Finance

Quick Cash: Ways to Earn with Survey Sites

William Koper

We’ve all seen it: the classic advertisement saying, “Complete this survey for a chance to win a $10 gift card!”  It sounds great, but it’s important to consider the fact that not every “paid” survey site is reputable. Even among those that are, survey availability and payouts often vary – meaning that the cash is not as quick as advertised.

Our goal at Financial Professional is to provide you with a list of legitimate paid survey sites that will maximize the return on your time. Selecting the right survey websites can make a huge difference, especially since you won’t qualify for every survey you see. Most sites require that participants meet certain requirements, typically based on demographic information or personal habits.

If you decide that online surveys are worth a look, we recommend the following sites:

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1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a legitimate way to make some quick and easy cash wherever you are. Signing up is free and easy – users can sign up with Facebook, Google+, or any email address. Completing your profile provides you with points right off the bat!

We recommend this website because it is very user-friendly and they typically do not spam your account with a bunch of emails. Plus, they offer thousands of surveys, so you can never really run out of opportunities.

  • The average payout per survey: $1-$3
  • Minimum to cash out: $10 (1,000 points)
  • Payment method: PayPal or eGift cards

2. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a very popular, fun rewards program that allows users to earn points by shopping online, searching the web, watching videos, etc. Users can also use Swagbucks to take surveys for some quick, easy cash. Swagbucks offers tens of thousands of paid survey opportunities each day, so there are plenty of chances to win a few bucks in your space time. They also offer a $5 welcome bonus!

Here’s how it works: Once you sign up to become a free Swagbucks member, you can start taking surveys. As you complete these surveys, you will earn points or “Swagbucks.” These Swagbucks reward you with cashback and/or access to free gift cards. When you’re ready, cash out your prizes and spend (ir)responsibly!

  • The average payout per survey: $.40-$2
  • Minimum to cash out: $3 for gift cards, $25 for PayPal
  • Payment method: PayPal or gift cards

3. InboxDollars

With a quick sign-up process and simple format, InboxDollars also works on a cash-reward-based system. They have plenty of surveys, most of which do not provide a very high payout but are rather short. You can earn quite a bit in less time than you think.

InboxDollars also offers the ability to earn money through completing other tasks such as playing games online, searching the web, and downloading coupons. They also offer a $5 welcome bonus.

  • The average payout per survey: up to $5
  • Minimum to cash out: $30
  • Payment method: Check, prepaid Visa, or gift cards

4. LifePoints

LifePoints has one of the largest influencer communities in the world – they awarded $28 million in rewards to its members in the last year alone. Compared to other sites, qualifying for surveys on LifePoints is much easier. Most surveys can be completed in 10 minutes or less. (Talk about quick cash!)

While this can lead to slightly less in payouts per survey, it’s better than being tied to one survey for 30 minutes like some sites.

  • The average payout per survey: $0.60-$1
  • Minimum to cash out: $20
  • Payment method: PayPal

5. MyPoints

MyPoints, similar to InboxDollars, is a platform that allows you to earn gift cards for answering surveys, taking polls, watching videos, and many other online activities (even shopping!).

This option is great because it allows users to earn points even when they don’t qualify for the survey – and they offer a $5 welcome bonus! However, MyPoints’ surveys often redirect you to third-party sites, which aren’t always the most user-friendly.

  • The average payout per survey: $2.50
  • Minimum to cash out: $3
  • Payment method: Gift cards

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6. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is an invite-only site with an average higher payout per survey. Each successful survey pays a minimum cash prize of $3 and takes an average time of 15 minutes to complete. (If you get really quick, you can earn $12 to $15 an hour!) They also offer the opportunity to test projects, which you can keep afterward.

However, Pinecone Research restricts its surveys to certain demographics. You will be sent a list of pre-qualification questions each month to determine if you qualify for the surveys.

Pinecone Research’s target demographics are currently Hispanic or Asian males between 18-24 years old, though some surveys request that participants be of high school age.

  • The average payout per survey: $3 minimum
  • Minimum to cash out: $3
  • Payment method: PayPal, check, or VISA gift card

7. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is a platform that pays you for completing online surveys and other tasks. The site is very user-friendly and easy to use, and a great number of surveys are available across multiple demographics.

