THX App Review: I Make Around £10 a Month by Sharing My Data

I have an app running on my phone that pays me roughly £10 a month in vouchers for sharing data.

I appreciate that sentence sounds mildly alarming.

So before anyone imagines I have sold my entire digital identity to fund my Amazon addiction, I thought it was probably worth explaining exactly what THX is, what data it collects and what I actually get in return.

Because THX is one of those side hustles where the money is not particularly exciting.

But the amount of effort required is also... not particularly exciting.

Which, for me, is rather the point.

I normally cash my rewards out as Sainsbury’s or Amazon vouchers, and most of my points come from leaving the passive research features switched on and completing the occasional survey.

My current average is around £10 a month.

Not life-changing.

But I have made £250 since October 2024 so I’ll take it.

So, what actually is THX?

THX is a market research app operated by MeMo2, which is part of Kantar.

In very simple terms, companies want to understand things like:

• what media people are exposed to

• where advertising is being seen

• consumer behaviour

• opinions and preferences

And THX gives users points for contributing to that research.

You can earn through things including:

• surveys

• location research

• TV and radio research

• occasional other research tasks

Those points can then be exchanged for vouchers.

In the UK, options include retailers such as:

• Amazon

• Sainsbury’s

• Costa

• Marks and Spencers

• Sports Direct

• Just Eat

• H & M

• Ikea

I tend to stick to Amazon and Sainsbury’s as I would rather use the points for that than exchanging my points for something highly aspirational that I was never going to buy anyway.

The slightly unnerving bit: it uses your microphone

This is the part that needs explaining properly.

If you opt into THX's media research, you give the app microphone permission.

My immediate reaction to anything saying, “Would you mind leaving your microphone running in exchange for points?” is generally:

...define running.

According to THX, the app takes short audio samples and turns them into an audio fingerprint.

That fingerprint can then be compared with its database to work out whether you have been exposed to certain TV programmes, radio broadcasts or advertising.

THX says it does not store the raw audio or your conversations. The raw sound is used to generate the fingerprint and is then discarded.

So, according to THX, it is not sitting there saving a recording of me complaining to the dogs about the NHS.

It is looking for recognisable media content.

That said, you are still giving an app microphone access.

Whether the reward is worth that is very much a personal decision.

It can also use your location

The other passive part is location research.

If you opt in, THX can use your location to identify when you have been near specific shops, advertising sites or other locations relevant to research.

THX says that these data are used to produce aggregated and anonymised research, rather than handing a client a little map showing everywhere I went last Tuesday.

Again, there is still a trade.

I give them some information about my behaviour.

They give me points.

I am comfortable with that exchange at the moment.

You might not be.

And that is completely reasonable.

What else does THX know about you?

Like most research panels, you also fill out profile information.

That can include things such as your age, household information, interests and other demographic questions.

THX's privacy policy explains that it may process account details, profile information, survey responses, location information and data generated through its media research features.

It says research results provided to clients are aggregated and anonymised.

I think the wording matters here.

I would not describe THX as an app where you aren't sharing data.

You absolutely are.

That is basically the entire arrangement.

The distinction is that THX says the information supplied to research clients is aggregated and anonymised rather than providing them with personally identifiable individual profiles.

What do I actually earn?

At the moment, I average roughly:

£10 a month.

Usually in Sainsbury’s or Amazon vouchers.

There will be months where it is slightly more or less because the number of surveys and available research opportunities varies.

So please do not read this as:

“Download THX and you will definitely make £10 every month.”

That is what I am currently averaging.

Your results may be completely different.

What do I actually have to do?

This is why THX has survived my side hustle cull.

Not much.

I keep the relevant research features switched on.

Every so often, I open the app.

If there is a survey that looks worth doing, I complete it.

Then I largely forget about it again.

That is my preferred level of involvement in a £10-a-month side hustle.

I do not want a £10 side hustle requiring:

• daily check-ins

• seventeen notifications

• a spreadsheet

• a morning routine

• a webinar

• or me “showing up consistently”.

