Do Paid Surveys Really Work (Or Are They a Scam?)
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Who hasn’t thought about easy ways to make extra money? If you’ve ever looked up at-home side gigs on the internet, chances are you’ve come across something or someone recommending paid surveys. It almost sounds too good to be true — after all, who doesn’t love to share their opinions? The truth is that paid surveys do actually work. However, it’s important to approach them with the right attitude.
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What Are Paid Surveys?
Paid surveys are online surveys that just require some of your time and an internet connection. You might see claims that there are tons of paid surveys out there, and to some extent, that is true. However, that doesn’t mean that you can take and get paid for every survey you find online.
To qualify for a paid survey, you must meet certain demographics. Paid surveys are part of a company or industry’s market research. When developing new products or looking for feedback on current products on the market, companies may develop surveys to poll their target audience. The beginning of each paid survey is typically a series of demographic questions. This might include your age, gender, income level, employment status, whether you have kids or pets and more. It all depends on the company that is behind the survey and what audience it wants to hear from.
One of the downsides of paid surveys is that you might spend a good chunk of time on starting surveys for nothing. You might spend 5 or 10 minutes on a survey to get through the demographic questions, only to find out that you don’t qualify for that survey. This can be disheartening for some people, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities out there.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Types of Paid Surveys
There are a few different types of paid surveys that you can expect to come across if you’re looking into the opportunity. Each survey has a distinct purpose, and while the questions may seem random, every question is asked for a purpose. These are the main types that you can expect to find.
Product-based surveys
When a brand is developing a product or considering a new product, it will likely want to poll its audience first. Product-based surveys may look for information about what you do and don’t like about competing products that are currently on the market. These surveys might also ask hypothetical questions, such as whether you prefer this style or another style. This information can help the brand solidify its product before it goes into production. Overall, brands use these types of surveys to gather feedback and determine whether their product will be profitable.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Branded surveys
Another type of survey that a brand might want to put out there is a brand awareness survey. These types of surveys focus on the brand itself, but may not be entirely obvious while you’re taking the survey. You can expect to see questions asking about the brands that you are familiar with, with a list of competitors alongside the brand that is behind the survey. There might also be more brand-specific questions to help the brand determine whether its messaging is working or if it needs to be changed. Brand awareness surveys can be hugely beneficial to a brand, especially if it is entering a new stage or if it’s entirely new to the market.
Consumer insight surveys
Brands that are just starting out or that are hitting a rough patch may want to put forward a more generalized survey. These surveys help brands get to know their audiences better. With these types of surveys, brands may only want very specific demographics to participate in the survey to help them learn about and understand their desired customers. Consumer insight surveys tend to have questions about how you consume media, what your interests are and your purchasing habits. They will probably also include general questions about yourself, your household and your profession. Brands can use this information to improve their marketing and product development in the hopes of making a larger impact on their target audience.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Paid survey sites
If you’re new to paid surveys, you may be wondering where to go to find them. The truth is that there are plenty of online surveys across several websites that can help you make money online. Sure, there might be some scams out there, as you would expect to find with almost any type of money-related online activity. There are also some wonderful websites that help people get extra cash by taking paid surveys in their spare time.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of the top online survey sites on the market today. Like some of its competitors, it allows you to create a profile that can match you with survey opportunities that you might qualify for. To take these surveys, you need to visit your dashboard and decide which ones to pick. Fortunately, you’ll be able to see how many points each survey is worth before you begin.
In addition to taking paid surveys, Survey Junkies offers a couple of other opportunities to its members. Some of the higher-paying opportunities that the company offers are focus groups. For this opportunity, it’s important to keep an eye on your email because the company will send an email if it wants to invite you to participate in a focus group or product-testing study. There is also a Survey Junkie browser extension that you can add to your Google Chrome browser. By adding the browser extension, you may gain access to more profitable surveys.
Like some other paid survey sites, there is a minimum withdrawal amount that you must meet before you can request a payout. Once you’ve reached that threshold, you can request to receive your earnings via PayPal or through gift cards to popular retailers such as Starbucks and Amazon.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Ipsos iSay
Ipsos iSay is run by Ipsos, a leading market research company. The company conducts market research across a variety of industries and countries every year. Its iSay platform gives you the ability to join a rewards community that wants to hear from you.
