Best Site To Make Money Doing Surveys

You want to take that vacation to the beach. Having some extra cash would be great. You have probably seen the advertisements for paid survey sites in various corners of the Internet. You wonder 'do these sites really pay?'

These ads make pretty big promises:

Get paid to take surveys!

Earn big money in your spare time!

No money to join!

It's easy to have a cynical reaction to such promises. There are a lot of scams out there. But the following eight paid survey sites are on the up-and-up and can offer you a tidy little side hustle.

Survey sites pay you small amounts to take surveys, play games, watch videos, or other various activities. While you won't get rich, it's taking paid surveys can be a way to earn some extra money while you watch TV or do other mindless tasks.

Each site "pays" but it may not necessarily be in the way you think. Some pay in cash or gift cards, some in reward points, and some even pay in airline miles. Here's what you need to know so you can decide if this will be a good side hustle for you.

How Paid Survey Sites Work

Survey sites start by asking you for your personal and demographic information. You can trust that credible sites (such as the ones listed here) will not disclose this information to any other party. This information is used to choose participants for surveys.

Generally, the sites will offer several types of surveys and trial offers. Free surveys are completely free for you to take part in, and you receive compensation for your time. Offers, on the other hand, might cost you a small fee to take, but you receive payment for taking part. The offers are generally for subscription services, so it is up to you to cancel the subscription before the trial period is over.

Not all survey takers will qualify for every survey. For many surveys, you will have to answer several preliminary questions to determine if you qualify. If you are screened out, most survey sites will not pay you for that time.

When you have earned money through the survey site, you will receive your earnings as a gift card, Paypal cash, or a check, depending upon the site. Most sites have a payout minimum that you must meet before you receive your money.

Inbox Dollars

InboxDollars is more than a survey site. You can take surveys, watch TV, play games, and more. There seem to be endless options on how you can earn extra cash. For signing up you automatically receive $5. You can click on any option and see the amount of money InboxDollars would like to reward you.

This site is designed to help connect brands and consumers. It is a lead generator for companies looking for new customers. If you are comfortable having your contact information provided to brands, then this is a great site for a little extra cash. Just understand that the brands you connect with on InboxDollars will be able to contact you and send you information about their products.

Payout on Inbox Dollars starts at $30.00. The money you have earned will get added to your account. Your account must be active to collect.

InboxDollars gives you the option of cash, eCard, or PayPal. If you choose the cash, a check will be mailed to your home. You get to choose what works best for you. Overall, Inbox Dollars is a good way to make fast cash in your free time.

Read our review: Earn Money with InboxDollars

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is not solely a survey site. This is a great site for the shopper in all of us. You can earn money by shopping online and buying gift cards through Swagbucks. They also provide ways for you to earn money through various other online activities.

In terms of surveys, Swagbucks continually works to bring in higher-paying and better surveys for their users and they distinguish themselves with a very low cash-out minimum of just $3. You can also engage in any of their other earning platforms to reach that threshold. Other ways to earn include watching videos, playing games, referring friends and more.

You don't want to go out of your way to buy things through Swagbucks that you normally wouldn't. Just shop how you regularly do and earn some extra cash for it.

Read our Swagbucks review to learn more about the benefits and or click this link to sign up now.

Harris Poll Online

Taking surveys with Harris Poll Online earns you HIpoints–generally between 75 and 150 points per survey. You can redeem your points for gift cards only (there are no cash payouts), and you need 1,250 HIpoints for each $10 gift card you redeem.

Harris Poll has a relatively high rate of screen-outs for potential survey takers, but if you screen out of any particular survey, the site awards you 15 points and an entry into their quarterly $10,000 sweepstakes, so your time is not completely wasted. In fact, if you are disqualified quickly, you might find that being screened out and earning 15 points is a better deal than actually completing a survey.

Harris Poll Online only emails participants three to four surveys per month, so it is up to you to check out potential surveys on the site to really earn money from them.

Related: 37 Most Trusted Money Making Websites (No Investment Needed)

Opinion Outpost

Opinionoutpost Opinion Outpost is remarkable for having a high qualification percentage for survey takers, meaning you will waste less time on surveys that you end up being screened out of. In addition, if you end up being screened out of a survey with Opinion Outpost, the site enters you into a quarterly drawing for $10,000.

Opinion Outpost will email survey takers about two surveys a day, providing you with the number of points you will receive and the time it will take to complete each survey. These surveys tend to be geared toward your demographic, so you are less likely to be disqualified from them.

