Surveys for money are a great way to make some extra money. Some survey sites will pay via Amazon gift cards or PayPal. Top survey apps, like Swagbucks, will offer even more payment variety with options including free PayPal cash, gift cards to Amazon and other popular stores, prepaid Visa cards, or even cryptocurrency.
What paid survey sites are legitimate?
Before you can start taking surveys for money, you have to be sure that the site you are using is a legitimate one. There are plenty of survey sites to choose from and while most are okay, there are others that are maybe less than alright.
Scam survey sites can sometimes stand out because they are so obviously fraudulent. Other times, it can be impossible to tell them from the legitimate survey companies. Before revealing the names of the good, legitimate survey sites, here are some things to watch for that could mean the site is a scam:
- Paid surveys worth “hundreds or thousands of dollars”. Sorry, no one is paying that much for completing surveys.
- They ask for too much personal information right away. Never give out your banking information or your driver’s license number, social security number, or any other info that you feel is beyond legitimate need.
- They make promises about how fast you can earn cash and how much you will earn that do not seem realistic. Can you make a full-time living by completing online surveys? Probably not. Scammers hope that you do not think this through.
- You find no reviews or only negative reviews under one name but find dozens of negative reviews under very similar names. Scam survey websites often get shut down for a day or so and then pop back up, often with a similar name to what they were using.
Legitimate Survey Sites
Thankfully, there are a number of good survey sites that let you earn money by taking online surveys and other short tasks. Most work by allowing you to share your opinion for which you earn points. After you earn enough points you can exchange them for rewards like Paypal or gift cards.
Here are some sites to get you started:
- Swagbucks.
- Inbox Dollars.
- Pinecone Research.
- Opinion Outpost.
- Survey Junkie.
- Survey Club.
- Zap Surveys.
- Upromise.
- Toluna
Each site has specific requirements for members including age. All are free. Pinecone Research does have additional restrictions and may not be open to new members at all times. You must have an invitation from a current member to request membership in their panel.
Does surveys really pay money?
Yes, you really can take surveys for money. The amount per survey will vary by the site that you are using and by the survey itself. Most online surveys take only a few minutes to complete. The longer the survey, the more money it will pay.
Why do online survey sites pay you to take surveys?
The simple answer is market research. Market research companies need to get vital information about products, services, brands, and companies but they do not work for one single company so they can either have thousands of people trying to do long tedious market research surveys on their own or they can pay online survey sites to take care of this for them.
The market research firm pays the survey site to get people to take the surveys. Part of that money is then used to pay for rewards like gift cards.
Are paid surveys safe?
Yes, the paid surveys are safe as long as you are on a legitimate survey site. Remember the tips to spot a scam from above and always trust your gut. If something feels off about a site, delete your account.
You should be aware that you will be answering the same questions many, many times before you even start to answer surveys. These questions will include your age, your general occupation, your gender, and other basics. That is so that you are only matched with surveys that you are a good fit for.
How do you get free money from surveys?
After doing your research and finding one of the best survey sites to use, sign up for a free account. Make sure that you pay attention to whether a sign-up bonus is offered or not. Some paid survey websites do offer a bonus but only after you complete additional steps. Don’t miss out on a single chance to make money if you can help it.
The survey opportunities will be available to you on the website and you may get email notifications that there are more available surveys. There is nothing that says you cannot belong to several sites at the same time or that you cannot take multiple surveys per day.
Most survey sites do have additional ways to make extra money so that you are not relying on just surveys. As most survey takers can tell you, sometimes you can go days without being accepted into a single survey, and sometimes you are being accepted for more surveys than you can complete.
What is the best paying survey site?
Because there are so many variables in the survey industry it would be hard to choose the absolute, number one site that pays the most money for your valued opinions. Would that determination be based on who has the highest paying surveys or who lets you make the most extra cash?
Either way, you can count on Swagbucks being near the top of any review list that you read. Most of the other survey sites listed above would also be on that list.
What surveys pay you instantly?
Most surveys will be credited to your account immediately. In the cases where your points or credits are not instantly added, you will be notified before you take the survey and reminded immediately afterward. You should ideally get a message telling you that the pending points have been added to your account when it happens.
To get a reward, you must meet a certain minimum threshold. For some, it is as low as $3 (Swagbucks) but for others, it could be much higher. Zap Surveys requires $25 in your account before you can request a cash-out.
Is Mobrog safe?
Mobrog is a survey company that is based in Germany. The online paid surveys offered on this site range from $.50 to $3 on average. Payment is through Paypal. The mobile app has a solid rating of 3.4 stars on Google Play and 3.7 stars on the Apple App Store. Additional ratings rank from 2.9 stars with Survey Police and 4.5 stars with Trust Pilot.
Is Panda Research Legit?
