Market research companies play a major role in what is available in your local stores plus what targeted ads you see whenever you are shopping online. What they need is your valued opinions and they are willing to pay for those opinions.

Online survey websites exist to help those market research companies and that in turn helps you and other consumers just like you. This is how:

The big company hires a market research firm before launching a new product. The research firm needs to find X number of people to take a market research survey, so they reach out to survey sites that like Swagbucks. Swagbucks has millions of members who can take consumer surveys and provide feedback.

Trustpilot

As a member of the survey site, you are offered the chance to complete surveys as they become available. You are asked screening questions to be sure you are the right match for the survey. You are given a reward for every online survey that you are able to complete. Some paid survey sites do give you points or other small rewards even if you do not qualify to complete the survey to compensate you for your time and to keep you as a member.

How Do You Know if a Survey is Legit?

Legit survey sites are transparent with the earnings potential, have reviews from trusted sites, and usually offer additional benefits beyond just surveys.

  • Look for reviews on TrustPilot and even the Better Business Bureau.
  • Don’t be alarmed if you see a few negative reviews, not every site is a winner for every person.
  • Don’t be sucked in by overly positive reviews either. Not every site is above posting fake reviews that are written and then posted on the company’s behalf.
  • If a survey site requests or demands money or too much personal information during sign-up, that’s a red flag. Asking for age, gender, race, and income are normal demographic questions you’ll be asked for upfront. Being asked for your social security number, bank account, or credit card numbers – that’s a scam.

Is the $350 Survey Real?

No, the $350 survey is not real. There are no companies that are paying you that much money for completing surveys. It is hard enough to make this much money per week while online, let alone in a single survey.

  • The average earnings should be mentioned while you are signing up for the website.
  • Most surveys pay as little as fifty cents or up to $5 for the average survey
  • Some surveys may pay higher than $5 but they are usually impossible to get into and fill up quickly as they are in high demand.

That said, on legit survey sites like InboxDollars or Swagbucks, you may be offered the opportunity to participate in more in-depth studies that can pay $350 or more after completing a shorter survey on the website. Say you take a $3.00 survey about cough medicines. After answering the questions and successfully completing the online survey, you may be asked if you want to voluntarily give your phone number or contact information to participate in a related focus group in your area.

But up front, no survey site will pay you $350 for taking an onlines survey. That’s fake.

Are Online Paid Surveys a Scam?

For the most part, online paid surveys are not a scam. There are some survey scams that do happen including the famous “$350 scam” that lures you to a website often just to get your personal information.

To avoid scams, stick with longstanding legitimate survey sites like InboxDollars, Swagbucks, MyPoints, Ysense, Upromise, Branded Surveys, or Survey Junkie.

What Can you Earn From Taking Online Surveys?

There are several ways to earn when taking surveys online. You can earn cash or you can choose from other options that the survey sites offer.

  • Some sites pay in “points” which are then redeemed for cash or deposits to an account
  • Reward options may also include gift cards to favorite stores or restaurants. Some sites also offer discounts or bonus offers if you pair your earned rewards plus their coupons when you are online shopping.
  • More and more sites are beginning to offer cryptocurrency for taking surveys. In early 2022, Swagbucks is joining that list. Survey takers will be able to earn free Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other cryptocurrencies for taking online surveys.

Which Paid Survey Sites are Legit?

You can find paid survey opportunities on the following sites. Most offer additional ways to earn cash including by referring friends, playing games, and uploading receipts for things that you already buy.

#1. Swagbucks

Age Requirements: Must be 13 or older

Sign up bonus: $10

Referral bonus offered: 300 SB per referral plus 10% of their earnings. If the referral installs the Swagbucks button you earn an additional 100 SB. (100 SB is equal to $1 USD.)

Average earnings per survey: $.40 to $5.00

Additional ways to earn cash: Several including games, uploading receipts, web browsing, meeting daily goals

Join Swagbucks now!

Trustpilot

#2. Inbox Dollars

Age Requirements: Must be 18 or older

Sign up bonus: $5

Referral bonus offered: $1 cash bonus for every friend referred plus 30% of their future earnings

Average earnings per survey: $.0.25 to $5.00.

Join InboxDollars today!

#3. Ysense

Age Requirements: Must be 13 in the US, age requirements may vary in other countries.

Sign up Bonus: Currently not offered

Referral bonus offered: Varies

Average earnings per survey: $.50 to $5

Join Ysense now!

#4. Survey Junkie

Age Requirements: Must be 16 or older.

Sign up bonus: $5

Average earning per survey: $2 to $5 per survey.

Good opportunity to earn rewards for surveys, but there are no other earning opportunities on site.

#5. MyPoints

Age requirements: Must be 13 or older

Sign up bonus: $10 (for completing specific featured offers)

Average earning per survey: $.35 to $5.00

Join MyPoints today!

#6. Lifepoints

Age requirements: Must be 14, may have additional age requirements to test certain products

Average earnings per survey: $.20 to $1

#7. Toluna

Age Requirements: Must be 16, 18 for some surveys/ in some countries

Average earnings per survey: $.10 to $10

#8. Pinecone Research

Age requirements: Must be 18 or older

Average earnings per survey: $3

Pinecone Research offers fewer survey opportunities, but the surveys they do have will pay more. It can be more competitive to get matched to a survey. Overall, you earn less money on Pinecone Research than you will with other survey sites.

How Do I Make at Least $60 Weekly Through Legit Surveys?

While no one is suggesting you can get wealthy when you answer surveys, you can earn cash and gift cards with just a few minutes of your spare time. To maximize your earnings on the paid survey sites:

  • Download any relevant apps so that you can take advantage of traffic jams, downtime at work, or while waiting in long lines. If you use public transportation to and from work, that is 2 opportunities to log in to a survey site and earn some money
  • Sign up on many survey sites. Not only does this give you multiple sign-up bonuses it gives you the ability to do many surveys per day.
  • Take advantage of the other opportunities on each survey website. Don’t limit yourself to only surveys
  • Set up alerts and try to be fast when the higher-paying surveys are announced. Those survey opportunities are often limited to very few people and fill up quickly

Bottom Line on whether Paid Surveys are Legit

Yes, there are survey scams and some are easier to spot than others. The online community is pretty good about letting people know where they are going to be at risk and where they have the chance to earn money for real.

Top picks for the average person looking to start taking paid surveys include Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars. Both are free and easy to join and both allow you to start earning immediately by completing paid surveys, watching videos, playing games, using their codes while online shopping, and referring friends.

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