Paid 2 Save Review: “Discount Card Program”
Paid 2 Save launched in early 2012 and owned by “Hart 2 Hart Marketing”, who appear to be based out of the US state of California.
Management wise Paid 2 Save is headed up by co-founder and President, David Hart (photo right).
On his company bio, Paid 2 Save claims Hart
has 22 years of experience in the direct marketing industry and has successfully built downlines in the tens of thousands several times.
Hart’s previous MLM ventures include reaching the “Diamond Club” in Waiora (health and nutrition).
Read on for a full review of the Paid 2 Save MLM business opportunity.
The Paid 2 Save Product Line
Paid 2 Save has no retailable products or services, with affiliates only able to market “discount card” membership to the company itself.
Paid 2 Save membership provides access to a range of discounts, offered by third-party service providers.
Paid 2 Save call this a “Discount Card Program” and offer two membership pricepoints:
- Premium Membership for $29.95 a month or
- Ultimate Membership for $159.95 for the first month and then $29.95 a month thereafter
The Paid 2 Save Compensation Plan
Update 16th November 2016 – Paid 2 Save rebooted their MLM opportunity in September of 2016. The compensation plan analysis below is for the original Paid 2 Save opportunity and is out of date.
On October 15th BehindMLM reviewed the current Paid 2 Save opportunity. /end update
Paid 2 Save’s compensation plan pays its affiliates based on sales of thier Discount Card Memberships.
Membership Ranks
There are seven affiliate membership ranks within the Paid 2 Save compensation plan. Along with their qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Affiliate – pay affiliate membership fee and generate 10 CPs
- Sapphire – 40 CPs
- Ruby – 70 CPs
- Pearl – 100 CPs
- Emerald – 130 CPs
- Diamond – 190 CPs
- Double Diamond – 280 CP
A “CP” is a Customer Point and is generated with the sale of a Paid 2 Save “Ultimate Membership”.
Paid 2 Save’s compensation plan doesn’t explicitly mention whether or not the sale of Premium Memberships generate CPs.
Discount Card Membership Commissions
Paid 2 Save pay out recruitment commissions on both discount card membership fee options.
With Premium Membership, the first and second sales generate a credit towards an affiliates own membership ($14.95 and $15 respectively).
From the third Premium Membership sale and beyond a $20 bonus is paid out on the first months membership fees paid.
The second month thereafter $12 is paid as a commission on an affiliate’s membership fees.
Ultimate Membership pays out a recruitment bonus on the first months membership fees, dependant on an affiliates membership level:
- Affiliate – $30
- Sapphire – $35
- Ruby – $40
- Pearl – $45 on direct recruits, $5 on level 2 recruits
- Emerald – $50 on direct recruits, $5 on level 2 recruits
- Diamond – $55
- Double Diamond – $60
Although not explicitly mentioned in Pay 2 Save’s compensation material, I believe the second month and beyond of Ultimate membership generates the same $12 a month commission as Premium Membership.
Discount Card Membership Matrix Commissions
In addition to the discount card membership commissions above, Paid 2 Save affiliates can also earn additional discount card membership commissions via a 3×9 matrix.
A 3×9 matrix places an affiliate at the top of the matrix with three legs branching out under them (level 1).
In turn, these three legs branch out into another three legs (level 2) and then again (level 3) and so on and so forth down 9 levels.
Each of these legs is a position that is filled by the purchaser of a discount card membership, either via direct sale or the sales efforts of an affiliate’s up and downline.
How much of a commission an affiliate is paid per discount card membership holder in their matrix depends on what level that holder falls on:
- Level 1 – 25c
- Level 2 – $3.25
- Levels 3 to 5 – 50c
- Level 6 – $1
- Levels 7 and 8 – $1.50
- Level 9 – $3
In order to qualify for matrix commissions a Paid 2 Save affiliate must have sold at least 10 discount card memberships.
Binary Commissions
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of the structure with two legs directly under them.
In turn, these two legs branch into two more legs each and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.
Each of these positions can be filled with a newly recruited Ultimate Membership discount card membership holder, either via direct sales or the sales efforts of an affiliate’s up and downlines.
Paid 2 Save pay out a pairing commission using a ratio of 3:3. That is for every three new Ultimate Membership discount card membership holders matched up on both sides of the binary, a $45 commission is paid out.
Note that the total weekly commissions available to Paid 2 Save affiliates is determined by their affiliate membership rank:
- Rep – $90
- Sapphire – $540
- Ruby – $1080
- Pearl – $2025
- Emerald – $6030
- Diamond – $10,035
- Double Diamond – $20,025
In order to qualify for binary commissions, a Paid 2 Save affiliate must have sold at least 10 discount card Ultimate Memberships.
Cashback Commissions
Using a branded “Paid 2 Save” toolbar, an affiliate can earn a matching bonus on cashbacks paid to shoppers and affiliates they distribute the toolbar to.
The Paid 2 Save toolbar provides access to third-party products and services, with Paid 2 Save paying out a cashback and matching bonus on any items purchased through the toolbar.
Car Bonus
If a Paid 2 Save affiliate has a downline of at least 243 Premier Membership affiliates in three separate recruitment legs each, they qualify for a $500 a month car bonus.
This bonus can also be paid out as $300 in cash.
Residential Bonus
If a Paid 2 Save affiliate has a downline of at least 729 Premier Membership affiliates in three separate recruitment legs each, they qualify for a $2000 a month Residential Bonus.
