A Closer Look is a website that claims you can get free meals, hotel stays, and entertainment by working as a mystery shopper for them.
But the question is, is it legit or just another scam?
This A Closer Look review will explain all the details of what it has to offer so you will know exactly what to expect before you even sign up. That way, you can properly evaluate if this opportunity is the right fit for you or not.
So let’s go ahead and check out A Closer Look, shall we?
What is A Closer Look, and what does it offer?
A Closer Look is a market research company that offers mystery shopping opportunities. It is indeed a legit site since you can really receive rewards while working as a mystery shopper for them.
Now the question is, is it worth it?
Well, the only way to find out is to understand its earning opportunity works. So let’s examine how you can earn from A Closer Look.
The earning opportunity – Mystery shopping assignments
The only way to earn from A Closer Look is to take on mystery shopping assignments. Once you become a mystery shopper, you can log in to the member dashboard to view all the available assignments in your area.
Most of the assignments are shops that belong to these categories:
- Hotels
- Spas
- Dental Offices
- Restaurants
- Fitness Centers
- Senior Living Facilities
- Retail Establishments
There are a decent number of assignments available in large cities. But for small cities, you can hardly find any. If you see an assignment you are interested in, just click it to see the full details. Every assignment has a set of instructions you need to follow, and it will also indicate the reward you will receive for completing it.
If you decide to take on the assignment, you have to indicate the date and time you want to work on it. A Closer Look will then review your assignment application, and if it is approved, then all that’s left is to work on the assignment during the specified date and time.
Most (if not all) assignments will require you to make a purchase, so expect to shell out money while working on one. Make sure to take note of all the instructions because if you miss even one requirement, your submission will not be approved, and you will not receive the reward.
If an assignment requires you to make a purchase, you will be reimbursed a specific amount. However, don’t expect to be reimbursed the full amount of the purchase, which is the main downside of this site, in my opinion.
The amount that will be reimbursed will be stated on the details page of the assignment, so make sure to take note of that as well. When deciding which assignment to work on, the reimbursement amount must be one of the factors you need to consider, so you can profit from completing it.
Recommended: Check Out the Best Mystery Shopping Sites
How do you get paid?
A Closer Look offers two payment methods – via check or E-payment.
If you choose to get paid via check, your earnings will be sent every 4th Monday of the following month.
For example, the earnings from all the assignments you completed in June will be sent on the 4th Monday of July. It’s quite a long wait, in my opinion, but you don’t have to earn a specific amount to receive your earnings (as long as you’ve earned something for that month).
If you choose to get paid via E-Payment, you will receive payment every Friday after report approval. As mentioned earlier, you will have to submit your report once you complete an assignment. Reports approved by Thursday of any week will be processed for E-Payment the following Friday.
You can set up the E-Payment for Debit Card deposits or via direct bank transfer. Debit card deposits are credited instantly, but there’s a 3.5% fee involved.
If you choose the direct bank transfer option, expect 1 to 3 days for the funds to be credited to your account. For this option, there won’t be any service fee involved.
Overall, the payment system of A Closer Look is relatively simple. I like the fact that it offers a convenient payment method like direct bank transfer. If you are interested in more sites that offer a convenient payment method, I recommend you also check out the top sites that pay via direct bank transfer.
How much money can you make?
The amount you can earn from A Closer Look will mostly depend on where you live. If you live in a big city, then chances are you can earn a decent amount from it. But if you live in a small city, you will hardly find any assignments available, so you will most likely not earn anything.
But as mentioned earlier, most assignments will require you to make a purchase, but you will only be reimbursed a certain amount. And most of the time, you will not be reimbursed the full amount, so taking on assignments for profit is difficult because you also have to factor in other expenses like gas fees.
Plus, the higher-paying assignments require a lot of work to complete, so the time-to-money ratio is not that good. That is why I would say that the earning potential of A Closer Look is not that good.
It would only be beneficial for you if you take on assignments from establishments you usually shop or dine from. That way, you’ll only have to pay a small amount to enjoy the product or service the establishment offers. In my opinion, this is the best way to take advantage of what A Closer Look offers.
Can you use it on mobile?
A Closer Look doesn’t have a mobile app you can download, but you can access the member dashboard from a mobile device using a web browser. Fortunately, the site is optimized for mobile use, so you can still navigate the site comfortably.
This can be quite helpful because you don’t need to sit in front of a computer just to apply for a mystery shopping assignment. You can also submit your report using your mobile device, but I would recommend you use your computer for that so you can write your report conveniently and not make any typos.
Who can join A Closer Look?
A Closer Look is only available for people who live in the US or Canada. If you live somewhere else, then this is not for you.
To sign up as a member, you have to fill out the registration form. Then you will be asked to provide your mobile number because A Closer Look needs to send a verification code to confirm your membership.
After you’ve done this, you’ll need to complete a few more steps to become a mystery shopper. When you finish the registration process, you can log in to the member dashboard and start taking on assignments.
Can you get support?
If you have any questions about the site or your account, you can check out the Help page inside the member dashboard. It discusses most of the basic topics you need to know about the site. If you can’t find the answers you are looking for, you can get in touch with the support team instead.
You can click the Message icon found at the lower right-hand corner of the website. A pop-up window will appear. Just follow the instructions that will appear. If your question isn’t answered, you can just ask for more help, and a representative will take over the chat so you can get the answers you need.
Overall, I would say the site does provide decent support to its members since it offers a convenient way for you to get help.
Final Verdict
A Closer Look is a legit mystery shopping site where you can earn by working as a mystery shopper. It has a couple of advantages, but it also has a few disadvantages you need to be aware of.
Let me wrap up this review by summarizing its pros and cons to give you an overview of what it has to offer. Then you can decide if this opportunity is for you or not.
Pros:
- No payout threshold
- The site is mobile-friendly
Cons:
- Low rewards
- Long waiting period to get paid for some payment methods
- For most jobs, you will not get reimbursed the full amount you need to spend
In my opinion, if you are looking to earn from mystery shopping, this is not the right site to join. That’s because it doesn’t pay that well. Most assignments will not reimburse you for the full amount you spend when mystery shopping. Aside from that, most assignments that offer higher rewards will take a bit of time to complete.
That’s why if you are looking to earn from working on mystery shopping assignments, I recommend you check out the top mystery shopping sites instead.
But if your goal is just to earn extra cash and not spend a single dime, I suggest you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country instead.
The sites on this list all have good earning potential, so you will be able to earn a decent amount in no time. Plus, you will definitely find a site you can join regardless of where you live.
If you have any comments, questions, or have any experience with A Closer Look yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.