Admittedly, we all spend too much time on our phones. Downtime means screen time. Waiting in the pick-up lane at school or doctor’s office, or even from your friend to get back from the restroom when you’re out at a restaurant.

close up on customer woman hand pressing on smartphone screen

I typically use these free moments of extra time to scroll through my Instagram feed or mindlessly browse the web. At home, I’ll take online surveys while keeping an eye on the kids or watching TV. I don’t want to waste my time starting a survey I can’t finish and wind up getting paid nothing.

But not all survey apps have super long surveys. There are plenty of quick, free paid surveys you can complete.

Swagbucks is a long-running rewards company that offers dozens of free ways to earn cash by answering short surveys: through trivia, daily polls, its online survey portal, and with its survey app in the Google Play Store and iTunes. If you’ve got a mobile device and a little bit of free time, you can earn extra money, PayPal cash, and free gift cards by taking surveys on just about any topic under the sun.

A Little About Swagbucks

Over $600,000,000 (that’s $600 million) paid to members in PayPal cash and free gift cards (including VISA, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Nike, Kohl’s, Macy’s, and Best Buy)

In addition to being a well-known legitimate survey site, Swagbucks offers a number of ways to earn money online.

  • Cash back shopping (earn cash back rebates when you shop online).
  • Scanning receipts.
  • Using online coupon codes.
  • Trying free samples and free trials of new products and services.
  • Online games.
  • Searching the web.
  • Daily trivia.
  • Taking paid surveys online.
  • Answering polls.
  • Participating in focus groups.

AS one of the oldest and most trusted market research companies out there, Swagbucks offers millions of paid survey opportunities available every year.

Taking short, Paid Surveys is Easy on Swagbucks

  1. Sign up for free in less than a minute.
  2. Answer some basic profile questions, like age, gender, and zip code. This helps Swagbucks find potential surveys for you.
  3. Go take surveys featured on the surveys page at swagbucks.com/surveys. You can also navigate to this page by tapping or clicking on the “Answer” header on the dashboard in the page’s header.
  4. Look for survey opportunities ranging in length from 1 minute to 10 minutes.

Yes, Shorter Surveys Do Play Less

Yes, by and large, short surveys are going to pay less. 30-minute surveys pay less than 60-minute surveys. And 5 to 10-minute surveys are going to pay a lot less than 30-minutes. But there are benefits.

Sample of some survey earning opportunities available in the dashboard of one Swagbucks’ member.

Benefits of Shorter Surveys that Pay Less

  1. You can finish them more quickly when you only have a few extra minutes. No frustration of starting a long one and then having to bail out.
  2. Shorter surveys can often be easier to qualify for.
  3. Shorter surveys are less competitive.

Everyone wants to take the juicy, higher-paying surveys. So they fill up quickly. While you’re mid-survey, the survey can close because that survey has received its target number of completions. This isn’t Swagbucks trying to prevent you from getting paid. The market research company, or brand, who created the survey only wanted X number of completions. That’s all they’re able to pay for.

Fewer people attempt shorter surveys, which means you’re more likely to be able to complete them. In the long run, some survey takers even find that shorter surveys end up making them more money. Spend 30 minutes looking for and completing 1 larger paying survey. Or spend that same amount of time completing 4 shorter ones.

Get Paid When You Disqualify from Surveys

So Swagbucks wants you to be able to complete surveys in full. That’s how Swagbucks gets paid. When you don’t qualify, Swagbucks isn’t happy either. When you disqualify it means:

  1. Swagbucks isn’t getting paid either.
  2. Now Swagbucks has an unhappy survey taker.
  3. Survey takers might wonder or worry about what happens with their survey responses.

It can all lead to a really bad user experience, which Swagbucks definitely doesn’t want.

Here’s What Happens When You Disqualify or DQ from Surveys on Swagbucks

  1. Both you and Swagbucks are bummed out. No one is getting paid anything from the survey company.
  2. Any survey responses or personal information you’ve provided are discarded.
  3. Swagbucks pays you 1SB (up to 5B or $.05 a day) as a thank-you for trying disqualification bonus.