Lifestyle Bonus
If a Paid 2 Save affiliate reaches the Double Diamond affiliate membership rank, they qualify for a one time Lifestyle Bonus of $5000.
Joining Paid 2 Save
Affiliate membership to Paid 2 Save is a one time fee of $39.95.
Conclusion
The major red flag with the Paid 2 Save MLM business opportunity lies with the so-called product range the company offers.
In short, offering a discount or “discount card” as it were the case here is not a viable product in MLM. Moreso when the discount applies to the services and products of third-party vendors.
It is noted that Paid 2 Save affiliates do not earn commission on the recruitment of new affiliates (provided they aren’t misled to believing that a discount card membership is required, however as far as demonstrating a tangible product or service goes, a discount card is a hard sell.
Nobody gets paid in Pay 2 Save unless customers (or affiliates if they sign up to the discount card program) buy a non-affiliate discount card membership, the red flag is in how Paid 2 Save pay out their commissions.
They’re essentially generating commissions on the sale of access to discounts.
Furthermore if we look at the two discount membership options available, Premium ($29.95 a month) and Ultimate ($159.95 for the first month, $29.95 thereafter), it’s hard not to question the actual value of the Ultimate Membership, given that after the first month it costs the same as the Premium Membership.
Harder still when you consider you’re trying to peg a value to access to discounts rather than actual discounts themselves.
If the increase in cost is purely to cover increased commission payouts to affiliates via the compensation plan, then there’s not really much additional value being provided to the end-customer. On paper it’s access to more discounts but in real dollar terms, it’s a question mark.
All in all I believe the legitimacy of Paid 2 Save rests on their product line and being a discount card that merely provides access to discounts, there’s an obvious distinction to be made here between tangible products and services and Paid 2 Save’s discount card.
Update 16th November 2016 – Paid 2 Save rebooted their MLM opportunity in September of 2016. The compensation plan analysis below is for the original Paid 2 Save opportunity and is out of date.
On October 15th BehindMLM reviewed the current Paid 2 Save opportunity. /end update
22 years and he STILL hasn’t learned what’s the difference between a “buying club” vs. “mlm”. *sigh*
http://amlmskeptic.blogspot.com/2012/10/mlm-basic-what-is-buying-club-and-why.html
Oh, and let’s not forget Gary Calhoun’s failed MPB Today which sells discounts to groceries by compensating affiliates who enroll in 2×2 cycler. He was arrested a few months back.
http://www.patrickpretty.com/2012/11/30/website-of-mpb-today-bizarre-grocery-mlm-inaccessible/
I’m really happy with this Company Paid2save help me to earn extra money every month to our home, the extra money help a lot to pay bills to buy groceries and they do have a lot benefits… I’m really happy with Paid 1 Save
Can I ask you a question, a rather neutral one?
Is there any difference between the 2 different memberships, other than the initial PRICE and the initial COMMISSIONS you can earn from them?
The 2 types of memberships are described like this here:
I’m a former sales man, so I will typically try to identify WHY a customer will buy the more expensive one = “Which additional value(s) do they get from buying it?”.
The people SELLING them will earn more in commission the first month from those sales, but what will the people BUYING them get more of?
I have already guessed the answer = “You will need to BE an Ultimate Member to earn that extra commission” (“if you want to earn it, you must pay for it first”).
I have one other question, less important than the first one because answers will be individual.
The toolbar is described like this here:
Again, I’m a former sales man and I’m trying to identify the use of something, or rather the usefulness. I will accept almost any type of answer including no answer (but I won’t like “well prepared marketing BS”).
The cash back on personal purchases is understood. That’s a discount rather than an income. But do people USE IT? If people use it, it will generate a small income and it may be worth giving it away to more people (not because of the income, but because people are using it).
It CAN also be used as a “marketing tool” in different ways, but people will typically give me “marketing BS” about “all the money they personally have saved” rather than the reality. I’m not very interested in that.
You need to update your information on this company. They have added many other products and revamped the compensation plan almost completely.
My favorite services are the travel discounts I have saved hundreds of dollars so far in just 6 month and the cashback program when I buy on line. I can offer this for free to my friends and family and we both receive cashback from their purchases.
This definitely needs to be updated because we have way bigger things in store (Ozedit: spam removed, feel free to publish what changes when it actually does. Until then, the review stands).
Nobody ever answered whether this is registered in its home state as a “Buying Club” or not.
A MLM never was a “buying club”. They operate as every different entities and are governed by very different rules.
That is, unless the intention is to run a fraud like Zeek Rewards and Zeekler… Did you know Zeek operated for YEARS without an auction license, even though they advertised themselves as penny auction?
If Mr. Hart is serious about this business he needs to get the legal situation clarified right away… It’s been YEARS already. It’d NOT be nice to all the sincere people who joined if the whole thing was organized wrong.
I used to sell “coupons” door to door – it was a way to market small businesses who wanted to increase their sales. For example – Dominos Pizza – you pay 20$ for the card and on it are coupons for buy 1 get 1 – 1 free large one topping – and several buy 1 pizza get a free side – the Entertaimment Book works the same way – people “buy” the coupons/discounts because they plan on using them – it’s a lot more effective than offering a 10-20% discount – for both the business and the consumer – as long as the business can handle the rapid increase in volume.
If Walmart is affiliated with paid2save it has to be somewhat legitimate.
