[2021.6 Update] The $15 signup bonus from May has posted and can be cashed out right away by check, as shown below. We also updated the survey section.

[2021.5 Update] The author was pretty surprised that after turning on this app, it even came with a built-in tool for bypassing internet restrictions. You can get around restrictions while earning money at the same time (note: the Chrome extension does not work for this). Pretty wild. IP shown below:

We’ve published a lot of posts on getting deals with phones, especially iPhones and Android phones. Many readers have wondered what you can actually do with all those phones. This is one pretty attractive option.

Before You Start

With a real mobile number, you can get first-order food delivery deals, various deals, Wechat, Gmail, GV accounts, etc. (we may cover this in more detail later). The phone itself can also sit in a drawer and make money.

There are a few apps in the US that collect user behavior data. They gather information about how you use your phone, resell related data, and then share part of the revenue with users. We strongly do not recommend installing this kind of app on your primary phone, since privacy is important. But if you have been in the US credit card game for a while, you probably have a lot of spare phones lying around, including plenty of iPhone SE2 devices. Installing this type of app on burner phones avoids exposing your main-device privacy and does not interfere with your other deal activities. Two representative apps in this space are Smart app (this app was recently shut down, so redeem any rewards ASAP) and SurveySavvy, which is the one covered in this post.

SurveySavvy Sign-Up

SurveySavvy launched a special promotion this month: if you register and activate one device before 5/31, you can earn an extra $15 bonus.

About SurveySavvy

SurveySavvy can be installed on phones, tablets, or computers. With the same SurveySavvy account, you can earn a $5 reward per month for each device type:

  • one phone
  • one tablet
  • one computer

So the maximum is $15 per month ($180 per year). Like other user-behavior tracking apps, SurveySavvy is embedded on your device as a browser extension (computer) or VPN (phone/tablet), and you need to keep it running continuously (short pauses or shutdowns are allowed) so it can collect usage data and earn rewards.

Although these apps claim not to steal private user data, we still recommend using SurveySavvy only on spare phones, tablets, or spare computers. Do not install it on your personal everyday phone or computer.

Installation and Use

After registering, click “SavvyConnect” in the menu bar on the webpage. You will see installation buttons for different device types. Choose the one you need:

  • Download Now (For Chrome): Chrome browser extension for computers [Do not install on work computers or personal everyday computers]
  • Google Play: Android devices (phones/tablets) [Do not install on your primary phone or device]
  • iOS: Apple devices (phones/tablets) [Do not install on your primary phone or device]

After clicking, just follow the prompts. Using an iOS device as an example, you need to follow the steps to download the app, agree to data access, and install the VPN service (it is not really a VPN, just a data collection tool). After that, you also need to:

  • turn on location services (cannot be turned off)
  • turn on notifications (cannot be turned off)
  • turn on the VPN service (cannot be turned off)

After each device type is linked, you can check its status on the website:

Click in and you can see the activated devices. The author only linked one iPhone SE2, shown below:

Surveys

In addition to rewards for usage tracking, SurveySavvy also offers paid surveys. These usually only start appearing after you have been registered for a while. Think of them as extra small rewards. One thing to note: with the SurveySavvy app, you may need to complete at least one survey each month, otherwise you might not get paid, HT: wangbo. There are quite a few surveys; the author received several shortly after signing up:

Rewards and Cash-Out

According to SurveySavvy’s requirements, each device must meet the following conditions to earn the $5 reward:

  • Use the device with SurveySavvy installed regularly (PS: just keep it powered on and connected to the internet)
  • Each device must collect at least 7 days of data per month
  • SurveySavvy must remain updated and activated

You can cash out once your account balance reaches $1. At the moment, payout is only by mailed check, and you need a US address.

Other Notes

  • Because it collects your usage habits through a VPN-style setup, the phone’s operating system may resist it a bit. Since these are burner phones anyway, just adjust the settings as needed.
  • It is not sensitive to IP, so you can earn this reward globally
  • Since it turns on a “VPN” service, it may interfere with your normal use of other VPNs, so you may need to temporarily disable SavvyConnect
  • After enabling SavvyConnect on phones or tablets, it may affect the use of certain apps. If that happens, you can pause the service first (turn off the VPN in settings or choose pause in the SavvyConnect app), then remember to turn data collection back on later

Summary

This definitely may collect your private data under the name of “user behavior,” so do not install it on your main computer, phone, or other primary devices.

The author’s strategy, for reference:

  • Install it on deal-acquired burner phones and other spare phones
  • Personal info is mostly made up, but do not make it too outrageous (“someone else’s” check can be signed over to you by writing Pay to the order of the recipient on the back, then putting that person’s signature on the next line) [If you are worried the check may not be payable to you, use your real name instead]
  • Charge them, keep them connected, toss them in a drawer at home, top them up based on standby time, and watch your email
  • If they disconnect, reconnect them promptly, and cash out as soon as the rewards post

PS: Although this is attractive, most people will probably run out of steam after doing this with 3-5 phones. You can also just try it for one month, grab this month’s extra $15, and continue only if it works well for you. In short, if you have too many phones, charge them up and earn a little extra.

Again: do not install this on your main computer, phone, or other primary devices.

SurveySavvy Sign-Up

SurveySavvy launched a special promotion this month: if you register and activate one device before 5/31, you can earn an extra $15 bonus.