I imagine you have heard about making money from online survey companies before and never really gave it much thought. Until now. You need to make some extra cash and people are STILL talking about it. So there has to be something to it, right? The internet police would have for sure shut them all down by now if they were just a scam, right?
Now, if you have heard about how you can make thousands upon thousands of dollars a month just for giving your opinion…that’s a lie. You will not get rich from taking surveys, but it is a great way to make some extra cash on the side. How much you can make all depends on a few things. How many companies you work with, how many surveys you take, and the quality of the surveys you are eligible for. It can get a little time consuming, but if you have some extra time on your hands why not use it wisely? You know, instead of scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed? (I know it’s soooo easy to do!).
So let’s clear up a couple of things to decide if taking surveys for cash is right for you before you start looking into which companies you are going to start taking surveys for.
Are survey companies a scam?
Survey companies are no different than any other company on the web. There are good ones and there are ones that are looking to rob you for anything they can. This used to be a really big problem until the SurveyPolice came in and cleaned up the mess. Now it’s much easier to weed through the illegitimate companies and know who we can trust to actually pay us for our time.
Why would they want to pay me?
Many companies, big and small, know that an untested idea is a bad idea. That’s why there is such a huge need for market research (aka surveys). They don’t want to pay millions creating products if they aren’t going to pay off in the long run. They want to know, is this idea going to be a good one?
That’s why they turn to survey companies like the ones mentioned below. Most companies aren’t able to conduct market research and have other things to do anyways. The easiest thing for them to do is pay someone else to do it. Then, it’s the survey companies job to find the subjects. And why would every day people take surveys for free? They wouldn’t! The survey companies have to give you a percent of what they receive or else they would be out of business.
How much money can I expect to make?
Typically you can expect to get paid anywhere from $.50 to $5 per survey and each survey takes anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to complete. Making an extra couple hundred dollars a month is pretty standard, but there some people that make around $1000 a month.
You can expect to receive payments in the form of cash via check or PayPal (PayPal is free to use btw), gift cards to places like Amazon, and/or free products. Many people prefer cash for obvious reasons, but there are benefits to other reward options as well.
Do I have to pay for anything or give my credit card information?
Nope, the survey companies on this list are all free to join and free to use. There is no need for you to ever put your credit card information in, so if anyone ever asks for it there is something wrong there.
These are all reputable companies that will pay you for your opinion and time. I recommend signing up for as many as you can if you are serious about making money with surveys. That way you will get more offers to choose from. These companies can get specific on who they are looking for to take certain surveys so it’s best to look in multiple places to find surveys right for you.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a survey company, but you can make money in other ways as well. By doing things like surfing the web and opting into different offers. If you sign up through my referral link, they will give you $5 just for signing up!
2. Survey Junkie
You can earn points through Survey Junkie and redeem them for cash or gift cards. They give you 25 points just for filling out your profile. You can expect to make $1-$3 per survey.
3. Toluna
Toluna is awesome because they don’t make you wait to get paid. They pay right away! And members are pooled into a monthly sweepstake of around $4,500.
4. Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars pays members to read emails, take surveys online, play games, and go shopping. You can also get $5 just for joining!
5. Survey Voices
Part-time workers for Survey Voices can easily make $300 or more a month. You can expect to take surveys, but also can find some clinical trial opportunities. Some people even make $800+ a month from this company.
6. Vindale Research
Vindale Research is one of the oldest online survey companies out there and they have a great reputation. They pay between $.25 and $50 per survey, depending on how complex the assignment is.
7. Survey Club
Earn cash and become eligible for sweepstakes with Survey Club. As with every company, they ask you screening questions to see if you are eligible for particular surveys but Survey Club actually pays you for it!
8. Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is pretty much the best survey company out there in terms of how much they pay. But they are super picky about who they choose to accept into their company. I have been trying for months to be able to put up a link to their site so you guys can join. Seriously, try going to their website, not through my link…there is no option to sign up!
Right now they are only accepting Hispanic males between the ages of 18-24, but even if you don’t meet the requirements I recommend signing up anyways. They just might approve you and then you can be a part of the best survey company out there!
9. MySurvey
MySurvey is a very trusted site and their shorter surveys will take you around 5 minutes to complete. The payout for each is between $.50 and $1.25.
10. MyPoints
As you can tell by the name, you receive points through MyPoints and can cash them in for gift cards and other rewards. You will earn $5 for taking 5 surveys after signing up. You can also make money by referring your friends!
11. Signature Surveys
12. Surveys2Cash
13. Opinion City
14. Timebucks
15. Opinion Inn
**I will continue to update this post with any offers that come available or are taken away.
Tips to maximize your earnings
*Like I said before, signing up for more survey companies means more opportunities to find higher paying surveys.
*Fill out your profile completely and keep it updated to make sure you get more offers that are relevant to you.
*Usually, the longer you are with a company, the more they will pay you for your experience.
*Don’t ever pay to join a survey company.
*Check your email daily for new offers. You could even set up a separate email account just for survey offers so they don’t get lost in the mix.
*Tell the truth, or risk being banned from the company. You will also lose all the money you are owed.
*Don’t rush through the survey. They will not pay you if you go through it too quickly.
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Have you ever made extra money from survey companies? Or are you completely new to this? Let me know in the comments below!
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I agree with you that with online surveys are there an easy way to create an income. But I don’t like them because I think when I would do this, then I could not be really honest by answering the questions. Because every time I had the thought in my head, that I get paid for it. So it doesn’t matter if my answer is honest or not.
Hello, Sveny. I see what you mean about it being easy to not be honest. Being honest can be hard sometimes for sure, but especially when you are needing money. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m sure many people struggle with this.
I love using Swagbucks the most. The site is pretty user-friendly compared to most!
Hi, Alexis! Yes, Swagbucks is certainly the easiest to use that I’ve found!