The question is -is this legal – because people don’t want it to collapse half way through – after they have promoted and gained the trust of others to promote it- it’s not only a loss of income to them but potentially a loss of creditbility on their group of friends co-workers and family.
Can anyone confirm whether it’s legal ??
Cool story bro. Not MLM though so entirely irrelevant.
No, they don’t. Walmart have not vetoed Paid 2 Save’s comp plan. All that’s happened is someone representing Paid 2 Save or corporate has signed up to Walmarts affiliate program.
Any sales that go through are paid out to Paid 2 Save, who then split that commission with affiliates.
Discounts in and of themselves are not a viable MLM product.
You need to be actually selling something, not discounts to third-party products or services. This is just a run-of-the-mill recruitment-driven scheme.
It is interesting to see the once fervent promoters of Flexkom, BeepXtra and Zeek Rewards, now promoting Paid 2 Save.
The headline about the ACCC calling Lyoness an illegal pyramid scheme is not going to help Paid 2 Save attract REAL BUILDERS but you can bet the Pyramid Lovers will be jumping onboard.
How long will Paid 2 Save last? If it is like all of the other Get-Paid-to-Recruit deals, I give it about one year.
Except you probably “sold” it for a charity as a fund-raising effort. The coupons are actually free. Any proceeds you got went to charity (though they may pay you a stipend)
communityfundraisingbooks.com
Please don’t compare a charity model with a for-profit model.
If “Paid to Save” is a pyramid scheme, it’s illegal.
And based on my own experience and knowledge and the info Oz has provided, in my opinion it is a pyramid scheme.
However, you’d find many folks on various MLM forums that would provide all sorts of cheesy rationales to support their “opinion” that it’s legit (even if they know it isn’t.).
At the end of the day, the only “opinion” that matters re: the legal .. or not … nature of the business is that of a court, should the scheme last long enough to find itself there.
If it’s a pyramid scheme it will eventually collapse because that’s just the nature of the beast, rather than collapsing solely because of it’s illegal or a regulatory agency is investigating it. I suspect many or most pyramid and Ponzi schemes collapse before a regulator is even aware of them.
What you really need to look at before getting yourself and others involved is whether a company … “Paid 2 Save” in this instance … has a sustainable business model based on product sales to interested “unaffiliated” consumers.
Admittedly folks with little or no business experience and/or a solid understanding of what a pyramid scheme is may have difficulty with this … particularly given that pyramid scheme operators do everything in their power to convince potential “distributors” … often noobs … that their company is legit and no different than any other legitimate business.
And sweeten the pot with ludicrous income claims and incomprehensible “compensation plans” filled with references to plateaus and bonuses that 99.9% of members … other than perhaps the scheme operators and their family and social circle … have a realistic chance to ever see, e.g. “triple platinum president” level member earning $50,000 per month type rubbish.
I think Oz does a great job of objectively analysing any potential legal issues in the “compensation plan” of self-styled MLM businesses and the potential sustainability/validity of the company business model … and then presenting his conclusions in a manner that even the noobiest noob can understand.
Oz pretty well outlined the “red flags” for “Paid 2 Save” and why … pyramid scheme aspect aside … it is likely not a viable company.
“Paid 2 Save” seems to me more something an affiliate has set up to boost his affiliate income with the added bonus of money from a pyramid scheme which no doubt has him at the top.
I suspect this because if you google this address from the disclaimer page:
you get numerous results for sites that are hawking what seems to be a similar “discount card” for medical related services, some at lower cost than “Paid to Save” and without any related “opportunity”, or at least nothing similar to the “Paid 2 Save” opportunity.
So if nothing else, tons of competition marketing … to a potentially limited market … the same type of “discount card” that a “Paid 2 Save” member would be peddling.
Here’s one that’s free:
nolink://www.drugs.com/discount-card/
So “Paid 2 Save” doesn’t appear to me to be anything near to being a viable business … MLM or not … and definitely isn’t something I’d put my own money into or suggest to anyone else.
I mean even the “Paid 2 Save” name should clue people in. Has more of a “make money online” vibe than legitimate company vibe to it.
Though oddly enough, I couldn’t find any reference to the compensation plan on the “Paid 2 Save” site.
One of the obvious problems with the typical MLM Model is pricing. If your plan pays multiple levels deep, the cost of the product or service has to be INCREASED in order to payout these commissions. The same problem holds true with the binary and matrix model.
Here is just one example:
Paid2Save offers 3 levels of membership:
1. Travel Club – $14.95 per month
Travel Portal
Entertainment Portal
Dining Discounts
2. Premium Club – $29.95 per month
Travel Portal
Entertainment Portal
Dining Discounts
Legal Plan
Vision Discounts
Pharmacy Discounts
Dental Discounts
3. Ultimate Club – $49.95 per month
Travel Portal
Entertainment Portal
Dining Discounts
Legal Plan
Vision Discounts
Pharmacy Discounts
Dental Discounts
Teladoc
The ONLY difference between the Premium Club and Ultimate Club is the Teladoc service yet the cost is $20.00 per month more.
So, how much does Teladoc actually cost? I did a quick Google search and found this site: teladoc.com/bethisrael/membership-options/
You can get the basic benefit FREE but the cost per Consult is $49.
Or, you can pay an extra $2.99 per month per person with the cost per Consult being $39.
Or, you can pay an extra $4.99 per month per FAMILY with the cost per Consult being $39.
Let’s give Paid2Save the benefit of the doubt and say the Ultimate Club includes the entire FAMILY.