Each point you earn with this site is worth $0.10, meaning 200 points = $20. There is a 1-year limit on using the points. There is a $50. threshold for cashing out (unless a lower redemption is available), which you receive via PayPal instantly. You can also choose Amazon or iTunes gift cards, if you would rather. Regardless of how much you earn, Opinion Outpost donates $10,000 a month to the American Red Cross

Read our full review of Opinion Outpost or get started.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the biggest names in the online survey business with over 5 million members. Unlike other survey sites on this list, Survey Junkie acts as a kind of middleman between users and the market research companies looking for survey participants. Once you join (for free!), you provide the site with an email address where you will receive invitations to take surveys.

Unfortunately, according to some reviews, you will also receive many email solicitations and other spammy contacts in addition to the surveys. According to Survey Junkie spokesperson Thomas Ensch, "We do NOT sell any of our users' first-party data to anybody." As far as I can tell, the additional emails that some reviewers have complained about are the kinds of trial offers you will receive from many survey sites. An easy way to handle this issue is to create a dedicated email account for your Survey Junkie correspondence.

Each survey you take earns you between 15-60 points, and you will even earn 2-3 points when you screen out of a survey. The payout minimum is $10, or 1000 points. You can opt to be paid through PayPal, with e-Giftcards, or by bank transfer if you are in the U.S.

Toluna Influencers

Toluna Influencers complete surveys, play games, and watch online content to earn points. Points earned can be redeemed for gift cards, giveaways, gadgets, and cash. Gift cards include Amazon, Target, and Starbucks, just to name a few. Or have your points changed to cash and deposited into your PayPal account.

Sign up is free and earns you 500 points. Friend referrals also get you 500 points. You can earn up to 1,000 points for creating content for the site such as polls, topics, or battles. These tend to be rewarded the most. An interesting reward from this site is their daily giveaway. Every day a winner gets 1,000,000 Toluna points. You can buy tickets for 500 points each and you are automatically entered by completing surveys. However, the tickets are only good in the month they are purchased.

Surveys work like other sites and you can end up not qualifying for them, which means no pay. Toluna does encourage you to fill out as many member personal profile surveys as possible, to increase your odds of qualifying. They even give you 100 points for every one you complete.

Toluna Influencers has a lot of ways to earn points for your time. Surveys will get you anywhere from 15-50,000 points, depending on length. A $10.00 Starbucks gift card will cost you 30,000 points. Keep in mind that points are only good for 12 months.

MySoapBox

MySoapBox is all about the surveys. After signing up for the free site you will receive your first survey within 24 hours. They refer to their surveys as research studies. The more studies you agree to, the more you are invited to participate.

Studies earn you anywhere from 750-1500 points. You have to reach 25,000 points before you can claim any gift card rewards. The redemption is $1.00 for every 1,000 points. Depending on how many studies you do, it could be a while before you are able to get anything.

MySoapBox is also about charity. They donate $500 per month to a charity and even if you do not qualify for a study, you are still able to vote on which charity will receive the donation that month. You can also use your points to donate to a charity of your choice, instead of claiming gift cards.

Check out MySoapBox if you are looking to earn some gift cards and make a difference.

MyPoints

MyPoints has something for everyone when it comes to earning. They offer the usual surveys and games, but they have a few more features also. You can earn points by shopping, watching videos, reading emails, searching the web, finding deals, and discovering content.

Whew, that is a lot of ways to earn.

Gift cards are the main reward with MyPoints, and you can choose from 70 retailers and restaurants. They also offer cash through PayPal or Visa prepaid cards. You can even earn travel miles with a United MileagePlus account.

Redemptions start as low as $3.00 which means you can get to the reward faster. As with any survey taking site, be sure you are keeping an eye on your points, and you are getting what you earned.

If you are looking for a variety of ways to earn gift cards or cash, MyPoints might be the right place for you.

Get started with MyPoints here.

Respondent

respondent

Respondent

Respondent takes surveys to a whole other level. It is a website that matches companies who are performing research studies with qualified participants. They report you can earn $140 per hour, however they are usually looking for a specific set of people, which makes it difficult to be selected for studies.

Research studies are typically done as interviews over the phone, or as a survey you complete yourself.

Once you apply with your demographics and other data, you can start applying for studies. Respondent allows you to apply to up to three per day, with remote ones filling up much faster than in-person opportunities.

Unlike survey sites that pay pennies and gift cards, research studies pay cash. However, you have to be chosen for the study, so it's less spray-and-play, and more focused application. This makes it less reliable financially, but a bigger payout when you do get into a study.

If you are looking for more substantial chunks of money, this is a great option to add to your daily survey routine.

Get started with Respondent.

Final Thoughts

Earning money by taking online surveys is not going to be anyone's path to riches. However, if you are willing to put in the hour it takes to fill out the initial profile surveys, the time spent on answering survey questions in your spare time is well worth it.

8 Legit Paid Survey Sites to Make Some Extra Money

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