Is Bump a scam? How the app works, what it costs and what you earn
Bump is a peer-to-peer Internet sharing app for Android, in public beta in Brazil and Colombia. These are the questions people ask before they install it, answered plainly.
How does Bump work?
To share: open the app, tap Share and choose how much data you are willing to give. Bump advertises your phone over Bluetooth so people nearby can find you. Your phone bridges its mobile data or Wi-Fi to them over a Wi-Fi Direct connection.
To use: open the app and check the coverage map for sharers around you, with their signal strength and price. Pick one, tap Connect, and your phone links directly to theirs. You pay with Bump credits only for the data you actually use.
The engineering behind all of this, including what the sharer can and cannot see, is on the How Bump works page.
Does Bump actually work?
Yes, when someone sharing is within range. Bump uses Bluetooth to find people sharing nearby and a Wi-Fi Direct connection to link your phones, the same technology as an ordinary hotspot. The coverage map in the app shows who is sharing near you before you connect.
If nobody is sharing near you yet, the map will be empty. That is not a fault. The network grows as people join, and it works best in busy places: campuses, terminals, markets and dense neighbourhoods.
Whose Internet is being sold on Bump?
Some people on Bump choose to share and some choose to use. Sharers give out the Internet they already pay for, either their mobile data or any Wi-Fi network their phone is connected to, and earn a reward for doing it. Users buy that shared Internet with credits. Bump does not provide Internet itself: everything on the network comes from a sharer’s own connection.
Is Bump safe? Can the person sharing see what I do online?
Yes, Bump is safe. And no, the person sharing cannot see what you do online. All of your traffic runs inside an encrypted VPN tunnel from your phone to the Internet. The sharer’s phone only relays scrambled bytes. They can see how much data you used, not what it was. You cannot see theirs either. Privacy is part of the design, not an option.
Won’t people drain my data plan if I share?
You approve each person who wants to connect, and you set a data limit for them. You can stop sharing at any time. Nobody can use more than you allowed.
How far does Bump reach?
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct range: the same room, building, plaza or bus. Bump is not city-wide Wi-Fi. If you can see the sharer, you are almost certainly in range.
How much does Internet cost on Bump?
You pay per megabyte with Bump credits, at the price the sharer set, only for what you use. Credits can be bought with a credit card, with Pix in Brazil or with PSE in Colombia, starting from R$4 in Brazil and 10,000 COP in Colombia. Unlike most prepaid data packs, which expire within a month or less, the credits you buy never expire. See what 1 GB costs compared with Bump in Brazil and Colombia.
How do I earn money with Bump?
Share your connection. Every megabyte that flows through your phone earns you reward points, and you decide how much to share and when. Your points build up in the app while you go about your day, and you can convert them into money with Pix in Brazil or Bre-B in Colombia.
Can I share Wi-Fi, or only mobile data?
Both. You can share your mobile connection or any Wi-Fi network you are connected to. Wi-Fi earns at a lower rate because it usually costs far less than mobile data, and is often free to use. The reward for sharing Wi-Fi mostly covers the battery it takes to keep the connection up.
How long does a withdrawal take?
Up to a week. Withdrawals go out through Pix in Brazil and Bre-B in Colombia. We sometimes pause withdrawals while we work on fixes to the payment system, and we announce that in the country’s community group. Bump never asks for your bank details or passwords over Instagram or direct message.
Why would anyone share their Internet?
Because they are paid for it, and because on a large or unlimited plan it costs them almost nothing. In a new country where earning is not switched on yet, the people who share first are first in line when payouts open.
Where is Bump available, and when do payouts open in my country?
Bump is live on Android in Brazil, with payouts through Pix, and in Colombia, with payouts through Bre-B. New countries start with free access while we finish the local payout rail, and we announce each one in the country’s community group. More regions are on the way.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not today. Bump is Android only. We may release an iOS version in the future, and we will announce it in the community groups when we do.
Does my carrier allow it?
Sharing on Bump is ordinary phone tethering. Check your plan’s hotspot allowance: some plans sold as “unlimited” cap tethering separately. We say this up front rather than after your bill.
Does Bump drain my battery?
Sharing runs a hotspot, so it uses more battery than an idle phone. Do it when you are plugged in or sitting for a while. Using Bump to get online costs about the same as any Wi-Fi connection.
Is Bump a scam?
No. Bump is an app that lets people with data to spare share their Internet connection with people nearby, and pays them for the data that flows through their phone. The app is free on Google Play. There is no subscription and nothing is charged until you choose to buy credits.
Referral rewards are a fixed, one-time grant of points when someone you invited creates a profile. Nobody earns anything from anyone else’s sharing, so there is no pyramid and nothing to recruit for.
Is Bump legal?
Yes where it is live. Sharing your connection is ordinary tethering, and we check each country’s telecom rules before launching there.
How do I report a problem?
Shake your phone while the app is open. That sends us a report with the details we need to fix it.