Surveys for Money: We Signed Up for 52 Paid Survey Sites. Most Were Horrible.

The Internet is chock-full of supposed online surveys for money.

And while these paid surveys sound promising, the fact of the matter is that most of these sites promising surveys for cash are nothing more than elaborate scams.

What’s even more complicated is that several blogs you come across when searching phrases such as “surveys for money”, “online surveys”, or “paid surveys” will proclaim that all survey sites are legit. The harsh reality is that they are simply proclaiming as “legit” all the survey sites they can get kickbacks from.

Full disclosure: we get paid by some survey sites as well, but this did not affect our rankings at all. There are survey sites that compensate us for sign-ups that we gave only one or two stars, and there are survey sites that don’t compensate us that we gave four or five stars.

So to clear the air between legit and fake survey sites, we painstakingly went through 52 survey sites to let you know which ones are legit and which ones aren’t so legit.

Here are our rankings.

1. Survey Junkie

• 

  Survey Junkie

  Read Review

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Survey Junkie rewards you in points for all online surveys that you complete with cashouts available via both PayPal and gift cards.. You can do the surveys from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. If you choose to do surveys using a tablet or mobile phone, the available surveys may be limited.
  • Pros: The PayPal cash out is dependable and efficient. Also, the majority of surveys are quick. Sometimes you’ll earn a few extra points for surveys that have reached their quota. Members even get points for completing the “profile” surveys (I got 10 points for each one I completed), and points for completing surveys are credited immediately and cleared from pending status within 24 hours.
  • Cons: Points expire if you fail to log in and complete at least one survey each year.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    $10 (1,000 points) minimum, payable via PayPal, bank transfer, and electronic gift cards

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Survey Junkie Sign-Up Bonus

Although there’s currently no mention of a signup bonus on their website, I got a 25-point signup bonus as well as another 25 points for confirming my email. If you join Survey Junkie today, you may get those same bonuses.

Survey Junkie Profile Surveys

Once you’ve signed up and logged in to your Survey Junkie account, the first thing you should do is complete the profile surveys.

These help you get surveys with higher points and increases your odds of qualifying. You’ll also receive 10 points for each one you complete.

Survey Junkie Survey Selection

Soon after you take all the profile surveys, click the “Surveys” link at the top.

From there you’ll be taken to a web page with a selection of available surveys.

I found this survey company’s online surveys to be pretty simple. Although many offer less than 100 points, the majority of them were pretty quick to get through, and I was rewarded for all seven surveys that I completed.

Survey Junkie also sends survey invites via email.

Sometimes surveys may have reached their quota, but you may still receive a few extra points just for your time.

Survey Junkie Tutorials

At the top and to the right, you’ll see “Hi” followed by your name. Click that and a menu will drop down. Then click “Tutorials.” You’ll get points for each tutorial that you complete.

Survey Junkie Rewards

Survey Junkie requires you to reach a minimum of 1,000 points ($10) before you can claim the reward of your choice.

The rewards you can choose from will be greyed out until you reach the minimum, but they include PayPal, gift cards, or you can have the money you earned transferred to your bank account.

Survey Junkie Final Thoughts

I recommend Survey Junkie. They’re pretty generous with points. Most online survey sites don’t pay you for completing the profile surveys, but Survey Junkie does. Also, so far, I’ve received the promised points for all the surveys I qualified for and completed.

Remember, you may get 50 points right off the bat just by signing up then confirming your email.

2. Swagbucks

• 

  Swagbucks

  Read Review

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Swagbucks rewards you in points called SB for online surveys you complete.
  • Pros: There is a great selection of rewards, surveys, and other ways to earn SB.
  • Cons: The SB you earn for shopping stays in the pending status for at least one month before it credits to your account, and in order to get the signup bonus, you must make a purchase of at least $25 at a Swagbucks-featured store within 30 days of registration.
  • Value Per SB

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    $2 (200 SB) minimum, payable via PayPal as well as numerous gift cards

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    1,000 SB ($10)
    

Swagbucks states their surveys range from 40 to 200 swagbucks (SB) you can qualify for and complete.

So far from the Swagbucks surveys I’ve seen in my account dashboard, the majority of their surveys range from the promised 40 to 200 SB, but some are lower, as you’ll notice in the screenshot below.

Swagbucks Gold Surveys

There are two survey sections: the gold surveys and peanut labs. It’s pretty self-explanatory. The gold surveys offer higher earnings than the peanut labs.

In my experience taking the Swagbucks surveys, I’ve discovered that sometimes you have to try quite a few before qualifying for one. The good news is you get at least one SB for up to six surveys per day that you don’t qualify for.

I’ve earned over 500 SB taking Swagbucks surveys. I usually go for the ones that offer 50 or more SB.

If you commit to taking two Swagbucks surveys per day that offer 50 SB, you can earn 3000 SB each month, which comes out to $30. Divide $30 by 3000, and this shows you that Swagbucks points are worth $0.01 each. Multiply 3000 by $0.01 and you get $30.00.

Swagbucks Activities

If you’d like a break from surveys, Swagbucks rewards you for shopping, watching videos, signing up for offers from their sponsors, playing games, and more.

During my time with Swagbucks, I’ve earned 32,913 SB, which is over $300. The majority of my earnings have come from surveys, Swagbucks searches, and referrals.

As of this year (2018), I’ve referred enough people that I earn at least $5 worth of SB each month for doing nothing. These earnings are from referrals alone, so if I spend just an hour each day doing one or two surveys, I would do pretty well with Swagbucks.

Each month, share your Swagbucks’ earnings with your social media followers, and always include your Swagbucks referral link. By doing this, you could build your referrals pretty quickly.

Swagbucks Search

As for the Swagbucks search, I set the Swagbucks search page as my default search engine, and every time I perform searches with the Swagbucks search there’s a chance that I might earn Swagbucks for those searches.

Not every search you make will reward you with SB. It sometimes takes a few searches to get SB, and the amount is random. It can still add up, though. Just this year I’ve already earned over 400 SB for my searches alone.

Before you perform a Swagbucks search, make sure you’re logged in to your Swagbucks account.

When I log in to Swagbucks, I just make sure the “Remember Me” box is checked, and this way every time I open my browser, I’m already logged in to Swagbucks and can just begin my search.

Every time you clear your cookies and browser history, you’ll have to log in to Swagbucks and check the “Remember Me” box again.

My earnings for searching the web could be more, but I’m not a real big fan of the Swagbucks search, so most of the time I use Google if I need good results for research that I do as a writer.

Swagbucks Rewards

I’ve been a member of Swagbucks since January 14, 2011, and they have paid me every time.

The minimum to earn in order to receive your first reward is 200 SB, and the reward choices for 200 SB are 100 MB of mobile data from At&T or Verizon, a $10 Restaurant.com gift card, or a $3 eBay gift card.

Personally, I let my SB grow in my account until I reach 2,500, and then I redeem those for $25 via Paypal. This way I can use the money however I want (e.g. pay a bill, buy a gift from the store of my choice, pay for advertising to market my business, etc.).

There are times I shop for Christmas on Amazon when they have good deals, and I’ll redeem my SB for Amazon gift cards since you only need a minimum of 500 SB and I already plan to shop there.

Swagbucks Tips

If you’re planning to do some in-store shopping, Swagbucks also rewards members for in-store purchases. In fact, the amount of SB you can earn for in-store purchases is usually quite generous.

Before you head to the store, log in to your Swagbucks account to check their current “In-Store Promos.” Click on “Shop” from the left, then click “In-Store Promos.”

Swagbucks Final Thoughts

Yes!

Aside from surveys, Swagbucks has a variety of other ways to earn, including special opportunities (check their blog for these), monthly bonus offers, and much more!

3. SurveyRewardz

• 

  SurveyRewardz

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Don't have time to take 20-minute surveys? SurveyRewardz may be the survey site for you. They specialize in short surveys that pay $1 or less.
  • Pros: Membership is open to residents worldwide, more than one person in your household can have an account, and most surveys are short.
  • Cons: The majority of their surveys only pay $1 or less, you can increase your earnings by referring others, and there’s a $0.10 fee if you cash out for less than $10 via PayPal.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    $1 minimum, payable via PayPal or gift cards. Note that there is a $0.10 fee if you cash out for less than $10 via PayPal.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

SurveyRewardz is owned by Points2shop, LLC. (a.k.a. P2Sample). Membership is open to residents from all countries. Furthermore, if other members in your household also want to participate in paid surveys, they can join. However, since this online survey site only allows one account per individual, they may ask all members in your household who join for an ID verification.

Signing up is easy. Just read and agree to their policies, enter your email, and create a password. Then answer demographic questions to help match you with survey opportunities you’ll be more likely to qualify for.

Paid Survey Opportunities

In my case, everytime I log in to my SurveyRewardz account a new survey opportunity pops up in the top right corner. So far, all the surveys I’ve seen are usually short and on average pay $1 or less.

If you scroll down a tad and click “Complete Surveys,” another opportunity usually pops up.

Referring Friends is Another Way to Earn Rewards

You can earn more by referring others to SurveyRewardz. To encourage your friends and family to join, let them know they’ll get $3 for signing up with your link. Then when your referrals earn at least $3, you will get 15% of their earnings for as long as you and they remain an active SurveyRewardz member.

Minimums and Rewards

As soon as you’ve accumulated $1, you can request payment via PayPal. However, if you’re wanting cash sent to your PayPal account, your best bet is to wait for your balance to reach $10, because SurveyRewardz charges a $0.10 fee if you cash out for less than $10 via PayPal.

The other rewards don’t have a fee, and most of them have a minimum of $5. Those rewards include gift cards, a U.S. virtual Visa card, and a paper check.

Final Thoughts

Although the surveys don’t have the highest payouts and most of them are short, with an extremely low cashout minimum, reaching the point where you can request payment won’t take long at all. That being said, I think SurveyRewardz is worth signing up for.

4. American Consumer Opinion

• 

  American Consumer Opinion

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: American Consumer Opinion is owned by Decision Analyst, Inc. and provides a solid selection of online surveys.
  • Pros: When you don’t qualify for a survey, you’ll still earn five or 10 points for your time. Also, American Consumer Opinion sends quite a few survey invitations via email. Many of the email survey invites I received offered 1,000 points ($10) and the chance to evaluate a product. Finally, most surveys take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
  • Cons: There are not very many survey opportunities from the member account page, and the few that do appear are usually for 300 points or less.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    1,000 points ($10) minimum, payable via PayPal, Hyperwallet, or check.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None, but you receive 5 points for completing the profile survey after registering.

American Consumer Opinion is owned and operated by Decision Analyst, Inc.

Their homepage promises earnings of 100 to 5,000 points for each survey or research project you qualify for and complete.

However, if you read their terms, it states you’ll be offered surveys from five up to 1,000 points. This is a slight inaccuracy, but nothing fatal as long as the rest of the site is legit.

American Consumer Opinion Survey Selection

So far from the “available surveys” I’ve seen in my account dashboard, the incentives have been as promised.

What I like about American Consumer Opinion is, unlike many other survey companies, if you don’t qualify to take the survey, they still give you a few points.

It’s not as many as you’d receive if you qualified and completed the survey, but it’s better than nothing, right?

You can see in the image below “screener payments” for 5 or 10 points. These are the payments I received for surveys that I didn’t qualify for.

American Consumer Opinion Sweepstakes

There are also times when American Consumer Opinion enters you into a sweepstakes drawing rather than offering points if you fail to qualify.

American Consumer Opinion Sign-Up

Signing up for American Consumer Opinion is easy.

If you fill out their form to sign up, you will be asked for personal information such as your name and address.

From your account, you’ll be able to view a list of surveys available to you.

I don’t know why, but not all surveys listed offer an incentive. Regardless, all you have to do is click the surveys that do.

In addition to gaining access to surveys from your account, American Consumer Opinion emails survey invitations.

American Consumer Opinion Rewards

You’ll be pleased to learn that this survey site is legitimate!

I earned a total of 15 points in September 2018 and 95 points in October 2018 for surveys I completed from email invites.

The five points were for taking the short screener surveys and the additional 10 and 90 points were for completing the surveys I qualified for.

I earned five points for another survey I qualified for and completed from my account page in December 2018.

The completed survey message said the five points would be posted in my account in 2 weeks, but I received them immediately, which is great!

Something to note is the list of available surveys you’ll see in your American Consumer Opinion account does not specify how long each survey will take.

However, a message on their homepage states that surveys take on average 10 minutes, which I’ve found to be true based on my experience.

American Consumer Opinion’s points are worth a penny, so if you qualify for and complete a 100 point survey, that survey is worth $1.00.

A survey for five points is worth $0.05, and so on.

As soon as you’ve accumulated 1,000 points, you can request payment.

Your payment at 1,000 points will be $10, and you can request to receive it via PayPal, Hyperwallet, or check.

If you request your reward be sent to you via PayPal, the email address on your American Consumer Account is the one they’ll send payment to, so keep this in mind when registering.

If you don’t want to use the email address associated with your PayPal account, be sure to add the email you register with to your PayPal account.

American Consumer Opinion Referral Bonus

Unlike some other survey sites, American Consumer Opinion doesn’t give a referral bonus.

However, you can easily earn your first five points and increase your chances of receiving surveys you’ll qualify for by filling out the profile survey.

American Consumer Opinion Final Thoughts

Absolutely! Although the account page is usually lacking a large number of available surveys and points are low, they send quite a few surveys invites via email. Many of the surveys you’ll receive in your inbox are for 100 points or more.

That being said, when it comes to getting a variety of higher paying surveys for cash from American Consumer Opinion, I recommend checking your inbox more often than the account page.

5. Prize Rebel

• 

  PrizeRebel

  • Basics: Since its launch in 2007, this surveys for money company has paid over $10 million to their members. Many sing praises about PrizeRebel because the company has a reputation for honoring their claims: offering surveys, giving points for completed surveys, and paying their members. The thing current members really like about them is the PayPal payment is pretty much immediate!
  • Pros: Instant payment to your PayPal account, low cashout minimum, and additional ways to earn when you need a break from surveys.
  • Cons: As with most other online survey sites, sometimes it can take a while before you qualify for a survey. In addition, if you don’t log in at least once every six months, you’ll lose all your points due to not being active.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    $2 minimum for gift cards and $5 minimum for PayPal

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

I’ve been with Prize Rebel for a few years now, and I, too, highly recommend them to anyone interested in taking surveys for money! They’ve always given me the points for surveys I completed, and when it came time to redeem my points, I’ve always received the rewards.

Prize Rebel Survey Selection

The things I really love about Prize Rebel is their low minimum and the huge selection of surveys!

In regards to the low minimum, all you need is 200 points to request a $2 Amazon or iTunes gift card. If you prefer money to pay a bill with, 500 points earns you a payment of $5 via PayPal.

If you prefer to be a member of only one paid surveys site rather than a bunch, Prize Rebel is the one to join! There’s definitely no shortage of surveys, and as I’ve already mentioned, the minimum to cash out is low, and they pay as promised.

Once logged in to your Prize Rebel account, you’ll see “Survey Partners.” This is where all the surveys are.

You can see the surveys Prize Rebel recommends for you by clicking “My Surveys.”

Once in “My Surveys,” you can click on “Gold” to view a selection of higher paying surveys.

MarketCube also has surveys for a higher value.

Prize Rebel Activities

When you get burnt out on taking surveys and need a break, Prize Rebel offers a variety of other activities for earning a little extra moola.

For instance, you can earn points by interacting with Prize Rebel’s advertisers (e.g. sign up for newsletters or offers), watching short videos, referring others, and completing tasks such as verifying information.

As with the surveys, there’s plenty of rewards to choose from as well!

To request money that you’re free to pay a bill with or spend however you wish, you can request payment via PayPal.

There are also several gift cards such as Amazon, Sirius XM Radio, Restaurant.com, Walmart, Game Stop, Redbox, AMC, Starbucks, Burger King, and plenty more!

One last thing to keep in mind about Prize Rebel is if you don’t log in every so often, you will lose any points you’ve earned. Life and work kept me busy, and I wasn’t as active on Prize Rebel as I was when I first joined, so I lost over 350 points for six months of inactivity… Oops.

That being said, be sure you login in at least once a month to keep your account active.

If you’re looking for a legitimate surveys for money company with a low minimum and quick payout, Prize Rebel should be at the top of your list!

6. Product Report Card

This online surveys company will pay you for completing surveys and trying out products. That’s right, friends, they will give you free products AND pay you to take a survey about the products you test!

You can get started earning by filling out the short sign-up form on their homepage.

After you complete the registration process, check the email address you joined with for the verification email. After I clicked the link in the email to verify that I did sign up, Product Report Card gave me $5.

Product Report Card Profile Surveys

After you’ve verified your account, you can log in and begin earning up to $1 for every profile survey that you complete. According to Product Report Card, the profile surveys will increase your chances of getting and qualifying for more studies, so it’s best if you can complete them all.

Clicking the studies link at the top of your account page will take you to the online surveys. You’ll see a dollar value for each one as well as the length of time it should take you to take the survey. I noticed that not all the surveys had a dollar value, though. In fact, during my latest check for a survey, only one offered a reward.

If your online account doesn’t have many studies, check your email. Product Report Card sends quite a few email invitations.

The surveys you receive via email will also include the dollar value and how long the survey is.

In addition to surveys, the company emails you invitations to try products.

Product Report Card Example

I did receive the promised rewards for a profile survey I completed as well as an email survey I did. The email survey I completed also required that I log in to my LinkedIn account to verify it, which I did.

I also tried to take a survey from the studies section of my online account that had a reward value. When I clicked the link, it asked for my birthdate, which I entered, then the next screen said I didn’t qualify. However, I was given $0.10 just for trying. Well, the $0.10 is actually pending at the time of this review, but as with past rewards I’ve earned, it will probably credit after a certain amount of time has passed.

Product Report Card Rewards

If you scroll down toward the bottom of Product Report Card’s homepage, you’ll see where they say you earn cash, Amazon gift codes, or free products for completing their online surveys.

However, their “Redeem” page tells a different story. It states that once you reach the $25 minimum required to cash out, you will receive your rewards as Amazon gift codes. There’s no mention of the promised “cash.”

Since the company’s site doesn’t have a whole lot of information and there’s no FAQ section, I have no idea how to get cash instead of Amazon gift codes. If you would prefer the cash instead, you might be able to contact them to find out about this.