Beyond offering paid survey opportunities, Ipsos iSay offers opportunities that go above the standard online survey site. You can try new products and participate in online communities to voice your opinions. The platform uses every piece of feedback that you provide to help influence decisions by worldwide governments and brands.
When you complete surveys through Ipsos iSay, you collect points through the platform. You can then cash in your points for several types of rewards. You can opt to receive gift cards as payment for your time. You can also request a cash transfer or use your points to make a charitable donation. You can even purchase some merchandise using your iSay points.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
InboxDollars
InboxDollars allows you to create a portfolio that will help the company match you with the opportunities that make the most sense for you. You can use your account to review the surveys that you might qualify for and decide which ones you want to take. There is the possibility that you’ll end up not qualifying for a survey, but InboxDollars provides information about how much time you can expect to spend on a survey so you can decide if it’s worth your time.
In addition to paid surveys, InboxDollars offers other opportunities for you to earn extra money as part of your side hustle. Some of these opportunities include playing games, watching videos and searching the internet. You may also be able to use coupons or cashback opportunities to help you earn money from shopping that you would be doing anyway.
When you use InboxDollars, there are a few ways that you can cash out and receive your earnings. The site does have a minimum payout amount of $30, so you must earn at least that much before you can redeem any of your earnings. Once you have at least $30 worth of earnings, you can request payment. Most people opt to either receive money via PayPal or through gift cards to retailers such as Amazon.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
LifePoints
LifePoints allows you to earn extra income by completing questionnaires on your own time. Anyone can join the site and share their opinions about the top brands and products on the market today. After you complete your profile, you’ll be matched with surveys that can help you earn real money when you provide your honest feedback.
As one of many legitimate survey sites, LifePoints will get you involved in the community as soon as you’ve signed up. You can expect to receive regular invitations to participate in surveys via email. The surveys don’t take long either — only 10 to 20 minutes on average.
When you answer surveys, you’ll be paid in virtual points. These points can be redeemed for PayPal credit and e-gift cards to some of the most popular retailers. The number of surveys that you complete has a huge impact on how much real money you can earn, so it’s important to keep an eye on opportunities so you can participate as often as possible.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
MyPoints
MyPoints offers surveys that revolve around topics from home and garden to fashion and automobiles. The amount of money that you can make from a paid survey varies, but it can be as much as $50. However, most surveys are not worth that much money and don’t take much time to complete.
One of the benefits of MyPoints is that you can earn points even when you don’t qualify for a survey that you’ve started to complete. There are also other opportunities to earn money through MyPoints. For example, you can earn cashback on every dollar that you spend by doing your regular online shopping through MyPoints. You may also be able to print coupons that can be used for in-store purchases. Additionally, you can earn points by searching the web, playing games, referring other people and more.
MyPoints allows you to redeem your points in a few different ways. If you want the most flexibility with your earnings, you can opt for a PayPal deposit or a Visa prepaid card. Or you can choose a gift card for your favorite restaurant or retailer. MyPoints can also be used to add travel miles to your United MileagePlus account.
Opinion Outpost
In some ways, Opinion Outpost seems to provide the best of both worlds. It’s easy to join the website, so you don’t need to wait for an open enrollment opportunity or a direct referral. You also don’t need to spend hours sifting through surveys to find one that’s worth your time. Opinion Outpost will send you emails when new surveys are available so you can take a look without worrying about checking the website constantly.
Opinion Outpost may also dig a little deeper than its competitors in some cases. Instead of asking broad questions to get a feel for you and your interests, the site can get more personal, for better or for worse. For example, in some cases, you may be shown specific marketing materials and asked for your feedback. This is different from other surveys that may only ask if you recall seeing an ad for that specific brand recently.
Opinion Outpost says that the average survey pays around 10 points, but some surveys can be worth up to 250 points. You can trade your points for a variety of rewards, just like you can with most other survey companies. With Opinion Outpost, you can choose from a Virtual Visa Prepaid Card, PayPal, charitable donations or gift cards to top retailers.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is a bit more exclusive than some of the other paid survey websites. The company is not accepting new members through its website or unsolicited referrals at this time. The only way to sign up is if you come across a banner ad from Pinecone Research on other websites.
