The other day, I received an email from Marketforce that confused me. For some reason, all of the secret shops I had scheduled for the month had been canceled by Marketforce. To make matters worse, when I logged into my account, I discovered that I couldn’t view any available secret shops anymore. From the looks of it, Marketforce had terminated me.
As a bit of background, Marketforce is a secret shopping app I’ve used for the past seven or eight years. I’ve used it primarily to get free food, receiving thousands of dollars worth of free food over the years in exchange for purchasing food from certain restaurants and filling out surveys about my experience. While I never intended for it to happen, Marketforce also became a significant source of side hustle income for me over the years, often being my third highest-paying side hustle in most months.
Getting terminated by Marketforce hurts. For the last five years or so, Marketforce has become such an integral part of my life that I’ve been eating at the same restaurants about every week. To lose all of that stings – it’s like I’ve lost part of my identity. Plus, I’m going to have to start buying my own lunch again now.
That being said, getting dropped by Marketforce like this does bring some important things to light that are always worth remembering when it comes to these types of apps.
You Have No Job Security With These Apps
Perhaps the most important thing to remember with any of these apps is that you have absolutely no job security with them. Most of the apps I write about are gig economy apps which means you are an independent contractor and can be terminated from any of these apps for essentially any reason. Most of the time, if something happens, you’re likely going to have no recourse.
I have no idea what I did that caused Marketforce to terminate me from the app. Perhaps they saw I was doing too many of the same secret shops over and over. Maybe the restaurants recognized me because I was coming in so often and ordering the same things. Maybe I did something else that angered them. Or it’s possible I didn’t do anything at all and they just wanted to clean house and let some new people in. Whatever it is that happened, Marketforce has no obligation to provide me with any additional information and I don’t expect them to give me any follow-up or let me back onto the app.
While there’s little job security with these gig economy apps, it’s probably worth remembering that your regular 9-5 also likely provides you with little job security. So unless you own your income source, you should always consider that your job security, as good as it might be, is never guaranteed. But when it comes to these gig economy apps, it’s perhaps even less guaranteed.
Always Be Prepared
That brings us to the second important thing to remember when it comes to these gig economy apps – you should always be prepared. You can do things well and never have an inkling of any issues. But if you’re an independent contractor, you’re always at risk of being terminated or having your account deactivated at any time. For that matter, you’re always at risk even with a regular job.
This is why it’s so important to have backup plans. Having multiple backup plans is even better.
So what are some of the backup plans I have in place? First, I maintain a large emergency fund. This is a basic strategy that everyone should do and since interest rates as I write this (in 2025) are not bad, it’s really not a bad thing to have a decent amount set aside in cash. Whatever happens with me, I can easily cashflow multiple months (probably years honestly) with the cash I keep on hand.
Second, having multiple income sources is another thing to do. If you’re working in the gig economy, you probably already do this by accident, since you probably aren’t only using one app. But even with a regular job, having multiple income sources is useful. For me, my income sources include this blog, YouTube, all of the gig economy apps I use, and my rental property. With so many income sources, even if I lose one thing, I still have other sources of income that can help me out.
You’re Going To Feel Like You Lost Part of Your Identity
Losing a gig economy app that I used regularly hurts. Even though it’s just a secret shopping app, I was doing it so often and used it so much that it did feel like a part of me. I ate so much free food that losing these secret shops really does feel like I lost a part of myself.
And it’s not just me that’s going to feel this absence. My kids were often getting in on these free lunches and dinners with me. There was a chicken place that I went to all the time because of this app that my kids regularly asked me when we were going there again. Now that I don’t have free meals from this app, the chances that we go there and pay with my own money are essentially zero.
Things that earn you money have a way of becoming a part of you. I spent years working as a lawyer and even though I haven’t practiced law in over five years, it’s still hard to separate myself from that part of my life. These gig economy apps might be silly things to some, but they really did become a part of my life. I’ve fortunately been able to keep myself on most of the apps I use, but losing one like this still stings.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to most types of work, you have to remember that it’s usually only a business transaction. Most of the time, your employer really doesn’t care about you – they pay you for your work and if they need to, they’ll get rid of you too. These gig economy apps obviously don’t care about you.
That’s why it’s so important to understand how tenuous our relationships with our jobs and income sources can be. You never know what the future will hold, so you always need to be ready.
It sucks that I’m not going to get my free food anymore from Marketforce. And there’s also a hundred or more dollars per month of easy money that I’ll miss out on. But this is the way the game is played. And it’s why I have so many sources of income and backup options, just in case something like this happens.
That being said, while I did lose Marketforce, I still have a lot of other secret shopping apps and websites I use, so I’ll still get some free food each month. I just won’t get as much as I used to. (For more info, check out my post: Restaurant Secret Shopper Jobs – A Strategy To Eat For Free And Hack Your Food Expenses)
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I’ve reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that’s perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull’s current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) – Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Chime ($100) – Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) – GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) – Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin’s favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You’ll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I’m currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it’s free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I’m now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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