See how mystery shopping companies payment schedules can affect your cash flow

Mystery shopping companies pay their clients (you and me) on different schedules. This can have a large effect in how long it takes you to get your money back from them. And this can effect how much you use certain mystery shopping companies or what times of the month you use them.

These are the payment schedules of some of the companies I use-

Company 1

Pays twice per month, on the 15th (for shops conducted on 16th to end of previous month) and on the last day if the month (for shops conducted 1st to 15th of that month.)

So the longest you could be waiting for a payment is just under a month - from 16th August until 15th September, for example.

Company 2

Pays at the end of one month for all shops conducted in the previous month.

So the longest you could be waiting is just under two months - from 1st March to 30th April, for example.

Company 3

Processes payments as the jobs are confirmed as completed and pays 10 working days after confirmation.

Company 4

Pays once a month, on the 15th and if you're assignment is confirmed as completed on the 14th or earlier, then you're paid.

So the longest you could be waiting for a payment is a month - from 15th October until 15th November, for example.

So you may think twice about using company 2 towards the start of the month. You may try to do as many jobs just before the 15th of every month for companies 1 and 4. These timelines do start to affect when and for who you shop for. Waiting two months for payment, especially when you first start out. Once you are continually mystery shopping over a longer period of time, the money flows in as often as it flows out and these things even out.

It's all part and parcel of the world of mystery shopping and another piece of the jigsaw. Pulling together all of the different elements of mystery shopping helps you to become a mystery shopper-