Is Flash Rewards a Scam?

If you’re thinking of using Flash Rewards, you need to know: Is Flash Rewards a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Flash Rewards is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when using this platform. 

What Is Flash Rewards?

Flash Rewards is a platform where users can complete tasks for rewards (e.g., gift cards). 

Tasks include playing games, downloading apps, making purchases, and signing up for services and newsletters. 

Flash Rewards is known for the very popular “$750 Shein gift card” (which we’ve actually reviewed). 

Users need to submit completed deals within 30 days to get a reward. Rewards should come 7 to 10 days after verification (i.e., you need to verify your identity to claim your reward). 

Flash Rewards is similar to InboxDollars, Apex Focus Group, and Survey Junkie, and Survey World. 

Is Flash Rewards a Scam?

No, Flash Rewards is not a scam. It’s a legitimate rewards platform. 

However, most third-party review sites and users who have tried it do not recommend it. 

For example, Paid from Surveys gives Flash Rewards a rating of 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. 

It says: “Flash Rewards isn’t worth your time. The fact that it is not transparent with the whole process of earning rewards is a big issue for me.”

The Budget Diet says the following about Flash Rewards: 

“Completing deals involves so much time and following steps perfectly. This means many users don’t actually get paid if they make one small mistake. In my opinion, Flash Rewards isn’t worth using, and it’s a bit of a scam since it takes advantage of people by making it very easy to mess up on deals so you don’t get paid.” 

Since some tasks involve users signing up for free trials, there’s a possibility that you’ll forget to cancel (canceling too quickly doesn’t count towards your Flash Rewards goal) and end up being charged. 

Other tasks involve users spending money straight away. 

The fact that Flash Rewards doesn’t make it clear that users may need to spend their own money in ads may breach the Advertising Standards Agency’s (ASA) misleading advertising code in the UK, according to the consumer body Which? 

The Budget Diet also says that users need to take screenshots of every deal completion and confirmation email because if Flash Rewards asks for proof and you don’t have it, you won’t get your reward. 

User reviews about Flash Rewards are mixed:

• 3.5 out of 5.0 stars (from 1,699 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 3.3 out of 5.0 stars (from 53 reviews) on Google Play. 
• 1.4 out of 5.0 stars (from 76 reviews) on Pissed Consumer.

People complain about denied or delayed payouts, issues with the identity verification process, and being disqualified for “violating terms.” 

There are also complaints about unhelpful customer support, losing money without receiving promised rewards (on deals requiring purchases or subscriptions), and completed tasks not being credited. 

On internet forums like Reddit, people say that though it’s possible to get rewards through Flash Rewards, the process is very onerous. 

Flash Rewards is not Better Business Bureau accredited. 

Security 

Flash Rewards has a small section of security in its privacy policy.

It says it uses “commercially reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or accidental loss or destruction of your Information.” 

It doesn’t go into details as to what these efforts are, though it does note that your information can only be accessed by those who need access to it to perform their jobs. 

When Flash Rewards collects, stores, and transmits data, it encrypts it with advanced Transport Layer Security (TLS). 

Your biometric data is decentralized and hosted securely. Flash Rewards safeguards your biometric data with encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection and prevention systems. 

Six months after you submit your biometric information, Flash Rewards deletes/destroys it permanently. However, you can request that the platform delete this data at any time after sharing it. 

Privacy

When registering with Flash Rewards, you must share your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address. 

To get your reward, you need to verify your identity by submitting a photo of a government ID, doing a live selfie for biometric verification, and giving consent to biometric data processing by a third party. 

Many people find these identity verification requirements too much. Several people say they’ve decided not to cash out their rewards because they were uncomfortable with these requirements. 

If you reside in a state where biometric data use requires opt-in consent, you can refuse to do identity verification. In this case, Flash Rewards is supposed to give you alternate ways to prove your identity, e.g., by proving your residence. 

Flash Rewards may also share your survey responses with named marketing partners. 

