The Media Rewards app has said to “revolutionized” the paid surveys app industry by allowing users to passively turn their TV, YouTube, radio, and outdoor ads into in-app points. The higher you score, the higher your chances are to receive some big prizes.

It’s your typical “GPT-like” site that rewards you whenever you share your data, whether you’re watching or listening to something.  Basically, if you’re willing to allow an app to track your habits, then you could earn some rewards.  Some people don’t mind while others don’t like the invasion of privacy.

The app states that you can get rewarded to watch TV and listen to the radio, but is it too good to be true?  There are a lot of these apps out there, and most, unfortunately, don’t pay all that much.  I’m talking a few dollars a year if that.

Let’s see how much you can earn and if it’s worth your time.  As always, I’m 100% honest in all of my reviews.

Earning Money with the App

What makes this app different than most is that you just have to download it and let it run in the background while you’re using your mobile device.  When it’s running, you won’t even realize it’s doing so as it does so very quietly.

When you install the app and you agree to the terms, it will automatically measure any exposure to ads in your area.  And, what this means is that the app will monitor audio frequencies around your device, such as a TV show you’re listening to, and then identify the ads it hears.  Simply put, it listens to what’s around you and identifies any of the ads you’re hearing.  It’s stated it uses about 1% of your battery per hour, so there’s no worry here.

All you need to do is download the app, let it run quietly in the background and you will earn a score as you use it.  Later on, I will talk about how these scores work and how it affects what you make.

The company notes that it won’t gather any sensitive information nor do they store any data.  It’s said to use all data anonymously, but of course, it will listen to your surroundings.  They use fully GDPR-compliant technology and do not share any personal identifying information.  All of your data is collected securely and all data is fully anonymized, as it’s aggregated to produce market research reports.

As you move in the ranks, you can qualify for surveys, in which you will answer simple questions.  There’s no qualification nor do you have to go through a lengthy screening process.  It’s just answer and earn.

Your Score

As you run the app, you will always earn points, in which you can eventually use to enter raffles.  Usually, you will earn about a point per second, but this can be much more, depending on your “accelerator.”  When I was writing this, my score would increase by about five points every five seconds, but your results may vary.

For instance, you can see that I had 126 points and my accelerator was at 7x because I had my media monitoring on.  I could increase this if I were to complete my profile as well as enable YouTube ad tracking.  This was all optional.

Rewards

As your score rises, so will your rewards bar.

In that screenshot, you can see that I fill the $0 area, but I had a ways to go until I could fill the “10X $50” section.  Once I filled that section, I could then potentially win one of 10 $50 prizes.  So, you won’t earn the $50; rather, you will have a chance at winning. It’s more of a raffle and there’s no guarantee of anything.

Once the month comes to an end, Media Rewards will automatically enter you into these raffles and the winners are then announced mid-month.  If you do win, the payments are paid out via PayPal.

As you can see, you can win anywhere from $50 to up to $1,000.

Survey Rewards

As for surveys, this is different as you can earn gift cards, which are sent to your email.  Whenever you accept a survey invite, you can see what kind of reward you will receive before you even take it.  About two weeks after you finish, they will email you the gift card to the email on file.

From what I have seen, most surveys pay pretty well, usually in the $5 to $10 range, however, the invites are quite rare and are heavily dependent on your demographics.  If you do receive one, you should earn at least $5.

Signing Up

If you do like what you hear, you will have to create an account to start using the app.

You will be able to do so by connecting your Google account or you can create an account within the app.

Since the app needs to listen to your background, you will need to download it on a mobile device, either in the Google Play Store or iTunes.

The app is only available to users in the USA, Australia, Canada, Mexico, India and the UK, and you must be at least 17+ years old to join.

The Pros:

• can win up to $1,000
• high paying surveys if you get one
• make money doing nothing

The Cons:

• mostly a game of chance (raffles)
• have to let it listen to your surroundings
• many report years of using and no winnings

Final Thoughts

In the end, Media Rewards is more of a “raffle” like app.  As long as you’re comfortable allowing the app listening to everything you’re listening to, then it all comes down to a game of luck.  Since you’re competing with thousands to earn the reward, I feel it isn’t worth it, especially since you’re letting it track you in a way.  I know it’s anonymous but I’m always cautious with these types of apps.

I don’t usually recommend these apps as I want to earn money for my time not gamble on it.  That’s just me.  The only money relies in the surveys and these don’t come all too often.

While the company is legit, I just don’t feel it’s worth your time.

That’s going to do it for now.

As always, if you want to comment on your experience, feel free to leave a comment below.