How to Know if Paid Survey Sites are Legit? [2022 Update]

If you’re on a mission to earn extra money while working from home, you’ve likely come across taking online surveys as an option. While there are many survey sites out there, you’ll quickly found out which ones are the best legit paid survey sites available on the market. On the other hand, a few survey sites are set up to steal your information or – in some extreme scenarios – your money! Legit paid survey websites want to pay you for your time because real companies want to collect market research through your survey answers. Before you sign up and waste hours of your life or get suckered into a scam, learn the signs if a paid survey site is legit or not.

You’re Not Required to Pay to Sign Up For Legit Paid Survey Sites

One of the first signs a survey website is legit is if it doesn’t require any fees to create an account. Legit survey sites will never ask you for money. Quite contrary: they want to pay you. Although it’s normal for surveys to fill up before you can claim a spot. Still, you should never have to pay.

Some survey websites require a membership fee to access their exclusive list of paid survey sites. In turn, the listed sites also require payments to access their survey opportunities. It’s an endless cycle of paying fees to see lists that take you to other lists where you are required to pay access fees.

Another type of survey website you might encounter is one where you need to complete a pre-qualification survey that never ends. Here, too, you are asked for a membership fee. The site will ask you to tackle questions to verify that you can take the survey; only these “initial” questions will never end. It will continue to ask you question after question until you get so frustrated that you exit out. The site will still collect your membership fee, and you’re left empty-handed. 

Bottom line: Never pay to take a survey!

There Aren’t Promises for Big Payouts

If you encounter a survey website that promises you a big payout, like “earn $200 per day taking online surveys” is not going to be legit. Paid online surveys are legit when they tell you what you can earn and how much the average user makes per survey. Legit sites don’t offer any promises of how much you can earn if you sign up. Online surveys aren’t a consistent job. Some weeks you might get matched with dozens while other weeks you might not receive any surveys to complete. There’s no way to earn consistent money by taking online surveys on one website.

Legit Paid Survey Sites Have a Privacy Policy

Privacy is incredibly important when it comes to giving your opinions online. When you sign up for a survey website, it’s normal for them to ask you a series of questions about yourself. This included questions about demographics, including where you live, what you do for a living, how much you earn, and more. Survey websites use your answers to match you with surveys. Without a privacy policy in place that clearly outlines what they do with your data, the website can do with your information what they want, including selling it.

If a survey website sells your information, prepare yourself to start receiving solicitations and spam emails from across the web. One of the most important ways to determine if paid surveys are legit is by checking the website’s privacy policy. Take a close look and take the time to read the fine print. If you find anything unusual in their privacy policy or they lack one altogether, don’t waste your time taking online surveys there.

You’re Not Asked for Confidential or Personal Information

A truly legit paid survey site won’t ask you for your social security number, your exact address, your banking info, or any confidential personal information. If they ask you for anything in this nature, close your browser window. They likely want to sell your information or steal your identity. Make sure to read every question carefully and exit out if anything seems suspicious.

Rewards and Payment are Clearly Outlined

If you want to taking online surveys for cash, it’s important to understand how and when you’re getting paid. Before you sign up for a survey website, spend time doing in-depth research into their rewards and payment policies. Legit paid survey sites will clearly outline how you will be paid. Most survey websites pay their members with cash through PayPal or with free gift cards. They will also tell you how much effort it takes to earn enough points to collect your payment.

If you’re on a survey website and it doesn’t mention what you’re paid with, how you’re paid, or how long it takes to receive a payment, you’re looking at a red flag. If they’re keeping their rewards and payment information ambiguous or vague, chances are that they’re trying to trick you into a scam.

Reviews Verify if Paid Survey Sites are Legit

A quick way to check if a survey site is legit is by checking reviews. If you’re searching for a new restaurant to try, you’re likely reading reviews before you go there. Just like searching for “the best company to work for” or “the best restaurant in town,” you should take the time to read the reviews about the survey website you’re interested in. Some legit sites that offer to get paid for surveys even display their online reviews for potential members. At Branded Surveys, we display our reviews from Trust Pilot on our home page. Go the extra step and make sure to read the reviews of a survey website on a trusted review website before you sign up to take surveys. Reviews might look legit on the company website, but their independent reviews might tell a different story.

The Survey Company Should be Registered with the Better Business Bureau

If the survey company is legit, their company will be registered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have a rating. If you can’t find their listing with the BBB, it’s a first red flag that the company is likely a scam. As a next step, search for the business name with “scam” after it to see what pops up around the web. If they’re a scam, you will see a lot of listings on the subject.

If you do find the survey company’s listing on BBB, make sure to read through their reviews, rating, and complaint section. Learn about other survey takers’ experience. If everything checks out, you’re safe to proceed to take online surveys.

There is a Contact and About Page on their Website

Another way to determine if paid online surveys are legit is by looking through the website for About or a Contact page. If there is no About page filled with a company’s history, address, and phone number, this is a warning sign and can indicate that they’re not a legit business. If they’re also lacking a contact page or any direct way to get a hold of them should you need assistance, consider it another red flag. 

The Domain isn’t Brand New

The last way to check if you’re on one of the legit sites to get paid for surveys is by checking their domain name. If their domain name was purchased within the past few months, investigate them further. Scammers like to move around. By putting up the same online survey website under different domains and names, they can scam more people at a larger scale. Learn how old a domain is by looking it up on WHOis.net.

At Branded Surveys, we don’t want any members to fall victim to another scam online survey website. We offer complete transparency about our business. Please review our privacy policy, about us page, read through our reviews, understand how our platform works, or contact us with any questions or concerns you might have. We are here to help our members earn money by giving their opinion on market research surveys.

If you’re ready to get paid for surveys on a legit survey website, sign up for Branded Surveys today!