Get Paid For Your Opinion
Survey taking has always been a valuable part of corporate marketing, and before the magic of internet surveying, data collection were long tedious occurrences where information was gathered by hand, and sorted into a database. Now companies are offering us the chance to participate in surveys, allowing us to express our opinions in the comfort of our own home, all the while getting paid.
Why Companies Are Willing to Pay
Market research is essential for any business, and with increasing competition, it's no wonder why.
Companies don't want to invest their time and money on products or services that do not satisfy consumers or make them a profit. And what better way to find out what your potential customers are thinking then to ask?
This type of research is also used to improve services/products, and build rapport with customers. People like expressing their opinions, and even more so when they are actually heard and taking into account.
Companies don't want to invest their time and money on products or services that do not satisfy consumers or make them a profit. And what better way to find out what your potential customers are thinking then to ask?
This type of research is also used to improve services/products, and build rapport with customers. People like expressing their opinions, and even more so when they are actually heard and taking into account.
About Online Surveys
The concept is simple. After registering to become a member of an online survey panel, invitations to surveys on various topics/products are sent to your inbox every so often, and you choose whether or not to participate. The questions are straight forward, and with multiple choice answers, a few simple clicks is all it takes.
In my experience, a survey will typically take around 15-20 minutes to complete, and the longer the survey, the bigger the rewards. Depending on the site, even if you are screened out (meaning you do not qualify for the survey because the quotas are full, or because you are not part of the target market) you will still earn a small reward just for your interest.
I have been participating in paid online surveys for around a year and a half now, and although they do pay, I'd be lying if I said you'd be earning a large income. Online paid surveys are not a way to get rich quick, but if you're looking for a way to earn rewards for free, or make a little extra cash on the side, then this just might be the way to go.
*A tip: If you are thinking about joining any survey sites, it is a good idea to create a new e-mail account to separate your survey invitations from your personal or business e-mail. I would also recommend checking your inbox regularly to take advantage of surveys as they become available.
In my experience, a survey will typically take around 15-20 minutes to complete, and the longer the survey, the bigger the rewards. Depending on the site, even if you are screened out (meaning you do not qualify for the survey because the quotas are full, or because you are not part of the target market) you will still earn a small reward just for your interest.
I have been participating in paid online surveys for around a year and a half now, and although they do pay, I'd be lying if I said you'd be earning a large income. Online paid surveys are not a way to get rich quick, but if you're looking for a way to earn rewards for free, or make a little extra cash on the side, then this just might be the way to go.
*A tip: If you are thinking about joining any survey sites, it is a good idea to create a new e-mail account to separate your survey invitations from your personal or business e-mail. I would also recommend checking your inbox regularly to take advantage of surveys as they become available.
The Survey Sites
Tried and Tested
iPoints.co.uk - Collect ipoints for taking surveys, clicking on e-mails, shopping, referring friends, and more. ipoints are redeemable for hundreds of rewards on the ipoints site, these include Amazon.co.uk gift vouchers, gifts & gadgets, CDs, books, audio, DVDs, consoles & games, health & beauty, magazine subscriptions, food & drink, travel, cameras & visual products, and days out. Surveys are regularly sent to your inbox on a weekly basis, and apart from the occasional shop through ipoints at Amazon.co.uk, this has been my preferred method for earning points. You get 50 ipoints just for joining, 75 points for filling out the 'About You' section, and a further 75 points for filling out the available survey.
Toluna.com (previously testandvote.com) - Earn points by participating in surveys and quick votes, creating reviews, and referring friends. You also have the opportunity to register to test various products that will be sent to you via post. If you are lucky enough to be selected to test a product (I haven't yet been fortunate enough to be selected) you get to keep it. Once you have earned enough points, they can be converted into various rewards, such as Amazon.co.uk / HMV.co.uk / halfords / CD Wow vouchers, lottery tickets, discounts to online retailers, or ipoints (must be registered at ipoints.co.uk to convert into ipoints). Surveys are sent to your inbox regularly, and are worth between 1000 and 20, 000 points each. You will be given an automatic 1500 points just for joining the panel, and you will have the chance to increase this by completing your 'Personal Profiles', each one worth 500 points. If you complete all the profiles, (15 in total) you will be rewarded with a bonus 2000 points on top. So that's 11, 000 points on your first day. Not bad.
Yougov.com - YouGov are one of the biggest survey companies in the UK, and is one of my personal favorites. The surveys are straightforward, and they pay in cash rather than points. Earn cash by participating in surveys and referring friends. Invitations to surveys are sent via e-mail, and you will be informed of the amount you will be credited with. This usually ranges between 50p and £1.50 per survey, which may not sound like much, but believe me, it soon adds up. Alternatively, you can access available surveys by logging into your account. Once you reach the £50 threshold, YouGov will send you a cheque within one month approx. Unlike other surveys sites, there are no pre-screeners, so you are guaranteed payment for every survey invitation you respond to, and this is credited to your account instantly.
