Best Online Paid Survey Sites

If you're looking at taking paid surveys online in order to bring in a little extra cash, you need to know where to look.

 

It's not as simple as doing a quick Google search and expecting to come across a great survey site. Some sites ask for a fee to join, some have very small payouts and some have a reputation for not paying out at all. So which sites are the best?

 

Here is our list of the top 10 online survey sites that have decent payouts, low payment thresholds and a reliable volume of surveys.

 

1. IPSOS - http://www.ipsos.com/

 

A must-join, Ipsos is probably the best paying survey site. Although they don't pay out in actual cash, you earn points by taking surveys and in return you use these points to get vouchers.

 

2. Swagbucks - http://www.swagbucks.com/

 

Swagbucks pays you 'swag points' to answer daily polls. You can also mix it up by getting paid to watch videos, search via its page instead of Google and even play free online games.

 

3. GlobalTestMarket - https://www.globaltestmarket.com/

 

US survey site GlobalTestMarket pays by cheque in sterling once you've earned $50. 

4. Crowdology - http://www.crowdology.co.uk/

 

Another popular site, Crowdology pays hard cash via Paypal. The payment threshold's a low £4.

 

5. Onepoll - http://www.onepoll.com/

 

Mega-popular for its speedy surveys, OnePoll runs polls for the press, meaning fun questions about celebs and your lovelife. It works slightly differently to other survey sites and doesn't send out invitations - you need to log on daily to check.

 

6. Pinecone - http://www.pineconeresearch.co.uk/

 

The holy grail of survey sites, Pinecone pays megabucks, but is invitation only. You get £3 for every survey.

 

Sadly, the recruitment process is more secretive than MI6. You have to wait until you're invited or spot a web banner advert on another site to sign up.

 

7. VansonBourne - http://www.vbbusinesspanel.com/home/

 

For anyone who works in IT or business, Vanson Bourne is a must-join. It pays hugely generous £5 or £10 in Amazon vouchers per survey. People usually receive the voucher by email just a few hours after completing a poll.

 

8. Toluna - http://uk.toluna.com/

 

Another survey site to try is Toluna. Earn regular Amazon vouchers.

 

9. NewVistalive - https://www.newvistalive.com/Portal/Welcome.aspx?ReturnUrl=/portal/default.aspx

 

While Newvistalive has a high £50 payout threshold, it pays up to a generous £5 per survey. 

 

10. MySurvey - http://uk.mysurvey.com/

 

Earn cash quickly from MySurvey, as it has a low £3 payout threshold and abundant surveys. It pays in cash via Paypal.

 

ATTNETION

Even if you sign up with the above 10 websites, it won't be good enough to earn you any decent money.  To make money through paid surveys is a game of numbers.  The more websites you sign up, the more chances you are invited to do surveys.  To save your time in researching, there are paid surveys at home sites at Clickbank which will provide you with hundreds of survey sites to join.  Bear in mind you would need to pay a little money to access the information.  However Clickbank is a reputable marketplace and will issue refund if you're not happy with what you bought.

 

Popular Scams Online Survey Companies Use

Anyone who's ever been online should, by now, be aware of the hundreds of "work from home" internet based companies that are consistently advertised in various websites.  One of the more popular is "doing surveys for cash."

There are literally hundreds of online survey companies.  Most of them are not legitimate ways to make money, although a few of them can earn you a few bucks.  These companies target stay at home moms who want to make a few extra dollars while taking care of the kids, the unemployed who want to make a few extra dollars while watching dozens of daytime court TV programs, the elderly who are not afraid to use the computer and teenagers who think they know everything, but aren't yet wise to the ways of the world.  And let's not forget the very greedy people of low intelligence who think they can get rich by answering a few simple questions to which a five year old can respond.

 

These people are prey to unscrupulous methods used by some online survey companies.  These scams include the following:

 

1. The fee for joining. There are some sites out there who charge a "fee" to join. They promise you an opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, sitting home at your computer taking surveys. The fee is usually less than $50. These sites are always a scam. If it was possible to earn $100,000 a year doing surveys online, the roads would be empty because no one would be going to work. Everyone would be home, in front of their computers, earning easy money. These sites prey on the greedy and/or lazy people of little intelligence.  By the time they figure out that their "get rich quick" scheme isn't working, they're out $50.  It's not a crime to be greedy, lazy or stupid. And, unfortunately, it isn't a crime to prey upon them in many cases. These sites are careful to add "disclaimers" stating that not everyone will earn this amount of money. They promise nothing, but include testimonials on their site from people with no last names who claim to be living the high life from the comfort of their homes. They usually have photos of flashy cars and huge houses on their websites. People need to stay away from these sites like they would avoid the bubonic plague.