Established in 2005, Panda Research is one of the older paid online survey sites but it may be showing its age. It does offer paid survey opportunities including some of the higher-paying surveys that people are super excited to be offered. However, these are not frequent and like all of the other sites, most surveys pay small amounts.
People are paid twice a month, via Paypal at least in theory. One of the major problems with Panda Research is that payment is often slow to arrive or does not arrive at all. But, there is a far bigger issue with this site.
To complete surveys with Panda Research, you may be asked to complete offers. These offers can include several other side offers, or maybe for something you have little interest in and does not even relate to the survey you were in the middle of. If you close out of the offer, you will not be credited for completing the survey.
What’s better, Swagbucks or Survey Junkie?
Both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are among the best survey sites in terms of just the online surveys but there are some key differences between them. First, Survey Junkie offers a very small sign-up bonus of only $.50. Swagbucks offers a $5 bonus
Note: You can get a $10 bonus called a Swagup if you spend $25 or more on a single purchase from one of the many merchants available through Swagbucks.
Survey Junkie does not pay you for referrals at all. You can earn 300 SB per referral with Swagbucks. You will also earn a percentage of points that your referred members make as well.
Both have fairly low minimum payout thresholds. You can get a reward at $3 with Swagbucks and $5 with Survey Junkie. Both offer Paypal cash or gift cards for your reward payout. Survey Junkie also offers a bank transfer option.
The major difference between these two survey sites is in the number of ways that you can make money. With Survey Junkie there are 2 ways: online surveys and SJ Pulse which monitors your online habits.
Swagbucks is more than completing surveys. Here are some of the additional ways you can earn money with them:
- Shopping online either directly from the Swagbucks website or by using the browser extension called the Swagbutton. (You will earn SB for installing it).
- Uploading receipts from online shopping or from shopping in your favorite stores.
- Finding Swag Codes.
- Playing games.
- Answering the daily poll question.
- Completing offers.
- Referring friends and family.
Are the $1000 surveys real?
As much as we would all like to earn as much extra cash as possible, the promise of $1000 for a single survey is just a myth. Those scam websites only want to get as much information as they can from you. Stick with a legit survey company to make extra money. You won’t get rich overnight but you also will not get ripped off either. You will take some online surveys, earn a deposit to Paypal or gift cards, and maybe learn about new products or services in the process.
Taking surveys for money will not replace your average salary but with the best-paid survey sites, you can earn some nice gift cards for holidays or to buy yourself things you have been saving for.
Every completed survey that you take helps brands improve which will also improve your own shopping experience so everyone comes out ahead.
- Paid surveys worth “hundreds or thousands of dollars”. Sorry, no one is paying that much for completing surveys.
- They ask for too much personal information right away. Never give out your banking information or your driver’s license number, social security number, or any other info that you feel is beyond legitimate need.
- They make promises about how fast you can earn cash and how much you will earn that do not seem realistic. Can you make a full-time living by completing online surveys? Probably not. Scammers hope that you do not think this through.
- You find no reviews or only negative reviews under one name but find dozens of negative reviews under very similar names. Scam survey websites often get shut down for a day or so and then pop back up, often with a similar name to what they were using.
Legitimate Survey Sites
Thankfully, there are a number of good survey sites that let you earn money by taking online surveys and other short tasks. Most work by allowing you to share your opinion for which you earn points. After you earn enough points you can exchange them for rewards like Paypal or gift cards.
Here are some sites to get you started:
- Swagbucks
- Inbox Dollars
- Pinecone Research
- Opinion Outpost
- Survey Junkie
- Survey Club
- Zap Surveys
- Upromise
- Toluna
Each site has specific requirements for members including age. All are free. Pinecone Research does have additional restrictions and may not be open to new members at all times. You must have an invitation from a current member to request membership in their panel.
Do surveys really pay money?
Yes, you really can take surveys for money. The amount per survey will vary by the site that you are using and by the survey itself. Most online surveys take only a few minutes to complete. The longer the survey, the more money it will pay.
Why do online survey sites pay you to take surveys?
The simple answer is market research. Market research companies need to get vital information about products, services, brands, and companies but they do not work for one single company so they can either have thousands of people trying to do long tedious market research surveys on their own or they can pay online survey sites to take care of this for them.
The market research firm pays the survey site to get people to take the surveys. Part of that money is then used to pay for rewards like gift cards.
Are paid surveys safe?
Yes, the paid surveys are safe as long as you are on a legitimate survey site. Remember the tips to spot a scam from above and always trust your gut. If something feels off about a site, delete your account.
You should be aware that you will be answering the same questions many, many times before you even start to answer surveys. These questions will include your age, your general occupation, your gender, and other basics. That is so that you are only matched with surveys that you are a good fit for.
How do you get free money from surveys?
After doing your research and finding one of the best survey sites to use, sign up for a free account. Make sure that you pay attention to whether a sign-up bonus is offered or not. Some paid survey websites do offer a bonus but only after you complete additional steps. Don’t miss out on a single chance to make money if you can help it.