Globaltestmarket.com - Earn MarketPoints by completing online surveys and referring friends. You will regularly be notified via e-mail when a survey is available for you to complete. MarketPoints are redeemable for cash (cheques in your local currency). The value of MarkerPoints is fixed against the U.S Dollar, at 5 cents per MarketPoint. Each survey invitation states how much the survey is worth. This usually varies between 5-75 MarketPoints per survey, depending on it's length, and whether or not you are screened out (5 points may still be earned if you do not qualify). When you reach 1000 MarketPoints, you can then click on the redeem button, and cash your points in for a cheque, which will be the equivalent of $50. From the date of redemption, your cheque will be mailed to you in 4-6 weeks if you live within the united states, or 6-8 weeks if you reside outside the U.S. In the case that Globaltestmarket cannot print cheques in your local currency (Lithuania, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine) you will receive a cheque in U.S. dollars.
Zoompanel.com - Earn ZoomPoints for participating in surveys and referring friends. You will receive up to four surveys per month, the number of points allocated is again, dependant on the length of the survey, and eligibility for completion, and typically varies between 75 - 100 ZoomPoints per survey. 10 points can also be earned if you are screened out. Points are credited to you account instantly, and you will be e-mailed of your points awarded. Once you have accumulated enough ZoomPoints, they can be redeemed for gifts offered in the ZoomPoints online folio (collection of merchandise & gift rewards). The folio options for redemption are 1000 points, 2000 points, 2500 points, and 3000 points.) ZoomPanel is one of my less favourite survey sites, simple because in my personal opinion, the rewards are not all that appealing. On the plus side, if you can't find a gift you like, you can redeem your ZoomPoints for a charity donation to The International Union Against Cancer (UCICC) which is where my points normally go. Below is a non exhaustive list of some of the gifts available.
1000 points: Marriott gift certificate of $10, around the ear headphones, leather card and ID holder, lightweight aluminum penlight, flexible mini tri-pod, digital memory case etc.
2000 points: Wireless FM transmitter for MP3 players, slim LED book light, computer tool kit, cafe stainless steel travel tumbler, pedometer with calorie counter etc.
2500 points: Memory Stick USB Reader/Writer, Retractable Optical Mouse, Comfort Contour-Foam Pillow, Panasonic Stereo Ear Buds, 1GB miniSD Memory Card etc.
3000 points: Leather & chrome pen by Cross, grill fork with thermometer, Bulova men's caravelle watch, ladies gold dial watch, Marriott gift certificate of $50 etc.
Lightspeedpanel.com - Earn Lightspeed points for completing surveys and referring friends. Invitation e-mails are sent to your inbox, or alternatively you may check for new surveys by logging into your account. The number of points available to earn differs from survey to survey, and you will be notified of it's worth before participating. In the event that you do not qualify for a particular survey, you will be awarded a number of entries into a quarterly prize draw. If you're in the U.K, prizes typically range between £50 - £1000. Points can be redeemed for either cash into your Paypal account, or a large number of gifts available from Lightspeed's online prize catalogue.
Homeofresearch.com - Earn points that can be converted into cash by completing surveys. Surveys will be sent to you inbox, and are worth between 50-500 points each, with 100 points being the equivalent of £1. Upon becoming a member of their panel, you will also notice six lifestyle questionnaires. You will be awarded 50 points per questionnaire, so thats 300 points if you complete all six. I would personally recommend completing these not only for the points, but also because this will lead to you being invited to surveys more relevant to you. Once you have earned a minimum of 2000 points (£20), a cheque will be posted to you. Cheques are sent out at the end of each calendar month.
Toluna.com (previously testandvote.com) - Earn points by participating in surveys and quick votes, creating reviews, and referring friends. You also have the opportunity to register to test various products that will be sent to you via post. If you are lucky enough to be selected to test a product (I haven't yet been fortunate enough to be selected) you get to keep it. Once you have earned enough points, they can be converted into various rewards, such as Amazon.co.uk / HMV.co.uk / halfords / CD Wow vouchers, lottery tickets, discounts to online retailers, or ipoints (must be registered at ipoints.co.uk to convert into ipoints). Surveys are sent to your inbox regularly, and are worth between 1000 and 20, 000 points each. You will be given an automatic 1500 points just for joining the panel, and you will have the chance to increase this by completing your 'Personal Profiles', each one worth 500 points. If you complete all the profiles, (15 in total) you will be rewarded with a bonus 2000 points on top. So that's 11, 000 points on your first day. Not bad.
Yougov.com - YouGov are one of the biggest survey companies in the UK, and is one of my personal favorites. The surveys are straightforward, and they pay in cash rather than points. Earn cash by participating in surveys and referring friends. Invitations to surveys are sent via e-mail, and you will be informed of the amount you will be credited with. This usually ranges between 50p and £1.50 per survey, which may not sound like much, but believe me, it soon adds up. Alternatively, you can access available surveys by logging into your account. Once you reach the £50 threshold, YouGov will send you a cheque within one month approx. Unlike other surveys sites, there are no pre-screeners, so you are guaranteed payment for every survey invitation you respond to, and this is credited to your account instantly.