Product Report Card Final Thoughts

Aside from the fact that this online surveys company doesn’t have much information on their site and they don’t have a reward value listed on surveys in the studies section, I still recommend them.

I haven’t completed all the profile surveys, nor have I tried to qualify to test a product, but I can say they did reward me for what I did do, so I’d say they’re pretty honest. If you want to give them a try, head over and join today.

7. Survey Sheep

• 

  SurveySheep

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: SurveySheep gets an A+! The grade is not because they have paid surveys, though. I gave them the highest grade because their website is not misleading.
  • Pros: They’re honest about what members get when they join.
  • Cons: There are no paid surveys. Instead, members get access to a directory of paid survey sites.
  • Value Per Point

    None

  • Payout Information

    None

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

They are 100% upfront about exactly what a membership with them offers, which is listings of online survey sites that do offer paid surveys.

You see, some companies such as Panel Pay Day, Survey Queen, and others have a website that leads you to believe they offer paid surveys. However, after you join, you quickly discover they’re just a resource for other survey sites. That’s fine, but the company needs to take a lesson from Survey Sheep and learn how to state that right upfront rather than misleading people just to get their personal information to give (or probably sell, who knows) to third parties.

Survey Sheep’s site is pretty much a clone of Panel Pay Day and Survey Queen, but again, unlike those sites, Survey Sheep doesn’t mislead you. They’re honest about who they are.

As you explore past the homepage, you’ll see more references to them being a resource to online survey sites that pay you for taking surveys. For instance, clicking the “Surveys” link at the top of their website will show you an example of what your membership gets you.

Their FAQ page also states they provide you with a list of survey sites rather than paid surveys.

What You Consent to When Signing Up

If you’re interested in seeing what paid survey sites Survey Sheep recommends, you can sign up. Beware, though, by signing up you will be giving them permission to share your email and other personal information with third parties. Giving this consent could lead to an inbox full of spam.

I didn’t sign up for a Survey Sheep membership, because I didn’t need anymore spam, nor was I interested in viewing their directory of paid survey sites. Again, though, I commend them for not being misleading. At least I know exactly what I’d be signing up for if I did want to join.

8. TestSpin

TestSpin is an online market research company that offers services to businesses who want to create surveys for research purposes. They charge the businesses for the service and also pay “testers” to take the surveys.

Right at the top of their website you’ll see they promise to pay up to $10 for surveys and $30 for joining focus groups.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, don’t get too excited just yet, because becoming a “tester” for this online survey company isn’t as easy as you’d think.

Technical Issues Ensue Upon Registration

I clicked the button to register and filled out all the fields on TestSpin’s registration form, and I agreed to their terms. However, after I clicked “Submit,” I received a message telling me to complete the CAPTCHA.

At the bottom of TestSpin’s registration form is this statement: “Please click on the corresponding numbers and letters displayed in the black box below.” What black box? There is no black box with numbers and letters (see screenshot below).

I’m unable to figure out why I was not able to see the black box with numbers and letters. I filled out all the fields on the registration form and my popup blockers were off, so the only thing I can figure is there’s a technical issue on this online survey company’s website.

Being as I can’t proceed with registration due to this requirement, I’m unable to join TestSpin in order to test them and give an honest review.

Getting Paid for Your Opinion

If you’re lucky enough to see the black box with the corresponding numbers and letters to complete the registration process, you’ll earn what TestSpin refers to as “itcoin.” As soon as you’ve earned a minimum of 10,000 ($10) “itcoin,” you can cash out through RedeemItNow.com.

The rewards you’ll be able to choose from are cash via PayPal and Amazon.com gift codes.

Final Thoughts

Since I can’t proceed with the registration, I can’t say for sure whether this online survey company keeps their promises.

If you’re able to register to become a TestSpin member, or you’re already a member, do share your experience by leaving a comment.

9. YouGov

• 

  YouGov

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: This paid surveys site currently has over five million members. Their surveys relate to politics, current affairs, and more.
  • Pros: Surveys are usually short, pay well, and based on my experience so far, you qualify for all available surveys.
  • Cons: The minimum to redeem your points for a reward is on the high side. However, the majority of YouGov’s surveys offer 500 or more points and take 15 minutes or less to complete, so it doesn’t take long to reach the cashout minimum.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.30

  • Payout Information

    $15 minimum, payable via direct deposit or gift cards.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

YouGov Survey Selection

There’s certainly no shortage of surveys at YouGov. After you join this paid surveys site and log in to your account, the list of available surveys appears on the right side of the page.

As soon as you click the red “Take the Survey” link, you’ll be presented with information such as the topic, how many points the survey is worth, and the length of the survey.

In addition to the paid surveys that are in your account, YouGov also sends survey invites via email. I’ve received quite a few worth 1,000 points.

YouGov Pulse

If you don’t mind installing tracking software on your computer or mobile device, you’ll get 2,000 points for joining YouGov Pulse. Then you’ll earn 1,000 points a month for each device that you install YouGov Pulse on.

I’ve taken a few surveys from the email invites as well as the account page and currently have over 9,000 points.

YouGov states in an answer on their FAQ page that most of their surveys are brief, around five to seven minutes, and so far that has been the case in my experience.

YouGov Rewards

The minimum number of points needed to cash out is 25,000, which will get you a $15 Amazon gift card.

I’m usually not a big fan of paid surveys sites that have such a high cashout minimum, but with YouGov, the points for available surveys are usually pretty decent, qualifying isn’t as difficult as it is with other survey companies, and as I already mentioned, YouGov’s surveys are usually pretty brief. Therefore, reaching their 25,000-point minimum probably won’t take as long as some of the other paid surveys site with high minimums but lower-paying surveys that are harder to qualify for and take longer to complete.

YouGov Referral Bonus

Refer others who enjoy making a little extra money by taking paid surveys to earn an easy 2,000 points per referral. Not only do you get 2,000 points but the person you refer will too. However, in order to get the points, your referrals must complete at least four surveys (including the “Welcome Survey), so be sure you mention this to the people you refer.

YouGov Final Thoughts

I’ve enjoyed my survey-taking experience with YouGov so far. I like the selection of higher paying surveys as well as the fact that many don’t take too long to complete. This is why I do recommend this paid surveys company regardless of their 25,000 point minimum.

Sign up now to get your first 2,000 points! Remember, you must complete four surveys and the “Welcome Survey” to get your first 2,000 points.

10. Paid Viewpoint

• 

  PaidViewpoint

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: The Paid Viewpoint online survey website is operated by Umongous, Inc., and membership is open to residents worldwide.
  • Pros: Most surveys are less than five minutes.
  • Cons: Surveys don’t pay much at all, usually just a few cents.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.10

  • Payout Information

    $15 minimum, payable via PayPal.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    Up to $1.11 total. You’re paid for each registration question you answer.

The neat thing about signing up to become a Paid Viewpoint member is you get paid for doing so! It’s only a few cents for each registration question you answer, but that’s better than nothing at all, right? 😉

By the time I completed the signup process, I had earned a grand total of $1.21 and increased my “Traitscore” (explained later in this review).

In addition to paying you for taking surveys, you can earn for referring others. For every new member that you refer to Paid Viewpoint, you will get 20% of what they receive for completing surveys.

The disadvantage of referring others is you won’t receive payment until those you refer cash out. There is an exception to this rule, though. If you refer a minimum of 100 people and those 100 individuals have been a Paid Viewpoint member for more than 30 days and have been visiting the online survey site and completing their surveys on a regular basis, you can apply to become a VIP club member. As a VIP club member, you won’t have to wait for your invitees to cash out.

Taking Paid Viewpoint Surveys

Survey opportunities show up in the member’s area. There’s not a selection of them to choose from, though. Instead, a message at the top appears letting you know one is available. All you have to do is click that message to see if you qualify for that survey.

I also received some email surveys that I attempted to qualify for, but I discovered the surveys were closed.

If you get a survey invite via email and the survey is already closed, the good news is you’re usually given a chance at another survey.

Four days after registering I took four surveys from the member’s area. All the surveys were less than five minutes, and I earned $0.10 for each one.

I find the pay to be on the low side, even though the surveys were short and consisted of screener type questions.

What is the Traitscore All About?

The Traitscore is a part of Paid Viewpoint’s TrustScore system. It determines how honest you are during the survey-taking process, which means when you partake in Trait surveys, some of the questions may be a repeat of some you’ve answered before. Basically, this is how they check how honest you are.

Each time you answer Trait survey questions the same as you did before, your Traitscore increases. The higher the score, the more surveys opportunities you’ll get. When your score reaches 9000, you should receive the maximum allowed number of surveys per month, and the pay for each survey answer should also increase.

Getting Paid and My Final Thoughts

Once you’ve reached Paid Viewpoint’s $15 minimum, you can request cash payment be sent to your PayPal account. After you’re requested payment, your money should via PayPal within 72 hours.

I like that the minimum is low and you get paid through PayPal rather than with gift cards. The only con is the survey payments are low. However, this online survey site does promise higher payments once your Traitscore reaches 9000. I have yet to reach that score, so I can’t say how much higher payment will be.

Are you a Paid Viewpoint member with a Traitscore of 9000? If so, comment and let us know how much higher payment is once you’ve reached that level. Is it worth it to go for a Traitscore of 9000?

11. The Panel Station

• 

  ThePanelStation

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: This paid surveys site is a subdivision of Borderless Access Pvt. Ltd., which is a market research survey and panel company. The Panel Station pays its members to take surveys from their computer or mobile phone.
  • Pros: No shortage of surveys, you can get cash sent to your PayPal account if you’re not a fan of the gift cards, membership is open to residents in over 30 countries, and you receive points even when you fail to qualify for a survey.
  • Cons: Points expire in 12 months if they’re not exchanged for a reward. This means you need to meet the cashout minimum within one year or you’ll lose all the points you’ve accumulated during that time. In addition, a phone number is required during registration, and in order to cash out, you have to call the survey company rather than just choosing your reward online as you’d do with other survey sites.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.1

  • Payout Information

    $10 minimum, payable via PayPal or gift cards. Note payout can take up to four weeks

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None, but you get a total of 700 points if you complete all the “Profiler” surveys after you register and log in

Signing up is as simple as logging in to your Google or Facebook account, or you can fill out the short registration form. If joining using the registration form, a mobile number is required. Before you can proceed with the registration, The Panel Station will send an “OTP” to the mobile number you give, and then you’ll be required to enter the “OTP” in the sign-up form to verify your number.

Personally, I’m not a fan of giving any phone number when joining paid survey sites, but I gave my Google number in order to join this site and test it.

After you confirm your registration via email, log in to your account and complete all the profiler surveys.

If you complete all the profiler surveys, you’ll receive a total of 700 points to start!

The Panel Station Survey Selection

There’s definitely no shortage of surveys! You’ll get quite a few surveys in your email.

Most of the email surveys you’ll receive offers 500 or more points.

The Panel Station also sends emails with profiler surveys. There is no reward for these. However, the profiler surveys are supposed to help you get invitations for more surveys that you’ll have a better chance qualifying for, so it’s a good idea to participate in these surveys when you have the time.

Everytime you log in to your Panel Station account, you should see a listing of available surveys on your dashboard as well.

In Panel Station’s FAQs, they promise members surveys that range from 500 to 5000 points. Based on my experience so far, this has been true. I’ve yet to receive a survey for 5000 points, but I have been offered surveys for over 1000 points. Most, however, are usually for 500 points, especially the ones I receive via email.

Since joining this paid surveys site, I’ve completed a few surveys as well as some of the profiler surveys. So far, I’ve received all the points promised for each.

The Panel Station Rewards

The Panel Station’s minimum amount of points required to get your reward is 3,000.

Once you’ve reached 3,000 points, your reward choices will include PayPal or gift cards for Amazon, Lazada, Linio, and a few others.

The Panel Station Doesn’t Give Time Estimates

As I’ve already pointed out, The Panel Station gives what they promise. However, there are just a few disadvantages. The cons are not something that would keep me from not recommending them, but they’re things I think all paid survey sites should have.

One thing I didn’t like is the available surveys in the members’ area, as well as the ones you receive via email, don’t state approximately how long the survey will take to complete. Sometimes, however, after you receive the message that you’ve qualified to take the survey, it will give you a length, but not always.

The Panel Station Doesn’t Value Their Points

Another disadvantage is you don’t know the value of the points until you reach the minimum to redeem. They show you what rewards you have to choose from, but there’s no amount listed. It would be nice to know how much 3,000 points gets me before I reach that minimum.

Aside from the aforementioned disadvantages, this paid surveys site, in my opinion, is worth your time.

12. Opinion Outpost

• 

  OpinionOutpost

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Opinion Outpost pays its members to take surveys on topics such as electronics, medicine, politics, sports, advertisements, appliances, and more. They will deposit money into your PayPal account, or you can redeem your points for MileagePlus award miles, credits for Alawar games, Amazon gift cards, Apple store gift cards, and iTunes gift cards.
  • Pros: Low cashout minimum, many surveys are short and available via email and from your member page, and points can be exchanged for a cash reward.
  • Cons: Not all email surveys specify the point value, you’ll lose your points and your membership will be deactivated if you don’t log in at least once every six months to update your profile or participate in a survey, and points expire in one year.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.1

  • Payout Information

    $5 for an Amazon gift card and $10 minimum payable to your Paypal account. Payment arrives instantly

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Each time a member takes a survey, they’re also entered into a quarterly drawing for a chance to win $10,000!

Opinion Outpost Signup

To sign up at Opinion Outpost, just give them your gender, name, and email address. Then to complete the sign-up process, click the link in the email invitation from Opinion Outpost.

If you plan to request payment via Paypal, you’ll want to be sure that email address you sign up with has been added to your Paypal account and verified. Or to make things easier, when you sign up with Opinion Outpost, use the email that you use for your Paypal account.

Opinion Outpost Survey Selection

So far, I’ve been paid for all the surveys I completed at Opinion Outpost, and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of email surveys.

In addition to the email surveys, you can log in to your account and click the “Take a Survey” button from the top of the page.

Although their surveys don’t offer many points, the majority of them are short. Something to take note of is some email surveys don’t specify the point value of the survey, and if it does, sometimes what it says you’ll get after clicking the link to the survey is less than the email stated, and sometimes it’s more.

Opinion Outpost Rewards

The minimum amount of points needed to cash out is 30 for an Alawar PC game online gift ID, 50 for a $5 Amazon gift card, or 100 points for a $10 deposit to your PayPal account.

Earnings come out to $0.1 per survey ($ value of reward divided by points needed for that reward).

Opinion Outpost Final Thoughts

Yes, I do believe Opinion Outpost is worth investing your time in. Most of their surveys don’t take long to complete, you have plenty to choose from, the minimum to redeem points for rewards is low, and they do reward you for completed surveys.

13. MyPoints

• 

  MyPoints

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: As a MyPoints member, you can earn points by taking surveys, shopping, searching the web, watching videos, redeeming coupons you print from your MyPoints account, and more.
  • Pros: There’s a variety of other ways to earn points besides surveys, payment is quick, the cashout minimum is low, they have a great survey and rewards selection, and if you have a BzzAgent account, you can transfer those points to your MyPoints account.
  • Cons: Points can expire for one year of inactivity, in order to earn points for playing games you have to make a cash deposit on those game sites, and some offers require you to make a purchase or give credit card information to earn the specified points.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.006-$0.007

  • Payout Information

    $3 for an Amazon gift card and $15 minimum for a variety of gift cards to choose from

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $5, after you take five surveys

I’ve been with MyPoints since February 1, 2013, and in that time, MyPoints has given me the points for the surveys I’ve completed as well as the other activities I’ve done.

MyPoints Survey Selection

The moment you log in to your account, you should see all the paid surveys that are available.

Many of them offer more than 100 points and range in length from 20 minutes or less.

The good news is if you fail to qualify for a survey, MyPoints will give you five points just for trying.

MyPoints Activities

Paid surveys aren’t the only way to earn points. MyPoints gives you cash back when you shop through any of the stores listed under their “Shop” tab.

In July 2018, I did some early Christmas shopping and earned 472 points from shopping at Walmart using the link to Walmart from MyPoints.

MyPoints Coupons

Are you a couponer? Click the “Coupons” tab from your MyPoints account to browse and print coupons.

Not only will you save money, but you’ll also get one point for every coupon you print and 25 points for each coupon you redeem.

Just 10 coupons will get you a total of 260 points!

MyPoints Rewards

As soon as you’ve earned at least 480 points, you can a $3 Amazon gift card, which makes the points worth $0.0063 each.

But don’t let that low number fool you. There are 15-minute surveys that can fetch you upwards of 250 points.

At 700 points you’ll be able to select from a variety of $5 gift cards ($0.0071 each).

Once you accumulate 3,970 points, you can get $25 via Paypal, which makes the points worth $0.006 each.

I redeemed some of my points for a $10 Walmart eGift card, and immediately after I received the link to the gift card in my email. The gift card was valid.

I also redeemed points for a $5 Walmart eGift card as well as Amazon eGift cards, and they, too, were awarded right away!

I really love how quickly you receive the eGift cards! Most other paid surveys websites have a waiting period of sometimes as long as a week before you receive your reward.

MyPoints Final Thoughts

As I’ve already pointed out, MyPoints offers a variety of ways to earn some extra money, a good number of paid surveys, and a great selection of rewards to choose from. The best part is you get the rewards they promise!

14. InboxDollars

• 

  InboxDollars

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: InboxDollars was founded by Daren Cotter in 2000. Since then, this survey company has paid over 60 million dollars for its members’ opinions and other online activities.
  • Pros: You receive payment for completing the “Profile Surveys,” values listed are the actual cash values rather than points, and when you fail to qualify for a survey, you get to play the Spin and Win game for a chance to win cash or other prizes.
  • Cons: Surveys don’t pay much, the minimum to cash out could take a while to reach since most surveys are only worth a few cents, mailed prepaid Visa cards have a $3 fee, and both mail and email Visa cards have an expiration date of 12 months from the issue date.
  • Value Per Point

    The value of each survey is listed in cash

  • Payout Information

    $30 minimum, payable to Paypal, gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, paper check via postal mail

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $5

My favorite for earning a little extra money is Swagbucks. Then I discovered InboxDollars, and it has quickly become my second favorite site for earning money!

InboxDollars Survey Selection

Immediately after signing up for InboxDollars you can head to your account page. Once there, click on the “Account” link from the top of the page.