The surveys may ask you health and wellness-related questions, and your answers may be shared with third-party marketing partners who advertise health and wellness products on the Flash Rewards website (unless you live in a state that requires a separate opt-in or notice for Sensitive Personal Information).  

That said, users can limit the use of Sensitive Personal Information by clicking on the “Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information” link on their website or contacting them at help@myprivacyrequest.com.

Flash Rewards surveys may also ask you questions regarding your financial situation. Again, your answers may be shared with third-party marketing partners.

Privacy policy 

Flash Rewards explains the kind of data it collects, for what purposes, and with whom it shares it in its privacy policy.

Flash Rewards collects the following personal information:

• Identifiers, e.g., name, IP address, date of birth, government-issued ID.
• Personal information, e.g., gender, employment, medical and health information).
• Biometric data, e.g., selfie, government ID. 
• Commercial information, e.g., preferences, products/services purchased.
• Internet activity, e.g., search and browsing history.
• Inferences, e.g., psychological trends and attitudes).
• Consent records, e.g., telemarketing opt-ins. 
• Protected classification characteristics under state/federal law, e.g., marital status, race. 
• Sensitive personal information. 

It uses this information to operate its program, improve its program, verify user eligibility, communicate with users, fulfill rewards, provide customer service, comply with laws, and perform marketing. 

Flash Rewards may share your information with vendors, third parties (e.g., for program delivery and verification), marketing partners, consent-verification vendors, government petition campaigns (with your consent), and business transfers. 

Flash Rewards states that they only disclose user data to vendors and marketing partners when a formal agreement is in place that clearly explains the purpose and necessity of the data sharing.

So, Should You Use Flash Rewards?

Probably not. 

Flash Rewards is not the best rewards platform for many reasons.

It may require you to spend your own money first, makes it difficult to cash out your rewards, and requests a lot of personal information (including a copy of your government ID and a live biometric selfie). 

How to Use Flash Rewards Safely and Privately 

• Create an email account just for survey sites. The Flash Rewards sign-up process requires your email address. You may also need to share an email address when completing offers, such as by subscribing to newsletters. To keep your primary inbox free of spam and your identity more private, create a separate email address for survey sites like Flash Rewards. 
• Use a masked or virtual phone number. Flash Rewards also asks for your phone number. Use a masked or virtual number to keep your personal one private. 
• Create a strong, unique password. Don’t reuse it elsewhere on the web. 
• Skip surveys that ask sensitive questions. Avoid answering surveys that ask finance or health questions, as these can be passed on to third parties. 
• Restrict trackers. You can do this by using a privacy-focused browser or a private window. Remember to periodically delete cookies, too. 
• Opt out of the sale and sharing of your data. Click the “Do Not Sell My Personal Info” link (footer of every Flash Rewards page) to stop Flash Rewards from selling your data. Then, click “Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information” to prevent the platform from sharing your ID, biometric, and health data beyond identity verification.
• Decline telemarketing/SMS. Do not give “prior express written consent” for telemarketing calls/texts. 
• Start small. Test the Flash Rewards platform with low-reward tasks before investing significant time or money.
• Track paid tasks. Some Flash Rewards tasks involve subscriptions or purchases. Set reminders to cancel trials before you are charged.
• Don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. Treat Flash Rewards as a high-risk reward system. It’s possible to spend money and not get anything back.
• Document everything. Take screenshots or videos of completed offers and confirmation emails. Flash Rewards may ask you for proof of offer completion. If you can’t provide it, they won’t give you your rewards. 
• Ask for an alternative way to verify your identity. Depending on where you reside, you may be able to refuse biometric identity verification and use an alternate way to prove that you are who you say you are. 
• Opt for a virtual or single‑use credit card (when possible). The main advantage of these cards is that they let you keep your actual card details private. You can also lock virtual cards to a specific merchant or limit them to a particular spend. However, Flash Rewards notes that some of its partners may not allow the use of these cards. 
• Request data deletion. Email help@myprivacyrequest.com asking Flash Rewards to delete your personal information. 
• Request biometric data deletion. Flash Rewards says it automatically deletes users’ biometric information after six months, but you can ask them to do so sooner.