#mpoints

What is it?

mPoints (short for "mobile points") is a mobile-app-based loyalty program that is participated in by several apps.  A full list can be found here of the available apps, but my favorites are:

Scramble with Friends

Dictionary.com

The Weather Channel

Nexercise

These apps tend to give a good payout of points and are not filled with copious amounts of ads. 

The program is only available for smart phones, more specifically, just iPhones and Android systems.

How do I earn mPoints?

Each app that participates in mPoints assigns a certain set of "achievements" for their app.  These can be things like "open the app once per day" or "search words 5 times per day,"  and each achievement has a mPoint value.  Once you fulfill one of these achievements, you go to the mPoints page for the app (usually denoted by a little present-shaped button or tab) and "claim" the achievement.  Then, one of the following things happens:

You are shown an advertisement for something that gives you a certain number of points. Examples include: "Watch a video for 30 mPoints," "click an ad for 60 mPoints," etc.  The point values on these ads are assigned by the company that puts out the advertisement, and thus are a bit random.  Typically there's a limit of how many ads from one advertiser you are shown.  Example:  There's currently a Progressive ad that you have to enter in your zip code for to "get a quote" (you don't actually have to get a quote at all) that's worth 50 points. I am shown this 2 times per day.

You are shown an advertisement for another app where, upon download, you will get a certain number of mPoints.  Example: "Download ____ app and get 250 mPoints!"

You are taken to a "Watch and Win" video where, upon watching the video all the way through, you will be granted a ticket into the current week's sweepstakes for a $250 gift card to either Target, Walmart, or Best Buy.

You may not be shown an ad at all (typically after you've been shown all of the available ads from #1-3)

Unrelated to any of the above ads:  For every 10 achievements you fulfill in a particular app, you will get an additional 15 bonus mPoints. Make sure to keep an eye out for the additional screen, because you won't get the points if you don't click the button to accept them.

You have a limit of 200 mPoints per app per day, and an overall limit of 1000 mPoints per day.  Note, though, that these are only counted from achievement points (and mPoints from #5).  So, if you get many high-value ads in a day, you can go over these limits.  The only app I've managed to hit my daily limit on repeatedly is Weather Channel, so It's not particularly common.

How do I spend them?

The mPoints store is full of a variety of items, gift cards, donations, and sweepstakes entries.  On average, for gift cards, 2500 points = $1, with the exception being $1 Amazon gift cards, which are 2000 points. The catch is that you can only claim a certain reward once per week (down to the very minute of ordering).  So, I can order a $1 Amazon GC and a $5 CVS GC in one week, but I can't order 2 $1 Amazon GCs.

How much time will this take me?

For me, I usually get all of my mPoints stuff done in about 1-1.5 hours of casual clicking. I typically start up mPoints when I go to class, because i don't have to pay much attention to mPoints in order to claim my achievements, and I have access to free wifi there. I have 5 apps installed (the four listed above plus Word Search), so it takes longer to get everything done.  For the apps that I have installed, I get somewhere between 600-1000+ mPoints per day, depending on the available ads and if I get any bonuses for checking in multiple days in a row. (Most apps offer bonus achievements for visiting 5 and 7 times in a row/in a week).

Obviously, you're not going to be getting $10 gift cards every week, but I find that getting a couple of CVS gift cards every now and then helps pad out my couponing budget in case I don't find any good ECB deals.

Also:  You don't need to claim your mPoints right away.  You can store achievements for up to 1 week before claiming (in case you don't have access to wifi every day).  A thing to pay attention to, though, is that you're still going to have your 200 mPoint limit per app, so don't put yourself in a position of never being able to claim things because of your limit.

What's your opinion on mPoints, then?

For me, since I have a fair amount of spare time with access to wifi, mPoints is a handy way to spend time in class, over my lunch hour, or even an excuse to stay in bed a little longer on weekend mornings. However, if you don't have a smartphone, access to wifi, or spare time, this loyalty program is not going to be for you.

Any other tips?

The key to making good money with mPoints is to find a good spot for you in terms of making mPoints versus time needed.  Some apps give points easily, with little or moderate time involvement (Dictionary.com, Nexercise, The Weather Channel), whereas others depend on you checking the app several hours apart (Scramble with Friends), and others just don't give a decent payout beyond their bonuses for checking in on multiple days. I suggest trying a few apps at first, and then increasing the number of apps until you feel like you have a good balance.