Next, scroll down until you see the “Profile Surveys.” Do each of those surveys. Not only will completing them increase your chances of being selected for surveys, but you will also earn a few cents for each one.

After you’ve finished all the profile surveys, you can click the “Surveys” tab to begin taking surveys for money.

The value and length are included for each available survey.

So far I’ve received credit for all the surveys I completed for InboxDollars.

Everytime you don’t qualify for a survey, you still get a chance to earn a little extra by playing Billy’s Spin and Win.

The Spin and Win wheel has cash bonuses and other prizes.

InboxDollars Activities

As with some of the other survey companies, you can also earn money for activities such as shopping, completing offers, watching videos, and reading emails.

But wait, there’s more!

Most other sites similar to InboxDollars that pay you to play games refer to the GSN games that cost you money out of pocket, so you’re not really gaining anything there. InboxDollars, on the other hand, have their own games that don’t require you to pay to play.

The games at InboxDollars are fun and addictive! The best part is you WILL get paid actual money while you’re killing time playing addictive games.

It’s not a whole lot of money, but if you love games, then at least with these games you’re earning a little something for that time you’re wasting, and having fun too.

InboxDollars Games

At the top of your account page is a “Scratch & Win” meter. The longer you play games the more it goes up. When it reaches a dollar sign, you get to scratch off a ticket for a chance to win more money.

So far all my Scratch and Win cards have been winners.

Playing games isn’t the only way to get your progress bar to move. Doing other activities also moves the bar.

InboxDollars Rewards

The minimum you must earn before requesting payment from InboxDollars is $30. This seems a bit high considering most of the surveys and activities only pay a few cents.

Once you’ve received the minimum, your payment options are eCards, a prepaid Visa card, or a paper check.

Regardless of the $30 minimum for payment, I still recommend InboxDollars. In my opinion, the Scratch and Win extras, as well as the variety of activities, makes it fun and worth the time.

15. OpinionSquare

• 

  OpinionSquare

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: OpinionSquare offers members three ways to participate in surveys: email invites, pop-ups, and from the member account page.
  • Pros: You earn a token to play the instant win scratch game for surveys that have reached their quota, and points earned for taking surveys usually credit instantly.
  • Cons: Points will expire if you opt out of receiving surveys by sending your request via email or you click the unsubscribe link in an OpinionSquare email, you remove yourself through the member's area, mark their emails as spam, fail to respond to survey invites for a six-month period, or the email you signed up with becomes invalid. Also, if you don’t install their tracking software, you usually won’t find any available surveys in the member’s area, but you will receive invites via email.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.003

  • Payout Information

    1500 points, payable as gift cards, magazine subscription, and merchandise

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

To join, you’ll answer some questions about yourself, and then read and agree to OpinionSquare’s agreement.

During the final sign-up step, you’ll be asked to download software to your computer. I canceled the download for safety reasons.

If you want to take the risk and download the software, it tracks your internet activities. OpinionSquare states that by allowing them to track your online activities, you can increase your chances of receiving surveys you’ll be more likely to qualify for.

OpinionSquare Survey Selection

I have yet to see any available surveys on my account page at OpinionSquare, but they do send quite a few survey invites via email.

I’ve completed two email surveys worth 200 points for each, and I received the promised points almost instantly.

OpinionSquare Scratchers

Some surveys were no longer available, but the good news is when a survey has received all the responses needed, you get a token to use toward the Flower Power Scratcher Game instant win game.

Every Flower Power Scratcher Game is a winner! You’ll win points or a prize.

I’ve participated in four instant win games and won a grand total of 125 points!

OpinionSquare Rewards

The surveys at OpinionSquare are worth approximately $0.003. You have to earn a minimum of 1,500 points to get a $5 digital gift card or $10 Restaurant.com certificate. Most of the email surveys I got offered 200 points, so that means you’d have to complete at least eight surveys to reach the minimum.

Rewards from OpinionSquare include a wide selection of digital and physical gift cards, magazines, and merchandise.

When it comes to the merchandise, to get the best deal you should aim for the gift cards. Here’s an example: The Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat at OpinionSquare is 21,752 points. However, you can get three $25 Walmart gift cards with only 17,100 points, which is a total of $75. Then add the gift cards to your Walmart.com account and use them to buy the exact same car seat, which at the time of this writing was priced at $59.99. So, you can buy it with the Walmart gift cards and still have $15 and a penny left over.

OpinionSquare Final Thoughts

Overall, my experience with OpinionSquare was all positive. I really love the instant win games too! I do recommend you join and start earning rewards for completing their online surveys. It is worth it!

16. Catch

• 

  Catch

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Catch, managed by the by C Space Corporation, offers opportunities to work directly with companies such as Walmart, McDonald's, Samsung, Nestle, and others.
  • Pros: Surveys, as well as other participation tasks that may be required for the rewards, are usually short. Some communities contribution minimum is low, which makes earning the rewards quicker and easier.
  • Cons: Catch is not like the usual survey sites, which means you will have to keep up with communities you’ve been approved to be a member of. Also, to join, you must receive an invitation.
  • Value Per Point

    Hard to say since each community is different.

  • Payout Information

    Depends on the communities

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Unlike most other survey websites, you have to receive an invitation to join Catch.

Catch Project Matchups

Catch frequently sends email invitations letting you know when you have new Project Matchups waiting in your Catch account.

If you take the surveys for the project matchups, you’ll increase your chances of being invited to sign up for a community, and the communities are where you’ll start earning the rewards.

The surveys are really short, usually less than five minutes. You’ll be asked questions about brands.

Each time you complete a project matchup survey, it shows a message that says, “You’ve completed this survey.”

If the project matchup survey you complete qualifies you to join a community, Catch sends you another email letting you know there’s an opportunity for you to join a community.

Once you click the link in the email to join a community, you’ll participate in another short survey about the community you may be able to join. If your answers qualify, you’ll then be able to join the community.

Catch Communities

After doing a few project matchup surveys, I received an email invite to join a community. I completed that survey and qualified to join the WM Business Round Table community.

After joining the community, I received an email from WM Business Round Table that had a welcome bonus, which was a $15 Amazon e-Certificate!

I followed the step by step instructions in the email to get my Amazon gift card codes.

I didn’t want to spend my $15 at Amazon yet, so I logged in to my Amazon account and added it to my gift cards balance to spend at a later date.

Catch Rewards

To start earning the Amazon gift card codes, you have to be active in the communities that you join.

For WM Business Round Table, you have to contribute to the community a minimum of four times each month.

If you do so, they’ll reward you with another $15 to use on an Amazon purchase for each month that you actively contribute.

The contributions that count include participating in online discussions, completing surveys that you’ll be invited to take, and sharing photos and videos. Again, you only have to do this at least four times a month to get the monthly Amazon reward of $15.

In addition to the project matchup emails, I also get emails from the community I joined. Some emails are basically just reminders to be active in order to receive my reward.

When the community I joined had an available survey, I received an email with a link to that survey.

Catch Final Thoughts

Catch is more fun than most other survey websites. It’s also super legit and rewarding!

17. Mindswarms

• 

  Mindswarms

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Mindswarms is a little different than other online survey sites where you select answers to questions or write out short responses. At Mindswarms, you answer survey questions with a video response, which will require you to have a video camera on your computer or smartphone (must have a front-facing camera).
  • Pros: Quick payment (within 24 hours), decent pay, and a good selection of studies (takes about a month).
  • Cons: They failed on their promise to notify me within a few days whether or not I was accepted for the studies I applied to.
  • Value Per Point

    $10 to $50

  • Payout Information

    Cash via Paypal, within 24 hours after you submit your video response

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Membership is open to everyone around the world, and sign up is simple. Just enter an email, choose your login information, enter a few details about yourself, and that’s it.

After you’ve completed the registration, you’ll be directed to the member’s area. There you will be required to record a profile video of yourself. Your profile video helps Mindswarms match you to studies based on your interests. You can always re-record your profile video if you’re not happy with it or want to change it.

The FAQ section that you can access from the member’s area by clicking the “Help” link states members can earn $10 to $50 per study, and they promise payment within 24 hours via PayPal.

How It Works

You’ll discover available studies in the member’s area, and sometimes Mindswarm will email you to let you know there’s a study available for you to apply to.

When a study is available, you can apply by submitting an application for each one. The application consists of three short questions, so it doesn’t take long at all to apply.

If you’re accepted for any of the studies that you apply to, Mindswarms will let you know within one or two days via email.

Regardless of whether you’re accepted or not, Mindswarms says they will still send you an email letting you know you weren’t accepted.

My Experience With Mindswarms

Not long after signing up I logged into my Mindswarms account to check for available studies, and there were two. One was for the promised amount of $10 or more, but the other one was for less than the promised minimum of $10.

Even though one was for less than the promised amount of pay, I still applied to it along with the $10 study. I applied on July 31, 2019.

Remember, Mindswarms promised to let you know in one or two days via email if you were accepted or not. Yes, according to the information on their site, even if you weren’t accepted for the study or studies you applied to, they said they would still send you an email letting you know.

I’ve waited six days and I still haven’t received that promised email.

One month after signing up, I received email invitations to apply for surveys. The surveys paid $50 if accepted. Since I never received a response on the status for the first two surveys I applied for, I didn’t waste my time trying again.

Payment Information & My Final Thoughts

If you decide to join Mindswarms, apply for a study, and you actually hear back and are lucky enough to be accepted, Mindspay also promises payment via PayPal. They state that members will receive their pay within 24 hours.

Although I’m not a fan of the video response, I was willing to partake. It’s something different than other online survey sites, and I’m assuming responding via video wouldn’t take near as long as selecting choices and sometimes writing out answers to survey questions. The pay offered was fair as well.

Unfortunately, they left me disappointed when they failed to follow through with the promise to let you know whether or not you were accepted. Another let down is those two study opportunities that I applied to have been the only opportunities I’ve received this far.

I really had high hopes for this one. Hopefully, if you join, you’ll have a better experience than I did. And if you do have a better experience, please leave a comment to let us know about it.

18. Vindale Research

• 

  VindaleResearch

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Vindale Research is owned by iGain, LLC. This survey company offers its members cash for surveys, not points that you exchange for cash. That means every survey from Vindale lists an actual cash value.
  • Pros: Good selection of surveys via email and in the member’s area, additional ways to earn (read emails, watch videos, etc.), values are listed in cash rather than points, and you can take surveys using any device (mobile or PC).
  • Cons: You’ll lose your account and points if you don’t log in and attempt at least one survey every two months, and it usually takes quite a few tries before you’ll qualify for a survey.
  • Value Per Point

    $1 or less and usually state a time of 20 minutes or less

  • Payout Information

    $50 via Paypal or paper check via postal mail. Up to 10 days for payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $1

When you join Vindale Research, you’ll receive a $1 signup bonus.

Vindale Research Privacy

Vindale states on their website — in more than one area, actually — that they do not share the personal information you give them about yourself with third parties without your consent. However, a clause in their privacy policy says otherwise.

Vindale Research Account Deletion Policy

This cash for surveys site requires all members to log in and attempt to take one survey at least once every 120 days. If you fail to follow this policy, Vindale Research will delete your account and you’ll lose any money that you’ve made. However, they will send you an email before that happens so you’ll have a chance to save your points and account.

Vindale Research also states they offer the “highest paying surveys in the industry.” The cash for surveys is a big industry, and I’m sure Vindale did their research when they wrote that claim on their website, but I think they should update it.

Vindale Research Survey Selection

So far I’ve tested over 30 survey companies, and I have come across some that offer surveys that pay more than Vindale Research.

For instance, 20|20 Panel sent me email invitations to a couples studies that paid $200.

I didn’t qualify for them, unfortunately, but I did receive the chance, and I have yet to see a survey from Vindale for this amount.

In fact, the highest I’ve seen in Vindale Research’s available surveys so far was for $8, but most of them that show in my account is for $1 or less.

The email invites are pretty much the same.

In all fairness, though, there aren’t many survey companies that offer good-paying surveys, but Vindale isn’t the only one to do so. Therefore, a little rewording on their part or actually offering the higher paid surveys to its members would make them appear more honest.

Although the pay may not be as big as they claim, this cash for surveys company will give you the promised cash reward for completing surveys. I completed two surveys with them and received $0.10 for one and $0.40 for the other.

Vindale Research Activities

In addition to surveys, Vindale pays you to read emails, submit photos, watch videos, submit codes you find on their social media pages and blog, and refer others.

Vindale usually pays up to $.10 for the paid to read emails they send. To get the promised payment, you have to click the specified link in the reward email.

Answer Vindale’s Daily Questions for a chance to win up to $1.50. If your answer is chosen as one of the 20 favorites for that day, you’ll get $0.50, and if it gets the most “Upvotes,” you get $1.

Vindale Research Referral Program

Use your personal referral link to refer others to this cash for surveys site. If those you refer join using your link, Vindale Research will pay you $5 for each referral.

As soon as you reach the minimum required to request payment from Vindale, send the survey company a photo or video of you with your proof that they paid you to receive an additional $5 from Vindale Research.

Vindale Research Rewards

Once you reach the $50 minimum requirement, you can request payment from Vindale. They send payment via PayPal or will mail you a check.

You will have to request payment by the deadline listed on your “Payment Request Summary” page, and then it will take 10 days for Vindale Research to process your payment.

Vindale Research Review

As stated in the beginning of this cash for surveys review, I received credit for two surveys I completed at Vindale. I also got the promised signup bonus and credits for the reward emails I read.

I’m not fond of the $50 minimum payment requirement since the surveys don’t seem to pay much at once, which means it can take a while to reach the minimum. Also, it took quite a few tries before I qualified for the two surveys I did complete.

I already lost the few earnings I had due to inactivity, which I’m okay with, but I doubt I re-join this survey company due to the minimum requirement, time it takes to qualify for a survey, and the quantity of low-paying surveys (they seem to be more of these than higher paying surveys).

19. EarningStation

EarningStation was established in 2011 and is owned and operated by iGain LLC.

Signing up is simple. You can sign up here using your Facebook account or email.

EarningStation Survey Selection

EarningStation offers a nice selection of surveys in the member’s area.

As with most survey sites, the payouts for surveys are on the low side, but if you verify your account using EarningStation’s two-factor authentication method, you gain access to premium surveys.

I completed two surveys, one for $0.48 and another for $0.50.

EarningStation Bonuses

Every Friday EarningStation sends an email with a bonus code worth a few cents.

All you have to do to claim the small bonus is log in to your account, scroll down a little, then enter the code you received into the “Bonus Codes” box located on the left.

Although I have yet to receive any survey invitations via email, they do send “Ernie Mail.”

You earn a few cents for reading those emails by clicking the link in the email to confirm you received it.

Every 10 days you can get a $1 bonus by logging in and completing a survey or other activity worth a minimum of $0.25.

You have to do this for 10 days in a roll to get the bonus.

EarningStation Activities

Additional activities for making money with EarningStation include completing offers, shopping at Groupon from your Earning Station account page, watching videos, playing GSN games, completing tasks on the to-do list, and referring others.

EarningStation Rewards

EarningStation’s rewards are physical and digital gifts cards or PayPal.

However, in order to verify your mailing address, your first redemption request must be a physical gift card.

After that, you can opt for PayPal or a digital gift card.

The minimum you must reach before you can request your reward is $10.

You can reach this rather quickly by doing the “Easy 10,” which requires you to complete five offers, most of which involve joining other surveys for cash sites.

EarningStation Final Thoughts

Since joining, I’ve received the promised credits for the two surveys I completed, the Friday email bonus codes, and for reading the “Ernie Mail” emails.

I have yet to reach the minimum required for payout, but so far this surveys for cash site has been legitimate, so I do recommend them as a way to earn a little extra cash.

20. E-Poll

• 

  E-Poll

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: E-Poll promises its members surveys worth 500 to 1000 points.
  • Pros: Surveys are usually worth 500 points or more and usually take 6 to 20 minutes to complete.
  • Cons: All available surveys are sent via email; there are none in the member’s area. If you fail to complete at least one survey per year, your points will expire.
  • Value Per Point

    Approximately $0.0013

  • Payout Information

    7,250 points is the minimum for a $10 cash payment via PayPal, 4-6 weeks payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    100 points

E-Poll Survey Selection

Unlike most survey sites, you won’t find any surveys in the members’ area.

Instead, E-Poll sends you an email when there’s a survey you may qualify for.

So far I’ve received several survey invitations by email.

A few were for 350 points, which is less than the promised 500 or more, but I’ve noticed most of those were for the two-minute surveys.

The majority of the email survey invites that I did receive were for 500 points, but I also got some worth 2500 points.

If you log in to your E-Poll account and make sure your profile page there is complete by answering all the demographic questions, you should start receiving emails with links to available surveys.

I have taken some of the surveys E-Poll sent me and did receive credit for the ones I qualified for and completed.

In addition to points, you earn an entry into a drawing for a share of $1,000 for every survey you complete.

The emails don’t specify how long the surveys should be, but in my case, the ones I’ve taken have averaged anywhere from 6 to 20 minutes.

E-Poll Rewards

Once you’ve earned 3,750 points, you can get $5 to spend at Amazon, Best Buy, Starbucks, or Walmart.

If you prefer cash to spend however you wish, wait until you have 7,250, and then redeem for $10 via PayPal.

Being as the minimum points needed to get your first reward of $5 is 3,750, you’ll earn approximately $0.0013 per survey.

E-Poll Final Thoughts

Based on my experience so far, I believe E-Poll is a legitimate paid surveys site

They send quite a few emails with links to available surveys worth 500 or more points, and you do receive the promised points in your account.

21. CVS Advisor Panel

• 

  CVSAdvisorPanel

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: If you shop at CVS, I recommend you join the CVS Advisor Panel!
    
    Unlike other companies that pay you in cash and/or gift cards for completing online surveys, CVS Advisor Panel gives you ExtraBucks for completing surveys.
  • Pros: You get the option to print the ExtraBucks if you’d rather get them right away.
  • Cons: You must have a CVS ExtraCare card, which is free to obtain if you don’t have one. They don’t seem to send a lot of surveys, but you will get a few each year. Some surveys require a smartphone to participate. Also, survey quotas fill up fast.
  • Value Per Point

    All surveys had a $10 ExtraBucks reward based on experience

  • Payout Information

    There doesn’t appear to be a minimum. If you qualify for and complete the survey, then you should be able to request the reward mentioned on that day.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

If you’re familiar with CVS ExtraBucks, then you know you can use them toward purchases you make at CVS. For instance, if you buy $5.00 worth of merchandise at CVS and have $5.00 in ExtraBucks, the only thing you’ll pay out of pocket is the tax.

