Selling personal information has long been one of the most popular ways to make money on the internet. Traditionally, this is done by spending time filling out lengthy online surveys. Reklaim (formerly known as Killi) offers a unique proposition; give them your information and have them sell it to companies on your behalf. All you have to do is collect your paycheque at the end of each month. In this review, I’ll explore the functionality, user experience and potential returns Reklaim has to offer.
How Does Reklaim Work?
Reklaim boldly claims they allow you to “Take back your data” (perhaps more accurately, sell it even more but get paid for it). The main selling point, of course, is not having to manually fill in your data each time to sell it. Once you’ve downloaded the Reklaim app, you’ll be asked to choose how much personal information you’re willing to provide. The more you give, the more you’ll earn.
There are 10 categories of data you can choose share, and you can stop sharing them at any moment using the button at the bottom of the page. You can also choose how much, or how little, you want to give. None of it is mandatory.
While the sale of your data will be the main money maker, it’s not the only one. You can also earn some money by completing a variety of polls. Most contain a single question and will pay you a single point, worth a penny, upon completion. You can find a longer survey that will pay more points every so often, but it’s rare.
Yes, that’s a survey! Just one, simple question.
My monthly earnings amounted to a grand total of 200 points per month, equivalent to two bucks, and payed out every week. It took nearly two years to earn enough for my $35 Visa gift card. Keep in mind, if you fail to log in to your account over 180 days, you’ll be fined a “dormant account fee of 185 points.
Features & User Experience
Reklaim’s overall user experience is quite nice. You can browse information about yourself, as well as who’s buying and selling your data, and for how much.
There’s also a mobile app that unlocks some cool additional features. You can ask them to scan the internet to see if your data has been leaked. You can also view and manage the sale of your data, just as you can with the website.
While it turns out that my data has in fact been leaked, I can’t see the specifics unless I spend money. It’s fairly affordable, you can choose to get data breach monitoring and detection for $19.99 per year. You can also add on a VPN with unlimited data for $99.99 per year. You can earn money off of selling your data on all three plans.
Cashing Out
This is what you’ve been waiting for. Once you’ve earned enough points, it’s time to exchange them for actual money. The minimum threshold for a withdrawal is 1,000 points, equivalent to $10, and the maximum is 3,500 points, equivalent to $35. Rewards are handed out through Tremendous, a New York-based gift card company.
When redeeming your points, you can choose between quite a variety of gift cards and crypto currencies. I chose a $35 Visa gift card, the closest you can get to cash. Any redemption must be manually approved. Patience is key. I submitted my request for a gift card, and 3,500 points were deducted from my account. 24 days later, I received an email containing a link which allowed me to finally choose and receive a working Visa gift card.
To redeem your points, your account must be at least 30 days old, have no redemption made in the past day, have a verified email and a minimum of 1,000 points. You also can’t use more than one account on the same device.
Pros and Cons
- Doesn’t require any of your time to earn money
- Points can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards and cryptocurrencies
- You can earn money through surveys as well
- You can scan the web to check if you’re data has been leaked – if you pay
- Data will be sold to a variety of compagnies
- Earnings are capped
- Any redemptions require a manual review, and can take several weeks
Summing Up
If you want some extra cash without having to spend much time earning it, Reklaim is great, so long as you don’t mind more companies getting acess to your data. I personally took a set it and forget it approach, and was able to claim a Visa gift card quite a while later with very little effort on my end. The earnings could be a little larger, but at least you don’t have to waste your time to earn them. If you have time, though, you can still earn money filling out surveys.