Usually I only review real paid survey panels here at SurveySatrap and not GPT or offer sites like Fusion Cash. But after receiving email after email from readers and coming to conclusion that most readers like both real survey panels and Get Paid To sites, I decided to write reviews on FC, Swagbucks and other similar sites as well.
So, lets start with a FusionCash.net review, which is not a traditional internet survey panel (more on that below), but it does offer members a few easy ways to earn extra money online.
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Some Background on Fusion Cash
Fusion Cash is a Get Paid To (GPT) site, just like Swgbucks. It pays participants for completing surveys and taking up product trials (typically last about a month).
But before anyone gets the wrong idea that Fusion Cash is a Paid To Click site (PTC), I would like to clarify that it is not. Because of the similar nature how GPT and PTC programs operate, it is sometimes easy to get confused between these two. One thing is for sure, if you are looking for PTC offers, you would not find it here.
Operating out of California since 2005, this site has over 2.5 million members spread out across the United States.
The site operates on a simple concept; it encourages members to try out new products and services (which the company refers to as offers) listed on their website.
These offers are placed by advertisers and they would pay FC in accordance to the number of users willing to take up the product trials. In order to tempt as many users as possible into this exercise, FC gladly shares part of this proceed with the participants.
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The business model makes a lot of sense. Advertisers save millions of dollars on advertisement placements on newspaper and other media, which nobody gives a damn anyway, and they can channel the money to FC for its effort to gather a captive audience who are committed to do the product testing.
On the participants’ side, they are assured of their time and effort spent on the product trials would be compensated accordingly.
In fact, this financial compensation may come as a pleasant surprise for some, as they may already have a vested interest to find out more about these products. I really think this is an excellent idea.
As usual, I went over to the Better Business Bureau’s official site to see how this site is faring with them.
To my surprise (I say surprise because usually GPT sites don’t have very good reputation with the BBB), I see that Fusion Cash has been a BBB accredited business since 04/01/2009. What made me even happier was seeing their rating, which is an A+ (the highest possible).
There were a few complaints as with any other company (you can’t keep everybody happy). But it seems like FC is very quick in dealing with the complaints and solving the issues.
Earning Cash
Members get paid when they take up and fill out the offers. In addition, the amazing thing is that the website actually pays for new sign up! There is justification for the company to do that.
Fusion Cash is already making money whenever somebody new signs up with them, by parting with $5 (that is how much they pay for new sign up), and it is hoping to garner your loyalty to the site. But do notice that some offers are paid types while some are not.
There are some offers like free trial offers that do require a credit card. This is how the things work: you sign up and get your bonus, then you quit but the money stays with you.
For better illustration, imagine you sign up for new Gamefly account, for which you will get $10 compensation into your credit card account, and you would be entitled to a free trial of the product. As long you cancel the Gamefly trial before the expiry, you won’t have to pay a dime while you have already earned $10.
If such paid offers do not work for you, you just navigate from the paid offers to the free offers on the website. You would then have access to all the freebies on offer. They don’t usually pay as generously, but if you get your hands on this long enough, the money can become handy over time.
As with any other online rewards sites, it takes a while for offers you complete to be credited to your account. How long they will take?…
They vary, some almost instantaneously while some can take a few days. If you don’t see the money in your account straightaway, it is normal. But if the money doesn’t appear even after a few days, you may want to get in touch with them.
Two Kinds of Offers
- Freebies
These are free offers that are especially popular with new members. To sign up as a new member, all that is required are e-mail address, home address and/or full name.
Depending on your psyche, it may be tempting to submit multiple fake entries in order to ace the game. Well, it doesn’t happen this way. The reason why GPT sites like FC insist on 30 days to lapse before you get your first cash out is to prevent the system from being abused.
Additionally, when advertisers turn around and reprimand FC for crappy responses, then there is no payment for you. The best way to deal with such freebie offers, for that matter any offer, is to put in a reasonable effort. The system is too smart to let any less than serious or fraudulent act go undetected.
Overall, freebie offers are generally sweet and short. They may come in the form of surveys, newsletters, new sign up at the new site, whatever… Regardless, these often take minimum effort as users are only expected to fill in a one page registration form.
Since any Tom, Dick and Harry can handle this competently; do not expect to be paid a bundle for completing such offers. Depending on the complexity, payment varies from five cents to five dollars.
- “Risk Free” Trial Offers
These are what most profit driven people look for in the GPT industry. But they invariably represent the single biggest source of scam complaints in the GPT industry, and Fusion Cash has also been accused of such scam.
