mnoee said:

I think £50 per month on mistplay is not at all realistic. Maybe in the first month (I made £35), but it soon starts offering lesser rewards. 

I've earnt £150 for 1008 hours of gaming time playing 79 games since March '23 - there's stats in the app. The first fiver took two days to earn, now it's maybe every month or so. 

Worth it for money alone? Nope! Little bonus if you like to relax by playing random mobile games? Yep.

No PayPal, but a prepaid mastercard is a cash out option. I usually just get supermarket or amazon vouchers. 

Can you use the supermarket ones in the stores or only online? I can't find any infoon how we an use the gift cards and, I don't want to trade in my hard earned (!) points only to look like an idiot trying to scan the 'card' at the checkout. 

I have only personally used sainsbury's, that's a barcode that can be scanned at the till from a phone or printout, or a code to use online. Tesco don't accept giftcards online at all, so presumably that's a barcode too. 

paul2louise

I am following this thread because I was looking to earn Aldi gift cards. I would have recommended cash walk app for steps and challenges for gift cards untill this week but after new update they are truly scamming since they doubled the threshold for same value card and stopped the challenges I was halfway through . I do recommend winwalk which pays for steps but also games and surveys and tbh pays more for the gaming and surveys than the steps, plus another macadam which claims to be steps driven but pays well on the gaming too. I get gift cards or bank transfer for credit. I am definitely interested in feedback on others like mistplay or similar apps

Hammer56

Are these 'paid to play games' apps really worth it?

The obvious answer is ‘No’.  If you play games anyway then being paid peanuts for watching ads and promotions is up to you, but using Mnoee’s numbers above, 65 hours gaming per month for 15 months to earn £150 at about 15p per hour is not a great way to boost your income. Don’t play specifically to earn, that is a waste of your time. If you just play in your downtime e.g. waiting for a train or bus, fair enough.