beenz.com

Confession time folks - hands up who signed up with Ciao in order to make a quick buck? I'm not interested in how much you're addicted now, and how much you'd still write even if you had to pay Ciao, etc etc.

The fact is, you were initially attracted by the idea of something for...well, very little. Which makes me think that you're either a beenz member already, or there's some reason why you're not. I'm pretty sure you've at least heard of beenz, if not, then you have now.

*What are Beenz?*

Beenz are most commonly described as "an internet currency". This is because you can use Beenz without ever dealing with money. You collect Beenz around the internet in various ways, then once you have collected enough, you can spend them online at many worldwide websites, or exchange them for vouchers.

*Signing Up*

To start earning beenz you need to sign up at the beenz.com website. The site is pretty much worlwide. You don't need to give any bank details. However, you are only allowed one Beenz account. You may use any email address, however I would advise you to set up or use an email address exclusively for beenz as you will receive quite a bit of junk mail if you choose to do this wholeheartedly.

*Earning Beenz*

By "wholeheartedly", I mean ruthlessly taking every beenz that is offered to you. If you are in doubt about m grammar, I challenge you to find the word "been" referring to single beenz on the Beenz.com website. But that should have been in my *Beenz Language* section.

When you sign up with beenz.com, you are given 100b. If you have plenty time on your hands, you can then go to the "earn" section of the site, and trawl through hundreds of ways to earn beenz - making sure you don't follow up any offer that says "US only", of which there are many. Only follow up offers which say "worlwide" or "UK" at the bottom, and only if they have a GREEN dot next to them - otherwise you can only spend.

Mostly, earning beenz involves signing up for newsletters, searching through sites, referring other web users, and "using" a site's services. The easiest way to earn Big Beenz, is to spend money at assigned webstores, where you will make money back for each pund you spend/each purchase/first purchase etc etc.

Look out for beenzback offers. Although you usually have to buy things to earn beenz back, some will give you beenz just for registering. I have never spent money to earn beenz.

*Beenz Boards*

If this seems like too much work (and it is a LOT of work) go to one of the beenz messageboards - not quite as reliable as beenz.com, the official beenz site, but much more manageable, with clues on where to find beenz, and reminders of foreign offers which are available to UK "beenzers". Look in dooyoo for these boards or try the biggest one, www.beenzboard.com

*Spending Beenz*

As I have already described, you can spend beenz on the net, as soon as you've earned enough. Really crappy rewards come in at about 1000b. Sounds like a lot, but you can make this in about a week if you pick up all your daily and weekly free beenz.

To spend your beenz, go to the "spend" section at beenz.com Although beenz are worth more if you spend them directly on the web, you need to watch out for post and packing charges, VAT, or any sneaky extras which you may not have counted on. I like to spend a little more, and buy vouchers with my beenz. A £10 "Choice" voucher costs 3500 beenz, arrives within 3 days of buying online, and can be used in over 20 high street stores, including Argos. You can't exchange beenz for cash.

*Problems*

There's no denying it, people have problems every day collecting beenz. Sites are down, they run out of beenz, change the conditions of their offer, don't like your browser...most people's first point of call with a problem, is to write to beenz.com Almost invariably, beenz.com support will write back saying "write to the company in question first". So save yourself a bit of time - write to the company in question first, then write to beenz support. Make sure you give them as much detail as possible.

Many people have complaints about beenz.com support - I have found then extremely quick to help. It really depends on the problem. If the website in quetion is having problems one evening, beenz.com can't really do much about it, and may not bother writing back as the problem will be fixed by the time they do. If you can't get any joy with the site in question, or beenz.com support try beenzboard.com - But make sure you do it in that order.

*How Much Time?*

I am pretty sure that many people are put off using the beenz programme because they feel it will be time consuming. However, once you have bookmarked the daily/weekly pages, and the beenz.com and your chosen beenz forum sites, you will soon be zooming round the web picking up your beenz in no time. In fact, as I have been writing this, I have collected all my daily beenz on a second and third browser window. If you are concentrating on collecting your daily beenz, plus any new surveys, once-only or special offer beenz (all free), you will normally take about half an hour a night max.

*And finally...*

If I have persuaded you that signingup with beenz.com is worthwhile, then get yourself over to the beenz.com homepage, click on "UK" site, and join up right away! I'll race you to evouchers.com for the next 10 quid :o)