US-based shoppers are paid via electronic deposit, commonly known as ACH or direct deposit. Electronic deposits are processed using the Sentry Payment Application (SePA). An account is created for you when you sign up to be a shopper with Sentry. You should log in to your account to add your banking information in order to avoid any delay in being paid for your completed and accepted assignments.

Payment Timing

Shopper invoices are generated on the 16th of the month and include all assignments marked "OK to pay" through the 15th, the day before.

For example, if you completed an assignment on the 10th of the month, submitted it on the 11th and we released to the client on the 15th, it would be included on the current invoice. If an assignment is performed on the 14th or 15th, it will most likely be validated AFTER the new invoice is created on the 16th. In this case, it will be manually rolled into the new invoice about a week later.

Payment will be processed approximately 45 days after the invoice date. This applies to invoices created on the 16th of the month.

You will receive a notification from admin@sentrymarketing.com. Payment will take up to four business days to be deposited into your account.

Shopper Payment & Migration Information FAQ

Q. Why are you migrating payment methods/platforms?

When we migrated payment platforms from bank checks to Bill.com several years ago, our goal was to better meet the preferences of our shoppers by offering electronic deposit (commonly known as “direct deposit”). As we developed integration between our mystery shopping software and Bill.com we made the decision to offer payment by check as an optional payment method at a cost of $2 per check issued.

We had made the decision to move away from Bill.com based on factors that impacted our company and shoppers in our energy project. These factors included a cost increase to access the Bill.com platform, the difficulty of use, and lack of support from the software provider. Some shoppers expressed frustration with the check payment system, as well as the difficulty of with the overall Bill.com process and setting up their profiles.

Q. Why aren’t you migrating to PayPal?

Our first choice was to migrate payments to PayPal. We invested a significant amount of time and money setting up integration between our mystery shopping software and Paypal.

Unfortunately, we experience major issues during our pilot test of the platform. The problems included nearly 40% of payments being rejected. We tried to resolve the issues by working with PayPal technical support, however, they (PayPal tech support) was very slow to respond and they could not provide any answers to our questions. We did not want to put our shoppers in a position where they need to contact PayPal in order to receive payments.

Q. Why did you choose Dwolla?

After careful consideration of all of these factors, most importantly, the safe and efficient transfer of payments to you, we selected Dwolla as our payment processor. This payment method has already proven to be more efficient and trouble-free than any other we reviewed. It is tokenized which is the most secure option available.

Q. How does Dwolla work?

Dwolla is a secure, easy-to-use payment platform that will streamline the payment process and ensure secure treatment of your funds. The first time you receive a Dwolla payment, you will need to create a Dwolla account. This is an easy process that will take 5 - 10 minutes. You will need to specify the routing number and account number of the bank account you want your funds deposited into. After you create your account, you will receive a notice no-reply@dwolla.com each time we process payment and the fund will be deposited into your bank account 2 - 4 business days after you receive the email notification - it’s that easy. Please add dwolla.com to your safe-sender list.

Q. How do I sign up for a Dwolla account?

You can also sign up for a Dwolla account before any payments are made by creating an account at the URL provided at the top of this page.

Q. Is there an option to be paid by check?

No. Effective with shopper invoice 44 we will no longer be processing payment by check.

Q. Is there an option for US-based shoppers to be paid by Paypal?

Q. When will the transition take place?

We will pay Invoice 43 using Bill.com on 12/31/2017. After that, all payments will be made using Dwolla

Q. Will there be any changes to payment timing?

No. We will be reviewing this part of our payment policy in the second quarter of 2018.

Sentry Marketing/Sentry Insights

Shopper Payment Information

Updated on 9/13/2021