What if you could make some quick money from using your smartphone inside local grocery stores and other businesses? That’s basically the premise behind Gigwalk, an app that assigns you small jobs for quick pay.
Once you download Gigwalk for Android or iOS, you can accept “Gigs” and get paid for them directly through your PayPal account.
Because Team Clark is all about finding you ways to make money, we tried the app to see what kind of income it can generate.
Here’s my experience with Gigwalk, including how much you can make and what it takes to get paid from the app:
Quick Links:
- What Is Gigwalk?
- How Much Money Can You Make?
- How Does Gigwalk Work?
- What Kind of Jobs Can You Do?
- How Do You Get Paid?
- How My First Gig Really Went
What Is Gigwalk?
Gigwalk is a mobile app that shows small jobs that you can perform at businesses in your area. Gigwalk users essentially serve as quality control managers for companies that have partnered with the app.
As a Gigwalker, it’s your job to assess a particular product or store’s retail experience and report it through the app. Then the consumer brand or company is alerted.
The app is very easy to use. Your interface is basically organized under four tabs that you can toggle between. Here’s how that looks:
How Much Money Can You Make?
On its website, the company says you can make “anywhere from $3 to $100.” After trying the app for a period of time, I can confirm that you definitely can make $3 and even triple that amount in one “Gig.”
But here’s the thing: If you’re trying to make $100 in a week, it’s going to take a lot of work, perhaps more than you have in mind. Let me explain what I mean…
How Does Gigwalk Work?
Once you download the app, you’ll be able to look at a map that shows you small jobs, or “Gigs,” represented by pins.
Because of the limited time you have to complete the job, be sure to only accept a job that you have time to complete.
When you choose a job, you’ll tap “Apply for this Gig” and it reserves it for you.
After accepting the job, choose a timeframe to complete it. Typically you will be given three choices: 3, 12 and 24 hours.
Once you add your timeframe, you’ll need to tap Gig Details in the app to see a list of instructions. From there, it’s your duty to follow them precisely if you want to get paid.
What Kind of Jobs Can You Do?
As mentioned, app users typically inspect products on the shelves of retailers to see if they’re priced and marketed appropriately. But you can sign up for other tasks as well.
The types of jobs Gigwalk offers will vary. Here are some of the tasks I saw available:
- Tobacco / vapor auditor
- Storefront inspector
- Loyalty membership auditor
- Product display auditor
As you can see, many of the Gigs have to do with observing how a particular business is run. And all of them typically can be done in 30 minutes or less.
One of the Gigs I took required me to check on the quality of service at a food establishment — so I got to eat for free! Now, let’s talk money…
How Do You Get Paid?
Unlike many money-making apps, Gigwalk doesn’t require that you link your bank account. GigWalk pays you through your PayPal account.
To link your Gigwalk account to PayPal, you’ll need to do the following:
- Tap on the menu in the upper left corner, tap My Profile > Update My Profile
- Add your PayPal email address to your Gigwalk account
With Gigwalk, there’s not a long delay for your money to arrive.
Once the client approves of your work, you’ll get money transferred to your account. There may be times when more information is required before approval, but once you address it, your cash is on the way!
How My First ‘Gig’ Went
The first Gig that I accepted was at an optical store. I had to take a number of photos of the place, observe the staff and other things.
When it comes to taking pictures of a business, don’t think you can cheat: Gigwalk only allows you to take photos inside the app. As you add more pictures, it moves you through the process until it’s complete.
Although Gigwalk says their complete payment process may take as long as 14 days, it took a little more than 12 hours before my payment was approved.
It was deposited into my PayPal account less than two days later. How much did I earn? I got $7 for 30 minutes of work.
Looking at the time it took me to do the actual Gig itself, it was quick and easy money. But here’s the whole story…
What They Don’t Tell You About Money-Making Apps
While doing the task may take just a few minutes, the true cost of these small jobs must be measured in time.
It took me about 20 minutes to drive to the location and about the same time to get back home. Depending on the time you’re allotted to complete the Gig, your tasks can come with a fair amount of stress.
Gigwalk is also very stringent when it comes to accepting your job and processing it for payment. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly as they are written.
As you can imagine, users may drive some distance to complete Gigs only to be rejected because they didn’t follow the rules.
Conclusion
Here’s what I think about Gigwalk: While the app’s name calls to mind someone walking to a gig, it’s unlikely that many of these jobs will be in the same vicinity as you, let alone walking distance.
When it comes to simple tasks and quick payment, Gigwalk delivers, but here’s the thing: You’ll more than likely have to spend some gas money to make even modest amounts with Gigwalk.
That means that if you can’t arrange your tasks near your home — or at least all in one general area — Gigwalk may cost you a lot of money to make a little.
Know any money-making apps to earn extra income? Let us know in the comments.
