Wrapify

Wrapify Review:

Wrapify is an advertising company that enlists freelancers to wrap their cars with advertising for pay. All you need is a car in good condition, a clean driving record and a smart phone.

However, the site prefers to work with ride share and delivery drivers, since they drive a lot and are often in high-traffic areas.

How it works

If you’re interested in taking Wrapify advertising campaigns, you’ll plug in a cell phone number on the site. The site will then send you a link to sign up on the app.

Once you’ve signed up, Wrapify will notify you if they have a campaign in your area. Campaigns involve wrapping your car with advertising. They can involve “light” wrapping of just a portion, or can cover the entirety of your car.

You’ll know who the advertiser is and how much of your vehicle they’d like to wrap before you accept. You’ll also get the financial details of how much you’re likely to get paid. Howeer, payments are based on how much you drive, so your actual numbers can vary somewhat.

Getting your car wrapped

Assuming you accept, the site will tell you where to get your car wrapped and set up and appointment. Drivers say they’re compensated for their ride share costs for getting to and from the wrapping facility.

The site pays the wrapping company directly. They will never send you a check to have your car wrapped. This is important to remember because there are a few crooks that pretend to be Wrapify in an effort to pull off a fake-check scam. (See our fraud warning below.)

Pay per mile

After that, you just drive as usual, leaving the app on in the background so that it can log your miles. Notably, a few freelancers have said the app doesn’t always accurately log miles. So, be sure to pay attention to the amount you’re driving and whether you’re getting credit for all the miles. If not, contact customer service. Wrapify customer service does a good job of responding to complaints.

Drivers get paid twice a month by direct deposit.

Swarms

In addition to the regular contract income, freelancers are sometimes invited to participate in “swarms.” These are often sporting and entertainment events, where advertisers know that a lot of people in their target demographic are likely to be. If you participate, you get a set amount extra for just sitting — or cruising — in the area.

Once again, this is one of the reasons Wrapify can be a great option for a ride share or delivery driver. Rideshare drivers are likely to be in high demand to drop people off and pick them up at these events too. So you can kill two birds with one stone.

Not everyone gets gigs

The biggest frustration we see consumers talking about with this app is that they sign up and hear nothing.  In reality, whether or not you can get a gig is going to depend on where you live, where you commute and whether the company has an advertiser interested in your area and model of car.  There’s no cost to try, however. So, we see no compelling reason not to sign up.

Recommendations

Two years ago, there were at least three other companies in this space that each worked with different advertisers and in different parts of the country. But when advertising dollars dried up during the pandemic, several firms folded. And a few of their replacements appear to be scam operations that want you to send them money for a “deposit” for their advertising banners. Don’t do that.

The one legitimate competitor still in the market is Carvertise, which pays a flat monthly fee, but also offers bonuses to new drivers and occasional promotions to help drivers earn more. Our recommendation is to sign up with both companies and see who offers you a gig first.

Also, since you’re looking a ways to leverage assets you already own, we’d also suggest you take a look at our blog post 8 Ways to Profit by Renting Your Stuff. 

Beware of fraud

One more caution: An increasingly popular scam involves crooks pretending to work for this company (or for Carvertise), promising huge pay-outs to consumers who sign up. The crooks send big checks in advance, telling the car-owner to deposit the whole amount and pay for the wrap with the money and send the remainder via Western Union or gift card to a third party.

This is a fake check scam. And by the time your bank discovers the forgery, the crook will be long gone and you will be on the hook for the entire amount of the fake check. DO NOT DEPOSIT these checks. Legitimate companies — including Carvertise and Wrapify — do not expect you to be their payment intermediary.  For more about this con, check out this story at CBS News and our blog post Side Hustlers get roped into fake check scams.

If you fall for this con, it can cost you thousands of dollars.

What their car-owners say: (from the Better Business Bureau)

I have been driving for Wrapify since 2018. The customer service dept responds quickly. The places they send you to get your car wrapped are professional. The Swarms are fun seeing the other cars that had been wrapped all driving around in the same location. This gig is great for making extra money. I mean you gotta drive somewhere everyday right? Might as well get paid for it.

Driving my first campaign and I have been very happy with them. Pay is bi weekly through direct deposit and in addition to your weekly miles driven in the campaign zone, they also offer SWARM events where you can earn bonuses on top of that. They are also easy to contact and quick to respond. All in all, it was a great side hustle to make some easy $$. Would 100% drive with them again.

One blogger, did multiple posts about his experiences with two different campaigns. If you’re considering this, it’s worth checking out. The short version is summed up in the comment below, but it also links to the series.

Overall, I had a great first campaign experience. 

• Updated 1/25/2023