By now I am sure you have encountered the paid surveys at home ads in magazines, newspapers, online and even on TV, assuring people that they can earn thousands of dollars every month just by taking online surveys.
Some companies even claim that people can earn many thousands every month just by paying a nominal amount of $40.
Once you pay a site like that, you get hold of a list containing the names of numerous sites offering you “paid surveys”. Quite a few of the links in that list might be broken while some others might link you to marketing research companies, whose ultimate aim is to get you to register with their sponsors.
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This is a classic case of an uninformed person playing into the hands of companies as the above information can also be obtained for free from the web!
A quick review of Paid-Surveys-At-Home.com
Paid Surveys at Home is one such site for which you’ll find a lot of reviews on the web. Obviously, this post does not concern that website, but in case you did end up here searching for information regarding that site, let me tell you that I recommend AGAINST joining this site.
This is a site that requires you to pay to even obtain its membership which I think is a rip off, considering you can find almost every website listed in their database for free online.
They charge you $17 “Membership Fee” for giving you access to a list of sites that you can find here on SurveySatrap (look below to get started with my top high paying survey sites) and many other sites for free. You have to be crazy (or have too much money!) to pay for such a thing.
As such, you are better off going with reliable survey panels that require no investment instead of such “survey clubs”.
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So, are Paid Surveys real?
The answer to that would be yes. The fact is that market research is an important component of the economy (here is an interesting read on why businesses do marketing research).
Large corporations around the world spend billions of dollars every year to advertise and promote their products and services.
They even pay other marketing research companies that specialize in conducting studies to know more about the public perception and reaction to their products/services.
A market research company typically undertakes a detailed study of every product and submits its findings to clients.
Large companies are eager to know more about public opinion. To this effect, market research companies rope in people from every strata of society and present them with a chance to express their opinions and thoughts.
In exchange, these people are paid a nominal amount, which usually ranges from $5 to $20.
Studies for market research come in different shapes and sizes. Some of the popular methods include online surveys, telephone conferences, product testing and even mystery shopping. These studies are open to anyone and everyone.
Reality Check!
It’s important to accept the reality that online paid surveys are not going to help you earn two grand a month. However, you still can make decent sums of money by completing surveys.
Although this sum won’t make you rich, it’ll be decent enough ($50-$800 or even higher at times) to take care of your minor monthly expenses. Of course, how much you earn depends entirely on the number of surveys you complete.
Usually, most surveys offer members a product that they can evaluate at home or inform them about the amount of money they’ll be paid beforehand.
You’ll spend around 10-25 min answering surveys based on a topic that you find interesting (ranging from car tires to baby shampoo). So you earn money in a fun way by taking surveys that are free to take. As such, you stand to lose nothing.
Yes, there are certain sites asking you to pay to access paid survey sites. There is no point in paying money for something that is essentially free.
To help with that, I’ve included below information about my top 10 favorite survey companies.
10 Survey Sites with Free Registration
I’ve come across countless sites that pay you money to complete surveys, take part in online focus groups and even evaluate products. All these sites are completely free to join. This is also the exact same information you’d get by paying one of those “survey clubs”.
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Survey Spot
One of the best survey sites out there, Survey Spot offers paid surveys, product surveys and even sweepstakes entries. For every attempt you make at a survey qualification, you are allowed to play a game, which assures your entry into a quarterly $25,000 drawing while giving you a chance to make some money. You can choose to take surveys either from the invites emailed to you or by directly logging in to the site at your convenience. In case you opt for cash surveys, you can request for payment following which you’ll be mailed a check. Typically, the monthly frequency for surveys is around 2-3.
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Ipsos I-Say
This panel pays relatively well when compared to other panels. Once you have accumulated 1000 ;points which equals to $10, you can ask to be paid. A cool thing about this site is that you earn a few points for surveys you don’t even qualify for.
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Opinion Outpost
This panel rewards you with points that can be exchanged for PayPal cash and a few other types of prizes and gifts. Once you register, you can fill out your profile questioner which will help you qualify for more surveys, thus increasing your chances of earning more money.
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Global Test Market
GlobalTestMarket sends out survey invites from time to time and in case you qualify for any, completing that survey earns you reward points. Once you reach the 1000 points figure, you can exchange them for $50 in cash. Earning points with this site is rather easy and it pays you 5 points even if you fail to qualify for a particular survey. Members of GTM usually get surveys 5-6 times per month.
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My View
My View has done some major upgrades to its site and as a result, has become a lot easier to navigate. There is also the advantage that nearly all its surveys are paid. The site also hosts some very engaging surveys. My View pays through PayPal. Frequency of surveys is quite high at around 1-2 times a week.
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ACOP (American Consumer Opinion Panel)
Take surveys and get rewarded for taking part. Most of the times, you’ll at least get one survey per week. However, a single survey can net you $4 to $50. Additionally, every month all the members are entered into a drawing with a prize of $250. Members also need to answer a screener survey and they are allowed to go through with the main survey only if they clear the former. The site’s surveys can be wrapped up in quick time (average of 10 minutes). Once you complete your survey, you can expect to get a check in around 10 days’ time via mail.
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Survey Savvy
Surveys on this site pay you up to $20 after completion. One of the best things about this site is its great referral program. Whenever a person referred by you completes a survey with this site, you’ll receive $2. For your indirect referrals, you stand to earn $1 for every survey completed.
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MySurvey
MySurvey is considered one of the oldest online panels. They host lots interesting and fun surveys you can participate in. Expect to receive a few invites a week with each having the potential to pocket you (if you qualify) anywhere from $1 up to $10 or more in rare cases.
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ValuedOpinions
Another totally free survey sites that you can join is ValuedOpinions. The site has been around since 2001 and is quickly becoming a favorite amongst online survey takers. The only down side to this site is that they don’t pay cash. Once you have $20, you can redeem your money for vouchers from many different companies such as Amazon and Macy’s.
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Pinecone Research
Members are paid $5 for every survey they complete with this company. You have the freedom to choose whether to receive this money via PayPal or check. The checks I received were all dated on the same day of me taking the surveys. You are notified via email whenever a survey becomes available. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that the site doesn’t entertain new members often. As such, entry into this site is usually possible only through a referral by an existing member or by finding a registration link. I was fortunate enough to get in through the second method.
A quick reminder
Apart from these, there exist many more survey sites. After a few months of trying to earn extra money on the side with these sites, I quickly realized that the best way was to register with most of these sites and complete as many surveys possible for each and every one of them. This adds up to a reasonable amount after some time. It’s always good to know that you are due a check, even if it’s for $50 only.
That said, please remember not to get your hopes too high thinking you are going to get rich with this. It’s literally impossible to make that much money and no one has ever been able to do that.
I am not trying to discourage you though – I do believe taking surveys is a great and easy way to earn money working from home without having to invest any money, I just want you to go into it with realistic expectations. With that in mind, I wish you good luck.
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