Is it really possible to make money for online surveys? Yes. There
are lots of reputable marketing companies that run valuable research for
major brand companies, and that compensate you for your time. But there
are also a lot of copycat and scam companies that try to blend in with
legitimate ones. With hundreds, possibly thousands of "Get Paid To"
(GPT) sites around, how can you tell the difference?
We scoured the web to find reviews and articles written by real people with real experience. Here are the top tips and top sites that people have found success with. Don't forget to check out the resources on the sidebar to find some of the best articles on the topic.
Sign up for research companies, not directories. Some sites make their money through referral fees. They'll get your information and sign you up with hundreds of other survey companies who pay for new users. These might be hard to spot at first because they don't require a fee like the membership clubs mentioned above. Look for the "about us" section and see whether the company actually conducts research on behalf of real clients. Look out for language like "we send you surveys from top survey companies."
Protect your privacy. Legitimate research companies will protect your privacy, so a quick and dirty way to verify if a survey company is on the up and up is to read their private policy terms. Do they "share" your information with their "partners"?
Watch out for paid offer sites. Many sites present themselves as paid survey sites but are really paid offer sites. These sites make money by getting people to sign up for offers, click on advertisements, and provide their email addresses. You can spot these by their super long list of "offers" that you have to go through in order to complete the survey or redeem your prize. They might offer you something like $20 to sign up for a service that costs $5.99/month (presumably you'll cancel after the first month). They might also pay you to read emails and click on the advertisements. Know that your information is most definitely being sold, and it's not something they can hide very well in their private policy terms.
Paid offers aren't necessarily scams. They're doable, just like paid surveys, but it takes a real savvy and dedicated user to sort through all the fine print, keep detailed records, and not mind personal information being sold to the highest bidder.
Watch out for spyware. Some sites require that you download a program so they can monitor your web behavior. Some people are fine with this. Just know that there are plenty of companies that don't require this so if it makes you uncomfortable, skip it and try another site. If you do decide to register, don't use that computer for any online activity that has sensitive information.
Fill out your profile. Now that you know the difference between sites that sell your information versus sites that don't, make sure to fill out your profile on the legitimate paid survey sites. You won't get sent surveys unless you match their profile, so not filling them out will just disqualify you from the beginning. Sometimes you still need to go through a screener survey in order to qualify for the longer survey. Some sites will give you a small compensation even if you don't qualify.
Find out how you're paid. Some pay in cash. Some give points that get converted to cash. Others pay with gift cards, products, and sweepstake entries. Before you take a survey or accept a product review, know how you'll be compensated. Also, after you've done a few surveys for a company, check your account to make sure you're being properly credited and how long you'll have to wait to redeem your points for cash or product. Watch out for any redemption deadlines (some points might expire before you've accrued enough to cash out), and make sure that the gift cards they offer are valuable to you if the company doesn't offer cash.
Be active. Some survey sites send you more surveys if you are more active. They might even send you surveys with higher payouts. Check your account and make sure your profiles are updated so you're getting the most relevant surveys. Also, some sites require a certain amount of activity in order to keep your account active, which means keeping any non-redeemed earnings valid.
Keep records. The only way to decide whether a survey site works for you is to keep records on your earnings and time spent. Some survey sites will provide a higher ROI. If you sign up with a bunch of sites and take any survey that falls into your inbox, you may get discouraged by the spammy, low paying sites and not notice the quality ones that actually make you money.
Have a dedicated email, mailing address, and credit card. Expect a lot of spam, both in your email inbox and real mailbox. And if you're going to try out the paid offers route, definitely make sure to have a separate credit card that you can monitor for identity theft and unauthorized charges. You might also consider doing all your paid survey/offers on a dedicated computer that doesn't have access to sensitive files or online information.
We scoured the web to find reviews and articles written by real people with real experience. Here are the top tips and top sites that people have found success with. Don't forget to check out the resources on the sidebar to find some of the best articles on the topic.
Safe and Profitable Tips for Making Money Taking Surveys
Don't pay to work. A legitimate research company will never ask you to pay in order to access their surveys. Some sites are actually "membership clubs" that require a fee in order to get their directory of survey companies. They might claim that their directory is only filled with the best survey sites. But their directory often consists of the most spammy and lowest incentive companies. Just start slow -- sign up for the most reputable ones (listed below) and add more as you go. You don't need to pay someone else to do that for you.Sign up for research companies, not directories. Some sites make their money through referral fees. They'll get your information and sign you up with hundreds of other survey companies who pay for new users. These might be hard to spot at first because they don't require a fee like the membership clubs mentioned above. Look for the "about us" section and see whether the company actually conducts research on behalf of real clients. Look out for language like "we send you surveys from top survey companies."
Protect your privacy. Legitimate research companies will protect your privacy, so a quick and dirty way to verify if a survey company is on the up and up is to read their private policy terms. Do they "share" your information with their "partners"?
Watch out for paid offer sites. Many sites present themselves as paid survey sites but are really paid offer sites. These sites make money by getting people to sign up for offers, click on advertisements, and provide their email addresses. You can spot these by their super long list of "offers" that you have to go through in order to complete the survey or redeem your prize. They might offer you something like $20 to sign up for a service that costs $5.99/month (presumably you'll cancel after the first month). They might also pay you to read emails and click on the advertisements. Know that your information is most definitely being sold, and it's not something they can hide very well in their private policy terms.
Paid offers aren't necessarily scams. They're doable, just like paid surveys, but it takes a real savvy and dedicated user to sort through all the fine print, keep detailed records, and not mind personal information being sold to the highest bidder.
Watch out for spyware. Some sites require that you download a program so they can monitor your web behavior. Some people are fine with this. Just know that there are plenty of companies that don't require this so if it makes you uncomfortable, skip it and try another site. If you do decide to register, don't use that computer for any online activity that has sensitive information.
Fill out your profile. Now that you know the difference between sites that sell your information versus sites that don't, make sure to fill out your profile on the legitimate paid survey sites. You won't get sent surveys unless you match their profile, so not filling them out will just disqualify you from the beginning. Sometimes you still need to go through a screener survey in order to qualify for the longer survey. Some sites will give you a small compensation even if you don't qualify.
Find out how you're paid. Some pay in cash. Some give points that get converted to cash. Others pay with gift cards, products, and sweepstake entries. Before you take a survey or accept a product review, know how you'll be compensated. Also, after you've done a few surveys for a company, check your account to make sure you're being properly credited and how long you'll have to wait to redeem your points for cash or product. Watch out for any redemption deadlines (some points might expire before you've accrued enough to cash out), and make sure that the gift cards they offer are valuable to you if the company doesn't offer cash.
Be active. Some survey sites send you more surveys if you are more active. They might even send you surveys with higher payouts. Check your account and make sure your profiles are updated so you're getting the most relevant surveys. Also, some sites require a certain amount of activity in order to keep your account active, which means keeping any non-redeemed earnings valid.
Keep records. The only way to decide whether a survey site works for you is to keep records on your earnings and time spent. Some survey sites will provide a higher ROI. If you sign up with a bunch of sites and take any survey that falls into your inbox, you may get discouraged by the spammy, low paying sites and not notice the quality ones that actually make you money.
Have a dedicated email, mailing address, and credit card. Expect a lot of spam, both in your email inbox and real mailbox. And if you're going to try out the paid offers route, definitely make sure to have a separate credit card that you can monitor for identity theft and unauthorized charges. You might also consider doing all your paid survey/offers on a dedicated computer that doesn't have access to sensitive files or online information.
