Do you like music? What if you can earn money just by listening to it?
Current Rewards, now known as Mode Earn, will pay you to listen to music.
Sounds too good to be true? We thought so, too.
That's why we wanted to dig deep and see what this app is all about, how it works, and if it's legit or just another scam.
We looked into official Current Rewards/Mode Earn app sources, including their website and social media pages. We also dug deeper into independent review sites like BBB and Trust Pilot to see actual user experiences – the good, the bad, and their tips for making money with Mode Earn.
If you're a music lover who wants to earn rewards on the side, read until the end, or you'll miss the chance to earn money while doing something you already enjoy.
Do you also like mobile games? Mistplay lets you play mobile games and pays you for it! May users have reported that they were able to cash out multiple times. We love that there are so many ways to earn money passively while you enjoy yourself!
Anyway, on to the review. Here's what we found out.
What is Mode Earn (Current Rewards)?
Mode Earn calls itself a “rewards-based super app” that allows users to earn while doing everyday activities. Specifically, it has two components:
1. Mode Earn is a free music app
Similar to Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora, you can use Mode Earn to listen to a wide range of songs, artists, genres, and albums.
You can also create your own custom playlists or listen to one of the premade ones. The selection is impressive, starting with 100,000+ radio stations and growing.
Unlike most music apps, however, you don't need to subscribe to start listening. You can just download the app and start streaming immediately.
2. Mode Earn is a rewards app
Apart from being a free music app, Mode Earn is a GPT (Get Paid To) site, too.
GPT sites are websites and apps that reward users for completing certain actions, such as taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, etc. Some popular GPT sites are Swagbucks and InboxDollars.
In the case of Mode Earn, the app will pay you for every minute you listen to music, but that's just one way to earn points. Just like most GPT sites, you can also complete surveys, play games, sign up for free trials, and more to earn points.
You can redeem your points for cash or gift cards from your favorite stores, such as Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, and Target.
Is Current Rewards/Mode Earn App Legit or a Scam?
Based on our research, Mode Earn (Current Rewards) is legit.
To verify this, we took a look at the company background, independent review sites, and actual user reviews.
Who owns the Current Rewards/Mode Earn app?
Current Media LLC is the company behind the Mode Earn app. It's based in Chicago, Illinois, and was founded in 2017.
Current Media's remote team hails from the US, Argentina, Brazil, Vietnam, and other countries.
The company started as a “cross-platform music aggregation service,” which essentially brought free internet radio content to users. Eventually, it evolved into Current Rewards, a platform where users can listen to music and earn points at the same time.
The app now has 30 million registered users across 180 countries.
Mode Earn Ratings on Independent Sites
Next, we checked Mode Earn's ratings on independent review sites like TrustPilot and BBB (Better Business Bureau):
- TrustPilot Rating: 4.6 stars (Excellent) out of 2,600+ user reviews
- Google Play Rating: 4.5/5 stars average rating out of 2,599,873 user reviews
- App Store Rating: 4.5/5 stars average rating out of 64,300 user reviews
- BBB: 4.19/5 stars out of 21 user reviews
These are impressive ratings, especially for an app with over 2.5 million Google Play reviews alone.
Mode Earn also has a well-designed, responsive, and secure website (you can click the lock icon next to the site name “current.us” on your web browser to check their security certificate details).
In addition, the app also requires users to authenticate the account using a valid phone number. This way, they can detect fraud, prevent fake accounts, and ensure that only real people are using the app.
Current Rewards: User Reviews for Mode Earn App
Finally, we read through hundreds of user feedback on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Reddit, and other forums to get a sense of what people like and don't like about Mode Earn.