THE COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT (taken from their site):
REALLY!
Paid2Save charges an extra $20 to their members in order to access a $4.99 benefit.
If you knew this and were out peddling it to your friends, COULD YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?
One of the few cases where ignorance really is bliss… Until reality comes knocking (on your head)
You wouldn’t have to worry about sleeping at night, you would have to peddle on a 7X24 basis to find customers. The high pricing is caused by all 4 components of an MLM product being high:
1. The cost of production is higher because the volume is lower than name brand items, strike 1,
2. The company is greedy, so they build in their large internal profit into the price, strike 2,
3. The company has to build in a lot of money to pay the multiple layers of bonus, and these first 3 items make up a distributor cost that is usually at least 2-3 times more expensive than comparable items in the market, strike 3, and
4. Although it is a joke to mark up the price above the already inflated distributor cost, the markup to increase profit is strike 4!
This is why the vast majority of MLMs have less than 5% of their purchases to external customers, the exact definition of an illegal pyramid.
A related fact is most people become distributors with the idea they can make money if they can get others to become downline distributors, NOT to sell to external customers.
If the selling requirements were made clear before sponsoring could be completed, most people wouldn’t even join and the entire scam would collapse. In fact, most MLMs don’t even enforce the external sales requirements in their rules.
Add the tool scams on top of this, and the MLM becomes a double scam, with the tools keeping 99%+ distributors operating at a net loss while the 1% double dip with MLM product and tool scam profits.
* * * * * NEWS FLASH * * * * *
APPLE PAY – – NEWS PUTS AN END TO THESE APP MLM DEALS
Now, consumers can bypass these MLM moneygames and get a better deal with less effort. And, Apple already has 800 million iTune customers and their credit card information on file.
BOOM!!! GOODBYE Paid2Save, Dubli, IQKonnect and all of the rest of these deals.
Here is something I personally learned that is totally unethical and out of compliance for Paid2Save.
As a $199 Brand Partner, who no longer needed the Ultimate Benefit package for $49.95 and found the exact same for much less, was deactivated and entire downline taken.
In order to save my downline of Connectors, I just wanted the $14.95/monthly package, but was told that monthly auto ship would still result in losing my downline.
I asked to take the $24.95/monthly package and was told the same. So, in order to not lose my downline, I would be FORCED to pay $49.95/monthly. Go Figure that!
I was told I could start all over as a FREE Connector and rebuild, but existing downline and deactivation is gone. Hmmmmmmmm.
So, then I was told that someone that signs up as a FREE Connector and their organization grows to hundreds and thousands can sign up as a Brand Partner for $199 or $399 and have their entire organization.
BUT, I can’t as an existing $199 Brand Partner from the very beginning, and never a FREE Connector, MUST BE FORCED TO PAY $49.95/monthly even though I have the benefits with another company for much, much less!!!
Mandatory autoship to retain your downline? Pay to play…. ruhroh.
Seems to indicate the obvious: most of the income is NOT from the deals, but from the monthly dues. So if you’re trying to downgrade your payment, they have to f*** with you.
The Money Gammers love Paid2Save-type deals. There are no products to actually sell. You simply load up the conference calls and tell everyone how much money the guy at the top of the pyramid is making and then send them a link to signup. That’s it!
There are almost NO retail sales to people who are not part of the scheme.
It is also interesting that almost every Paid2Save promoter was also in OTHER money games like Flexkom, Beep Xtra, IQKonnect, Dubli.
Their business model is flawed to the point of being a joke. I read where one IQKonnect promoter said Facebook is actually “scared” of the IQKonnect Revolution! I’m not making this stuff up folks.
If your MLM Business Model is about beating Apple, eBay, Google, Facebook at THEIR GAME…..good luck. They will eat your lunch and your credibility with it.
It comes down to a simple concept: If your Business Model ADDS COSTS to the delivery of products (instead of reducing them), you will FAIL.
The only exceptions are where the MLM company actually manufactures their own products thus cutting out the extra 20-40%.
Almost all of the growth in MLM over the past 5 years has come outside the USA.
Paid2Save is just the most recent company that has attracted the MLM Money Gammers with the hope of quick and easy money.
When will the regulators hold the leaders accountable?
Oh, quite a few said that. Wazzub, any one? Hahahahaha.
K. Chang – here is the actual post about IQKonnect making Facebook nervous. I am not trying to embarrass the guy so I won’t post his name:
🙂
to K. Chang and MLM Broken Record… you guys crack me up… your statements are so uneducated… Your “quick” searches dont paint the full picture therefore you fill in the blanks with your biased assumptions…
p2s isnt a buying club… the main product is advertising… you can earn money without spending a penny… P2S version of teladoc doesnt have a consultation fee and does cover your entire family…
compare the prices of booking your hotel through kayak vs p2s and you’ll find an avg savings of 10% using p2s…
the problem with this industry is they let anyone and everyone get involved and humans have misled people to think they can make a fortune with little to no effort… thats crazy… its netWORK marketing…
Id be happy to address any questions you have if you are willing to admit that you may be wrong… if you aren’t willing to even consider that possibility then Im not going to waste my time.
(Ozedit: Offtopic derail attempt removed)
@MLM Believer – you say the main product with P2S is advertising. How much can a distributor get paid by selling the advertising?
Did you know that almost all of the income earned by the top distributor in P2S came from recruiting ONLY and NOT retail sales?
Let’s start there.
