BeMyEye Review: Are the Shopping Tasks Worth Your Time?

By Al Baker | Founder & Editor, The Penny Pincher - Last updated October 1st 2026

Affiliate disclosure: This article contains a referral link. If you join through it and complete a qualifying mission, you and I can each receive £1. This doesn’t affect my assessment of the service.

A few pounds for photographing a restaurant menu or checking a supermarket display can sound appealing, especially if you’re already there. BeMyEye offers these sorts of small research jobs through your phone, giving you a brief to follow and a reward for accepted work. I’ve used it alongside other work, including checking for menu-photograph missions while waiting to collect Deliveroo orders.

Before putting time into it now, you need to know about the payment delays. MoneySavingExpert has reported delayed payouts and published BeMyEye’s response acknowledging technical problems. That changes my advice: I wouldn’t rely on BeMyEye for money needed for an upcoming bill, or build up lots of unpaid work while waiting for a withdrawal.

This review draws on my previously published experience of using BeMyEye, alongside current help pages and payment reports. The personal examples below are historical, rather than a new test of today’s missions or withdrawal times. I haven’t verified a fresh payout for this update.

You could be asked to find a product in a supermarket, photograph where it’s displayed and record its price. Other missions involve talking to a member of staff and answering questions about the service you receive, or checking whether a promotion is in place. The current app also includes marking locations on a map and completing surveys or quizzes from home, although the selection depends on the work available.

The useful detail is in the mission instructions, because photographing one menu is a different commitment from working through a long list of supermarket shelves. A job may ask for several angles, different product sizes or evidence that something is missing. Read the whole brief before accepting, rather than judging the work from its title or headline reward.

BeMyEye is also different from Be My Eyes, the service connecting blind and low-vision people with volunteers and other assistance. The similar names can cause confusion, but they serve different purposes. If you’re looking for the paid shopping missions discussed here, the app name is BeMyEye.

My experience of using BeMyEye

When I was doing Deliveroo delivery work, I’d sometimes look for menu-photograph jobs while waiting to collect an order. The tasks I described in my original review paid about £3 and took around five minutes, which made them useful when I was already at the restaurant. Those were past examples, so don’t assume that the same jobs or rates will be available now.

Photographing shelves in a busy shop can feel more awkward than the instructions make it sound. I’ve explained honestly what I was doing when questioned, and I hadn’t been asked to stop at the time of my original review. That experience doesn’t give anyone permission to ignore staff: follow the mission brief, stop if you’re asked to and tell support what happened.

How do you join and get the £1 bonus?

BeMyEye is free to download for iPhone and Android, and you must be at least 18 to carry out missions. Create an account and work through the introduction before choosing a job. The “My First Mission” tutorial can be completed at home and awards experience points, known as XP, rather than being a paid shop visit.

If you decide to join after considering the payment concerns, our BeMyEye invite link offers eligible new UK users £1 after completing their first in-store mission. You can also enter gpk1r3 when registering; existing members don’t qualify, and the invitation must be used in the same country as the person sharing it. I receive £1 too, and the bonus remains subject to the usual withdrawal requirements, so it isn’t £1 you can immediately cash out on signing up.

Booking a mission and getting it approved

Use the map or mission list to find work, then read the location, deadline, instructions and payment conditions before reserving it. At the location, follow the app’s check-in process, answer the questions and submit the required photographs. Only reserve work you can finish within the time allowed, including uploading the report.

The published review aim is within 24 hours, but that isn’t a guaranteed deadline. If the report comes back incomplete, read the feedback before deciding whether you can make the corrections. The reward needs approval before it becomes available in your wallet, and withdrawing it is a separate stage.

How much can you earn, and what will you keep?

There’s no fixed weekly amount you can expect from BeMyEye. The advertised reward needs to cover the time spent reading the brief, finding the products, taking photographs and submitting the report. If a mission shows a payment range, the final reward can fall at either end of that range, so don’t plan around receiving the maximum.