During sign-up, you’ll have to complete a questionnaire survey that takes approximately seven minutes. You must also have your ExtraCare card because you’ll need to enter the number in order to receive the ExtraBucks.

If you don’t have an ExtraCare card, you can sign up for one free at your local CVS store or call (800) SHOP-CVS.

CVS Advisor Panel Survey Selection

The first thing you should do after signing up and confirming your email is log in to your CVS Advisor Panel and click “Update Profile.”

Make sure “Yes” is selected for the opt-in field of the form. This ensures you receive survey invites via email from CVS. They don’t send many, usually just a few per year, but if you’ve opted in to get the emails, you will get the survey invitation when one is available for you.

After you opt-in to receive the emails, right underneath the opt-in is a field asking how often you would like to receive the survey invites. Since they don’t send many, the best options to choose here are “unlimited” and “per day.”

Not long after I joined the CVS Advisor Panel I received a survey invite via email, but it required a smartphone to take the survey. Since I do surveys from my PC and not my cell phone, I passed on this one.

If I had of taken the survey that required a smartphone and completed it, I would’ve received a reward of $10 in ExtraBucks.

A week or so later I got another invite via email with a reward of $10 in ExtraBucks, but when I clicked the link to see if I qualified for it, the survey was already closed. You really have to be on top of your emails looking for the surveys from CVS. Odds are if the email is even a day old the survey may no longer be available, but it’s still worth trying.

In addition to emails, you can check your account for online surveys by clicking “Surveys” from the top, and then click “Available.”

Based on my experience, I’ve never seen any surveys in my online account. The only ones I’ve had a chance to participate in have been sent via email. However, I still check the online account on occasion, because you never know.

CVS Advisor Panel Final Thoughts

Although I have yet to complete one of CVS’s surveys due to the reasons mentioned above, I know others who have, and they say they received the promised ExtraBucks. So, yeah, I believe this is a legitimate company and would recommend them to anyone who shops at CVS.

22. Valued Opinions

• 

  ValuedOpinions

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: This online survey site is owned by Dynata Global UK Limited and has been around since 2004. In addition to paying for completed surveys, they pay members to review advertising campaigns and test products. Signing up is as easy as filling out their short registration form then activating your account by clicking the link in the email you’ll receive.
  • Pros: Good selection of surveys via the member dashboard and via email.
  • Cons: Surveys from the member dashboard don’t show a message stating whether you disqualified or completed the survey, which results in no reward showing up after answering the questions, surveys from email invites usually result in disqualification, a phone number is required to redeem your reward, and the reward selection is very small.
  • Value Per Point

    $1 - $1.50

  • Payout Information

    $10 as gift cards, instant payment

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Receiving and Taking Surveys

You can find surveys in the member dashboard. Most that were available to me were for $1 or $1.50.

At first, you may not see any surveys in the dashboard, but all you have to do is go to your profile and complete as many of the interest surveys as you can. After you do that, surveys will start appearing.

I attempted a 15 minute survey from the member dashboard with a reward of $1.50, and after answering approximately 15 questions, I was directed to the page in the screenshot below. The page did not give a survey completed or disqualify message, so I was left scratching my head. I also didn’t receive the reward, so I assumed I didn’t qualify even though there was no message to tell me that.

I tried another 15 minute survey for the same reward to see if the same thing would happen again, and it did.

Valued Opinions also sends email surveys. I attempted five email surveys and didn’t qualify for four out of the five. One email survey had already met the quota.

When I didn’t qualify for the email surveys, I did receive the disqualification message for each one. That being said, one would assume you’d get the same message when you fail to qualify for the member dashboard surveys, but as I already pointed out, you don’t get any message at all.

Now, when I failed to qualify for the email surveys, Valued Opinions suggested another survey, and I tried to qualify for three of the suggested surveys but had no luck there either.

Rewards and Minimum Requirement

Once your balance has reached $10, you can redeem it for a gift card. Unlike most other online survey sites, Valued Opinions’ gift card selection is slim. Currently, they only have 16 to choose from.

Valued Opinions also has a security measure in place that is required in order to request your reward. You will have to give them your mobile or landline phone number in order to receive a validation code that you’ll have to enter. They say that they won’t share your number.

Final Thoughts

Although Valued Opinions doesn’t have a shortage of paid surveys, qualifying for one could take a while, if it happens at all. Because it was hard to qualify for surveys and I never received a completed or disqualified message when it came to the member dashboard surveys, I decided not to waste any more time with this online survey site.

23. 20|20 Panel

• 

  2020Panel

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: 20|20 Panel’s homepage promises payment of $50, $100, and $300 for your opinion, but they should be more specific and say the $50 or more is for the studies and not the surveys. They do explain this on their FAQ page, but most don’t visit the FAQ page before signing up.
  • Pros: Low minimum payout, and study invites that you’ll receive via email pays anywhere from $50 up to $300.
  • Cons: Very few survey opportunities in the member’s area.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01

  • Payout Information

    500 points for a $5 gift card or Paypal

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    85 points, 10 for registering and 75 when you complete the “First Update Profile Survey” from the member’s area.

20|20 Panel Signup

During the sign-up process, you’ll be asked for some personal information such as your name and email address. You’ll also have to create a password.

Six days after I joined 20|20 Panel I received an email invitation with a $200 offer to participate in an online discussion.

20|20 Panel Survey Selection

After clicking the “Start Survey Here” button, I had to answer a few questions to see if I qualified first. Unfortunately, I didn’t.

The email invite I received has been the only invitation thus far.

Since I haven’t received any additional invites, I decided to log in to my account to check for available surveys there.

What showed up under “Available Surveys” were surveys for completing or updating my profile. After I clicked on one, it was just as it said, so I updated my information and received the promised points.

I tried the remaining three, and they were the same thing. Being as I already entered my information, it was prefilled, so clicking through was pretty quick, and, again, I received the promised 75 points.

After you do the “surveys” to update or complete your profile, they don’t disappear, and when you go back on another day to check, hoping for a new survey that is an actual survey, those previously mentioned “surveys” are still there.

If you try the “surveys” again, you get a thank you message stating the answers have already been received.

As of this date (1/9/2019), I’ve yet to see an actual survey appear there, and I still haven’t received any more email invites.

If you want to sign up for 20|20 Panel and see if you have any luck getting surveys, you’ll earn your first 10 points just for registering, but you must first confirm your registration by clicking the link in the email from 20|20 Panel.

After confirming your registration, log in to your 20|20 Panel account to do your first survey for 75 points. Completing this survey is supposed to increase your chances of receiving surveys and studies from the survey company.

To take the first survey, click the black “Update Profile” button from the top right. Next, click the green “Update Profile Here” button, and then answer the questions.

20|20 Panel Rewards

The minimum points you must have to cash out for a $5 gift card is 500, which means points are worth $0.01 each.

If you’re able to get enough surveys and/or studies to reach the minimum payout, the gift cards you can choose from includes Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes, Tango, and Walmart.

20|20 Panel Final Thoughts

I can’t really not recommend this paid surveys company just because I didn’t receive any surveys and only got one email invite to a discussion that I didn’t qualify for.

My experience may be because they have yet to find a survey or study that fits my demographics, but you might have a different experience.

I gave them an A- due to their lack of available surveys and also because they continually show the update profile surveys that you can only be rewarded for once.

I do like that their minimum for payout is low.

If you do give them a try and have better luck getting surveys and/or studies from them, please let us know about it by leaving a comment.

24. One Opinion

• 

  OneOpinion

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Critical Mix, Inc., a company located in Westport, CT, owns and operates One Opinion. Unlike most other online survey companies, One Opinion credits you immediately after you complete a survey. Others usually have a 24 hour or more waiting period before you receive credit for completed surveys.
  • Pros: Surveys are credited immediately upon completion, each day you get 50 points for the first five surveys that you don’t qualify for, available surveys from the member’s area pay more than emails surveys (usually 500 points or higher), and more than one person in your household can have an account.
  • Cons: Before redeeming your points for a reward, you must answer a few security questions. Also, their cashout minimum is high, email surveys usually don’t pay much (10 points or less)
  • Value Per Point

    $0.001, so 500 points equals $.50 and 1,000 is $1

  • Payout Information

    25,000 points ($25)

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

One Opinion Survey Selection

You’ll find One Opinion surveys in your member account, and they also email you links to online surveys you may qualify for.

The available surveys in the account area isn’t usually a list like you’re use to seeing on other survey sites. Instead, it’s just one survey.

What you have to do is answer one question, and then you’ll see an available survey. If you attempt the survey and fail to qualify, you’ll have to answer another simple question for a chance at another survey.

The majority of surveys I receive by email are for 10 points or less. The surveys from my account page average anywhere from 500 points and up.

I took three 500 point surveys that took me 10 minutes to complete, and I was credited instantly for those.

Many times I receive surveys on my account page worth 1,000 points, and the average stated time on those is for a little over 20 minutes.

Once, I received a 27-minute survey worth 8,000 points. Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify for it.

Although I failed to qualify for the 1,000 and 8,000 point surveys, I still received points. You get 50 points for the first five surveys that you fail to qualify for. In addition, you can answer one question to receive another 50 points, so that’s a total of 100 points for not qualifying, which I think is generous.

One Opinion Rewards

I like the selection of rewards that One Opinion offers. You can get physical or digital gift cards, or you can choose to receive payment via PayPal.

Before you can request the digital gift cards or PayPal, you’ll have to complete One Opinion’s verification process.

The verification process is simple. All you have to do is answer a few security questions and you’re done.

The thing I dislike the most about One Opinion is their cash out minimum. You must have at least 25,000 points before you can choose a $25 reward. That, in my opinion, is too high for an online surveys site.

The majority of the surveys I’ve been offered through the account page have been for 1,000 points, which means you have to qualify for and complete 25 surveys before being able to cash out!

One Opinion Rewards

If the email surveys I received offered higher points and the minimum for cashing out wasn’t so high, I would’ve given One Opinion an A+. These two things seem to be the company’s only negatives.

Overall, they do credit you for completed surveys, and I love that you can request payment via PayPal, because I prefer this option over gift cards. That way I can use the money on bills or put it into a savings account if I wish.

25. Qmee

• 

  Qmee

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Qmee has been around since 2012. They pay members to take surveys, sign up for offers, and search the web. Members can participate from their mobile device or computer.
  • Pros: No cashout minimum, you can take surveys on your computer or mobile device.
  • Cons: Very low paying surveys, with most having a length of 20 minutes or longer.
  • Value Per Point

    Most average less than $1

  • Payout Information

    None, payable via Paypal and gift cards

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Two things that are great about this online survey site is there are no points — the surveys and offers show the actual cash value. The other great thing is Qmee doesn’t have a minimum requirement for cashing out, so even if you’ve earned as little as a penny, you can request payment.

Although this online survey site uses a cash value rather than points and doesn’t have a minimum to request payment, I think they’re a waste of time.

Why I Don’t Recommend Qmee

The majority of Qmee’s online surveys are very low paying. Most I’ve seen so far are usually 20 minutes or longer and pay less than $1.

After I joined Qmee, I took the bonus survey to gain access to surveys. The bonus survey consisted of demographic questions and paid $0.05.

After completing the bonus survey, another one popped up wanting me to give more information about myself. That survey had a payment of $1.04 and stated a length of six minutes.

The $1.04 survey took me to my profile where there were quite a few unanswered questions. I answered all the questions, but it took longer than six minutes and I didn’t get the promised $1.04.

Next, I started seeing a few available surveys, so I chose a 20 minute survey for $0.44. Being as the survey was taking longer than the stated 20 minutes and the pay was low, I decided not to finish it.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t mind really low paying surveys and specified survey times that aren’t correct, you may enjoy Qmee. The pros, of course, is no minimum to cash out and you receive payment via PayPal.

Personally, I don’t care for online survey sites that only pay a few cents for surveys longer than 10 minutes, but not everyone is like me, so I’ll let you decide for yourself if Qmee is worth your time.

26. Point Club

• 

  PointClub

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Point Club promises a $5 bonus after registration, which is really simple. Just enter your name and email in the form on the right, and then create your password. That’s all there is to it!
  • Pros: If you login every day, you can earn bonuses to help you reach the minimum needed to claim your reward much faster.
  • Cons: Points for completed surveys remains in pending status for two to four weeks, they have a high cashout minimum, and sometimes the stated length of time to complete a survey is off by about 10 minutes.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.001, so 1,000 points is $1

  • Payout Information

    25,000 points ($25), payable via Paypal and gift cards. Up to 10 days for payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    2000 points

After you complete the simple registration, you’re immediately taken to your account dashboard. Once there, you’ll get the promised $5 bonus after you complete three more steps, which you’ll do pretty quickly.

The steps you must complete after registering include filling out the short registration form, completing your first survey (just a few demographic questions that will take less than five minutes), and confirming your email address.

Once you’ve completed the aforementioned steps, your $5 bonus is immediately added to your “PointBank” on the left, which you can click, and a slide-out menu reveals your points and what you did to earn them.

Point Club Survey Selection

Point Club offers a good selection of paid surveys that range in points from 250 to 1000 points, and the majority of the ones in my dashboard had a length of 20 minutes.

I chose to do a 10-minute survey for 400 points.

The survey required me to watch short commercials and answer questions about each one. Regardless of how short each commercial was and how brief the questions were, it actually took 28 minutes to complete the survey, so their timing is a little off.

I did receive the 400 points for completing the survey, but you don’t get them right away. They show as pending and should be approved within two to four weeks.

Point Club Rewards

Before you can get your $25 PayPal reward, you must accumulate a minimum of 25,000 points, which makes the points worth $0.001 each ($25.00 divided by 25,000).

PayPal isn’t the only reward choice. You can choose gift cards for Starbucks, Target, The Home Depot, Uber, and many others.

Point Club Level System and Bonuses

You can benefit from Point Club’s level system by earning bonuses on all the points you receive from completing surveys.

In order for you to truly benefit from this system, you must log in to your Point Club account on a daily basis. If you miss a day, you’ll go back to the first day of the previous level and have to start over from there. Remain consistent, though, and the bonuses can help you reach the high minimum needed to claim your reward much faster.

Point Club Final Thoughts

Yes, I do believe Point Club is legitimate. So far, they’ve stayed true to their promise. I received the bonus for signing up, and although they were off by a few minutes on the length of time it would take to complete the survey I took, they did reward me with the promised 400 points.

The stated length of time for completing a survey not being right and the high minimum requirement to get the reward is the reason for the A- grade.

27. Survey Savvy

• 

  SurveySavvy

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Survey Savvy has been offering surveys for cash since 1999. As soon as you join, you should log in and complete your member profile. Completing your member profile increases the number of surveys you’ll receive.
  • Pros: If you install their app on your smartphone, desktop and/or tablet, you can gain access to higher paying surveys, expedited payments, and earn $5 per month and device that the app was installed on. They also have a really low cashout minimum.
  • Cons: Qualifying for a survey may take some time, and there’s only one payment option to choose from.
  • Value Per Point

    Each survey lists the cash value. On average, most range are $2, and sometimes you can get studies worth $10 or more

  • Payout Information

    $1, check via postal mail. 4-12 weeks payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Survey Savvy Survey Selection

Available surveys are listed on the homepage of your member account.

Sometimes studies that offer a higher compensation will also show up. I got one worth $20, but when I clicked the link to see if I qualified to take the study, a message popped up stating I already participated in that study, but I know I hadn’t because I had just become a member and this was my first time trying for a study from Survey Savvy.

I also received quite a few survey invitations via email. The email surveys — like the ones listed in the member account — do specify the value and length of time.

Survey Savvy SurveyConnect

In 2009, Survey Savvy launched SurveyConnect. SurveyConnect offers additional survey-taking opportunities, but to participate and be considered a VIP member, you must install software on your desktop or mobile device that will track your online behavior. If you choose to install the software and are active, you should gain access to additional surveys that may pay more, and you earn a guaranteed $5 a month for each device the software is installed on.

In addition to getting paid for taking surveys and studies, you can use the referral link Survey Savvy gives you or send email invitations to refer others and get paid for the surveys they take.

I’m not a fan of installing software on my computer or mobile devices that tracks my online activities, so I opted out of being a VIP member and can’t fairly confirm if they live up to their claims of more, better-paying surveys and the $5 a month per device guarantee.

I did qualify for and complete an email survey and received the promised $1 payment.

I attempted to take a survey for cash from the available surveys in the members’ area, but I had no luck. Most stated I didn’t qualify, and some said the survey was closed.

Survey Savvy Rewards

A big positive with Survey Savvy is their low minimum requirement. All you need is $1 to request payment.

Although you only have to earn $1 to cash out, which is pretty much one survey, currently the only payment option this surveys for cash company has to choose from is a paper check. Unlike most other survey companies, there’s no option to be paid through Paypal or even request a gift card. This means you will have to wait on the check to arrive via postal mail, which could take as long as 12 weeks. Then you’ll have to hope the check is legitimate.

Because I earned the minimum needed by completing the email survey, I could request my check. However, I chose not to do so at this time, because I really don’t want to cash or even deposit a check for $1. I’d rather wait until the value is $5 or more.

Survey Savvy Final Thoughts

The issue I had when trying for the $20 study and not being able to complete a survey from the list of available surveys in my member account was the only problems I’ve had with this surveys for cash site thus far.

I do like their low minimum but wish they offered additional payment request options.

Aside from those minor things, I do believe Survey Savvy is legit. You can start earning by signing up for a free membership.

28. Survey Club

• 

  SurveyClub

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Survey Club began in 2005. Their homepage states they pay members to take surveys as well as participate in private panels, focus groups, clinical trials, in-home usage tests, online bulletin boards, taste tests, and mystery shopping studies.
  • Pros: Members can also earn by participating in private panels, focus groups, clinical trials, in-home usage tests, online bulletin boards, taste tests, and mystery shopping studies. Sometimes your compensated $.10 for surveys or studies you fail to qualify for.
  • Cons: Some emails from Survey Club have misleading subject lines, it might take a while to actually qualify for a survey, not all the listings under “Available Studies” are surveys or studies (some lead to third party website), and cash rewards from Survey Club expires in 366 days from the date you receive it.
  • Value Per Point

    Most available surveys are for $2 or less

  • Payout Information

    $25
    
    All surveys directly from Survey Club will pay a cash reward, but the other rewards such as gift cards, prepaid debit cards, cash sweepstakes, and prize drawings depend on the market research company.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Signing up to become a member of this paid surveys site is as simple as entering your information in their registration form, and then complete your profile by sharing information such as your age, gender, zip code, marital status, education, household income, and etc..

