Mystery shopping in the UK: how to start and what you can really earn

Mystery shopping sounds quite fancy, but it’s really a simple side job where you get paid to act like a normal customer.

Shops, restaurants, gyms and even banks use mystery shoppers to check how friendly staff are, how tidy the place feels and whether people follow the right steps when helping customers.

It won’t replace a full wage, but it can help with the weekly food shop, save for birthdays or give you a bit more breathing room each month.

How mystery shopping works

A company gives you a short list of things to look out for. You go to a shop or café, behave like anyone else, then write down what happened afterwards.

Most jobs are straightforward. You might need to ask a staff member a question, try something on, order a drink or check how tidy the shop is. Some tasks ask you to buy a small item, and they usually refund you.

You do not need to pretend to be someone else. You just follow the brief and pay attention.

If you want more flexible earning ideas, take a look at our guide to easy ways to make money online.

How much money you can make

Mystery shopping brings in small chunks of money that quietly add up.

A quick visit might pay £4 or £5. Longer jobs in restaurants, gyms or banks can pay £20 to £50, especially if they need a bigger write-up.

Online and phone-based shops usually pay less, but they save travel time.

App tasks often pay between £2.50 and £10 for checking a display or taking a few photos. These work best when you tie them in with your normal errands.

If you live in a busy town or city, it is realistic to earn around £20 to £100 a month by mixing regular mystery shops with app tasks. It will not replace a full wage, but it can make day-to-day costs feel lighter.

If you like small jobs that fit around your day, you might also enjoy our roundup of the best paid-to-walk apps.

What skills you need

You do not need special training. You just need to notice small details, remember what happened and write a clear report afterwards. A calm, friendly approach helps too.

The report is the most important part. Companies want to know exactly what you saw and heard, not your personal opinions.

Getting started

You sign up with a mystery shopping company and fill in your profile. This tells them what sort of jobs suit you and how far you can travel.

Once you are accepted, you can log in and pick tasks. Each one comes with clear instructions.

Read them carefully, complete the visit, then write your report. Most companies approve reports within a few days and pay straight into your bank or PayPal.

Never pay to join a mystery shopping site. Real companies do not charge for sign-ups.

A quick real life example

To give you an idea of how simple a job can be, here’s what one mystery shop looked like for a Skint Dad reader in Leeds.

They picked a clothing store visit that paid £12. The brief asked them to walk around the shop, check how tidy it was, ask a staff member if a top was available in another size and then note how helpful the staff member seemed.

The whole visit took about 15 minutes. They didn’t need to buy anything. Once they got home, they wrote a short report on their phone, answered a few tick-box questions and submitted it. The money was paid three days later.

They said the job felt “easy and a bit fun”, and that they would happily do one or two each month to cover small costs like school snacks or the weekend treat fund.

Safe mystery shopping companies in the UK

There are plenty of mystery shopping sites online, and some are not worth your time.

The safest plan is to stick with companies that have been around for years, are free to join and work with well-known UK brands.

Here are some trusted options and what they usually offer:

Proinsight
Known for gym visits, cafés, retail checks and hospitality jobs. They often have steady work in busy towns.

Tern
Covers supermarkets, banks, fashion shops and cafés. A good all-rounder with plenty of simple tasks.

ShopFor Ipsos
Focuses on supermarket visits and checkout experiences. Ideal if you already pop into the shops most days.

Grass Roots
A long-established UK mystery shopping firm working with big-name clients across retail, banking, hospitality and more. Offers regular assignments and tends to pay via BACS on fixed monthly pay runs.

Market Force
Popular for fast food, casual dining and coffee shop visits. Many jobs include meal reimbursement.

React Surveys
Short, quick jobs such as phone calls or simple service checks.

All of these companies are free to join and known for fair payments. Signing up to several gives you more choice, especially if you live outside a major city.

App based mystery shopping and quick tasks

As well as the classic companies, there are apps that pay you to do tiny jobs while you are already out and about.

These are often things like checking a display, counting products on a shelf or buying and trying a new item.

Popular apps include Field Agent, Roamler, Shepper and SmartSpotter. You pick jobs on a map, follow the instructions, upload photos and get paid once your work is approved.

The pay per job is small, but if you combine tasks with your normal routine, it turns everyday trips into extra income.

There are other ways to earn from your phone too, including simple survey sites you can do while watching TV. We cover them in our guide to getting paid to watch TV.

Read next: Easy ways to make extra money before Christmas in 2025

Tax and money rules

Mystery shopping and app tasks count as self-employed income. In most cases, the first £1,000 you earn in a tax year from side jobs is covered by the trading allowance.

If you stay under that level, you usually do not need to register for Self Assessment just for this income.

If your mystery shopping and other side hustles bring in more than £1,000 in a year, you need to tell HMRC. You may then need to file a tax return and pay tax on your profit after expenses.

There are plans to make the admin easier for people earning between £1,000 and £3,000 on the side, but the basic rule stays the same.

It helps to keep simple notes of what you have earned and any money you have spent on required purchases or travel.

If you are new to side hustles and unsure about the admin, our step-by-step guide on how much money can you earn from a hobby before paying tax in the UK keeps it straightforward.

Staying safe and avoiding scams

Real mystery shopping companies never ask you to pay to join.

They do not send random cheques, ask you to move money for them or pressure you into expensive “training”. If you see any of these, walk away.

A helpful safety check is to look for companies that are members of MSPA Europe, which is the trade body for mystery shopping providers. They follow set standards and are more reliable.

Searching for reviews before you sign up is sensible too. Start with small, low-risk jobs until you feel confident.

If you want a quick refresher on spotting dodgy messages, you can read our advice on how to spot a scam side hustle before you get pulled in.

Is mystery shopping worth it

Mystery shopping is a neat little side job when you want to bring in a bit extra without taking on loads of extra work. It fits around kids, school runs, lunch breaks or your normal shopping. You can even combine visits to make a trip into town more worthwhile.

The hardest part is writing the report, so doing it the same day makes everything easier.

If you enjoy small money-makers like this, you can find plenty more ideas in our full list of side hustles for UK families.