As someone who is currently evaluating this opportunity, I am concerned with all of the travel club/vacation time share/”Club” crap that they sell.
It seems to convolute their more viable program, which is smartphone app advertising for local merchants, a model that IS on the rise. Companies that figure out how to do it will do well and/or be acquired.
The problem is, you need a LOT of people to download the app and shop at P2S merchants in order to make real money if this is the only part of the company you’re interested in, which is the case with me.
If anyone has any insight into this company that has actually worked at it for a while I’d be very interested in hearing from you.
So you are saying that the name of the company, “Paid 2 save”, is a lie.
You crack me up, man. You really do.
Hi Don,
I did it and got out quickly once I saw what you really have to do.
They say just downLoad the free app and get people to download it and you make a ton of money. Not the case.
I actually had a regional director above me who told me … After I paid my $199 …that to really make any real money I should upgrade to the $399. Then I have to recruit 14 people to get my downline.
I asked the reg director how they are making SOOOOO much money …from what part of the Biz. The flat out answer was “recruting”.
So yes you would need a mass amount of people to download the app to make a little pocket change …if you wanted to JUST do that part of the company. if you get someone to download the app, then you would make pocket change off any p2s coupons that person used. Then that’s it .. Your payout stops with that ONE person.
If that person then gets someone to downolad the app, you exist no more. How do you make money then???
Well pay $399 and start recruiting and create a downline, get a a Ton of people to download the app and then the confusing MATHIMATICALLY impossible compensation plan kicks in. I’m sure you can find it online somewhere.
I was at a small home p2s meeting and a lady asked about the payout for each coupon used…. How far can one tiny amount of money be split amongst so many people in a downline/ up line?. The presenter gave her the most evil look and had no answer. BECAUSE MATHIMATICALLY ITS IMPOSSIBLE!
After the presentation, they took the person aside who brought the lady and said DO NOT sign her up. HA! So that was it for me. What kinda crap is that?
These coupon apps are everywhere. Nothing special about p2s coupons. All the same deals. They get the deals from the same people all these other apps get them. And you don’t have to PAY $399.
Forgot to mention as a brand partner ($399) you are pretty much locked in to also paying $49.95 autoship a month.
They say “get 4 pay no more,”. Not true. First you have to recruit four people to pay $399.
Then the next month you qualify for not paying $49.95. Ok ….but the catch is that if one of those 4 people gets four people, you are right back to paying $49.95 autoship a month. Very misleading the way they present this.
Paid2Save(Recruit) is just another money game pushing the next app with cashback. The real money is being earned by recruiting others, not retail sales.
This is the classic definition of an illegal pyramid scheme.
And, almost every MLM program is based on this Broken Model.
@It’s all a scam – were you able to get a refund? If not, there are others who probably are not getting refunds and some will file complaints with the regulators.
The TOP MLM’ers in this deal will start looking for their next HOT deal soon, if not already. The MLM MoneyGame lifespan is getting shorter and shorter.
So, the music keeps playing and the TOP MLM’ers just change partners.
Hey Guy’s..
Was sharing some info from some of the threads from here at Behind MLM and some from the Guy’s&Gal’s over at RealScam with a friend of mine that is marketing the Paid2Save business.
From what I can gather you guy’s have been around a while..seen the good and the bad..probably more bad than good.. Anyhow, after sharing this with him, Here is the reply I received.!! Maybe you can shed some light on the subject..!!!
He wrote
Prescription discount plans are generally free
Vision discount plans are also generally free
Dental discount plans are also generally free
Prepaid legal stuff are as low as $9.95 a month
Travel discount plans are generally free
Restaurant.com gift card pretty sure is a one-time offer, not every f***ing month. And if you sign up at their website you get $25 free.
So what you’re REALLY left with is someone who has your full sign up info, no promise or means to make them secure, who takes $50 from you every month, for something that cost $10, maybe $15 a month. Even if they really pay out $30 as commission every month, just all the data you handed over is worth $$$ to them.
Besides, if that’s what he wrote:
he just admitted this is a money circulation scheme.
@fishbay
access to discounts, which is a problem. Access to third-party savings is not a tangible MLM product.
In MLM you need to be selling an actual product to retail customers. That’s not taking place here.
Thanks guy’s , for the info on paid2save…
The only thing i was able to determine after sharing some of your insight.. is that when your neck deep in what your promoting… outside and/or negative info dosn’t really help friendships.. oh-well..we tried.
I am currently a Brand Partner in Paid2Save would like to comment. First, I would like to point out that much of the “information” on this page is outdated and inaccurate.
The entire rank structure has been changed. Paid2Save doesn’t have Gemstone rankings any more, and the comp plan is completely different.
The discount/savings and even travel plans are not the primary products now and are, in my opinion, not an incentive to join the business but are simply added benefits.
TelaDoc is also included and is a benefit that many people will find useful, but comparing the price plans is not accurate, because all of the plans you can sign up for at Teladoc include an annual or monthly fee AND a consult charge of at least $39. The Paid2Save membership is a family plan without co-pays, so for someone that has kids or health problems and is going to use the service on a regular basis, joining Paid2Save just for Teladoc could save lots of money.
K Chang, I don’t know what discount programs you are referring to that are free, but I would bet that you didn’t compare the actual discounts of the different plans, are speculating on the actual comparative value, and are just guessing that a free program would offer the same levels of discounts as a paid one.