Survey Club Survey Selection

After you register and complete your profile, you’ll see a listing of Survey Club’s opportunities by clicking the “Available Studies” link.

Once on the available studies page, you’ll notice there’s more than just studies. There are also surveys and even links to other paid surveys sites.

The surveys do list how much they’re worth as well as how long it should take you to complete it. In order to learn more about the studies and research opportunities, you’ll have to click the title of those for additional information.

Survey Club also sends emails with more survey, study, and research opportunities.

I did get some good study opportunities from Survey Club via email. One study invite I received was for $200. Unfortunately, though, after answering the screening questions, it stated I didn’t qualify.

Later, I got another email invitation to participate in a cosmetic product test that I did qualify for, but to participate I would’ve had to go to a location that was too far from where I live, so I ended up not doing that one.

Survey Club Disappointments

Survey Club also sends emails with misleading subject lines. For instance, I got an email with a subject line that led me to believe the opportunity within was for testing products. It said, “New Paid In-Home Product Testing Opportunities.” However, when I opened the email it turned out to be an invitation to sign up for a third party website.

I attempted to do some surveys sent via email as well as some from my Survey Club account, but I have yet to qualify for any of them. I was compensated with $.10 for my time, though.

I received $.10 for more than one survey that I failed to qualify for.

Survey Club Rewards

I discovered that some statements on Survey Club’s website didn’t match up, and this left me confused in regards to the rewards and the minimum needed to receive payment from them.

For instance, their FAQ section states their rewards include cash, gift cards, or pre-paid debit cards, and the minimum to claim your reward is $20.

However, when I visit the “Reward” section from my account page, it doesn’t show any gift cards or pre-paid debit cards, just cash. Then I notice a message telling me I need to earn $24.60 more before I can request payment. Based on that message, it appears the minimum is $25 and not $20.

Survey Club Final Thoughts

Aside from the statements on their FAQ page not matching up with what shows in the account area and not yet qualifying for a survey, this paid surveys site seems to be legit. Register today to see if you’re luck on qualifying for a survey is better than mine.

29. Creations Rewards

• 

  CreationsRewards

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Creations Rewards offers new members a $5 signup bonus. However, to receive the bonus you must earn at least 5,000 points within the first 60 days of being a new member. Since I didn’t earn 5,000 points in the first 60 days, I didn’t receive the bonus and mystery shopping studies.
  • Pros: Variety of ways to earn, good selection of available surveys, and daily bonuses for meeting the daily goal.
  • Cons: You must earn at least 5,000 points within the first 60 days of signing up in order to get the signup bonus.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.005, so 100 points is $.50

  • Payout Information

    1,000 points, payable via gift cards and Paypal. 7-14 days for payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    1,000 points ($5)

One would have to spend quite a bit of time on the site to meet the 5,000 point requirement for the signup bonus, which is why I categorized Creations Rewards as a “Good” survey site rather than a “Best” survey site.

Once you log in to your Creations Rewards account, you’ll notice their dashboard is very similar to Swagbucks. If you’re a Swagbucks member, then you know it’s pretty simple to navigate, and there’s a variety of ways to earn points.

Creation Rewards Survey Selection

Creations Rewards has a great selection of surveys to choose from that are over 100 points.

I decided to try for a “Survey Surfing” survey for 100 points.

There’s no mention of how long each survey should take.

The survey I chose, which I did qualify for, took me approximately 25 minutes to complete. I watched short video ads then answered a few questions about each ad that I watched.

I received the promised 100 points for completing the survey, in addition to a bonus of eight points.

Creation Rewards Email Surveys

Once logged in to your account, you can go to your profile to manage your email preferences for “Survey Invite Emails” and “Special Offer Emails.”

I don’t like weeding through spam, so I selected no for the special offers. At first, I was subscribed to the emails for survey invites, but I later unsubscribed from those, and here’s why…

The invites I received didn’t actually take me to a specially selected survey for me. Instead, they were “Daily Recap Survey” emails with links to that day’s surveys, which you can complete once per day. Being as I already get this selection of surveys in my account dashboard, I didn’t really need the emails.

Creation Rewards Points

The minimum points needed to get your reward is 1,000 for a $5 Amazon gift card, or if you want to receive cash through PayPal, the minimum points needed is 1,020, which means the points are $0.005 each ($5 divided by 1,000).

In addition to Amazon gift cards and PayPal, you can also select a Starbucks, Target, or Walmart gift card.

Creation Rewards Daily Goals

Creations Rewards has a variety of other things you can do to earn even more, but we’ll begin with the “Daily Goal.”

Earlier I told you I earned an additional eight points for completing my first paid survey. The way I got that bonus was by meeting a “Daily Goal.”

Creations Rewards offers a quick or full bonus for meeting your daily goal. If you earn anywhere from 75 to 217 points in one day, you’ll receive an eight-point bonus. Earn 218 or more points and you get 21 bonus points for the day.

I completed a 100-point survey, so I received the eight-point bonus.

Aside from paid surveys and the bonus points for meeting your daily goal, you can earn points for completing special offers, referring others, watching videos, visiting websites, and shopping.

Creation Rewards Final Thoughts

Being as this guide is a review of sites that pay you for taking surveys, I focused on testing that and not the other ways you can earn points (mentioned above). That being said, Creations Rewards did credit me for the survey and completed, and I did get credit for meeting my goal for that day. Based on that, I’d say this is a legitimate paid surveys site.

30. Toluna

In addition to the welcome bonus of 500 points, you’ll receive 100 points for each profile survey you complete. Not many survey for money sites offer a reward for completing these surveys, so completing Toluna’s has that benefit as well as the benefit of receiving surveys that you’ll qualify for.

I earned the promised welcome bonus of 500 points, as well as 300 points for completing three profile surveys.

Toluna Survey Selection

As I mentioned at the beginning, there are a variety of ways to make money with Toluna. Naturally, Toluna offers surveys for money. You can receive links to available surveys via email, as a text message on your smartphone, or through your Toluna account.

The online surveys that you’ll gain access to from your account will include the category and how long each survey should be. As for the point value, there is no specific number of points listed. Instead, it says “up to” and gives the value of points.

Although the survey listing doesn’t specify the exact number of points, after you click the “Start” button to take the available survey, it will then show the exact number of points that survey is worth. Note, the category it shows after clicking “Start” may not match the category you clicked on.

After quite a few attempts, I finally qualified for a survey from my Toluna account and received the promised 1200 points for it.

Each time I failed to qualify for a survey, I received an entry into a sweepstakes for a chance to win additional points, but as of this writing, I’ve not yet won any of those sweepstakes.

Toluna Activities

From the top of your Toluna account page, place your mouse over “Community” and a menu will drop down. That’s where you’ll discover the additional ways to earn money with Toluna.

A quick way to earn 15 points is by voting on polls. It only takes a few seconds to state your opinion on one poll question. The only polls that reward you with points are “Sponsored Polls,” which you’ll find by clicking on “Sponsored Content” under the “Surveys” tab.

Toluna Games

If you enjoy games, there’s a small selection in Toluna’s game selection. If you’re good at the game you play and make the top 10 scores at the end of the month, you’ll get as much as 10,000 points!

Create your own polls, topics, thumb its, and battles for a chance to score up to 1,000 points. If Toluna finds your content to be high quality, they’ll give you a “rank up,” which means you will earn points.

Toluna Rewards

Before you can use your points towards rewards, you must first reach the minimum of 30,000 points, and then you can choose a $10 gift card from a retailer of your choice.

Toluna will also let you exchange your points for cash to use however you wish, but you must have 95,000 points before you can choose the cash option, which is PayPal.

Toluna Point Expiration Policy

One other thing you need to be aware of if you become a member of Toluna is their point expiration policy. They explain in their FAQ section that if you don’t spend the points you’ve earned within 12 months, you will lose them.

Toluna Final Thoughts

This money for surveys site does give you the points they promise, and I love their additional ways to earn money, BUT I feel they’re a waste of time. The reason is that they have such a high minimum I think members will have a difficult time reaching that before the 12 month expiration period, which means you’d lose all the points you put all that time into earning! Therefore, in my opinion anyway, Toluna is not worth the time and effort.

If Toluna were to lower their minimum to something more reasonable, then I would highly recommend them.

31. Tellwut

• 

  Tellwut

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Tellwut members earn points they can later exchange for gift cards by participating in a variety of online surveys, referring friends, and even creating their own surveys. Create a Tellwut account today to earn your first 250 points right away.
  • Pros: Good selection of surveys, you can earn anywhere from 5 to 15 points for taking short surveys created by members, earn another 10 to 25 points for creating your own surveys.
  • Cons: Most of the available surveys in the member’s area are for 50 points or less, which means it could take quite a bit of time to reach the 4,000 point minimum.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.0025

  • Payout Information

    4,000 points ($10), payable via gift cards within 15 days

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    250 points

Tellwut Survey Selection

Tellwut has quite a few online surveys to help you earn points for rewards quicker than other survey sites. One way to earn is the usual way that you’re more familiar with, which is taking surveys from a selection of available surveys from the survey site. You can find the ones from Tellwut by logging in to your account then clicking the “Available Surveys” link in the box that will be on the left.

Tellwut offers a good selection of surveys, but so far from what I’ve seen, the majority of available surveys have low points, usually 100 or less.

Tellwut Member-Created Surveys

In addition to Tellwut’s online surveys, you can earn points for taking surveys created by other Tellwut members. Members’ surveys are short, so taking them doesn’t take very long at all. However, the point value for member surveys ranges from five to 15 points, but it is a quick way to earn points.

You’ll discover surveys created by members under “Categories,” which is located on the left side in the members’ area. You’ll have to scroll down a little to find the “Categories” box.

Not all surveys created by Tellwut members offer a reward, so make sure to check that you will receive a reward for taking the survey. If the survey offers a reward, it will have a trophy icon and the value will be listed to the right of that icon.

Maybe you’d like to conduct a survey of your own for whatever reason. You can do that and earn 10 to 25 points for each survey you create that is approved by Tellwut.

I did a Tellwut member survey that I received the promised points for. Tellwut also kept their word and rewarded me for signing up and providing information about myself.

Tellwut Questionable Claim

Before joining sites with online surveys, I read to learn more. I got excited when reading a claim on Tellwut’s homepage. At the very bottom of their homepage, when I clicked the “Take Surveys, Earn Rewards” link, I read a statement that says you’re never disqualified from answering a survey. After reading that, I wasted no more time. I signed up immediately!

My excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I attempted a second Tellwut survey and got the disqualification message.

I then wondered if that claim I’d read before signing up only applied to members’ surveys, because you’ll qualify for all those.

That being said, I decided to check their FAQs page to see if I could learn more, and that’s when I learned that in order to gain access to the online surveys that won’t require qualification you have to be pretty active in taking their third-party surveys.

According to Tellwut, the third party surveys are the ones “available in your Tellwut Inbox, the “Available Surveys” area of the Tellwut site, or via email.”

I guess I’ll have to take more surveys from the “Available Surveys” to see if I get access to surveys I will always qualify for. It would’ve been nice had they specified this on the homepage statement. Personally, I think the homepage statement is a bit misleading without this explanation.

Tellwut Rewards

You have to have at least 4,000 points to get a $10 Amazon gift card. To claim other gift cards, you have to earn more than 4,000.

Based on the online surveys I’ve seen so far, points for completing them are on the low side, so it would take quite a while to reach the minimum just for the Amazon gift card.

Tellwut Final Thoughts

Although I did receive the promised points for the surveys I completed, as well as the promised points for signing up, I’ll probably cancel my membership with this survey company. The main reason is that I’m not a fan of sites with high minimums and online surveys with values that will take you forever to be able to cash out.

32. Springboard America

• 

  SpringboardAmerica

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Springboard America rewards its members with points and sweepstakes entries for completing surveys about new products and a variety of other topics. Vision Critical (now Maru Group Canada Inc.) launched this paid surveys site in 2009.
  • Pros: Most of the completed surveys credit to your account immediately after completion.
  • Cons: Low selection of paying surveys in the members area; however, if you complete the Mosaic surveys you may see this increase. It can take quite a few tries before you’ll qualify for a survey.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.01. A survey for 100 points would be $1

  • Payout Information

    5,000 points ($50), payable via Prepaid Visa, gift cards, and PayPal within one week

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    100 points if you complete the welcome survey

To join Springboard America and get paid for surveys, you have to catch them at the right time. There are times when they’re not accepting new memberships. Currently, as I’m writing this review, they’re not accepting new members, but as their message states, they will begin doing so at a later time.

If you really want to sign up for this paid surveys site and you get the message that they’re not accepting new members, you’ll just have to keep checking back. The question, however, is are they worth checking back to join?

Springboard America Survey Selection

When I joined this paid surveys site in September 2018 I got lucky, because they were accepting new members at that time.

Since my time with Springboard America, I’ve earned a whole 250 points! Yeah, that’s not much considering their minimum to redeem points for a reward is 5,000.

The points I’ve earned so far were for one completed survey that I received via email, and it was for 150 points. I also received 100 points for completing the “Welcome Study.”

I’ve made attempts to qualify for other surveys from the member account page with no luck. Each time I fail to qualify, I receive a message telling me I’ve earned a sweepstakes entry.

So far, there hasn’t been a huge selection of surveys available to me from the member’s area.

Most surveys that show on the available surveys page are Mosaic surveys, and all you get for those are entries to sweepstakes.

Although the selection of surveys in the member’s area was slim for me, Springboard America does send invitations to more surveys via email. I got more surveys via email than I did in the member’s area.

The majority of surveys I received via email were for 75 points and 150 points. The 75-minute surveys had a length of time of 10 minutes, and the surveys for 150 points were for 15 minutes.

Another thing to note is the surveys in the member’s area does not give the value or length of time it should take you to complete them. However, the ones you receive via email do.

Springboard America Mosaic Surveys

According to Springboard America, taking the Mosaic surveys will help increase the number of surveys available and relevant to you.

Since I haven’t taken the time to do the Mosaic surveys, I can’t say for sure if this would increase the number of available surveys in the member’s area that you’d qualify for.

However, if you plan to join this paid surveys site and want to be an active member there, I recommend doing some of the Mosaic surveys to see if you will gain access to more surveys than I did.

Springboard America Rewards

As I mentioned in the beginning, you will have to accumulate 5,000 points before you can request a reward from this paid surveys site.

Once you’ve reached the minimum, all the available rewards are for $50, which means the surveys are worth $0.01 (50.00 divided by 5,000).

The reward selection includes PayPal as well as gifts cards for Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more.

With the 5,000 point minimum and the time it takes me to reach that due to not qualifying for many of the surveys and the lack of surveys in the member’s area, I’m probably going to close my Springboard America account and focus on other paid surveys sites with lower minimums, a better survey selection, and better odds of qualifying.

Before I close out my account, though, I may do some of the Mosaic surveys to see if this improves the survey selection and odds of qualifying. Then if it does, I may choose to stick around.

When the Springboard America membership opens by up, you can sign up for paid surveys. If you do the Mosaic surveys, you may have better luck than I did.

33. Harris Poll

• 

  HarrisPoll

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Harris Poll Online is owned and operated by The Nielsen Company. The membership page lets you keep track of your earning activities and points, and it’s also where you’ll redeem your points for rewards. Since they send all surveys via email, you won’t find any in the member's area.
  • Pros: Nice selection of surveys via email.
  • Cons: There are no surveys in the member’s area, all are sent via email, and the email survey invites don’t specify the value or length of the survey. Also, many who have written reviews on Harris Poll report that they never received the rewards they redeemed their points for.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.008. A 50 point survey is worth $0.4

  • Payout Information

    487 points for a magazine subscription and 625 points for a $5 gift card

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    50 points

Harris Poll Survey Selection

I’ve been receiving an average of five or more surveys via email a month. Unfortunately, the email only includes a link to the survey. There’s no mention of the value or length of the survey.

I took and completed two surveys that I did receive credit for. Both surveys took less than 20 minutes.

Harris Poll Rewards

Harris Poll Online lets members redeem their points for magazine subscriptions, gift cards, or merchandise.

Once you’ve accumulated 383 points, you can choose a magazine subscription.

If you’d rather get a $5 digital gift card, you’ll need to wait until you have 625 points, which makes each survey worth $0.008.

Harris Poll Final Thoughts

In addition to my own experience with this online surveys company, I’ve read several reviews from others about their experiences.

While many also received credit for the surveys they completed, a large number of members say they never received the reward once they earned enough points to redeem.

Some tried contacting Harris Poll Online support regarding this issue, but they say there was no response and still no sight of the reward they redeemed their points for.

I’ve not yet reached the minimum needed to request my reward, so I can’t say for sure whether this is true or not. Odds are, though, with many reporting the same thing, it may be true.

Later, after I reach the minimum, I will request my reward and update this review to let you know if I have the same results as other members when it comes to receiving the promised reward.

34. MySoapBox

• 

  MySoapBox

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: MySoapBox rewards its members with points for taking surveys and studies. Signing up is simple. Just log in using your Facebook account, or enter your information into MySoapBox’s registration form.
  • Pros: A good selection of surveys for 1,000 or more points are available in the member’s area and sent via email, and you usually get 10 points for surveys you fail to qualify for. More than one member of your household can have an account.
  • Cons: The one-time cashout minimum could take a while to reach since it’s set high.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.001, so 1,000 points is worth $1

  • Payout Information

    25,000 points ($25) payable via gift cards only, but this is only a one-time requirement. After you meet this requirement for the first time, future cashout requests will not have a cashout minimum.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    750 points for completing your profile after signing up

Although this paid surveys site doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus, you will get 750 points to complete your profile, which requires answering demographic related questions.

Completing your profile after registering increases your chances of qualifying for surveys and studies.