Globaltestmarket.com - Earn MarketPoints by completing online surveys and referring friends. You will regularly be notified via e-mail when a survey is available for you to complete. MarketPoints are redeemable for cash (cheques in your local currency). The value of MarkerPoints is fixed against the U.S Dollar, at 5 cents per MarketPoint. Each survey invitation states how much the survey is worth. This usually varies between 5-75 MarketPoints per survey, depending on it's length, and whether or not you are screened out (5 points may still be earned if you do not qualify). When you reach 1000 MarketPoints, you can then click on the redeem button, and cash your points in for a cheque, which will be the equivalent of $50. From the date of redemption, your cheque will be mailed to you in 4-6 weeks if you live within the united states, or 6-8 weeks if you reside outside the U.S. In the case that Globaltestmarket cannot print cheques in your local currency (Lithuania, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine) you will receive a cheque in U.S. dollars.
Zoompanel.com - Earn ZoomPoints for participating in surveys and referring friends. You will receive up to four surveys per month, the number of points allocated is again, dependant on the length of the survey, and eligibility for completion, and typically varies between 75 - 100 ZoomPoints per survey. 10 points can also be earned if you are screened out. Points are credited to you account instantly, and you will be e-mailed of your points awarded. Once you have accumulated enough ZoomPoints, they can be redeemed for gifts offered in the ZoomPoints online folio (collection of merchandise & gift rewards). The folio options for redemption are 1000 points, 2000 points, 2500 points, and 3000 points.) ZoomPanel is one of my less favourite survey sites, simple because in my personal opinion, the rewards are not all that appealing. On the plus side, if you can't find a gift you like, you can redeem your ZoomPoints for a charity donation to The International Union Against Cancer (UCICC) which is where my points normally go. Below is a non exhaustive list of some of the gifts available.
1000 points: Marriott gift certificate of $10, around the ear headphones, leather card and ID holder, lightweight aluminum penlight, flexible mini tri-pod, digital memory case etc.
2000 points: Wireless FM transmitter for MP3 players, slim LED book light, computer tool kit, cafe stainless steel travel tumbler, pedometer with calorie counter etc.
2500 points: Memory Stick USB Reader/Writer, Retractable Optical Mouse, Comfort Contour-Foam Pillow, Panasonic Stereo Ear Buds, 1GB miniSD Memory Card etc.
3000 points: Leather & chrome pen by Cross, grill fork with thermometer, Bulova men's caravelle watch, ladies gold dial watch, Marriott gift certificate of $50 etc.
Lightspeedpanel.com - Earn Lightspeed points for completing surveys and referring friends. Invitation e-mails are sent to your inbox, or alternatively you may check for new surveys by logging into your account. The number of points available to earn differs from survey to survey, and you will be notified of it's worth before participating. In the event that you do not qualify for a particular survey, you will be awarded a number of entries into a quarterly prize draw. If you're in the U.K, prizes typically range between £50 - £1000. Points can be redeemed for either cash into your Paypal account, or a large number of gifts available from Lightspeed's online prize catalogue.
Homeofresearch.com - Earn points that can be converted into cash by completing surveys. Surveys will be sent to you inbox, and are worth between 50-500 points each, with 100 points being the equivalent of £1. Upon becoming a member of their panel, you will also notice six lifestyle questionnaires. You will be awarded 50 points per questionnaire, so thats 300 points if you complete all six. I would personally recommend completing these not only for the points, but also because this will lead to you being invited to surveys more relevant to you. Once you have earned a minimum of 2000 points (£20), a cheque will be posted to you. Cheques are sent out at the end of each calendar month.
Avoid The Scams
The list of online survey websites I have compiled above are legitimate sites that do pay out, but unfortunately, the same can't be said for all others. If you are considering becoming a member of other survey sites, it is a good idea to proceed with caution, and lookout for signs of scamming.
* Watch out for any survey websites asking for money.
If you need to pay in order to become a member, you can almost be sure it's a scam. After all, they are supposed to be paying you, not vice versa.
* Avoid survey websites with empty promises.
Remember, no legitimate survey company can promise a guarantee of a large steady income. If they do, I suggest steering clear.
* No privacy policies.
Legitimate online survey sites have policies that list the ways member's information is used, stored, and protected. Any survey company lacking in a privacy policy should be avoided.
* Page registration.
If all they ask for is your name and email address on the initial sign up page, they are most likely a scam site. Most online survey companies collect additional information so they can better match their members with surveys relevant to them.
* Watch out for any survey websites asking for money.
If you need to pay in order to become a member, you can almost be sure it's a scam. After all, they are supposed to be paying you, not vice versa.
* Avoid survey websites with empty promises.
Remember, no legitimate survey company can promise a guarantee of a large steady income. If they do, I suggest steering clear.
* No privacy policies.
Legitimate online survey sites have policies that list the ways member's information is used, stored, and protected. Any survey company lacking in a privacy policy should be avoided.
* Page registration.
If all they ask for is your name and email address on the initial sign up page, they are most likely a scam site. Most online survey companies collect additional information so they can better match their members with surveys relevant to them.