Branded Surveys also have “badges” that work like a loyalty program with three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Participants can move up levels by collecting credits which are earned through completing surveys and other tasks. Moving up to higher levels unlocks more earning opportunities

  • The average payout per survey: up to 300 points ($3)
  • Minimum to cash out: $10
  • Payment method: PayPal or gift cards

8. Ipsos I-Say Panel

One of the largest online survey sites, Ipsos I-Say Panel allows users to earn points that they can redeem typically for Amazon gift cards, cash (via PayPal), or merchandise. Additionally, all members are entered into prize draws.

Since the rewards are fairly low, the site offers many quick surveys

The site also offers loyalty points as you hit survey milestones – for example, after completing 5 surveys, you earn 25 points.

  • The average payout per survey: $0.10 – $1
  • Minimum to cash out: $10 for gift cards, $15 for PayPal or VISA
  • Payment method: PayPal or gift cards

9. Vindale Research

Contrary to most of the other sites on our list, Vindale Research does not use a points-based reward system. Instead, the platform uses cash for compensation: what you see is what you earn.

The exact dollar value varies per survey depending on length, topic, and demographic criteria. Some surveys offer a cash reward of up to $50! They also offer a $1 welcome bonus.

  • The average payout per survey: $0.50 – $5
  • Payment method: PayPal
  • Minimum to cash out: $50

10. OneOpinion

OneOpinion has a very quick signup process, which takes a little under a minute. The platform allows you to earn points as you take surveys, with 1,000 points totaling $1. Once you get 25,000 points, you can get gift cards or a PayPal transfer, giving you some flexibility

  • The average payout per survey: $1 – $5 per survey
  • Minimum to cash out: $25
  • Payment method: gift cards

11. Survey Club

Survey Club is a bit different from other companies. Instead of hosting paid surveys themselves, they act as the middleman. While you earn money through Survey Club, the surveys are hosted elsewhere, typically on third-party sites.

Unfortunately, this means you may earn less compared to taking surveys on a primary site. However, this process can make the cash-earning process quick and easy compared to some of the other alternatives.

  • The average payout per survey: $0.50 – $5
  • Minimum to cash out: $20
  • Payment method: gift cards, travel miles, or PayPal

12. Opinion Outpost

This site has a low payout threshold but is very straightforward, which makes it great for paid survey beginners. Opinion Outpost works on a points system and offers flexible payout options such as PayPal transfers or gift cards.

Opinion Outpost is a decent option for those who have trouble qualifying for other sites. Due to the high number of paid online surveys, there is a qualifying survey for almost everyone.

  • The average payout per survey: $0.50 – $5
  • Minimum to cash out: $5 for gift cards, $10 for PayPal
  • Payment method: PayPal or gift cards

13. Harris Poll Online

Harris Poll Online takes a little longer to get started than most other sites, but its clean, user-friendly interface makes up for it. Like many others, they use a points-based system to tally into dollars.

Once you gather enough points, you can cash out for gift cards or e-vouchers. If you consider yourself a giver, you also have the option to donate your points to charity, which is a pretty unique option.

  • The average payout per survey: $1
  • Minimum to cash out: $10
  • Payment method: gift cards or charity donation

14. Valued Opinions

Valued Opinion is a large market research-based survey company that offers points to be converted to gift cards for compensation. In most cases, you can earn between $1 and $5 per online survey, and they usually take about 10 to 30 minutes to complete.

While you may not see a whole lot of surveys, there is a high chance that you qualify for one. The platform uses your profile information to help match you to opportunities, so you only see relevant, paid surveys on your dashboard.

  • The average payout per survey: $1-$5
  • Minimum to cash out: $20
  • Payment method: gift cards

Are Paid Online Surveys Right for You?

The better question is, who are they not right for?

Paid online surveys are a great side opportunity to earn quick cash, as they are easy to complete and can be done while tending to other tasks. While some of them can seem time-consuming for the dollar amount given, others are over in a flash. Furthermore, there are literally dozens of topics to consider.

Companies are willing to pay to hear the opinions of people like you and me so they can continue to shape the development and marketing of their products. They count on these paid online surveys to provide reliable market information.

That’s good news for us because we’ll never run out of ways to make some quick and easy cash!

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William Koper