Surveys for money: The best sites to take online surveys
It’s possible to complete online surveys for money. The payouts won’t push you to financial freedom overnight, but completing surveys for money could provide a small financial boost when you need it.
The best online surveys for money
Here are the best options out there that will pay you to take surveys for money.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a popular survey site that will pay you to take surveys. As you take surveys, you’ll earn Swagbuck points which can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. You can also earn Swagbucks points for such activities as playing games, searching the web and watching videos.
You can expect to earn around 40 to 200 Swagbucks for each survey. That ends up between 40 cents and $2 per survey. However, there are some rare opportunities to earn up to $50 per survey.
2. LifePoints
LifePoints is another site that allows you to take surveys in exchange for points.
The number of LifePoints you receive in exchange for a survey will vary based on the urgency and length. But as you collect LifePoints, you’ll be able to redeem them for gift cards, charitable donations and cash via PayPal.
3. InboxDollars
InboxDollars will reward you with cash for watching videos, playing games, reading emails, taking surveys and shopping at selected stores. What makes InboxDollars stand out is that you don’t need to work out a complicated point conversion system in your head; you simply earn cash for each survey you take.
The majority of the surveys available through InboxDollars range from 50 cents to $5. But some surveys will reward as high as $10 to $20. In general, plan to spend 2 to 25 minutes on a survey.
To get the ball rolling, you can unlock a $5 bonus once you confirm your email. You’ll be able to cash out via PayPal, check, or a wide range of gift cards.
4. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie allows you to earn money by taking surveys and sharing your browsing behavior. As you answer surveys, you will accumulate points. Within your dashboard, you can see exactly how much the points are worth in dollars.
You can redeem your points for cash via PayPal or gift cards. The only downside is that you will need to wait until you accumulate 500 points to cash out at the $5 mark.
5. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost provides an opportunity to share your insights in exchange for points. As you earn points, you can redeem them for cash via PayPal or gift cards. Each point is worth around 10 cents. You can earn up to 250 points per survey. Like the other options, it will take some time to build up a significant number of points.
6. i-Say
I-Say connects users with survey opportunities through Ipsos, which is a market research firm. Although you will not have as many survey opportunities, you won’t have to navigate a new site every time you take a survey.
As you build up points, you can redeem them for gift cards and cash. Inconveniently, i-Say doesn’t provide a cash value for its points. Instead, you’ll have to scroll through the available redemptions at the time to score the best deal.
You will need to wait 96 hours from your registration before you can start cashing out rewards.
7. Toluna Influencers
Toluna Influnencers lets you pick the topics you’d like to take surveys. Although this may make the platform more interesting, the payment opportunities aren’t that impressive.
For each survey, you will earn between 15 and 50,000 points. You may not see the points credited to your account for several days. Unfortunately, your points will expire after being in your account for 12 months. With that, it’s important to spend your points relatively quickly.
As you redeem points, you will be able to choose from cash via PayPal and several gift card options.
8. MyPoints
MyPoints offers opportunities to answer surveys for money. Additionally, the company offers bonus point opportunities for shopping at particular retailers. As you build up points, you can redeem them for cash or gift cards.
One of the first offers you’ll see from MyPoints is a $10 welcome bonus. However, the fine print can get dicey. You’ll need to spend $20 within 30 days to access the $10 welcome bonus.
Are online surveys worth it?
Online surveys can be a fun way to pad your savings or cover light expenses. However, it’s not a dependable source of income to cover major expenses.
If you’re looking for a reliable source to supplement your income, consider a side hustle.
Things to be aware of when taking online surveys
Before you dive into the world of taking online surveys for money, keep these pearls of wisdom in mind:
- Never pay to take online surveys: If you are asked to pay to join a survey site, run for the hills. You’ve likely stumbled upon one of the many scams lurking in the online survey space. Shopping at a legitimate retailer through these sites is acceptable, but paying a membership fee of any kind is a red flag.
- It can take longer than you think: Not only will it take time to build your points, it can also take additional time to receive your compensation. You might need to wait days or weeks to see the rewards you rightfully earned. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common theme across survey sites.