The survey opportunities will be available to you on the website and you may get email notifications that there are more available surveys. There is nothing that says you cannot belong to several sites at the same time or that you cannot take multiple surveys per day.
Most survey sites do have additional ways to make extra money so that you are not relying on just surveys. As most survey takers can tell you, sometimes you can go days without being accepted into a single survey, and sometimes you are being accepted for more surveys than you can complete.
What is the best paying survey site?
Because there are so many variables in the survey industry it would be hard to choose the absolute, number one site that pays the most money for your valued opinions. Would that determination be based on who has the highest paying surveys or who lets you make the most extra cash?
Either way, you can count on Swagbucks being near the top of any review list that you read. Most of the other survey sites listed above would also be on that list.
What surveys pay you instantly?
Most surveys will be credited to your account immediately. In the cases where your points or credits are not instantly added, you will be notified before you take the survey and reminded immediately afterward. You should ideally get a message telling you that the pending points have been added to your account when it happens.
To get a reward, you must meet a certain minimum threshold. For some, it is as low as $3 (Swagbucks) but for others, it could be much higher. Zap Surveys requires $25 in your account before you can request a cash-out.
Is Mobrog safe?
Mobrog is a survey company that is based in Germany. The online paid surveys offered on this site range from $.50 to $3 on average. Payment is through Paypal. The mobile app has a solid rating of 3.4 stars on Google Play and 3.7 stars on the Apple App Store. Additional ratings rank from 2.9 stars with Survey Police and 4.5 stars with TrustPilot.
Is Panda Research Legit?
Established in 2005, Panda Research is one of the older paid online survey sites but it may be showing its age. It does offer paid survey opportunities including some of the higher-paying surveys that people are super excited to be offered. However, these are not frequent and like all of the other sites, most surveys pay small amounts.
People are paid twice a month, via Paypal at least in theory. One of the major problems with Panda Research is that payment is often slow to arrive or does not arrive at all. But, there is a far bigger issue with this site.
To complete surveys with Panda Research, you may be asked to complete offers. These offers can include several other side offers, or maybe for something you have little interest in and does not even relate to the survey you were in the middle of. If you close out of the offer, you will not be credited for completing the survey.
What’s better, Swagbucks or Survey Junkie?
Both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are among the best survey sites in terms of just the online surveys but there are some key differences between them. First, Survey Junkie offers a very small sign-up bonus of only $.50. Swagbucks offers a $5 bonus
Note: You can get a $10 bonus called a Swagup if you spend $25 or more on a single purchase from one of the many merchants available through Swagbucks.
Survey Junkie does not pay you for referrals at all. You can earn 300 SB per referral with Swagbucks. You will also earn a percentage of points that your referred members make as well.
Both have fairly low minimum payout thresholds. You can get a reward at $3 with Swagbucks and $5 with Survey Junkie. Both offer Paypal cash or gift cards for your reward payout. Survey Junkie also offers a bank transfer option.
The major difference between these two survey sites is in the number of ways that you can make money. With Survey Junkie there are 2 ways: online surveys and SJ Pulse which monitors your online habits.
Swagbucks is more than completing surveys. Here are some of the additional ways you can earn money with them:
- Shopping online either directly from the Swagbucks website or by using the browser extension called the Swagbutton. (You will earn SB for installing it).
- Uploading receipts from online shopping or from shopping in your favorite stores.
- Finding Swag Codes.
- Playing games.
- Answering the daily poll question.
- Completing offers.
- Referring friends and family.
Are the $1000 surveys real?
As much as we would all like to earn as much extra cash as possible, the promise of $1000 for a single survey is just a myth. Those scam websites only want to get as much information as they can from you. Stick with a legit survey company to make extra money. You won’t get rich overnight but you also will not get ripped off either. You will take some online surveys, earn a deposit to Paypal or gift cards, and maybe learn about new products or services in the process.
Taking surveys for money will not replace your average salary but with the best-paid survey sites, you can earn some nice gift cards for holidays or to buy yourself things you have been saving for.
Every completed survey that you take helps brands improve which will also improve your own shopping experience so everyone comes out ahead.
Trending Articles:
- The Best Way to Pay Off Student Loans (In 7 Simple Steps)
- Test Websites for Money: The Best Online Website Tester Jobs
- What is my Google Play Gift Card Balance?
- How to Make 500 Dollars Fast
- Cryptocurrency for Surveys: 8 Sites that Pay Bitcoin
- Best Way to Invest Even If You Only Have $100
- Sephora Black Friday 2021
- Mystery Shopping: How to Make Money & Avoid Scams
- 11 Places to Find Blogging Jobs
- How to Double Your Money: 3 Investment Strategies to Start Today
- Bath and Body Works Black Friday Deals 2021
- How to Get a Vanilla Visa Gift Card For Free