Once you become a Pinecone Research participant, you’ll receive email notifications every time you have a survey available. When you complete these surveys, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for cash or prizes. The company may also give you product testing opportunities on occasion.
There are several benefits to using Pinecone Research if you’re able to become a member. This site is one of the highest-paying online survey sites. It’s also the one that may take the least amount of “wasted” time on your part. This is because the company knows exactly who it’s looking for and will send notifications when it wants someone to take a survey. This process eliminates the need for you to start surveys and complete demographic questions only to be turned down because you don’t qualify for the survey.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of the most recognizable names when it comes to paid online survey sites. The main focus of the company is to allow consumers to earn money through its online surveys. Each time you complete a survey, you’ll earn the number of points that Swagbucks has assigned to that particular activity.
There are other ways to earn extra money through Swagbucks as well. There are daily polls that you can participate in to earn points. This can be a great way to remind you to visit the website every day to complete the daily poll and look for other earning opportunities. You can also earn points by activating trial offers with other brands, such as Uber Eats and Credit Karma. Additionally, you can earn money by using Swagbucks to shop through its partners, playing games online or using swag codes and the browser extension to find more exclusive opportunities.
When you’re ready to cash out on your rewards, you can visit the Swag Store. This is where you’ll find gift cards and Visa reward cards that you can trade points for. Each card will list the dollar amount that is assigned to it as well as the amount of Swagbucks points that you need to redeem that particular reward.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
Toluna
Toluna offers a bit more flexibility than some of its competitors. Toluna Influencers have the opportunity to customize your profile and decide which categories you’re interested in giving feedback about. You can start by completing Toluna’s profile surveys to let the company learn more about you and your interests. This allows Toluna to show you more relevant surveys to help you cut back on time spent sifting through what’s available.
While some competitor sites have all of their surveys in the same place, Toluna allows you to sort through to find what you want. You can choose a category of topics that you’re interested in to see which surveys are available for that specific niche. At this point, you’ll also see how much each survey is worth and how long it should take you to complete it.
Once you’ve earned enough points to cash out, you’ll have a few options. Like many other survey sites, you can cash out via PayPal or choose a gift card to select retailers. You can also use your points to enter sweepstakes for larger and more expensive prizes.
Costs of paid surveys
All of the survey sites mentioned on this page are completely free to use. You may even be able to earn bonus points just for signing up for some of the websites. The biggest thing to look out for is scams. If a website asks you to enter credit card information or other personal information that you don’t feel comfortable with, it may be best to steer clear and look elsewhere.
Pros and cons of paid surveys
Pros
- It’s free to sign up for legitimate paid survey sites.
- Some survey sites allow you to earn bonus points just for signing up to participate.
- Many survey sites offer additional opportunities to earn extra cash in addition to taking surveys.
Cons
- Paid surveys are not a way to earn money quickly. Truthfully, the surveys really don’t pay very much, so in most cases, it’s best to think of it as a hobby that can earn a little extra cash.
- Some survey sites make it difficult to determine which surveys you qualify for, so you might end up wasting time on starting surveys that you won’t get to complete.
- Most survey sites require a minimum amount of earnings before you can cash out. If you never reach that amount, you might not make any real money at all.
Earn Real Money Fast by Filling Out Surveys!
- Sign up for FREE & complete your profile
- Earn points for taking surveys
- Redeem your points for cash or gift cards
- $55k+ Paid to Survey Junkie members daily
- Complete 3+ surveys a day, earn up to $100/mo.
The bottom line
When people consider their personal finance goals, it’s not uncommon to look for ways to make extra cash. This might lead you to search online for easy ways to make money from the couch. It’s no secret that paid online surveys are one of the most common suggestions out there. However, it’s important to take all of the factors into consideration before you decide if paid surveys are right for you.
Do paid surveys really work? Yes. Legitimate survey websites can give you the opportunity to earn extra income just by sharing your honest opinions. It can be a great opportunity for some people, especially if you’re looking for a way to earn money in your spare time. That being said, it’s important to understand that paid surveys won’t help you get rich quickly. If you decide to explore some paid survey sites, be sure to do so with the right mindset.
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Writer
Ashley Hart is a lead copywriter and digital marketing expert covering finance, law, real estate, music, entertainment, health and wellness.
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