MySoapBox Survey Selection

You’ll find available surveys on your MySoapBox account page. Each available survey includes the number of points you’ll receive, the survey name, and the date the survey became available to you. It would be really nice if each available survey also had the estimated time it would take to complete it, so you’d know what each survey is actually worth

MySoapBox also sends emails when there’s a survey or study that you may qualify for. Some email invites do mention the length of time.

I have completed a survey from my account page as well as a few from several email invites they send, and so far I’ve received the promised points for all the surveys I qualified for and completed.

Some surveys I didn’t qualify for, and one said the quota had already been met for it. If you fail to qualify for a survey, it will show as “profile” under the “Status” column in your completed surveys history. Surveys that met the quota will show as “quota.”

MySoapBox Rewards

When it comes to redeeming your points for rewards, MySoapBox box has set a high minimum requirement of 25,000. However, you only have to meet their minimum requirement once, and then there is no minimum for any points you earn after that.

Although the minimum requirement is a one-time thing, it’s set so high that it doesn’t make it any more appealing. As I discovered, the majority of available surveys on the account page and through email are worth 1,000 points. At that rate, you’ll have to qualify for and complete at least 25 surveys.

Since I’ve been a member of this paid surveys site for over three months now, I only got one email with an invite to do a home study worth 10,000 points that would’ve taken 35 minutes of my time. I didn’t qualify for that study, though. Had I qualified and received a greater amount of invitations for studies worth 10,000, meeting that one-time minimum would be a breeze!

When you do get to redeem your points, MySoapBox rewards its members with electronic gift cards. Some gift cards include Amazon, AMC Theaters, Barnes & Noble, Applebee’s, Best Buy, Facebook, Burger King, Gap, and Kmart.

MySoapBox Final Thoughts

To summarize, MySoapBox does credit you as promised for the surveys you complete. I would like this paid surveys site more if they didn’t have such a high one-time minimum requirement. Or they could send more high point invites to studies, which makes meeting that minimum easier.

35. Opinion City

Opinion City is another site that doesn’t pay you to take surveys.

In a statement from Alyssa on Opinion City’s homepage, it clearly states that she looks for survey sites and writes reviews of them.

The statement isn’t misleading.

She doesn’t claim to pay you for taking surveys, so you know right up front that this is not a paid surveys website.

Opinion City Offers

Since Opinion City is a review site, there isn’t really a membership to sign up for. Instead, you can enter your information to subscribe and receive emails from Opinion City.

Beware, though, if you do subscribe, because as I discovered, the emails won’t be links to reviews of paid survey sites.

All of the emails I received from Opinion City lead to offers, and most of those offers were the “Participation Required” offers. You know, the ones where you usually have to spend money and/or give credit card information to get a retailer gift card with a high value.

Opinion City Final Thoughts

I do like that they clearly state on their homepage what they’re about without being misleading. However, when I subscribed to their emails, I had hoped to receive links to reviews on some good sites that offer paid surveys, but what I got was basically spam.

Finally, I would like Opinion City more if their reviews were better. To me, I get the impression that the site is more into making money from referrals rather than giving honest, in-depth reviews.

What are your thoughts about Opinion City? Feel free to share in the comments area below.

36. VIP Voice

• 

  VIPVoice

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: VIP Voice is a part of The NPD Group. You earn points by taking surveys from your VIP Voice account page and from invitations sent via email. The survey company also has a daily instant win game where you can win additional points.
  • Pros: They have instant win games and levels to increase your earnings, and even if you don’t qualify for a survey you still get at least 25 points.
  • Cons: Reward choices are poor, the minimum bid amounts are ridiculously high (e.g. over 40,000 points for a $3 Amazon gift card and over 90,000 points for a $5 Amazon gift card), and surveys are low paying.
  • Value Per Point

    Approximately $0.000075 ($3 divided by 40000)

  • Payout Information

    None for sweepstakes. As for auctions, the minimum must be more than the current high bid.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

VIP Voice Survey Selection

After you become a VIP Voice member and log in to your account, you can click to visit the “Survey Center.” Once there, clicking the big green “Take Survey Now” button shows a survey that is available for you to try to qualify for.

Even if you don’t qualify for the survey you still get points, which are referred to as “Participation Points,” and you get at least 25 points.

VIP Voice also sends quite a few emails with more survey opportunities.

The email will have a link to the available survey and states an approximate number of points.

VIP Voice Games

I tried the “Plink in One” game from my account page at VIP Voice and won 2,500 points.

The 2,500 points that I supposedly won did not immediately credit. According to the popup message, these points should credit within seven to 10 days. I just won them, so it’s still too soon to know if VIP Voice will credit me.

VIP Voice Levels

The way this online surveys company bases the value of surveys is by levels. For instance, if you’re level two and completed at least three surveys, you’ll earn 125 for the next survey you qualify for and complete. If you fail to qualify for that survey, then the survey will only be worth 50 points.

The more surveys you take, the higher your level, which means more points. Your account page shows you which level you are and how many more surveys you must take before you advance to the next level.

VIP Voice Rewards

Although you can earn points pretty easy with VIP Voice, exchanging those points for rewards is a whole lot different than other online surveys sites.

Through VIP Voice, you use your points to bid on rewards in their auctions, which usually has high current bids. The product with the lowest current bid that I saw in my actions was a reusable tote bag with a low current bid of 100 points.

The good things such as Amazon gift cards, tablet bundles, and etc. have really high current bids that are usually over 10,000 points.

Now, I haven’t earned enough points yet to try bidding on one of the better rewards, so I can’t say for sure if you will actually win an action.

If you don’t want to bid with your points, you can use them to enter sweepstakes for a chance to win cash and prizes. However, as I’ve stated in a previous online surveys review, I think your odds of winning these are about the same as winning the lotto or worse.

Once you’re logged in, you can click the “Account” link at the top of the page to check your survey history for the past 60 days as well as see how many points you have and the number of surveys you’ve completed so far.

VIP Voice 6-Month Rule

In order to keep your level and points, you must log in at do at least one survey every six months. If you fail to follow this policy, you’ll lose all your points and your level may reset to 0.

VIP Voice Final Thoughts

No, I personally don’t think VIP Voice is worth the time. The main reason I feel this way is because of their rewards system. I don’t like the auction or sweepstakes. I think if a company is going to pay you for taking online surveys using points then they should do as the majority of other survey sites by placing a point value on the rewards. This just appears sketchy to me.

You may, however, disagree, and if you do, then you’re welcome to join VIP Voice today and try your luck in their sweepstakes or auction once you get enough points.

37. Product Testing USA

• 

  ProductTestingUSA

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Product Testing USA is not actually a paid surveys site. Instead, this site lets you register for products that you will test and review. Registering, however, doesn’t mean you will receive the product just because you signed up to receive it.
  • Pros: From the member’s area, you can opt out of receiving emails, which should stop the spam.
  • Cons: Sends lots of spam emails, requires you give them your phone number (may result in robot and/or telemarketing calls), not really what you’d call a survey site, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be selected to test the products you signed up to test.
  • Value Per Point

    N/A

  • Payout Information

    There are no surveys. You sign up for a chance to receive products to test

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Product Testing USA Offers

According to the company’s FAQ page, they select testers at random.

If you do sign up to test a product, you MUST complete the questionnaire in full to even be considered.

In addition to reviewing products, the site also claims to offer mystery shopper and secret diner opportunities.

Product Testing USA Registration

To register, browse the available products for review from their homepage. Once you come across a product you’d like to test, click the red “SIGN UP” button on the product to begin the registration process.

Beware, as soon as you sign up, you will be agreeing to be contacted by Product Testing USA as well as other third party companies. This means there’s a good chance you’ll receive a lot of spam emails, and since a cell phone number is required, you may also receive annoying telemarketing and/or robot calls.

I’m not sure how much good it will do, but after registering, you’ll be able to log in at Product Testing USA to keep track of the products you signed up to test. Once logged in, if you scroll to the very bottom of the company’s website and click on “UNSUBSCRIBE,” you can opt out of receiving newsletters from Product Testing USA as well as sponsor emails.

Product Testing USA Difficulties

The company has a large selection of great products to choose from, but I wonder if it’s too good to be true.

With nothing to lose (money wise, anyway), I signed up to test the Amazon Fire HD 10 on 12/12/2018. When signing up to test this product, I had to go through four pages of over 10 offers that I had to select yes or no to. There was no way to skip the yes and no selections. I had to answer them, which was aggravating, to say the least, but I did it to complete the signup process for that product and write this review.

You have to go through this sign-up ordeal for every product that you’re interested in testing.

I signed up in December 2018 to test three products. It’s now April 2019, and so far, I’ve never received an email stating that I’ve been approved to try any of the products I’ve signed up for.

As for the mystery shopping and secret diner opportunities, I have yet to come across any of those.

Product Testing USA Disappointment

Although Product Testing USA isn’t a paid surveys site, it would’ve been a nice break from the usual surveys, and getting free products to test and write reviews on would’ve been just as great as getting paid to take surveys. In fact, the products would’ve been worth way more than the surveys.

Unfortunately, it seems Product Testing USA was a waste of my time. I think all they really want is your personal information so they can email you spam and annoy you with sales calls.

If you’ve signed up to test a product or products with this company and was actually approved and received what you requested, then by all means, please share your experience with us by leaving a comment.

38. Panda Research

• 

  PandaResearch

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Panda Research claims to pay you cash for reading emails as well as completing surveys, offers, and market research studies. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, keep reading, because it’s not all great.
  • Pros: Personally, I didn’t find any positives to mention in regards to Panda Research.
  • Cons: Very few actual surveys and studies. Most of what you’ll discover at Panda Research turns out to be offers that require you to buy something, and the titles lead you to believe it’s a survey when it’s most likely an offer that requires you to buy something or sign up for a free trial that requires you to give credit card information.
  • Value Per Point

    Actual cash values are listed. There’s no point system

  • Payout Information

    $50 cash via Paypal, 30 days to process

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $3

Panda Research Registration

To sign up for a Panda Research membership and get the $3 sign-up bonus, enter your personal information in the form on the right side of their homepage.

Then on the following page enter more of your personal information, answer a questionnaire, and finally, verify your email address.

Panda Research Difficulties

After I logged in to my Panda Research account to see what surveys were available, I was disappointed with not only the lack of surveys but the misleading information.

I clicked “My Studies,” assuming that’s where I’d find the cash surveys, and I saw quite a few titles that claimed to be surveys.

The “Home Income Survey” caught my eye. The cash offer for it was $30, and the length of time was two minutes.

Unfortunately, after I clicked the link to the “Home Income Survey,” I discovered the survey was an offer that would require a credit card!

Some do actually lead to cash surveys, but very few do.

Now, remember the claim of getting paid to read emails. I never received a paid email from Panda Research. They might send them, but I’ve yet to receive one.

Panda Research $50 Minimum Payout

Panda Research pays when you reach a minimum of $50. However, before they’ll send you what they owe you, you’ll be required to verify your phone number.

After you verify your phone number, Panda Research places a 30-day waiting period on payments. After the waiting period, they send payment via PayPal on the 1st or 15th of the month. You must have a U.S. verified primary PayPal account.

According to Panda Research’s FAQ section, payments are only made in multiples of $50. This means if they owe you $55, you’ll only receive $50, and the remaining $5 will remain in your account until you reach the minimum again.

Panda Research Final Thoughts

I was excited about this cash survey site when I first logged in and saw the titles, which led me to believe I would be taken to a survey. However, once I started clicking to go to what I thought were surveys and was presented with offers, my excitement turned into frustration.

39. Cashback Research

• 

  CashbackResearch

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: As a Cashback Research member, you’ll earn money for taking surveys, signing up for offers (usually other paid survey websites), reading emails, and completing profile surveys.
  • Pros: You can earn $10 by signing up for 12 other paid survey sites listed under “Survey Panels” (be sure to click that link to get credit for signing up). You do get $0.25 for each completed profile survey.
  • Cons: Very low paying surveys (I earned a whopping two cents for a survey that took approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete). Credits for completing surveys, as well as the $10 for joining other survey sites, remain in pending status for quite a while. Links to what are supposed to be surveys sometimes leads you to third party sites rather than an actual survey.
  • Value Per Point

    Cash values are listed for each survey opportunity

  • Payout Information

    $30 cash via Paypal or gift cards, it can take one month for gift cards and two weeks for Paypal

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $5

Cashback Research promises a $5 bonus to everyone who signs up.

I did receive my promised bonus.

Cashback Research Survey Selection

After signing up, the “Survey Panels” column on the right side of the dashboard page caught my eye. There was an offer of $10, but in order to earn this bonus, you have to sign up for 12 of the other sites that offer paid surveys.

Since I was testing survey sites anyway, I decided to sign up for 12 sites on my list of survey sites to test. This way I would test Cashback Research’s promise of $10.

I didn’t receive the promised $10 right away, but I eventually received the credit.

Cashback Research Daily Surveys

Next, I tried for a survey listed under “Daily Surveys.” No reward or length of time is specified, so what you earn for the survey isn’t revealed until you complete it (if you qualify).

I did qualify for the smoker’s survey and was rewarded $0.02. It took approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete. If I had known the length of time and reward amount beforehand, I wouldn’t have bothered with that survey, because that’s a very small reward for that amount of time.

Cashback Research Profile Surveys

In the top left corner of your dashboard, you’ll see “Profile Surveys.” These are the short surveys you’re supposed to take to help you qualify for more of the regular surveys.

You get $0.25 for each profile survey you complete.

Cashback Research Email Surveys

In addition to emails with offers to other paid surveys companies, Cashback Research sends emails with invitations to take surveys. Unlike the surveys in the account dashboard, the email survey invites mention the reward and length of time for each survey.

Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify for any of the surveys I received via email.

Cashback Research Follow-Up

I returned to Cashback Research to check on the earnings I had pending, including the bonus for the survey panels. All pending rewards did credit.

Upon my return, I noticed two new profile surveys. Since they were short, I decided to complete those to increase my earnings. However, I encountered a problem. After answering the first page of questions that you see in the image below and clicking the “Continue” button, I was redirected to an offer page.

I then decided to try for another regular survey but had some problems with the links.

First, I attempted a “Say So for Good” survey, but after clicking the link all I got was a blank window. The same exact thing happened with the other survey links as well. Except for “Your Surveys,” which went to another paid surveys website, which, of course, was Your Surveys.

Moments after tying the profile and regular surveys, I got an odd email from Cashback Research asking me to confirm a subscription to some email list.

Cashback Research Reviews

The majority of my $20.02 in earnings came from the profile surveys, survey panels bonus, and signing up for a few more companies offering paid surveys using the Cashback Research link.

The minimum earnings needed to request PayPal or a gift card of my choice is $30. Since the survey links don’t seem to be working right anymore, I’ll probably lose the $20.02.

I suspect my earnings wouldn’t be so high if I chose not to try for the survey panels, because based on the one survey I was able to take, the pay for it was very low, which means if the links to the surveys start working correctly again, the low pay wouldn’t be worth my time.

Cashback Research Final Thoughts

The low pay as well as the problems I later encountered with the profile and regular survey links, is why I gave this paid surveys website a D.

Did you have a better experience? Let us know by leaving a comment.

40. Clickperks

• 

  ClickPerks

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Clickperks is a survey company owned by React2Media that claims to pay you in prepaid gift cards and cash for each survey you complete.
  • Pros: Low cashout minimum and a variety of ways to earn other than surveys.
  • Cons: Not as many survey opportunities in the member’s area as there is third party offers and listings of other survey companies. Sends many spam emails. When I attempted surveys with higher points that would take less time to complete, I always encountered some kind of error message after clicking the link to that survey. Sign up asks for lots of information, and then you have to wade through many third party offers before you actually gain access to the member’s area.
  • Value Per Point

    $0.10

  • Payout Information

    30 points for a $3 gift card, payable via Paypal and gift card

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    3 points

The company’s website states they have “fast and easy” surveys, but my experience was a different story.

Clickperks Survey Selection

I’ll begin with their promise of surveys.

After you log in to your Clickperks account, you’ll quickly discover there are more offers and listings of other survey companies than online surveys.

I wanted to take surveys, not sign up with other survey companies, so I clicked on the “Free Surveys” tab in hopes of finding a variety of surveys. Instead, I was presented with a mixture of things.

After clicking on the “Free Surveys” tab, I clicked “Super Rewards Surveys” in hopes of finding actual online surveys, but instead, I landed on another page of mostly offers. I saw a “Survey” tab on that page, so I clicked it thinking a survey with “Super Rewards” would be there, but, again, it was only offers.

Finally, when I clicked the “Adgate media rewards” under the “Free Surveys” tab, I discovered an actual online survey! Well, kinda. It also had offers, but the actual survey was the third one down, titled “Your Surveys.”

Clickperks Disappointments

When taking surveys for a cash or gift card reward, it’s important to choose online surveys that will be worth your time.

Before I choose a survey, I check three things, in this order:

• What the survey company’s minimum is in order to get my reward;
• How long the survey will take;
• The number of points or amount of money I’ll get for taking that survey.

With this online surveys company, you have to obtain a minimum of 250 points to get a $25 Amazon gift card. This makes points worth $0.10 each.

In some cases, such as with Swagbucks, that can be a good thing if the survey company has a good selection of online surveys with a decent amount of points that don’t take too long to do.

When it comes to Clickperks, however, many of the surveys they do have don’t offer many points, and the ones with a high number of points may give you problems.

Read on for more about my experience with Clickperks’ higher paying surveys.

Clickperks Rewards

I qualified for and completed the survey that I found from “Your Surveys” and received the promised 5.4 points, which comes out to $0.54. However, the survey took approximately 35 minutes to complete, making my hourly wage for this particular survey a mere $0.93 per hour. And remember at the beginning of this review when I stated Clickperks said they offer “fast” surveys? Well, 35 minutes is NOT fast.

In an attempt to try a survey that would take less time (18 minutes) for a larger amount of points (105), I tried the “Consumers Survey” from “FlapBucks Surveys,” which is under the “Free Surveys” tab.

After I clicked the link to take the consumer survey, I got an error message telling me something went wrong and to try again by clicking on the correct survey link, so I clicked the link again and continued to get the same message.

I tried once more for success with the “Business Professionals Survey,” which had a length of 15 minutes for 126 points, and I received the same error message.

Clickperks Spam

Soon after joining Clickperks — I’d say less than 24 hours — I began receiving spammy emails from the online surveys company.

On average, the spam emails were around four a day!