 

2. The cell phone scam. In this popular scam, you'll be asked for your cell phone number to "confirm" your membership.

 

Seconds later, you will receive a call on your cell phone. The call will end up costing you anywhere from $1.95 to $4.95; depending on the company. These companies don't usually end up charging you too much because they figure you'll never miss a couple of bucks. But it adds up for them and that's how they make their money. They will then periodically send you text messages telling you you've won a prize and to claim it, you simply need to reply to the text. This will end up costing you more money. Do not give out your cell phone number to any website.

 

3. The Switcheroo. In this scam, you will be participating in a survey and then be directed to another website.

 

They will ask you to show an "interest" in obtaining more information from one of their marketing partners. You will continue to answer "no" and keep getting more offers; the survey will never end until you answer "yes." Now this scam might not cost you any money, but it will cost you time. Because when you say that you are interested in learning more about health insurance, expect to receive an average of 10 calls a week from telemarketers trying to sell you health insurance. 

 

4. The phone bill scam. You'll sign up for a survey company and provide your telephone number. Then you'll proceed in completing a survey and receive an offer for a free issue for a magazine. You'll think to yourself - what's the harm?

 

You'll give your name and address for the magazine and hardly notice when a fee for a year's subscription shows up on your telephone bill. If you read the fine print, however, you will see that when you provided the company with your name and address to receive your "free" magazine, you authorized them to bill you via your telephone bill.

 

They figure that you won't even notice the extra $12.95 attached to your phone bill. And many people don't.

 

These are just four of the scams that you may encounter in the world of online survey participation.

 

Online survey taking can be fun, but be careful. Do not give out your cell phone number under any circumstances.

 

Do not give out your social security number or bank information. Do not ever express any interest in receiving information from health insurance providers any any other companies. And avoid the "online education" inquiries as well.

 

Do some research prior to joining any company, do not pay a fee, and lastly beware of anyone or any website that promises to make you rich!

Make Money Through Online Surverys

Marketing is big business. In order for companies to provide the best service and increase sales, a lot of companies now offer paid surveys in order to find out how to target their ideal customers. By learning who to target, businesses can reduce their advertising budget and get more bang for their buck. This is why more and more businesses are now willing to pay for your opinions.

 

You don’t need any special qualifications or know-how in order to make the most of paid surveys, all you need is a little free time.

 

So how do online survey sites work?

 

All you have to do is sign up and wait for survey alerts to land in your inbox and fill out the survey. Survey sites then add the cash to your account. Sometimes you’ll receive cash for filling out the survey (that is paid out after so much money has been accumulated in your account) or sometimes you’ll receive vouchers for your efforts that you can spend online.

 

How much can you expect to make?

 

You need to be realistic. This is where a lot of people make their first mistake. Even if you’re religiously filling put every survey that you get sent, you’re not realistically going to be able to make a living from it. You need to treat the surveys as a way for you to make a little bit of extra cash. Dedicated survey-stashers can make $200 a year in cash and vouchers. Some who push harder can see as much as $1000 a year in cash and vouchers.

 

Surveys aren’t a way for you to make thousands of dollars quickly. It takes some time to accumulate a decent payout, so don’t look at these surveys as a get rich quick scheme, because unfortunately (despite what some sites say), they really aren’t.  Just remember that  patience and consistency are key virtues when it comes to taking surveys to make money.

 

Top tips for making money through surveys...

 

• Set up a dedicated email address that you only use for surveys.
• Check your inbox regularly as some surveys are very time sensitive.
• DON'T store cash in survey accounts. As soon as you can get a payout, take it.
• Spend any vouchers you receive ASAP. Vouchers usually have a limited expiry date.
• DON'T tell porkies on your surveys.
• Keep a log of all the surveys you’ve completed.
• DON'T pay to join any survey sites. Only go for the free sites.
• Refer friends whenever you can as you can usually receive an incentive for this.
• And last but not least, keep your tax in mind. It’s your responsibility to declare all income on your tax returns.