In Pokémon GO, you can occasionally purchase paid tickets to unlock more content. Our MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke finances this with the help of Google surveys. We have summarized how you can do this below.
What content is it about? In Pokémon GO, trainers not only have the opportunity to take part in the game for free, but can also purchase various items or special event access in the in-game shop.
A large part of these items can be obtained in exchange for so-called PokéCoins, the in-game currency in the game. However, if the coins collected are not enough or if you want to secure special research for the next Community Day, for example, then you have to spend real money on it.
Just like many other players, I want to spend as little real money as possible on Pokémon GO, but with Google surveys I have now found a way of getting the coins “for free”. I have summarized below how this works and what advantages and disadvantages there are.
Here we explain how you can earn coins in Pokémon GO.
How to get coins in Pokémon GO with Google polls
What are Google polls? If you use an Android device, you can download the so-called “Google Surveys” app from the Play Store. This provides you with surveys from time to time, which revolve around, among other things, your buying behavior, places you have visited or your personal circumstances.
If you take these surveys, you will receive rewards in the form of credit, which you can redeem for purchases through the Play Store. Depending on the type of survey, these rewards usually amount to between 0.08 euros and 0.49 euros. Every now and then it’s a little more.
Strictly speaking, the bonuses are not free, since you are selling your personal data to Google with the help of the surveys. So you should definitely consider this before you use the app and decide for yourself whether this is an option for you.
Thats how it works: Once you have installed the survey app, connected it to your Google account and set it up according to the in-app instructions, all you have to do is wait. Depending on which user group Google has placed you in, you will now receive corresponding push notifications as soon as a survey is ready for you.
All you have to do now is open it and it will take you directly to the questionnaire, which you can answer. The survey usually includes between one and four panels and is over in a few seconds thanks to the use of multiple-choice questions. At the end of the survey, your respective bonus will be displayed.
In order for the app to work properly, it is advisable to release the location data. I get surveys more often when I’ve been shopping somewhere before.
How to use Pokemon GO credit?
As already mentioned, I only use Google’s survey app to finance the coins in Pokémon GO, because I want to spend as little real money as possible on them. In order to buy the coins or special event tickets in the in-game shop, you must first proceed as usual and select the appropriate content.
Before you then continue the payment process, you must make sure that your credit is taken into account. You can tell by the fact that the current balance is displayed on your Play Store account below the selected item. If this is the case, the credit account will be debited first.
If you have an item that is more expensive than your balance on the Play Store account, you can have it credited pro rata and the remaining amount will then be debited from your bank account. In this case, too, make sure that your balance is listed in the payment process.
Keep in mind that it can sometimes take a few hours for new credit to be available for redemption in the Play Store.
How many surveys can you get from the app? How many surveys you get through Google varies greatly and depends largely on which user group you have been assigned to. I’ve found that I get more surveys when I’ve been near larger stores for a long time or just went shopping there.
I usually get around 7 surveys a month, which is why I can usually finance the event ticket for Community Day without any problems. However, this can also vary greatly from month to month.
How long is the credit valid? If you don’t make purchases via the Play Store that often, you can also save up the credit. Rewards are valid for one year from the day you received them. So you can also collect a larger balance if you prefer to have higher coin packages or if you want to buy a more expensive ticket, like for GO Fest 2022.
Another way to get coins with Google
If you don’t want to “sell” your data to Google or want to improve your credit even more, you should also use the Play Points in the Google Play Store. These are a kind of loyalty points, similar to what you know from supermarkets or drugstores.
You get this when you make purchases through the Play Store. Depending on how many points you have already collected, you can rise in rank and collect even more points.
You also have the opportunity to secure an additional random prize in the form of Play Points once a week in a kind of raffle. You can then exchange the collected points for credit for your game.
There are always offers through the Play Store, where, for example, you get a voucher for 3 euros for Pokémon GO for the use of 150 Play Points. You can then have this credited accordingly when making a purchase in your in-game shop.
With special bonus promotions, you can also secure a few additional Play Points directly in this context. For this reason, before making a purchase, I always take a quick look at the Play Store and activate such a promotion if it is available.
My conclusion on Google surveys and Play Points
What I like about it: I think it’s a good way to save a bit of credit for the Play Store with little effort and then be able to use it in the game. So it has become the exception for me that I spend real money on the monthly event tickets in Pokémon GO. This is actually only the case with larger investments or if I want to buy higher coin packages.
The Play Points, which you can collect with purchases via the Play Store anyway, boost my balance even further without me really having to do anything for it. Since I don’t want to give anything away, I also take part in the random Play Points award ceremony every week, where I usually get around 5 more points.
Disadvantages of Google Polls: A disadvantage, especially with Google surveys, is that you pay with your personal data. You become a kind of transparent user. Personally, that doesn’t bother me as much. However, the Google surveys are less suitable for players who attach great importance to their data protection.
In addition, the number of surveys and the amount of the bonuses depend on how interesting you are as a user for Google. So you can be lucky and be overwhelmed with surveys, but you can also be unlucky and only get a survey every once in a while. Ultimately, this also has an impact on how often and how many coins you can finally afford in Pokémon GO.
Despite the two disadvantages mentioned, Google surveys will continue to be a good way for me to finance Pokémon GO to a large extent.
What is your opinion on Google polls? Have you collected coins for Pokémon GO this way? Or is using such an app out of the question for you? Feel free to write us your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers on this topic.
By the way: In Pokémon GO, the dazzling monsters are particularly interesting for many trainers. Here I explain to you which shinys should not be missing in my collection and why.