Positive Reviews for Mode Earn App
- A good, free app for listening to music both online and offline
- Regular users earn more points per minute
- The other tasks are fairly easy (like simply charging or unlocking your phone)
- Prizes include cash, gadgets (like AirPods), and various gift cards
- You can choose a reward goal and see how many points you need to redeem it
- You can redeem your points once you reach the minimum threshold
- The app is available in many countries (not just the US)
- The points tracking system is accurate
Negative Reviews for Mode Earn App
- It takes a lot of time to accumulate points (since each minute of music only earns you a few points)
- Customer support is not very responsive
- The app tends to drain your battery
- UI is cluttered and prone to glitching
- A lot of complaints about invasive ads
- Some surveys do not pay out even after a user finishes them
- PayPal fees can eat into your earnings
Again, all of these point to Mode Earn not being a scam.
It has high ratings on independent review sites, and actual users also seem to like the app. However, there are significant complaints as well, especially how slow you can accumulate points and the app's effect on your phone's hardware.
Ultimately, it's up to the user – aka you – to decide whether the cons outweigh the pros.
The Mode Earn Business Model
The Mode Earn app is free to use and pays out real money, gift cards, and gadgets, so how does it make money?
Rewards apps like Mode Earn usually incorporate one or more of the following:
In-app advertising
After you download and start using Mode Earn, you'll start seeing ads. Some examples are:
- Pop-up ads that appear when you're using Mode Earn
- Video ads that play before or after you listen to music
- Display ads in or around the Mode Earn app
Advertisers pay apps like Mode Earn to show these ads to their users. The more views and clicks an ad gets, the more money the advertiser earns.
In turn, Mode Earn also earns a commission, which it then shares with users in the form of rewards.
User data
Before you can use Mode Earn, you'll need to grant it certain permissions. For instance, the app wants the ability to:
- Read, modify, and delete the contents of your USB storage (e.g., photos and files)
- Read your mobile calendar, including confidential information
- Send emails to guests on your calendar events without you knowing
- Prevent your device from going to sleep
- Monitor your location at all times
- Read and modify your contacts
- Draw over other mobile apps on your phone
On top of that, you'll also need to complete your personal profile on the app itself if you want to earn more points faster. This includes things like your name, age, gender, email address, and location.
Mode Earn can then use this data for all sorts of things, like targeted advertising and marketing research.
Affiliate marketing
Another way GPT sites like Mode Earn make money is through affiliate marketing.
How this works is that Mode Earn will earn a commission whenever you do something their affiliate partners have asked them to promote.
For example, if you sign up for a free trial of a product through Mode Earn, you'll earn a commission from the company.
In turn, Mode Earn will share some of that commission with you in the form of points or cash.
All of these are technically legitimate ways for the Mode Earn app to make money. But again, it's up to you if you're comfortable with them or not.
Is Mode Earn the same as Current Rewards?
Yes, the Current Rewards app and the Mode Earn app are the same.
Current Rewards was simply rebranded to Mode Earn on February 22, 2022.
According to their website, they wanted to align their brand behind their mission: “that every human on the planet deserves an equal opportunity to become financially self-sustaining.”
In line with that, the word “Mode” actually refers to the 16 ways (or modes) that users can get paid using the app:
- Surf
- Music
- News
- Charge
- Locked
- Task
- Fitness
- Crypto
- Share
- Cash
- Data
- Finance
- Save
- Weather
- Watch
- Game
Everything else works the same on both apps, from how to earn points to the different types of rewards you can redeem.
Top Ways to Earn Points on the Current Music App
If you're looking to earn the most points possible on Mode Earn, here are some of the best ways to do it:
1. Listening to music
You'll get points for every minute you listen to music on Mode Earn.
- As a new user, your earning rate per minute will be quite low: 0.01 points/minute.
- Considering that $1 equals 7,950 points, it's going to be hours or days of listening to music before you can cash out.
To reach your goal faster, combine that with other activities.
2. Use Boosters
Mode Earn has what it calls “Boosters,” or daily tasks that increase your per-minute rate up to 0.08 points for a limited time.
You'll find available Boosters at the top part of the app.