Let us now examine what these trial offers are and why it makes sense for you to want to work on these after you have graduated from simple freebie offers from Fusion Cash.
By the way, I strongly encourage you to read this article on FTC.gov. It talks about some of the so called “free” trial offers and how you can make sure you don’t end up losing money. It will save you from lots of heartache, not to mention losing money.
Netflix offer is a prime example. They advertise on TV or the web saying that Netflix is entirely free for 30 days. What is perhaps less clear from these ads is that Netflix would start charging your credit card after these 30 days, if you don’t cancel for whatever reason. Now you get the idea.
What is cool is that somebody actually pays you to try out new products. But for that to happen, you have to surrender your credit card info to the advertiser.
Obviously, this is the not latest trick in the market, therein lays the carrot, or a hefty commission, to weaken your resolve to hang on to your credit card. Indeed the commission can be hefty; it starts from $5 to over $100 at Fusion Cash. Now, all for doing just one offer!
It is naturally an attractive option for those aspire to make big money in short time. Surely, this beats doing a 100 freebie low-pay offers.
- Referral Program
There is also a decent referral program. For every new member you bring into the site, you will be rewarded with one dollar (subject to successful confirmation of e-mail of new member). There is another $2 to be made upon completion of the first offer of the new member. Whenever he or she cashes out, a further $5 goes into your account. And this could go on indefinitely — not just with the first cash out.
Make sure you post what have been bought or proof of your payment. This should be easy unless you encounter technical issues. All credits would get posted to your account in 2-6 weeks.
Other ways to make money here:
- Use the search engine on the site and be paid five cents a day.
- Become a Twitter fan and earn 25 cents (one time only)!
- Another way to make money on the site is to become a contributor to their forum. You will get $3 every month.
Cash Out System
Cash out can be initiated when you have accumulated at least $25. There is a caveat though: you must make at least $15 from the completed offers.
After you make your cash out request, payment would be disbursed on or before 20th of the same month (provided your request happened before that date).
One nice thing is that there are multiple payment options, be it check, direct deposit or PayPal, and FC doesn’t impose a levy on either of these options.
A Few Tips
- Create an extra e-mail account(s) just for the purpose of filling out offers.
- You may want to go to http://k7.net/ to register for a new phone number, and use that instead of your real number.
- Remember that certain offers are tagged to one individual only. Take the earlier free GameFly trial for example; you can’t take advantage of another $10 sign up if you can’t provide a new email and address.
Pros
- There is no cost involved. They don’t charge for sign-up and you don’t pay for account maintenance.
- Instead you get paid for signing up. The going rate now is $5.00 for every sign up.
- It has been in the business since 2005, with established payment record.
- The forum on the site makes it easy to communicate and discuss with staff and fellow members.
- You can have direct deposit into your bank account once you link your FC account to it. Minimum cash out is $25.00.
- Flexible offers. Compensation varies from 25 cents to $30 per offer. There are offers that require credit card and also those without.
- There is no ceiling set on maximum number of referrals. Work best for people with amazing promotional skills to attract a lot of people.
Cons
- Some offers do not credit well. This happens to almost one third of my offers. The idea could be from the advertiser or maybe have to do with “cookie” issues. I never bother to find out the real reason but apparently some have this problem and some don’t. Anyway I fancy those free offers, and I think you might want to stick to these, if not for the hassle of dealing with credit or no-credit issues.
- Minimum requirement of $15 from completed offers before you can make your cash out request. Imagine you have made quite a fair bit from referrals and there is a good balance in your account. But the only way for you to cash out is to find $15 worth of offers to complete. But you can combine multiple offers to accumulate a $15 equivalent. Take note that none of the bonuses is considered completed offer, like the bonus points you earn from forum posting.
- Earning is wiped off after a period of inactivity. If your account stays dormant for consecutively 90 days period, all your savings will be gone. This factor alone would never turn me into a big fan.
Is Fusion Cash a scam? Do People Really Get Paid?
As you probably figured out by reading this review, I usually dislike this kinds of sites, but I strongly believe this one is trustworthy and not a scam, thus I recommend you sign up with Fusion Cash (by the way, if you join now you’ll get $5 as a bonus).
What I like about the site is that they have a special section on the site (just like Cash Crate’s payment wall) where members can post pictures of their checks and other payment proofs). There is also an active forum in the website. So any malpractice of Fusion Cash will be quickly exposed by the victim concerned, if there is any.
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