I am not going to go into that here, but just because something is free doesn’t mean it’s as good as something you pay for and simply because you can get something for free or cheap doesn’t make it worth having.
You are also incorrect about the Restaurant.com gift certificates…the gift certs are $50 every month which basically allows me to take my wife out to dinner to pay for my business.
P2S also has amazing travel packages that offer deep discounts for family vacations that you won’t find anywhere else. Combined with the prescription, legal, vision, and dental benefits it’s a good package for $50/mo. The fact that you get all of that PLUS a business opportunity is a tremendous value.
Now to the business side…Paid2Save recently launched a FREE savings app that you can download from the Apple or Android store. I have personally used it at local restaurants and retailers, so I know that the savings work. It’s better than a cash-back program because you don’t have to spend the money and wait to get it back…just show the coupon from your phone and the savings are instant.
When you share the app with your friends (which you can do right from the app) they become your “connectors”. When they use the app to save money you get a small commission. When they share it with their friends they get a small commission when their friends use it.
It’s called “incentivized sharing”. Everyone can make a little bit of money simply from sharing the app. No fees, no monthly charge. Anyone can make money just by sharing the app for free.
So, why become a paid Brand Partner instead of a free Connector? Here’s why…as a free Connector you only get paid on the first line of people you share the app with. When they share the app, you don’t get anything from that. You only get paid on one level.
As a paid Brand Partner, you get paid not only from the person you share it with, but from the person that they share it with, and the person that person shares it with, to infinite levels deep. So if I share it with you, I get paid when you use it. When you share it with someone, you get paid when they use it, and SO DO I. Every time someone that I directly share the app with shares it with someone, and they use it to save money we BOTH get paid.
So, what’s in it for the merchant? Merchants get to advertise for FREE in the app, and they only pay for customers that actually come and spend money in their business. No more ValPak ads hoping that the $1000 you just spent will return a profit (which it won’t).
No more Groupons where you get 25% of the retail value of your deal and have to wait for months to get paid by Groupon while you have to pay the costs associated with fulfilling your particular coupon. The merchant designs the offer, collects the money and is billed at the end of the month only for offers that actually generated revenue.
This allows the merchant to structure his deals so that he knows EXACTLY how much customer acquisition is going to cost, and keep the cash in-house for operating expenses. The merchant can even target previous customers for specific promotions, based on spending habits, frequency of visits, etc.
But wait, the merchant can also make money…imagine this…a local restaurant is running an ad for a free appetizer. A customer comes to the restaurant and the server tells them if they download this free app they can use it to get a free appetizer.
The customer now becomes a connector for the merchant and the merchant can actually make money from their customers when they use the app to save money at other businesses! The savings app encourages the customer to return for more deals which generates more revenue for the business. The more they save, the more they will use and share the app.
If you sign the merchant as a Brand Partner they can grow an entire network of connectors from the business they already operate. If you got 100 people per day through the door and only 10% actually download the app, you are adding 10 connectors per day.
If you did that everyday for 3 months, you would have about 900 connectors. And that’s a low number…if 50% downloaded the app in 3 months you would have around 4500 connectors.
So how do you get paid? The commissions will vary and could be as low as $.08 or they could be $10 or more. It depends on the offer and the savings. But let me point out that if you got only $.08 each week from 4500 connectors you would be making an extra $360 per week. That’s pretty good for giving away a free app, and it could be much higher.
I agree that discount cards and travel programs are not necessarily great business models. I wouldn’t participate in either one, but Paid2Save has changed in the past two years and I see tremendous potential here.
I would recommend that before anyone continues to call this a scam or a pyramid, take a closer look. You can make money recruiting, but you don’t have to recruit anyone to make a nice income.
Most merchants that spend money on advertising understand the value of what we are offering and it’s easy to get them to join for free. Paid2Save will even send the the first 10 customers for free so they can test the program.
They have nothing to lose, have the marketing platform to increase revenue for their business, and the opportunity to make some extra money at the same time. Whether they pay to sign up as a Brand Partner or not, they will still be making money from everyone that downloads the app from their business.
In conclusion, I believe that the best way to make long-term money in Paid2Save is not from recruiting, but by signing up merchants in your local area.
It is a great deal for the merchant, brings more value to the app which will encourage more people to use it, and will build your connectors without any further effort from you. I don’t mind getting paid the least, as long as I get paid the most often, and Paid2Save is the perfect vehicle for that.
We have a valuable service that is capitalizing on the mobile movement. It’s easy to save money, and it’s easy to share. No investment needed.
@Todd
They never were a reason to join the business, Paid2Save, like every other travel-based MLM company, was always about affiliate recruitment.
Well, except through any other company who have signed on as affiliates with the third-party travel company.
Affiliates paying to qualify to participate in an MLM compensation plan = pay to play.
MLM affiliates should never be made to pay to earn commissions.
So why include a pyramid scheme in your business model at all then?
And this discount app is nothing new. ShoppingGenie were offering something similar years ago.
Splitting the cashback paid (sans fees) among affiliates and non-affiliates (single-level) is peanuts. It’s really not worth anyone’s time (who isn’t getting paid to recruit) to bother with Paid2Save’s third-party app.
As such the only people who wind up using it are the affiliates, who will continue to make promises of “we are going to be the next big thing”, until Paid2Save decide to hitch their wagon to something else.
