The Panel Station Review 2024: Is This Survey Site Legit or a Scam?
Online SurveysWe may receive a commission if you sign up or purchase through links on this page. Here's more information.
Countless websites advertise free rewards for taking surveys, and it’s hard to tell which ones are legit. The Panel Station is a popular survey site that offers rewards through a website and mobile app, and it’s a decent option for anyone interested in adding to their income. Let’s dive in with our Panel Station review.
This Panel Station review will cover the tool’s basic features along with its benefits and drawbacks. We’ll also walk you through the process of using the application and redeeming rewards. Sign up for The Panel Station today to start earning points toward your first reward.
Table of Contents
The Panel Station Review: What Is the Panel Station?
The Panel Station is one of the most well-known survey sites, with more than 2.5 million active users. It’s also one of a few websites to offer surveys and rewards in more than 30 countries. The platform was created in 2008, and there are now mobile apps on both the App Store and Google Play.
Signing Up
You can sign up for a free account at any time and start earning rewards immediately. Creating an account on The Panel Station is as simple as entering your email address and setting a password. You can sign up on either the website or mobile app.
From there, you’ll need to add some further information to start taking surveys. The Panel Station asks for your full name, phone number, and date of birth, along with a few other data points. The platform uses this information to identify surveys you could qualify for.
Overall, we found the signup process rather fussy. Instead of choosing your own initial password, The Panel Station will generate one for you. Watch out for an email with that information in it โ this was a bit confusing.
Taking Surveys
Once you’ve finished registration, you can begin by taking some of The Panel Station’s profiler surveys. These are designed to help you get started and qualify for longer surveys on specific topics. You can start taking full surveys once you’ve completed the profiler questionnaires.
The Panel Station offers rewards for finishing the profiler surveys, so you’ll have points in just a few minutes. The platform continues to send survey invitations after you join, so you don’t have to keep checking the website. You’ll receive an email whenever you qualify for a new survey.
You can also view your available surveys from your dashboard on The Panel Station website. The Panel Station offers countless surveys on a variety of topics, so you shouldn’t have trouble earning points. That said, the platform isn’t as expansive as some of its competitors, and some users may not find as many surveys as they’re looking for.
Rewards
Brands pay for audience data, and The Panel Station passes some money on to you in the form of points. You can redeem points as cash or a gift card to one of many popular online and physical retailers. The Panel Station also gives you the option to spend your points on entries in sweepstakes.
The Panel Station offers a sign-up bonus of 700 points once you complete the profiler surveys. You’ll be able to view the topic and reward before starting a new survey. Most surveys provide between about 500 and 1,000 points, although some offer up to 5,000.
Unlike some other survey sites such as YouGov, The Panel Station doesn’t display an estimated time for each survey. This makes it difficult to budget the right amount of time before taking a survey. In general, you should expect surveys to take about 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll also receive 20 points if you’re screened out of a survey.
You can start redeeming rewards once you reach 3,000 points. Unfortunately, The Panel Station doesn’t tell you how much a point is worth until you’re eligible to redeem rewards. However, we’ve worked it out to be about $1.50 per 1,000 points.
You can reward your Panel Station rewards through PayPal or as a gift card to Amazon, Linio, Lazada, or one of a wide range other websites. Expect to receive cash payments from The Panel Station in no longer than six to eight weeks.
The Panel Station Review: Benefits
The Panel Station offers a number of unique benefits and advantages among survey sites, and it’s easy to see why so many users use it over its competitors. These are some of the best reasons to start earning points with The Panel Station.
Convenience
Unlike some survey platforms (such as PrizeRebel) The Panel Station makes it easy to take surveys on your preferred device with a mobile app. It’s just as easy to finish a survey on your phone as on The Panel Station website.
The Panel Station mobile app is available on both the App Store and Google Play. It allows you to view and take available surveys, and you’ll also receive a notification for new surveys. That said, you can use The Panel Station on your desktop and achieve the same results.
Survey sites that have mobile apps often struggle to provide the same experience as on a desktop. The Panel Station is just as easy to use on a smartphone as it is on a laptop or desktop. The mobile application has an intuitive, sleek design that helps you navigate its features.
Furthermore, The Panel Station provides rewards even if you don’t qualify for a survey. Being denied after screener surveys can be discouraging, so it’s nice to at least earn something for your time. Many survey platforms give you points only if you qualify for and complete the entire survey.
Flexibility
Taking surveys is all about earning rewards, and The Panel Station makes redemption easy. You can withdraw points for a sweepstakes entry, Amazon gift card, online voucher, or even cash through PayPal.
The Panel Station is also available in a much wider range of countries than many other survey sites. This is the full list of supported countries:
- United States
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Mexico
- Australia
- Russia
- India
- China
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Indonesia
- South Africa
- Turkey
- Poland
- Philippines
- New Zealand
- Saudi Arabia
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Singapore
- Colombia
- Nigeria
- Chile
- Taiwan
- South Korea
You need to be only 16 to create an account with the Panel Station, younger than most other survey sites. This makes it the perfect platform for teenagers interested in supplementing their income.
Security
The Panel Station is one of the most popular survey platforms worldwide, and it’s an extremely reputable brand. It’s backed by a larger research company called Borderless Access, which works to gather market data.
