Earn Gift Cards With the Embee Mobile Performance Meter
Katy tests money-saving apps, tools, and websites to find ones that are legitimate, easy to use, and effective to share with readers.
My review of the Mobile Performance Meter app
What Is the Mobile Performance Meter App?
Mobile Performance Meter (MPM) collects data about your phone usage in exchange for gift cards.
The app collects data about the apps you use and the websites you visit. Each day that you have the app installed, you earn points that you can redeem for gift cards. It's super simple to use, and is great for people who want to earn passive income. Here's my full review of the app.
How It Works
If you're ready to earn gift cards, start by downloading Performance Meter. You will sign up and make sure the meter is "running" for you to accrue points. That's it! Just check back in a few months to cash out for gift cards.
What Kinds of Gift Cards Can You Earn?
I use Performance Meter points for Amazon gift cards. There are so many more options like Gap, Home Depot, and Target. They don't offer a PayPal cash-out option, but they have Virtual Visa, which is close to a cash equivalent.
Embee emails all gift card codes to you within 24 hours of redemption.
I recently redeemed 3500 points for a $35 Amazon gift card through Embee. It's an easy process through the app, and I received an email a few hours later with the code. Check out the screenshot below for the email and my resulting Amazon balance.
Email from Embee with my Amazon gift card and my Amazon balance.
Review
Of all the money-earning apps I’ve tried, Embee MPM is one of the easiest. It’s a truly passive way to earn money with your smartphone.
At 20 points a day, I earn $73 per year just for having it installed. I earn enough in Amazon gift cards to cover a few Christmas presents each year. I've used the app for over 2 years and would recommend it to anyone looking to add a way to passively earn money.
There are some solid pros to the app, and I will also point out a few cons.
Pros
- Requires No Effort
- Many Gift Card Options
It can't be stated enough how easy it is to earn points with Performance Meter. Just forget about it for a few months until you notice it in your apps list. Then choose which gift card to redeem.
Embee's app is great because there are so many retailers to choose from for a gift card. You'll find at least a handful of places you already frequent.
Cons
- No PayPal Option
- Slow Earn Rate
- Uses Some Battery and Data
It would be nice to have a PayPal cash-out option so I can use the rewards for anything I want. But getting a gift card for something I wouldn't normally buy like movie tickets or a department store purchase feels like a fun splurge.
Read More From Toughnickel
The earn rate is super slow. Earning just over a dollar a week seems like a slow crawl if you monitor progress frequently. But for not requiring any work, I can't really complain! It's best to just forget it's installed and set a reminder to check it.
The app does use a little bit of mobile data and battery life. For battery life, I did not notice any difference with the app installed compared to before. But since it runs in the background, there is some drain on the battery. It uses very little mobile data, but I didn't notice that in my phone bill, either. It’s not a battery or data hog, but if you’re concerned about either you might not want to install the app.
Privacy and Security: Is it Safe?
Is Mobile Performance Meter safe to have installed on your phone?
Embee protects all personal information they collect from you and never sells it. You can read more in their Terms of Service if you need more details.
Embee provides information from your phone in the form of aggregated reports. Your specific information is anonymous in such a large data set. No one would be able to pick out your data.
I've had the app installed for 2 years without any security concerns.
Earn Rate
Your earn rate will vary a bit depending on the type of smartphone you own and your location. In general, a newer and/or more popular phone will earn you a higher rate. A less popular or older model will give you a lower rate.
The highest rate offered is 30 points a day, which equals 30 cents (thanks to Tyler for the correction). Your rate could be as low as 10 points or 10 cents a day.
Still not bad for no work!
Other Apps to Earn Money
If you're excited about the idea of earning gift cards just by having something installed on your phone, you'll want to know that there are other apps out there that will do the same thing!
Other businesses collect information in exchange for bonuses and cash back. Dosh and Drop give you cash back rewards for credit card transaction information. They take just a little more work than MPM and can earn you rewards even faster.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
© 2018 Katy Medium
Comments
Katy Medium (author) from Denver, CO on January 18, 2019:
Thanks for the correction Tyler. I wasn't aware 30 was possible. I'll make the update to the article.
Tyler Carreiro on January 17, 2019:
I would just like to make a correction that the max earn rate is 30 points per day
