I got Another Check from Searchcactus!
Written: Apr 19 '01
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The Bottom Line
It's a great way to make a little bit of money on the net. It's much easier to use than other 'get-paid-to' programs, though somewhat boring.
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My first was a real check for $20.15, and though the check itself looked a bit phony, it cleared the bank and went safely in my checking account! That was back in December, and since then I have gotten paid again, and once more in a very prompt manner.
NOTE: I originally posted a review about Searchcactus under the category Site Reviews because it didn't have it's own listing here on Epinions, but since it now does, I'm moving it over here along with a few added notes.
I'm sure all of you "Get-paid-to-do-This-&-That" buffs know what Searchcactus is but here's a short explanation:
Searchcactus.com is a website which, if you sign up for an account with them, will pay you to search and click on websites. Their home page lists many categories and subcategories much like Epinions' home page that you can click on to do a search on a certain subject, or you can simply type your search word in the search box. (Update: The categories are gone now, you have to use their search box entirely to find paying links) When you enter a search word or click on a category, the "search results page" will appear with 10 search results on the first page, and if any of those have an icon in front of it, you will get paid $0.02 if you click through to that website.
Some people have described the icon as an eye and others think it's a hand. You can click on as many as 20 unique websites with the icon per day, and you must wait at least 20 seconds before clicking on another one. You will not get paid to visit the same website unless 24 hours have passed since you last visited it. Searchcactus has a direct-referrals-only program, and you earn 25% of what your referrals earn.
Well, enough of that boring stuff. Here's my personal experience with them. I signed up for Searchcactus in May of 2000 and promptly "referred" my wife and we clicked away faithfully every day. At that time they listed 20 search results per page, and usually most of them had the little "eye" in front, so it was very easy to do our 20 paid searches per day. (Confession: I'm afraid most of the searching I do is for the purpose of getting paid, not because I'm interested in what I'm searching about). Shortly after we joined, though, most of the "eyes" disappeared and it was so hard to find 20 paying results per day that I swore that as soon as I accumulated $20.00 in my account ($20 is the minimum payout amount, did I mention that?) (oops.. you also have to click on the Send My Check button in the Member Control Panel for them to pay you. You will receive your check within 20 days of the next month after you request payment.) ... as I was saying, once I got my first $20 I was going to quit using Searchcactus. At that time Netflip (another pay to search engine) was flourishing, and AllAdvantage (now prestigiously on my 'hate it list) was a viewbar you didn't mind residing at the bottom of your screen.
After a couple of months of desert conditions at Searchcactus.com, more paying websites began to appear, and now it's one of my favorite Get-Paid-to programs. Some categories have as much as 16 paying websites per search result.
The only thing that concerns me is that they will go belly-up like so many other programs have, especially since it's so easy to complete your paid searches every day and not really pay attention to the websites you are visiting. After all, the companies that are paying to be listed on Searchcactus are hoping that enough people will stick around and shop to make their advertising worth it.
I must admit, though, that in doing all my searching every day I have become familiar with many websites that I didn't know existed, and I have gone back and shopped at some of them, but not always through Searchcactus (or Netflip). They need to give me more incentive to actually stop my searches and shop for stuff.
If you're looking for a company that will pay you to spend time online, Searchcactus.com is the one to try. After Epinions, of course. :)
BTW: I'll be getting another check for over $35 in May... Also, since you have to click on the "Send My Check" button, you have to make sure you do so before 5pm ET on the last day of the month. Otherwise, you'll be waiting until the next month to get a check. I've missed the deadline twice, so now I'm just going to click that button on the 25th of the month just to make sure the end of the month doesn't catch up to me........ Have fun!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Ben Hesser
Location: MN
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 16 members
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