Building an MLM opportunity around the sale of access to discounts is a red flag in and of itself. You have to be selling products or services to retail customers, and Paid2Save don’t do that.
and that’s a lie.
so, the merchant has to talk up 100 people per day. at even two minutes per person, that’s 200 minutes, approx 3 business hours.
that’s a lot of time investment for a normal working day of say 10 hours.
your calculations are based on very high numbers, that don’t seem practical or real.
if you look at other cashback programs like dubli or lyoness, the cash back component is too little, to be of any importance. people earn only from recruitment commissions, by bringing fresh affiliates in. it’s the same with your paid2save.
Yeah, how about you draw that out for us, Todd, so we can all see how it works.
Just like Dubi, Lyoness, WUN and the others. Trying to scrape by on 3rd party affilaite commissions and pseudo e-commerece.
Introduce some cute little, antiquated $3 technology, that the real companies gave up on 8 years ago, call it unique and start signing people up.. ha ha. Might as well be selling “mlm training”. What a joke.
What a complete waste of time and credibility. It’s quite comical actually.
And with a 10% charge for Paid2save on the offer, as a merchant, you better have great profit margins on your products/services.
Nah,..I’ll stick with XXX (self censored 🙂 ) MUCH lower fees,and completely free for affiliates.
Again – an MLM Money Game Player tries to explain why THEIR GAME is different. In this case, Todd G attempts to demonstrate the value of the Paid2Save service and thus the legitimacy of their model.
And of course, he failed. However, not for the reasons most would expect.
What most of the MLM Money Game Players either don’t understand or choose to ignore is this simple fact:
While the value of the product or service should be part of the conversation, it all comes down to Retail Sales (as OZ and others have pointed out numerous times).
What percentage of the business volume comes from Retail Sales? Retail Sales are explained as purchases made from people NOT involved in the MLM scheme (distributors).
If you lay the customers over the distributors, there should be a difference and not a one to one relationship.
Excel Communications barely managed to pass scrutiny because they required actual Customers before releasing the Code (Bonus Commissions and Overrides).
From what I understand, Excel Comm. had a 5 to 1 ratio of customers to distributors. Burn Lounge and Consumers Buyline (CBI – 1991 to 1993) failed the test and are no longer around.
Question for Todd G: How many memberships have you sold to people who are not also distributors? That number is also the same chance that Paid2Save will pass regulatory scrutiny IMO.
Does this App with Connectors remind you Ripple Pyramid scam? Only instead of in game purchases they got “merchant discounts/credits”?
I do not with to be the merchant who buys into this scheme. They always get shafted at the end in Pyramids/Ponzies. Even more than average sheepie.
It is disappointing that most of the statements above are based on false or very out dated information.
Paid2Save is a 2 year old growing MLM company based out of Temecula Ca. Todd G is the only one that came close to describing their current business model.
I would appreciate the intelligent objective opinions of anyone (including you Mr. Oz) that is well informed of P2S current offerings in 2015 and have spent the time to interview Mr. David Hart to understand his visionary mission to build the best MLM company in history.
Orly? Is it still a matrix-based recruitment scheme with a pay to play binary attached?
If so, then you’re full of shit.
so why didn’t you point them out and explain exactly why?
The main product /service from paid2save is results based marketing for merchants. One can sell results based advertising to merchants only, give the app out for free to consumers, and still make real money with Paid2Save and never recruit a single distributor.
Yes, there are many additional ways to earn money with Paid2Save one of which is developing and growing a sales team to make more sales, but that is only one way to make money with this company.
Of course building a team has the ability to produce results faster than what is possible on your own. However, it is entirely possible to make money without recruiting anyone.
I not a currently involved with the company. However I am researching the company as someone I trust presented the opportunity to me this week. Everything I see appears to be legit and well run.
Yes, Paid2Save has a viral customer incentive sharing aspect to get the app out to more people to provide more sales and value to the merchants looking for results based marketing.
Also, there is a limit on the # of distributors one can sign up or be within your team so successful Paid2Save distributors should be very selective as to whom they have join their team.
On average distributors should have thousands more connectors ( customers that only download the app for free to use a coupon ) than they will every have or even possible allowed to have as distributors.
To me Paid2save appears to be a more affordable Groupon alternitive that will actually work for merchants. It will give merchants the ability to actually bring in paying customers and still allow the merchant to make a profit.
In addition, Paid2Save provides discounts and more benefits to the consumers using the app like incentive sharing. Yes, it also happens to have a commission based sales force that gets commissions for their sales, as well as, a small override for sales from any team they build.
It is entirely possible for someone to make real money just selling results based advertising to a handful of merchants each month without ever selling a single distributorship. Merchants love results based advertising as they only need to pay for a profitable customer.
As long as they create a winning deal they have no risk.
The coupon users win by saving money and getting rewarded for sharing coupons with others. Distributors earn money off every customer they give a free app to that redeems a coupon, as well as, every customer that redeems a coupon from the app at any merchant they have signed up, and so many other ways.
Of course, if you sell a distributorship or two once in awhile get overrides and bonuses for building a team that is just an added bonus.
I attended a meeting on Monday and the whole premise was a group of business owners getting together having fun with no hard recruiting, sales pitch, or any of the normal MLM hype.
They were there to answer any questions anyone had, but it was very low keyed, very different and refreshing from anything I have experienced in the past.
While this may not be the case everywhere as like any business you have good and bad teams I got the impression that this team was running the way the company has designed and expects Paid2Save to run. Base don this I feel that if Paid2Save continues to create teams like the one I was introduced to they will succeed.