These are usual GPT tasks like downloading games and playing them, charging your phone, clicking on ads, installing recommended apps, signing up for free app trials, watching ad videos, taking surveys, and more.
3. Use deals
Want to save money and earn points at the same time?
Click the “Deals” part of the app to find coupons and promo codes for popular stores like Amazon and Target. You can use these when you shop and you'll get cashback in the form of Mode Earn points.
4. Join giveaways
The “Giveaways” section is where you can join raffles and contests organized by Mode Earn and its partners.
You can win anything from free points to premium memberships just by joining these giveaways.
5. Daily sign-up bonus
If you want a guaranteed way to get points every day, make sure to sign in to the app each day. You can get anywhere from 1 to 10 points a day just for logging in.
Mode Earn also has what it calls a “Daily Streak Bonus,” which gives you more points the more days in a row you sign in.
6. Referral program
Finally, you can also earn points by referring Mode Earn to your friends.
For every friend that signs up using your referral code, you'll get 500 points plus 5% of all their music earnings for life.
You can also earn up to $25 in Mode Earn points every time one of your referrals redeems $3 or more, as many as 10 redemptions. That means you can earn up to $250 for 10 friends.
How much can you earn on Mode Earn or Current Rewards?
According to their website, you can earn an extra $600 a year just by playing music. That's an estimate based on 20 to 30 hours of continuous listening per week for an entire year.
This is unrealistic for most people, so we recommend focusing on completing as many tasks as you can to rack up points quicker.
Here's a breakdown of Mode Earn's payout options:
- Minimum cashout: $0.10 (1750 points)
- Payout options: PayPal cash, gift cards, gadgets
- How long to receive PayPal cash: 1 to 7 business days
- Gift card options: Playstation, Amazon, BestBuy, Target, TJ Maxx, Sephora, Uber, Google Play Store, iTunes, Walmart, games (e.g., Fortnite, Mobile Legends, PUBG, etc.)
- Gadgets: Apple AirPods (19,950 points), Apple Watch (22,500 points), etc.
The Mode Earn Phone: A Smartphone that Pays You
Finally, Current Media LLC also has another product called the Mode Earn Phone (formerly Mode Phone). Using Mode Earn on this phone essentially doubles your earning rate, plus exclusive deals, freebies, free shipping, and more.
Its features include the following:
- Built-in Mode Earn app
- 4GB RAM, 128 GB storage
- Dual Sim
- 6.52 inch HD screen
- Face ID and Fingerprint enabled
- Compatible with GSM/HSPA/LTE networks
- Android 11
- Free phone upgrade every 18 months
You can get the Mode Earn phone by buying it outright or subscribing monthly until it's paid off.
Mode Earn Phone subscription:
- $29.99 one-time subscription payment
- $1.67 GSM unlock fee
- $9.99 monthly payment
Mode Earn Phone price:
- $119.99 for the phone
- $19.99 “world phone unlock upgrade”
- $9.99 shipping fee (varies by country)
Aside from using it for the Mode Earn app, the phone functions just like any other phone. You can use it to call, text, browse the internet, take pictures, and more.
Here are more FAQs about the Mode Earn Phone.
Current Rewards/Mode Earn Alternatives
If you're not into the idea of earning rewards by playing music, there are other ways to get free PayPal cash and gift cards. Here are a few legit alternatives to consider:
All of these work very similarly to each other. You just sign up, complete tasks and surveys to earn points, then redeem your points for cash or gift cards.
Wrapping It Up: Is the Current Music App Legit & Safe?
The Current Rewards or Mode Earn app is legit and safe to use. It also pays out according to users, but it takes a lot of time to earn anything worth cashing out for.
If you want to boost your earnings, you can also invest in the Mode Earn Phone. It boosts the Mode Earn App's earning potential and also pays for itself the more points and rewards you get.
In all, if you love music and don't mind listening to it while you work or do other things, the Mode Earn app is a great way to get free PayPal cash and gift cards.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