For £10 a month, I would ideally like to do almost nothing.

THX gets reasonably close.

The surveys

There are also occasional surveys available in the app.

They work much like any other market research survey.

You answer questions and receive points.

THX says available surveys can close once researchers have collected enough responses, so they will not necessarily hang around waiting for you.

I personally view the surveys as a bonus.

The passive element is what makes THX interesting to me.

There are plenty of places I can actively exchange 20 minutes of my time for a few pounds.

What I am more interested in is finding income that does not require me to constantly be doing something.

Is it genuinely passive?

Sort of.

I would call it extremely low effort rather than truly passive.

You still need to:

• set the app up

• give the appropriate permissions

• occasionally check it

• sometimes complete surveys

• cash out your points

And your phone is still doing something in the background.

But compared with most of the side hustles I test?

Yes.

It requires very little of my actual time.

What about battery life?

This is probably the biggest practical downside I found when researching THX.

Some users report increased battery usage because the app can use microphone and location services in the background.

That makes sense.

Your phone is doing additional work.

I would therefore pay attention to battery performance when you first install it rather than assuming the vouchers are completely cost-free.

If it destroys your battery and irritates you every day in exchange for a tenner?

That changes the maths slightly.

Can you turn the tracking off?

Yes.

THX says you can disable the media and location research features, and you can also change microphone and location permissions through your phone settings.

That is important to me.

I am happy participating while I understand what the exchange is.

I would be much less comfortable if the app made it difficult to opt out.

Is THX selling your personal data?

This is where I want to be careful with the wording.

According to THX, individual research data is not simply handed to clients in personally identifiable form.

It says survey, location and media data are used to create anonymised data.

That is THX's stated policy.

I obviously cannot climb inside Kantar's servers and independently verify how every piece of information is processed.

So I am not going to tell you there is “no privacy risk”.

Any app collecting behavioural data carries a privacy consideration.

You have to decide whether you are comfortable with the exchange.

So, is THX worth it?

For me?

Currently, yes.

And the word currently is doing some work there.

I earn around £10 a month.

I use the vouchers for things I would have bought anyway.

And it takes almost none of my active time.

That gives it a pretty decent money-to-effort ratio.

Would I complete two hours of surveys every month for £10?

Absolutely not.

Would I leave some research features running in the background and occasionally complete a short survey?

Apparently yes.

Because that is exactly what I am doing.

Where THX fits into my £10-a-day goal

This is probably the most important bit.

THX is not my £10-a-day side hustle.

It is roughly my £10-a-month side hustle.

And that is fine.

Because I am becoming increasingly convinced that replacing my £43,000 salary is not going to happen because I discover one magical app that casually transfers £3,500 into my bank account every month.

Unfortunately.

The Side Hustle Fund test

My increasingly scientific criteria are basically:

Does this make enough money for the amount of time, effort and general faffing involved?

For THX:

Money: modest.

Time: very low.

Effort: very low.

Privacy trade-off: definitely something you need to consider.

Would I keep using it? Yes, at the moment.

If it continues giving me around £10 a month for doing very little, it can stay.

If it starts wanting three hours of surveys and my first-born dog in exchange for a £5 voucher, we will reassess.

One final thing

Please actually read the permissions before switching everything on.

I use THX because I am comfortable with the exchange.

That does not mean you should automatically be comfortable with it too.

The appeal of side hustles like this is that the time commitment is tiny.

But when the payment is for access to data rather than labour, it is worth understanding exactly what you are being paid for.

For me, approximately £10 a month in Sainsbury’s and Amazon vouchers is currently worth it.

And given the amount of money that disappears into Sainsbury’s every month, I am frankly happy to claw some of it back however I can.

Disclaimer: This article is based on my own experience of using THX and THX's published privacy and help information at the time of writing. My earnings are not guaranteed and rewards, features and voucher options can change. If I include a referral link, I may receive points or another reward if you sign up and meet the qualifying requirements.