Media Rewards App Review: Easy Money Or Battery Killer?
How do you like the idea of earning rewards passively by simply downloading an app to your phone? Sounds too good to be true… and in some ways, it is. I’ve been using Media Rewards for several months now, so let’s look at how it actually works, how much you can expect to earn, and whether it’s worth the trade-off.
Media Rewards summary
If you’re looking for something that requires little effort but gives you a chance to win money, then this is the app for you. But be warned, it can drain your battery and there’s no guarantee that you’ll earn anything.
Pros
- Takes little effort
- Surveys pay very well
Cons
- Will drain your battery
- No guarantee to earn anything
Media Rewards
I’m a big believer in spreading risk when it comes to earning extra money. The more income streams I have, the better. But there’s a hard limit on how many hours I can actively work. That’s why passive income ideas always catch my attention. If something can tick away quietly in the background while I get on with life, it’s worth a look.
There are plenty of apps that promise “passive earnings”, but most of them either pay peanuts or cost you in other ways. Media Rewards is one of the latest to land on my phone, and it definitely sits in that grey area.
Also worth reading
Why not check out some other great UK passive money-making ideas?
What is Media Rewards?
Media Rewards is a mobile app that measures your exposure to advertising. That includes TV, radio, streaming services and even ads you might hear when you’re out and about. In return for letting the app run, you earn points that enter you into monthly prize draws. Occasionally, you’ll also receive paid surveys.
You don’t earn a guaranteed amount each month. Instead, you’re essentially buying lottery tickets with your data.
Is it safe?
It’s understandable that you might have some concerns about an app like this, especially when it measures what you listen to and watch. But Media Rewards claims that it doesn’t track voices or record conversations. However, it will use your phone’s microphone to recognise audio content.
If you allow it to, the app can also collect your location data to understand where you have been and the types of stores you have visited.
That’s a fair amount of data to be giving away, so you need to be comfortable with that.
How does it work?
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you aim to earn as many points as possible. You accumulate points simply by allowing the app to work in the background. When you visit sites such as YouTube or put a radio station on, basically anything with adverts, you’ll be given points. You can boost these points by enabling point accelerators and ensuring your profile is complete.
The app usually shuts itself down at midnight and then restarts again in the morning.
At the end of the month, you will then be entered into a prize draw. The more points you have, the better the chance you have of winning.
Once per month, a selection of people are chosen for prizes. This is usually one £1,000 prize, five £100 and ten £50 prizes.
You may also be invited to complete surveys. This depends on whether you’ve been exposed to certain advertising or visited a selected place. These surveys usually take around 5-10 minutes and pay £5. Or, why not visit the best paid surveys in the UK?
How are you paid?
If you win one of the major prizes, you can choose to be paid via PayPal or you can opt for a gift card. If you complete a survey, you can only choose a gift card.
Is it easy to turn off?
If, for whatever reason, you don’t want Media Rewards running for a certain period, there is an option to pause monitoring in the app. You can choose between 30 minutes, 4 hours or until the end of the day.
What are your chances of winning?
This is one of the issues… I have no idea. I am usually in the top 20% of earners (probably because I use my phone too much), so I should have a better chance of winning. However, after several months, I’ve won nothing. And if there are 10,000 users, my chances of picking up one of the 16 prizes are very slim, no matter how many points I have.
I did manage to pick up a £5 gift card from one of their surveys though. It only took 10 minutes and was certainly worth doing. It’s just a shame that they don’t come around very often.
Does it use much of your battery?
Other than safety, another concern you may have is whether Media Rewards drains much of your battery. I’ll admit that when I initially downloaded the app, I misread the description and thought it only used 1% of my battery daily. In fact, that’s 1% every hour. Considering the app runs for around 15 hours per day, that’s 15%. Now, that is quite a whack.
What other people think
Over on Trustpilot, Media Rewards scores an impressive 4.2 out of 5 from over 2,000 reviews. On Google Play it scores 4.6 and this increases to 4.9 on the Apple App Store.
Is Media Rewards worth it?
For me, no. The surveys are good when they appear, and the prizes are generous on paper. But the battery drain became annoying, and the lack of guaranteed earnings defeated the whole point of “passive income”.
I wanted something that quietly made me a little money each month. Instead, I got battery anxiety and nothing to show for it.
That said, if your phone battery easily lasts all day and you’re happy to gamble your data for a chance at a win, Media Rewards might be worth a try. Just go in with realistic expectations.
Further reading
If you like the idea of Media Rewards, why not take a look at my post for ways to make money from watching TV and videos?
Or why not check out my post on the best ways to make money passively?