You can trust The Panel Station to keep your information safe. Your responses are used only to form aggregate statistics, and they’ll never be associated with you as an individual.
Support
The Panel Station mobile app offers troubleshooting for basic issues. You can also email the admin team for a quick reply to more complicated issues. Check Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for The Panel Station social media accounts in your country.
Most users report hearing back from the support team within no more than 24 hours. Quick customer service helps you gets through difficulties more quickly and focus on taking surveys and earning rewards. Remember to check the Troubleshooting page before reaching out for further support.
The Panel Station Review: Drawbacks
While The Panel Station is a great choice if you’re interested in earning passive income, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. There are a number of concerns with the platform that may turn off some users. You should keep these issues in mind when deciding among multiple survey sites.
Delays
Earning rewards is the most exciting part of using any survey site. Unfortunately, you may be disappointed in the wait times involved with The Panel Station. Other platforms tend to deliver rewards more quickly, although results vary from one user to the next.
It can take up to six to eight weeks for rewards to appear โ a long delay for what is usually a small payout. If you download The Panel Station, expect to wait a while for your first rewards.
Having to wait for your money is especially frustrating considering how long it could take to earn that cash. Taking surveys is the only way to gain points on The Panel Station, and you need at least 3,000 to redeem any rewards. Individual surveys can offer as little as 100 points, meaning that you would need to take 30 to earn rewards. From there, it could still be weeks before you actually see the money.
No Referral Bonuses
Some survey sites offer referral bonuses to users who introduce new users, but The Panel Station doesn’t provide any additional rewards. You’ll have to take surveys to earn every point, and you earn only 20 points for each screener. While this is better than nothing, it’s still much less than you could be getting with referrals.
If you know a large number of people who would be interested in taking surveys, referral bonuses could give you a surprising amount of money with another application. Survey sites tend to offer small perks, so your referral rewards could be even more valuable than taking surveys.
On the other hand, this issue won’t matter if you weren’t planning to recommend the application anyway. Look at a few different sites to compare referral bonuses and see if you could earn more somewhere else. Some platforms offer points upfront when the user signs up, while others pay a percentage of their earnings.
Lack of Surveys
Since The Panel Station doesn’t offer any referral rewards, taking surveys is your only way to earn points. Unfortunately, many users have trouble finding as many surveys as they’d like to take. Of course, experiences vary from one user to the next depending on their age, demographics, and more.
You can start finding more surveys by completing the website’s profiler surveys. These record basic information and help you identify potential surveys. The Panel Station will also start sending you emails whenever there’s a good fit. Remember to check your spam folder if you aren’t receiving these notifications.
If you still can’t find enough surveys, consider signing up for another platform. Keep in mind that surveys are consistently rotated, so things could change in the near future. Unless The Panel Station grows substantially, it won’t be able to offer as many surveys as its top competitors.
Low Return
Anyone can earn at least some points by taking surveys, but it’s hard to earn significant amounts. The Panel Station and other survey sites often work out to less than minimum wage, not to mention that you’ll have to wait for the cash. You should think of surveys only as a small addition to your income.
If you’re just taking surveys when you have free time, this probably won’t be an issue. You’ll get money for something that doesn’t feel like work. That said, you shouldn’t spend more than a few hours a week on surveys โ if you have that much time for passive income, you should consider a more worthwhile long-term investment. You can make a surprising amount of cash by quickly setting up one or more sources of income.
The Panel Station makes this less of an issue by providing a high-quality mobile app. Taking surveys on your phone throughout the day makes the process much more convenient. It’s one of the top platforms for users interested in earning survey rewards on their phone.
Household Limit
The Panel Station allows users to create only one account per household. The household limit won’t be a problem if you’re the only person in your home who’s interested. On the other hand, it might make things difficult if others want to sign up too. While you can share a single account, this isn’t as convenient as having your own.
Most other survey sites don’t impose a household limit, so check out some alternatives if this is an issue. Dividing rewards, for example, is more difficult with a joint account than with individual ones. It can also be harder to stay motivated if you know you’ll be sharing the earnings.
Screener Surveys
Screener surveys are short questionnaires used to determine whether you’re eligible for the entire survey. The Panel Station offers 20 points each time you’re disqualified after taking a screener survey.
It’s nice that The Panel Station gives you at least some points when you’re screened out of a survey. On the other hand, taking screener surveys is a time-consuming and frustrating process. Certain other platforms remove the need for screeners by gathering the relevant information upfront.
The Panel Station Review: The Bottom Line
While The Panel Station is a relatively new survey site, it already offers unique and valuable features. It’s especially convenient for those interested in a platform with a robust mobile app on either iOS or Android. The application’s UI is clear and easy to use for surveys. Other survey applications are often confusing and unreliable compared to the corresponding website.
That said, there are also relevant concerns about The Panel Station. It’s not accessible in as many countries as other sites, and you may have more trouble finding surveys. Furthermore, the website takes as long as six to eight weeks to pay rewards. Some of its competitors transfer rewards much more quickly, sometimes within a single business day.
If you’re interested in earning points for taking surveys, sign up for The Panel Station today. Remember to download the mobile app so you can take surveys no matter where you are.
Author:
Alex McOmie is a freelance writer for Money Done Right. He joined the Money Done Right editorial team in summer 2019. Learn more about Alex.