This is just my 2 cents. You may agree or disagree with me that is ok. I just thought I would share a view point from an outsider that has recently started researching the company.
I wish everyone great success with whatever they are doing.
^^ Ugh. They whacked this guy hard with the marketing BS hammer.
Wrong. The main “product” is affiliate membership, bundled with which is access to third-party discounts (not a viable MLM product).
But nobody does. And even if they did, it doesn’t cancel out recruitment commissions (chain-recruitment scheme).
And that’s why “but you can earn by”, “recruitment is optional” arguments are a waste of time.
Recruitment is the game here, it pays the fastest and is what everyone in Paid2Save is focused on.
Irrelevant.
And a problem because it’s the core of the business and recruitment commissions.
Yeah, you got sold the marketing fiction. Sign up and you’ll quickly realize the only way to earn funds is to hold meetings yourself, during which your sole aim is to recruit new affiliates.
Of course you won’t tell them that, you’ll instead also pitch the “whole premise was a group of business owners getting together having fun with no hard recruiting, sales pitch, or any of the normal MLM hype” angle.
Here’s your change.
Attending a recruitment-drive presentation and your feelings don’t trump Paid2Save’s heavily orientated recruitment-driven business model.
Hello i bought into paid 2 save buy a friend i knew from way back. 09/2014 i got 120 people to download the app i even went shopping with my brother he spent $300.
i had 2 call my upline sponsor he call his upline no one could find out about my money no one could tell me nothing.
this was in feb 2015 so i told my upline sponsor if i did not recive any monies buy march i will make dam shure that $49.95 for the month of april 2015 they will not see.
so $199+ 49.95 @4monthe $100.for business cards $500. i could have kept.. im will be filling with the atty general office &.BBB I will post until i get my monies back.
p2s can keep the connectors i get 120 every week. im hot like that.
Was approached last week to buy in at a level I can afford.
Wanted to do some research because it sounded like a pyramid scheme and it looked like one so it must be one.
Got suckered into this company. Yes I admit it. Never again.
It is a classic pyramid scheme. It is all about recruiting recruiting recruiting.
They took away the monetizing of their app (until they reach 1 million app users) that is going to take many years. So now it’s all about recruiting.
I would suspect that most of their “Ultimate” packages are being consumed by those within the company which is a telltale sign of a pyramid schemed.
They changed their comp plan (they say for the better) yet quite a few people got shafted by it.
Thompson and Burton MLM law firm has some good articles and descriptions of these schemes yet people only see what they want. I’m glad I opened my eyes.
Good News. The company has totally revamped the program and the compensation plan. It’s a great program and they are now in prelaunch for $2.00.
The money is from both ends and pays better than any program I’ve seen. You should check it out.
Flagged for an update.
@Maria it is a classic pay to play pyramid scam. You just haven’t figured it out yet. You need to do a little more due diligence on what is an honest network marketing company.
A lot of people got screwed by this company just like a lot of other companies. It’s all about recruiting and getting that bonus money. You can get the same deals all over the internet.
Paid2save is not unique. Save yourself money, time and frustration or better yet ask some of their bigwigs who left. They’ll tell you.
This company is a scam! Run far away!
I made the mistake of transferring my number to their business account because of the savings. One day, without warning, my number was turned off.
It took days to receive an email with instructions on how to get my number back. Unfortunately, that was a scam too.
Two weeks later, I have spent over 15 hours on the phone with T Mobile with no positive outcome.
All the phone numbers I have to anyone in Paid2Save has been either disconnected or no one picks up. Go to hell, Paid2Save!
I was invited by a friend tonight over the phone. It was close to midnight his time, and he claimed the company was in pre-launch and I could still get in as a Founding Member, for just $125 a month, make it back easy.
Founding Memeber included lapel pin, stage recognition at Theo first corporate meeting ever. Sounded good. Too good. Too good to be true?
My main hesitation was financial. Not a time when I can throw away $125 or even play with it.
I then thought about trying a 30-days free travel membership to check out the deals. But then, if I cancel, how do I cancel, and will it cancel in time?
The one card I reload for random events, not my main bank card, had less than the $1 they needed to preauthorize for my “FREE” memebership.
I’m glad I found this review. And I’m glad I won’t be calling my friends at midnight to tell them about this “early-in, you’ve got to join now” opportunity BS.
I have a better chance of making additional funds as a real estate professional and part-time actor in Hollywood than chasing the dream of easy recruitment for a company with no control over their product, it’s pricing, or their future participation in large industries… speaking of which:
Does paid2sage offer prescription savings anymore, or just travel? The pitch I heard and website I visited only focused on travel, but mentioned “shopping” discounts, whatever that means. In any case, I’m out.
Where are the products? I see none.
You have the opinion that the affiliate program I promote has kooky products, At least they have products. Avoid paid 2 save run away from it.
Mark G the whole “pre-launch” thing for P2S is a bunch of bullcrap. They have been around since 2013.
They tried to do the mobile app shopping thing but it tanked big time. It’s all about travel now. The prescription savings thing is a joke.
You can get those savings cards ALL over town and the internet. P2S has no corner on that market only they try to convince you they do.
I used the card a couple of times to get savings at a Walmart only to find the same price with the other 3 cards I had in my wallet.
Can you please update your review. This program has been changed.
Their main product now is net-net travel club.
Comp plan still the same? I visited the Paid 2 Save website for more info but it’s pretty bad (no info whatsoever, just a login form).