Obviously, a nickel a day isn’t a lot. But over a year, that’s an extra $20 Swagbucks will give you to thank you for your efforts, and there are plenty of surveys you will qualify for and be able to complete – as well as other ways to earn.

Message to a Swagbucks member who was disqualified from a survey.

Earn Cash for Answering Easy Survey Profile Questions – No Qualification Required

On the surveys page on Swagbucks, you can find a section called “Your Survey Profile”. Answer very short, very simple questions (i.e. Do you own a motorcycle?) and get paid. Anyone and everyone on Swagbucks is eligible to answer these questions and earn extra money.

  1. Get paid 2 SB for every 10 questions.
  2. Create more paid survey opportunities.

The more you answer these easy survey profile questions, the more you bolster your member profile. This gives Swagbucks a better idea of your profile and other surveys you could qualify for. Basically, you’re getting paid to help Swagbucks create a better survey experience for you.

These short profile survey question sets are an easy, guaranteed way to earn cash.

Download the Swagbucks App

While you can go to Swagbucks.com in the browser of your phone, Swagbucks does have survey apps for both the iPhone and Android. Completing surveys within the app is going to be an easier, more user-friendly experience. Things are laid out to give the mobile user the best possible experience.

  • Google Play Store
  • iTunes Store

How much money can you make doing short paid online surveys?

Swagbucks has thousands of survey-taking members who’ve earned over $10,000 taking paid surveys online But that is, of course, a significant time commitment.

Realistically, you should be able to make at least $2 to $3 a day with minimal but consistent effort. It takes just $2.74 a day to reach $1,000 a year.

For a while, I was on a very long streak of doing at least $5 a day on Swagbucks (through surveys and Profile Questions and searching the web and play games). Eventually, I just go distracted and let the streak go but I’ve started up again and I’m at 8-days straight.

What are some other survey sites I can use to make money and get free gift cards?

In addition to Swagbucks, there are a number of other online survey sites and legit survey apps you can also use to take more surveys and earn even more cash.

Best Survey Sites to Use and Make Survey Money Anywhere

  • Swagbucks – as covered in-depth in this article. Swagbucks has the most surveys available and most different kinds of surveys.
  • MyPoints – known for being a shopping rewards site (earn points for shopping online at 1,000+ participating stores that you can redeem for PayPal cash, free gift card, or free VISA gift card), MyPoints also offers hundreds of online surveys each day, too. Earn on the website or through their apps in the Google and iTunes stores.
  • InboxDollars – one of the oldest and most well-known online survey websites. This survey site has offered cash paid online surveys for over 20 years. Free $5 cash bonus for signing up. Get paid cash for taking paid surveys. Cash out with a check, PayPal cash, VISA gift card, or free gift cards to your favorite stores. Earn on their website (mobile web or desktop) or in the survey app in the Google and iTunes stores.
  • Eureka Surveys -Newer survey site, Eureka promises a guaranteed $1 for completing your first survey.
  • Branded Surveys -Branded Surveys (or brandedSURVEYS) pays points for each completed survey. Redeem your points for gift cards. Members can also opt into Pulse market research: your online behavior is monitored and recorded for behavior market research in exchange for additional points for gift cards.
  • Survey Junkie – Earn virtual points for taking surveys that you can redeem for eGift cards.
  • Pinecone Research – An oldie but goodie, Pinecone Research is an online survey company that pays you points for every completed survey. Take online surveys on a variety of different topics, from shopping online to pet food brand recognition surveys. Redeem your points for PayPal cash, gift cards, or other prizes.
  • Google Opinion Rewards – You didn’t know Google was a legit survey company too? Google Opinion Rewards rewards you for answering basic profile questions and short surveys. Earn up to $1.00 per survey.

Closing Thoughts on Taking Paid Surveys on the Go

I personally love doing paid surveys on the go. I’m a bit of a side hustler by nature, but more than that, I am always digging for my phone while I’m waiting in line or watching the kids at the playground. If I’m going to kill time on my phone, I figure, I might as well make a few dollars while I’m at it.

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