We could all use a little more money. Did you know there are marketing agencies that will pay you to do surveys? It’s not much, but a steady habit of 100 or so surveys a week could lead to about $500 a month--at least that’s what certain websites and bloggers say. So I decided to test it out. Could I do about 20 surveys a weekday? Would it be worth my time and effort? This post will tell the beginning of my venture into answering those questions.
First off, I wouldn't bother writing a post like this unless I have actually made money off the endeavor, so when I made $18 in just a few hours in my first few days doing surveys I figured this info was worth sharing with others. It’s honest work that helps businesses by providing them with relevant information, and it is somewhat fulfilling since it allows your voice to be heard. Surprisingly, I even found myself answering questions about myself I never considered before, so in a way there’s even a bit of self-discovery in the work.
Most sites have promotions and rewards for doing more surveys, so the money I’ve made starting out is nowhere near the ceiling for the time frame in which I did the surveys. There are also many sites I haven't even tried yet but plan to. So far I’ve only signed up for:
But there is also:
And probably many more.
Among these, in my experience, the best for receiving money from doing just surveys are Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie, based on my beginner’s opinion. They are the least cluttered so you can focus on just surveys, and they email you when new surveys are available, but you have to be quick because the quotas fill up fast. Inbox Dollars, despite its name, does not send emails about new surveys too often, if at all. Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie are the only two that have actually paid me so far, but it’s understandable. Each site has a minimum amount for cashing out, and unless you have a ridiculous amount of time on your hands--which I don’t--you’re probably not going to meet their required threshold in less than a few days. Nonetheless, doing surveys in your spare time could still add up. Here are the minimums for cashing out for the websites that have paid me, or are close to paying me so far: Branded Surveys: 500 points or $5 Survey Junkie: 500 points or $5 Kash Kick: $10 MyPoints: 480 points or $3 Inbox Dollars: $15 Kash Kick awarded me $40 for setting up a Stash account, but cash rewards for signups are not the same as surveys. Many survey sites try to entice you to sign up for all sorts of things, claiming they’ll give you cash back rewards. I’ve found these opportunities to be somewhat of a hassle so I’ve decided to just focus on the surveys. I've found wisdom in the old mantra: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sites like MyPoints only allow you to cash out with gift cards, but PayPal is almost always one of the options and if you have a PayPal account it’s basically the same as cash (especially if it’s linked to your bank account). Thank you to Survey Chris and his post with a comprehensive list of sites for surveys. Thank you also to FinanceBuzz, which led me to the survey sites to begin with. If you’re looking to check if a survey site is legit or not, opportunitychecker.com does a great deal of the work for you. This article was just sharing how I’ve gotten my feet wet in the world of surveys. Check back in a month or so to see if I’ve accomplished my goal. The Project: Try out at least 20 survey sites and report back in a month, sharing which ones are legit and which are not. The Goal: Make at least $500 in a month on said project sites. Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
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