Your Guide to Taking Online Surveys for Money

If you’re looking to bring in extra cash in your spare time, you might have stumbled across advertisements for sites that let you take surveys for money.

People who participate in these online survey sites essentially act as digital focus groups, where companies can get your opinions on new products, product preferences, spending habits, and more.

And they do pay.

While filling out surveys online might not work as a full-time job, they can be an effective side hustle to bring in some extra income in your downtime.

In this article we’ll look at online survey sites, and break down how they typically pay.

We’ll also run down eight websites that offer paid survey opportunities, and answer some frequently asked questions about online surveys.Companies are always trying to understand their customers better.

What do consumers want?

What motivates them to buy something?

Why do they choose one product over another?

To get this valuable feedback, companies conduct market and product research, which often takes the form of paid focus groups — the act of speaking directly to people to get consumer opinions.

These companies would ask groups questions about product types, spending habits, and more.

Back in the day, focus groups were assembled in person with companies paying people to get together and offer their opinionsWe’ve also discussed how these sites pay.

Now let’s get to it: Below are some of the best survey sites to make money online.

1. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is a company that lets you learn about products before they hit the market and gives you the opportunity to provide feedback on those products.

For every completed survey, they offer points that can be redeemed for cash or prizes, and they also offer regular prize draws.

2. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie lets you build a personalized profile, which they then use to match you to surveys.

You earn virtual points for every completed survey, which you can redeem for PayPal cash or e-gift cards.

3. Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost offers paid online surveys on a wide range of topics, including “electronics, medicine, politics, sports, advertisements, appliances, or even what you ate for breakfast.”

Surveys are rewarded with points that can be redeemed for cash or gift vouchers to popular brands.

4. GlobalTestMarket

GlobalTestMarket lets you create an account quickly, and it’s totally free to start up.

You answer a few questions about you and your household, which lets them pair you with surveys that are relevant to you.

They reward you in points that can be redeemed for credit at stores like Amazon, PayPal, Macy’s, or Kohl’s.

Or you can make a UNICEF charity donation.

5. Ipsos i-Say

Ipsos i-Say is a survey site that lets users voice opinions on global brands, entertainment, advertisements, and more.

They will alert you directly in your inbox when there are new surveys, and reward completed surveys with i-Say points, which can be redeemed for PayPal cash or gift cards to Amazon or Walmart.

6. Survey Club

Survey Club is slightly different from the other sites listed here in that it acts more as a posting board for different survey opportunities around the world, and helps you find the highest paying research opportunities in your area.

These can include online surveys, but also product testing, private panels, clinical trials, taste tests, and more.

They’ve even had opportunities to play games and offer feedback.

(Yes, you can make money online playing games!)

7. Vindale Research

Vindale Research posts hundreds of paid surveys daily, and gives you the opportunity to cash out for real money. They offer payment in PayPal or check, though it may take serious time to earn more than a few dollars, and many of the higher paying surveys are looking for extremely specific demographics, which you might not fit.

Vindale Research also limits where participants are from, and only allows American, British, and Australian users to sign up.

8. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is an online survey site with reward points that can be redeemed for gift cards and more in their Swagbucks Shop.

They are also offering a 1000 Swagbuck point sign up bonus that can get you $10 to spend if you spend at least $25 at a store featured in the shop