Panel Review - Get Paid to do Nothing?
I apologize to begin with this, but...Panel? I know that simplicity is important, but should it be THAT simple? I would never think that an app that supposedly pays me to do nothing would be called Panel. Regardless, that's Panel's claim. I've seen ads that say that, so it is their pitch to you as a potential user. Getting paid to do nothing is quite appealing though. Your time is valuable enough, might as well make something from it. So how does it work?
Panel is an Android and iOS app that will track your location, habits, and sells your data to companies. In exchange, they will reward you with points that you can use to purchase gift cards, trade in for merch, or entries into sweepstakes. In case you haven't noticed, this is a recurring trend these days. Data is one of the most valuable commodities, and companies are looking for creative ways of getting you to part with yours, so they can sell it to someone else. The good thing is that it leaves the door open for you to make some extra cash, as I've pointed out with Google Opinion Rewards and Applike to name a few.
The Panel app will award a few points per day, provided your GPS is not disabled on your phone, just for running. I did not notice any real increase in battery usage after installing the Android version, so they did well there. You can also earn extra points by answering surveys every day. These are usually based on your locations visited. It is very similar to Google Survey Rewards, and I've had it ask the same questions on a few occasions. You could just ignore them, there is no obligation to answer them, it will just take you longer to earn enough points to redeem for a reward.
Does it work? Technically yes, it does. I cashed out last year for a $25 Visa Gift Card. That's it. This is with me answering their on average four questions surveys 4 our of 7 days a week. It is definitely the least lucrative out of the extra money apps I use, but it is also one of the least engaging, which is technically a good thing. It is easy to use, and you could in theory just let it ride, never answer a question. You could just disable notifications from the app, and just "set it and forget it". I noticed that I got paid more points the more I traveled, I got the least when I would have a lazy day at home. It starts ramping up once it has a good idea on the location of your work and home, oddly enough.
Based on my own amateur calculations, you could make $10 a year just by letting it sit on your phone, unless you never left your home that is. I can't see making more than $25 a year like I did last year. I am on track for the same this year. That is unless you start getting referrals. Panel pays 10% of all points your referrals make. I haven't gotten any. Like I've stated in the past, I want to bring you details on how these apps work without having to go through that.
Panel gets a Soft recommendation. Even though it pays you to do nothing, I think the payouts should be higher. When you stack this on top of the other apps though, you can see why I get excited. Pennies x pennies x pennies etc. adds up. Below are three links. The Google Play link, the iOS link, and my referral link, in case you want to throw me a bone...r :)
Get boning!