Clickperks Final Thoughts

Based on the lack of actual surveys, the time it took me to do one survey with a low number of points, the errors I got when I attempted two faster surveys with higher points and the number of spam emails Clickperks sends, I don’t think they’re worth the time.

If the surveys with 100 or more points didn’t return error messages after clicking on the links to access them, this online surveys company might be worth the time, because it would only take completing two surveys to have enough points to redeem for a $25 Amazon gift card.

41. iSurveyWorld

• 

  iSurveyWorld

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: iSurveyWorld is a survey company owned by Dale Network, Inc. that claims to pay you cash for each survey you compete. My experience, however, as you’ll read, was less than ideal.
  • Pros: Most surveys are under 20 minutes and worth $1.
  • Cons: To complete your registration you have to scroll through a page with a bunch of offers from third parties. Not all the links in the member’s area leads to surveys; some lead to other paid survey sites. Many of the surveys -- including the ones sent via email -- return errors after you click the link to take the survey. If you don’t earn the minimum needed to cash out within 12 months, your current earnings will expire.
  • Value Per Point

    The cash value of each survey is listed. Most of the surveys available to me were for $1 and had a length of 15 minutes

  • Payout Information

    $25, payable via Paypal. 3-4 weeks payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

iSurveyWorld Registration

Joining iSurveyWorld is pretty simple. Just enter your information in the short signup form on the right side of their page.

After you submit the signup form, you’ll reach a page that says an email was sent, but to complete your registration with this survey website you’ll have to scroll through a page with a bunch of offers.

Thankfully, you don’t have to choose yes or no on the offers; just click the “continue” button at the bottom of the offers to proceed.

iSurveyWorld Rewards

iSurveyWorld tells you exactly how much cash each survey is worth rather than listing the points.

Most of the surveys that I saw on this survey website had a length of 15 minutes and paid $1, which comes out to $4 an hour per survey.

In order to receive payment via PayPal, you have to earn a minimum of $25. Since the majority of surveys on iSurveyWorld seem to be 15-minute surveys that pay $1, you will need to qualify for and complete 25 surveys to request payment to your PayPal account.

iSurveyWorld Survey Selection

Once you log in to your iSurveyWorld account, you’ll see there are mostly links to other survey companies rather than surveys.

I attempted a few of the actual surveys, but I encountered some problems. One link led to repeated text and others showed errors, such as the one in the image below. I tried quite a few of the surveys and got the same result with all of them.

As for emails invites from iSurveyWorld, the majority linked to other survey companies, not surveys.

A few emails led to actual surveys, but after answering screening questions, I was once again directed to a page filled with repeated text. This happened with all the surveys I attempted that came as email invites.

iSurveyWorld Final Thoughts

While you do get a few emails that lead to actual surveys, and you have a few choices from your iSurveyWorld account, I came to the conclusion that this is another survey website I wouldn’t recommend. The reason is because of the numerous technical errors I encountered while trying to take the surveys.

42. Jobs2Shop

• 

  Jobs2Shop

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Jobs2Shop claims to have paid over $1,250,000 to its members, but this leaves me scratching my head. Why? Well, let’s just say I didn’t have the best of luck with Jobs2Shop.
  • Pros: None
  • Cons: A phone number is required to proceed with registration, payout for surveys is usually small (less than $1), everytime I attempted to quality for a survey I received a message stating they were having trouble contacting the partner’s website, and there are strict requirements members must follow in order to receive payment.
  • Value Per Point

    The cash value is listed for each. On average, most available surveys are less than $1.

  • Payout Information

    $25, payable via Paypal, but there are requirements to request payment. The requirements are listed on the Jobs2Shop FAQ page. Payment every 20th of the following month

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $5

The most I earned from this survey website was $5 from the welcome bonus and $1.50 from the welcome evaluation survey.

I didn’t like that I had to give a phone number before proceeding with the sign-up process.

Jobs2Shop Survey Selection

As you’ll see in the image below, they refer to their surveys as “Peanut” surveys, and that’s exactly what they are worth! The payout for the few surveys listed is very small, usually less than $1.

In addition to the low selection and value of the surveys, I had problems trying to take them. When I clicked to take a survey, I was able to answer two questions, and then I received a message stating they were having trouble contacting the partner’s website.

After trying about five surveys and getting the same message, I left the site and returned a couple of days later hoping the problem would be fixed. Unfortunately, it was not.

Jobs2Shop Activities

If you encounter the same issue I had with the surveys but still want to try and make money with Jobs2Shop, they have a selection of offers from brands, which usually require you to buy something, sign up for a free trial, or enter contests that have about the same odds of winning as the lottery.

Jobs2Shop Mystery Shopping

Jobs2Shop also has a mystery shopping section, but the majority of those assignments require you to spend money. Yes, they promise to reimburse you for what you buy, but you can’t be sure if they’ll keep that promise or not.

In addition to having to make purchases when agreeing to do a mystery shopping job, you’ll be required to register with each company and give quite a bit of personal information (your social security number, in some cases) before you know for sure if there’s actually a mystery shopping gig in your area.

They claim to send at least two emails per day that you will get paid to read, but other than the confirmation email after signing up, the only other email I received from them was an email one asking me to sign up again (see the screenshot below).

According to their website, they also pay you to socialize and play games, but I couldn’t find the games or the place where you socialize anywhere in the member’s area.

Jobs2Shop Rewards

Their payment requirements are a bit strict in my opinion. In the FAQ section of their site, they explain that in order to request payment of $25 or more you MUST have a minimum of $12.50 in evaluation credits. The remaining credits needed can be fulfilled by reading emails, which as I already pointed out, I never received.

Jobs2Shop Final Thoughts

Based on my experience with trying to take a survey, the misleading information, and their requirements for payment, I don’t recommend Jobs2Shop. Personally, I think it’s a huge waste of time.

43. Medical Advisory Board

• 

  MedicalAdvisoryBoard

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Decision Analyst, Inc. owns and operates the Medical Advisory Board survey website. According to the site, they want medical professionals who are willing to participate in online surveys and discussions.
  • Pros: You earn 10 points for each screener survey as well as the regular surveys.
  • Cons: Based on the registration questions that you must answer after signing up, it appears that you have to be a medical professional in order to receive paid surveys from this company. There are no available surveys in the member’s area; all surveys -- if any are available for you -- are sent via email. Points can remain in pending status for as long as 8 weeks.
  • Value Per Point

    One point is worth a penny, so a survey for 100 points would be $1

  • Payout Information

    2,500 points equivalent to $25, payable via Paypal or check within 30 days

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

After signing up, you need to log in to your account and click the “Update Registration Questions” link, and then answer the questions provided.

The first question asks about your medical profession job, so this leads me to believe that in order to receive paid surveys you have to have a job in the medical profession.

Although I no longer work in the health care industry, I did work as a certified nurses assistant in nursing homes as well as home health care for over five years. Therefore, I thought that should qualify me, so I chose nursing as my profession.

The following questions related to working in health care.

Medical Advisory Board Survey Selection

My understanding based on everything I read on the Medical Advisory Board website was that after answering the registration questions I should begin receiving surveys via email only.

They claim to send panel members a “screener” survey worth 10 points, but I never received this survey.

They also promise members several surveys a year. I’ve been a member for over two months now and have yet to receive a survey from them. I’ve even checked my spam folder just in case the email went there.

I’m not really sure why I never got the “screener” or any other survey.

Medical Advisory Board Final Thoughts

Their website appears legitimate, so I’m not going to say it’s a scam. Me not getting any surveys may be because there are no current surveys for certified nursing assistants, or it could be due to the fact that I no longer work in the health care industry.

Since I never got surveys from a site that claims to send several a year, I give them an F. However, you may have different results, and if you do, please leave a comment to let us know about your experience.

44. MindsPay

• 

  MindsPay

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: When you arrive on the MindsPay website, you get the impression that you’ll “MAKE MONEY” for taking surveys.
  • Pros: Some offers don’t require a purchase and you can also earn a few cents for reading what MindsPay refers to as “MoneyMail.”
  • Cons: A phone number is required and must be verified before you can receive payment. There are no paid surveys, only offers that usually require a purchase before you get the promised reward.
  • Value Per Point

    There are no surveys

  • Payout Information

    $50 for offers and $25 for “MoneyMails, payable via Paypal
    
    There’s a mandatory 30 day wait period that begins on the day you send your payment request. After the wait period, payments are sent on the 1st or 15th of every month.

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $3

If you scroll on down their homepage, you’ll discover in their “HOW IT WORKS” section that rather than gaining access to paid surveys, you’ll get a database of paid offers.

In addition, MindsPay also claims you’ll get to review products, but I never received any offers to review products.

MindsPay MoneyMail

You will, as they also state on their homepage, get paid to read emails, which they refer to as “MoneyMail.”

I clicked the link in one of the “MoneyMail” emails they sent, and I received $0.06 for that email.

As you just read, the “MoneyMail” doesn’t pay much. Most of what you can earn will be from offers. You’ll find offers in your MindsPay account, and they also email you offers.

MindsPay Purchase Requirement

The majority of the offers, however, require you to enter credit card information or make a purchase. If you click the offer, you will find additional information about it (see image below).

Some offers are free and lead you to other paid surveys sites. If you sign up, MindsPay offers a small reward.

I signed up for a few of the other paid survey sites through the MindsPay link to test if I would get the promised reward. The rewards showed up in my MindsPay account (as you’ll see in the image below), but they show as pending, not approved.

I did confirm my email for each of the sites I joined from the MindsPay links, so I have no idea why they’re still pending as of this date (1/15/2019).

From everything I’ve seen after joining MindsPay, there are no paid surveys. I thought maybe the “Studies” tab would be where the surveys were, but they just turned out to be additional offers.

MindsPay Rewards

If you do decide to sign up for any of the offers and make it past the pending process, you can request payment via PayPal when you’ve reached $50.

However, if you visit MindsPay’s FAQ section, you’ll learn they only pay in multiples of $50. What does that mean? Well, if you earn $109, they will only pay you $100 and hold the remaining $9 in your account for future payments.

I don’t know about you, but the way they pay just doesn’t seem fair to me. I feel if I earn $109 and have reached the minimum required to request payment, then I should be paid the full amount. Do you agree?

MindsPay Final Thoughts

You can make money with MindsPay, BUT it’s not going to be from paid surveys. Personally, I’m just not comfortable giving my credit card information out to random companies, and I don’t like purchasing things I don’t intend to buy already.

Then for the offers I did join that were for other survey sites, I never actually received credit for those since they’re still in the pending stage.

45. MySurvey

• 

  MySurvey

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: MySurvey.com (aka National Family Opinion, NFO, and TNS) launched in 2001 and is a part of the Lightspeed brand. Members of this paid surveys company can take surveys from their PC, laptop, tablet, cell phone, or a mobile app.
  • Pros: Good selection of surveys and a low cashout minimum.
  • Cons: Sometimes you’ll complete a survey and not get the promised reward, with some surveys you won’t receive credit for them until 6-8 weeks after you complete them, and you’ll get spam emails after signing up.
  • Value Per Point

    Approximately $0.009

  • Payout Information

    • 550 LifePoints for a $5 Amazon gift card
    • 600 LifePoints for $5 via PayPal
    
    Can take up to 10 business days for payment processing

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    10 LifePoints

To join, sign in with your Facebook or Twitter account, or you can register with an email address by entering your information into the form.

MySurvey Survey Selection

Since joining MySurvey, I’ve found no shortage of surveys when I log in to my account, but I’ve encountered some problems with the surveys.

After finally completing a 25-minute survey, I got a “session expired” message when I clicked “Submit” to get my points. As expected, because of this ordeal, I didn’t receive the promised 150 points for the survey.

I wanted to see if I’d continue to get “session expired” messages or other errors after completing a survey, so on October 10, 2018, I qualified for and completed two more surveys. Unfortunately, I only received points for one.

I returned on October 15, 2018 to do another survey, and again, I qualified for and completed it. I did receive the promised 100 points for that survey.

MySurvey Disappointments

I decided to test out MySurvey’s support services by reporting the “session expired” problem, but that didn’t go well either.

I sent the message to support just a few minutes after encountering the problem on September 20, 2018, but they didn’t respond until December 6, 2018, and I never received the missing points.

MySurvey Email Invitations

I did receive emails from MySurveys letting me know new surveys were available for me, but when I clicked the link from the email, it sent me to my MySurvey account where all available surveys are listed, so it’s not your typical email survey invitation. The email, however, does give you the survey ID and other information about the survey, which helps you search for it in your account if you want to try and qualify for it.

Other emails I received from MySurvey were not survey related. Instead, as you’ll see in the screenshot below, they were usually for offers that seemed too good to be true.

MySurvey Rewards

MySurvey’s rewards include regular gift cards, digital gift cards, and PayPal. The minimum points needed to cash out via Paypal is 600.

The majority of my available surveys were 10-minute surveys worth 75 points, which is approximately $0.0083 per survey.

You’d need to complete eight 75 point surveys to reach the minimum needed to request a payment of $5 be sent to your PayPal account.

Although eight surveys aren’t all that bad, if you end up having the same problems I had of not getting credit for all the surveys you complete, then it will take more than eight before you can cash out.

MySurvey Final Thoughts

Personally, I’m going to cancel my account and forgo the 120 points I did earn taking paid surveys at MySurvey. I won’t go as far as saying they’re not legitimate since I did receive credit for two of the surveys I completed, but I suspect there will be a repeat of the aforementioned issues in the future, which is why I’m making the choice to leave MySurvey.

If you decide to give this paid surveys company a try, I hope your luck is better than mine.

46. Survey Monster

• 

  SurveyMonster

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Beware, when you register to become a Survey Monster member, all you’re really doing is giving this online survey site permission to send you emails from third parties. That’s right, there are no paid surveys from Survey Monster. All you get when registering is access to a directory of other survey sites.
  • Pros: None
  • Cons: They offer no paid surveys. All you get when joining is spam mail and access to a directory of other survey sites.
  • Value Per Point

    $0, because there are no paid surveys

  • Payout Information

    N/A

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Looking for Red Flags

Although Survey Monster’s homepage may get you excited about earning money for giving your opinion, if you really pay attention and read, you’ll spot some red flags that pretty much tells you they’re a directory to other survey sites.

Red flag #1: In their “here’s how it works” section at the top of their homepage, number two states you’ll register for surveys. Most online survey sites that offer the actual paid surveys don’t usually say you have to register for the surveys.

Red flag #2: Below Survey Monster’s how it works section is an incentive that offers you a list of top survey sites.

Because of the red flags and my gut telling me Survey Monster is just a directory to other survey sites and only wants me to sign up so they can give my information to third parties and send me spam emails, I normally would leave this site without registering. However, since I’m testing the site for you, I need to be sure, so I registered.

As expected, the member’s area did not have any paid surveys. It was, indeed, just a directory to online survey sites.

Final Thoughts

If you want a listing of survey sites that do offer paid surveys, then you may want to join Survey Monster. Remember, though, by joining you’ll be agreeing to receive an inbox full of spammy emails from them and their partners (see their “Privacy” policy).

47. Shopper’s Voice

• 

  Shopper'sVoice

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: This online survey site is open to Canadians and Americans who are 18 or older. Beware, though, if you’re thinking you’ll get paid for taking surveys, because that’s not actually the case with Shopper’s Voice.
  • Pros: None that I could come up with.
  • Cons: Signing up can take a while, no surveys in the member’s area, payment for taking a survey that you might be invited to via email isn’t guaranteed, and you’ll receive more emails with special offers rather than survey invites.
  • Value Per Point

    If you do receive one via email, as mentioned in the cons, payment isn’t guaranteed and most reward you with a sweepstakes entry.

  • Payout Information

    N/A

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

Before I get into what Shopper’s Voice is really about, I’d like to explain the signup process just in case you still wish to join after reading this entire review.

To sign up, you must complete a 15 to 25 minute survey. After I completed the survey, a message stated I should receive a welcome email as well as a reward email “in a few seconds.”

I did get the promised emails along with two others that were for third party sites. The emails went to my spam folder, and rightly so, because that’s basically what they were.

Creating Your Password May Not Be Immediate

After doing the survey, you’re supposed to be able to create your password. To do this, you will have to go back to the Shopper’s Voice website, click the “SignIn” button at the top of the page, then click the “Activate your account” link and enter the email address you signed up with during registration.

Ater following those steps, you’ll be directed to a web page where you’re supposed to create your password. It will require you to enter a “Token” that should be emailed to you. However, I didn’t receive that email, so I couldn’t proceed.

I waited a few days to see if it would arrive later hoping it would also include a link back to the password creation page that I had to exit out of, but that email never arrived.

When the email never came, I decided to return to the Shopper’s Voice website and repeat the create password process, which finally resulted in me getting an email with the token needed to create my password.

Soon after I created my password, I arrived at the member’s area where I discovered there were no available surveys nor a section where those would be. Instead, all you can do in the member’s area is update your name and email, change your password, and manage subscriptions.

In an attempt to cut down on spam emails, I headed to the subscription management section hoping I could opt out of those type emails. I was able to unsubscribe from getting Shopper’s Voice emails with coupons and special offers. I did leave the box checked to receive online surveys thinking this was how I’d get paid surveys since they didn’t have an available surveys section in the member’s area.

Later, I did receive an email to take a survey, but I opted out, because I discovered payment wasn’t guaranteed. Instead, I would be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win an Amazon gift card, and you already know how I feel about the sweepstakes from my previous online survey site reviews.

Why You Should Explore an Online Survey Site Before Joining

You can save yourself a lot of time by taking just a few minutes to explore survey sites before joining them. For instance, when you read over the Shopper’s Voice FAQ page, you’ll discover an answer that clearly states they don’t actually offer paid surveys. They admit that you’ll receive special offer type emails.

Taking the time to skim over an online survey site’s Privacy Policy also reveals quite a bit. If you take a gander at the Shopper’s Voice policy and scroll to the section where they tell you how they use the personal information you give them, you’ll discover they share that information with third parties.

Is Shopper’s Voice Worth It?

If you don’t mind completing surveys for a chance to win your reward and you like getting emails with coupons and other special offers, go ahead and register for a Shopper’s Voice account. On the other hand, if you’re wanting guaranteed payment for surveys and don’t care for spammy emails, then Shopper’s Voice isn’t worth your time.

