Bonusboy
Why a survey reward gets cancelled, and how to avoid it
Sometimes a survey you completed, and that showed a reward in your wallet, disappears a few days later with the label "cancelled". This is called a reversal. It is decided by the research partner, not by Bonusboy, and it happens on every survey platform. Here is why, when, and what you can do.
When it happens
Long, well-paid surveys are reviewed most strictly, so cancellations weigh more by amount than by count.
Why partners cancel
Partners give a short reason with each reversal. Grouped, they are:
- Speeding. The survey was finished much faster than its minimum time. A 15-minute study completed in 4 minutes is almost always cancelled.
- Straight-lining. The same answer chosen for every row of a grid.
- Contradictions. Age, job or household answers that do not match earlier answers from the same person.
- Open-ended answers that make no sense. Random letters or copied text in a "tell us in your own words" box.
- Duplicate participation. The same person taking the study twice through two accounts or two apps.
- Client rejection. The company that ordered the study rejected a batch of responses, often weeks later.
Habits that keep your rewards
- Read every question. Partners know the median time for each survey and compare you with it.
- Vary your answers honestly in grids; "agree" to everything is a red flag even when true.
- Keep your profile consistent across surveys and apps.
- Write at least a real sentence in open-ended boxes.
- Use one account, your own device, and no VPN.
What you see in the app
The Wallet marks each cancelled reward and offers "See why" with the partner's reason. The pass rate on survey cards excludes cancelled completions, so a partner that cancels a lot shows lower numbers to everyone, which is the fairest warning we can give.
Quick answers
Can Bonusboy restore a cancelled reward?
No. When a partner cancels, it does not pay us for that task, and we only pay out money we receive. The cancellation and the partner's reason stay visible in your history.
Does a cancellation hurt my account?
One or two cancellations are normal and change nothing. A high cancellation rate is a signal that partners use when deciding whether to keep sending surveys to a publisher, so we do watch it, and accounts whose rewards are mostly cancelled can be limited.
What happens to the first-mission bonus if my first reward is cancelled?
The $1 bonus is tied to that first reward. If the reward is cancelled the bonus is taken back as well, and it is granted again when a later reward is confirmed.