Imagine a £5 mission at a shop you’re already visiting: that might be worth considering if the extra work is manageable. Make a separate trip costing £3 in travel and you’re left with £2 before tax or other costs, even if the report is accepted. Those are illustrative figures, not a current advertised mission, and travel costs aren’t normally reimbursed on top of the reward.

If a brief requires a purchase, establish exactly what will be reimbursed and keep the receipt. Getting back money you’ve spent doesn’t give you the same extra income as earning a fee without buying anything. With payment delays reported, I’d be particularly reluctant to spend my own money on a mission while an earlier withdrawal was outstanding.

How do BeMyEye withdrawals work?

The UK PayPal withdrawal minimum is £5. You also have to wait between withdrawal requests, with the interval depending on your account level. Look at the date in your wallet before assuming that reaching £5 means you can request the money that day.

There’s conflicting information about bank transfers: the app-store description mentions them, while the more recent payment-request help page lists PayPal. I haven’t confirmed a bank-transfer option for UK accounts, so I wouldn’t join on the assumption that it’s available. Check the options in your own profile before doing any paid work.

What’s happening with BeMyEye payment delays?

In replies published on Trustpilot on the 18th of September, BeMyEye acknowledged delayed payments and problems affecting its payment system. A UK reviewer reported receiving money on the 22nd of September, while another UK reviewer updated a complaint about repeated delays on the 27th. These are individual reports, rather than a complete measure of payment performance, but they don’t support treating the issue as resolved.

If you’re waiting for money, keep your mission references, approval records and withdrawal date together, then contact support through the app or at support@bemyeye.com. Ask about that specific withdrawal and keep a copy of the reply. I’d pause further missions until the outstanding payment reaches your account, rather than adding more work to the amount you’re chasing.

Would I use BeMyEye for extra money now?

The idea still makes sense when a small job fits a trip you’re already making, and my past menu-photo jobs are an example of that. The current payment concerns make it harder to recommend spending time or money on new missions, particularly if you need the earnings soon.

I’d compare the options in our mystery shopping guide and our Roamler guide, checking each service’s current terms and local jobs before deciding.

Whichever service you choose, keep records of earnings and expenses. Total gross trading income above £1,000 across your side jobs in a tax year normally means registering for Self Assessment; gross means before expenses, and exceptions apply. HMRC’s trading allowance guidance explains the rules, and the allowance doesn’t remove separate benefit-reporting obligations.

For an existing BeMyEye user, I’d make checking the wallet and any pending withdrawal the first job. For a new user, I’d wait for clearer evidence that payments are running reliably before committing to missions. A small reward is only useful extra money once you can actually use it.

BeMyEye FAQs

Is BeMyEye the same as Be My Eyes?

No. BeMyEye offers paid research missions, while Be My Eyes connects blind and low-vision people with volunteers and other assistance. The volunteer service isn’t the paid mystery shopping app covered here.

How much can you earn with BeMyEye?

Rewards vary by mission, and there’s no guaranteed weekly income. Read the payment conditions and include travel and reporting time when deciding whether a job is worthwhile.

What is the BeMyEye minimum withdrawal?

The published UK PayPal minimum is £5. You also need to meet the waiting period between withdrawals shown for your account.

How do I get the £1 BeMyEye bonus?

Eligible new UK users can use our invite link or enter gpk1r3 when registering, then complete their first in-store mission. The bonus isn’t awarded just for downloading the app, and normal withdrawal requirements still apply.

How long does BeMyEye take to approve a mission?

The published aim is within 24 hours, but reports can take longer to review. Approval adds the reward to your wallet; it doesn’t mean the money has reached PayPal.

Can I do BeMyEye missions from home?

Some activities are surveys or quizzes you can do at home, but local store visits are a major part of the service. The introductory tutorial awards experience points, so don’t assume every activity offers cash.