48. Palm Research

• 

  PalmResearch

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: I was really excited about this online survey site. Their cashout minimum of $10 is low, and they show you the actual value of the survey instead of a point system. Sign up was even quick and easy; however, I didn’t like the phone number requirement.
    
    After I signed up, I took a few minutes to explore the member’s area. First, I clicked the “Profile Survey” tab, and that’s where I discovered that if you complete the brief demographic questions, you should be able to get “AdHoc Surveys.”
  • Pros: Low cashout minimum and surveys have a cash value rather than points.
  • Cons: Phone number required during signup and paid surveys lead to other survey sites or you receive a “no translation message.
  • Value Per Point

    Usually $1 or less

  • Payout Information

    $10 cash via Paypal

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    None

According to this online survey site, AdHock Surveys offer higher pay, so I answered the questions for a chance at these. I learned that the questions are the same ones asked during the final registration, so apparently, the answers didn’t transfer over, but I answered them again anyway.

My Survey-Taking Experience at Palm Research

After answering the questions to gain access to AdHoc Surveys, I clicked the “Daily Surveys” tab to see if there were any surveys this soon after signing up, and there were five.

The available daily surveys paid $1 or less and all had a length of fewer than 20 minutes. I tried for all five surveys, and that’s when my excitement for this online survey site quickly turned to disappointment.

During my attempt at one survey, I was asked one screener question, and after I answered it and clicked the next button, I got a “No translation for ThankYouHeadStatus1” message.

I tried for another but didn’t qualify for that survey. As for the remaining three daily surveys, they led me to other online survey sites rather than an actual survey.

Since I didn’t have any luck with the daily surveys, I clicked the “More Survey Opportunities” tab, but all that was there was a link to yet another online survey site.

I try the “Clinical Trials” tab. No luck there, because nothing showed up.

Finally, I click the “All Surveys” tab and find more of what the company refers to as a daily consumer study, which you’ll also find in the “Daily Surveys” section.

I clicked to take the 15-minute “Daily Consumer Study #2” for $1 but got the no translation message again. At this point, I stopped trying and left the site.

Returning Days Later to Check for AdHoc Surveys

I returned to Palm Research to see if there were any available AdHoc Surveys, being as it had been a week since I answered the demographic questions required in order to gain access to these studies. Unfortunately, there were none available.

Since I was there anyway, I wanted to give this online survey site another chance, so I attempted a couple more studies from the Daily Surveys section, but I encountered the same issues as I had before.

Final Thoughts on Palm Research

Although I was really excited about this online survey site and thought it was going to be great, it didn’t take long for Palm Research to let me down. It truly would be great if their survey links actually led to surveys rather than other survey sites or the no translation message, but that wasn’t the case for me.

49. Inbox Pays

• 

  InboxPays

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Inbox Pays pays its members to sign up for offers, read emails, refer friends, and more.
    
    After I signed up, I took a few minutes to explore the member’s area. First, I clicked the “Profile Survey” tab, and that’s where I discovered that if you complete the brief demographic questions, you should be able to get “AdHoc Surveys.”
  • Pros: The Spin Wheel game can increase your earnings, but only when it wants to work.
  • Cons: There is a requirement for cashing out once you reach the minimum (see cashout minimum for the information), all payments have a 30 day waiting period, and good luck finding surveys (most of what I saw were third party offers).
  • Value Per Point

    Inbox Pays doesn’t have a point system, so a dollar value is listed for the things you can do to earn

  • Payout Information

    $50, but $25 of that must be from offers and/or Spin Wheel credits, payable via Paypal
    
    After the mandatory 30 day waiting period, payments will be sent on the 1st or 15th of every month

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    $5

If you sign up as an Inbox Pays member, you’ll get a $5 sign-up bonus.

Inbox Pays Survey Selection

Although the variety of ways to earn money at Inbox Pays sounds great, once you become a member, you soon discover that everything isn’t as it appears.

I signed up and did receive the $5 sign-up bonus, and I also earned $0.15 for a “Cash Mail.”

Unfortunately, the rest of my experience at Inbox Pays hasn’t been pleasing or even exciting, to say the least.

First, I haven’t completed any surveys for money, because I can’t seem to gain access to these. I assume the “My Studies” link is supposed to be where one would find the surveys. However, when I click that link, it asks for my login information again, but after I enter it, I’m just taken back to the listing of cash offers and not surveys.

Inbox Pays Spin Wheel

Clicking the “Cash Games” link will take you to a “Spin Wheel” game. You click the red “Press” on the wheel to spin it, then wait for it to stop to see what you win. However, this game seems to work only when it wants (keep reading for more information).

To earn spins, you must sign up for offers located under the “Spin Wheel.” The number of spins you have available will be listed under your earnings activity.

The most I’ve won on the “Spin Wheel” game so far is $1, and I did that with three spins. My other winnings was a free spin and nothing (it landed on sorry). I have two more spins left but I’m not able to use them, because now when I click “Press,” the wheel doesn’t spin. I tried refreshing the page as well as logging out of my Inbox Pays account and logging back in, but “Spin Wheel” still doesn’t want to work. I also got the wheel to spin on one occasion, but it just kept spinning and didn’t stop.

Inbox Pays Bonus Offers

The only ways I see to actually earn anything at Inbox Pays is with the cash or bonus offers. The offers usually lead to other surveys for money sites or the spammy type offers that require you to complete purchase requirements, subscribe to offers from third party sites, or sign up for free trials that require a credit card.

Inbox Pays Minimum Payout

Based on all that information, If you still want to become and Inbox Pays member, the company has a minimum of $50 before you can request payment via Paypal. However, there are some more minimum requirements that members should also meet. Those requirements are explained in the image below, which comes from their FAQ section

Inbox Pays Final Thoughts

The lack of surveys for money, spammy offers, the issues I had with “Spin Wheel,” and their policy for requesting payment are the reasons I’m canceling my Inbox Pays account and not recommending them.

50. Panel Pay Day

• 

  PanelPayDay

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: Upon arriving at the Panel Pay Day website, my eyes were immediately drawn to their claim of $25 to $75 per survey. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
  • Pros: None
  • Cons: The site is misleading. It promises surveys that pay $25 to $75, but after you join you’ll soon discover there is no membership. Furthermore, if you confirm your email hoping they send surveys that way, you’ll be even more disappointed, because all you’ll receive is spam emails rather than paid surveys.
  • Value Per Point

    There are no surveys

  • Payout Information

    N/A

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    N/A

Scroll down just a little and you’ll see this text: “Start Now With Our TOP 5 Paid Surveys.” Keep going and you’ll discover five things that are not surveys. Instead, it’s offers and links to other survey sites.

When you click the “All Surveys” tab on their website, you’re presented with more offers and not surveys. Yep, that’s an indication that this is probably another directory rather than a paid surveys company.

Still, I figured I’d go ahead and click subscribe, thinking that maybe you have to do this to get to the surveys that pay $25 to $75.

Panel Pay Day Disappointments

Once you click “Subscribe,” you’ll see the form to join, which, again, states you’ll earn $25 to $75 per survey.

After you enter your name and email into the form then click “Next,” you’re greeted with a page of offers that require you to state your interest by selecting yes or no. You’ll do this a few more times on the following pages.

Finally, you’ll reach the page asking you to confirm your email.

It won’t be long until you realize there is no membership here. If you confirm your email, you’ll receive spam emails from Panel Pay Day rather than paid surveys.

There’s no way to log in to find the promised surveys that pay $25 to $75 because there is no membership. It’s basically just another directory site.

Panel Pay Day Final Thoughts

Personally, I think Panel Pay Day is a complete waste of time. Their homepage and sign up form states you can earn for surveys, but that is not true! Furthermore, all that happens when you subscribe is you get an inbox full of emails with links to other websites, some of which appear too good to be true.

51. Survey Momma

• 

  SurveyMomma

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: As soon as I arrived at Survey Momma’s website, it was déjà vu. The site was pretty much a clone of Panel Pay Day.
  • Pros: None
  • Cons: Survey Momma is basically a clone of Panel Pay Day and works the same way: no membership, no surveys, and if you sign up and confirm your email, all you get is more spam.
  • Value Per Point

    No surveys

  • Payout Information

    N/A

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    N/A

Survey Momma and Panel Pay Day were so much alike that I wondered if they were owned by the same person, so I performed a domain lookup. Unfortunately, neither domain shows the owner’s name. Both just show GoDaddy as the owner, which is a web hosting company.

Survey Momma Disappointments

As I discovered at Panel Pay Day, clicking the “All Surveys” link from the top takes you to a directory that presents a mixture of other survey sites and offers.

When you click “Subscribe,” then “Join Now,” you’ll see the same earn $25 to $75 per survey claim as you will get from Panel Pay Day.

Scroll a little further down the page before joining and you’ll see additional claims saying you can qualify for a wide variety of paid surveys. You’ll even see a statement promising you $300 in just a few clicks.

After you enter your information in the form to join, you’ll have to proceed through five pages of offers!

The final page instructs you to confirm your email in order to activate your membership, and when you do click that link from the email, you’re presented with the page in the image below. Again, you’re also seeing that $300 promise.

I can already tell that when I click the “Start Now” button, I’ll be signing up for another survey site. But I proceed, so I can give an honest review of what happened next.

What happened next was it asked for personal information and a phone number. After you enter that, you get to see more offers.

Finally, we arrive on the final page and discover (as expected) the $300 is pretty much a lie! It requires “paid participation” to get the survey check, but I’m not doing that because I highly doubt there’s an actual check for doing this.

I clicked the X to close the $300 crap. Then I saw a page of links to survey sites and offers.

Survey Momma “Membership”

Remember, I had to click the link in the confirmation email to activate my membership? Surprise, surprise, there is no membership!

That’s right, the Survey Momma website does not have a login link, nor does the confirmation email.

Since there’s no membership section, I assumed I’d get email invitations to actual paid surveys. Nope, that’s not the case either. Instead, I got an inbox full of spam, which was an average of approximately three per day!

Survey Momma Final Thoughts

Unless you want an inbox full of spam and are interested in their directory of links, I wouldn’t waste my time giving them personal information for nothing.

Furthermore, although the domain lookup didn’t reveal the actual owner’s name, I’m almost certain Panel Pay Day and Survey Momma are run by the same person.

52. Survey Voices

• 

  SurveyVoices

  Sign Up Now

  We earn a commission on this offer.

  • Basics: If you take the time to read the Survey Voices homepage, they’re pretty upfront about telling you they’re basically a directory of other survey websites.
  • Pros: None
  • Cons: There are no paid surveys in the member’s area or via email. After joining, all you gain access to is a directory of other survey sites.
  • Value Per Point

    None since there is no surveys

  • Payout Information

    N/A

  • Sign-Up Bonus

    N/A

As you scroll to the very bottom of Survey Voices’ site, you’ll notice in the fine print they clearly state that they “provide lists of third-party pay-for-participation survey sites.”

Based on all that information, you should know from the start that Survey Voices isn’t a survey website that pays you to take surveys they provide. Instead, they direct you to survey companies that do.

Survey Voices Misleading Claim

Although Survey Voices is honest about who they really are, their sign-up page is a different story.

Upon landing at the sign-up page, you’ll see a statement saying you can earn your first $300 or more, but after signing up, you quickly discover that isn’t 100% truthful.

When I completed the registration at Survey Voices, there was no additional information about the $300+ they said you could earn, so my guess is they’re actually referring to what you might earn after you sign up with the other survey websites they recommend, which you’ll see on the final page.

Survey Voices Personal Information

As you progress through the registration process, you’ll be asked to give your name, address, phone number, and other personal information, which I think is unnecessary, especially since Survey Voices is just a directory to survey websites that pay you to take surveys.

To finish signing up, you’ll be asked to confirm that your information is accurate by checking a box, and when you check that box, you’ll be consenting to receive those annoying telemarketing calls. A little tip: you can proceed without checking the box, but odds are if you gave your actual phone number, you’ll probably still receive those calls.

After you’ve signed up, you’ll soon discover Survey Voices will send you many emails, and most of them are promises of big payouts, which requires — as the fine print on their homepage states — you to complete offers.

Will you actually get the big payout if you complete all the offers? I don’t know for sure, because I didn’t do the offers. Many of them require you to make a purchase or sign up for a free trial that if you fail to cancel on time will charge your credit card (yes, you’ll have to give this information).

Survey Voices Final Thoughts

Technically, Survey Voices isn’t a scam, because they clearly state on their homepage that they link to other survey websites.

However, Survey Voices is definitely not a company I would spend my time on since they ask for your personal information, and then there’s that risk of getting sales calls and spam emails.

If you’re looking to actually make money from doing surveys, click here for two survey websites that are the best, in my opinion.

Our Interview With Survey Expert Andrea Stokes

We also spoke with industry expert Andrea Stokes.

Andrea has an MBA from Georgetown University with more than 15 years conducting consumer surveys and research for Fortune 500 companies across multiple industry sectors and primarily in the travel, tourism, and hospitality space.

She has served in senior management positions in the market research space with companies such as Ipsos and Marriott International.

When she began her career, most consumer surveys and opinion polls were conducted by telephone.

Today, of course, the majority of consumer surveys are conducted online, and she shared her insights with us below.

What should people know about online surveys?

Consumer survey research has a long history.

After World War II, the boom in household formation led to increased availability of consumer products of all kinds.

Companies needed to better understand consumers and their buying behavior.

Thus, companies at that time began to conduct surveys and other types of research with consumers.

While the methods of collecting consumer opinions have changed over time (first by mail, then telephone, and now online), the fundamental reasons companies conduct consumer surveys have not really changed.

How do survey sites use the data they collect?

Companies might conduct surveys directly with their own customers, or they may hire an outside survey or polling firm to conduct consumer research on their behalf.

There are many online survey providers who are conducting surveys on behalf of legitimate companies or organizations.

Some are large, global market research firms and many are smaller agencies and consulting firms.

Results of consumer and customer surveys are used by corporations and other organizations for a variety of reasons.

Typically, companies and organizations want to:

• Obtain feedback on your purchase or usage of a particular product or service
• Determine what types of consumers purchase their products and services (and what types do not)
• Gather opinions about online and traditional ads and advertising campaigns
• Get consumers’ opinions on new product or service concepts and ideas before they are launched into the marketplace
• Understand consumer intentions to purchase or use products or services in the future

Are paid survey sites safe?

Not all online surveys are what they seem.

Some companies may use a survey as a way to sell their products and collect your personal information for marketing purposes.

Consumers should be on watch for companies that claim to invite you to a survey when actually they are trying to sell you a product.

Even some survey sites that claim to provide rewards will only reward you if you make purchases or take advantage of so-called “offers” on other websites.

While these practices are not illegal, and many consumers enjoy using these sites, conducting market research surveys is typically not these sites’ primary activity.

Legitimate market research firms (and their clients) must follow anti-spam and other regulations in the countries where they operate.

In addition, the large market research industry associations — such as the Insights Association (formed via a merger of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations and Market Research Association) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) — also require their members to adhere to specific codes of standards and ethics.

How can someone know which survey sites are legitimate?

Most legitimate survey websites are opt-in only, meaning consumers opt-in to join a “consumer survey panel” and become a member of the panel.

In exchange only for your time, rewards are earned only for participating in surveys, with no fees or purchase requirements.

While opting in to the panel requires you to provide your personal contact information, legitimate panels will never ask you for sensitive information such as social security numbers or credit card numbers.

Also, legitimate consumer survey panels will all have Privacy statements and will not share your personal information without your permission.

Consumer survey panels have existed for decades and online panels provide an easier way for market research companies to contact panel members with new and interesting surveys on a variety of topics.

For example, once you join a consumer survey panel, your first survey may be about breakfast cereal.

Once you have participated, you might receive your next invitation for a survey about travel and vacations.

After you have taken a few surveys, the company knows whether you eat breakfast cereal or whether you take vacation trips.

This helps the research firm avoid sending you surveys for the products or services you do not use or buy.

Also, the best consumer panels have controls in place, so you are not invited to surveys too frequently.

Tell me about the different survey rewards you’ve seen.

The best consumer panels offer rewards, again, only for taking surveys with no requirement to purchase anything.

The rewards can be for points, which add up over time and allow you to “cash in” the points for gift cards and other rewards.

Some rewards are cash awards or gift cards.

While the more surveys you take the more rewards you earn, again, there are typically controls in place to make sure you are not “over-surveyed”.

That said, you may be invited to participate in surveys that provide extra incentive rewards or cash beyond what a panel member would normally earn.

In these cases, the survey sponsors are typically looking to interview harder-to-find consumers with very specific purchase habits (e.g. electric vehicle owners), specific demographics (e.g. mothers of newborns), or certain interests (e.g. marathon runners).

What is some advice you would give to those taking surveys for money?

1. If you are hoping to earn thousands of dollars doing online surveys, it would be very difficult to do. As mentioned, most consumer panels control the number of surveys you receive and have ways to detect if you are a “professional survey-taker” who might fake their opinions just to earn rewards. Yet participating in online consumer panels can earn members some substantial rewards as long as you continue to participate in surveys to which you are invited. Amazon, restaurant, and other gift cards do come in handy for all types of consumers.
2. I recommend selecting two to three legitimate consumer survey panels to join, so you can easily keep track of which invitations you receive, which you respond to, and which rewards you earn. If you are interested in other rewards websites that may require you to purchase something as well as take surveys, that is fine too, but this may not save you money — especially if you purchase items you would not normally buy. If the rewards sound too good to be true, I recommend doing more investigation into the website by clicking on the fine print and searching for the website’s sponsor or owner.
3. Finally, there are three surveys in which all consumers should always participate if they receive it — the American Community Survey, the monthly Current Population Survey, and the United States Decennial Census (conducted every 10 years). These surveys are conducted by the United States Bureau of the Census. While you may not receive points or cash for participating, responses to these surveys are critical to so many aspects of American life. Federal, state and local government agencies, school boards, corporations, and many other organizations all rely on Census data in order to provide the products we want and the services we need!

What else should people know about paid surveys?

Corporations and other organizations genuinely want unbiased consumer opinions on the products and services they sell.

Market research firms ensure these clients that survey results are based on statistically valid consumer samples and are representative of their broader audiences or populations of interest.

Even if you decide not to join the consumer survey panels mentioned here, it is important to respond to surveys you may receive as a customer of the products and services you use every day.

Companies really do use your opinions to understand your needs, which helps them improve their products and create new ones.