CashKarma Review UK: Low Pay, High Frustration
Looking to make a little extra money from your phone? Then you’ve probably come across CashKarma. It promises easy rewards for surveys, videos and simple tasks, all paid out in cash or gift cards. I tested it properly, cashed out, and compared it to dozens of other survey apps.
Here’s the straight truth: CashKarma is legit, but it’s one of the weakest money-making apps I’ve used.
CashKarma review
It’s very rare for me to give such a low score, but CashKarma has very little in the way of redeeming features. You don’t have to stick with surveys from the app, but the other earning features aren’t great either. This is an app to avoid.
Pros
- Wide variety of gift card options
- Multiple ways to earn points
Cons
- Poor reward-to-time ratio
- High frequency of survey screen-outs
- Bonus tasks offer very low value
Reviewed by Household Money SavingWhat Is CashKarma?
CashKarma is a mobile rewards app that pays you in points for completing surveys, watching videos, downloading apps and signing up to offers. Those points can then be exchanged for PayPal cash or gift cards.
From their own site:
“Earn rewards by completing surveys and more. The only reward app that lets you earn rewards even if you don’t qualify for the survey.”
That sounds generous. In reality, the compensation for not qualifying is tiny and doesn’t make up for how often it happens.
How Does CashKarma Work?
Getting started is simple enough. You download the app on Android or iOS, fill in some basic profile questions, and then you’re prompted to grant permissions.
This is where CashKarma already starts on the wrong foot.
You’re asked to allow ongoing usage tracking on your phone. That includes how you use other apps and websites. I’ve tested a lot of survey apps over the years, and this is one of the few that effectively makes this level of tracking a requirement rather than an optional extra.
Once your account is live, you earn points by completing tasks. These points can then be exchanged for cash or gift cards.
Surveys
Surveys are the main earning method. CashKarma doesn’t run its own surveys and instead redirects you to third-party providers. If you’re screened out, you usually receive 25 points.
That sounds fair until you realise how little 25 points is, and how often you’re screened out.
Offers
Offers include signing up to other survey sites, taking out free trials, or downloading mobile games and reaching certain levels. Compared to rival apps, the rewards here are consistently poor.
Videos and bonuses
You can watch short adverts and videos to earn points. You can also earn badges for things like daily check-ins. These bonuses sound nice, but they barely move the needle.
Is CashKarma Legit?
Yes. CashKarma does pay, and I’ve personally cashed out before.
But “legit” doesn’t mean “worth your time”.
You also need to decide whether giving a low-paying survey app permanent access to usage tracking on your phone is a trade-off you’re comfortable with.
CashKarma is owned by Darkfield Software LLC, a company based in San Jose, California.
How Much Can You Earn With CashKarma?
This is where the app really falls apart.
On average, a 10-minute survey pays around 150 points. To reach the minimum $10 cashout (roughly £7.80), you need 13,500 points.
That works out as roughly:
Around 90 completed surveys
About 15 hours of effort
That’s roughly 50p per hour from surveys alone.
Even if you stack bonuses and the occasional better-paying offer, you’re realistically looking at up to around £2 per hour, and that’s being generous.
Videos Are Even Worse
A 30-second video pays 1 point.
To reach $10 purely from videos, you’d need to watch around 13,500 of them. Because you have to constantly start and stop clips, it’s not passive at all. It would take days of near-constant interaction for a tenner.
In short, don’t bother.
Also worth reading
Why not check out these free money offers instead?
Any Downsides?
Plenty.
Surveys pay very poorly compared to alternatives
You’ll be screened out frequently
Video rewards are not worth the effort
App download offers pay less than rival apps
Ongoing usage tracking is required
I always say the same thing about survey sites: you shouldn’t have to spend 15 minutes just trying to find something you can complete. CashKarma fails badly here.
Who CashKarma Is (and Isn’t) For
CashKarma might be tolerable if you just want something ultra-casual, don’t care about hourly rates, and are happy to trade privacy for pennies.
If you actually want to make a reasonable return on your time, or you value your phone data at all, this app isn’t for you.
For comparison, there are survey apps that regularly pay two to three times more per survey without invasive tracking or constant screen-outs.
CashKarma Referral Code
CashKarma does offer a referral scheme.
When you refer a friend:
They receive 300 points for joining
You get 500 points
You also earn 30% of what they earn
That sounds decent, but when the base pay is this low, even referrals don’t add up to much.
Also worth reading
Find out some extra ways to make a little money in the UK.
Payment Options
One genuine positive is the range of withdrawal options. You can cash out via:
PayPal
Amazon gift cards
iTunes
Google Play
Starbucks
Payouts do work, but reaching the minimum cashout takes far longer than it should.
My CashKarma Review Verdict
So, is CashKarma worth joining?
No.
There are no standout features, the pay rates are among the worst I’ve seen, and the level of tracking required is completely out of proportion to what you earn. CashKarma survives because many users don’t realise just how much better the alternatives are.
If you’ve ignored everything I’ve said, I’ll still leave the join button below.
But if you value your time, you’re far better off using one of the top-paying survey sites instead.
CashKarma FAQ
Is CashKarma legit?
Yes, CashKarma is legit and does pay out, but the earnings are extremely low.
How long does CashKarma take to pay?
Cashouts are processed once you reach $10, but reaching that threshold can take a long time due to poor pay rates.
Is CashKarma safe to use?
The app works, but it requires ongoing usage tracking. Whether that’s “safe” or acceptable is a personal decision.
